2016: A Disappointing Year?

[PicnicBasketSam]

I don't really find this year disappointing at all. We've seen very strong showings from Marvel, Technic, Ninjago, Elves, Nexo Knights, and Creator, and City has had some really good sets. A lot of crappy ones too, to be sure, but some brilliant designs. Now, I am quite let down by the DC, Star Wars, Disney Princess, and Angry Birds offerings... everything else I didn't mention is pretty much in the middle. Oh, forgot the GB Firehouse... that's a great set too. So no, 2016 is not a disappointing year. Unless you're a Star Wars fan, in which case, I can't help you.

[kevin8]

I feel every set is becoming too much expensive. Moreover many of these sets have short life, disappearing from shelves in less than a year and are not distributed in Italy.

My usual store ordered 12 Ghostbusters headquarters, Lego sent just 2 advising it won't be supplied again....

I feel to be always on a run to get my preferred sets without being able to do it.

I don't feel so comfortable actually.

[The Cobra]

For me personally, 2016 is the biggest disappointment since I emerged from my dark ages 5 years ago.

No real castle and Nexo Knights is like a bad joke (just my opinion, you're entitled to yours if you disagree).

The only saving graces have been a great new Speed Champions wave and some solid CMF series.

I emerged 9 years ago from my dark ages and I agree with every word you said.

I'll end up buying the Brick back thanks to saving so much on "ordinary" sets.

Elves and Speed champions are okay, but SC is a Lego Shop exclusive (or to be found in mark-up toy store chains)

City and Friends = same old stuff at a more expensive price (Service station = 75 €, Heartlake party shop = 30€!)

Nexo Knights = a joke. A bad joke.

While I agree there are some great new parts, I'm not into MOCs so that doesn't make a big difference.

[x105Black]

For me personally, 2016 is the biggest disappointment since I emerged from my dark ages 5 years ago.

No real castle and Nexo Knights is like a bad joke (just my opinion, you're entitled to yours if you disagree).

The only saving graces have been a great new Speed Champions wave and some solid CMF series.

I agree.

It all comes down to what you like. For me, I like Castle. There has been virtually nothing for me, aside from a handful of minifigures from the CMFs and a few sets here and there. Nexo Knights does not satisfy any Castle criteria, and is essentially a slap in the face to Castle fans. It has, however brought a handful of nice new parts. If only they would stock them in Bricks & Pieces.

I also like Star Wars, and while some of the sets have been good, there are always things to complain about. High prices, lack of detailed printing on minifigures (Carbon Freezing Chamber Boba Fett and Droid Escape C-3PO, for example), poor design (Luggabeast), and more have plagued this year's sets.

Aside from a few scattered sets and pieces, there isn't much of anything else to look forward to.

[Japanbuilder]

Comparing these year over year it doesn't seem like anything is disappointing per se. Sure some individual sets have not been well received, but generally speaking there is something for just about anyone.

City is going on with, well City stuff. Just like in previous years. Creator has released yet more little vehicle builds with lots of useful pieces (specially for me as it is a cheap way to get parts to squeeze does big tires into the chassis of my 4-stud-wide cars) Star Wars has been limited to Rebels and FO but that is understandable given those series are more recent. NEXO Knights has been mixed but personally after getting a couple of the sets I am a convert. They're really really fun to fiddle with and come with interesting parts.

There is only more to look forward to as far as I can tell. We still have the winter wave to contend with. I think it is too early to write off 2016 just yet.

[Kefka2200]

I liked the ghostbusters house, but I didn't buy it. I'm sitting here twisting in the wind because the nexo Knights haven't yet arrived in the United States and that's the only series I'm interested in right now. I wish I knew their release schedule seeing as Europe already has their summer lineup. Anyone know a general US release schedule for Lego?

[kinggregus]

Comparing these year over year it doesn't seem like anything is disappointing per se. Sure some individual sets have not been well received, but generally speaking there is something for just about anyone.

City is going on with, well City stuff. Just like in previous years. Creator has released yet more little vehicle builds with lots of useful pieces (specially for me as it is a cheap way to get parts to squeeze does big tires into the chassis of my 4-stud-wide cars) Star Wars has been limited to Rebels and FO but that is understandable given those series are more recent. NEXO Knights has been mixed but personally after getting a couple of the sets I am a convert. They're really really fun to fiddle with and come with interesting parts.

