Latest impact of other themes on historic themes

[Alexandrina]

18 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

I feel like the difference between the cypress and the goat is that the cypress is an older style of tree that is largely being phased out in favour of brickbuilt trees (the only remaining classic tree is the small pine), and it does not have any obvious uses.

The loss of the cypress tree came at the same time as the loss of several other unique/really cool pieces, in a period where Lego were trying to save money by dropping any mould they didn't have immediate use for. See also: the octagonal brick suite (6037 etc), the incredibly useful 6044, and 6072 corner turrets. All disappeared in the last years of the 90s (the cypress tree living on briefly with a service pack in 2001). I think a lot of the parts we lost in that period were victims of the time/circumstances, and would probably still be around today if they'd only endured until 2003.

Especially in a world with PAB, I feel like Lego should make the old style trees (all four of them) available for online purchase at least - for those people who would prefer them over complex brick-built trees.

7 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

And another Friends set, 42604, includes some ornamental trees that use the seven-petal flower piece in green as leaves, which I'm sure is another recolor that could have uses for various sorts of trees, shrubs, and greenery!

I'm genuinely surprised it didn't already exist in green. Seems like an obvious colour.

[Classic_Spaceman]

32 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

 6072 corner turrets. 

I feel like these are too "<insert that tiresome argument>" to return, unless it is used in Minidoll and 4+ sets. 

33 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

the octagonal brick suite 

I can actually see us getting this back at some point, though as a 2x2x1 brick; also, we would need octagonal 2x2 plates and tiles in order for it to fit into the overall system. 
 

[Black Falcon]

18 hours ago, Alexandrina said:

 and 6072 corner turrets

I really like that ones. But I doubt we will see them returning since they tend to build stuff more detailed now 

[Khargeust]

9 minutes ago, Black Falcon said:

I really like that ones. But I doubt we will see them returning since they tend to build stuff more detailed now 

Too much detailed I think.

LEGO is becoming more and more a display product. 

Edited November 9, 2023 by Khargeust

[Alexandrina]

35 minutes ago, Black Falcon said:

I really like that ones. But I doubt we will see them returning since they tend to build stuff more detailed now 

Yeah sadly I don't think they'll be returning any time soon, but I also don't think they'd have left the parts range if Lego hadn't been trying to contract. They might not fit in with a lot of 2020s-era sets, but they certainly fit well with the Castle sets of the early 2000s.

[Lyichir]

31 minutes ago, Khargeust said:

Too much detailed I think.

LEGO is becoming more and more a display product. 

I don't think that's necessarily what you should be getting from that. The thing about specialized parts like that turret corner is that building something similar out of smaller, more basic parts generally allows MORE play options, not less (considering that rebuilding is one of the major play patterns of Lego, and that smaller, more versatile parts tend to offer more options where that's concerned).

[Aanchir]

20 hours ago, Alexandrina said:

The loss of the cypress tree came at the same time as the loss of several other unique/really cool pieces, in a period where Lego were trying to save money by dropping any mould they didn't have immediate use for. See also: the octagonal brick suite (6037 etc), the incredibly useful 6044, and 6072 corner turrets. All disappeared in the last years of the 90s (the cypress tree living on briefly with a service pack in 2001). I think a lot of the parts we lost in that period were victims of the time/circumstances, and would probably still be around today if they'd only endured until 2003.

Certainly, a lot of parts were being discontinued around that time, but I still feel like it's pretty telling in some cases which parts were kept around and which were not.

Aquazone was an extremely big deal to me as a kid, so I certainly do miss the octagonal brick family. But their use in sets was likewise really limited, especially outside the Aquazone theme, so it doesn't surprise me that they didn't remain in use long after the end of that theme. Even after their final set appearances in 1998, I strongly suspect that the molds would have remained available to designers who wished to keep them in active use or reintroduce them — LEGO was not very cost-conscious about inventory management until 2004 or so, when it became clear that this was one of the factors which had nearly sent the company into bankruptcy the previous year. So I can only assume that designers of the time simply didn't see a whole lot of further use for them.

