Unpopular Opinions about LEGO

[MAB]

3 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

True, but this is from an architectural standpoint and not religious. There is no symbol of religion, just the presence of a historically and architecturally important structure as a feature of a skyline, it cannot be ignored. It would be a different thing altogether if they sold a St Paul's Cathedral set, or an Aisha Mosque set (or insert major religious structure here). 

Yes, but my post has been cut. This was in reply to a factually incorrect statement...

You should note that TLG has never produced any cathedrals or other buildings of contemporary religions, it's against their guidelines.

[BrickG]

LEGO is too complex. There's too many kinds of pieces in too many colors. Some pieces are just unecessary and can do what they need to do using other pieces. Also it takes too long to organise them. I feel like you can take half the pieces that exist away from LEGO and end up with sets that are just as good. Possibly more like 90%+ of the unique elements...

Another opinion is that LEGO building will never be good in video games. Again, it's too complex and there's too many pieces to go through when building something. Everything has names that are ridiculous and just finding the piece you're thinking about it too difficult. I'm comparing LEGO building in video games to other building video games like Minecraft where you just stack what's 90% cubes together, and yet you can still have a ton of fun and it's much more approachable (and can still get crazy in-depth). LEGO in the video game realm is just unapproachable.

Another opinion tied to LEGO complexity is that Minifigures don't have the same rules apply to them when it comes to complexity. Minifigures have TONS of different elements from different weapons to heads to whatever, and that's good. Characters should be treated differently then building and deserve whatever characterization is appropriate when it comes to unique molds and pieces.

[TeriXeri]

After recently building the 2020  16+ Barracuda Bay, and then some City 5+ 2021 set, the instructions on those small city sets are just so simplified nowadays, especially something like adding 1 small piece per page.

I know City set cannot really be compared to IDEAS , and 5+ is just barely up from Junior(4+) , so I cannot fault LEGO here, just was very noticeable after building sets back to back.

As for logistics/storage, sets having multiple booklets, sometimes of different sizes can be annoying, but I do know part of the reason is to build together from different bags at the same time, but when it's  2 (different sized) booklets to build the same vehicle, that becomes silly.

Still, I do prefer having paper manuals over fully digital.

Edited April 2, 2021 by TeriXeri

[Aanchir]

On 4/1/2021 at 2:18 AM, Lego David said:

I think by far the most atrocious use of them was in the 2015 Pirates wave. Like, what were they thinking? Those stud shooters just make no sense within the context of a Pirate theme! 

I dunno — I think they make plenty of sense as a minifig-scale representation of a swivel gun or falconet. Certainly they were FAR less ridiculous/implausible than putting full-size cannons on a small rowboat like in older Pirates sets such as 6201 or 6245.

Many nautical-leaning Ninjago sets like 70594, 70603, 70623, 70732, and 71705 have likewise made effective use of stud shooters as small cannons or deck guns. This is a big part of why I still love stud shooters — they're a great way to add working projectile launcher functions to sets where larger launcher or cannon pieces would be too obtrusive or unwieldy.

Moreover, even if you dislike stud shooters, they add very little to the cost of a set and are usually easy to remove or ignore. So all in all, I feel like the benefits of stud shooters far outweigh the drawbacks.

[Lego David]

1 hour ago, Aanchir said:

I dunno — I think they make plenty of sense as a minifig-scale representation of a swivel gun or falconet. Certainly they were FAR less ridiculous/implausible than putting full-size cannons on a small rowboat like in older Pirates sets such as 6201 or 6245.

You do have a point there... I never looked at it from that perspective, but now that you bring it up, it does make a lot of sense. 

However, although their use does make technical sense, it was one of the reasons many Pirate fans were disappointed with the 2015 wave, as it made the sets look a lot more "childish" (I don't have anything against that personally, but it might have been a big turn away factor for some people).

[Celeri]

I just do not like minifigs at all (Technic figs are OK, though). I do not know if this is really an unpopular opinion, but when I see how many AFOL have large minifig collections, it may well be the case...

I really like seeing Technic submodules in classic sets, and reciprocally (when done well, of course).

I do not like sets with stickers, yet I like putting them very carefully so they are perfectly aligned with the parts.

Edited April 2, 2021 by Celeri

[The Brick Boss]

Another unpopular opinion about Lego. The sets made by City for 2020 and 2021 are actually pretty good. Especially if you want to make a table town without going over your budget. Most of the buildings are simple, but detailed. 

[Stuartn]

4 hours ago, Celeri said:

I just do not like minifigs at all (Technic figs are OK, though). I do not know if this is really an unpopular opinion

I’d say that is probably one of the most unpopular opinions of all, but that is what this forum is for.

