LEGO City 2020 - Rumors, Speculation, and Discussion

[CDM]

1 minute ago, pooda said:

Well what do you think? Is what I said based on fact or isn't it? 

I'll take that as a 'no'.

[The Brick Boss]

11 minutes ago, CDM said:

I'll take that as a 'no'.

Yes it is. I may not work for the company and I may not know how much the make specifically, but I can draw inferences and comprehend perfectly. Thank You very much! 

[Maple]

1 minute ago, pooda said:

 I mean....do we really need an entire police theme every single year?

Clearly the answer is yes. And the USA is still probably the biggest market and LEGO having 15 police sets every year helps support the BS that all police are your friend and super duper.

But Police sell more than trains, coast guard and space, otherwise we will get them every year. We haven't gotten a Farm theme in 10 years because the last one sold poorly. LEGO is greedy and wants loads of money. It's just how it is. It's why minifigures will be $5 and Disney has a 30% tax.

[The Brick Boss]

Just now, Maple said:

LEGO is greedy and wants loads of money. 

I'd say management is greedy. Not Lego itself. 

[CDM]

4 minutes ago, pooda said:

Yes it is. I may not work for the company and I may not know how much the make specifically, but I can draw inferences and comprehend perfectly. Thank You very much! 

Drawing inferences does not make something a fact. I was asking if you'd seen actual data to that effect. Clearly you haven't.

[The Brick Boss]

13 minutes ago, CDM said:

Drawing inferences does not make something a fact. I was asking if you'd seen actual data to that effect. Clearly you haven't.

Listen up. You don't have to be a wise guy. Now I'm not defending Lego messing up the City theme with so many police sets. So......there we go. 

Edited October 18, 2019 by pooda

[Peppermint_M]

To everyone: Leave this argument alone now please. It is pretty much a waste of time.

@pooda

You hate police sets. We get it.

I'm not a fan of some things, so I stay out of it and spend my time productively. 

Do you maybe want to try that?

[CDM]

1 minute ago, pooda said:

Listen up! You don't have to be a wise guy. Now I'm not defending Lego messing up the City theme. So there! 

Wise guy? You made a statement to support your argument and I asked if it was based on factual data. You offered several non-answers followed by saying, no, it's not based on fact.

I'm not the wise guy here.

[The Brick Boss]

@Peppermint_M For what's its worth, I remained as calm as possible. That guy is always asking people to provide facts to back up their claim, when its simply a point of view. That kinda gets annoying. 

Edited October 18, 2019 by pooda

[CDM]

3 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

To everyone: Leave this argument alone now please. It is pretty much a waste of time.

Fair request.

[Peppermint_M]

 

2 minutes ago, pooda said:

@Peppermint_M For what's its worth, I remained as calm as possible. I was just pushing that guy's buttons for fun. That guy is always asking people to provide facts to back up their claim, when its simply a point of view. That kinda gets annoying. 

Okay, but that isn't a great thing to do either. I like EB to be a friendly place, so pushing people's buttons for the fun of it is not exactly a friendly thing to do.

[The Brick Boss]

Just now, Peppermint_M said:

 

Okay, but that isn't a great thing to do either. I like EB to be a friendly place, so pushing people's buttons for the fun of it is not exactly a friendly thing to do.

My apologies. Won't happen again. 

[koalayummies]

That was a bold admission.

Edited October 18, 2019 by koalayummies

[CDM]

8 minutes ago, pooda said:

@Peppermint_M For what's its worth, I remained as calm as possible. That guy is always asking people to provide facts to back up their claim, when its simply a point of view. That kinda gets annoying. 

I'm not sure what this means as, to my knowledge, I've never interacted with you before. With that being said, issue dropped. @Peppermint_M

[Aanchir]

4 hours ago, Joebot said:

I don't know about "trashy." I think "snarky" would be more accurate.  

My enduring frustration with Eurobricks, and the reason that I almost never post here anymore, is that most criticisms of the Lego product line are met with one of the following:

1) Legos are for kids!

2) If you don't like it, don't buy it!

3) If you don't like it, change it! That's what Lego is all about!

