Lego City 2022 Rumours, Leaks, Information And Discussion

[Aanchir]

On 12/11/2021 at 8:50 PM, Poodabricks said:

@Aanchir What are your thoughts on the school and the possibility of new trains this summer?

The school is pretty good by City standards! It has lots of great figures and details to create all sorts of school day play scenarios: a bright red "school bell" to start the day, a detailed playground for physical education or recess, an arts and music classroom with cubbies/lockers, a more standard classroom with desks and a blackboard for classes like math and science, and even a school bus stop with a pedestrian crossing and crossing guard/bus driver. There's even some more of the bike paths we saw in the Shopping Street set for kids who ride bikes to and from school instead of taking the bus.

The set does have a high price per piece, but that's pretty normal for City sets, and I think that the value seems to compare favorably to similarly priced sets like 60050 Train Station or 4429 Helicopter Rescue, which had similar prices when adjusted for inflation. I'm not bothered by the size of the school building, though, since the designers did a good job packing lots of detail and play value into it both inside and out.

The lack of a wall behind the blackboard did surprise me a little, since unlike the open back wall and roof it doesn't seem to do much to make the interior more accessible for play. It also feels like a bit of a missed opportunity that the set not a "mini modular" like the pizzeria and dojo in last year's Town Center set. I'm a sucker for that type of modular layout that can be re-arranged or expanded, even if here separating the two classrooms wouldn't really make much sense or improve the play value in any meaningful way.

What disappoints me the most is the bus. While including a school bus is a great choice (as is the choice to give it a wheelchair ramp), the rear wheel arches and hood/bonnet feel blocky and primitive to me, and the proportions feel "off" for reasons I can't quite place. The lack of a door might be part of it, though — LEGO still hasn't quite come up with a great solution for realistic bus doors.

But overall, I can easily give the set a thumbs up in spite of those shortcomings. After all, there has never been a school in LEGO City or even in Classic Town, so this one is a more than welcome addition to the theme!
 

As for new trains… I haven't heard any rumors just yet about what we might see in City for the second half of this year, but I certainly hope train sets do return, in accordance with the four-year cycle we've come to expect. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago in the LEGO Trains 2022 thread, I'm especially excited for how new City train sets might incorporate the new road system.

Level crossings are pretty much a given since there tends to be at least one in every wave of City trains. But I could also see the new road plates working great for a vehicle loading platform like in 7839 Car Transport Depot, a service vehicle accessible station platform like in 4554 Metro Station, or a road-rail freight depot like in 4555 Cargo Station.

As for the trains themselves (likely one passenger train and one freight train, if LEGO does continue to follow the pattern from years past), I'm not too picky about their designs. All I want is for passenger trains to feel nice and comfortable, like the sort I'd enjoy taking a trip on, and for any freight train to have a nice amount of variety and creativity in what sort of wagons and freight it carries. And fun, creative colors are always a great bonus! 60052 Cargo Train from 2014 and 60197 Passenger Train from 2018 are some examples of sets that satisfied me nicely in all those respects.

Additionally, with how great a job LEGO has been doing with disability representation in this year's sets, I'm also sort of hopeful that we might see a wheelchair-accessible passenger coach. After all, public transit is very important to people with disabilities of all sorts that might make traveling by car difficult and/or cost-prohibitive. But I realize that space aboard LEGO trains tends to be pretty tight, so this would most likely be limited to a 4x4 space for a wheelchair to park at the back of a coach, with a set of doors next to it and standard seating for the remainder of the coach's length. It would also be neat for them to include a blind passenger with a service dog for similar reasons.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Aanchir

[The Brick Boss]

@Aanchir As a former bus driver, I can attest to that last part. The handicapped community has been a very valuable asset to the public transit community. Right now, I work in the auto industry. But given how boring it kinda seems, I plan to return to the transportation industry soon. 

[Bornin1980something]

1 hour ago, Poodabricks said:

@Aanchir As a former bus driver, I can attest to that last part. The handicapped community has been a very valuable asset to the public transit community. Right now, I work in the auto industry. But given how boring it kinda seems, I plan to return to the transportation industry soon. 

