Lyichir

One of the main barriers to it becoming a set is probably the fact that it utilizes those retired head molds from that earlier theme. There's no guarantee Lego still has those around and even if they did, reintroducing all of them would constitute a much greater logistical cost than the use of active molds. I'm also not 100% sure what the current working relationship between Lego and Nickelodeon is. Nickelodeon does currently air Lego City Adventures, but all of the themes based on Nickelodeon shows (Avatar, Spongebob, TMNT) are long since retired, not even making a return in more recent "umbrella themes" like BrickHeadz or Lego Dimensions.

An issue with extrapolating the possibility of Lego sets from other premium toymakers revisiting the franchise is that the two aim at very different markets. Yes, there will be Lord of the Rings toys again. But will they be prominently advertised to kids on the shelves at Wal-Mart or Target? Or will they remain a niche product for die-hard collectors, especially adult collectors? A streaming TV series doesn't have as much merchandising impact as a movie in most cases, after all. I wouldn't necessarily rule out Lego revisiting the Lord of the Rings license completely. But if it were to return to tie in with this new series, I might sooner expect a small-scale revival, like Lego has done for franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean, or for other streaming tie-in sets like Vader's Castle and the Razor's Crest in the Star Wars theme. One large, premium, adult targeted set (and eh, probably a BrickHeadz set or two if they did go through the trouble of reobtaining the license) feels more comparable to the general merchandising strategy of other Lord of the RIngs products than a full wave of sets that would usually rely on the larger but more fickle kid demographic for Lego sets. Harry Potter (which when you get right down to it is based on a series of children's books and movies) is perhaps a less apt comparison, especially given what we know of how their respective Lego themes performed the first time around.

It's one thing for Lego to release a new set based on a property they're already licensing and a subject they would inevitably cover anyway one of these years as the theme stretches onward beyond ongoing movie releases. It's an entirely different thing to think fans can convince Lego to re-release older sets when historically, re-releases have been incredibly poor sellers. If you want new Castle sets your best options as a consumer are either to wait (the easiest but slowest option, as Lego will release new Castle sets when they're good and ready if history is anything to go by), or to create something new (not a re-release of an older set) and promote it through Lego Ideas, a service that's actually designed for soliciting those kinds of concepts. Take it from a Bionicle fan—petitions to get Lego to bring back a retired theme have little weight and are unlikely to convince them to undo a past decision or hasten a future one. Their actual decisions are grounded in a heck of a lot more concrete data and research than a handful of fans asking for something on the internet.

Speaking of Amiibo, one thing I have been considering is creating custom "Amiibo bases" for these Lego Mario figures. NFC stickers are relatively cheap, and it would be easy enough to write the necessary data and stick them to a brick-built base.

Back when I first beat the game on Wii U, I thought a lot about a potential sequel. Story and gameplay-wise, I felt like one of the neatest ways to follow up the single-player only Lego City Undercover was to do a "buddy cop" game where Chase gets a new partner (perhaps a returning character like Natalia or perhaps someone entirely new) who would allow for co-op gameplay (the LCU rereleases added some barebones co-op, but not in a way that actually factored into the story) as well as being able to build off of that subgenre's respective tropes the way LCU did with generic crime movie tropes. In terms of areas, one of the biggest developments in the City theme since that game's release has been an overall broadening of scope—including things like arctic, jungle, volcano, and deep-sea exploration subthemes that take place well outside the traditional city limits. As such, if a sequel were to come out today it might benefit from a similarly wide scope. "Lego City: International", perhaps? By extension, new disguises could be introduced corresponding to those sorts of themes, either for both characters or specifically for the new partner character (since having distinct abilities from Chase could benefit both single-player and co-op gameplay much like the distinct costumes for Batman and Robin in the first Lego Batman game). Some ideas include: Diving Gear: Could allow you to dive underwater to find new areas and secrets Arctic Gear: Could allow you to break or interact with objects made of ice, along with perhaps some abilities like being able to hold your footing in icy or windy areas Volcano Resistance Gear: Could allow you to survive in dangerously hot areas, and maybe share some of the miner abilities? Jungle Gear: Could allow you hack through tough vines and other jungle plants with a machete, and maybe tame jungle animals like crocodiles and big cats. Paramedic Gear: Could allow you to use defibrillators to electrify or power up machines, and maybe cure sick NPCs?

