LEGO Pet Peeves

[x105Black]

I'd like to discuss some of the quirks of LEGO fandom that I've come across, and things that grind my gears.  I will start with 2 examples:

- LEGOs - I am putting this one up top because it is a common pet peeve among LEGO fans.  It irks me a bit to hear it, but it drives some people mad.  Many kids grow up calling them LEGOs with nobody to correct them.  LEGO is already plural, there is no need to pluralize it any further!
"I just bought a lot of LEGOs at a garage sale!"

- Set / Part Numbers - It drives me nuts when people talk about sets or parts by number without any additional information.  I can't remember them all by number, I always have to go look it up (or just skip over their comment, not knowing what they were talking about).
"My favorite LEGO part is 30043 because it is so useful!"

All of this said, taking any of this too seriously is just bad for everyone.  As much as things like this may bother us from time to time, LEGO is really all about having fun.

So, what gets under your skin?

[Trekkie99]

I've just come to the realization that I have no Lego pet peeves. 

[dr_spock]

My cat peeing in my box of LEGOs would be my pet peeve.

 

[koalayummies]

I say "Legos" three times in a row every time someone says: "bley" "light bley" "dark bley" "bluish grey" "tan" "dark tan" or any other incorrect color name picked up from Bricklink.

[GregoryBrick]

1 hour ago, x105Black said:

- LEGOs - I am putting this one up top because it is a common pet peeve among LEGO fans.  It irks me a bit to hear it, but it drives some people mad.  Many kids grow up calling them LEGOs with nobody to correct them.  LEGO is already plural, there is no need to pluralize it any further!
"I just bought a lot of LEGOs at a garage sale!"

I don't really cultivate pet peeves, but this itself probably fits the bill. If you would like to follow the company's official usage, then 'LEGO' is the plural form in the same way 'Sony' is, that is to say, not at all. You would not say "I bought a bunch of Sony at a garage sale". The official stance is that LEGO usually requires a specifier, e.g. 'LEGO bricks', or 'LEGO employees' or 'LEGO products' or 'LEGO history'. If you instead prefer a usage-based definition, then LEGOs is just as valid as LEGO is, since that is how people speak the language.

[samurai-turtle]

3 hours ago, dr_spock said:

My cat peeing in my box of LEGOs would be my pet peeve.

That is just gross.  

2 hours ago, koalayummies said:

I say "Legos" three times in a row every time someone says: "bley" "light bley" "dark bley" "bluish grey" "tan" "dark tan" or any other incorrect color name picked up from Bricklink.

That seems more like OCD stuff to me. 

As for LEGOs to me, I like to think more like a contraction. What I don't like about it is spelling it in all capital letters. I mean really is it the end of the world if it is spelled like this lego. 

As for the numbers only, I get that one. It is like saying: I like set 12345 because it has 12,345 of part 12345. 

[koalayummies]

2 hours ago, samurai-turtle said:

That seems more like OCD stuff to me. 

<-this, was denoting sarcasm.

 

Edited February 28, 2018 by koalayummies

[Steamdemon]

Those orange brick separators. Does it have to be orange? I'd rather have a variety of colours, like blue, for instance.

The fact that LEGO ran out of rechargeable battery boxes and train motors...At least over in the UK.

I think that's about it for me...

 

[ctx1769]

damaging my recharge batteries on the power packs, the area is so tight when putting the first one in

[Captain Dee]

Not really a pet peeve, but the fragility of the 3-leaf bamboo plant piece (whatever it's called) does irk me. The stems should be 3x thicker. They snap off way too easily, and I have too many 2-leaf variants as a result. Also, the bottom lip of small round bricks break off really easy if you put sideways pressure on them when disconnecting parts, as I have unfortunately discovered...

[ColletArrow]

17 hours ago, x105Black said:

Set / Part Numbers - It drives me nuts when people talk about sets or parts by number without any additional information.  I can't remember them all by number, I always have to go look it up (or just skip over their comment, not knowing what they were talking about).
"My favorite LEGO part is 30043 because it is so useful!"

