BoBs Discussion : Fleshie or Yellow heads?

[Count Vroskri]

I've received several complaints about my use of realistic skin tone figures, is this a rule I've missed or just an opinion? What are your thoughts? 

[Fraunces]

There is no rule as far as I know, but most player prefer the yellow heads. I share that opinion.

[NOD]

I like everyone, including brown tones. Most of my minifigures in Brethren of the Brick Seas are from Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings. That's why I have a lot more different faces for skin tone than for yellow.

I've also heard comments about my skin tone figures. I don't care. If someone complains, just ignore it and forget. This is a game and should be fun.

Edited September 24, 2020 by NOD

[JintaiZ]

1 hour ago, Count Vroskri said:

I've received several complaints about my use of realistic skin tone figures, is this a rule I've missed or just an opinion? What are your thoughts? 

Just an opinion

[Kai NRG]

Definitely just an opinion.  Use whichever you prefer!  Sometimes people are a little tongue in cheek when they criticize fleshies. It's like purist vs. non-purist... there's no right choice, but of course my choice is always better. 

[TeriXeri]

I think ultimately it's an opinion.

Of course there could be other reasons like what sets/themes someone has collected or has interest in, of course someone with love for licensed themes likely will have more fleshie figures available.

I personally prefer yellow but I also don't have any Licensed sets.

Maybe that might have been different if I didn't in a no-lego period during the LotR/Hobbit sets, cause I quite liked those in hindsight.

I don't like seeing Castle/Space/Pirates classic concepts on IDEAS with fleshies however.

Edited September 24, 2020 by TeriXeri

[Mesabi]

I feel like people get way too into having only yellow or only fleshie heads. I know it isn't a fantastic look to use a mix of both, but I really feel like it's almost a character personality thing for the figures. 

[Count Vroskri]

14 hours ago, Mesabi said:

I feel like people get way too into having only yellow or only fleshie heads. 

Certainly! 

14 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

I think ultimately it's an opinion. 

Good, I am reassured. 

14 hours ago, Kai NRG said:

Definitely just an opinion.  Use whichever you prefer!  Sometimes people are a little tongue in cheek when they criticize fleshies. It's like purist vs. non-purist... there's no right choice, but of course my choice is always better. 

Thanks for the  help. 

 

15 hours ago, Fraunces said:

There is no rule as far as I know, but most player prefer the yellow heads. I share that opinion.

Good to know there is no rule! 

 

15 hours ago, NOD said:

I like everyone, including brown tones. Most of my minifigures in Brethren of the Brick Seas are from Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings. That's why I have a lot more different faces for skin tone than for yellow.

I've also heard comments about my skin tone figures. I don't care. If someone complains, just ignore it and forget. This is a game and should be fun.

 

 

 

This is a good standpoint and I will do this too. 

Thanks for the replies all! 

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by Count Vroskri

[Khorne]

There's no rule. It's up to what you prefer. If you prefer flesh toned figures, go ahead and use those.

Personally, I like to use yellow ones. I like the cartoony, lighthearted and classic feel they have; but I understand the appeal of the flesh figures. They do add a certain touch of 'realism' the yellow figs don't have. Plus, I think they have a wider range of more detailed expressions.

[deraven]

1 hour ago, Khorne said:

Personally, I like to use yellow ones. I like the cartoony, lighthearted and classic feel they have; but I understand the appeal of the flesh figures. They do add a certain touch of 'realism' the yellow figs don't have. Plus, I think they have a wider range of more detailed expressions.

This is my take on it as well - I think it's a balance.  For instance, I really like the look of fleshies in neo-Classic Space builds since you have the quaint, cartoonish super-simple suits and helmets they're wearing, but then the realistic skin tones.  It's an interesting juxtaposition.  Conversely, the pirate-type outfits are a lot more realistic to begin with, so the yellow faces keep it feeling more light and fun... but either way it's personal preference and depends on the look and feel you're trying to convey.

[merc]

I personally use yellow but I think like everyone has said it is just a preference. When I’ve seen the comments I feel like it’s more tongue-in-check and less actual criticism. 

[The Neighborhood Merchant]

I enjoy the looks of both colors, but in my opinion, the less detailed the face, the better. My favorite head of all time will be the fleshie stereotypical smiles. A crew for a ship, or an army would look great in those contrasting colors (brown, nougat, etc.) while keeping the classic look of the old smile. I try to only use head pieces from 2008 and before, because when you start having too many cheek lines, wide smiles, etc. it definitely limits the versatility. Plus, the old heads are just wacky and fun! 

Edited September 24, 2020 by The Neighborhood Merchant

[Professor Thaum]

Rhaaaaaaaa

He did it !

A subject suitable to debate about those ugly fleshy figs !

Vade retro satanas !

I will ban this agitator !

Only yellow is the right way !

A true lego fig is yellow skinned !

@Count Vroskri

Beware of not pushing the envelope, or you will dance the hempen jig !