I doubt the recolor in Pirates of Barracuda Bay will be the last recolor we get, especially now that Lego has recently started introducing new hairpiece recolors in the Lego Store "Build-a-Mini" stations on a fairly regular basis. Especially if that set sells well, we may get other color combinations for this piece that way in the future! Of course, I have no idea what those might be, especially since tan is the only other color that the hairless tricorne hat has come in in the first place (and even then, only in one set!). At best, a dark brown hat might sort of come close to the retired classic brown. But moving out of classic colors there are plenty of other options—light grey, dark grey, white, dark tan, and even vivid colors like dark blue, dark red, and red could all be neat options for this piece.

Not just allows the panels to fall—turning the platform Mario is on back and forth seems to actually RAISE the panels under Bowser's feet alternatingly, making Bowser "waddle" closer and closer to Mario until (presumably) he falls in the lava. There also seems to be a bridge section behind that that I think Bowser stands on at the start—stomping on both of the round tiles to either side seems like it lifts the statue's arms, which in turn tilts that first bridge forward so that Bowser slides onto the second section. As I mentioned above, the towers to either side seem to have functions as well. The left tower with the Boo rotates the opposite direction of the platforms surrounding it, possibly making the Boo knock Mario off the platform as it turns. The tower on the right, with the Dry Bones, I haven't 100% figured out—either the platforms act as a sort of lever (such that stomping on one side makes the Dry Bones fall off the other), or they slide in and out, though I don't entirely understand the significance of that if it is the case. Speaking of this set, I do think it's interesting that that set doesn't seem to contain Princess Peach (who would usually be a "damsel in distress" being held captive by Bowser in his castle). I'm guessing that either she's being saved for use as a playable "digi-fig" like Mario (sort of like how she was playable in Super Mario 3D World), or she'll appear as a brick-built figure like Yoshi in a separate set, possibly one that includes her castle.

Yeah, I noticed that issue too. You can correct the connectivity in the Stud.io part designer program.

I would say... not that much. Keep in mind that "AFOLs" doesn't just mean adults who grew up on classic themes or have more than a vague nostalgia for them. In fact, I'd wager that the majority of AFOLs were drawn back into Lego or sometimes even drawn into Lego for the first time by big licensed themes like Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Super Heroes that often feature big, impressive sets and overlap with broader "geek" interests. So far the first explicitly adult-focused "product line" we've seen announced since then has been the premium-looking Star Wars helmet series—sets intended almost exclusively as display items which cater to an already well-established adult collector base.

I'm not! I wanted to order it! :P It kind of reminds me of that original early release bundle of Tahu and Vakama that was available in the back of Lego Mania Magazine when the Bionicle theme was announced way back in 2001. I do wonder whether the preorders selling out might also have been impacted by COVID-19. I know that both Lego and Nintendo have had supply chains disrupted by the virus, so a collaboration could be impacted on both the Lego and electronics end. I can't help but wonder if Lego might have a more robust inventory that they could feel comfortable reserving for early purchasers in a hypothetical 2020 where the whole world wasn't thrown into chaos by a pandemic.

If it were "just" a remake of an existing set, I'd agree with you. But it's not. The ability to display it as a shipwrecked pirate base is a fundamental aspect of the finished set (perhaps the most important aspect, considering how much of the set goes toward creating that beached landscape and substructure). I have little doubt that if somebody came up with a version of a classic set like the Galaxy Explorer that were sufficiently transformative (i.e. used the original set as a starting point for a concept that's more than a mere update of the concept of the original set), then it would not violate that rule any more than this does.

I don't know if that's the case. The description of the starter set does mention instructions within the app, but that might either mean the instructions being duplicated within the app with added functionality (like Lego Instructions PLUS enabled sets), and/or specific instructions for ways to rearrange the "modules" contained within each set into new course layouts (with paper instructions still being included for constructing the modules themselves, some of which are quite complex). Speaking of complexity, I've been trying to build these sets digitally as they're revealed and the Bowser's Castle set has some quite clever functions. I just managed to figure out that the tower with the Boo on it actually seems to be counter-rotating (with the platforms rotating one way as the top of the tower and the Boo rotate the other way). I think I've mostly figured out the mechanics of it despite not having pictures of the build or interior structure, and it's definitely an interesting and elegant mechanism!