There is only more to look forward to as far as I can tell. We still have the winter wave to contend with. I think it is too early to write off 2016 just yet.

I disagree... There is a real void this year in regards to historic themes - not only castle, but also pirates, westen, or licensed historic themes such as Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbeans, Lone Rangers, etc...

I think a very large portion of AFOL who typically like historic sets feel disappointed this year.

That being said, this year has been fantastic for my daughter: Disney Minifigs and plenty of Disney licensed sets.

[Borex]

I love 2016. Marvel is great. Dimensions is great. The cmf line is great. Nexo knights is fun as well. Star wars is a bit less, but i like the ot. Ghostbusters is great. Love it

[xboxtravis7992]

Seeing though that LOTR/Hobbit sets were produced well into 2014; and Pirates running last year, is it a huge issue that there aren't historic themes right now? Lego Sci-Fi seems to come and go to, and there can be a few year gaps in-between themes such as Space Police or Alien Invasion. (If anything Nexo-Knights would be just as strange to classic Sci-Fi fans as it blends knights with Lego sci-Fi and lacks the SPACESHIP focus of almost every other Lego Sci-Fi theme). Still I have a gut feeling that by 2017 or 2018 we might see another Historical theme arrive on the scene, and while it might not be Fantasy/Classic Caste to avoid stepping on the toes of Nexo-Knights, it might be something like the American West, Mythology, or even more Pirate themed sets. And what is not to say Nexo-Knights might not eventually produce a large D2C style set with a more historic bent? Look at Ninjago's Temple of Airjitsu, strip it of its theme specific details and you have a pretty darn good representation of an Asian pagoda style building.

Besides I am ranting because I am getting tired of hearing the complaints lobbed towards Nexo-Knights because "it is not a historic theme." Well it isn't, get over it! I don't care for the theme either, but I see no reason to declare 2016 a wasted year just because a toy company created a theme that appeals to; dare I say it, children! I've been waiting for a solid Wild West theme since I missed out on the original, and the Lone Ranger was so short lived despite producing some of my fave sets; but I'm not going to bash a theme if Lego calls it "The Rock Island Cowboys" and it turns out to be a mix of Rock Raiders and Bionicle; but everyone is wearing a cowboy hat.

Besides taking that attitude dismisses what Lego has done right this year; and there has been quite a few great sets this year. If my income was larger I would have actually bought A TON MORE of sets this year; if anything I think Lego has had more home-runs than strike outs this year.

[fatsomania]

I think it's been a pretty good year, but I will say the summer wave of Star Wars sets has been very disappointing. Mostly just rebels sets, some Episode 7, and only one set from IV-VI that's very expensive, and not highly rated. But I liked the January wave. Droid Escape Pod and Carbon Freezing Chamber look very good in my opinion and I like the $25 price range. Aside from Star Wars, Fun In the Park and the Disney series have been great and I am looking forward to Series 16. (Don't forget the rumored UCS Death Star)

[kinggregus]

Besides I am ranting because I am getting tired of hearing the complaints lobbed towards Nexo-Knights because "it is not a historic theme." Well it isn't, get over it! I don't care for the theme either, but I see no reason to declare 2016 a wasted year just because a toy company created a theme that appeals to; dare I say it, children! I've been waiting for a solid Wild West theme since I missed out on the original, and the Lone Ranger was so short lived despite producing some of my fave sets; but I'm not going to bash a theme if Lego calls it "The Rock Island Cowboys" and it turns out to be a mix of Rock Raiders and Bionicle; but everyone is wearing a cowboy hat.

Besides taking that attitude dismisses what Lego has done right this year; and there has been quite a few great sets this year. If my income was larger I would have actually bought A TON MORE of sets this year; if anything I think Lego has had more home-runs than strike outs this year.

Travis, you are missing the point. You can't deny that by not doing a historic theme of any sort, a large portion of this community will be disappointed. If you look at the forums, the historic forum is arguably the most popular of Eurobricks. The fact that there are not historic theme is something we never experienced in the past and will lead to disappointment in this community.

