thetang22

Looks nice with the added bit of color

I'm not quite sure what I said that lead you to respond with "if it's really so hard for you to believe that girls and boys have different styles of play or different tastes in play figures"... I'm fully aware of that, and don't believe I really said anything to indicate otherwise. Whether it is innate, or conditioned, anyone can tell by walking down the toy aisles at a store which toys are intended for boys and which are intended for girls. The fact that many toy stores have actually created 2 separate gender-specific Lego toy sections in recent years kinda furthers what I was saying. If for any reason someone takes offense to me saying one aisle is "meant" for boys and the other is for girls....I don't know what to tell you. When I say that Lego develops a mini-doll and has it placed in the "girl aisle" of toys...if that's something that upsets you (because I suggest those toys are meant for girls), then I'm sorry you get offended by that. "But you said they are ONLY intended for girls". Ok....I'll amend that to, "they are only intended for people who like toys that are intended for girls". If that still offends you, I'm sorry but we are just going to have to have a difference of opinion. There ARE toys that are intended for girls. There are some boys who like those toys, but that doesn't change the fact that said toys are intended to appeal to girls rather than boys...the same way there are toys that are intended to appeal to boys rather than girls. Sure, any business would be fine with a larger market (both boys AND girls), but it's MUCH easier to appeal to one or the other, and accept a few unexpected fans from the gender you didn't market to. If you feel I'm being insensitive about this issue, something to consider is that I'm a full grown man, and I'm more than happy to admit I played with Barbies with my older sister when I was a kid. And she also played with my "boy" toys like Ninja Turtles, He-man, GI Joe, etc... I fully understand there are people who can have fun with toys intended for the opposite gender (I was guilty of that as a child). But I also understand that is rarer than not, and not the sort of thing that companies design for.

So the girls couldn't "connect" with something androgynous like a minifig, but boys either can or don't care? Sorry, "girly" to me is pretty much exactly what you just described (something designed for girls to respond well to it). Of course they would respond better to something designed to look more feminine than androgynous.

And what exactly was the nature of said test? Was it putting a minifig up against a proto-type Minidoll and asking kids which feels more "girly". If so, no doubt they would choose the minidoll design, as it is suited more so for girls than boys. That would not change the fact the minifig is pretty well androgynous - defined by the setting that it is in, and intended use within a given set. I believe the reason why a minifig may "feel" more boy than girl is that Lego has a long history of using them in ways more traditionally suited for boys. Due to that, they are naturally going to seem more fit for a boy in any tests they do. My point is that the core fundamental design of a minifig is just as close to a GI Joe, or early Star Wars toy as something like a Polly Pocket or a Barbie. The body of the minifig was also very androgynous...suggesting it could be meant for boys or girls. Seriously, you put a minifigure in a Barbie-doll like setting (like the Friends line) and the toy is going to feel intended for girls....you put a minifigure in some sort of combat setting (like Ninjago) and its going to feel intended for boys. The only thing Minidolls do is make ANY set they are in seem intended for girls, because that's exactly what they were intended to do.

I think this statement is based on the presumption that minifig = boys, and minidolls = girls. I just don't agree with that. I do agree that minidolls = girls, because you can see the obvious parallels between their design aesthetic and the design of traditional girl dolls. However, I think the minifig by its fundamental design is unisex. It was a figurine that had such generic design aesthetics that it truly depended on the setting and outfit/utensils to determine if the minifig felt more masculine or feminine. By it's very design, it did not seem any closer to a 70-80's action figure than it did a 70-80's doll figure...not until it was put into a particular setting. I assumed that was the case based on my own experiences too, but good to hear that regardless.

I'm actually interested in the hoods they've got in new Elves sets. If they fit minifig heads, they could possibly be a nice addition for Elven Rangers or Mages.

My gut tells me when a new theme comes out, Lego already has a plan for exactly how long it will run. They probably already have the entire release schedule mapped out for the duration of the theme, with a little wiggle room for minor alterations. Even if a big bang theme isn't doing as well as they had hoped, I can't see them cancelling their plans unless the theme is just selling abysmally. As long as it is doing "alright"....they would probably see it through to the originally planned conclusion. Only under extreme circumstances would they likely change their planned schedule for a theme...such as Ninjago doing MUCH better than anticipated....warranting further development of the theme.