 

 

[Bregir]

4 hours ago, Count Vroskri said:

I've received several complaints about my use of realistic skin tone figures, is this a rule I've missed or just an opinion? What are your thoughts? 

Complaints, even? Unless you have received pms, I think you are just missing the tongue in cheek part of the comments. Personally, I prefer yellows - that's just "proper" lego to me - but I really don't mind if others prefer the more realistic fleshies.

(Also... Note the colour of the emojis... YELLOW FOREVAH!!! )

[LM71Blackbird]

I personally like the yellow tones better, however, a good MOC filled with fleshies is still a good MOC. In the end, you do you and don't worry about the criticism.

I think everyone can agree that mixing the two should be avoided like the plague! (Unless that all you have, but still...) 

[Professor Thaum]

Let me have him !!!

I'll do him !

 

Banzaiiiiiiii !

Complaint and pms, it's me !

It won't do it !

Vroskri has a dawn appointment with the gallows...

[blackdeathgr]

Yellow, yellow and yellow for me.

I find them to be more akin to the old metal soldiers figures where none complained about their uniformed faces. Unless I finally get over my obsession of not removing minifig hands and arms. Then I will have finally reached that Zen point where I could use licensed torsos and legs with yellow hands and heads which spells perfection to me.

[The Neighborhood Merchant]

58 minutes ago, Professor Thaum said:

Let me have him !!!

I'll do him !

 You better watch out @Count Vroskri, looks like you're being challenged for a duel! 

Just now, blackdeathgr said:

Unless I finally get over my obsession of not removing minifig hands and arms.

Keep that obsession, I remove tens of arms and hands a day and I can not tell you how many torsos and arms I've cracked. It still haunts me and my wallet to this day. 

[Ross Fisher]

Weirdly, I think flesh tones are more suitable for more extreme settings, like fantasy or sci-fi. They make the setting more realistic and grounded in reality.

In contrast, IRL the age of sail saw skin tones used as an excuse to repress natives, enslave people and otherwise push people down. For that reason, many of us try to use yellow because it allows us to tell our own stories slightly removed from that baggage. 

I'm not saying one is better than the other; at this stage there are enough versions of each that faces, emotions, genders and so on are pretty well covered. You can build whoever you want to. But be aware that this might be why people prefer one compared to the other. 

That said, if you use yellow and flesh tones in the same build, that just upsets me. Pick one!

Edited September 24, 2020 by Ross Fisher

[Corweena]

Like a lot of the people who grew up with Lego in the 80s and 90s, I'm a die hard yellow guy. I much prefer the classic and somewhat cartoonish look it gives. Plus, besides the new Barracuda Bay set, I haven't purchased a new released Lego set in at least 10 years, so I don't have any flesh heads at all. Even the licensed SW stuff I have is the older first run, so it still uses yellow. And when it comes to army building, I've found the yellow heads and hands to be cheaper and easier to source in bulk. 

But like everyone else says, its a preference. There is no "wrong" way to do it. I think many people just like the classic feel they give, and especially in the Pirate (non-POTC) line, they still use the yellow heads.

[Bodi]

Personally I don't care if people mix yellow with fleshies, nor using exclusively fleshies in a build. As pointed in some posts above, the choice of using one or another may depend on one's collection. For my part, I'm definitely a fan of yellow faces as I started playing lego in the late 80s, so it's more a question of habit.

[Count Vroskri]

12 hours ago, deraven said:

This is my take on it as well - I think it's a balance.  For instance, I really like the look of fleshies in neo-Classic Space builds since you have the quaint, cartoonish super-simple suits and helmets they're wearing, but then the realistic skin tones.  It's an interesting juxtaposition.  Conversely, the pirate-type outfits are a lot more realistic to begin with, so the yellow faces keep it feeling more light and fun... but either way it's personal preference and depends on the look and feel you're trying to convey.

Thanks, I think I'll probably keep to the fleshies. 

12 hours ago, merc said:

I personally use yellow but I think like everyone has said it is just a preference. When I’ve seen the comments I feel like it’s more tongue-in-check and less actual criticism. 

OK, I'll bear this in mind. 

14 hours ago, Khorne said:

 

Personally, I like to use yellow ones. I like the cartoony, lighthearted and classic feel they have; but I understand the appeal of the flesh figures. 

OK, I am beginning to be swayed. 

12 hours ago, The Neighborhood Merchant said:

I enjoy the looks of both colors, but in my opinion, the less detailed the face, the better. My favorite head of all time will be the fleshie stereotypical smiles. A crew for a ship, or an army would look great in those contrasting colors (brown, nougat, etc.) while keeping the classic look of the old smile. I try to only use head pieces from 2008 and before, because when you start having too many cheek lines, wide smiles, etc. it definitely limits the versatility. Plus, the old heads are just wacky and fun! 

Indeed they are. 

11 hours ago, Bregir said:

Complaints, even? Unless you have received pms, I think you are just missing the tongue in cheek part of the comments. Personally, I prefer yellows - that's just "proper" lego to me - but I really don't mind if others prefer the more realistic fleshies.

