2019 Friends Sets - Rumors and Discussion

[Aanchir]

12 hours ago, Mylenium said:

A simple argument can for instance be made for the wall of the ship not having to be Lavender. It does nothing that couldn't have been achieved if it were just Reddish Brown like the rest and already reduced the abundance of colors.

I can't say I agree there. Certainly, too many colors can be a bad thing, but making the sides of the pirate ship like 90% brown would be utterly boring. The Medium Lavender does a great job visually separating the cabin level from the rest of the hull in much the same way that the Bright Red does on The Brick Bounty or the blue did on the Soleil-Royal in real life.

And of course, as always, an amusement park attraction of any kind has even more of a reason to look gaudy or ostentatious than whatever subject it's inspired by! Just look at this pirate ship themed restaurant that opened at Disneyland in 1955!

13 hours ago, Mylenium said:

Similarly perhaps a bit less Dark Pink would make it more palatable to some people. Using it on the sails somehow feels too much and dominates the scene. Resorting to the paler pink already would have done a lot, but imagine how cool it could look if those stripes were Dark Red?!

Again… not sure what that would improve? Dark Red stripes on the sails would look more historically accurate, sure, and as such improve its value as a parts pack to Classic Pirates fans. But as far as this set's aesthetics are concerned, it would just detract from the festive, whimsical theme park atmosphere, not to mention introduce even more colors — the opposite of what you were claiming the set needed a second ago. Unless you're suggesting to get rid of the pink entirely, which seems absurd considering how poorly Dark Red would contrast with the Medium Lilac and Reddish Brown that pink appears next to in other parts of the set.

The set's current color scheme is currently very unique with all of its dazzling sunset tones, and it sounds like most of the suggestions you have in mind would diminish that if anything.

Furthermore… I think it says quite a bit that I never seem to notice any complaints about sets like https://brickset.com/sets/31084-1/ and https://brickset.com/sets/31095-1/ having too many colors, even though their color schemes are hardly conservative or subdued. And while I remember the color scheme of https://brickset.com/sets/10247-1/Ferris-Wheel being divisive, I hardly remember anybody expressing concern with it having too MANY colors — it was more often a matter of objecting to one or more of the colors chosen, or thinking that it needed MORE color variety.

So I very much get the feeling that a lot of folks' objections to the colors in sets like this one have more to do with a bias against "girly" colors than any concerns about how many colors there are or how well they're balanced. :/

[TeriXeri]

I don't really see the point of complaining about colors in a theme like Friends, yes they are different in color/style, but otherwise it'd just be a copy City/Creator with minidolls and that's just boring.

I can understand the absense of a Pirates theme and the desire for parts, but it's been away for much longer before.

No "new" pirate sets were made from 1997 till 2009.

Edited May 5, 2019 by TeriXeri

[Klaus-Dieter]

13 hours ago, TheGlynreaper said:

stop being miserable there awesome just because you have no imagination , colourful pieces work because they are amusement park sets after all who wants to visit a fair with dull grey coloured rides

That's my opinion and not necessarily has to be yours or the one of any other person.

Perhaps you understood me wrong - I meant what @Mylenium put into words: I don't dislike the colors of friends. There are great colors. But I want to build up a city. It should look realistic. So some of the Friends sets fit very well because either girlish colors are used for some type of houses in reality, too (e. g. the hairdresser or the party shop or the art studio), or because the Friends buildings don't include too massive girlish colors (e. g. the smoothie bar or the hospital or the restaurant). But I personally don't see these in the amusement park sets and the animal rescue / underwater research sets this year, so I won't buy them.

On 5/4/2019 at 12:27 PM, Feng-huang0296 said:

@Klaus-Dieter The new lighthouse isn't good enough for you?

Because it's at the top of my list, personally. My city's docks area needs a lighthouse. 

That's ok. But there are two reasons for me because I don't like it:

1. The color sheme (looking like very light pink) doesn't go for me - a lighthouse has to be white-red. Plus the light having a heart sticker on looks unrealistic, too.