Trust me — these kinds of dismissive responses annoy the heck out of me, too. I feel like I tend to see them a lot more often on Facebook than here, but it's always kind of disappointing to see them wherever they crop up.

Even if the majority of LEGO buyers are for kids, that doesn't somehow invalidate all criticism from adults. It's also frustrating when DO lose sight of it and start insisting without evidence that AFOLs are somehow a bigger or more important audience than KFOLs, but that doesn't happen too frequently here so the "LEGO is for kids" comeback tends to be more of a distraction than a useful comment.

The other two fall into the same category: technically true, but not at all useful. Even if you can technically change whatever you like about a set (or follow the other even more annoying reminder "don't like it? build your own!"), that doesn't mean that the building value, play value, display value, or parts value of official set designs are totally irrelevant. Frankly, I find it insulting when someone implies that they are irrelevant, because those things are all part of what make my favorite LEGO themes so compelling for me.

4 hours ago, Joebot said:

We know. Everybody knows. We got it. Rehashing these same three rebuttals over and over again is reductive and insultingly obvious ... but even worse, it's BORING. It makes for boring discussion because there's no way to refute any of those items. They're right. Of course they're right. But those rebuttals are designed to shut down the conversation, which seems a strange thing to do on a message board that lives and dies by the level of its conversation.

Would EB be better served if every discussion in every theme went like this;

EB Member A: I really like all the new Lego sets!

EB Member B: Me too! I think they're awesome.

EB Member A: Yep, so awesome.

EB Member: Yep!

....

Is that really what you want? Criticism of Lego's product line is not a criticism of the people who like it. That's the key point that so often seems missed.

Not even close to anything I'd want to see. You've seen how long my posts get, after all! Do they seem like the posts of somebody who likes short, shallow replies that offer nothing of substance for other people to respond to or discuss?

Even when I share positive opinions I try to go into at least a LITTLE more depth than that, talking about stuff like what interests from my childhood a new set/theme reminds me of, or new parts I can think of exciting uses for in my own builds, or ways that I think the sets compare favorably against others that I have had more mixed feelings about in the past.

And again, it's frustrating that you seem to think I can't disagree with other AFOLs' tastes or preferences and also have negative opinions of my own. If a set from a theme I love seems underwhelming or like it has missed potential, I explain why. If there are certain types of sets I am frustrated about not seeing more of (like more Ninjago vehicles for Nya, or castles with actual livable spaces inside instead of just weapons, thrones, and dungeons), I never hesitate to say so.

Plus, if anything, I tend to be way LESS glowingly positive about older sets and themes from my childhood than other people are — even if I loved them and got really excited for them as a kid, there are often a lot of drawbacks that are more obvious to me as an adult and that I'm glad have largely become a thing of the past.

If you really want to see a parade of positive feedback with hardly any differences of opinion, just look at the comments to some of Brickset's "Random Set of the Day" articles for 70s/80s/90s sets like Century Skyway or Town Square - Castle Scene. Most of the negativity in these threads tends to be either people disparaging newer sets because they prefer the older ones, or lamenting that they no longer own them or missed out on them entirely.

Any time anybody comments about how expensive classic sets like those are by current standards, or how simplistic the builds are compared to modern stuff, it tends to be poorly received, as if the very idea of questioning the superiority of classic sets is only for mean-spirited party poopers who want to spoil everybody else's fun.

So needless to say, the growing number of snarky comments like "negative comments are wrongthink! Watch out, the LEGO defense squad is gonna disappear you if you say stuff like that!" (whether it's on Eurobricks, Brickset, or elsewhere) has gotten even more obnoxious than "LEGO is for kids!" and similar dismissive comments you mentioned above. Treating any pushback against criticism as attempting to enforce mindless conformity is not only every bit as rude and dismissive as the comebacks you cited, but unlike those, it's not even remotely accurate.

For comparison's sake, that would be like if people responded any criticism of a LEGO set with "The Positivity Prohibition Task Force has arrived! Quick, everyone hide your positive opinions!" One way or the other, that kind of rhetoric goes beyond mere disagreement and implies malicious and conspiratorial intent behind any opposing viewpoints. Isn't it easier to just accept that people have different opinions? To accept that sometimes a post disagreeing with yours (regardless of length) is just meant to show a perspective that you might not have considered, rather than silence you or prove you wrong?