Specifically about Nexo Knight, I do not think that anyone would argue that Nexo Knight could not exist in parallel of another historic theme, like LOTR was at some point done at the same time as Kingdom Castle.

We know all know that this is a kids toy, but this community is composed of AFOLs.

[KenAdams]

IMO 2016 is a pretty disappointing years when looking at just City / Modular / Star Wars.

Hence why I took the opportunity to collect some stuff I missed out on in previous years instead.

[MattGee]

As a recent returnee to collecting Lego, I only collect what I like. I bought a few Star Wars sets last year and in the UK with the May the Fourth promotion I bought a couple of the large sets with the discount that I might not have done otherwise, but that's all. I agree with the statement about "grey spaceships", although I bought one! Their shape notwithstanding I have been put off by the fairly high price point and sameness. I have bought a couple of Creator sets instead though and my daughters have become interested in the Elves sets.

I am not that interested in the Nexo Knights and the Super Heroes themes, they just don't personally appeal that much!

On the other hand its allowed me to buy more older pieces for my own MOCs.!

I think the year is only half over and not having had chance to go into the Lego store this month who knows what new surprises there will be. I am attracted by the Brick Bank, I think it looks good, but there will be more to see soon no doubt.

[YellowCorvette]

I didn't really think so. For me this year is a mixed bag (Althrough 2016 isn't even close to over yet) like the other years. I kinda agree that the flagship sets released in the winter is very disappointing (Looking at you, 75098!) but when the summer arrives it's starts to get better with the Technic Porsche 911 and the Creator Big Ben, and the new Death Star isn't even revealed yet! The opposite can be applied for some of the themes like Star Wars with good Winter wave system sets and overpriced Summer wave system sets.

[x105Black]

Seeing though that LOTR/Hobbit sets were produced well into 2014; and Pirates running last year, is it a huge issue that there aren't historic themes right now?

Yes.

[Peppermint_M]

It is rather amusing that the prevailing opinion seems to be that TLG are purposefully designing themes and sets to antagonise certain factions of the AFOL community.

[xboxtravis7992]

It is rather amusing that the prevailing opinion seems to be that TLG are purposefully designing themes and sets to antagonize certain factions of the AFOL community.

That's it! We haven't had a new Creator Expert D2C Train Set in more than three years! Rumors of a new one this winter be darned! Lego is out to ruin my life by producing products I don't want! Wah wah wah! You'd think their main target audience is children or something! Unless this year produces the exact set I want I will declare it a complete waste of ABS granules!

Now do you see why I find it so darn ridiculous the Historic faction of the community is acting like they are? Give it time, Lego doesn't always run all themes at once. Almost every other group of the community has had to live through their favorite themes being cancelled for a while, Lego Space, Lego Trains, Bionicle fans, Harry Potter Fans, etc. the list just goes on and on! I will gladly wait for another year or two if Lego doesn't release another Creator Train right away. If Bionicle is cancelled I'll gladly continue MOCing sets and enjoying the lore. Heck, if even Lego Star Wars is canceled (ridiculous to think of, but you never know what is possible) I will gladly collect my own bricks to create what I want. Just because Lego isn't producing exactly what you want doesn't mean they haven't made it already, or that they will make it again. Plus it is no restraint to go and Bricklink your own bricks and build what you want! So stop whining and get MOCing and make something great. Continue with this entitlement that "Nexo-Knights hurts my feelings 'cause it isn't more Lord of the Rings" and I swear historic themes will become the laughing stock of the Lego fan community.

Edited June 11, 2016 by xboxtravis7992

[x105Black]

I can only speak for myself and the factions in which I participate.

I feel that LEGO thought Nexo Knights would appeal to Castle fans, and in my opinion, that was a huge miscalculation on their part.

I don't think they're doing it on purpose. I don't think their intent is to antagonize. It just happens to be the result of their actions.

I think the prevailing opinion in this thread has been that they've been doing well with a lot of themes, but a few themes have issues. This is a problem mostly for those that only enjoy the limited selection of themes with issues.

[Gnac]

I was disappointed that Speed Champions ended up being closer to CITY / Minifig-scale than Creator / Racers, but this is an opinion I rarely mention. I don't feel cheated that it wasn't what I expected. As such, I don't have to worry about gaining a reputation as "that member who always complains about speed champions not being what they wanted".

