Unpopular Opinions about LEGO

[LegendaryArticuno]

So many corporate shills trying to justify Lego a billion dollar family owned private corporation a few more pennies. 

Truly an unpopular opinion if not an ignorant one, arguing against their own interest. 

[Yperio_Bricks]

1 minute ago, LegendaryArticuno said:

So many corporate shills trying to justify Lego a billion dollar family owned private corporation a few more pennies. 

Truly an unpopular opinion if not an ignorant one, arguing against their own interest. 

+1

Exactly that's what i am thinking every day!

[Killian]

20 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

On the other hand we can be lucky that there are so many stickers because set prices would be even more insane when there were only prints and no stickers.

While I do like prints in sets where I don't mind the prints (like Vidiyo Beatbits), I like having the option to not apply the stickers most of the time;  like with The Goat Boat set, you can leave the Asgard Tours stickers off and use the build as a Viking ship, if those parts were printed it could only be a modern tourist ride. Though I suppose you can remove prints with a pencil eraser, but it'd be a ballache

[danth]

57 minutes ago, LegendaryArticuno said:

So many corporate shills trying to justify Lego a billion dollar family owned private corporation a few more pennies. 

Truly an unpopular opinion if not an ignorant one, arguing against their own interest.  

Well since this is the unpopular opinion thread we should probably let them win this one. I kinda want to start a thread where we can complain about stickers.

All right sticker lovers, I'll shut up and give you the last word.

[MAB]

1 hour ago, LegendaryArticuno said:

So many corporate shills trying to justify Lego a billion dollar family owned private corporation a few more pennies. 

Truly an unpopular opinion if not an ignorant one, arguing against their own interest. 

You can call it ignorant of other people, and no doubt they think you ignorant of not understanding how LEGO (the company) works. There are sets that I have bought with stickers that I probably would not bought if they were even more expensive due to having prints. If it was guaranteed that prices would not be higher still if no stickers were ever used again and we still got the same decoration, I'd be in favour of prints. But I reckon they'd charge more or reduce decoration if they went all printed. 

Personally,  I'd prefer a slight change, a move to decently printed clear stickers only, so that colour matching is not an issue.

[timemail]

9 hours ago, LegendaryArticuno said:

So many corporate shills trying to justify Lego a billion dollar family owned private corporation a few more pennies. 

Truly an unpopular opinion if not an ignorant one, arguing against their own interest. 

There is a difference between liking a practice and having an understanding of why it is the way it is.

I hate stickers in sets and wish that none of my sets have them. Especially when I am looking at my large sets that I paid AUD$1000 and put a sticker on incorrectly because I don't have the dexterity to put a sticker on straight. I hate the practice, yet I understand why Lego does it even though I hate the practice. Fortunately I have not been in Lego long enough to see my stickers peel and discolour. I am sure I will be more bitter and ignorant like others when that starts occurring.

I personally love a lot of speed champions sets, I looked at my collection the other sets waiting to be built the other day and realised I hadn't built any Speed Champions sets in the last two years. Every time I go to build one I stop and don't due to knowing I will have to put on a lot of stickers. If I was paying an extra 30% on the RRP of one of them to avoid stickers I probably would, and would enjoy the sets more. But many people would not. Lego have clearly made the business decision to not do this because of the impact it would likely have on logistics and also sales.

While I love the Lego product, I don't like a lot of the company decisions, but I also understand that business make decisions in their interests, not in that of their customers. It doesn't help that Lego is so sanctimonious about so many things, yet in the end they are a company and their interests remain their bottom line, not that of the consumer. It just helps that a lot of the time what is good for the consumer will lead to more sales and a better bottom line.

I'm going to put my unpopular (at least for this thread I am sure) opinion in here. My opinion doesn't actually matter as I am not in Lego's main target market. They may throw me a bone now and then, but ultimately my sales mean next to nothing to them so no matter what I like and don't like it won't make an iota of difference.

Edited December 24, 2022 by timemail

[MaximillianRebo]

4 hours ago, timemail said:

While I love the Lego product, I don't like a lot of the company decisions, but I also understand that business make decisions in their interests, not in that of their customers. It doesn't help that Lego is so sanctimonious about so many things, yet in the end they are a company and their interests remain their bottom line, not that of the consumer. It just helps that a lot of the time what is good for the consumer will lead to more sales and a better bottom line.

Exactly. You can understand and begrudgingly accept that a business will make a decision that benefits their own bottom line without being a 'shill'. One of the stories of why Lego almost went bust 20 years ago is they had too many unique parts that required separate storage so their storage and logistic costs went through the roof. Every new printed piece is a unique part that has different storage requirements from the blank piece it is printed on, and other pieces of the same type but with a different print. Like everyone I'd love for stickers to never exist (except for those sticker sheets for the 1980 Lego Ideas book, they were cool) but I'd also like the company to keep going for a while longer.

[Aanchir]

Since we're talking stickers, I should point out that some folks (like me) genuinely like them. Obviously that's a VERY unpopular opinion, at least among us AFOLs, but it's my genuine opinion regardless. As a kid my dad would apply stickers for me to ensure they were aligned well, but after I became confident enough in my teen years to start applying them myself, it became a greatly enjoyable part of the building experience for me.