I mean, they're opinions, after all. None of us can be either right OR wrong about what kinds of sets do or don't belong in a particular LEGO theme, because that is inevitably going to vary from person to person, and neither comments saying the current status quo SHOULD change nor comments saying it SHOULDN'T are actually likely to force a change one way or the other.

EDIT: Oops, I posted this before I saw your comment, @Peppermint_M. I'm not sure if this one falls within the argument you were asking people to stop since it's more in response to Joebot's comments about frustrating silencing tactics than anything about whether there should/shouldn't be less City Police? But you can delete this if it is. Apologies either way for my carelessness in not reading to the end of the thread and/or for stirring up any sort of controversy.

Edited October 18, 2019 by Aanchir

[Night City Dream]

On 10/16/2019 at 12:52 AM, pooda said:

.....and because of that, they are both still on the shelves. In my opinion, hospitals should do 3 year rotations like police stations and fire stations do. 

Well down here in Moscow we have City hospital but the Friends one hasn’t been available since early summer. I’d like to pick up more but I can’t.

[Peppermint_M]

@Aanchir I guess it doesn't go into my specific stop request. However, it is not exactly on topic to 2020 Sets in the City line? 

Remember, we have a Multi-Quote Tool on EB that allows you to gather quotes and post into a new or pertinent thread. This way you can cherry pick points out of wherever they are and create something to specifically address a point that would otherwise derail a thread. Sure, sometimes a point made is on topic, but furthering the debate on that specific point draws the thread from its intended purpose. 

I like to see meaningful posts on the forum, it gives me hope that there is still activity here! But keeping things on subject is also important to make threads accessible. By all mean, create lots of new threads to cover different topics! 

[TeriXeri]

3 hours ago, Night City Dream said:

Well down here in Moscow we have City hospital but the Friends one hasn’t been available since early summer. I’d like to pick up more but I can’t.

The Friends Hospital was released around 1 June 2017, while the City Hospital was released around 1 June 2018, 1 year later.

Many sets tend to stop being sold after around 2 years, at least on local webstores here. 

Some smaller sets seem to be less available within 1 year if similar replacement sets are made

Example are the Friends Heart Box sets, LEGO themselves stopped selling the first wave (December 2018), shortly after the Summer versions were sold (June 2019). Both are still found on various webstores however.

Exceptions seem to exist on a few sets like City Fire (2016, replaced in 2019) and regular City Police stations (2017, replaced in 2020) , which have around 3 year release cycle until replacement.

 

Edited October 18, 2019 by TeriXeri

[The Brick Boss]

I wonder what else 2020 has in store for us other than the vast majority of goodies we'll be getting. I'm still looking forward to the tuning shop and ice cream truck. 

[meliander]

I guess it has been discussed a lot previously, but I really hope that for the 2020 line... Well, that's not going to happen. OK... that at some point in future Lego will bring back car doors. This is something that's puzzling me. TLG introduces so many specific molds each year and we still have cars without doors (not every car, I know, but for the most part). I hope they will come up with different designs of doors and bring this element into City back! We have so many detailing in today's sets and yet we have cars without doors and trains without doors. And the reason is... because the classic doors don't suit each and every model? I hope TLG will do something about it.

[The Brick Boss]

I would like to see at least one of these subthemes be released in 2020. 

Likely: 

• Bus - This subtheme would establish the bus system in LEGO City. I would add subways and other modes of public transport and call it the transit subtheme, but buses seem to be easier to market to little children. For the past years, it seems like buses often lived in the shadows in regards to CITY vehicles - with only two sets being solely dedicated to the public transport system such as the 8404 Public Transport and the 60154 Bus Station, the latter being just a bricking bus with a stop and newspaper stand. With a bus subtheme, this would really bring buses out into the spotlight. Btw, Lego. Can you make the buses blue? 
• Paramedics - Well....Ambulances appeal to children just like police cars and fire trucks. TLG obviously doesn't want to use blood and gore for their generic themes so the civilians in these could just have minor injuries like on the head or arms. Little boys love to save lives, right? Paramedics do just that. 
• Outback Enthusiasts - A direct revival of the Outback theme from 1997. For those of you who aren't early 90s babies or older like me, the Outback theme was basically about the desert land based in the country of Australia.

