[PRESS RELEASE] LEGO Creator Expert 10272 Old Trafford Manchester United

[Jim]

On 1/12/2020 at 8:46 AM, Robert8 said:

Shouldn't this be on the Licensed Forum?

I think you are right. Moved it.

[HereWeGoAgain]

I wonder why this isn't released in the architecture line?

Creator expert doesn't make sense to me.

Of well, it's a nice building overall, but I won't pick this up as I'm really not into football.

[tafkatb]

10 minutes ago, HereWeGoAgain said:

I wonder why this isn't released in the architecture line?

Creator expert doesn't make sense to me.

Of well, it's a nice building overall, but I won't pick this up as I'm really not into football.

Creator Expert makes perfect sense since it functions as a catch-all for lots of different categories of advanced models. It wouldn't make sense to release it in the Architecture line because there's nothing of architectural significance about it. I know the theme has devolved into being more about tourist attractions at this point, but at least I can take some solace in the Robie House still holding the record as largest Architecture set. It would be the final nail in the theme's coffin if something as boring and pointless as a sports stadium were to take over that position.

[HereWeGoAgain]

Just now, tafkatb said:

Creator Expert makes perfect sense since it functions as a catch-all for lots of different categories of advanced models. It wouldn't make sense to release it in the Architecture line because there's nothing of architectural significance about it. I know the theme has devolved into being more about tourist attractions at this point, but at least I can take some solace in the Robie House still holding the record as largest Architecture set. It would be the final nail in the theme's coffin if something as boring and pointless as a sports stadium were to take over that position.

I suppose you are a fan of the Architecture line of sets? ;-)

To me this set is of architectural significance mostly in the techniques achieved to create a model that is true to the original in a small scale. Whether it can or should be considered as an architectural icon is debatable though.

Looking at it, it has all the traits of what I would consider an Lego architecture set. First is the scale of it in the sense that it isn't a minifig scale building. Second is the box's color (all black, like all other architecture sets). Third is the fact that the architecture sets all depict real places, buildings or cities in the world.

To me creator expert is more inclined for sets that have a play factor to them and aren't purely designed to get displayed. It is the case for all expert models up to this point (even all the cars we got, although display models and not minifig scale, have opening doors/hoods and whatnot that you can play with). This stadium though has 0 play features.

Anyway, not like we can do anything about how they classified the set, but to me it is strange .

[TeriXeri]

2 hours ago, HereWeGoAgain said:

I wonder why this isn't released in the architecture line?

Creator expert doesn't make sense to me.

Larger Landmark buildings been in Creator Expert for many years now.

Sets like Tower Bridge, Taj Mahal , Big Ben, Opera House, none of those are minifig scale, and all those sets have much larger parts count/price point compared to Architecture.

Edited January 14, 2020 by TeriXeri

[jimmynick]

9 hours ago, Vindicare said:

would imagine the statues that are represented here by nanofigures are life size,

They're larger than life.

7 hours ago, Lucarex said:

Stadiums like Anfield, Camp Nou, Maracana, even the (sadly dilapidated) San Siro are iconic

Yes, but as I pointed out, TLG refers to "English football" only. A Maracana set would be nice, though! One can dream.

I disagree on the Anfield front, though.

[Robert8]

And the Santiago Bernabeu...

.................................................................

But at any rate any of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Stadiums would be more interesting. Maybe if this one sells well a World Cup set would be possible

 

[gundamz]

I got a very stupid question.  I don't care about Man U, but I have wanted a stadium like structure for years to reenact the gladiator scene from Thor III (Thor vs. Hulk).  Do you know if I will be able to fit a Thor minifig and a Hulk bigfig onto the pitch?  Not too concerned about scale but just want to know if it is even physically possible.

[Lucarex]

1 hour ago, jimmynick said:

I disagree on the Anfield front, though.

No football stadium is ever going to win architectural beauty awards (old or new).

Pretty much every player and rival fan rates Anfield as iconic though, take this guy for example...

"The motto "This is Anfield" is no marketing spin. There's something about it that you will find in no other stadium in the world." (Pep Guardiola)

 

 

1 hour ago, Robert8 said:

................................................................

But at any rate any of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Stadiums would be more interesting. Maybe if this one sells well a World Cup set would be possible

 

Given the controversies (Qatar suspiciously winning the tournament, and the human rights abuses and deaths involved in building those stadiums), I'd say LEGO would give that idea a Grand Canyon-wide berth.

Far more likely to do something later this year for EURO 2020, following on from the DFB player minifig series from the last tournament in 2016. The final is being held at (new) Wembley, with is at least recognisable/semi-iconic with its Norman Foster-design and arch (which has been suggested he copied from Oscar Niemeyer's 1941 design for a new Rio stadium)...

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by Lucarex

[Retro]

13 hours ago, Merlict said:

That's sarcasm right? Those are the laziest most generic figures I can imagine. 

Nope, not sarcasm. (I have a range of sarcastic replies available for a variety of topics but I wasn't using one this time!) I thought the minifigures looked like nice, simple representations of Best, Law and Charlton, capturing some of their characteristics quite well. I think the stadium on it's own is a bit pointless without minifigures - I don't find stadia intrinsically interesting.

[autolycus]

On 1/12/2020 at 11:30 PM, kermit said:

there is no cause to be rude here

Wasn't meaning to be rude at all. I was just marveling at the thought of a Minifigure scale football stadium!

