Exetrius Posted December 7, 2020 Welcome to the 2021 thread! This year, the DOTS line continues to bring us an array of novelties, such as 1-stud-wide bracelets, 3x3x3 bag tags, secret storage chests, cupcakes, and... dual moulded tiles?! And that's just the start of the year, so buckle up and get ready to discuss! Go! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JintaiZ Posted December 7, 2020 (edited) I like the concept of these sets, but the color scheme looks a bit weird to me and I'm not a fan of the usage of quarter tiles either... Edited January 6, 2021 by JintaiZ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted December 7, 2020 I love the bag tag designs! They have such amusing facial features and I can easily see them being fun to either customize with different facial expressions or redesign as entirely different creatures! It looks like two different mouth patterns are included in each (you can see different ones in the main catalog images than the lifestyle images that show kids wearing them) Those will also a great match for the Series 4 Extra Dots, which will surely offer LOADS of creative potential even on their own! Given that it boasts 14 "surprise dots" in two different shapes (rather than ten in just one shape), I wonder what the breakdown will be for how many half-circle mouth tiles and how many circular eye tiles there will be to a package, how many possible patterns there will be for each, and whether they'll all be the same rarity like they were in the other "Extra Dots" packs. I can count eight different mouth patterns and 11 different eye patterns in just this one catalog image, and I suspect there might be at least a few more possible patterns that aren't visible on the front of the package or in the clear window. I have to admit, I do find it pretty surprising that none of the Extra Dots packs so far include the non-Series 1 patterns from the Creativity Boxes that were sent out to select fans to promote the launch of the theme. I wonder if/when we'll see a wider release of those? It feels weird that over a year later there's still no sign of any other sets containing patterns like the avocado, grapefruit, teacup, latte, lobster, peace sign, scared face emoji, angry face emoji, etc. The music bracelet and cool cactus bracelet are extremely stylish, but it's kind of a bummer that the bands are in colors that were already available in other sets. Anyway, here's a link to a catalog where you can see all the sets that have been revealed so far, in case anybody doesn't know where to find them: https://catalogs.lego.com/BrandCatalog/1HY2021/bc-1HY-2021-nz/?page=34 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Megbricks Posted December 11, 2020 I am very impressed by this theme. I wasn’t expecting to love it so much. On 12/7/2020 at 2:33 PM, Exetrius said: Welcome to the 2021 thread! This year, the DOTS line continues to bring us an array of novelties, such as 1-stud-wide bracelets, 3x3x3 bag tags, secret storage chests, cupcakes, and... dual moulded tiles?! Yessssss I know right? Can’t wait to get my hands on these pieces. !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mylenium Posted December 11, 2020 On 12/7/2020 at 8:33 PM, Exetrius said: dual moulded tiles?! Where? All I've seen so far is a ton of new prints. Mylenium On 12/7/2020 at 10:36 PM, Aanchir said: It feels weird that over a year later there's still no sign of any other sets containing patterns like the avocado, grapefruit, teacup, latte, lobster, peace sign, scared face emoji, angry face emoji, etc. Mmh, for a completist, maybe, but otherwise I don't feel they are in any way essential. And to be honest: If the print quality was as poor as in the DOTS sets that we actually got I'm pretty sure I'd never use them anywhere just to spare the embarrassment. Mylenium Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted December 11, 2020 3 hours ago, Mylenium said: Where? All I've seen so far is a ton of new prints. Mylenium The Starlight Bracelets and Extra Dots Series 3 both include Dark Blue 1x1 square tiles with an embedded Tr. Light Blue gem and Lavender 1x1 round tiles with an embedded Tr. Medium Reddish Violet star. 3 hours ago, Mylenium said: Mmh, for a completist, maybe, but otherwise I don't feel they are in any way essential. And to be honest: If the print quality was as poor as in the DOTS sets that we actually got I'm pretty sure I'd never use them anywhere just to spare the embarrassment. Mylenium My brother and I haven't had any print quality issues in any of the Dots sets we've gotten (including those he's reviewed for New