Unlikely:

• Pizza - The pizza industry seems to also be very huge on the generic side of the Lego universe. I'm kinda having mixed feelings about this one. Children love pizza and the idea of pizza being delivered to them - but who are those people who make it and have it delivered to them? Now this probably wouldn't sell unless City did something extra special to advertise it such as a pizza party at a police station or fire station for the TVC and mini movies as its primary story line with Lego's legendary pizza delivery dude, Pepper Roni as the main character of this subtheme.
• News - Ok! By looking at the sets, mini movies, television commercials (TVCs for short) and the new LEGO City Adventures series....you can clearly see that everyday in LEGO City is anything but uneventful. I doubt all that happens without people reporting it. Now this is that subtheme that pretty much ties into the other subthemes under City as these guys basically report the many accidents that happen. So I don't think any big advertisement is needed for this as its pretty much a background subtheme.
• Mail - Postal work isn't very popular, but I believe its marketable enough for at least one wave. Advertising this one would be an easy one to do too. But the question is....will it appeal to children enough? If not, I'm sure TLG can make this subtheme a one year special. 

@Peppermint_M Don't worry. This has nothing to do with that other argument. This is a totally different subject under 2020 City. 

• Edited September 18 by pooda

Edited October 20, 2019 by pooda

[Night City Dream]

Buses, trams, trolleybuses and urban trains are exciting, I agree.

I'd love to see an articulated bus/tram, and I think Lego should develop a new part - articulation be it a single one or several.

21 hours ago, pooda said:

I would like to see at least one of these subthemes be released in 2020. 

Likely: 

• Bus - This subtheme would establish the bus system in LEGO City. I would add subways and other modes of public transport and call it the transit subtheme, but buses seem to be easier to market to little children. For the past years, it seems like buses often lived in the shadows in regards to CITY vehicles - with only two sets being solely dedicated to the public transport system such as the 8404 Public Transport and the 60154 Bus Station, the latter being just a bricking bus with a stop and newspaper stand. With a bus subtheme, this would really bring buses out into the spotlight. Btw, Lego. Can you make the buses blue? 

 

There's been one more city bus - in 60026. A red one. And even longer ago there was one yell bus in 7641.

[The Brick Boss]

4 minutes ago, Night City Dream said:

Buses, trams, trolleybuses and urban trains are exciting, I agree.

I'd love to see an articulated bus/tram, and I think Lego should develop a new part - articulation be it a single one or several.

Yes they are exciting and considering that the transit system is an essential part of civilian life, I'm surprised that it never got it's own subtheme in City. Let alone, I'm surprised it doesn't appeal to children. Being a bus driver for the second largest transit company in the states, I feel insulted. 

4 minutes ago, Night City Dream said:

There's been one more city bus - in 60026. A red one. And even longer ago there was one yell bus in 7641.

Yeah. But those practically lived in the shadows. 

[Dominic]

Personally, I think construction, hospital, farm, and airport should all be recurring subs. Oh, postal too. Definately postal.

[The Brick Boss]

30 minutes ago, Dominic said:

Personally, I think construction, hospital, farm, and airport should all be recurring subs. Oh, postal too. Definately postal.

I think the essential civic services should be emphasized. I'd nationalize every set Lego City made into 6 themes. 

Police: City Police, Forest Police, Elite Police, Swamp Police, Prison Island, Mountain Police and Sky Police

Rescue: Fire, Forest Fire, Coast Guard and Medical

Industry: Farm, Cargo, Mining, Garage, Harbour and Construction 

Transportation: Airport and Trains

Explorers: Space, Arctic, Deep Sea, Volcano and Jungle.

City Center: All mega sets and any side City sets that don't fit into the others. 

Edited October 21, 2019 by pooda