Old style stylized creatures and animals versus newer versions

[Calabar]

I open this topic to understand what's the opinion of AFOLS about the more realistic style that TLG has giving to creature and animals.

So I prepared an image with some comparison.

At the left had there are the stylized versions, while on the right hand the newer and more realistic versions.

Note that often the stylized versions are custom products, made by third parts as compatible bricks.

I think that this is the way many fans would expect that TLG would produce these pieces.

At the bottom, under the red line, other two examples of stylized animals: a sheep (a custom work that TLG hasn't produced yet) and a classic horse produced by TLG (the newer version differs only for a less stylized decoration of the eyes).

Note that a similar discourse could be made about minifigures heads: some of that (for example C-3PO head) uses custom bricks instead than the classic 3626a.

About me, my vote goes to the old stylized versions. I don't know why, but the new versions seems to me "not much LEGO" and don't revoke the same kind of feeling the old version does.

[Niku]

I like both versions, the more variety the better.

[zinfinion]

From what I have seen, having stopped in the early 90s, and just now returned, it is almost as if TLG want to make LEGO look as un-LEGO and as smooth/sleek as possible. This can especially been seen in sets that make heavy use of SNOT and slopes and only have a few studs showing. The majority of the Alien Conquest and Atlantis sets demonstrate this well, a few sets have no visible studs at all. I personally like the new look. And MBPs. (Not mine, BTW!)

Edited February 5, 2012 by zinfinion

[Calabar]

The majority of the Alien Conquest and Atlantis sets demonstrate this well, a few sets have no visible studs at all. I personally like the new look.

Oh, that's why I really don't like these sets! This kind of design incentive the use of BPP and BU®P. The use of big specialized pieces reduces the reusability and the fun in building a set.

Fortunately (for me, at least) many series preserve the old "look and feel", especially the creator one.

The series that I think is get worse is the technic one: the new smooth technic bricks that completely replaced the old ones are much less playable, imho.

Anyway, that's another speech. Let's speak about creatures only!

PS: MBPs are fantastic!

[brickmack]

I prefer the newer animals, they look more realistic, which I prefer.

Also, that battle pig is great.

[ibecks]

One advantage of the older style animals is that they lend themselves to other things, like architectural details.

[Hrw-Amen]

I don't mind a mixture, but whilst I do like a little detail like on some that have been creeping in, they should still be identifiable as LEGO and not just look like a generic toy cow/horse/sheep/pig or whatever. I do also like a little movement, for example the horses head that can move up and down. I was a tad disappointed with the new dinosaurs when I opened my first one the other day to find that the raptors are all one bit. I'd have thought the claw arms would have been seperate even if not the head for obvious playability reasons.

[Calabar]

It seems I'm in the minority!

@ibecks, @Hrw-Amen

Don't forget to vote in the poll!

I prefer the newer animals, they look more realistic, which I prefer.

On the contrary, I think the old animals, with their flat surfaces, are more assimilable to bricks, and than more "LEGO".

That's why I don't like minidolls or belville characters: these figures seems normal toys, not lego. And now it seems to me that animals and other creatures are following the same way...

I do also like a little movement, for example the horses head that can move up and down.

Absolutely agree: I hate big monolithic pieces, every movement makes the figure more playable and interesting.

[Aanchir]

Hmmm. For starters, I always prefer LEGO animals to be stylistically compatible with minifigures. Granted, this allows for a range of styles since some parts like minifigure legs are extremely blocky while others like minifigure arms have smooth, organic shapes.

In the case of the dog, I prefer the new one hands-down. I almost invariably prefer LEGO animals to have printed eyes, just like "human" minifigures. Other than the head, the new LEGO dog is almost identical to the old one, with the mix of flat surfaces and smooth curves that I think works extremely well. The LEGO pig is a similar situation.

The LEGO Cow is another success story IMO. Stylistically, it's very similar to the classic LEGO horse, all but the face which is rounded like the face of a human minifigure.

The horse was an early success by TLG, but is nowadays becoming kind of outdated. However, TLG has taken steps to ensure its success with the introduction of a new version with posable legs in the Lord of the Rings theme. I think this measure should be enough to ensure the LEGO horse's place among even the most modern LEGO animals for years to come. A slightly re-molded face would perhaps be a useful change (the recent Kingdoms horse with blinders shows how awkward it can be to have only side-printed eyes on a LEGO animal), but I think the LEGO horse's status as a classic LEGO animal and its strong value to collectors and army-builders means that this is a decision that should not be taken lightly, and it might be decades before the pressure to change outweighs this pressure to keep it close to how it has always been.

I prefer the new sharks to the old ones as well. The old ones had appeal, but the new ones have printed eyes, more connection points, and a size that allows for more play value.

On a side note, I noticed one LEGO animal you failed to point out: the LEGO owl. The classic LEGO owl from the 2001 Harry Potter sets was extremely realistic, and suffered for it. More recently, TLG has released a new owl, which is in fact more stylized than the original and more in line with the traditional LEGO animal styles-- all while adding details such as printing that make it fit in more with the LEGO minifigure! I think it's strong evidence that TLG has no intention of going down a slippery slope towards excessive realism in their animal designs. In fact, I think that the LEGO video games and TV specials, whose minifigures are a key component of their charm, provide a strong incentive for TLG to work on keeping their figure and animal designs consistent with the much-loved stylized minifigure aesthetic.