Yay! I love hedgehogs! Great use of SNOT techniques on the spines!

I don't think the two would fit together? Both of Parker's hairpieces cover a lot on the sides and front of her head and torso—it seems like they'd collide with these new headphones. Best bets are probably either another character like Jack borrowing her headphones, or Parker getting a new hairpiece that is shorter or tied back so that the headphones can hang freely in the front.

Worth mentioning that if this is intended to help build the original layout physically, that raised baseplate never came out in standard tan, just dark tan (and light bley). So you'd either have to substitute in a brick-built stand-in (using standard slope bricks, for instance) or change out the color. Seeing the scale of that also makes me even happier with Lego's choice for the beaches... curvier, more gently sloped beaches look significantly more realistic than a steep and angular mound of sand like that!

I'll admit that the rework of the Pirate Bay project has me hopeful for the Bionicle one. The actual proposal is only okay—I feel like it's a little divorced from Bionicle's aesthetic for my liking, and the variety of scales used limits the compatibility of the figures with one another—but I'll bet that Lego could polish the rough concept of that into a truly special tribute set.

It's not against their rule. That rule is about submissions, not finished products. And anyway, the form the set took (a pirate base built from a shipwreck that can be converted into a more polished update of the original ship) is still a very different concept than the original set on its own (much like how the large scale and modular nature of the Saturn V set made it substantially different from the previous set version of said spacecraft). It's what I would call "transformative"—using the original set as inspiration but creating something wholly unique with it. I think a lot of people don't realize how many of the Ideas guidelines are less about what Lego could or couldn't do as a set and more about making the service more usable in general. If not for that rule, for instance, Ideas would likely be glut with "remake" ideas that were barely changed from their original releases if at all, to the point that original, unexplored concepts like the program was designed for would have a harder time getting attention. So this rule was introduced to weed out those kinds of proposals. Nothing would prevent Lego from exploring that sort of "remake" concept on their own, but straightforward remakes are not what the Ideas program was intended for and there is little benefit to Lego for soliciting concepts based entirely on their original sets from the community.

Wouldn't surprise me if it showed up in both, perhaps in different color combinations.

I mean, it's possible? But I think the more likely scenario in most cases would be getting one good set based on an Ideas proposal and that's it. Maybe, just maybe, if sales for one were substantial enough it might inspire a follow-up (sort of like how the Ninjago City set got a smaller docks expansion a year later). But a full theme, with the production volume that implies, might risk oversaturating a market of nostalgic adults, many of whom might be more or less content with one big, impressive set rather than seeking to complement it with a larger number of smaller, cheaper, and more kid-focused sets. Even if the sales of the set did encourage Lego to bring a theme like Pirates back in some capacity (which they were likely to do eventually anyway), it wouldn't necessarily be evidence on its own that a new, non-nostalgia-driven take on themes like Pirates or Castle wouldn't be a safer bet for the rollout of a full theme. After all, the nostalgia well only goes so deep—when you get past almost universally beloved sets like the Black Seas Barracuda, classic themes' tendency to introduce new factions over time means you'd soon wind up trying to wring success out of less popular or more divisive subthemes unless you sailed into the uncharted waters of new concepts instead. Either way, I think it doesn't affect the goals of a Lego Ideas project creator, which should always be to design the most impressive singular concept they can create. There's no guarantee that a project will inspire a full series of sets, but there's pretty much a guarantee that it won't if it can't even gain enough supporters by standing alone on its own merits.

This is hilarious in its level of detail, but speaking seriously, having baseplates in a color as neutral as white is great. I noticed on my last trip to the Lego store (well before this pandemic had reached the stage it's at now) that Lego was using the white baseplates as blank "canvases" for their Dots building station for the kids, which is a great use for them. And of course it's also great for scenes that require a white base—I could see these being a popular choice to pair with the Winter Village sets or Lego City arctic explorers. Even just on its own... so bright and minimalist!