This does annoy me, especially for sets I haven't seen in a while, hence why I always make the number a link to the Bricklink page for that part (or follow it by the name of the set). That's more of a forum-pet-peeve than a LEGO-pet-peeve though really; I don't think I have any other Lego-specific peeves. 

[Johnny1360]

Really the main one for me and I am surprised nobody has mentioned it is, damaged instruction books. 

[Mechbuilds]

People who sell lego as mished up messes of their childs moc's. 
If you're selling Tahu, don't sell it with Kopakas sword and Pohatus legs. 

Or people who sell "full sets" which has either lots of missing pieces or pieces that are wrong color. 
If it's not a complete set, don't sell it as one. 

[splatman]

The discontinuation of Sand Red.

[paul_delahaye]

Buying a discontinued set on eBay as 100% complete to find its missing a couple of pieces or the seller has substituted some pieces

Buying a set on eBay to find the seller has substituted a few of the LEGO bricks with Megab*****

[fred67]

8 hours ago, ColletArrow said:

This does annoy me, especially for sets I haven't seen in a while, hence why I always make the number a link to the Bricklink page for that part (or follow it by the name of the set). That's more of a forum-pet-peeve than a LEGO-pet-peeve though really; I don't think I have any other Lego-specific peeves. 

I don't make it a link, I just use both number and name, like "4504 Millennium Falcon."

But yes, it bugs me when, without qualifiers, people mention a tirade of numbers as if we all know every LEGO set ever made by number.

It's been mentioned here to make a tag that would automatically link to the BL page, like [set]4504[/set] (I think this was actually before they moved to this board software).  The LEGO subredits will find set numbers in posts and automatically add a reply with a link to them and photos... that's cool.

I don't let people saying "Legos" bother me, for the most part, unless they are fans and should know better.  I always just use the correct form... "LEGO Sets," "LEGO Bricks," "LEGO Parts."  I don't bother correcting people because most of the people who use the wrong terminology don't care and just find it pedantic.

Here, though... I do recall responding to someone here with "What are 'legos'?"  I was being a jerk, but I do think people here should know better.

EDIT: and one last thing.... TLC ("The LEGO Company") doesn't exist anymore, it's TLG ("The LEGO Group").

 

Edited March 1, 2018 by fred67

[iv-tecman]

Buying a UCS set to see a sticker sheet bigger then A4 - for the price no set like that should contain so many stickers

Putting a sticker on crooked - and struggling to even user the corner of the sticker sheet to lift it back up again to try and re position better

Buying a used set as "complete" to find the seller has in fact replaced most of it with "compatible" bricks from China

Sellers that actually sell boxed sets at massively inflated prices as the set is now retired

Other then this, I'm pretty chilled with everything else with this amazing hobby. 

[kibosh]

1 hour ago, iv-tecman said:

Putting a sticker on crooked - and struggling to even user the corner of the sticker sheet to lift it back up again to try and re position better

Totally agree with this one.  Especially if I buy a used set and the stickers are all jacked up.

My biggest pet peeve is people correcting people that say "legos".  Seriously.  Give me a break.  I think people already thing we (AFOLs) are an odd bunch, but then to through that in on top of it?  I called them legos my entire childhood.

[Nantucketdink]

Perseverating on negative aspects of legos instead of focusing on all the glorious positive parts of the hobby.

[Capparezza]

Dark gray and light gray. Can't stand Dark blueish gray or Light blueish gray...

[AmperZand]

14 hours ago, iv-tecman said:

Putting a sticker on crooked - and struggling to even user the corner of the sticker sheet to lift it back up again to try and re position better

If you use a little bit of window cleaner such as Windolene on the part before applying the sticker, it gives you the opportunity to position it just right. Then carefully press out any excess liquid and air bubbles without displacing the sticker and you're good to go. Using window cleaner is a tip provided by LEGO. I've tried it and it works.

Pet Peeves

Zippers on costumed minifigures. They are unnecessary as you can imagine that they are costumes just as well without them and they prevent the minifigure from being used as the real thing, not someone dressed like one.

Fleshy neck-lines on minifigures. As a yellowist, I find fleshy neck-lines annoying. Usually, the minifigure would look just as good with the clothes-line going all the way to the neck. That would allow you to use the torso with either a fleshy or yellowy head.

