LEGO Ideas Discussion

[Sebeus I]

Well, I can't say I really expected the Flying Dutchman to make it through the review.

In the end it certainly was worth it for me .

[GallardoLU]

So excited for the marble Maze its been on my support list for so long now I had almost given up hope for it. and when it made review I refused to let myself think it might make it. there have been plenty of sets before it I love but none have made me as excited as the Marble Maze has (I didn't expect that) looking forward very much to the day I can get a copy (or 2) for myself!

[Elrond]

Congrats to the winner.

Like I said in the other thread, it's not really my thing but it's still a great build.

Now looking at the next review, I think we can safely say that the next winner will be the Science Adventures set (or maybe the T-rex?). The Frozen castle has already been made, the Zelda license seems to be a pain to get and It looks like all the other ideas are either too big or not very appealing to LEGO's main target demographic.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Elrond

[SMC]

Very disappointed, ideas had a great line up of sets this round. The Natural History Museum seemed to be a good test to see if any large set would ever be made and it was a no. Next up Minas Tirith and Jurassic Park I would have loved both of these but again looks like making sets for existing licenses is not going to happen.

The Labyrinth Marble Maze was good but I'm not excited like I would have been for one of the above.

[Blondie-Wan]

Is anyone else having trouble logging into LEGO Ideas now?

[jonwil]

I can see why LEGO passed over the natural history museum. The Detective's Office is $160 in the US. I suspect this would have (because of its size/piece count, because its an Ideas set etc) cost at least $180, quite possibly over $200. Also it would have required finding a lot of production capacity very fast to make all those parts (remember, Ideas products have an accelerated time-frame from completed design to availability on shelves). And they already have another modular for 2016 in the works no doubt so adding this into the rotation means they split the market for modulars across even more sets (modulars do sell but not everyone can afford to buy all of them)

.

I suspect because of production things and because of the in-built lower sales of Ideas sets (not as easy to get as other sets, smaller production runs) we wont see an Ideas set north of $100US anytime soon.

[jonwil]

Good to see the Marble Maze getting made, its an interesting product and totally different to anything LEGO has ever made before. The Star Citizen project getting further review likely means that they are A,Still working on license details to see if they can come to a deal, B.Still working on brand fit (i.e. is the "Star Citizen" IP suitable for LEGO or not) or C.Still working to see if the market is big enough for the project (its based on a video game and not exactly a massive seller at that)

If the Marble Maze is good, I am definatly interested in it. Same with the Star Citizen project if it gets made. Although I do still need to save the pennies for the yet-to-be-revealed Big Bang Theory and Dr Who sets.

Oh and if LEGO really wont make big sets, they should impose size guidelines so that we dont see more modulars get to 10k only to be rejected. (or a set getting to 10k and being rejected when it would have had a greater chance if it wasn't so big)

As for the items up for review in the next batch, I can see most of them being fairly easy to reject right off the bat. Golden Girls isn't a good fit for LEGO (it wont sell to LEGO's core audience, most of whom dont know what the Golden Girls is). ISS would be cool but it would be difficult to build something that would hold up under the weight. (the 7467 is at a much smaller scale than the Ideas set). Frozen they have already done. T-Rex likely conflicts with their plans for JW and the JW license (and its too big in any case). Daft Punk is hard to turn into a set and its not the right audience either (as with Golden Girls). Discworld is also not that well known by the target audience. Medieval Market is too big. Small yellow is probably still too big and its too difficult to do (pieces spilling out of the chest, how do you do that in instructions for kids to build). Zelda has been discussed many times. Titanic is too big.

The DC-3 as an airplane may not be the most well known but it DOES appear a fair bit in TV and movies (so kids would recognize it by the shape and look even if they dont know what its called). Plus licensing is much easier (based on the number of model kits out there it may not even be necessary to secure a license from Boeing). And it doesn't look to be so big as to be too big for an Ideas set.

