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Joebot

Eurobricks Knights
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Everything posted by Joebot

  1. Joebot
    I assume the accessories for Zodiac are meant to represent the zodiacal signs of Pisces (fish) and Cancer (crab).
  2. Joebot
    I'm not crazy about the dragon. I prefer last year's four-legged dragons, as opposed to the Ninjago-style two-legged dragons, which look like big chickens to me. BUT ... I love the airship. What a beautiful set. The buildings look great too. The little goblin guys are cute, but the lack of articulation kinda sucks. Overall, the Elves design team continues to crush it. Honestly, in an era of endless repeats of Batmobiles, police stations, and X-wing fighters, Elves is easily the most creative theme Lego has come out with in 15 years.
  3. Joebot
    Thanks for the link! Honestly, my first reaction on following the link was: "Wait ... aren't these the police sets from 2016?" I had to double-check to make sure I was looking at 2017 sets.
  4. Joebot
    I think I'd argue that it's the IDEAS that are lazy, not the designs. The set designs seem interesting and modern and well-thought out, as we expect from TLG these days. It's just that the the City theme as a whole has become so repetitive and dull. Helicopters, vehicle transporters, and of course, more police. But hey, a bank! That's an honest-to-goodness BUILDING that's not a police station or a fire station. Of course, the context of the bank is a police set, but hey, I'm trying to be positive here. It's weird that TLC went something like 25 years without making a bank, and now they've made 3 or 4 in the past 5 years.
  5. Joebot
    An uninspiring list, to say the least. TLG's obsession with vehicle transporters is bordering on the absurd. I predict next year, we'll see the first "Vehicle Transporter Transporter." I'm picturing an enormous semi trailer that's hauling a smaller SUV that's pulling a trailer with motorcycles on it. Almost like a Russian nesting doll of vehicle transporters.
  6. Joebot
    I just picked that set up this weekend. It's easily my favorite Lego set in years. It packs in a ton of fun features and clever details, not to mention a whole lot of charm and personality. And the color scheme is great. The black, purple, and lime green really pop. The Elves product team is crushing it.
  7. Joebot
    Congratulations! i was at the show on Sunday, and this was easily my favorite display (well ... that giant Orthanc was pretty cool too). Amidst all the spaceships and trains, this display really stood out. It was whimsical, unique, and very, very weird (I mean that in a good way!). I loved it. My kids and I stared at it for a good long time, checking out all the amazing details in each snail.
  8. Joebot
    I picked up the Secret Market set over the weekend, and I'm VERY impressed with the dragon. The colors, design, and articulation are a lot of fun. I find myself constantly messing around with it, trying out new poses. I really like the way the dragon's light blue underbelly comes up it's chest and jaw, and is also reflected on the "bottom" of its legs. Some really nice attention to detail there. Probably my only complaint is the facial features. I said this early on when I first saw pictures of the dragons -- they're juuuuust a bit too cutesy. I wouldn't have minded a bit more "fierce" and a little less "cute." The rest of the set is fantastic. I love all the little details, like the working hammer and forge, the hidden book, etc. it's so weird, but Elves is probably my favorite theme at the moment. After 30+ years of building Town/City, I'm bored to death with the current City theme. And Star Wars and Superheroes are all about the mini-figures these days, with lackluster sets, and crazy prices. Elves feels new and unique, and the prices are reasonable.
  9. Joebot
    Wasn't there a mermaid pictured on the map in last year's sets? I fully expected that to be a hint for the 2016 lineup, but I guess not. If the line does continue (and I assume and hope that it will), I'd like to see them grow the cast of characters beyond just the core five. This year gave us a couple of new ones, which was a nice start. I'm pretty well set on Azari figures though.
  10. Joebot
    Yeah, those are both pretty bad. Best hospital ever remains 6380 - Emergency Treatment Center. And that's going on 30 years old!
  11. Joebot
    I think that's a fair point. Police sets tend to get all the criticism, but some of the various police stations we've seen over the years are visually quite distinct, and TLC has done lots of different things with them. Fire stations, though? They all follow the exact same predictable structure -- a red tower with two vehicle bays. Over and over and over again. The only visually distinct fire station that I can think of off the top of my head was the Fire Brigade modular building. Like others here, I wonder if TLC has created a self-fulfilling prophecy. Is Police a perennial best-seller because it's what customers WANT? Or ... is it because that's the only thing available??
  12. Joebot
    HA! You mean you don't poke your ears out through holes in your hood when you pull your hood up? Agreed that the hoods look ridiculous. The big castle looks terrific. I'm not sold on the Mine set. It's an interesting idea, but the blue slide isn't very effective at conveying the idea of a waterfall.
  13. Joebot
    That really jumped out at me too. It's a nice-looking set, but without a road plate, it looks weirdly unfinished, like it's just floating there. Same goes for the Airport sets not having runways. I realize Lego stopped using road plates in City sets a while back, but I still find that to be a bizarre product decision. Overall though, some nice NEW ideas in this wave, including some stuff we haven't seen in ages like the airshow and the park set.