From your new avatar, is the school your new favourite set?

[The Brick Boss]

1 hour ago, Bornin1980something said:

From your new avatar, is the school your new favourite set?

Yes Sir! My sigfig will drive that bus in my town. 

[fo4saken]

First review: 

 

and here it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by fo4saken

[bright22]

On 12/16/2021 at 12:49 AM, fo4saken said:

source: promobricks.de

looks extremely bulky, ugly, childish for the city centre pictures...  my opinion is completely downgrade from the City series before years 2017

(again, I am compare with City vs City or City vs Vintage Town series, not from any AFOL view, that's meaningless)

And the Friends series is running far ahead of City series now.............

Only the moonbase sets looks ok

Edited December 18, 2021 by bright22

[fo4saken]

60319:

 

[CDM]

8 hours ago, bright22 said:

looks extremely bulky, ugly, childish for the city centre pictures...  my opinion is completely downgrade from the City series before years 2017

(again, I am compare with City vs City or City vs Vintage Town series, not from any AFOL view, that's meaningless)

Agreed 100%

[jus1973]

On 12/15/2021 at 4:16 PM, fo4saken said:

And who said it should have new neon yellow? Cement mixer has got normal yellow color

So gutted this is 4+ and not a great vehicles version.  We seem to miss out on ‘middle sized’ commercial vehicles, and jump straight to yet another articulated transporter of something really big.

[Aanchir]

13 hours ago, bright22 said:

looks extremely bulky, ugly, childish for the city centre pictures...  my opinion is completely downgrade from the City series before years 2017

For my part, I had the opposite reaction — that first imageg has me extremely impressed at just how big, varied, and detailed a City layout you can make from these 2022 sets even without any of the 2021 "road system" sets or any non-set buildings to fill it out.

By contrast, in previous years many official City promotional pics showing multi-set layouts (like this one from 2012 or this one from 2009) have been heavily reliant on non-set buildings and scenery to turn even multiple years of sets into anything even approaching the feel of a real, bustling city scene!

Needless to say, a layout combining multiple years of these "road system" sets and/or MOCs could be even more impressive! But a lot of AFOLs have been complaining for years that the City theme had far too much emphasis on vehicles and not nearly enough emphasis on roads, buildings, and scenery. So it's pretty reassuring to get a wave of sets where that's decidedly not a problem.

As for looking "childish"… well, that's the City theme for you! There's never really been a City police station, fire station, coast guard station, hospital, bank, etc. that I wouldn't describe as "childish". Each and every one has prioritized color-coding, play value, and other kid-friendly design features over sophistication or realism. And that's not a bad thing by any means! It's the very purpose they're created for, and they're generally very effective at achieving that purpose.

Now, I have my own quibbles with some of the 2022 sets in question, which I'm pretty sure I've brought up in previous posts, but "childishness" is certainly not one of them.

Edited December 18, 2021 by Aanchir

[alvinofdiaspar]

3 hours ago, jus1973 said:

So gutted this is 4+ and not a great vehicles version.  We seem to miss out on ‘middle sized’ commercial vehicles, and jump straight to yet another articulated transporter of something really big.

I understand this is a 4+ set, but the design is so dumbed-down (okay, "simplified") that it has more in common with Duplo than Lego City - the one piece chassis of the cement mixer made it an immediate "no-go" to me.  60018 (Age 5-12) is still the gold standard in my books - this looks downright ugly and unrealistic; awful mix of colour, poor to non-existent detailing, the rectilinear front profile is downright gross and those control tiles for accent are laughably bad where they're at.  Yuck.  Get the 4 year olds to play Duplo and stop turning Lego City into that line.

60018

 

Duplo

Edited December 18, 2021 by alvinofdiaspar

[Powered by Bricks]

12 minutes ago, alvinofdiaspar said:

I understand this is a 4+ set, but the design is so dumbed-down (okay, "simplified") that it has more in common with Duplo than Lego City - the one piece chassis of the cement mixer made it an immediate "no-go" to me.  60018 (Age 5-12) is still the gold standard in my books - this looks downright ugly and unrealistic; awful mix of colour, poor to non-existent detailing, the rectilinear front profile is downright gross and those control tiles for accent are laughably bad where they're at.  Yuck.  Get the 4 year olds to play Duplo and stop turning Lego City into that line.

