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I spotted the Sky Castle on sale somewhere for 57 euros instead of the 99 that it was initially offered for. So I brought it home. It's pretty neat, the portal function works well and love the little oven. It is rather one-dimensional I think, very flat and not meant to be seen from behind. Would buy again for 57€, but would not consider it for 99€.

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Aira castle was a suprising VERY easy build. Why they put "8 year" there? Because some technic? The pieces are glorious though, same with VERY USEFULL stickers!

Love the owl, and I hope it will appear later with a fox in some forest/camping set in Friends series.

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Aira castle was a suprising VERY easy build. Why they put "8 year" there? Because some technic? The pieces are glorious though, same with VERY USEFULL stickers!

Love the owl, and I hope it will appear later with a fox in some forest/camping set in Friends series.

I imagine it's a combination of the Technic, the many SNOT techniques and hinged sections, and the sheer size of the set. 41075 was also marked 8–12. And to be honest, that's not an unusual age range for an action/adventure set of this size. Even some of the smallest Elves sets are marked ages 7–12, so it follows that an $80 set with even more complex functions would get a slightly higher age recommendation.

What surprises me more is that ALL the Elves sets, from the smallest to the largest, have a maximum age recommendation of 12. Does the LEGO Group think it's more likely for teenage boys to enjoy themes like Ninjago than for teenage girls to enjoy themes like Elves? A part of me understands their hesitation, since they're much newer to the girls' market. But I feel like they should try and increase that maximum age recommendation in the years to come, seeing as the minimum age recommendation is already higher than it is for themes like City, Castle, Friends, and Disney Princess.

Anyway, the LEGO Elves website has a new holiday webisode, featuring a teaser for next year towards the end!

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Don't know if someone already posted this, I didn't see it:

But: Groovebricks.com posted a price and set list for 2016, including Elves:

Elves

  • Emily Jones and the Wind Dragon Baby (41171) – EUR 9.99

I love the new chocolate bar piece in 41171, the egg is good too

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Hi everyone, I've created a new thread on the Elves episodes. Please check it out if you'd like to discuss the latest webisodes and any other media you learn about (books, apps, advertising etc) :classic:.

2015 had been a good year for Elves, hopefully 2016 will be just as good.

I imagine it's a combination of the Technic, the many SNOT techniques and hinged sections, and the sheer size of the set. 41075 was also marked 8–12. And to be honest, that's not an unusual age range for an action/adventure set of this size. Even some of the smallest Elves sets are marked ages 7–12, so it follows that an $80 set with even more complex functions would get a slightly higher age recommendation.

What surprises me more is that ALL the Elves sets, from the smallest to the largest, have a maximum age recommendation of 12. Does the LEGO Group think it's more likely for teenage boys to enjoy themes like Ninjago than for teenage girls to enjoy themes like Elves? A part of me understands their hesitation, since they're much newer to the girls' market. But I feel like they should try and increase that maximum age recommendation in the years to come, seeing as the minimum age recommendation is already higher than it is for themes like City, Castle, Friends, and Disney Princess.

I think you are correct in your assumption that because Elves is catering to a new(ish) market, they are hesitant in marketing to older kids. I think the easiest solution would just put a minimum recommended age, rather than a bracket. So ages 7+, instead of 7-12. I think there can be a risk in increasing the max age. For instance a parent with a seven year old could see a Lego set with a recommended age bracket of 7-16, and worry that their child isn't mature enough or skilled enough to build it. A lower age bracket gives parents more confidence that their child can handle the building aspects.

Also, I wonder if parents who are not super familiar with LEGO, might look at something with higher max age and think it could be not age appropriate (ie violence) A non-bracket, ages 7+, would probably avoid the issue all together.

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A non-bracket, ages 7+, would probably avoid the issue all together.

The issue I see there is some kids might not want a set if it seems like it for younger kids. i.e. an 11-year old sees "7+" on a box and doesn't want it because she's too old--a problem resolved by having an upper limit printed on the box.

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The issue I see there is some kids might not want a set if it seems like it for younger kids. i.e. an 11-year old sees "7+" on a box and doesn't want it because she's too old--a problem resolved by having an upper limit printed on the box.