Although I disagree, it is interesting to have that perspective shared, since appreciation for minifigures seemed unanimous.

I must mirror your sticker opinion though, while I prefer printed parts I do enjoy the feeling of achievement when I place a difficult sticker perfectly on a piece.

My biggest hatred is clear stickers, especially the AT hauler windshield, they get bubbles underneath and little bits of dust and hair show up underneath.

4 hours ago, Poodabricks said:

Another unpopular opinion about Lego. The sets made by City for 2020 and 2021 are actually pretty good. Especially if you want to make a table town without going over your budget. Most of the buildings are simple, but detailed. 

I agree entirely, in relation to the buildings. The Tuning Garage was in my opinion the best city building since the Town and City centre sets,  and the 2021 sets were great, and could be easily extended or modified.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Stuartn

[Lego David]

5 hours ago, Celeri said:

I just do not like minifigs at all (Technic figs are OK, though). I do not know if this is really an unpopular opinion, but when I see how many AFOL have large minifig collections, it may well be the case...

As much as I still appreciate minifigures for what they are, I do agree that they are kind of overhyped. I am baffled when I see how much money people are willing to pay just to get an exclusive figure of their favorite character. 

In terms of functionality, the Technic Figs are objectively superior, as they have a complete range of articulation, unlike minifigures. However, I do have to give credit to the minifigures for being customizable, I think that is by far their biggest strength. 

[MAB]

8 hours ago, Celeri said:

I just do not like minifigs at all (Technic figs are OK, though). I do not know if this is really an unpopular opinion, but when I see how many AFOL have large minifig collections, it may well be the case...

 

That makes you quite lucky. You can sell off any minifigs and so your LEGO purchases will cost significantly less than for those that keep minifigs.

[The Brick Boss]

On 4/2/2021 at 11:20 PM, Stuartn said:

I agree entirely, in relation to the buildings. The Tuning Garage was in my opinion the best city building since the Town and City centre sets,  and the 2021 sets were great, and could be easily extended or modified.

Yup! I have the tuning shop. Very nice build. As far as vehicles are concerned, my favorite one is the yellow tram from 60271. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Poodabricks

[BrickObsessed]

There has been something that is bugging me lately. I know we love Lego, but I notice that there is an "unwritten rule" among the fans that Lego should not be criticized or that we should not ask for "too much" from the Lego company.

On 4/2/2021 at 9:30 AM, MAB said:

Yes, but my post has been cut. This was in reply to a factually incorrect statement...

You should note that TLG has never produced any cathedrals or other buildings of contemporary religions, it's against their guidelines.

That is too bad. Religious buildings are some of the most beautiful architecture ever built!

[The Brick Boss]

1 hour ago, BrickObsessed said:

There has been something that is bugging me lately. I know we love Lego, but I notice that there is an "unwritten rule" among the fans that Lego should not be criticized or that we should not ask for "too much" from the Lego company.

I've actually been driven mad trying to come up with answers as to why that seems to be an unwritten rule here. 

[Toastie]

1 hour ago, Poodabricks said:

I've actually been driven mad trying to come up with answers as to why that seems to be an unwritten rule here. 

Well, don't let these things drive you mad! That is unhealthy.

1. This thread is sort of turning things upside down, right? Here you can get ready to rumble - there is no unwritten rule.
2. This is a website that tries to "unite LEGO fans around the world". Fans should always have a voice and opinion of course. As far as I understand the philosophy of this website, you can - again of course - criticize whatever you want, BUT in an educated and "polite" approach. Just blaring out complaints will get you in trouble. But when you have a point, and you bring up good reasoning, discuss it here!!!

So: Don't let things drive you mad. Stay calm, make up your mind, and then lay out your criticism. Tip: before you hit "Submit Reply" reread your message three times. Or sleep over it.

That is my personal experience only.

Best
Thorsten

[The Stud]

7 hours ago, BrickObsessed said:

There has been something that is bugging me lately. I know we love Lego, but I notice that there is an "unwritten rule" among the fans that Lego should not be criticized or that we should not ask for "too much" from the Lego company.

I disagree. I have browsed this forum for years and don’t think such an unwritten rule exists here. There’s plenty of constructive criticism of Lego and their decisions. There doesn’t seem to be anything keeping people from speaking their minds.

[BrickObsessed]

7 minutes ago, The Stud said:

I disagree. I have browsed this forum for years and don’t think such an unwritten rule exists here. There’s plenty of constructive criticism of Lego and their decisions. There doesn’t seem to be anything keeping people from speaking their minds.

I haven't actually seen it here since I am new here. But, I have seen it in other Lego communities.

[The Stud]

1 hour ago, BrickObsessed said:

I haven't actually seen it here since I am new here. But, I have seen it in other Lego communities.