Of course, there ARE still a number of contexts where I prefer prints! Minifigs, molded animals, tiles used as minifig accessories, facial features on character/creature builds, complex curved surfaces (like domed windscreens), patterns on tiny surfaces like 1x1 tiles or the sides of plates, etc. But I also appreciate that there's a lot of stuff stickers are useful for that CAN'T be achieved with printed bricks, like mirrored or holographic patterns.

And in some sets like the Ninjago City collection or Monkie Kid's City of Lanterns, stickers allow LEGO to include way more set-specific details and Easter eggs than we'd ever be likely to get with printed parts alone. Like, we can all speculate indefinitely on what LEGO could or couldn't actually afford to put in these sets, but I think we can all agree that they realistically wouldn't bother with the cost of 60+ additional printed parts on top of all the printed parts they already introduce in sets and themes like those! After all, even in the early 2000s when LEGO was introducing new elements with reckless abandon (at great cost to the company), sets rarely had more than a couple dozen printed parts, and minifigure parts often made up around half of those.

I realize, of course, that there probably ARE a lot of AFOLs who'd love to have all sets sticker-free even if it meant far fewer decorations overall. I'm just not in that camp myself.

[ks6349]

Another "Unpopular" opinion for Lego is that they should use more paper cardboard for smaller sets which has already been used for very big sets e.g. Creator Expert. Many City box sets that aren't too big, not too small though only have a thin outer box, sometimes bags inside will fall aside which easily crease the box in the long run. The controller for trains should also come with a little bit more protection, when you turn the box around it could fall practically from a small height which may damage the controller. Do you agree

[ks6349]

I bought a mobile crane recently from another country the customs of my country BROKE OPEN my Lego box set (not the shipment box). Whole box is badly creased. Lego should really use some more paper cardboard for medium sets to keep the items well.

Edited December 25, 2022 by ks6349

[Lira_Bricks]

Popular opinion: If a set does come with stickers, the stickers should at the very least not be put separately in the box to prevent it from being folded in multiple ways. Just opened a set with folded stickers. Great.

Edited December 25, 2022 by Lira_Bricks

[Murdoch17]

45 minutes ago, ks6349 said:

I bought a mobile crane recently from another country the customs of my country BROKE OPEN my Lego box set (not the shipment box). Whole box is badly creased. Lego should really use some more paper cardboard for medium sets to keep the items well.

If customs is going to open a box, they're going to open a box. No amount of cardboard is going to stop that. Customs going through your stuff is just a risk you run when your order from abroad.

[ks6349]

4 hours ago, Murdoch17 said:

If customs is going to open a box, they're going to open a box. No amount of cardboard is going to stop that. Customs going through your stuff is just a risk you run when your order from abroad.

Cardboard inside can help contain bags in better order, without it, they just throw all the bags inside randomly and it ends up some getting packed up too tightly and crease the box! You don't have to be this sensitive, paper cardboard can be recycled!

Edited December 25, 2022 by ks6349

[Murdoch17]

12 minutes ago, ks6349 said:

Cardboard inside can help contain bags in better order, without it, they just throw all the bags inside randomly and it ends up some getting packed up too tightly and crease the box! You don't have to be this sensitive, paper cardboard can be recycled!

Okay, but that would mean an extra step (or several!) to do that. Are you willing to pay a lot more for those machines and the cost of heady-duty cardboard? Also, anything heavier gauge in relation to cardboard than what they have would run counter to their current environmental teachings. And besides, sadly, nobody really recycles like they should: even if you do it right, it still gets dumped somewhere - especially if it's mixed together and not pre-sorted at the source. (consumer)

4 hours ago, Lira_Bricks said:

Popular opinion: If a set does come with stickers, the stickers should at the very least not be put separately in the box to prevent it from being folded in multiple ways. Just opened a set with folded stickers. Great.

Most larger sets do that by sticking them with the instructions in a bag, but they should really do it for all sets. However, you then run the risk of getting stickers accidentally stuck to the instructions!

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by Murdoch17

[Yperio_Bricks]

32 minutes ago, ks6349 said:

Cardboard inside can help contain bags in better order, without it, they just throw all the bags inside randomly and it ends up some getting packed up too tightly and crease the box! You don't have to be this sensitive, paper cardboard can be recycled!

And the box of the Lego set can be recycled too!

[ks6349]

11 hours ago, Murdoch17 said:

Okay, but that would mean an extra step (or several!) to do that. Are you willing to pay a lot more for those machines and the cost of heady-duty cardboard? Also, anything heavier gauge in relation to cardboard than what they have would run counter to their current environmental teachings. And besides, sadly, nobody really recycles like they should: even if you do it right, it still gets dumped somewhere - especially if it's mixed together and not pre-sorted at the source. (consumer)

Most larger sets do that by sticking them with the instructions in a bag, but they should really do it for all sets. However, you then run the risk of getting stickers accidentally stuck to the instructions!