The main problem for the Corvette will be whether they can get a license from GM. Its well known in TV and movies and probably one of the most recognizable cars made by any US manufacturer. Plus they have the inbuilt ability to sell this to car buffs of all sorts. Although it may not fit in with their plans re Speed Champions and other licensed car products and the size may well be just a bit more than LEGO is willing to go with.

And Science Adventures has the greatest chance of being green lit of the lot. The RI sold like hotcakes (they could have doubled the production and still sold every one they made without satisfying the demand), the size is right and it has the potential for interesting parts (just like the RI had the printed star chart),

[Robert8]

The size was a definitive factor here for sure!

I think they need a rule about the amount of pieces, because only 1/9 is kinda disappointing and people may stop posting projects soon.

Edited May 29, 2015 by Robert8

[AFOLguy1970]

Oh and if LEGO really wont make big sets, they should impose size guidelines so that we dont see more modulars get to 10k only to be rejected. (or a set getting to 10k and being rejected when it would have had a greater chance if it wasn't so big)

Wholeheartedly agree. Your point about Lego rejecting something like the museum because of factory constraints definitely has merit, and I suspect this is why they said no to an otherwise popular project that gave many of us hope that something would finally prove Lego is willing to make a large set. Of all the large sets, the Natural History Museum seemed like the best chance yet. It did not need a license, it had a science theme which is really popular right now, it had a comparable piece count to the other modulars (which could have been further reduced by making one dino skeleton instead of two), and it was compatible with other modulars.

Lego does really need to officially come out place a part count limit on projects. Not only would it reduce the false sense of hope, it would also limit the Ideas site from being used as a place for people to show off their 10,000+ part projects.

As for the labyrinth, it is a clever design and idea. I do not fault Lego for choosing this. It just did not happen to be the project(s) many people hoped to see approved.

[Robert8]

Wholeheartedly agree. Your point about Lego rejecting something like the museum because of factory constraints definitely has merit, and I suspect this is why they said no to an otherwise popular project that gave many of us hope that something would finally prove Lego is willing to make a large set. Of all the large sets, the Natural History Museum seemed like the best chance yet. It did not need a license, it had a science theme which is really popular right now, it had a comparable piece count to the other modulars (which could have been further reduced by making one dino skeleton instead of two), and it was compatible with other modulars.

Or maybe there is already a Museum in the works???

[tafkatb]

So, in the video, Tim said it's already in production... Might this hit the shelves within the next few months? There's certainly precedent for it; if I recall correctly both Birds and the Research Institute were released just two months after the announcement.

[dr_spock]

Well deserved and earned, as Jason (JKBrickworks) has been making excellent MOCs. Congratulations! I'd probably have to get at least two of these when they come out. Its likely to be a larger set, as they describe it as "customizable" which means alternate parts will be included. I am also guessing we should see this very soon, as no new parts, colors, or complicated designs are needed.

I believe he is also a member of Eurobricks, touthomme.

[somelegothings_]

This was an interesting selection in this review. I expected to see the maze be selected. Now it is! The surprise is the Hornet. I want to see if that gets made. That's a wonderful model.

[Artanis I]

Glad for the results. No surprises really, the maze is good and will sell, the hornet looks nice and has potential. Most of the others are simply too big.

I just hope that these sets are available like the Minecraft, BTTF & Ghostbusters sets, and not like the Exo-Suit & Research Institute.

So that's 4, maybe 5, Ideas sets in the works at the moment...

[Blondie-Wan]

I wonder whether this one might leapfrog one of more of the other three upcoming sets, as the Ghostbusters Ectomobile did the Exo-suit. It requires no potentially-slowing licensor approval, and it doesn't even require any particular colors (though if anything, it'll probably offer a rare non-decorated version of a part that's usually printed - the minifigure-scale soccer ball or basketball).

[Robert8]

Oh and now we have 2 projects for the fall review, because the Caterham Super Seven made it!

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/87703

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Or maybe there is already a Museum in the works???