60018

 

Duplo

Glad I bought 2 of the 2013 ones

[The Brick Boss]

2 hours ago, Aanchir said:

For my part, I had the opposite reaction — that first imageg has me extremely impressed at just how big, varied, and detailed a City layout you can make from these 2022 sets even without any of the 2021 "road system" sets or any non-set buildings to fill it out.

I agree. Love the way those new space sets look. Dare I say it, these are an upgraded compared to the 2019 ones. 

Edited December 18, 2021 by Poodabricks

[bright22]

2 hours ago, Aanchir said:

For my part, I had the opposite reaction — that first imageg has me extremely impressed at just how big, varied, and detailed a City layout you can make from these 2022 sets even without any of the 2021 "road system" sets or any non-set buildings to fill it out.

By contrast, in previous years many official City promotional pics showing multi-set layouts (like this one from 2012 or this one from 2009) have been heavily reliant on non-set buildings and scenery to turn even multiple years of sets into anything even approaching the feel of a real, bustling city scene!

Needless to say, a layout combining multiple years of these "road system" sets and/or MOCs could be even more impressive! But a lot of AFOLs have been complaining for years that the City theme had far too much emphasis on vehicles and not nearly enough emphasis on roads, buildings, and scenery. So it's pretty reassuring to get a wave of sets where that's decidedly not a problem.

As for looking "childish"… well, that's the City theme for you! There's never really been a City police station, fire station, coast guard station, hospital, bank, etc. that I wouldn't describe as "childish". Each and every one has prioritized color-coding, play value, and other kid-friendly design features over sophistication or realism. And that's not a bad thing by any means! It's the very purpose they're created for, and they're generally very effective at achieving that purpose.

Now, I have my own quibbles with some of the 2022 sets in question, which I'm pretty sure I've brought up in previous posts, but "childishness" is certainly not one of them.

I think you don't understand what I mean of "childish"
 

As a Lego fans for more than 40 years - the sad thing to see the City sets now, is moving backwards - "Childish" is all these sets looks like it's for 4+, Junior not the one we would like to see for 6 or 7 years old (looks like "Senior" Duplo)

That's a photo I want to show in here..... I have no idea why some people are still keep saying needs to take positive for the school set.. oh the school bus looks ok. Actually the school bus is NOT ok.
I saw this photo in Facebook market last night and It just remind me Lego had been released a school bus.

That's the school bus for Lego Friends 2016, which looks much better than the City one next year. The City one looks like extremely downgrade compare to this one. (That's why I am keep saying that we need to compare City vs City, City vs Town, or even City vs Friends.. otherwise that's meaningless)

That's another example, Lego City House 2010 vs Lego City Family House 2021

The one in 10 years earlier is completely beat the new one so easily!

That's why I would say, the City nowadays is heading in completely wrong direction

 

and look at the bank 3661 in 2011..................

The new one looks extremely ugly and poor!

Police station in 2008, set 7744

how on earth for the Police station nowadays compare to this function, and unique Police Station?

The next question I want to ask is:

Why the City school is for 6 years old and looks like for 4+ - and the moon base is for 7 years old and looks like the products for 7 years old (and why nearly everyone in here agree the design, looking for this set is extremely good)? Will these sets also saying "City Series in 2022"?  

If you put more Lego pieces for new sets, needs to put them smarter, not ugly, bulky like what we'll see next year
 

[The Brick Boss]

15 minutes ago, bright22 said:

You know what's amazing!! When I first heard that the school would include a school bus and the pieces in the set would be limited, I was actually thinking about a CITYfied version of this bus being included. Just replace all the pink with black and give it a real stop sign. 