I just hope that whatever comes next gets rid of the extreme sci-fi influences. I'm indifferent about it containing characters vs. nameless armies...but I just want the setting to be traditional medieval, possibly with some D&D type fantasy. In all honesty, if they are adamant on character-driven themes, I think Castle would work great if they did it like D&D, or the countless other examples of video game and tabletop games set in medieval fantasy settings.

I know it's context and perspective...but I'm pretty sure the success of Ninjago is EXACTLY why Nexo Knights exist in the first place, rather than an actual Castle theme. So in a sense....Ninjago was, and remains, a big threat to current and future Lego Castle.

And they KNOW you were/are currently selling them? They aren't under the impression this is otherwise just a passion project you are not trying to profit on? If you have proof they are clear on that point, then you should be good.

My guess is Lego simply isn't aware you are doing it...and if they were, they would likely request you stop. After all, they have sold similar "catalogue" books, and you are attempting to profit off of something you seemingly don't have the rights to profit from. For what it's worth, I'm not going to play whistle-blower...just trying to bring up the point.

This looks neat (much like your t-shirt) - but I have 1 pretty big question....is selling this even legal? This looks like a fan-project instead of something official. Have you done your legal due-diligence to cover yourself legally for trying to profit off of using Lego's name and artwork/iconography?

i enjoyed these

Very nice. I could see that being used as a board game (even though it's based on a video game).

Great atmosphere.

Pretty neat scene. I do wish there was just a bit more color variety in the greens used for the ground.

This rationale could be used to argue against Lego EVER making another traditional Castle theme...but do we really want that? No. We can almost always come up with our own custom interpretation of an idea using existing sets and pieces, but it's even more fun when Lego comes out with new (good) sets within a theme we like. The typically comes with new pieces, prints, potentially new factions, etc... Any time they'd ever go all-in on a new medieval Castle theme, I'd say that's better than not.

Well, to avoid additional drama from a debate on semantics and intention, I'll drop it.

Because it was referencing part of something you said.

Those all look awesome for various reasons, but I love the quaintness of the farmstead.

Here's what you quoted: And here's the full sentence: You suggested Nexo Knights going to space would be silly for specific reasons. I suggest that Nexo Knights going to space isn't remotely silly for any reason, due to Nexo Knights being what it is. Hence why I left out your specific reasons in my quote (the specific reasons just didn't matter to my point).

Have you SEEN Nexo Knights?!?! Going to Space doesn't seem any sillier than those characters existing in a Castle setting.

My gut tells me you would be hard pressed to find too many people here that agree with your assessment. Quite a few people don't like mixing yellow-skinned minifigs with flesh-tone minifigs. And based on what I've read over the years, most people who prefer the traditional minifigs don't want the minidolls anywhere near them. The sculpting differences are just too drastic on the minidolls when you consider Lego already has traditional minifig Elves as a reference point.

One of the most important things to do is find visual sources of inspiration. That can be other MOC viking buildings, as seen above, or pics of viking-like buildings from anywhere in media. For instance, you could look at the buildings in the video game Skyrim for inspiration, as many of them are viking-inspired. Once you find your inspiration, depending on how familiar you are with the MOC building process, I'd simply do some research on Lego building techniques. You'll see all sorts of ideas for different types of walls, roofs, etc... Good luck!

I know. The reason I mentioned is that I travel quite a bit, and tend to keep an eye on this where I go (so it's not really JUST "my town/city" as a sample size). I live in Midwest USA, and travel quite a bit for work, in addition to visiting family out of state in 2 major cities. I also went to Europe this Summer. Not once in any place I've ever traveled to have I found Nexo Knights appear to fly off the shelves the way other popular themes have in the past.. Either these stores have just conveniently restocked their Nexo supply right before I visit every time (which is a ridiculous notion), or else these sets don't sell that well in the places I travel or live.