Issue with UCS AT-AT!!!

[LDigital]

I am honestly having a hard time figuring out if some of the responses here are genuine or people piling on for dramatic effect

[Friscorays]

2 hours ago, Brikkyy13 said:

....My AT-AT came today but now I’m having second thoughts about opening it. 

Why?  Are you actually planning on taking the set apart after you built it? The link you posted addresses the problem discussed ad nauseam in this thread and also mentions that another portion of the model is a little fiddly to take apart.

The subassembly in question looks like it is built twice which would mean that at the absolute worst two pieces (the axle and green tube) would have to be sacrificed for disassembly x 2. Four pieces out of 6785 = .059% or about 47 cents of $800 set cost based on US pricing. Is that really enough to turn you off of the set?

[Mr Ogel]

2 hours ago, Friscorays said:

Why?  Are you actually planning on taking the set apart after you built it? The link you posted addresses the problem discussed ad nauseam in this thread and also mentions that another portion of the model is a little fiddly to take apart.

The subassembly in question looks like it is built twice which would mean that at the absolute worst two pieces (the axle and green tube) would have to be sacrificed for disassembly x 2. Four pieces out of 6785 = .059% or about 47 cents of $800 set cost based on US pricing. Is that really enough to turn you off of the set?

issue is on each leg so 8 pieces. Anyway if you know about it before you can change it during building.

[Friscorays]

2 hours ago, Mr Ogel said:

issue is on each leg so 8 pieces. Anyway if you know about it before you can change it during building.

Stand corrected. 8 pieces = .12% or $1.00 of set cost rounding up.  

People thinking about returning the set might want to keep in mind that both the set and the Lightsaber which would have to be returned with it are currently selling at quite a profit in the secondary market.  Bricklink is showing the lightsaber at anywhere between $125 and $300.

https://www.brickfanatics.com/lego-star-wars-at-at-lightsaber-silly-money/

[SquirrelArmy]

For me there's no issue. I just posted a possible solution for those who would want to completely disassemble it.

If that rogue assembly stopped you from removing the legs then it could be an issue. I'd only partially disassemble it if I was moving and taking the legs off would make that easier.

[SquirrelArmy]

8 hours ago, Brikkyy13 said:

https://brickset.com/article/67650/lego-is-now-designing-sets-that-can-t-be-taken-apart
 

Turns out the build in the leg isn’t the only thing that can’t be taken apart in the model. My AT-AT came today but now I’m having second thoughts about opening it. 

@merman Opened a can of worms you have!

Some of the comments on there are insane. All criticisms and no solutions!

[Kage Goomba]

2 hours ago, SquirrelArmy said:

@merman Opened a can of worms you have!

Some of the comments on there are insane. All criticisms and no solutions!

Yeah I just skimmed that article.

I get why people are....upset and I use that word very very loosely.

But some of the reactions - insane. I also think the author/mods need to be a little more careful about the tone they are generating with the whole ordeal. I smell sensationalism and attention generating. If they are reading this and take offense? Tough...deal with it. This whole thing has grabbed so much attention its insane. The wrong kind of attention at that.

People are literally making snap decisions and saying things by drawing conclusions that shouldn't be drawn. And the ones who are keeping a moderate tone - are getting accused of being "cult of lego corp" mindset. Trust me I have very unforgiving standards of conduct when it comes to businesses.

This rates as a mild annoyance to me. Very mild.

The Solution is obvious at this point thanks to the people have come up with some very clever ideas.

Why they aren't presenting these solutions up-front in their articles is beyond me. Posting pictures to proof of concept it out..etc. The solutions people have presented are brilliant - and they are getting drowned out.

Cost of said ideas? 3-5 bucks....and a trip to your local used lego shop worst case scenario. Maybe a tool that you will likely use and use and use again as a lego enthusiast.

I just simply do not understand why this is becoming a bigger issue than it really is. Granted - Mine won't be here till Thursday- I'll be building it myself as I have a project for it. But still - I'm not in the slightest concerned - all it takes is careful consideration and common sense.