The 7x7 corner turret was likewise never widely used, and by the 2000s LEGO Castle design philosophy was already in the midst of a shift towards elements with even-numbered widths (like 30246, 48490, and 40253) and away from those with odd-numbered widths. The more widespread use of the 1x5x6 and 3x3x6 Castle wall panels was probably the main thing that kept their retirement on hold until new wall panels were introduced to replace them in 2009. It probably also didn't help that the scale of this part was geared towards building very large structures, and thus it rarely saw use outside the largest of Castle sets (unlike its 4x8 counterpart, which saw a lot of use in smaller Castle and Pirates sets).

The cypress had been around much longer than some of these other examples you've cited, but was still never used anywhere near as widely as the other tree molds in that family of parts, so it doesn't surprise me one bit that it was the first of the bunch to be discontinued. I mean, prior to the service pack you mention, it had not appeared in a new set since 1994! If designers considered it an especially useful or necessary piece, I feel they would have made more use of it while they still had the opportunity, particularly since the other single-piece tree molds saw plenty of use over that same period of time.

58 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

I don't think that's necessarily what you should be getting from that. The thing about specialized parts like that turret corner is that building something similar out of smaller, more basic parts generally allows MORE play options, not less (considering that rebuilding is one of the major play patterns of Lego, and that smaller, more versatile parts tend to offer more options where that's concerned).

Agreed. Also there's nothing about that big corner turret that feels particularly play-oriented to me. Certainly, it's pretty large and sturdy, which is great for making minifigure walkways without needing a whole lot of support from underneath. But the modern LEGO parts palette is hardly lacking in other large, sturdy corner plates which can be used for these same sorts of sturdy walkways. And there's no play-related reason that the parapet wall itself NEEDS to be the same part as the walkway it surrounds.

Frankly, the main advantage of that part (besides making this section of the build quick and simple for less experienced builders) is display-oriented rather than play-oriented: it lacks the gaps or seams that would likely result from building up a diagonal parapet wall out of smaller bricks on top of a larger wedge plate.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Aanchir

[Alexandrina]

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Certainly, a lot of parts were being discontinued around that time, but I still feel like it's pretty telling in some cases which parts were kept around and which were not.

Honestly you make pretty solid points for most of these, even if my love for the pieces makes me want to disagree.

Still feel we got robbed of 6044 though. Even if it was used less frequently than it had been by the end, it's a part which we didn't and still don't really have any direct analogues for. I believe it's the only slope there's ever been with studs on the sloped part, which makes it very useful for angled connections (I use them all the time for quick and easy triangular roofs).

[jodawill]

43 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

Honestly you make pretty solid points for most of these, even if my love for the pieces makes me want to disagree.

Still feel we got robbed of 6044 though. Even if it was used less frequently than it had been by the end, it's a part which we didn't and still don't really have any direct analogues for. I believe it's the only slope there's ever been with studs on the sloped part, which makes it very useful for angled connections (I use them all the time for quick and easy triangular roofs).

I don't have that part, but I seem to recall reading that it was out of system.

[Alexandrina]

6 minutes ago, jodawill said:

I don't have that part, but I seem to recall reading that it was out of system.

If that's the case, though, then surely the angle of the slope would be the offending element - it's the only slope at that particular angle. They could have easily made a slightly retooled version (it's two degrees out from part 30249, which was introduced just a year later) - it wouldn't be the first time an out-of-system part was replaced with a more system-friendly part.

[jodawill]

3 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

If that's the case, though, then surely the angle of the slope would be the offending element - it's the only slope at that particular angle. They could have easily made a slightly retooled version (it's two degrees out from part 30249, which was introduced just a year later) - it wouldn't be the first time an out-of-system part was replaced with a more system-friendly part.

I agree. I think they should come up with one that's in system. I often find myself wishing I had a part like that.