LEGO going after bootleggers such as Lepin when they themselves have misappropriated someone else's concept without their permission and without compensating them. 

 

[iv-tecman]

Really ? I'll have to try this - thank you

9 hours ago, AmperZand said:

If you use a little bit of window cleaner such as Windolene on the part before applying the sticker, it gives you the opportunity to position it just right. Then carefully press out any excess liquid and air bubbles without displacing the sticker and you're good to go. Using window cleaner is a tip provided by LEGO. I've tried it and it works.

Pet Peeves

Zippers on costumed minifigures. They are unnecessary as you can imagine that they are costumes just as well without them and they prevent the minifigure from being used as the real thing, not someone dressed like one.

Fleshy neck-lines on minifigures. As a yellowist, I find fleshy neck-lines annoying. Usually, the minifigure would look just as good with the clothes-line going all the way to the neck. That would allow you to use the torso with either a fleshy or yellowy head.

LEGO going after bootleggers such as Lepin when they themselves have misappropriated someone else's concept without their permission and without compensating them. 

 

Really ? I'll have to try this - thank you

[MAB]

9 hours ago, AmperZand said:

Fleshy neck-lines on minifigures. As a yellowist, I find fleshy neck-lines annoying. Usually, the minifigure would look just as good with the clothes-line going all the way to the neck. That would allow you to use the torso with either a fleshy or yellowy head.

 

3

The opposite but the same solution. I hate yellow neck-lines on minifigures, but would welcome clothes that go all the way up with no flesh showing, where appropriate (it won't work for all torsos).

 

My biggest forum pet peeve - the view that being a "loyal" "real" long term AFOL means that lego should cater to your wishes more than those of children.

[AmperZand]

3 hours ago, MAB said:

The opposite but the same solution. I hate yellow neck-lines on minifigures, but would welcome clothes that go all the way up with no flesh showing, where appropriate (it won't work for all torsos).

 

My biggest forum pet peeve - the view that being a "loyal" "real" long term AFOL means that lego should cater to your wishes more than those of children.

As a yellowist, I would be perfectly happy if minifigure torsos had neither fleshy nor yellowy neck-lines. Some designs such as those with considerable decolletage can't help but be one or the other. But for a lot of torsos, there is no need to show skin at the neck. Exposed neck-lines only serve to reduce the versatility of those parts.

With regards to forum/AFOL community peeves, the notion that minifigure collecting (or MOCing with a focus on minifigures) is somehow a lower form of AFOLdom really gets my goat. For example, for a long time on these forums, a thread that was purely about minifigures - even if they were purist, had absolutely no customisation and were themed (e.g. Star Wars or historical) - was relegated to the minifigure customisation forum. An interest in minifigures was deemed, and still is by some, lesser to 'proper' LEGO MOCing and collecting.    

[FunWithBricks]

 

On 3/1/2018 at 11:30 AM, iv-tecman said:

Buying a UCS set to see a sticker sheet bigger then A4 - for the price no set like that should contain so many stickers

I was thinking about this. Does it mostly just annoy you when it is a UCS set, or do sticker bricks annoy you a little in general too? 
Do many around here dislike sticker bricks? 
How about those who MOC a lot? I'd imagine that sticker bricks would be better than printed, seeing as there would be more variety of options, as in, you can always take the sticker off the brick or even put a new MOC sticker, but it's more hassle to take printing off a printed brick, so it feels more uni-porpose. 

On 3/1/2018 at 11:30 AM, iv-tecman said:

Putting a sticker on crooked - and struggling to even user the corner of the sticker sheet to lift it back up again to try and re position better

Haha, yes. Yes indeed.

 

On 3/2/2018 at 1:56 AM, AmperZand said:

If you use a little bit of window cleaner such as Windolene on the part before applying the sticker, it gives you the opportunity to position it just right. Then carefully press out any excess liquid and air bubbles without displacing the sticker and you're good to go. Using window cleaner is a tip provided by LEGO. I've tried it and it works.

Amazing. Is it easy to get all the excess liquid and air bubbles out? It must be just a tiny, eenie weenie bit of liquid, right?