Again - not saying Lego is "holier than thou" - but I'm not going to sweat it out and grab a pitchfork either.

[Brikkyy13]

9 hours ago, Friscorays said:

Why?  Are you actually planning on taking the set apart after you built it? 

Yes. It will stay built for a while and later be taken apart for space (maybe the parts, haven’t built it yet so idk if there’s anything I need) or to be rebuilt again. It’s not about damaging a handful of parts either, it’s about the building experience and the fact that all of the knees and the middle section can’t be disassembled properly is annoying. 
 

It’s not enough to completely turn me off of a set I already bought to build but it is enough to make me wait for a few weeks to see if lego is going to do anything about it. 

[Stuartn]

I think it is actually a very big problem because it completely destroys the whole concept of Lego itself. In this set it is only a minor, (and easily fixable) problem, but if this is actually sanctioned by TLG and not just a mistake, it could be quite a problem.

Of course it can be taken apart and it is only a handful pieces in a massive set, but the whole idea of Lego is that it can be taken apart and built into something new, which with this building style is impossible without great effort. It would doubtlessly cause some controversy because it strikes at the heart of what Lego is meant to be.

I agree waiting a few weeks to see if there is a solution is a good idea, for a smaller set it would be an overreaction but for a AU$1300 one I can see why many would want it to be the best building experience possible.

[DarthTrocious]

Isn’t this a similar situation to the Technic Axles w/ Stop that are inserted to attach the wings on 10212 Imperial Shuttle?

Step 38 in Book 3 of the instructions; https://www.lego.com/cdn/product-assets/product.bi.core.pdf/4597963.pdf

[Friscorays]

50 minutes ago, Stuartn said:

I think it is actually a very big problem because it completely destroys the whole concept of Lego itself....

Reminds me of spelling bees. The word is"hyperbolic." Can you use it in a sentence? Yes: "The idea that difficulty with disassembly of a small Lego subassembly completely destroys the whole concept of Lego itself is hysterically hyperbolic."

Edited December 1, 2021 by Friscorays

[LDigital]

46 minutes ago, Stuartn said:

I think it is actually a very big problem because it completely destroys the whole concept of Lego itself. In this set it is only a minor, (and easily fixable) problem, but if this is actually sanctioned by TLG and not just a mistake, it could be quite a problem.

Of course it can be taken apart and it is only a handful pieces in a massive set, but the whole idea of Lego is that it can be taken apart and built into something new, which with this building style is impossible without great effort. It would doubtlessly cause some controversy because it strikes at the heart of what Lego is meant to be.

I agree waiting a few weeks to see if there is a solution is a good idea, for a smaller set it would be an overreaction but for a AU$1300 one I can see why many would want it to be the best building experience possible.

The solution is don’t include the green collar piece so you can get proper access to the axle like I said a few pages back. I have built it and can verify. 

I can’t believe the over reaction in some places. It’s as if they sold the set in an unbuildable condition or something. You don’t even need extra parts

 

[1340cc]

36 minutes ago, DarthTrocious said:

Isn’t this a similar situation to the Technic Axles w/ Stop that are inserted to attach the wings on 10212 Imperial Shuttle?

Step 38 in Book 3 of the instructions; https://www.lego.com/cdn/product-assets/product.bi.core.pdf/4597963.pdf

Not similar at all, apart from the use of axles with stops on the end. To take the shuttle wings off you would have to remove the parts on the outer edges of the wings then pull the bent liftarms off to get the axles out. Would be a bit time consuming, but can be done easily without damaging parts.

[Kage Goomba]

16 minutes ago, LDigital said:

The solution is don’t include the green collar piece so you can get proper access to the axle like I said a few pages back. I have built it and can verify. 

I can’t believe the over reaction in some places. It’s as if they sold the set in an unbuildable condition or something. You don’t even need extra parts

 

I think you need to highlight/bold-type/capitalize/underline this. Message isn't getting out. :P :)

[Stuartn]

29 minutes ago, Friscorays said:

Reminds me of spelling bees. The word is "hyperbolic." Can you use it in a sentence? Yes: "The idea that difficulty with disassembly of a small Lego subassembly completely destroys the whole concept of Lego itself is hysterically hyperbolic."