Plus, this poll ignores the animals in the LEGO Friends theme. The cat in that theme is much more stylized and less realistic than the Belville kitten that for year has been a System mainstay, but most AFOLs prefer the Belville kitten (personally, I'd prefer the new cat's more stylized look by far if its printed eyes were more along the lines of the style typical of LEGO minfigures, with a single dot with a single sparkle for each eye).

I voted that I tend to prefer the new style, although I feel none of the options sum up my strong feelings about LEGO animal designs. The assumption that "new" designs are inherently less stylized, rather than just stylized differently, is at odds with how I perceive some excellent recent designs like the police dog. It also neglects things like the owl that have become significantly more stylized, and thus, better, by virtue of their recent redesign.

Edited February 5, 2012 by Aanchir

[Calabar]

[...] Other than the head, [...]

Yes, the head is in the most of the cases the part that "suffers" of the new style. Often the body is not so "rounded". As I think the head is one of the most important part of the figure, perfectly sufficient to see the difference between the "old" and the "new" style.

On a side note, I noticed one LEGO animal you failed to point out: the LEGO owl. The classic LEGO owl from the 2001 Harry Potter sets was extremely realistic, and suffered for it. More recently, TLG has released a new owl, which is in fact more stylized than the original [...]

Oh, didn't noticed that the new owl was different (and I have a pair hof that!): I thought it was only more decorated!

Anyway I consider both as a variants of "new" style, while the bird 2546 suits the old style much better.

[Brickdoctor]

I depends on the animal and what I'm using it for, but I usually prefer the older, stylized ones. No matter how I build, generally whatever structures I build will never have the same smoothness and curvy-ness as the newer animals, and to me, that blockier feel makes things seem like LEGO. Using older style animals makes them fit in better with what I build. (same for minifigs - I generally go for older style printing and the three basic parts, and then add on some newer accessories)

[Darth Hagrid]

I'm fairly conflicted, actually.... While I like the generally quite like the feel of the old stylized animals, and appreciate the other uses they can be put to, I also like the sleekness of the new sets and creatures...

[Jargo]

You can't live in the rose tinted glow of childhood and those old animals served their purpose and had their time. Kids expect different things now. the new animals reflect that. At some point change has to happen, that's evolution in progress. Lego can't make time stand still and if you don't like the way things change you always have the personal choice and right to not buy a set or sell on the parts you don't like. Or, build a bridge and get over it.

[Calabar]

Kids expect different things now. the new animals reflect that.

What kids expect from new LEGO is another matter.

I'd like to know what's the opinion of us AFOLs.

[Piranha]

Good poll and topic.

For me, I like them all and I voted they are both the same for me. Although the first images are technically customs by Brickforge followed by TLG official versions. The TLG versions I think have a much better feel and fit in better. The horse is a beautiful mold still to me and probably my favorite of the animal molds and the new ones coming out are great complimentary horses.

What about larger non single molded animals though like the elephants or dewback that use quite a few pieces or what about the dinosaurs from the new Dino theme? Well here in this area I tend to go back to the ones that fit in the best with minifigs and the feel of LEGO. The elephants I think were great. The POP Camel also fits in nicely. The ostrich seemed a bit Duplo to me though.

Another good example is the polar bear and the new grizzly bear, I like the detail of the grizzly bear but I also like the simplicity of the polar bear.

This topic is similar to the discussion about the detail level of minifigs and we are seeing the same trend in animals in the sets like the dog, grizzly bear, shark etc. As time goes by we will get more and more interesting and precise details that is just how it is.

[Palathadric]

For the most part I go for the older animals, I think. For example, the older shark, parrot, etc. The new ones, in my humble opinion, often do not look quite as "Lego-like" as they should. Although, it is definitely on a case by case basis, and sometimes I do prefer the newer ones. It depends on what I am looking for, I suppose.

Even with minifigs though, I often prefer, in all honesty, slightly older ones to the newer ones. For example, for me, the minifigs under the pirate theme released in 1996 were probably my favourite, with the Spanish Armada and all. For caslte it was 1994. Although, actually, for minifigs, nothing has changed as far as the actual shape is concerned...

[Vindicare]

I went with the last option. I don't really mind either one. I'm not too picky on the looks of the animals. I do love the new goats and chickens, though.

[Duck]

I'm happy with a mixture but would lean slightly more towards the older ones. When I'm making a brickflick I generally ensure that the world is identifiable as LEGO and like to drop in LEGO related dialog - so LEGOey looking animals are good!

However I feel that a lot of the newer animals produced by LEGO are generally either still LEGO looking or quite cartoony - I wouldnt say there are many that are super-realistic - so I can quite happily live with the newer versions.

[RPGer]

I like the new animals better than the old animals. Great topic idea.

