LEGO Hidden Side 2020

[Pulp Detective]

12 hours ago, Fenghuang0296 said:

It’s gorgeous. Surprisingly compact for such a large build, and there’s a lot of interior space. People pan it for not having much furniture, but that’s really only a problem on the lowermost levels in the ‘prison cell’ areas and there’s some nice sticker detail in places. It’s not as good as the High School but I still like it a lot. Plus Nehmaar Reem is a gorgeous figure.

 

3 hours ago, Cut the Kragle said:

Yeah, I even posted a review of it on my YouTube channel *cough*shameless self promotion*cough*. Long story short, I really really like it. Like Fenghuang0296 said, there's lots of space on the lower levels, some of it a bit under-utilised. In contrast, my biggest complaint, is the top floor is too crowded. Especially when the floor space is so shallow. despite that though, it is an excellent set. Definitely one of my favourite in the theme so far.

Thanks for the comments guys! I'm stuck between this set and the Skull Sorcerer Dungeon but I'll probably buy the latter.

[BrickBob Studpants]

I don‘t know if this is news to you, but HS is apparently toast since all of the sets will reach EOL by the end of the year: https://www.stonewars.de/news/lego-end-of-life-eol-2020/

RIP  

Edited July 17, 2020 by Lego-Freak

[Lego David]

50 minutes ago, Lego-Freak said:

I don‘t know if this is news to you, but HS is apparently toast since all of the sets will reach EOL by the end of the year: https://www.stonewars.de/news/lego-end-of-life-eol-2020/

RIP  

So... Hidden Side is done already? After just three waves? Dang it... I was really hoping the line would last longer. Hopefully the sets sold well enough for LEGO to continue doing themes like Hidden Side (that don't use the Big Bang formula), because otherwise, we probably won't be seeing another theme like it for at least 3 years, if not more. 

Does anyone here have any clues about how well the line may have sold overall? 

[TeriXeri]

Wave 1 sets already regularly reached 40-50% off here, so I don't know if that's an indication of poor sales, but it almost felt similar to LEGO Movie 2 in terms of discounts.

LEGO Movie 2 was ended very short as by the end of 2019 it was gone completely from LEGO.com (after even 40% off there), and now retailers still try to get rid of it at 50% off.

I didn't pick up many sets myself (Shrimp Shack / Hidden Side Portal Tree), but I'm still looking at other sets like the Castle / Prison if it hits big discounts due to ending early.

Edited July 17, 2020 by TeriXeri

[Robert8]

And there goes another one....

Just like Nexo Knights, it seems HS got cancelled without a proper ending

 

I don't want to sound disrespectful, but it seems TLG has become a one-trick pony..... other than Ninjago, they can't make anything work anymore: pirates, castle, horror, etc... 

[TeriXeri]

31 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

And there goes another one....

Just like Nexo Knights, it seems HS got cancelled without a proper ending

 

I don't want to sound disrespectful, but it seems TLG has become a one-trick pony..... other than Ninjago, they can't make anything work anymore: pirates, castle, horror, etc... 

Sometimes I wonder if it's all scheduled ahead, and then some License has to take it's place early, like Harry Potter re-appearing after Nexo and Elves retired.

And then Hidden Side making place for something related like Ghostbuster or Scooby Doo or something. (I don't really follow all new movies/series so I don't know what's coming up, just examples)

I'm personally not into licensed themes but it does seem a bit strange.

Like LEGO Space re-appeared when Star Wars was in a bit of a break a few years after episode 3.

Still, not having proper endings isn't good, in the situation of Nexo Knights, there were even pictures, names and descriptions of Forest monsters and Sea monsters, instead LEGO made those tech-vampires out of nowhere.

Edited July 17, 2020 by TeriXeri

[Pulp Detective]

1 hour ago, Robert8 said:

And there goes another one....

Just like Nexo Knights, it seems HS got cancelled without a proper ending

 

I don't want to sound disrespectful, but it seems TLG has become a one-trick pony..... other than Ninjago, they can't make anything work anymore: pirates, castle, horror, etc... 

It's not disrespectful,it's the truth.Lego has become lazy and dare I even say creatively bankrupt.The latter is especially obvious with regards to Ninjago, this theme is TLGs cash cow and they'll keep milking it until it's dry.

Gone are the days there were a plethora of action themes,now instead Ninjago cannibalizes every potential new theme.HS only exists or should I say existed because the idea couldn't fit into Ninjago. 

[klinton]

2 hours ago, Lego David said:

Does anyone here have any clues about how well the line may have sold overall? 