[autolycus]

Oh no! Two of my main hobby worlds are colliding with this debate on football vs. soccer. I will say two things on this and then move on to the Lego discussion:

1) Football isn't a reference to playing the ball with your feet. It's a reference to playing on your feet, rather than on horseback. The term dates back to versions of the sport that still allowed players to carry the ball with their hands. The sport was split, within England, into different rule variations that ultimately evolved into what are now referred to (mostly) as "association football" and "Rugby football".

2) Even accounting for similar words like futbol, voetball, etc., soccer isn't the only outlier. Italians, who certainly know and care a lot about the sport, call it calcio. Croats, Bosnians, and Slovenes often call it nogomet. Even in England, "soccer" a slang variant of "association" was a completely accepted and frequently-used word for the sport until at least the 1960s.

 

OK, so onto the Lego stuff... I think the set looks great. Based on the more detailed photos, I like the size. It's a a good compromise between scale and detail. Anything smaller would have made the roof supports very crude. Manchester United is not my team, so I doubt I will get this set. Now... if they'd make a similar-scale model of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with functional roof...

 

https://www.archdaily.com/876888/aperture-style-retractable-roof-at-atlantas-mercedes-benz-stadium-closes-for-the-first-time

[Terrasher]

I hate to say it, but Old Trafford is beginning to grow on me. Watching the reviews, the set starts to shine. Granted, I know nothing about Football or Manchester United, but I do love large LEGO buildings. Comparing it to previous Landmark sets, this one would be closer to the Sydney Opera House, IMO. Not as many tiny details as the Big Ben or Taj Mahal, but it's rather shapely and well executed in its own way.

We'll see. If 2020 seems like a slow year for D2Cs, perhaps this one'll get to the top of the wish list.

[MAB]

16 hours ago, Lucarex said:

No football stadium is ever going to win architectural beauty awards (old or new).

Pretty much every player and rival fan rates Anfield as iconic though, take this guy for example...

"The motto "This is Anfield" is no marketing spin. There's something about it that you will find in no other stadium in the world." (Pep Guardiola)

 

I don't think he was talking about the stadium as much as the people / atmosphere inside the stadium.

17 hours ago, Robert8 said:

But at any rate any of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Stadiums would be more interesting. Maybe if this one sells well a World Cup set would be possible

And imagine all the tan baseplates to go with them.

[Options]

Nice of Lego to honor Manchester’s second best team.  

[Lucarex]

14 hours ago, MAB said:

I don't think he was talking about the stadium as much as the people / atmosphere inside the stadium.

Well in that case, claiming Anfield isn’t iconic is just plain ridiculous. 

[ks6349]

Is the scale of this stadium good compared to other modular or city buildings????

[Retro]

4 hours ago, ks6349 said:

Is the scale of this stadium good compared to other modular or city buildings????

No. I would say that the Old Trafford model would need to be approximately 10 times bigger in order to be in the same scale as a modular building. 

[ks6349]

1 hour ago, Retro said:

No. I would say that the Old Trafford model would need to be approximately 10 times bigger in order to be in the same scale as a modular building. 

So, did you mean it's only good for standalone display but not good for putting together with other city buildings am I correct??

[Retro]

26 minutes ago, ks6349 said:

So, did you mean it's only good for standalone display but not good for putting together with other city buildings am I correct??

Hi, yes. I think Old Trafford would be a nice big display model sitting on its own. But it would be far, far too small to look like a real stadium should, if you put it in a Lego town set-up. 

[kermit]

On 1/14/2020 at 9:03 PM, autolycus said:

Wasn't meaning to be rude at all. I was just marveling at the thought of a Minifigure scale football stadium!

no problem here was just expressing my desire for a minifig scale one ...we all can dream cant we

[gundamz]

Is this set suitable to be used as a gladiator pit for minifigs?

[Friscorays]

 

On 1/14/2020 at 11:03 AM, gundamz said:

I got a very stupid question.  I don't care about Man U, but I have wanted a stadium like structure for years to reenact the gladiator scene from Thor III (Thor vs. Hulk).  Do you know if I will be able to fit a Thor minifig and a Hulk bigfig onto the pitch?  Not too concerned about scale but just want to know if it is even physically possible.

 

5 hours ago, gundamz said:

Is this set suitable to be used as a gladiator pit for minifigs?

 

Yes and yes as you say you are not bothered by scale issues.

[*thomas*]

Could not have cared less about a set

Can't imagine why LEGO would get involved in a set / theme like this...

Sports: yes, but for LEGO City, not a huge and very expensive microscale set dedicated to one club from one sport.

[Retro]

2 hours ago, *thomas* said:

Could not have cared less about a set

Can't imagine why LEGO would get involved in a set / theme like this...

Sports: yes, but for LEGO City, not a huge and very expensive microscale set dedicated to one club from one sport.

Firstly, for money. Everything Lego does is to make money. So presumably they think there is a market for this.

Secondly, there are two kinds of 'football fan'. Taking Manchester United as the case in hand, there is presumably a core of traditional local-ish supporters, who attend as many matches as they can (amongst the visitors from other parts of the UK/world), buy a pie at half time and so on.

Then there are fans for whom it is a brand and a hobby that they like. In the same way Lego makes sets to appeal to fans of The Simpsons, Ferrari, James Bond, The Beatles and so on.

So it's not a question of saying why are they limiting themselves by alienating fans of Liverpool, Ajax and so on. It's more that they can target a huge global group of people in the same way they can target fans of Friends, NASA, Star Wars and so on.

Edited January 20, 2020 by Retro