Interesting point. I wonder if that's the reason the LEGO Classic sets are marked as "4–99" instead of just "4+"

Another factor is that putting an age cap on boxes can help steer people looking for gifts for older builders towards more advanced sets. A 16-year-old might enjoy the Temple of Airjitzu more than City of Stiix even if they're not technically "too old" to enjoy either of them. People tend to appreciate sets that challenge them. This is why AFOL and TFOL oriented sets like Temple of Airjitzu, Mindstorms EV3, or the modular buildings don't need an age cap: they're some of the most challenging sets out there, so there aren't really any "more advanced" sets to steer more advanced builders towards.

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Ive never really understood the difficulty in sets, and some being more difficult than others, more so that some sets simply have more pieces than others.

I can understand it if you have an idea or a picture to design something and no instructions to achieve a difficult complex shape like a compound curve...

But when you have instructions, it literally is: get this piece, place it on this piece/through this piece, and put this piece on/through this piece. Then put this sub assembly on main piece. That happens with literally every single set. So how can one be more difficult than another? Doesnt it simply appear more daunting due to more pieces than difficult?

Edited by Fuppylodders

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Ive never really understood the difficulty in sets, and some being more difficult than others, more so that some sets simply have more pieces than others.

I can understand it if you have an idea or a picture to design something and no instructions to achieve a difficult complex shape like a compound curve...

But when you have instructions, it literally is: get this piece, place it on this piece/through this piece, and put this piece on/through this piece. Then put this sub assembly on main piece. That happens with literally every single set. So how can one be more difficult than another? Doesnt it simply appear more daunting due to more pieces than difficult?

Different types of building can require different levels of attentiveness to the instructions. There have been a number of times when sites like Brickset have reviewed a Bionicle or Hero Factory set for ages 7+ or 8+ and put shells on in the wrong orientation, for instance. And with sets that use Technic, you have to be VERY careful to put parts on in the correct order and the correct orientation or the set might not function properly. So on some levels, the age recommendations are a measure of how many opportunities there are to make careless mistakes if you're not used to that style of building, or how difficult those mistakes might be to spot and fix after the fact.

I think it was at my seventh birthday that my brother and I had a LEGO-themed party, and my dad ordered a bunch of $6 Throwbots sets as activities/party favors. I think that was where I first became aware that some types of LEGO building DID take a certain amount of skill/experience. Throwbots are extremely simple by Technic standards, but even so there were issues where some of the kids at the party were using the wrong length axles, attaching them through the wrong holes, etc. Most of them had never built a LEGO set quite like these, and as such they didn't know what kind of mistakes were possible, let alone what kind of mistakes to look out for.

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But different levels of attentiveness doesnt= different skill level required. Simply follow the instructions, and it is essentially putting brick on brick, or pin through hole... There is no guessing required, everything is laid out for you...

The only difficulty is when the colours aren't laid out so clearly in the instructions and 2 look very similar...

Edited by Fuppylodders

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I recently build the Elves Secret Spa set. I was fairly reluctant to buy this set, and it was near the bottom of my wishlist for this theme, because of how girly this set is and my disinterest in some of the accessories such as the pink brush and basket. I ended up getting it anyways, because at the very least I can always make use of more grey and brown bricks. My thoughts on building it? : It was a lot of fun and better than I expected, with total nostalgia overload for me. I would have loved this set so much 20yrs ago when I was eight. The abundance of cyans and purples, and a purple dolphin! The magenta, however, is a colour I’ve never been a fan of. So I decided to remove most of that colour out of the set.

I also modded the set by merging the two sections together and adding more foliage. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

23180669712_9d3ba95cb9.jpg

22660595254_30116e6f09.jpg

Edited by Iria

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But different levels of attentiveness doesnt= different skill level required. Simply follow the instructions, and it is essentially putting brick on brick, or pin through hole... There is no guessing required, everything is laid out for you...

The only difficulty is when the colours aren't laid out so clearly in the instructions and 2 look very similar...

Everyone building does not have spatial intelligence. I have trouble seeing the spacing unless I count the studs. As I become more familiar with building, I hope to have a lot less issues. I bought my first set of Lego for me after the Lego Movie came out.

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