[Andrzej777]

As I already said, the year has been disappointing to me because no historic lego sets were released, and thats the only reason I buy sets - to get the minifigs. So, TO ME it was disappointing - why not say so if it is my true feeling

That's it! We haven't had a new Creator Expert D2C Train Set in more than three years! Rumors of a new one this winter be darned! Lego is out to ruin my life by producing products I don't want! Wah wah wah! You'd think their main target audience is children or something! Unless this year produces the exact set I want I will declare it a complete waste of ABS granules!

I cant really say lego is ruining my life because they havent released any cool historic sets - that would be a clear overstatement. But then, I just buy sets for the minifigs - and these have to be historic - I even bought that lego movie ambush set just for the two western minifigs that were included - cant say I was interested in the plane or those othe minifigs.

So I think, to someone who is interested in historic themes, this year might be a little on the disappointing side - and whats wrong with voicing this opinion? Its an opinion like any other.

And in regard to the nexo knights theme, I believe it all started with rumours about a new castle theme, set in a fantasy setting, with big bang suport. People intersted in historic (and fantasy) lego probably might have expected something slightly different.

Another worry that people might have, is the chance that as long as nexo knights exists, no other castle theme will be produced. Think about last years pirate line - it was discontinued pretty fast, thats OK, I managed to buy all sets, but still it didnt live very long. And when Ninjago pirates was announced it was quite clear, I think, that there is not gonna be another wave coming.

Lets face it, the best years for historic lego are probably gone - unfortunately I started with lego in 2015, so I missed out on the greatest sets lego ever made IMHO (market village, mill village, the western sets, pirate sets with proper lego monkeys and the list goes on). And thats disappointing for me, and I hope that lego is not gonna give up on those classic themes. And I hope that lego is somehow aware of its adult (historic) fanbase and their feeling of disappointment and will manage to cater for this niche audience.

[LegoManTroy]

The only things that stood out for me this year so far is the creator sets. They make a lot of those and I buy a lot of them. Then again, the basic same-old-same-old from the rest of the themes.

[RetroInferno]

As a fan of Castle and LOTR, and very big fan of Star wars, yeah, I feel dissapointed. I thought I would give a shot at Nexo knights but this really doesn't appeal to me. And we aint getting any castle or lotr sets in the near future that's for sure. Good news is that the RO wave still has yet to come, and Lego found a way to get AFOLs to buy dimensions mini figs by introducing old movies characters, which is nice.

[BrickCurve]

In my opinion a lot of the themes are disappointing (from a castle MOCers perspective) though the sets like big ben make up for it in a big way.

[AFOLguy1970]

I can only speak for myself and the factions in which I participate.

I feel that LEGO thought Nexo Knights would appeal to Castle fans, and in my opinion, that was a huge miscalculation on their part.

I don't think they're doing it on purpose. I don't think their intent is to antagonize. It just happens to be the result of their actions.

I think the prevailing opinion in this thread has been that they've been doing well with a lot of themes, but a few themes have issues. This is a problem mostly for those that only enjoy the limited selection of themes with issues.

Yes, making the assumption that a fan of castle/historic/fantasy would automatically adopt the Nexo Knight theme is like assuming that someone who appreciates nice Italian restaurants would take an instant liking to Chuck-E-Cheese pizza.

[Lyichir]

Yes, making the assumption that a fan of castle/historic/fantasy would automatically adopt the Nexo Knight theme is like assuming that someone who appreciates nice Italian restaurants would take an instant liking to Chuck-E-Cheese pizza.

I certainly don't think Lego is under any illusions that adults who are solely fans of historical and historical fantasy themes would automatically accept Nexo Knights. But those people have very little in common with the much larger target audience for Lego in general and Nexo Knights in particular. From my experience, most kids are far less discriminating in their tastes and enjoy a wide variety of themes—especially themes that take their interests (like technology, knights, and monsters) and approach them in new and different ways. Using your Chuck-E-Cheese analogy, I think most kids would have a much better time there than they would at a fine Italian restaurant—and if Chuck-E-Cheese instead tried to evoke those more upscale restaurants to attract adults with more discriminating taste, it'd most likely come at the expense of their primary demographic.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Lyichir