[gedren_y]

8 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Aquazone was an extremely big deal to me as a kid, so I certainly do miss the octagonal brick family. But their use in sets was likewise really limited, especially outside the Aquazone theme, so it doesn't surprise me that they didn't remain in use long after the end of that theme. Even after their final set appearances in 1998, I strongly suspect that the molds would have remained available to designers who wished to keep them in active use or reintroduce them — LEGO was not very cost-conscious about inventory management until 2004 or so, when it became clear that this was one of the factors which had nearly sent the company into bankruptcy the previous year. So I can only assume that designers of the time simply didn't see a whole lot of further use for them.

Of the molds designed for Aquazone, the ones that lasted the longest were Cone 2 x 2 x 1 2/3 Octagonal and Propeller Housing. The first lasted to 2002 with the Fort Legoredo reissue, and the second lasted until 2005 because of its utility in other themes. Royal Knights, Adventurers, and Time Cruisers got some use out of the Brick, Modified Octagonal 2 x 2 x 3 1/3. That part is likely what most people want back from that line.

[Alexandrina]

9 hours ago, gedren_y said:

Royal Knights, Adventurers, and Time Cruisers got some use out of the Brick, Modified Octagonal 2 x 2 x 3 1/3. That part is likely what most people want back from that line.

Interestingly, this particular piece was used more often in non-Aquazone sets than it was in Aquazone sets.

[jodawill]

There's a new part in the Orient Express they used for building the windows horizontally. It's a 1x2 tile with a 1x2 plate sticking up the middle. It looks like it will be perfect for building tudor houses once it's a available in black! Maybe it will be included in the Medieval Market Village?

[Alexandrina]

1 hour ago, jodawill said:

There's a new part in the Orient Express they used for building the windows horizontally. It's a 1x2 tile with a 1x2 plate sticking up the middle. It looks like it will be perfect for building tudor houses once it's a available in black! Maybe it will be included in the Medieval Market Village?

Ooh, another piece I'm going to have to buy in far too large quantities!

[Wardancer]

The Dreamzzz Nightmare King will be available soon with some magazine.

[Lyichir]

New set pics mean we should be on the lookout for more historic/fantasy pieces!

For fantasy/steampunk builds, I just noticed the Dreamzzz set 71477 The Sandman's Tower features a very nice printed clock face with exposed gears, as well as a new evil witch character with a unique hair/crown mold: https://www.brickmerge.de/71477-1_lego-dreamzzz-turm-des-sandmanns

EDIT: Another piece that might interest historic builders is the khopesh in silver in some of the new Ninjago sets (for the new villain faction, whose parts might also be useful for some fig customizers). There's also a new dragon wing piece in some of the "gimmick" sets that comes in three different two-color blends.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Lyichir

[zoth33]

2 hours ago, Lyichir said:

New set pics mean we should be on the lookout for more historic/fantasy pieces!

For fantasy/steampunk builds, I just noticed the Dreamzzz set 71477 The Sandman's Tower features a very nice printed clock face with exposed gears, as well as a new evil witch character with a unique hair/crown mold: https://www.brickmerge.de/71477-1_lego-dreamzzz-turm-des-sandmanns

EDIT: Another piece that might interest historic builders is the khopesh in silver in some of the new Ninjago sets (for the new villain faction, whose parts might also be useful for some fig customizers). There's also a new dragon wing piece in some of the "gimmick" sets that comes in three different two-color blends.

Yeah Ninjago and Dreamzzz have a lot of nice parts.  I ordered the Nightmare kings pieces recently hoping to get them before christmas.  I am now wondering if Fortnite will get sets and figs that would produce some interesting parts especially for fig customization.  

[Follows Closely]

We are getting a nice new shield from this 4+ set!

 

[Lion King]

12 hours ago, Lyichir said:

New set pics mean we should be on the lookout for more historic/fantasy pieces!