Ah, I see what you mean. In that case, welcome! 

[danth]

2 hours ago, The Stud said:

I disagree. I have browsed this forum for years and don’t think such an unwritten rule exists here. There’s plenty of constructive criticism of Lego and their decisions. There doesn’t seem to be anything keeping people from speaking their minds.

Oh boy. I've seen it. It gets bad.

[koalayummies]

I think that everything that TLG is doing right now is absolutely perfect. There, most unpopular AFOL opinion.

Seriously though I love you Lego Group please let me move to Denmark. Will sweep parking lots for healthcare.

[Stuartn]

I wouldn’t say an unwritten rule exists, as if it did this thread and many others like it wouldn’t exist either. I know a lot of people are very protective of LEGO, but I would say that  this is attributable to the fact that there are many different groups of fans wanting different things. Due the nature of LEGO’s product lineup, when some consumers want more of something, others see it as having to come at the expense of something else. This means that some will become protective of LEGO to defend their set interests, with the argument ‘LEGO can’t please everyone’ becoming common. While many including myself would be guilty of this, I wouldn’t say it is unhealthy.

Likewise, if some people don’t wish to criticise TLG that is fine, if they like the lineup of sets and everything else about LEGO that is perfectly acceptable and I wouldn’t say it should be viewed negatively. 

[The Brick Boss]

14 hours ago, koalayummies said:

I think that everything that TLG is doing right now is absolutely perfect. There, most unpopular AFOL opinion.

As far as 2021 sets are concerned, I think everyone (myself included) is there with you. Not unpopular at all. I love how police and fire basically took a back seat in City this year. 

[Fuppylodders]

15 hours ago, koalayummies said:

I think that everything that TLG is doing right now is absolutely perfect. There, most unpopular AFOL opinion.

I think arm and leg printing fans would disagree with you there 

But I also do think for the most part, you're right! 

I have no idea what the idea behind this whole vidiyo thing is though, but it brings cool (or whacky?) new moulds and figs, and tiles. 

[Johnny1360]

23 hours ago, The Stud said:

I disagree. I have browsed this forum for years and don’t think such an unwritten rule exists here. There’s plenty of constructive criticism of Lego and their decisions. There doesn’t seem to be anything keeping people from speaking their minds.

Yes, I agree if anything it seems quite the opposite, I have never noticed this "Rule" written or unwritten, in fact it seems to me at times people can actually be hypercritical of TLGs decisions.

[Pato Sentado]

On 1/17/2021 at 10:20 PM, Chmashdehjare said:

Oh man, this! I got into Technic in the 8880 and 8480 era. This new Technic stuff yields some beautiful models that I enjoy building and playing with (hmm, I’m 57. Let’s say inspecting and examine instead of playing!) but most of the time when I’m building them I have no idea what I’m building. Just built 42040 Fire Plane (yes, I’m a little behind) and had a blast. I suspect that nothing short of a saw will ever get this model back to its component pieces, and most of the build I was pretty convinced I wouldn’t be able to come up with something similar with the beam and pin Technic techniques.

This is a limitation on me I recognize. And studded Technic won’t come back, but I have been doing more System building lately because it is more understandable to me.  
 

Completely agree with you.

[Aanchir]

1 hour ago, Johnny1360 said:

Yes, I agree if anything it seems quite the opposite, I have never noticed this "Rule" written or unwritten, in fact it seems to me at times people can actually be hypercritical of TLGs decisions. 

It's all a matter of perspective, I think. Like, I've had folks get on my case for being too defensive of LEGO's choices or decisions (such as design changes between successful Ideas projects and the sets based on them), but a lot of that is just me stating my personal opinion about choices or decisions I genuinely happen to like. And usually I try to frame those opinions that way so that nobody thinks I'm trying to "shut down" perspectives that I happen to disagree with.

But conversely, when I mention stuff that I actually do feel disappointed or uncomfortable about (such as the lack of overt LGBTQ+ representation in official LEGO sets and media), a lot of the responses tend to treat those desires like some unattainable, pie-in-the-sky fantasy, and suggest there's no reason for LEGO to change anything they're doing in that regard. As a trans lesbian with a passion for the sort of inclusive storytelling that my own childhood lacked, that sort of response can be… disheartening, to say the least.

I guess my point is that whether the community seems to be hyper-critical or hypo-critical towards LEGO typically depends a lot on how critical your own feelings about LEGO happen to be. After all, negative opinions about LEGO likely won't sound as harsh to someone who shares those same negative opinions, just as positive opinions about LEGO won't feel as obsequious to someone who shares those same positive opinions. It's all a matter of what amount of criticism or praise seems "normal" to you.

Edited April 8, 2021 by Aanchir