Lego Architecture - rumors and discussion

[1974]

Just now, Tube Map Central said:

Very light grey? YES!

And sand red too please!

Sand green and sand blue are going strong, why not sand red? It's a VERY common colour for architecture around the world. Better than the myriad of blues and metallics (when everybody just want chrome anyway )

[Lucarex]

Just now, 1974 said:

Ok, thanx for the info. My knowledge comes from friends in Paris who wanted to use the Eiffel Tower for and art project/movie and got a no-go

That’s because they wanted to use it for commercial purposes and use footage of the actual building. I seriously doubt it was be a no-go, just they probably didn’t want to or couldn’t pay the associated fee and complete the necessary permissions and wait time. There’s lots of red tape and costs involved when it comes to filming locations, not just in Paris. 

[1974]

Art school students, nothing commercial

[Lucarex]

13 minutes ago, Tube Map Central said:

And sand red too please!

Petra would look amazing in sand red, it’s the perfect match in early evening to sunset.

6 minutes ago, 1974 said:

Art school students, nothing commercial

These days with commercialisation much more accessible via YT etc. I’d imagine student projects aren’t given any exemptions.

But then that’s French bureaucracy for you. My advice? Easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission     

Edited May 5, 2021 by Lucarex

[1974]

10 minutes ago, Lucarex said:

Easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission     

While on paper that sounds immoral, it actually works better in life

[Herky]

I was a bit disappointed that Atom hasn't released the Arch yet.  I will get that one.  The issue I had with Atom is that there is no need to make the bricks that small.  

So we have the Taj, I wonder if that is the only offering this year.  Be nice to have more than one set.  

[ThomasCampbell]

I am a big fan of the skylines, and am really hoping that there will be some later this year. There are many architecture sets over on Lego Ideas (ideas.lego.com) that could make it. Personally, I am hoping for Seattle or Kuala Lumpur.

[jimmynick]

On 5/5/2021 at 1:39 AM, Lucarex said:

Meanwhile, Adam Reed Tucker’s Atom Bricks have (finally) just released three new models…

- SC Johnson Global Headquarters

- The Alamo (History subtheme)

- Niagara Falls (Nature subtheme).

Now I know a lot of people (myself included) had issues with the Atom brick itself but at least there’s some creativity here that’s sorely lacking at TLG.

https://theatombrick.com/collections/all

 

Was going to mention that the real show-stopper at the Johnson HQ is the hall full of those remarkable columns — amazed that the Atom Brick model explodes to reveal them. That's really cool.

[Rauy]

8 minutes ago, ThomasCampbell said:

I am a big fan of the skylines, and am really hoping that there will be some later this year. There are many architecture sets over on Lego Ideas (ideas.lego.com) that could make it. Personally, I am hoping for Seattle or Kuala Lumpur.

I really doubt we'll ever get an Architecture set from IDEAS, though. There have indeed been some really good submissions that even reached the review phase, but they obviously clash with LEGO's own product line and I can't imagine them ever being greenlit. It's a bit like with modular buildings that also often reach the review phase: it's pretty clear they won't make it through the manual review. I can't really blame people for submitting them, let alone voting for them if they're great. But realistically there's not much of a point to it with regards to getting an actual IDEAS set out of them.

As to new skylines (or any other set). I don't have high hopes for anything more this year. It would be great, but right now it doesn't quite look like it. I do hope they'll at least start right in January again, though.

5 minutes ago, jimmynick said:

Was going to mention that the real show-stopper at the Johnson HQ is the hall full of those remarkable columns — amazed that the Atom Brick model explodes to reveal them. That's really cool.

Wow, yes! That's indeed great that they're included in the model.

[Tube Map Central]

It's a shame, I've tried small Loz bricks and they don't work for me at all, too challenging for fingers and for eyesight, the build was just an unpleasant trial. I couldn't contemplate buying these.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Tube Map Central
Typo

[Lion King]

So it’s Taj Mahal set this year, huh? It’s an interesting choice for lego to make...

Too bad, there is no Japanese-style building yet, even tho there is Tokyo skyline. 

[Lucarex]

2 minutes ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

So it’s Taj Mahal set this year, huh? It’s an interesting choice for lego to make...

Sure, if “interesting” is a euphemism for boring, unimaginative etc.

3 minutes ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

Too bad, there is no Japanese-style building yet, even tho there is Tokyo skyline. 