(Also... Note the colour of the emojis... YELLOW FOREVAH!!! )

OK, I might've overreacted a bit... I hope I'm forgiven. 

 

11 hours ago, LM71Blackbird said:

 

I think everyone can agree that mixing the two should be avoided like the plague! (Unless that all you have, but still...) 

This is certainly true. 

 

10 hours ago, blackdeathgr said:

Yellow, yellow and yellow for me.

I find them to be more akin to the old metal soldiers figures where none complained about their uniformed faces. Unless I finally get over my obsession of not removing minifig hands and arms. Then I will have finally reached that Zen point where I could use licensed torsos and legs with yellow hands and heads which spells perfection to me.

This haunts me too, but the other way around!

9 hours ago, Ross Fisher said:

Weirdly, I think flesh tones are more suitable for more extreme settings, like fantasy or sci-fi. They make the setting more realistic and grounded in reality.

In contrast, IRL the age of sail saw skin tones used as an excuse to repress natives, enslave people and otherwise push people down. For that reason, many of us try to use yellow because it allows us to tell our own stories slightly removed from that baggage. 

I'm not saying one is better than the other; at this stage there are enough versions of each that faces, emotions, genders and so on are pretty well covered. You can build whoever you want to. But be aware that this might be why people prefer one compared to the other. 

That said, if you use yellow and flesh tones in the same build, that just upsets me. Pick one!

This is a great point. Certainly I'll never mix them both, but I can see the point about the repression. I think I can see this from a new light. 

 

9 hours ago, Corweena said:

 

But like everyone else says, its a preference. There is no "wrong" way to do it. I think many people just like the classic feel they give, and especially in the Pirate (non-POTC) line, they still use the yellow heads.

OK, I'll bear this in mind. 

3 hours ago, Bodi said:

 so it's more a question of habit.

Aye... However, I think @Ross Fisher might've changed my opinion. Of course, if I do change, I'll finish my stories first so I can start on a clean slate. 

[Elostirion]

Fleshies all the way. For me they are just way more realistic, and I aim for maximum realism in my MOCs.

However it may never be a rule and should always be a matter of preference of each individual builder. It's about having fun, after all. :-) 

 

Objectively I have experienced pros and cons for both:

 

Fleshies:
- more realistic colour-palette, supports realistic MOCs
- best facial impressions / better "prints" on the faces, more human
- you can vary skin colours: brown for southern islanders, copper for sunburnt explorers, yellow for natives, tan for your standard Eslandolan/Corrie/Oleander, ...
- easier to use yellow in your MOCs, e.g. minifig in front of a yellow house wall etc.
- work with all kinds of hair (some of the brighter hairs look weird with yellow)

 

Yellows:
- classical appearance, support classic-style or more playful MOCs
- a lot more faces to chose from, wider variety, most minifigs come with yellow, cheaper in purchase
- faces are generic, they are not your Legolas, Harry Potter or Gandalf
- many torsos have yellow elements for skin, e.g. a pirate vest; you cannot use those with fleshies
- more arms in yellow, more hands in yellow; those are rare in flesh

 

Ater all, it still stays preference. Just do what you like. :-) 

[Professor Thaum]

11 minutes ago, Count Vroskri said:

OK, I might've overreacted a bit... I hope I'm forgiven. 

 

Nope ! You are dead man !

No forgiveness, no bargain, no nothing... just the gallows and you.

 

[Keymonus]

43 minutes ago, Elostirion said:

Fleshies all the way. For me they are just way more realistic, and I aim for maximum realism in my MOCs.

However it may never be a rule and should always be a matter of preference of each individual builder. It's about having fun, after all. :-) 

 

Objectively I have experienced pros and cons for both:

 

Fleshies:
- more realistic colour-palette, supports realistic MOCs
- best facial impressions / better "prints" on the faces, more human
- you can vary skin colours: brown for southern islanders, copper for sunburnt explorers, yellow for natives, tan for your standard Eslandolan/Corrie/Oleander, ...
- easier to use yellow in your MOCs, e.g. minifig in front of a yellow house wall etc.
- work with all kinds of hair (some of the brighter hairs look weird with yellow)

 

Yellows:
- classical appearance, support classic-style or more playful MOCs
- a lot more faces to chose from, wider variety, most minifigs come with yellow, cheaper in purchase
- faces are generic, they are not your Legolas, Harry Potter or Gandalf
- many torsos have yellow elements for skin, e.g. a pirate vest; you cannot use those with fleshies
- more arms in yellow, more hands in yellow; those are rare in flesh

 

Ater all, it still stays preference. Just do what you like. :-) 

 I completely agree, this is exactly my point of view... But I usually build in yellow also because I mostly have pirate torsos with yellow skin visible, while most of my “fleshie” ones can be used with yellow heads, maybe adding a foulard to cover the pink “neck”. Moreover “realistic” parts often come from large sets (eg potc ships) and so are rather expensive, and in my experience they are more easily damaged (more expression lines—> more lines that can be scratched if the previous owner was not careful)