2. Having an animal rescue station inside the lighthouse isn't the best choice for my taste. I'd have prefered an apartment or at least something similar to the lighthouse some years ago - but again not in massive pink or violet.

[Aanchir]

10 hours ago, Klaus-Dieter said:

That's ok. But there are two reasons for me because I don't like it:

1. The color sheme (looking like very light pink) doesn't go for me - a lighthouse has to be white-red. Plus the light having a heart sticker on looks unrealistic, too.

2. Having an animal rescue station inside the lighthouse isn't the best choice for my taste. I'd have prefered an apartment or at least something similar to the lighthouse some years ago - but again not in massive pink or violet.

I wouldn't describe Vibrant Coral as "very light pink"… if anything, it resembles a brighter version of the older color Medium Red (BrickLink's "Salmon"). You can compare the colors in this photo from New Elementary's Pop Up Party Bus review… the System brick colors shown from left to right are Light Red (Light Salmon), Medium Red (Salmon), Vibrant Coral (Coral), and Bright Purple (Dark Pink). Vibrant Coral is much closer to the red/salmon colors than any of LEGO's current pink colors.

All in all, Vibrant Coral pretty closely resembles the color that the red paint on many real-world lighthouses often fades to as they get older (such as the stripes on Westerheversand Lighthouse in many of the photos on this page).

As for the heart sticker, couldn't you just leave that off?

[Mylenium]

16 hours ago, Aanchir said:

So I very much get the feeling that a lot of folks' objections to the colors in sets like this one have more to do with a bias against "girly" colors than any concerns about how many colors there are or how well they're balanced. :/

Not really, but that would require going back  to that other thread about color theory and "harmonious" colors. Suffice it to say that I'm seeing this merely as a graphics artist and discuss these changes based on experience and what I learned. Everything else would be pointless supposition and conjecture and on some level I even feel offended by your comment. I've written many times that I'm buying Friends sets on a regular basis and I actually love the colors, I just at times object to how they are used in a fashion that seems rather forced and unsophisticated.

Also in fact you are sort of defeating your own argument here, as regardless of the number of colors the sets you are referencing as examples are "harmonious" on a simplistic level (primary color harmony, balanced luminosity, relatively balanced percentages of colors overall, smart use of contrast of adjacent color regions). For many of the Friends sets this isn't the case, which I guess is my primary sticking point. Therefore it seems occasionally dialling down this excessive use would be advisable. So no, replacing the Pink on the sails would not mean to eliminate the color from the set entirely just like adding yet another color might not ruin it. In any case, this could go on endlessly, so let's not bore the kids. Overall it simply boils down to subjective reasons again. I would have done some things differently and that is just that.

Mylenium

11 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

All in all, Vibrant Coral pretty closely resembles the color that the red paint on many real-world lighthouses often fades to as they get older (such as the stripes on Westerheversand Lighthouse in many of the photos on this page).

The red color is RAL 3001 Signal Red, which is a pure pigment Red and has no parts of Yellow. A faded representation would be more in line with the old Sand Red. The rest is likely just the sun light playing tricks. In any case, likening it Coral seems a bit too far fetched. That would be more like RAL 2005 Luminous Orange...

Mylenium

[TeriXeri]

It's really hard to describe the Coral color via a photo, it just changes so much depending on the type of light or intensity of sunlight.

That said, I think it's one of the most vibrant non-transparent "neon" colors that have been made, and I don't see it as a pure pink, red or orange.

I could easily see the color be used in other themes.

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by TeriXeri

[Aanchir]

23 hours ago, Mylenium said:

Not really, but that would require going back  to that other thread about color theory and "harmonious" colors. Suffice it to say that I'm seeing this merely as a graphics artist and discuss these changes based on experience and what I learned. Everything else would be pointless supposition and conjecture and on some level I even feel offended by your comment. I've written many times that I'm buying Friends sets on a regular basis and I actually love the colors, I just at times object to how they are used in a fashion that seems rather forced and unsophisticated.