  14. Joebot
    This line from the Brickset report jumped out at me: Really?? You needed customer feedback to figure that out?? [Joebot bangs head against desk in hopeless futility. ] This reminds me of a hilarious Lego statement from about 10 years ago. Lego was just coming out of the dregs of the "Town Jr." era, and starting to release decent town sets again. In one of their financial reports, a Lego rep said, "Our market research showed us that kids like Lego sets that actually look like the real world." Huh. Make sets that look like stuff? Genius!! [Joebot resumes banging head against desk ... ]
  15. Joebot
    I agree, and it IS disappointing that the City product team has totally abandoned any pretense of building an actual "city." But ... so be it. I'm VERY grateful that the Friends theme has come along and largely filled that void. For example, I recently picked up the new Friends Supermarket. This is a terrific set. Yeah, the mini-dolls immediately get tossed in the "Useless Crap" drawer with the stud shooters and the brick separators. That kinda sucks. But everything else in here is very useful to anyone with a Lego town. The details are fantastic, and the Friends color palette gives you a nice change of pace from the typical primary colors. I think I've bought one City set in the past 3-4 years. There's just nothing of interest there for me anymore. I continue to be delighted by the Friends theme though, and have bought a huge chunk of that theme to populate and expand my Lego town (and to fill up my Useless Crap drawer with more and more mini-dolls).
  16. Joebot
    I agree with this. I don't understand the target audience for this set. The subject matter would suggest it's for AFOLs, right? It's a fifty-year-old Intellectual Propertly, so presumably, Lego is aiming this set at adult collectors and hobbyists who were fans of the show. And likewise, adul collectors are more likely to be able to afford this set. However, the set itself seems to be designed for kids, with more of a "playset" approach, rather than "shelf appeal." I think most adult collectors are looking for Lego sets that look cool on the shelf. This set doesn't seem like it will look cool on your shelf. It looks like a big, ugly, brown blob. Plus, how many kids can afford that price tag?!? Lego is smart enough to recognize that there's a market for superhero sets aimed at adult collectors (like the Avengers Helicarrier, which has TONS of shelf appeal). This set misses the mark though. It's too ugly and disjointed to appeal to adults, and kids aren't going to be familiar with the property.
  17. Joebot
    I think we'll be lucky to get even that much. The set names seem VERY vehicle-centric (which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone by this point). Also, if you look at the Deep Sea and Arctic themes, those sets offered very little in the way of "setting." A couple of the Deep Sea sets had some little vignettes to represent the ocean floor, but the Arctic theme didn't even do that much! Just some trans-blue rocks and that was about it. I would anticipate that this Volcano theme would take the same approach -- lots of huge vehicles, helicopters everywhere you look, and maybe a couple of rock pieces to create a vague impression of a volcano.
  18. Joebot
    I just picked up the new Supermarket over the weekend. Man, what a great set. The actual structure of the building isn't much to speak of. Pretty much just a couple of doors and some walls. But this thing is PACKED with terrific details. As fodder for my own Town buildings, this is a terrific set.
  19. Joebot
    Ha! I noticed that too. I can remember when a new police station every three years was considered excessive. But three available concurrently!? I'm pretty sure Lego is just trolling us at this point.
  20. Joebot
    Wow, these new sets look great! I'm really impressed with the combination of whimsical, fantasy designs and some nice medieval-era buildings. I feel like all the good Castle designers swtiched over to Elves, and they're just crushing it. My only issue is those dragon heads ... they remind me of an old cartoon that used to be on PBS called "Dragon Tales." They're just a bit too big-eyed and, well ... "precious" as OmShanti put it. My oldest daugther (she's 19 now) was really into the Belville princess stuff when she was younger. She was looking at my Elves sets the other day, and she was complaining, "Why didn't they have this cool stuff when I was a kid?"
  21. Joebot
    That's cool, and I appreciate that. But, i would recommend avoiding the use of the word "hater" then. That's a perjorative term that's loaded with negative connotation, as I'm sure you're well aware. It's the flipside to me calling you a "mindless fanboy" or a "corporate shill." Those aren't terms that invite friendly discussion. They shut down discussion by belitting the other person's opinion, and implying that they lack the maturity or intelligence to think critically. I don't actually care all that much about this set. You just hit on a pet peeve of mine, is all. And it's one that I see spreading throughout Eurobricks, which is a shame. The use of terms like "hater," "whiner," or "fanboy" are becoming much too prevalent around here.
  22. Joebot
    After mocking people for holding a particular opinion, you then turn around and ask people to express their opinion?? No thanks. I guess I'll keep my opinions to myself. I certainly don't want to be labeled a "hater."
  23. Joebot
    Totally agreed. The Friends set designers are killing it. I've bought one new City set in the past three years. Friends is where it's at. I have a theory that being a set designer for Lego City is the worst job in the whole company. You're stuck making endless variations of the same three basic things because some genius in Product Marketing thinks that kids only want to be cops and firemen and construction workers. But meanwhile, your co-worker in the next cubicle over is on the Friends design team, making cupcake shops and horse stables and veterinarians and science labs and adventure camps and so on. That has to suck, right?
  24. Joebot
    Man, that new police station is terrifying. It looks like some kind of dystopian, sci-fi, Orwellian, future police-state where dissidents are rounded up into camps. I suppose that's the logical endpoint of Lego City's obsession with Police sets though. It was bound to happen.
  25. Joebot
    Those old Harbor sets are just the best. Really fun designs. I've been putting together some old, vintage sets recently too, and a couple of things have jumped out at me: 1) The diversity of Town sets back then was terrific. So many different types of sets that TLC largely ignores now, in favor of yet-another police station. 2) Of course the set designs are more simplistic than current designs, but they have an undeniable appeal. I guess I'd call it "charm." It's hard to describe. 3) TLC must think that kids have gotten really stupid in the past 20 years. The instruction manuls these days are watered down to the point of being insultingly simple. I recently put together the old Yellow Castle, that I acquired in a tub of old bricks. It's a 700-piece castle that you put together in TWELVE numbered steps! These days, the instructions for that set would be 3 manuals, and you'd have piece calls-outs, and you'd never put on more than 2-3 pieces per step. WIth those old manuals, you actually have to pay careful attention and study each step to identfiy what's new. Why does TLC make their instructions so easy these days? Are kids really so dumb? I can't figure this one out.
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