Elementary), but perhaps we've just been lucky in that regard. In any case, my comment about not seeing those tiles in any retail products was not really driven by any personal desire for those particular patterns (there are several I could do without, even if the emoji ones are a lot of fun) and more by how weird it would be for LEGO to produce 32 uniquely printed tiles like that (two random assortments of 16) and then not put them in any sets aside from a limited-release promotional kit. Of course, given that the Dots theme was delayed by a year due to a material issue with the bracelets, it's possible that they were designed for Dots sets which ended up getting cancelled or pushed back because of that delay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mylenium Posted December 11, 2020 16 minutes ago, Aanchir said: The Starlight Bracelets and Extra Dots Series 3 both include Dark Blue 1x1 square tiles with an embedded Tr. Light Blue gem and Lavender 1x1 round tiles with an embedded Tr. Medium Reddish Violet star. But it's just a print?! Not sure what else you're trying to see there. No real refractive/ reflective/ diffractive optics to be seen anywhere. Mylenium Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted December 11, 2020 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Mylenium said: But it's just a print?! Not sure what else you're trying to see there. No real refractive/ reflective/ diffractive optics to be seen anywhere. Mylenium I'm not sure what you're seeing? There are some very obvious refractive/reflective/diffractive optics visible in these pics, as well as an actual 3D surface. Just compare the gem and star tiles which are photographed from head-on in the Extra Dots Series 3 photo to the ones that are tilted at an angle (like the gem tiles at the bottom or far right, or the star tile immediately below the "keep out" pattern). It's even more obvious in some of the alternate pics which appear under the "More Images tab", like this picture of the Starlight Bracelets. Edited December 11, 2020 by Aanchir Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mylenium Posted December 11, 2020 8 minutes ago, Aanchir said: There are some very obvious refractive/reflective/diffractive optics visible in these pics, as well as an actual 3D surface. Okay, I see now. It's visible on some pieces at the edge of the pile. I was too focused on the ones at the top that are shot straight-on where it looks like a flat print. I concede my error in judgement. ;-) Mylenium Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Exetrius Posted December 11, 2020 16 minutes ago, Aanchir said: I'm not sure what you're seeing? There are some very obvious refractive/reflective/diffractive optics visible in these pics, as well as an actual 3D surface. Just compare the gem and star tiles which are photographed from head-on in the Extra Dots Series 3 photo to the ones that are tilted at an angle (like the gem tiles at the bottom or far right, or the star tile immediately below the "keep out" pattern). It's even more obvious in some of the alternate pics which appear under the "More Images tab", like this picture of the Starlight Bracelets. Seeing them up close like that, they do have a strong Clickits vibe to me. :) I held back my criticism for the opening the thread, but now it's nagging time! To be honest, the 1-wide straps do not really excite me all that much. Imo a 3-wide strap would be a lot cooler because of the increased possibilities. More important, however, is that there are still hardly any bracelets in non-pastel colours. It's not that I don't have faith that we get those down the line, but it's an observation. I find this banner interesting. Bright red, bright yellow and bright green - classic LEGO colours - in the logo, coincidentally the colours the boys are wearing (minus red). They are suggesting boys are part of the target demographic, but the currently available DOTS sets (and/or their packaging) tells a bit of a different story, imho. Something more concrete that caught my eye: is that a white bracelet strap in the middle? I don't think I've seen one in the sets? Btw, I like that there is a nougat and a white bag tag cube, they might come in handyd in fantasy or sci-fi creations, respectively. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