[Aanchir]

2 hours ago, bright22 said:

I think you don't understand what I mean of "childish"
 

As a Lego fans for more than 40 years - the sad thing to see the City sets now, is moving backwards - "Childish" is all these sets looks like it's for 4+, Junior not the one we would like to see for 6 or 7 years old (looks like "Senior" Duplo) 

That's a photo I want to show in here..... I have no idea why some people are still keep saying needs to take positive for the school set.. oh the school bus looks ok. Actually the school bus is NOT ok.
I saw this photo in Facebook market last night and It just remind me Lego had been released a school bus.

That's the school bus for Lego Friends 2016, which looks much better than the City one next year. The City one looks like extremely downgrade compare to this one. (That's why I am keep saying that we need to compare City vs City, City vs Town, or even City vs Friends.. otherwise that's meaningless)

That's another example, Lego City House 2010 vs Lego City Family House 2021

The one in 10 years earlier is completely beat the new one so easily!

That's why I would say, the City nowadays is heading in completely wrong direction

and look at the bank 3661 in 2011..................

The new one looks extremely ugly and poor!

Police station in 2008, set 7744

how on earth for the Police station nowadays compare to this function, and unique Police Station?

The next question I want to ask is:

Why the City school is for 6 years old and looks like for 4+ - and the moon base is for 7 years old and looks like the products for 7 years old (and why nearly everyone in here agree the design, looking for this set is extremely good)? Will these sets also saying "City Series in 2022"?  

If you put more Lego pieces for new sets, needs to put them smarter, not ugly, bulky like what we'll see next year

I 100% agree with you about the school bus — I was likewise disappointed with that build compared to the Friends one, for reasons I think I already addressed in an earlier post. I don't think "childishness" really fits as a description of what I dislike about it, though.

The rest of the older sets you give as examples are pretty good in their own right, but I definitely wouldn't describe them as "better" or "less childish" than the newer versions. They're just different architectural styles (and wildly different sizes/price points, in the case of the two police stations).

In fact, I prefer the 2021 Family House over the 2010 City House in that comparison. On the outside, the new model has a very fresh and distinctive modernist architectural style: wrap-around plate glass windows, decorative wood paneling and crawling ivy, a second story that overhangs a carport, a balcony/terrace, and a low-slope roof. This feels much more distinctive imaginative to me than the family house's straightforward vertical layout and old-school gable roof like we've seen in so many Creator houses over the years.

I also feel like the floor plan and interior furnishings of the newer house are far more exciting than the older one, particularly since it has an actual bathroom and a bed that's more than just a slab. The designer was even thoughtful enough to ensure that the bathroom has smaller glass-block windows to let in light while maintaining privacy — a consideration that has been overlooked even in a lot of Friends sets over the years.

Build-wise, the new model does use larger 1x6x5 panels for its windows instead of smaller window frames and panes, and likewise the roof is made from large smooth slopes instead of smaller ones. But it also uses smaller parts instead of 1x6x5 panels for both its interior and exterior walls, including the structural wall supporting the car port. And a lot of those exterior walls even make extensive use of SNOT bricks to add textural detail. So all in all, I think the two sets seem pretty much equal in terms of the complexity of the build itself, as would be expected from their similar piece counts.

None of that is to say the old City House was a bad set for its time! Its nostalgic, suburban-looking design is pretty believable for the most part (aside from the chimney, which is purely decorative and lacks any space for a duct to connect it to the oven on the ground floor). And it had some charming features of its own that the newer model lacks, such as a front porch with a colorful awning, a fence along the property line, and a treehouse and garden wall in the side yard.

But I find the newer one more visually and structurally impressive/interesting for the various reasons stated above. And I don't think either set seems more or less "childish" than the other by any metric, though I suppose a lot of that inevitably comes down to personal preference.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Aanchir

[fo4saken]

I agree with you guys that the school bus could be better but well, it is what it is. I think TLG don't like to copy things between themes. 41134's school bus seems to be much proper model but hey... If they would copy it with some small modifications to the City, everyone would complain Lego can't create something new. If we receiving now a new model - lots of people complain how bad it is.