Of course it is no big issue, but it is an issue, I am not buying this set anytime soon, if ever, so it doesn't matter to me much, but it costs almost AU$1300 here so I can see why some are upset. As I also stated, in the context of this set this is a minor problem, the issue I stated is that if this is going to be a recurring thing, it could be a problem, the whole idea of Lego is that it can be taken apart and rebuilt. This part of a set cannot be taken apart without use of a knife or another tool or great difficulty otherwise, this is not a big deal, but if it is intentional and it ends up in a playset or another non-18+ set it could be very disappointing.

38 minutes ago, LDigital said:

The solution is don’t include the green collar piece so you can get proper access to the axle like I said a few pages back. I have built it and can verify. 

I can’t believe the over reaction in some places. It’s as if they sold the set in an unbuildable condition or something. You don’t even need extra parts

That is a good solution. Though people do have a right to complain as it is a premium product and if you finish building the set before realising the issue and the solution, it could be quite frustrating. Of course it is a trivial matter in the grand scheme of things, but people will always complain and it seems very strange for TLG to have let this slip through the net on a flagship product..

[Friscorays]

2 hours ago, Stuartn said:

I think it is actually a very big problem because it completely destroys the whole concept of Lego itself....

 

46 minutes ago, Stuartn said:

Of course it is no big issue, but it is an issue,....

Are you the same person or two people sharing the same account?

[Stuartn]

 

13 minutes ago, Friscorays said:

 

Are you the same person or two people sharing the same account?

In my first post I said:

2 hours ago, Stuartn said:

In this set it is only a minor, (and easily fixable) problem, but if this is actually sanctioned by TLG and not just a mistake, it could be quite a problem.

I am not referring to just this set, but the probability that this could arise again in circumstances where it is less desirable.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Stuartn

[SNIPE]

Wow, it would be even worse if you swapped the 2L pin joiner with the older variant which doesn't have the slot, or used two 1x1 beams instead.

[DarthTrocious]

1 hour ago, SNIPE said:

Wow, it would be even worse if you swapped the 2L pin joiner with the older variant which doesn't have the slot, or used two 1x1 beams instead.

Or four half bushings stacked. Those little ones have clutch power. I’m sure with enough inertia one could remove it. I imagine a bullet puller impact hammer modified with a slot for the 64179 7x5 technic frame would remove the axle without having to pry it out with a knife.

[Sucram]

Obviously this isn't a huge issue, or a make-or-break thing for most people, but the fact that the solution seems to be so trivial makes it a bit silly that this made it into the final set.

[karmajay]

For larger flagship models I don't feel like this is an issue. I can't imagine many people will be spending this much on a set JUST to take it apart and sort it out for conventional use. For smaller sets I understand the issue.

[SNIPE]

I built just the assembly in question and was able to get the axle out using a small knife but it did damage the axle slightly.

I Don't even think I want to brave it by using 4 half bushes 😄

Edited December 2, 2021 by SNIPE

[trilerian]

This isn't the first and will not be the last set this has happened with.  I am one of those that completely disassembles my sets for storage and rebuilding later.  I only have so much room for display so my sets rotate through what is on display.  But I am sure I will figure something out during disassembly, and if I damage a part, well there is Lego customer service that will replace it for free.  Just saying...

[SharkyMan]

On 11/30/2021 at 12:20 AM, Friscorays said:

I think you miss my point. Like the vast majority of the population, your nephew is very unlikely to care at all about this "issue."

Ah, well... In this sense... 

But he likes to assemble and then disassemble his lego models, so I just do not want him to struggle with that in the future. 

Thank you for your further explanation, I appreciate it :3

[azzer86]

Out of curiosity, what do people do with string and tying knots etc (Sandcrawler crane and Death Star lift). Do you cut the string to fully dissemble it by somehow untying the tiny knots? (Or am I doing it wrong)

I usually dismantle as much as I can and leave the minimal affected pieces still built - shrug my shoulders and forget about it. Sounds like a similar thing?