makoy Posted December 12, 2020 On 12/8/2020 at 5:36 AM, Aanchir said: It feels weird that over a year later there's still no sign of any other sets containing patterns like the avocado, grapefruit, teacup, latte, lobster, peace sign, scared face emoji, angry face emoji, etc. I feel like they totally abandoned the emoji direction when it could be the easiest thing to do.... I didn't like the Extra DOTS Series 2 prints. I guess Extra DOTS Series 3 is better. The lack of continuity, or dare I say randomness of these prints throw me off a little bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) 15 hours ago, makoy said: I feel like they totally abandoned the emoji direction when it could be the easiest thing to do.... I didn't like the Extra DOTS Series 2 prints. I guess Extra DOTS Series 3 is better. The lack of continuity, or dare I say randomness of these prints throw me off a little bit. Interestingly, some of the German names I've seen for the Extra Dots packs actually give them a specific title identifying the "theme" of each one. Series 1 was "Smiley Expansion Set" (Ergänzungsset Smiley), Series 2 was "Comic Expansion Set" (Ergänzungsset Comic), and Series 3 was "Secrets Expansion Set" (Ergänzungsset Geheimnisse). I haven't found any listings for Series 4 with these sorts of subtitles yet, but that's probably just because relatively few shop sites have them listed at all this far in advance, and many of those that do have a placeholder name assigned to them. Giving each series its own theme is certainly an interesting approach, and early on I definitely felt a little disappointed that Series 2 didn't continue with the emoji theme (especially given how many emojis we'd see in the promotional "creativity box" that hadn't and STILL haven't appeared in sets). But as the line has gone on, that disappointment has been balanced out by curiosity and excitement for what other sorts of themes LEGO will come up with. The cartoon facial features in Series 4 that are designed with mixing-and-matching in mind are particularly exciting and inspiring, especially since Series 4 differs from earlier Extra Dots packs in having surprise dots in two different shapes, each with their own assortment of patterns! They also seem especially well tailored to use with the bag tags that launch alongside them, which raises the possibility of future Extra Dots sets being inspired by their usefulness on future Dots "canvasses". Edited December 12, 2020 by Aanchir Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lyichir Posted December 14, 2020 Regarding the unreleased print designs from the creativity box, unfortunately the designer has confirmed that those were exclusively designed for that: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-xCZolpOWD/ A bit of a bummer, though I like some of the other directions they've taken things as well. By the way (unrelated to next year's sets) I recently picked up another copy of the bracelet Mega Pack because I wanted duplicates of the bracelets from that to maybe use as collars for my two new kittens (one of them is already too big for a single bracelet to fit and the other will probably get there in the next few months). Not trying it on them just yet since they still have growing to do and I've gotten some more traditional collars as well in case they don't take to these. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soupperson1 Posted January 23, 2021 It’s such a shame there’s little to no AFOL discussion for this theme. Promobricks uploaded Dots March pictures. There’s an actual decent variety of different unprinted parts in the extra dots pack for once. :P I particularly like the cool yellow 1x1s, light aqua 1x1s, medium azure curved 1x1x1.1/3rds, coral cheese slopes and light pink teeth shaped 1x1. I think a lot of kids and adults alike who are into MOCS will like the eyes. I think the mouths will have a smaller appeal. You seem to get 7 (+1 spare) of each, which means there won’t be too many matching eyes. :S Even if the variety is better here I’m still only planning on getting one! The bag tags are fine and I feel a good value for money. I think a lot of kids and adults will like these, as long as those pieces don’t fall off. Cheese slopes fall off bracelets really easily so I’m worried. :S Anywho, there’s some nice pieces (aqua 1x1 teeth pieces!) in some of these including new prints which also add value. I’m still going to wait until the summer ones leak to decide on which one I get as I can’t see myself having use for more than one. The music bracelet makes the theme look like it’s on its last legs, which it isn’t. XP All the pieces (besides the admittedly nice prints) including the bracelet colour have come in other DOTs sets. :/ The cactus bracelet’s colour is from the multipack which irks me. I just love it’s prints and the inclusion of magenta 1x1s and green Opal pieces?! We’ve never got