I think the most obvious tell (well, here, anyhow) was the fact that stores here were all but stripped of their Lego stock during the early days of the pandemic, but there were still HS sets to be found. It was kind of eye opening for me (I freaking love this theme!). I was kind of expecting this news after seeing that. :/

[Borex]

Well i enjoyed Hidden Side. I think it was the theme i bought the most sets of this and last year. 

Curious to see what’ll be next. (There will always be a next). 

I hope they’ll skip on the gimmicks and give us fun builds and wicked minifigs in a new theme. But then again, i need to buy all those Mario sets as well, and a Mos Eisley Cantina is rumored, so maybe they can bring us western or pirates, and then my wallet can have a break. 

[Darnok]

Dammit, Hidden Side ending already sure is a bummer. Ignoring all that silly interactivity/phone stuff those were some excellent sets. I'm kinda annoyed that the big castle is staying for so short a time.

[Lucarex]

Well can’t say some of us didn’t call this at the start of the year. I finally picked up the High School for a steal recently, and now just waiting for the Castle to go on sale. 

You get the impression this was always on the cards for HS from day one. I’d even suggest a third wave was touch and go. As a certain Star Wars bounty hunter and his ilk are fond of saying “this is the way”.

Likewise, it’ll be interesting to see how Monkie Kid fares outside of China when it goes on general release. 

It’s always sad when a creative in-house theme with great potential is EOL’d relatively early. 

Edited July 17, 2020 by Lucarex

[Vindicare]

3 hours ago, Darnok said:

Dammit, Hidden Side ending already sure is a bummer. Ignoring all that silly interactivity/phone stuff those were some excellent sets. I'm kinda annoyed that the big castle is staying for so short a time.

Ditto. Of the handful of sets I bought, they’re all great. The minifigs have all been fantastic & the possession aspect is a fun one, getting regular heads & possessed heads, among other additions. I’m hoping to at least grab the fire truck & castle.

[Pulp Detective]

Well I can't say I was surprised with this turn of events.I called this out earlier this year,since action themes that aren't of the Big Bang ilk usually only last for three waves at best. 

[Parazels]

So which were the best HS sets?

[Vorkosigan]

I was debating if to get the castle day one, with this news I think I will just in case the release is limited. 

[Fenghuang0296]

56 minutes ago, Lucarex said:

Well can’t say some of us didn’t call this at the start of the year. I finally picked up the High School for a steal recently, and now just waiting for the Castle to go on sale. 

You get the impression this was always on the cards for HS from day one. I’d even suggest a third wave was touch and go. As a certain Star Wars bounty hunter and his ilk are fond of saying “this is the way”.

Likewise, it’ll be interesting to see how Monkie Kid fares outside of China when it goes on general release. 

It’s always sad when a creative in-house theme with great potential is EOL’d relatively early. 

I’ll miss Hidden Side, it was fun.

What makes you think Monkie Kid is going to go on general release?

[Robert8]

18 minutes ago, Parazels said:

So which were the best HS sets?

Well, the castle for sure!

 

 

[Lyichir]

7 hours ago, Robert8 said:

And there goes another one....

Just like Nexo Knights, it seems HS got cancelled without a proper ending

 

I don't want to sound disrespectful, but it seems TLG has become a one-trick pony..... other than Ninjago, they can't make anything work anymore: pirates, castle, horror, etc... 

I have no idea what you mean by "without a proper ending". The sets this year build up to what seems like a climax (much like Nexo Knights did), but unlike the Nexo Knights TV series, there's a very good chance that the webisodes for Hidden Side WILL continue through the rest of the year to cover the remainder of the sets and finish out this year's story (much like Elves in its respective final year).

Don't forget that ten years ago it was COMMON for themes to last for one or two years at most. Atlantis lasted a year and a half. Power Miners lasted a year and a half. Space Police lasted a year and a half. And others like Monster Fighters and Alien Conquest and Dino each ran for only a single wave. Ninjago was exceptional in that it was extended BEYOND two and a half years (the same exact lifespan Nexo and Chima ended up getting overall). There's really been no noteworthy decline in the length of Lego themes, it's just that Ninjago has lasted so incredibly long that the lifespans for other themes end up feeling short by comparison.

[Fenghuang0296]

2 hours ago, Lyichir said:

I have no idea what you mean by "without a proper ending". The sets this year build up to what seems like a climax (much like Nexo Knights did), but unlike the Nexo Knights TV series, there's a very good chance that the webisodes for Hidden Side WILL continue through the rest of the year to cover the remainder of the sets and finish out this year's story (much like Elves in its respective final year).