Such as? It’s a country full of architectural wonders but unfortunately most are traditional and temples and shrines. Anyway, you can’t really beat Ninjago City & Gardens 

[Lion King]

3 hours ago, Lucarex said:

Sure, if “interesting” is a euphemism for boring, unimaginative etc.

I agree. This scaled-down Taj Mahal doesn’t hype me up. So I will skip it. 

3 hours ago, Lucarex said:

Such as? It’s a country full of architectural wonders but unfortunately most are traditional and temples and shrines. Anyway, you can’t really beat Ninjago City & Gardens 

Surely, temple and shrines are the religious sites.

But waht about Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, Shibuya Crossing, Edo Castlle,  etc., etc.? 

Ninjago City Garden is more fictional tho!

[Lucarex]

6 hours ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

Surely, temple and shrines are the religious sites.

But waht about Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, Shibuya Crossing, Edo Castlle,  etc., etc.? 

Exactly my point! That’s what typifies Japanese architecture.

Let’s be honest, Tokyo tower is just a red and white Eiffel, the Skytree another Space/Needle CN Tower.

Shibuya has no architectural merit whatsoever, just a traffic crossing as “touristy” as it comes. What next, the Abbey Road zebra?

I’ll give you Edo but hey, it’s a castle and we know how precious LEGO are about those.

Hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since Imperial Hotel.

6 hours ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

Ninjago City Garden is more fictional tho!

Aware of that fact  but it gives them free reign to include more traditional “religious” buildings and the like. Look at TOA, TLNM-TOUUW, NC, NG.

[Lion King]

On 5/10/2021 at 2:35 AM, Lucarex said:

Exactly my point! That’s what typifies Japanese architecture.

Let’s be honest, Tokyo tower is just a red and white Eiffel, the Skytree another Space/Needle CN Tower.

Shibuya has no architectural merit whatsoever, just a traffic crossing as “touristy” as it comes. What next, the Abbey Road zebra?

I’ll give you Edo but hey, it’s a castle and we know how precious LEGO are about those.

Hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since Imperial Hotel.

Hmm...Yeah you make some good points there. I will scrap Tokyo Tower, Skytree, and Shibuya Crossing off my wishlist then!

I agree with you on castle. I mean, other than Edo Castle, tenshu (it’s not typo) is much a cool archiecttural tower with traditional elements added to it! I think it’s best to ignore modern archiecture and focus more on castles/tenshu, ya know? But we have some Chinese architecture in Chinese New Year sets (Temple Street Fair and Spring Lantern Festival). I guess we will wit for traditional Japanese building. 

Time for updated Imperial Hotel, I guess? 

[User5346]

Okay, so this theme has got ONE set this year. What is LEGO thinking?!

[Vilhelm22]

They need to start over - with proper architecture not those stupid skylines and the rerelease of the Burj which wasn't brilliant to begin with.  

Also - is the Empire State retiring this year?

[Lion King]

9 hours ago, User5346 said:

Okay, so this theme has got ONE set this year. What is LEGO thinking?!

 

2 hours ago, Vilhelm22 said:

They need to start over - with proper architecture not those stupid skylines and the rerelease of the Burj which wasn't brilliant to begin with.  

I agree with you guys. I foun dmyself shaking my head at ONE set this year. It’s kinda of irrational for me. 

I’m little bit tired of seeing skylines. Can’t we get redesigned Eiffel Tower? Or Sydney Opera House? Or Space Needle? Or at least NEW architecture set that we never got before?

2 hours ago, Vilhelm22 said:

Also - is the Empire State retiring this year?

I thought Statue of Liberty would be retiring this year too? 

[RichardGoring]

I had no interest in the architecture line for a long time. They look neat, and I love the people that put them up on the wall connected to maps, but they're not for me. As a result, I ignored the others, but recently got given the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty, and was super impressed with how clever they are. The final models are nice, but the build experience was terrific. The details they put in and the techniques are fabulous. Waiting to see the the Taj Mahal gets discounted, but it also looks interesting, but I'm sure I'd get new larger models if they release them.

[Calvinw]

16 minutes ago, RichardGoring said:

I had no interest in the architecture line for a long time. They look neat, and I love the people that put them up on the wall connected to maps, but they're not for me. As a result, I ignored the others, but recently got given the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty, and was super impressed with how clever they are. The final models are nice, but the build experience was terrific. The details they put in and the techniques are fabulous. Waiting to see the the Taj Mahal gets discounted, but it also looks interesting, but I'm sure I'd get new larger models if they release them.