 

You are already paying A LOT MORE for the cost of creating printed instruction paper booklets that have the same problems as you described.

Edited December 26, 2022 by ks6349

[Killian]

Lego partnered with Hasbro to make the Optimus Prime set. Hasbro should have made fashion dolls based on the 5 main girls from Lego Friends, or even the 8 new Friends for 2023.

[Lyichir]

Just now, Killian said:

Lego partnered with Hasbro to make the Optimus Prime set. Hasbro should have made fashion dolls based on the 5 main girls from Lego Friends, or even the 8 new Friends for 2023.

Personally I don't particularly see the appeal of non-Lego fashion dolls of Lego characters... Then again I'm quite outside the target market for fashion dolls in general.

That said, one thing I've thought would be interesting for a while would be if Lego made an attempt to create a system for buildable fashion dolls, sort of like the buildable action figure sets they've done successfully with themes like Bionicle and Hero Factory. I think it would largely need a different sort of system since fashion dolls require different sort of shapes (more streamlined and organic, less futuristic/aggressive) and you'd likely want important details on the outfits to be assembled, rather than just being a pre-formed "shell".

I would've been especially interested in sets like that if it happened when the Elves theme were still going, and I could get some of those sorts of fantastical characters in a larger, more displayable form. Nowadays I'm not totally sure the idea of a fashion doll line would suit the new direction of the Friends theme... but it could've been cool.

[Killian]

23 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

 I've thought would be interesting for a while would be if Lego made an attempt to create a system for buildable fashion dolls

Mattel did it with their Monster High Create-A-Monster and their Inner Monster sub themes. I don't know how many kids were into it, but adult collectors went wild for them, paying extremely inflated prices on the secondary market

[Lira_Bricks]

1 hour ago, Killian said:

Lego partnered with Hasbro to make the Optimus Prime set. Hasbro should have made fashion dolls based on the 5 main girls from Lego Friends, or even the 8 new Friends for 2023.

Nah, how about a Magic the Gathering (also Hasbro iirc) set with the characters from Bionicle!

Edited December 27, 2022 by Lira_Bricks

[MAB]

On 12/27/2022 at 3:52 PM, Lyichir said:

Personally I don't particularly see the appeal of non-Lego fashion dolls of Lego characters... Then again I'm quite outside the target market for fashion dolls in general.

That said, one thing I've thought would be interesting for a while would be if Lego made an attempt to create a system for buildable fashion dolls, sort of like the buildable action figure sets they've done successfully with themes like Bionicle and Hero Factory. I think it would largely need a different sort of system since fashion dolls require different sort of shapes (more streamlined and organic, less futuristic/aggressive) and you'd likely want important details on the outfits to be assembled, rather than just being a pre-formed "shell".

I would've been especially interested in sets like that if it happened when the Elves theme were still going, and I could get some of those sorts of fantastical characters in a larger, more displayable form. Nowadays I'm not totally sure the idea of a fashion doll line would suit the new direction of the Friends theme... but it could've been cool.

I doubt buildable dolls would be very popular (with kids). When I look at how my daughter and their friends play dolls, it is mainly about dressing up and role play. If you had to build the dolls, then build the clothes, I doubt it would be as popular as regular dress up dolls or Scala type sets. The constraction SW humans were fairly ugly looking and not great articulation. If they went Galidor style body parts with printed clothes, it is assembly and disassembly rather than dressing up. 

[Lyichir]

5 hours ago, MAB said:

I doubt buildable dolls would be very popular (with kids). When I look at how my daughter and their friends play dolls, it is mainly about dressing up and role play. If you had to build the dolls, then build the clothes, I doubt it would be as popular as regular dress up dolls or Scala type sets. The constraction SW humans were fairly ugly looking and not great articulation. If they went Galidor style body parts with printed clothes, it is assembly and disassembly rather than dressing up. 

Believe me, I considered that idea knowing that it would be a challenge and that no previous buildable action figure system (Bionicle/Galidor/Hero Factory/Star Wars) would really be sufficient for it. But I still think it would be an interesting extension of Lego into a market that they haven't previously mastered, if they could get it right somehow.

[danth]

Is it unpopular to think the large Galidor figures were pretty cool? I like the whole concept of swappable action figure body parts.

The old Technic figures were awesome too.

[LegendaryArticuno]

Lego goes all out when it comes to the Lunar New Year and Monkie Kid sets (to a certain extent). No other theme comes close when it comes to budget allocation for specialized prints, parts, colours, and amount of minifigs.

Not mention the design quality of the sets is always well done and has been consistently high over the years. Let the Marvel team borrow some of that talent.

  

Edited January 1, 2023 by LegendaryArticuno

[YourLocalB2]

On 8/23/2019 at 5:52 AM, suffocation said:

Most Afols are wankers.

Most Afols think they're so clever because they collect hundreds of sets & minifigs and share hundreds of pics that reek of "omg look at how rich I am, I just spent my children's college fund and inheritance on Lego but at least I've enlarged my e-penis" but couldn't piece two bricks together without detailed instructions.

Going through this thread and this made me laugh. Thanks for making my day