Don't forget that ten years ago it was COMMON for themes to last for one or two years at most. Atlantis lasted a year and a half. Power Miners lasted a year and a half. Space Police lasted a year and a half. And others like Monster Fighters and Alien Conquest and Dino each ran for only a single wave. Ninjago was exceptional in that it was extended BEYOND two and a half years (the same exact lifespan Nexo and Chima ended up getting overall). There's really been no noteworthy decline in the length of Lego themes, it's just that Ninjago has lasted so incredibly long that the lifespans for other themes end up feeling short by comparison.

I agree. While we speculated that Nehmaar Reem was a harbinger of a greater threat, there never was really anything to support that. And I do hope the webisodes continue, after all, the Elves Netflix series did get cancelled (the show they did around Season 3 in 2017 is one of my favourite pieces of LEGO tie-in media and I wish they’d finished it in 2018). 

Though, to be fair if we’re comparing things to ten years ago there were a lot more original themes like that back then and they were all at least distantly related - I’m sure I remember hearing something like ‘the climax of Monster Fighters caused the moon to briefly light up like a galactic beacon, which attracted the alien bug enemies of Galaxy Squad to Earth’, and I think there was more besides. Not to mention the three iterations of the Agents theme (and I do hope they revive that again sometime in the future, I regret being in a dark age for Ultra Agents). Whereas the likes of Nexo Knights and Hidden Side and Monkie Kid all seem to exist within their own little bubbles (canonically at least, I’m sure kids all over the world have Nexo Knights laying siege to the High School, etcetera).

[Lego David]

4 hours ago, Lyichir said:

There's really been no noteworthy decline in the length of Lego themes, it's just that Ninjago has lasted so incredibly long that the lifespans for other themes end up feeling short by comparison.

From a certain point of view. Back in the late 2000's and early 2010's original action themes did indeed usually last for less than 2 years, but they were constantly replaced by something new. Mars Mission got cancelled after two years, but was very soon after followed up by Space Police 3, and then Alien Conquest and so on. So even though original themes were lasting a short time, there was always something new similar to it coming out next. Recently though, it seems like LEGO has shifted is business model to pursuing  3-year Big Bang themes only, and that is clearly shown with the fact that Ultra Agents and Hidden Side where the only non-big bang action themes to come out in the past five years. With the huge 4-year gap between Ultra Agents and Hidden Side, I have a feeling we won't be seeing another non-big bang action theme for at least 3 years, if not more. 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Lego David

[Parazels]

5 hours ago, Robert8 said:

Well, the castle for sure!

 

 

Really? Somehow the Graveyard is still my favorite set. Not the biggest of course, but very cute.

[Lucarex]

As for best sets, my own personal preference would say:

Wave 1 High School - purely for the transformative features

Wave 1 Shrimp Shack - overall aesthetic, this almost had the feel of an Ideas set or MOC

Wave 1 Shrimp Boat - just a fun great value set with superb minifigs 

Wave 2 Lighthouse - great choice of colour and improves on the Scooby Doo version, with haunted seaside aesthetic (which looks fantastic alongside the Ideas Old Fishing Store)

Wave 3 Castle - yeah, what’s not to like? The observatory and new villain look great. Worthy of its MF Vampire Castle predecessor, a fantastic design and build (albeit not without flaws). 

 

1 hour ago, Parazels said:

Really? Somehow the Graveyard is still my favorite set. Not the biggest of course, but very cute.

Whilst it didn’t quite make my cut above, I really like the graveyard too, just wish they’d made it bigger or somehow easier to fit alongside the MF Zombies set.

[Pulp Detective]

3 hours ago, Lego David said:

 With the huge 4-year gap between Ultra Agents and Hidden Side, I have a feeling we won't be seeing another non-big bang action theme for at least 3 years, if not more. 

That's my fear as well.

This is mere speculation from my part but I think that we'll get another new theme next year.Think about it Chima ended in 2015 and the following year NK released.NK on the other hand ended in 2018 and the following year HD released.So based in this pattern we could get another new action theme in 2021.It'll be most likely a Big Bang theme. 

Edited July 18, 2020 by LOTR34

[Borex]

My favorite HS sets would be the shrimp boat, shrimp snack cafetaria, the lighthouse and the High School. 

If there is going to be a new theme, i hope it’ll be spooky one as well :-)

[Lego David]

1 hour ago, LOTR34 said:

.It'll be most likely a Big Bang theme. 

I don't think that's the case... Since Monkie Kid is a Big Bang theme that we currently have. Most likely it will last the typical three years, from 2020 to 2023. So until after Monkie Kid ends, I don't expect we'll get any new original action themes. 

10 hours ago, Parazels said:

So which were the best HS sets?

My personal favorites would probably be The Hunted High School, El Fuego's Stunt Plane, The Lighthouse of Darkness, and the Castle of Mystery. I haven't gotten any of them yet, but I will probably buy them as soon as I can get them for a good discount.