The Taj Majal looks fantastic at this scale and is a decent enough building experience considering a lot of the build is repetitive.  In my opinion it fits perfectly into the Architecture line and is a great alternative to the much larger Creator Expert model that Lego has released in the past.  If you can get it on sale, even better.  But if not, I feel it's worth the asking price.

[RichardGoring]

4 hours ago, Calvinw said:

The Taj Majal looks fantastic at this scale and is a decent enough building experience considering a lot of the build is repetitive.  In my opinion it fits perfectly into the Architecture line and is a great alternative to the much larger Creator Expert model that Lego has released in the past.  If you can get it on sale, even better.  But if not, I feel it's worth the asking price.

Thanks!

[Rauy]

18 hours ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

Can’t we get redesigned Eiffel Tower? Or Sydney Opera House? Or Space Needle? Or at least NEW architecture set that we never got before?

Though, I really don't need remakes either. I appreciate the ones we got in the past (except for the White House maybe), but I'd prefer new models, including skylines, over remakes any day.

And if there's anything I really don't want a remake of, it'd be the Eiffel Tower. I don't even have a problem with Architecture doing tourist attractions, but I personally find the Eiffel Tower a bit overrated as a sight and building. It's just beaten to death everywhere. And there's not too many different ways to build it at a reasonable size, which can be seen by the extreme similarity between the stand-alone model and the skyline version. They're pretty much using the same building techinques. Whereas when you compare the Burj Khalifa versions or the Empire States, you can see a lot more variety in the different models.

Though, the chances aren't too low for LEGO to actually remake it at some point, mostly because it's a very safe choice.

[Herky]

For those who have been in this since day 1, there was a contest one time where people voted on many different buildings that were to be made into sets.  Eames house was one, Habitat 67 (not sure if that is the right name) was another, and 30 plus other buildings.  The habitat one actually won.  I have never seen an update on this at all.  It is also why, early on, you see some skipped numbers in the sets.  Those numbers were earmarked for these winners.  I have no idea what happened to this whole thing.  I guess they scrapped it, but it sure would be nice to revisit and maybe someone take up the mantle to champion those sets and get us back to real architecture and not just landmarks and skylines.  

[Lion King]

1 hour ago, Rauy said:

Though, I really don't need remakes either. I appreciate the ones we got in the past (except for the White House maybe), but I'd prefer new models, including skylines, over remakes any day.

And if there's anything I really don't want a remake of, it'd be the Eiffel Tower. I don't even have a problem with Architecture doing tourist attractions, but I personally find the Eiffel Tower a bit overrated as a sight and building. It's just beaten to death everywhere. And there's not too many different ways to build it at a reasonable size, which can be seen by the extreme similarity between the stand-alone model and the skyline version. They're pretty much using the same building techinques. Whereas when you compare the Burj Khalifa versions or the Empire States, you can see a lot more variety in the different models.

Though, the chances aren't too low for LEGO to actually remake it at some point, mostly because it's a very safe choice.

Sure.

But you may notice some old Architecture sets, like the original Empire State Buildin,  are, well, a bit basic and bland. I love how the designers remake the Empire State Buiding MORE detailed. 

That’s why I would like to see some remake Architecture sets with details a bit more.

Although, I would welcome ANY new Architecture sets that we never got before. 

[KevinMD]

9 hours ago, Herky said:

For those who have been in this since day 1, there was a contest one time where people voted on many different buildings that were to be made into sets.  Eames house was one, Habitat 67 (not sure if that is the right name) was another, and 30 plus other buildings.  The habitat one actually won.  I have never seen an update on this at all.  It is also why, early on, you see some skipped numbers in the sets.  Those numbers were earmarked for these winners.  I have no idea what happened to this whole thing.  I guess they scrapped it, but it sure would be nice to revisit and maybe someone take up the mantle to champion those sets and get us back to real architecture and not just landmarks and skylines.  

I didn’t remember Habitat 67. That an interesting bit of history I’d forgotten/ missed. 
Wasn’t architecture ATR’s baby? I really feel like he grew the line and most of the inspired builds came from him or during his tenure. I just feel like there isn’t a creative presence at Lego that looks at the line and says, “this line should be about interesting architectural designs.” The continued (and expanded) city scapes line couple with tourist attractions seems to validate this.

Having a ban of religious buildings doesn’t help things in my mind.  There are some fantastic European / Asian temple designs we’re missing out on.