The De-Evolution of Lego Action Figure Packaging

[pocketmego]

This is more an observation than anything else. But, thoughts and discussion are certainly welcome as always.

But, if you examine the way the packaging has been used in conjunction with the lines up to this point, they have all had both aesthetics and function.

The Throwbots had packaging that was also specifically designed as carrying cases with belt hooks and all.

I'm not sure about Robo-Riders, but wasn't it the same idea?

Then of course, Bionicle's first canisters were also story-based and functioning. The Bohrock took it to the next level by making it sort of a hive pod. And discounting boxes for Big figures etc...

This continues in one form or another all the way until the early years of HF. Those canisters are even back to not only being story-functional as mission pods, but even connect to the first big vehicle.

Then there is this sudden and HUGE shift to disposable (although re-usable) but non-toy-functional plastic bags.

To quote Stewie, "What are we? In Mexico??"

And yes, there is a cheapness to the packaging. In fact it seems to be an ever-cheapening. For instance it was one baggie with multiple smaller bags. Then Lego gave up on sorting and put it all in one bag, with a little cartoon basically telling you to sort it all your damn self.

It does give the whole thing a feeling of toy sold in a Mexican train station quality. And this all seems quite the antithesis of what LEGO has always been about. "Only THE BEST is GOOD ENOUGH!"

I personally feel the current crop of figures suffer for the packaging. But, what do I know?

[Dorek]

Well, yes, that's part of the point; they make the packaging cheaper so they don't have to make the toy more expensive. And personally, the fact that they went out of their way to make these bags resealable is something we should all be thanking them for. Without it, these bags could easily have been a massive waste of space, but instead offer some usefulness.

Sure, I miss the BIONICLE canisters, but having just had to pack them all up, they... were enormous space hogs.

[Takanuinuva]

I like the new bags there using. I never keep my packaging anyways so this makes it easier for me to dispose of.

[DraikNova]

Basically, with the transition from Bionicle to HF, the focus has shifted from "story" to "function" (overly detailed armor to slick 2.0 system). The old canisters meant something in-story, but were clunky, expensive and took up a lot of space. The new ones don't have any story purpose, but are cheap to manufacture and easy to store.

[bacem]

i think, the use of resealable bag was for reducing cost. and besides, many people actually prefer the bag because it's easier to store. and personally, ialso like it. the resealable bags can be used to store some snacks, like cheetos, cheese ball, or potato chips. it actually feels kinda cool when i eat cheese balls from Furno XL bag.

[Knight Solaire]

As much as I miss the good old bionicle canisters, I prefer the new packaging if it keeps the cost down.

[TheDesuComplex]

Man, I love the new packaging over clunky canisters. It feels weighty and flashy instead of clunky and spacious. I store my sets in plastic baggies anyway, so the new packaging works well.

[CabooseBM]

Yeah, I really love the new packaging, the old canisters really just took up space and made me feel bad when I threw them out.

Another thing I really like in the recent packaging trends was the move from individually colored cans to wave-wide colors, made it a whole lot easier to check and see if there's new product on the shelves or not.

And yes, there is a cheapness to the packaging. In fact it seems to be an ever-cheapening. For instance it was one baggie with multiple smaller bags. Then Lego gave up on sorting and put it all in one bag, with a little cartoon basically telling you to sort it all your damn self.

Though I'd like to point out that this is completely wrong?

Edited May 14, 2013 by CabooseBM

[ZORK64]

While I liked the canisters of the Stars and the first three Hero Factory waves (they were great to store parts, but same goes for most canisters anyway), I personally appreciate the bags far over the canisters by now. They look nicer and are easier to store away.

I also don't miss the canisters that much since I already own enough canisters to store parts in them anyway. In fact, I still don't need to use the nifty resealable bags to store parts, thanks to all the old canisters and boxes.

I'm not sure about Robo-Riders, but wasn't it the same idea?

They had canisters, similiar to these of the Toa Mata, but with flat lids (which were used in a few of the combination models as giant wheels).

Oh, I'd also like to mention that some of the old packagings weren't that great either. The Toa Mahri for example came in a packaging which made them useless for storage once you opened them. And the Mistika canisters were insanely hard to open because of their asymmetrical design, which always annoys me to no end. Honestly, I utterly loathe these canisters.

Edited May 14, 2013 by ZORK64

[CabooseBM]

Oh, I'd also like to mention that some of the old packagings weren't that great either. The Toa Mahri for example came in a packaging which made them useless for storage once you opened them. And the Mistika canisters were insanely hard to open because of their asymmetrical design, which always annoys me to no end. Honestly, I utterly loathe these canisters.

I'd still like to see someone make a Ganmen-esque MOC incorporating the Mask of Life lid as a big mask or something.

Edited May 14, 2013 by CabooseBM

[Lyichir]

I think the current packages are amazing. They're reusable for storage of complete sets, can collapse for easy archival when empty, can come in a variety of sizes, and are distinctively decorated. Are they cheaper than earlier canisters? Probably. But "cheap" doesn't have to mean "bad". By using a more economical method of packaging, Lego can put more of a set's budget toward the set itself. It's no surprise the company responsible for the design of the new resealable bags won an award for them.

If I had to mark a "low point" in action figure set packaging, it'd probably be the Toa Mahri. Their packaging was bulky, couldn't be resealed easily, was mostly flimsy and disposable, and couldn't stack. The only nice thing about it was the fact that the only non-disposable part of it could be integrated with technic builds. Yet I can count the number of times I've actually used that functionality on one hand.

[Aanchir]

I feel this is a bit unfair. Certainly, the packaging has lost its story role, but it's not as though the new packaging has no advantages. Instead, there's a trade-off. The story-based nature of the canisters was given up, but in exchange they became much more practical from a storage perspective, in that they kept their ability to be used as storage for the parts while no longer taking up a massive amount of space when empty. I think this is definitely a worthwhile sacrifice, especially considering I hardly ever used the canisters for their story-based functionality to begin with.

Overall, considering the massive number of BIONICLE canisters piled up in boxes next to the very bed I'm sitting on, I wouldn't mind if LEGO action figure sets had used resealable foil bags from the very beginning. For that matter, I wouldn't have minded if the larger boxed sets had used this type of packaging as well. At a certain size it becomes impractical for in-store display, but nevertheless it would have been a much better way of transporting sets and parts from place to place.

[pocketmego]

I guess, I am the minority on this one. I suppose the story aspect isn't needed anymore and storing the bags is easier. I do find it amusing to ponder what 6 TOA washed up on shore in plastic bags would have looked like. LOL