that colour combination before. If only the bracelet colour was new. :( As for summer DOTs is getting its two biggest sets ever which I guess means the theme is selling well with kids! I do think it’s odd that a lot themes are getting big summer sets with smaller winter waves. I think it will turn away collectors as it’s too expensive to collect an entire theme, let alone multiple! :P Anywho as for the sets dragon and unicorn bag tags are coming which seem much better choices than a narwhal and leopard. The snouts for each can be seen below. I’ll wait to see these in full before picking which one I get oh of the six! Extra Dots series 5 is coming too, I’m excited to see what it’s themed under. They seem to be doubling die. on that idea with the 1040 piece “Lots of Dots”. I wonder what it’ll include? The four default DOTs pieces in many LEGO colours maybe and some white plates to put them on? But if that’s the case I probably won’t buy it as just collecting the bracelets, extra DOTs and other themes I have a lot of these. :P If it’s just a big extra DOTs set that would be exciting as it could be as cheap as €20. XD Theres another big set called Creative Design Box which doesn’t seem it could be that much different. Select LEGO RLUGs got something similar last March with a bunch of unused prints as @Lyichir linked. I wouldn’t mind if all of those made an appearance. :3 I imagine it will contain a bunch of DOTs, exclusive prints, plate canvases to build into a photo frame and at least one bracelet. Maybe even a bag tag too? I’m really excited to see these two big ones! I have no idea what Multi Pack Summer Vibes is. Maybe another large bracelet pack? But I don’t see how they could justify it getting 141 extra pieces. It is weird there’s no summer bracelets though! It would be quite funny if it’s more buildable food, but this time it’s fruit. Why kids would want to decorate fruit is beyond me, but yay toencouraging healthy eating. Lastly there’s another pencil holder too which I find bizarre as that’s the easiest thing to DIY, but at least there’s one set I don’t want. :P Lastly, LEGO accidentally revealed a lot of the summer prints in their online fan designer kit! I think this gives credence to the fact they might be reusing prints in either the Creative Design Box or Lots of Dots. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gedren_y Posted January 23, 2021 The Narwhal bag tag has trans-light blue 1x1 round tiles printed with bubbles. I think I'll be getting that one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, Soupperson1 said: Lastly, LEGO accidentally revealed a lot of the summer prints in their online fan designer kit! I think this gives credence to the fact they might be reusing prints in either the Creative Design Box or Lots of Dots. Nice find! Not sure which sets exactly all these new prints go to, but here are my best guesses: 41932 Extra Dots - Series 5 White Circle Tiles with: Neon Flamingo Neon Lightning Bolt "+1" Heart "Hi!" Speech Bubble Peace Sign Yellow # Sign Relaxed Avocado Smiling Lightbulb Grinning Globe Smiling Pencil Black Zebra Stripes Tricolor Leopard Stripes Palm Tree Wave Rainbow Wi-Fi Rainbow Star 41939 Dragon Bag Tag: Cool Yellow Circle Tile with Narrow Black Eye and Straight Eyelid Lavender Semicircle Tile with Smiling Dragon Mouth Lavender Semicircle Tile with Fiery Dragon Mouth White Square Tile with Dragon Wing Pattern 41940 Unicorn Bag Tag Aqua Circle Tile with Closed Eyelid and Rainbow Eyelashes White Semicircle Tile with Grinning Horse Mouth White Semicircle Tile with Rainbow-Vomiting Horse Mouth BTW, the fruit, number, and crown patterns are all from 41926 Creative Party Kit, although in the actual set they are 2x2 stickers applied to white tiles, not 1x1 prints on matching-color tiles as they are in the online design minigame. I'm not sure what the square tiles with blue and yellow dog patterns might be from, though. They seem more like the sort of patterns that commonly appear in individual bracelet sets, not larger ones like the summer sets that we've seen names and numbers for. And the fact that some of the other square tiles listed are missing their correct colors makes it hard to know if they'll even be on a white base like they are in the online designer. Note also that all the patterns that resemble ones from the Creativity Box (like the Rainbow Wedge, "+1" Heart, and Peace Sign) are printed in different colors than they were in that set — similar to the Penguin pattern in the Mega Pack and Heart-Eyed Skull pattern from Extra Dots Series 1. So it's definitely possible that some of the other