Excellent point! Lego may simply already be planning to do a Modular Museum, since it's an obvious item for them to have on their "list of buildings to do".

At any rate, the Marble Maze is the biggest Cuusoo/Ideas set so far, except perhaps for the buildable Wall-E. So how big are they? How much will they be?

[ReplicaOfLife]

I'm very happy that the chosen project did get picked. It falls outside the range of things one normally sees LEGO sets made of, and illustrates how versatile the bricks can be - something all of us know well, of course, but not all "casual" LEGO fans do.

Same here. It was the only one out of the projects I supported.

Though I'm a huge fan of the modulars, I never really liked the museum. It felt like a slightly above average MOC for me, and, let's face it, even while it would've been a huge set, it still would've been laughably small for a museum. I could picture it be as the center part of a 96x32 building, but as a stand alone it just doesn't work, imo...kinda like Town Hall, which also only really shines if it's expanded a bit to either side.

I don't care for that fighter jet at all, though, but I have a feeling that they may keep this around in case none of the next 13 projects makes it. Don't really see any of those making the cut, even though the medieval market street is a great model.

Edited May 29, 2015 by RogerSmith

[Faefrost]

A well earned congratulations to the Marble Maze. It has long stood out as an "outside the box" project that seemed to both be astonishingly obvious and simple. Yet at the same time a complex and fascinating build, with a ton of bundled in educational value.

The Star Citizen ship I don't know what to make of? I suspect they just don't have all the licensing info back with which to make a final decision? While a nice space fighter, i can't see it having huge draw? It's a niche game with very limited market penetration. Is it even in formal release yet?

[XAxles]

A well earned congratulations to the Marble Maze. It has long stood out as an "outside the box" project that seemed to both be astonishingly obvious and simple. Yet at the same time a complex and fascinating build, with a ton of bundled in educational value.

Those are the words I must be looking for. Thanks a lot, Faefrost.

Can't wait for Jason (touthomme, is that correct?) to stop by here on this thread.

[touthomme]

Thanks for all the congratulatory messages!

I have to say I was just as surprised as everyone else. I mean, let's be honest, most people find the original wooden version to be a very annoying and frustrating game, so I definitely see this set having limited appeal. Some people are really excited about it though, which is really cool! I mean, it did get 10,000 supporters on Ideas, so obviously some people are interested in it. :)

I fully expect it to be labeled the 'worst Ideas set ever' by a lot of people, and definitely won't be flying off the shelves (just go read the comments on the Facebook announcement to see the overwhelming disappointment). But I'm actually really impressed that LEGO decided to give such a niche project the green light. It gives me hope that we might see more special interest projects coming out of Ideas in the future.

Anyway, I'm obviously super excited that they chose it, and I can't wait to see what they end up doing with it!

J

[Robert8]

Congratulations touthomme!

[KristofBD]

Grats Touthomme - not my type of thing, but a clever build nonetheless.

[SMC]

Thanks for all the congratulatory messages!

I have to say I was just as surprised as everyone else. I mean, let's be honest, most people find the original wooden version to be a very annoying and frustrating game, so I definitely see this set having limited appeal. Some people are really excited about it though, which is really cool! I mean, it did get 10,000 supporters on Ideas, so obviously some people are interested in it. :)

I fully expect it to be labeled the 'worst Ideas set ever' by a lot of people, and definitely won't be flying off the shelves (just go read the comments on the Facebook announcement to see the overwhelming disappointment). But I'm actually really impressed that LEGO decided to give such a niche project the green light. It gives me hope that we might see more special interest projects coming out of Ideas in the future.

Anyway, I'm obviously super excited that they chose it, and I can't wait to see what they end up doing with it!

J

I wouldn't worry about the disappointment, I think it is mostly aimed at the sets that missed out some of which were very good. I also wouldn't be surprised if the ideas set did sell out if they only make one run.

[tafkatb]

Congrats! Really excited about this one; it was my hand-down favorite of the review. Day one purchase for me.