Also in fact you are sort of defeating your own argument here, as regardless of the number of colors the sets you are referencing as examples are "harmonious" on a simplistic level (primary color harmony, balanced luminosity, relatively balanced percentages of colors overall, smart use of contrast of adjacent color regions). For many of the Friends sets this isn't the case, which I guess is my primary sticking point. Therefore it seems occasionally dialling down this excessive use would be advisable. So no, replacing the Pink on the sails would not mean to eliminate the color from the set entirely just like adding yet another color might not ruin it. In any case, this could go on endlessly, so let's not bore the kids. Overall it simply boils down to subjective reasons again. I would have done some things differently and that is just that.

I definitely don't mean to suggest that your color preferences are informed strictly by gender biases, but I can't say the same for other people's. A lot of people don't have a very strong understanding of what makes certain color schemes work or not work… when you look at a lot of "Friendsified" MOCs out there like this or this , they often use "girly" colors somewhat randomly rather than even in as purposeful a way as the actual sets. And in general, I can't say I see a lot of complaints about LEGO Friends color schemes being being weak because of color choices like tan, brown, yellow, or red — it's always the "girly" colors that are perceived as the offending elements.

The same can be said for a lot of color scheme complaints in other themes — Downtown Diner's color scheme was often criticized as too tacky, garish, or "Friends-ish" because of its use of pink and teal parts, even if it used these colors in a tasteful, realistic, and well-organized way. Spike Prime's colors have been criticized by Technic fans as "eye-searing" (among other complaints) even though they're a well-balanced triadic color scheme and hardly any brighter than other colors frequently used in Technic and Mindstorms sets like Bright Red and Bright Orange. In some discussions about the original LEGO Movie sets I even saw complaints about Wyldstyle's magenta and azure accents spoiling an otherwise strong character design. I don't think any of this speaks to an AFOL community that would gladly embrace LEGO Friends sets if they just adhered more to established principles of color theory.

23 hours ago, Mylenium said:

22 hours ago, Mylenium said:

The red color is RAL 3001 Signal Red, which is a pure pigment Red and has no parts of Yellow. A faded representation would be more in line with the old Sand Red. The rest is likely just the sun light playing tricks. In any case, likening it Coral seems a bit too far fetched. That would be more like RAL 2005 Luminous Orange...

Well, one way or another, Vibrant Coral is the closest possible match to this "faded red" color on the current LEGO color palette. In a LEGO set, that's the most anyone can reasonably expect. And if anything, the fact that Vibrant Coral skews more yellowish/orangish than the actual color of these lighthouses makes it even LESS "pink" than the genuine article, since in general pink tends to describe colors anywhere from a pale red to a pale reddish-violet.

On another note, I do not feel like "tricks of the light" should necessarily be ignored when recreating a subject in LEGO. I've often found that particularly in licensed themes, it's better when a set recreates how the scene in question looks, including any color distortion due to lighting, rather than necessarily what the actual colors of the scenery and props might have been.

An example that always stood out particularly well to me is the Council of Elrond set. The actual scenery in the film did not have nearly as many warm colors, but the digital color grading added an amber filter, as can be seen in this picture (digitally graded final cut on the left, ungraded footage from Fellowship of the Ring TV spots on the right). The set, however, recreates the warm sunset colors of the final cut rather than the dull greys of the actual props and scenery. As such, it FEELS more authentic to the scene in question than if it were designed to resemble the same setting under more neutral lighting.

But this kind of design consideration is far from unique to licensed themes. The Shadow World from LEGO Elves is perpetually moonlit in the supporting media and box art. Obviously, actual moonlight (especially of the exaggerated sort often shown in film and animation) would be impossible to recreate in a toy, but the sets based on the Shadow World recreate the FEELING of this moonlit environment via their use of Aqua bricks and plates for the terrain and other cool colors for Shadow World scenery and vehicles. It's quite difficult to look at any of those sets even under neutral lighting and imagine them as depictions of a brightly sunlit environment.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Aanchir

[dr_spock]

Do the coral pieces glow under UV light? 

 

[Pisces no Aphrodite]

On 5/7/2019 at 5:48 PM, dr_spock said:

Do the coral pieces glow under UV light?