Creativity Box patterns could show up with slight alterations in future sets as well. Edited January 23, 2021 by Aanchir Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maple Posted February 7, 2021 (edited) Series 4 is nice with the doggie face printed tiles and a bunch of different colors and shapes.https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/extra-dots-series-4-41931 Edited February 7, 2021 by Maple Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gobias1234 Posted March 3, 2021 Was able to pick up the Leopard Bag Tag and Panda Bag Tag at Target- truly so cute! Will be curious to see if the soft lip around the cubes helps prevent tiles from going missing. I really love this theme! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArneNielsen Posted March 5, 2021 (edited) OK, I confess, that as a 62-year old male, I am NOT the target customer for DOTS. Nevertheless, I have really enjoyed the DOTS sets that I did buy last year. However, I just bought the cupcake set 41926, and that was a big disappointment. First of all: DOTS are characterized by the many small printed tiles. In 41926, there is not a single printed brick of any kind! Second: there is a sticker sheet (not something I have experienced in other DOTS sets). Its for the round 2x2 tiles, so the stickers are of course round. BUT they have to be cut out with scissors! When is the last time any 7-year old cut a perfect circle? Or a 62-year old for that matter? I have never seen LEGO sticker sheets before, that would have to be cut with scissors. Third: there are 9 bags, of which one is with candles and keys. The other 8 are all exactly the same! No variation whatsoever. So you get 8 colours of curved tiles, 2 colours of round tiles, and 3 colours of small tops. 72 pieces of each of 5 colour curved tiles. In that respect, the 622 pieces you get here are not that interesting. There is much more variation (and value for money) in buying the series 3 bags. And now I just hope, that LEGO dont get to face some litigation in court, because some small kid put them in the oven - because they look very much as the cupcake forms you can use to bake with! Fortunetaly I also bought a series 3 bag today, and that was fantastic. Those dual molded diamond and star tiles are simply amazing, and you get 9 of each in a single bag. Edited March 5, 2021 by ArneNielsen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soupperson1 Posted March 21, 2021 I’ve seen noone talk about the summer wave anywhere despite the photos leaking a month ago. The AFOL interest in this theme seems to be tiny! 41935 Lots of Dots - 1040 pieces for €20! No printed pieces from what I can tell to drive down the price. 1x1 circular tiles in yellow, blue, black, orange, coral, dark turquoise and red. 1x1 ”teeth” or “D” shaped tiles in white, yellow, dark turquoise, purple and red. 1x1 regular tiles in green, yellow, purple, coral, cool yellow and medium azure. 1x1 quarter round tiles in spring yellowish green, dark turquoise, purple, red, medium azure, coral, white, black, blue and yellow. 41936 Rocket Pencil Holder - €20 for 321 pieces. A white pencil holder with a dark blue rocket shaped front with coral cones at the base. It’s weird the nose of the rocket will probably cover most pens as it sticks up high above the white pencil holder. There’s also a place to hold a photo in the cockpit. 41937 Multi Pack (Summer Vibes in German) - €30 for 441 pieces. A medium azure bracelet, a orange bag tag, a rectangular photo frame and a teal cactus pencil holder. Like the rocket it’s back and sides are mostly a white rectangle. There is a tiny part at the side to connect two cactus arms. 41938 Creative Designer - €40 with 779 pieces. Most of the pieces aren’t DOTs but random bricks (mainly SNOT) and tiles in yellow, red, light pink, aqua, black, blue, white and lavender you use to create different creations (more pencil pots and photo frames resulting in the question how many are needed by kids). There’s also 50 different white 1x1 tiles in a teal curvy typography. 41939 and 40 the Unicorn and Dragon bag tags release in September. I wonder if we’ll get a series 6 to go with them? Promobricks doesn’t list it so it seems unlikely. :/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Megbricks Posted April 4, 2021 On 3/21/2021 at 2:59 AM, Soupperson1 said: I’ve seen noone talk about the summer wave anywhere despite the photos leaking a month ago. The AFOL interest in this theme seems to be tiny! yeah i was wondering if this was of interest too. I love DOTS. Can’t wait to see what’s next. On 3/21/2021 at 2:59 AM, Soupperson1 said: 41935 Lots of Dots - 1040 pieces for €20! No printed pieces from what I can tell to drive down the price. 1x1 circular tiles in yellow, blue, black, orange, coral, dark turquoise and red. 1x1 ”teeth” or “D” shaped tiles in white, yellow, dark turquoise, purple and red. 1x1 regular tiles in green, yellow, purple, coral, cool yellow and medium azure. 1x1 quarter round tiles in spring yellowish green, dark turquoise, purple, red, medium azure, coral, white, black, blue and yellow. looks like it’s going to be a nice part pack On 3/21/2021 at 2:59 AM, Soupperson1 said: 41936 Rocket Pencil Holder - €20 for 321 pieces. A white pencil holder with a dark blue rocket shaped front with coral cones at the base. It’s weird the nose of the rocket will probably cover most pens as it sticks up high above the white pencil holder. There’s also a place to hold a photo in the cockpit. can’t wait to see these coral cones! I am looking forward to getting new pieces in that color. On 3/21/2021 at 2:59 AM, Soupperson1 said: There’s also 50 different white 1x1 tiles in a teal curvy typography. We are getting letters?? Cool Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smw Posted May 1, 2021 The leaks look interesting! I hadn't realised they had actually leaked ages ago. The dots parts pack (Creative Box?) for 20 USD (?) looks great. I also like the Summer Vibes set with the various different builds. Combining the two will be ideal, allowing you to come up with more varied designs - as I've found that just using the parts in the pack can limit you. Particularly happy to see a variety of colours of square tiles! The extra dots having so many circles has been frustrating, as it can be restricting You really need a mixture of all the relevant parts, and I find Dots a great TV/ Evening build. Unlike when I'm building a MOC, which ends up with parts everywhere, I get the creative feeling, but with a very nicely containable level of mess! So it's important to me that I don't end up pulling out loads of old parts and sets to allow me to achieve the effect I want, as actually that ends up creating me more mess to sort. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
User5346 Posted May 12, 2021 Looking at the sets coming out (specifically the parts packs) I think they are absolutely awesome! So many parts and decent prices, definitely an overlooked LEGO theme. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TeriXeri Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) 2021 DOTS, especially the Lots of DOTS set really drew me in and I just ordered a bunch of different sets. I already had a bunch of Extra DOTS 1 and 2, but it lacked squares. This part also seems pretty interesting, but for now I ordered the 2020 Jewel box instead before it retires because it will fit well with the extra dots series 1 colors. 41938: Creative Designer Box might be the most expensive of the bunch but I still think it has a place , especially after some early 2020 sets retired, and the printed letter tiles are nice. Theme still has a lot of potential in it : A greyscale DOTS pack might be nice for terrain/historic builders. Multiple colors like dark red, dark blue, dark brown have not been used yet, and colors like orange-ish yellow and reddish brown still can be used a lot more as well. Not to mention cheese slopes, transparent parts(neon tiles would be lovely), 1x1 bow plates used in other sets, and more quarter circle tiles in different radii(radiuses), Ingots, gold/silver coated parts, 2x2 triangles and much more. Edited June 30, 2021 by TeriXeri Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thekitchenscientist Posted August 4, 2021 I've been enjoying this new theme, they provide some good options to decorate the Bygglek boxes that were released in 2020: It also appeals to the mathematician/coder in me. The fact the tiles are placed on a 2D plane makes it quite simple to describe using matrices. I've been experimenting making patterns and then coding the 'rules' for generating it. I've then iterated over the possible parameters in the rules to produce sets of interesting options to build. It was possible to generate LDraw files and PDF instructions directly from matrices describing the tile placement. I've written some code to generate patterns given an available selection of tiles. I'm pretty close to being able to use OpenCV to take a picture of a DOTS pattern and have a python script create the digital file directly. The main difficulty is carrying out a colour correction when there are white or dark coloured tiles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