For fantasy/steampunk builds, I just noticed the Dreamzzz set 71477 The Sandman's Tower features a very nice printed clock face with exposed gears, as well as a new evil witch character with a unique hair/crown mold: https://www.brickmerge.de/71477-1_lego-dreamzzz-turm-des-sandmanns

EDIT: Another piece that might interest historic builders is the khopesh in silver in some of the new Ninjago sets (for the new villain faction, whose parts might also be useful for some fig customizers). There's also a new dragon wing piece in some of the "gimmick" sets that comes in three different two-color blends.

Oh i didn’t realize there is a new hair+crown piece!

Thanks for sharing this with us! :) 

[Classic_Spaceman]

In the trailer for LEGO Fortnite, Brite Bomber uses a new crossbow piece (the stirrup and moulded bolt have been removed, and the latter has been replaced with a clip that can attach a bar element).
While we know that some Fortnite sets are coming in 2024 (aside from the llama and BrickHeadz), we do not currently know what skins (and therefore, what new moulds) will be available; that said, there is no reason for the trailer not to just use the existing crossbow mould (as it has done with axes, swords, pickaxes, and other accessories), so I think that there is actually a good chance that we will see the new crossbow piece IRL. 
 

[Aanchir]

21 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

In the trailer for LEGO Fortnite, Brite Bomber uses a new crossbow piece (the stirrup and moulded bolt have been removed, and the latter has been replaced with a clip that can attach a bar element).
While we know that some Fortnite sets are coming in 2024 (aside from the llama and BrickHeadz), we do not currently know what skins (and therefore, what new moulds) will be available; that said, there is no reason for the trailer not to just use the existing crossbow mould (as it has done with axes, swords, pickaxes, and other accessories), so I think that there is actually a good chance that we will see the new crossbow piece IRL.

I feel like the crossbow design here is most likely a digital-only design meant to evoke the familiar "LEGO" look of the classic crossbow, while making it easier to animate the crossbow being fired or reloaded during gameplay. I doubt it would be used in the sets, since there's not much point in making the bolts removable on a physical piece that lacks any sort of firing mechanism.

If LEGO did make a new crossbow mold that can be reloaded, I think they'd be more likely to design it with the same firing mechanism as this bow, and have it share this arrow piece for the bolts. We know that these two molds will remain in use in 2024 (and aren't IP-locked to the Avatar theme) because they appear in one of the upcoming Dreamzzz sets.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Aanchir

[Classic_Spaceman]

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I feel like the crossbow design here is most likely a digital-only design meant to evoke the familiar "LEGO" look of the classic crossbow, while making it easier to animate the crossbow being fired or reloaded during gameplay. 

Maybe, but why remove the stirrup? Also, it is possible to animate the existing crossbow piece to look like it is firing the harpoon piece (see TLM, etc); I am not sure why it would need a new design when all of the other tools/items that I have seen use existing moulds. 

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

there's not much point in making the bolts removable on a physical piece that lacks any sort of firing mechanism.

It allows the crossbow to be stored unloaded, different ammo to be loaded in (such as tranquilliser syringes), and more elaborate weapons to be made. I can see LEGO doing it. 

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

We know that these two molds will remain in use in 2024 (and aren't IP-locked to the Avatar theme) because they appear in one of the upcoming Dreamzzz sets.

Interesting - I had thought those pieces were just a weird one-off for the Avatar 2 sets. 
 

[Lyichir]

Another part I only just noticed this morning (despite being a pretty big fan of the theme) is a new shoulder armor piece in two of the new Monkie Kid sets! I feel like this armor could work for Asian historic figs, paired with a more suitable torso.

[Frike]

16 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Another part I only just noticed this morning (despite being a pretty big fan of the theme) is a new shoulder armor piece in two of the new Monkie Kid sets! I feel like this armor could work for Asian historic figs, paired with a more suitable torso.

Nicely spotted! That is yet another piece I will have to add to me ever-growing wishlist...