 

Hardly.

[TheGlynreaper]

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 4:00 AM, Klaus-Dieter said:

That's my opinion and not necessarily has to be yours or the one of any other person.

Perhaps you understood me wrong - I meant what @Mylenium put into words: I don't dislike the colors of friends. There are great colors. But I want to build up a city. It should look realistic. So some of the Friends sets fit very well because either girlish colors are used for some type of houses in reality, too (e. g. the hairdresser or the party shop or the art studio), or because the Friends buildings don't include too massive girlish colors (e. g. the smoothie bar or the hospital or the restaurant). But I personally don't see these in the amusement park sets and the animal rescue / underwater research sets this year, so I won't buy them.

That's ok. But there are two reasons for me because I don't like it:

1. The color sheme (looking like very light pink) doesn't go for me - a lighthouse has to be white-red. Plus the light having a heart sticker on looks unrealistic, too.

2. Having an animal rescue station inside the lighthouse isn't the best choice for my taste. I'd have prefered an apartment or at least something similar to the lighthouse some years ago - but again not in massive pink or violet.

ok then im sorry for what i said and i do think they do go a bit girlish with some colourings of the sets and i don't think a animal rescue station next to a lighthouse is a smart thing in real life , i guess a spooky lego friends theme in the future is a no no

[Soupperson1]

No ones posted on this thread since the summer sets released. Hopefully that doesn’t mean AFOL interest in Friends is dying down. 

I think it’s worth noting the Summer Heartboxes in the base design aren’t stackable. I found this a really odd design choice on LEGO’s part.

[TeriXeri]

18 hours ago, Soupperson1 said:

No ones posted on this thread since the summer sets released. Hopefully that doesn’t mean AFOL interest in Friends is dying down. 

Same can be said about Creator 3-in-1 sets, most talk have been about Expert instead.

I don't think it's a particular lack of interest, but possibly a smaller AFOL following and less to discuss.

I think the new sets are great, however there's just so many sets in a given year I gotta set Friends not as my #1 priority, but it's certainly not anywhere near last either. 

Edited July 13, 2019 by TeriXeri

[The Cobra]

2019 Friends summer wave is sooooooooooooooooo much better than the karting sets we had last year. Some re-hashes, but a nice overall result.

[Soupperson1]

In case anyone didn’t hear, once again Friends is in the top selling six themes! :D

[Soupperson1]

The previous reported 2020 sets will likely be the summer wave, which is why LEGO probably wanted them down. Strangely the cubes that were reported earlier are coming with these. Anyway next winter’s line up is:

41389 Stephanie’s Ice Cream Cart - 97 pieces

41390 Andrea’s Car - 240 pieces

41391 Heartlake City Hair Salon - 235 pieces 

41392 Nature Glamping - 241 pieces 

41393 Baking Competition - 361 pieces 

41394 Heartlake City Hospital - 379 pieces

41395 Friendship Bus - 778 pieces 

41396 Puppy Playground - 57 pieces (4+)

41397 Juice Truck - 103 pieces (4+)

41398 Stephanie’s House (4+)

41400 Andrea’s Play Cube - 49 pieces

41401 Stephanie’s Play Cube - 44 pieces

41402 Olivia’s Play Cube - 40 pieces

41403 Mia’s Play Cube - 36 pieces

41404 Emma’s  Play Cube - 40 pieces 

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by Soupperson1

[Alpinemaps]

13 hours ago, Soupperson1 said:

41392 Nature Glamping - 241 pieces 

I'l admin I've never heard the term "clamping" and had to look that up.  And then I discovered that exactly how my wife likes to camp! 

[Agent 86]

That's a pretty small hospital and a pretty huge bus based on the piece counts!

[Pisces no Aphrodite]

I wonder what Play Cubes are we need to wait for the images of the sets.

[Soupperson1]

2020 sets and discussion can be found here!

[Digger of Bricks]

3 hours ago, Soupperson1 said:

2020 sets and discussion can be found here!

...and here too apparently: