What is Town Forum to you?

[Ron Dayes]

Hi guys,

Here i want to ask what really is Town Forum to you?
An akward question perhaps:
The thing is - and i've been watching EB for quite a few years now - that almost all posts and new MOCs are mainly related to Winter Village or Modular Sets, Set mods and layouts. (i said almost all!)
Now, its without question that most of them are amazing sets/improvisations of TLG sets and belong into this forum for sure
BUT:
Is it just me or does it feel that the topics posted are becoming a bit one-dimensional and too much set based instead of being crafted from the own creative mind?
A mod of set number xy here, a layout there, who is getting set xy ...

- yet people going for completly own made creations, lil cars, motorbikes and the likes get like a few comments, while MODs and Layouts of Modulars we all allready know have several pages of conversation...

Is the demand for things not concering modulars and its bretheren so little?
Has this become mainly a collectors thing who don't dare modding their beloved sets any more than needed? Who dont pay much attention to anything smaller, anything not TLG based?

This may sound a bit provocative (intended), but one might expect creations named: "litterboxes and containes", "supermarket interiour", "helicopter and planes" etc - just not the M word or Winter Village all the time. Its impressive if you own and row your Modulars into a layout, but whats the heart and intention of this forum really?
I sometimes even get the feeling that the "train forum" offers more diverse "town" buildings, structures and vehicles than the forum that should have those by name alone.

Now this is just my impression, i might be dead wrong - so i would really like to hear what others think (so i can complete the picture).

Thanks in advance,

Ron
 

[Vindicare]

I come here mostly for inspiration for layouts. I like seeing who put which Modulars together, or what additions were added to make the city come alive. I do enjoy seeing Modular MOCs that people have done, it’s really incredible. 

I look at almost every MOC vehicle & such that are on here, but I rarely comment because I do not have much to add(not much of a MOC’er). 

[AllanSmith]

This is the only forum I frequent. I love to post my creations for all to see. I don't mind if there are not many comments, the view count let's me know how popular my creation is. Also I post a lot of LDD pictures of my creations before I build, so I don't expect comments again when I post photos of the finished creation.

As a LEGO town collector and builder for over 30 years I still get inspired by the creations and layouts I see in the town forum.

[koalayummies]

You make a lot of veracious observations. The main set threads do get significantly more traffic and comments compared to member's own creations which usually only get a handful at best, original creations that far surpass anything Lego would sell (with all due understanding to the intricacies and complexities of making a marketable/profitable set). Could well be that there is a large number of collectors who are only concerned with official products but many an AFOL probably don't have a great deal of time to design and create either.

Still, the town forum is one of the best theme sub forums. It is definitely heavily concentrated on Modulars and Winter Village especially the official sets but theres also the unique standalone non-modular structures, realistic vehicle creations (not enough aircraft though you're right) and the always fun large scale layouts no matter how rare these creations seem. Every once in a while theres a new 'how to build trees thread' or MOCs devoted exclusively to stoplights, bus stops and newsstands so I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of these threads along your ideas, focusing on the less talked about items that would be highly useful for a Town. Building small detail can be much more challenging and fun than building big. 

Nevertheless, Lego Town will always capture my attention regardless of whats being discussed or built. 

[SollX]

Town is the only lego theme i am interested in. And so is this part of he forum. I love seeing te mocs of others and posting my own.

The modulars are great and are a part of town in my eyes.

I would love to see more comments and disscussions about mocs. But forget to comment on alot of these myself. I think we don't do that because giving feetback to a moc might get to personal. Giving feedback al a official lego set issnt.

[Littleworlds]

I think the amount of posts in each forum probably reflects quite well the general level of interest people have in certain topics. Of course the big flashy sets and MOCs are taking center stage in the public attention, but personally I find smaller builds even more appealing and I try to give them the attention they deserve (and constructive criticism as well), rather than being drowned somewhere around page 20something talking about the latest modular. I just mention De-Marco's vehicles as example here: so many, excellent builds! And there is so much more out there that deserves to be talked about.

[supertruper1988]

I post a lot here and in the train forum. I see a lot of what Ron is mentioning but for folks that build like Ron does, there isnt a lot of interest for me. This is LEGO so fitting a minifigure is where its at, even if the scale has to be somewhat sacrificed to do so. I like to build in the PennLUG scale of 8 studs=10 feet but most of the cars in my city are "too big" because I like the look and playability of the Speed Champs style of build. I see threads like DeMarco's that is updated almost everyday and admire that he has time. I build mostly in LDD because when I am home the last thing I have time for is building with bricks. That is also compounded by the fact that I have a 6 month old at home that would wake up if I try to dig thru my bins late at night. 