You might also consider looking at real-life police stations from other cities for inspiration. When thinking of how to make an interesting-looking police station, the police headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts came to mind as a more modern example:

The thing is that you are assuming the 10,000 supporters of the project to be like-minded. That's pretty much never the case. Supporting a project does not necessarily equate to wanting that design as is—indeed, Lego Ideas has commenting in addition to the raw voting specifically so that supporters can give feedback or suggestions that are more nuanced than a mere tally mark on the supporter list. From what I've seen the reception to this set has largely been positive, including from people who supported the project (and of course, the fan designer who created the project in the first place). The design process for Ideas doesn't, and shouldn't, stop when the project reaches 10,000 votes. The fan designer is still involved in the process beyond that point, as Lego's own designers solicit feedback on changes and decisions about what the final set should look like (changes and decisions that range from wholly necessary substitutions to other sorts of changes and tweaks that add features or functionality). Now, obviously, the extent of those changes will vary from project to project. It has to! A project like the Old Fishing Store that was almost fully formed and didn't rely on retired or otherwise unavailable parts doesn't need as many changes as a project like this that used an awful lot of retired elements and unproduced recolors. And the amount of variation from their initial concept that individual fan designers will abide by varies from project creator to project creator as well. That is their prerogative—and there's no reason why it should be vetoed by the specific expectations of individual supporters, whose participation and investment in the process constitutes a mere fraction of what got the project approved and ends when the project reaches review. Maybe this makes you lose faith in the Ideas process. As always, you're entitled to your opinion. But don't presume that your very rigid expectations of what the process should be like apply to everyone equally. There's a lot of people whose faith in the process could just as easily increase because of seeing what they might viewas vast improvements over the initial concept.

The reality ISN'T nothing like the submission. It's still very similar in structure and concept to the original proposal. The fact that they changed some of the colors and added the amazing feature of being able to convert it back into a ship (a reimagining of a classic one, no less) is just a bonus—but that doesn't erase the fact that it was still based on that original concept and redesigned in close collaboration with the project creator who got it to 10,000 votes in the first place. And the reception, from what I've seen, has been mostly positive. I wouldn't be surprised to see it become successful much like the Old Fishing Store, perhaps moreso (though what a comparable level of success entails might be hard to quantify, given that the two sets occupy very different price points). I don't know why you seem to think that by performing the almost trivial activity of supporting the project concept on Ideas (a process that takes a few clicks), you should be entitled to dictate the direction that the project creator and set designer take in collaboratively refining that concept. They're the ones who have done the heavy lifting, they're the ones who proposed it, promoted it, and turned it into a finished set. Maybe you don't like the direction it took! That's fine! But feeling "insulted" because the actual person behind the project you supported isn't as rigid-minded about their dream set as you are suggests to me that you have a misplaced sense of ownership over an idea that wasn't yours in the first place.

It does—pretty much exactly. Personally I prefer the way they've done it (I like the use of plates since they offer a more organic shape than a rectangular base with a steep drop-off), but it would be a simple enough mod to do it like you suggest—though it'd require a hefty investment in Trans. Light Blue plates, since the base would be twice the size of the one in the Ninjago City set!

I'm in that latter category. I was sort of ambivalent about the original project—like, I appreciated how nice it must have been for it to get chosen but while I was a Pirates fan as a kid (my twin and I even dressed up as King Kahuka and an Imperial Guard one Halloween), the color scheme and sort of dour aesthetic of the submitted project didn't appeal to me at all and wouldn't go with any other Pirates sets even if I still had them all together. The redesign, on the other hand, blew me away. It didn't just recreate the aesthetic of those classic sets but updated them with jaw-dropping building techniques and modern colors (I for one much prefer the sunny brightness of Medium Azur as a water color over the murkiness of Bright Blue or worse, Earth Blue). The level of detail was top-notch, mixing the ramshackle look of the original proposal with more elaborate shaping achievable only with more recent parts. And the ability for it to convert into a complete ship makes it the complete package, not dependent on me having or obtaining other sets to display with it (though it has inspired me to try MOCing similar updates of other classic sets like Eldorado Fortress on Stud.io). Today is my 29th birthday and I'm really hoping to pick this new set up when it releases in a couple of days to enjoy while stuck at home during this coronavirus outbreak.