Well, the school set is a debut set in the City, it is 59€ set. Ofc, the best thing would be to separate the school and the bus and make 2 more advanced sets. Maybe it the school set will succeed, we will get something better within 2-3 years. Anyway I will get the school set at soon as possible.

 

Edit:

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by fo4saken

[The Brick Boss]

@fo4saken I agree! i also love that police car. Kudos to the person who came up with the idea of making a standalone police car for this year. 

[Maple]

My problem with the City School Bus is it doesn't have the stop sign. Right there is a failure. Otherwise I think it looks fine. 

[Aanchir]

1 hour ago, Maple said:

My problem with the City School Bus is it doesn't have the stop sign. Right there is a failure. Otherwise I think it looks fine. 

Very good point about the stop sign! It's possible that the designers didn't include one since school buses outside the United States and Canada (and even school buses in some Canadian provinces) don't tend to have a "stop arm" like that, and just use flashing lights instead. But I would've been happy to see that detail just 'cuz it'd match the school buses I'm used to seeing in real life.

That said, I'm more bothered by the lack of wheel arches on the back, since it makes the front and back of the bus feel mismatched. But thinking about it a little more, I realize that this was done for a reason — a preformed wheel arch like the ones they used in the front would obstruct the wheelchair access. But I still think there are other ways they could have reduced that mismatched look, like even just changing the color of the front wheel arches to yellow.

This is also why just recoloring the Friends school bus design would not have worked here. Imagine trying to fit a wheelchair into a bus with a floor raised up as high as the floor of the Friends school bus, let alone provide a ramp that would reach that high without being too steep!

The other differences in the shaping of the two school buses don't bother me too much, since they resemble two different styles of school bus which I've seen plenty of in real life. I do have a preference for the cute and curvy aesthetic of the Friends school bus, but that's not really a fault of the City one's design.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Aanchir

[gabrielerava]

Lego 2021 family house is pretty ugly under every aspect: architecture, design, price point, bricks and so on. The small car is even worse. The whole set remind me Duplo. Sorry, my opinion.

Rava

[Lion King]

I wish that school bus would be a Great Vehicle set. It’s prett odd to see it in School Day set comes without a stop sign… Talking about safety issues. 

[williejm]

Just now, DBlegonerd7 said:

I wish that school bus would be a Great Vehicle set. It’s prett odd to see it in School Day set comes without a stop sign… Talking about safety issues. 

You Amerrycans do know that your school buses are pretty unique, right?

Agree though - a better such bus in a standalone set would be a great idea, I think. 

[TeriXeri]

From an European point of view of the School set, there's a Bus Stop, and a crossover lady+ traffic light which could also stop/direct traffic, so I don't think a stop sign is overlooked in this set.

However, Xtra has done Traffic lights before, so I'm still hoping for traffic signs.

The Xtra stickers were a nice idea but were sold out most of the time, and also didn't come with many lego pieces/signs.

A seperate school , seperate bus would be nicer of course but this is City, not Creator/Friends, we all know buildings come with vehicles in this theme, even small things like picnic trees 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by TeriXeri

[Lion King]

1 hour ago, TeriXeri said:

From an European point of view of the School set, there's a Bus Stop, and a crossover lady+ traffic light which could also stop/direct traffic, so I don't think a stop sign is overlooked in this set.

However, Xtra has done Traffic lights before, so I'm still hoping for traffic signs.

The Xtra stickers were a nice idea but were sold out most of the time, and also didn't come with many lego pieces/signs.

A seperate school , seperate bus would be nicer of course but this is City, not Creator/Friends, we all know buildings come with vehicles in this theme, even small things like picnic trees 

You made a point about a traffic sign for crossover close to school areas! However, if a school bus driver is going to drop children off at home outside school area, they still need a stop sign tho. - this is my American point of view. But still, a lady-and-child-walking sign totally makes sense.

eh, I don’t like stickers. I prefer printed traffic signs. :) 

Fiar enough that buildings usually comes with cars but there are so many police and fire vehicles as standalone sets. I don’t think school bus should go with school building in one set. I still think school bus should go on its own. But i agre wht you tho!