For me, the town forum is a place to share cool things but I just mostly ignore the discussion of Winter Village and TLG stuff. I like the modular discussion but just to see what kind of new building techniques are there and not much else. 

[Vectormatic]

I only come here for the speed champions news topics, the City theme doesnt really interest me besides some small cars/planes, and i just see those whenever they show up

[kjm161]

The town forum is the theme I check out and post on most frequently. I really enjoy checking out both the large and small MOCs. So much inspiration. I like the seeing the Winter Village themes layouts and creations at this time of year. I try to comment on many MOCs but it is difficult to comment on everything. I really appreciate the comments I receive both good and constructive. The number of views on TLG sets shows that this is a popular part of the theme for many people although I am personally more interested in other AFOLs creations.

[DeanLearner]

21 hours ago, Ron Dayes said:

This may sound a bit provocative (intended), but one might expect creations named: "litterboxes and containes", "supermarket interiour", "helicopter and planes" etc

Hmmmm that’s a really good observation! I feel that there’s definitely a bit of a preference for builds that focus on size (e.g. upscaling the existing official modulars), and I’d definitely be interested to see more of people’s ideas and solutions for some microbuilds/interior details.

I’d also be interested to hear what people feel about posting WIPs. There is so much fantastically accomplished work out there that it can be a bit intimidating sharing something incomplete. Like i’m sure many other people, I always have a good half a dozen projects on the go, but most are only partly formed.

[Grrr]

I think there has been massive change in the Lego community since the formation of the current eurobricks structure. When I first started visiting this site; it was in what I would describe as Lego's dark age. Focus was around the traditional themes of the 'golden era'; namely town/trains, pirates, castle and technic, and the majority of visitors to this site had known and loved these for many years.

Now, a large number of those people who visited this site in the early 2000's have probably since entered a second dark age; perhaps investing less in lego due to career and family commitments. On the flipside; a whole new generation of AFOL's exists who never grew up with the classic themes; instead being raised on Bionicle; Harry Potter; Modern City, and even modulars and the like; This is especially true of people who have become AFOL's in adulthood; of which there is a sizeable number.

For this latter group; it's totally understandable that their focus will be on the current sets; in much the same way that in the year 2000 I obsessed about the sets from the 90's I'd missed (most of which I now own). Secondly, as this group is satisfied with current lego offerings; there is substantially less insentive to MOC; especially given the amount of lego budget that can be spent persuing current good sets (there is no money left for many to buy parts to do other things with).

As such; I think there may be an argument for structural change to these sections; paritcularly with regard to Winter Village and Modulars; but potentially even differentiating Classic Town from Modern City; and bringing in the Trains line where these overlap. Just my 2 cents.

 

 

 

 

 

[eliza]

I'm a modular person. Mostly I come here to share modular MOCs and see modular MOCs. I also look for the names of some favorite builders and check out their threads regardless... just because I know whatever it is will be amazing. I like Winter Village too and usually check those out. Sometimes I look at cars/planes etc., but they're just not as interesting to me and I'm less likely to comment. 

I haven't been here as long as some, but there does seem to have been a drop off in the number of quality MOCs in the last couple of years. I think more modulars is to blame. You can have a pretty full town by just buying Lego modulars now.

[Wookiee]

For me personally , i have three young children and a full time job. Although i would love to build more Mocs, i focus on my layout and the joining of official sets into a town setting, this is what interests me the most, as time is limited.

I am also happy to buy instructions of great Mocs and track down the parts on Bricklink.

The reason i think offical sets get more comments is that more people who visit this site are into them than Mocs. Some people also don't like to critisize other peoples work when they are actually the one posting.

Mainly i think though is that more people relate to the experience of building the official sets as they own them, have built them or can buy them, thus they feel they can contribute more with these subjects.

I also get annoyed by people posting just to get support for there lego ideas projects when the person is obviously not here as a part of the community so will never comment.

I mainly only visit town and train forums as the train forum has a lot of crossover when it comes to layouts.

 

 

[Criosphynx]

I love vintage sets. I prefer the old town layouts I grew up with. So while I have nothing against modulars, when I build my city layout, it will be in the 80's 90's style. I know that most people will not like it. But its for me.