[Lyichir]

It varies for me, but in most case I tend to prefer the new versions. The reason for this is most often consistency. Back in the day we had dogs with textured eyes and horses with printed eyes. It was horribly inconsistent. Nowadays it's gotten better, as newer molds tend toward printing. It's not all this way yet; the parrot actually went from being printed to being, for some reason, blended , and the new-ish fish has always had textured eyes (although this helps it to better serve as a dead fish for cookin'.

Another reason I tend to prefer the newer animals is that often they add playability where it wasn't before. For instance, the newer shark can swallow a minifig whole, and has more attachment points than the old one. This summer we're finally getting a new horse, which actually has poseable legs, something it's needed for decades.

Altogether, it often has to do with how similar they are to minifigs. The horse is bigger and ostensibly faster than people, and so it should be at least as poseable, if not more. My preference toward printed eyes started with the newer, more detailed minifig faces.

[Calabar]

Reading what you wrote, I realized that everyone have a different idea of what I mean with "old style" and "new style".

In this topic I wanted to focus around the shape of the plastic.

The size and the articulated joints was not a matter of this comparison: for example the new cow has the same joints as the old horse, but I hope everyone can notice that the cow have a different "style" from the horse.

Printings on the animals are available in old ones (for example the horses) as in new ones. Ok, the new one have often more and more detailed printings, but that's not the point.

I try to explain with an example, using minifigs. I'm not asking you if you prefer the classic minifig face instead than present more detailed feces (for example this), but if you like that certain minifigs have a head with a special shape, such as C3-PO one, or you prefer a version using the classic brick 3626b?.

(Obviously the answer about creatures could be different from that you'd give for C3-PO )

[MstrOfPppts]

Being a plastic modeler myself I like to see things made as realistic as possible. What I don't like at modeling is the stench of colors and all the dust from sanding. Therefor LEGO was the obvious solution for me.

Also there from my answer is known - I prefer the newer animals, but mostly because of more accurate and detailed printing. The plastic curves don't bother me at all. Someone mentioned that the old ones go better with the detail of buildings, but I think the newer ones go better with the newer minifigs. Though their shape hasn't changed, all the detailed printing + back and legs printing gives them a lot more realism. And I think it's better for animals to follow that then stay with the buildings. Anyway buildings in some MOCs are pretty well detailed as well!

But another interesting point was made about the horses. I don't mind the old ones. They all have an eye print (which is most important for me - holes for eyes just looks odd). It will really be interesting to see what they make with the new LOTR horses and how compatible they'll be with the old ones. I'm just very picky about these things, it's something like I hate mixing fleshies with the yellow figs ...

[Lyichir]

Reading what you wrote, I realized that everyone have a different idea of what I mean with "old style" and "new style".

In this topic I wanted to focus around the shape of the plastic.

The size and the articulated joints was not a matter of this comparison: for example the new cow has the same joints as the old horse, but I hope everyone can notice that the cow have a different "style" from the horse.

Printings on the animals are available in old ones (for example the horses) as in new ones. Ok, the new one have often more and more detailed printings, but that's not the point.

I try to explain with an example, using minifigs. I'm not asking you if you prefer the classic minifig face instead than present more detailed feces (for example this), but if you like that certain minifigs have a head with a special shape, such as C3-PO one, or you prefer a version using the classic brick 3626b?.

(Obviously the answer about creatures could be different from that you'd give for C3-PO )

I understand that, but even given that I tend to prefer the new style. It's true that minifigs have a blockier appearance than many of the animals do nowadays, but the new style animals still retain a certain simplicity that makes them fit in. Moreover, the old-style animals often had quirks due to their shape that made them look odd from certain angles. From a direct front view, the old horse could be hard to make out as a horse (except, of course, for those accustomed to recognize what a Lego horse would look like. Oddly, your Star Wars example often has me thinking the exact opposite in regards to actual minifigures. I'm of the opinion that a great many licensed figures with custom heads look "off"; for instance, C3-PO could probably work just as well with a standard head, and some alien heads can look bizarre for having features normal figs lack, like noses.

[A2L]

The new style, because they look more like animals! Even the sets are looking more realistic, so the animals go better with them, my opinion of course. I don't mind the old style either as long as it has printed eyes. In the end whatever the TLG gives, old or new styles, I feel that they need to give many more animals. There are too few, and most go to Duplo.

[Kumpelkante]

To me it depends on the individual creature if the newer or older one is better. For example the newer dinosaurs have much more sophisticated printing but a more simplicistic shape than the older one, which i alreade like better. Also they they are more in scale with the minifigs and do fit in better.

The newer shark on the other hand is to "round" if you ask me, and also to big compared to a minifig. So while i prefer new dinosaurs to old ones (though i only have the raptor from both dino 2010 and the current line) i think the old sharks work a little better than the new version.

I think the biggest reboot especially for castle-builders will be the new horse, which was a part that was besides colors and printings untouched for 28 years now. Personally i think that the new posability will come in useful for some MOCs depicting certain actions. On the other hand i am a sucker für horse-bardings and horse-helmets. So the questions if i like the new horses will depend on if the new one is compatible with the current horse-bardings and helmets and/or if it works together with the old one. (after all the horse does not seem to be a big departure from the old one in terms of style-just in articulation.

need to get rest, i think... i start to spot typos