 

I have learned that when I say I prefer vintage to modulars, no one really cares, in fact I've seen people get upset  so I don't bother to post on the subject and I think that just snowballs.

 

I don't collect minfigs or starwars either. So I have a hard time finding like minded people.  So I'm happy for you guys, it must be nice to have so many people to talk to about your cities.

16 hours ago, Grrr said:

I think there has been massive change in the Lego community since the formation of the current eurobricks structure. When I first started visiting this site; it was in what I would describe as Lego's dark age. Focus was around the traditional themes of the 'golden era'; namely town/trains, pirates, castle and technic, and the majority of visitors to this site had known and loved these for many years.

Now, a large number of those people who visited this site in the early 2000's have probably since entered a second dark age; perhaps investing less in lego due to career and family commitments. On the flipside; a whole new generation of AFOL's exists who never grew up with the classic themes; instead being raised on Bionicle; Harry Potter; Modern City, and even modulars and the like; This is especially true of people who have become AFOL's in adulthood; of which there is a sizeable number.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head here. My generation (mid 30's) are mostly busy with careers and kids. I think we will see a large resurgence of the 90s stuff after older millenials retire.  I remember being online back in the early 2000s and the focus was very different. Most lego fans I find in real life are much younger than I and not interested in the same things.

Edited December 15, 2017 by Criosphynx

[beverly888]

I'm a 61 female and came to LEGO only in the past three years.  I initially gravitated toward the Friends line, and mainly just built sets straight out of the box.  Until, that is, I saw a few impressive MODs, then I began building with multiples of a particular set.

Now, I'm mixing product lines, such as Friends and Elves, and Friends and Creator, with a bit of Disney Princess tossed in for good measure.  It's a wonderful challenge to mix various colour schemes and building styles.  The best thing about LEGO is if I'm not satisfied with how a particular build is progressing, I take it apart and start again.  Thankfully, I'm not entrenched in one product line or theme, and can find inspiration pretty much everywhere in this forum.

 Beverly

Edited December 18, 2017 by beverly888

[Toc13]

For me, it's something I have to sift through a page or two of just to see if there's been any Friends updates.

The sooner Minidolls get their own section, the better (I think people on both sides of the Minidoll debate will agree on that)

[Lyichir]

To be honest I'm not much of a City or Friends builder so apart from maybe dropping into those discussions due to their relevance for Lego as a whole (as the main two "real world" themes), my main interest in this forum is with the modulars (which I do collect as a fan). I also do try to look into the occasional MOC topic, though mostly when the subject matter grabs my attention.

On 12/18/2017 at 1:51 AM, Toc13 said:

For me, it's something I have to sift through a page or two of just to see if there's been any Friends updates.

The sooner Minidolls get their own section, the better (I think people on both sides of the Minidoll debate will agree on that)

While a forum like that might make some degree of sense, I can't say I mind Elves (the main mini-doll theme I collect) occupying the action themes forum along with all the other great themes the Castle and Space forums say no to. Makes checking news on my favorite themes much, much easier when they're all in one place.

[Jetflap]

On 12/15/2017 at 1:52 PM, Criosphynx said:

I love vintage sets. I prefer the old town layouts I grew up with. So while I have nothing against modulars, when I build my city layout, it will be in the 80's 90's style. I know that most people will not like it. But its for me.

 

I have learned that when I say I prefer vintage to modulars, no one really cares, in fact I've seen people get upset  so I don't bother to post on the subject and I think that just snowballs.

 

I don't collect minfigs or starwars either. So I have a hard time finding like minded people.  So I'm happy for you guys, it must be nice to have so many people to talk to about your cities.

I think you hit the nail on the head here. My generation (mid 30's) are mostly busy with careers and kids. I think we will see a large resurgence of the 90s stuff after older millenials retire.  I remember being online back in the early 2000s and the focus was very different. Most lego fans I find in real life are much younger than I and not interested in the same things.

You are not alone! I agree completely. Maybe its time for a Vintage LEGO Builder/Collector Forum here on Eurobricks.

[BrickJagger]

I visit this forum pretty often, and I am usually drawn in by the Modular and Set Discussion threads. I admire the creativity of our members, but I only occasionally comment on MOCs. 

Something that I would like in the forum are more threads about past Town/City sets, and polls related to them. That is one of the best aspects of my favorite forum (Historic) that would work well over here given Town's expansive history. 

[Man with a hat]

I can sympathise with @Ron Dayes

I have been visiting the forum for quite some time and thing have changed over the years. Not surprising of course. All things change. But I too see the focus shifting to modulars. I am kind of missing all the nice elaborate reviews of the new CITY sets e.g. And that kind of means that other brilliant smaller town related MOCs are perhaps kind of missing the attention they deserve. 
Another thing is that there are so many posts that I find it hard to show my appreciation to all the nice things we see here. So I must admit I don't always comment on things even though I do like it a lot.

[ReplicaOfLife]

To be honest, I'm mainly here for discussion on modulars and other big buildings. And while discusisng the official sets is fun, the really interesting things are the great MOCs we see again and again from all the crafted builders that are active here.

I often look at other topics if the title draws my interest, but there's also lots of stuff I simply don't care about - for example Speed Champions - imho, those sets are abominations, so I just ignore everything that has Speed Champions in its title. I also have very limited interest in pretty much all other vehicle related stuff (except for trains, but those have their own forum), concurrent City sets including MODs of them (I'm up for nostalgia stuff from the time I was a kid, on the other hand). I may look at the occasional Winter Village thread, if it sounds interesting, mostly because those often are nice buildings that would just need to be freed from the tacky christmas stuff ;). Friends gets the Speed Champions treatment. City layouts I usually look at, but hardly ever comment on.

 

Edit: When I started here, there often were exhaustive reviews for current sets. I really liked reading those, but over time first general interest in them twindled, and then they went away (mostly). And nowadays, in the rare cases one does show up, I mostly don't open it because usually I've already seen Jangbricks' video review of it.

 

Edited December 21, 2017 by RogerSmith

[Criosphynx]

18 hours ago, Jetflap said:

You are not alone! I agree completely. Maybe its time for a Vintage LEGO Builder/Collector Forum here on Eurobricks.

That would be amazing. I wonder if the mods would consider it.

[snaillad]

I've been coming here a while and during that time modulars and the winter village theme have gained popularity so I probably expected that they will take up a higher percentage of topics than say classic town which was the highlight when I joined. Perhaps its a little winter village heavy at present but that's the time of year and it will fade away in a couple of months.

Personally I enjoy seeing well made and interesting ideas for vehicles and smaller builds such as fountains and the such. I try to view and comment when I have the time when someone has put time and effort into a well made MOC. My preference is much more towards original MOCs rather than layouts of modular buildings and MOD's but thats just my personal taste.

I would like to see the town forum have some separate sub-topic threads for things such as townlayouts/modular talk+mocs/vehicles etc. I find there is quite a bit to wade through to find something I want to comment and express my interest in. With so many topics of all sorts of nature all lumped into one place as a poster you're not likely to stay on the first couple of pages of the town forum for long so people might not go trawling back through pages to find whats been going on. When I've had a couple of spare hours and I've been back through the pages I find some great MOCs which have had very little interest and I'm surprised how little interest they've had. For any newcomers to the forum they might find something they've spent a lot of time on gets relatively little attention and they might be discouraged from posting again and getting involved in other topics.

I think there is less need thesedays for pictoral reviews when brickset/BB and especially jangbricks do a decent job with well balanced opinions and good lighting!

I agree with wookiee, one of my pet hates is people who join the forum to purely to self promote their lego-ideas topic and have little time and interest on anything here.

I still enjoy coming here and try to visit on a daily basis to see what people have come up with but think the town forum could do with a bit of streamlining! Just my 2 cents.

 

 

 

[Gongoro73]

14 hours ago, snaillad said:

I would like to see the town forum have some separate sub-topic threads for things such as townlayouts/modular talk+mocs/vehicles etc. I find there is quite a bit to wade through to find something I want to comment and express my interest in. With so many topics of all sorts of nature all lumped into one place as a poster you're not likely to stay on the first couple of pages of the town forum for long so people might not go trawling back through pages to find whats been going on. When I've had a couple of spare hours and I've been back through the pages I find some great MOCs which have had very little interest and I'm surprised how little interest they've had. For any newcomers to the forum they might find something they've spent a lot of time on gets relatively little attention and they might be discouraged from posting again and getting involved in other topics.

^^^This.

[Fenestra]

I come here primarily to see Modulars and Winter Village. I don't have a ton of space so my Modulars are on the book case and Winter Village is my one "Theme" I allow myself ti go crazy with with. I could care less about most of the other stuff. 

I also love seeing people's set-ups. Ideally sub topics would be great but them I might miss something! I tend to come here every few days and then follow anything that seems interesting.