WesternOutlaw

What's interesting in looking at the results of this poll, 38% of people responded with a set that was originally made in 1992 as 1st place. The Sante Fe and Cargo Train tied for 2nd. The Cargo Train reminds me a lot of the early 9V sets. What this leads me to believe is that with all of Lego's new technology, colors, and specialized pieces, some of the older sets were still better. Lego needs to make more Legends!

This looks like an awesome cartoon! After purchasing the Lego SW video game over the weekend and really enjoying both the story and play, this will be really neat. Looking forward to seeing it. Poster is slick.

This is why I liked the Universal Sets from the past and sets that don't always have such specialized pieces. For building, I like to just use standard pieces. It doesn't limit you to the set your buying. But even the tubs now have so many colors and just a few of the same piece, they're not real good either. I liked the classic 80s town sets which gave you a lot of building opportunity with enough pieces for walls and numerous large plates for floors and roofs. Agree greatly with Orlego's comments re. imagination and alternate models. Some of the best sets that we made as kids were made from bags of pieces from numerous sets (I remember dragsters, chariots, pyramids, a wild west town, submarines, and space ships to name a few). We wished we had Lego Star Wars in the day, and made what we could out of standard pieces. Kids are losing the imagination because we give them action figures, electronic toys, and video games in cool packaging that quickly find their way to the toy box. Building Lego together for hours was fun and changed everytime you built something - this is quality.

I don't mind having a child on the box, but what I'd rather see are those alternate models, but with limited "standard" pieces and use of specialized pieces in numerous colors, alternates are difficult to make. Someone else brought up a point re. how AFOL view Lego vs. children, but I do think Lego has gotten away from marketing to the imagination vs. providing an image from a movie or an action-figure. The majority of sets seem to be models vs. building sets (with some exceptions). - and I'm sure technology has been a big contributor to this but Lego and other companies are taking the imagination out of children and replacing it with a quick image from a movie and hours in front of the television. The hours of building and using one's imagination is diminishing.

What I miss most is just buying a set and building a variety of other models. The newer sets sometimes don't even show pictures of alternate models on the back of the box, but rather a picture of a fig or of a vehicle as part of the normal model. Why? specialized pieces in numerous colors make it difficult. Lego has become models instead of bricks. I love the detail of the models but it does limit what you can build. Some time ago on another message, I had asked if anyone purchased a set recently that had a 2x4 standard brick? Most of the responses were, "I got one in set A", "a couple in set B". - but what can you buld with just a few standard bricks, a wall? In all of Lego designers' efforts to create awesome models, we lost a great deal of "build-ability" in sets, the one thing that made Lego the unique company they are. I won't even get started with Bionicle and Knight's Kingdom. If any of you remember Universal Building Sets, these were great and provided endless hours of fun and new models. Now I spend my time building big models with pages of instructions. Some of the fun and the creativity has been sacrificed.

PS. I bought all the construction sets with the exception of the large crane. - I'm disappointed with all of the sets. Same reasons mentioned above. Compare these sets with 6383 Public Works (which I still have most of the pieces to). It was 100 times better. These were great stand alone (or add to existing city) sets. The new sets just don't have the same level of playability and advantage of building numerous alternative models.

Yes, at least in large enough quantities to make standard buildings. The newer sets just have so many specialized pieces that it's much harder to build with them. In terms of windows and doors, I prefer the 3x4 windows (shutter-type) and 4x5 doors. I find them easier to build and I like the traditional look. A few sets still use them but look at sets like the new Police Station (7237)- very specialized. Try building anything other than a police station or jail, and it may be possible (but much more difficult). Standard bricks in a single color just seem limited in the new sets. One of the best sets I bought in the last year for building was Tub 3033 w/ 1200 pieces at $20. I ordered flat roofs and doors and windows separately and I had the makings of numerous buildings, covered bridges, and a custom train engine shed. I'd love Lego to just make a standard tub of 1byX bricks in 2-3 colors (grey, white, etc), and you could build castles, pirate fortresses, buildings, bridges, churces, etc. very easily. The older city sets offered this but Lego has just gotten so specialized in the pieces. Once you build the complicated model, you just leave it built, because it's much harder to build anything else with it. The advantage of the new sets is greater detail, but you lose a lot of the custom fun. That's why I like the Legends (like Main Street that has numerous alternative models).

Way too many police sets. I feel that my city is becoming a police state! I like the police vehicles of the World City (specifically the Armored Car and the Surveillance Truck, and the little police car wasn't bad). The WC station was just bad (too modern for me unless your in to Minority Report). Then, 1-2 years later (last year), Lego released the City Police Line. I didn't bother buying any of these sets but I did get the Fire Station and the fire mini-truck you mentioned. They're not bad, but compared to the 80s sets, these just don't cut it. What made the 80s sets so good were standard pieces (1x1, 1x2, 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, regular windows and doors, and large plates. These provided endless building opportunities and in my opinion, just look better than the specialized modern city sets made now. I like the vehicles and the figs now (and the trains which are awesome) but the buildings from the 80s as well as some vehicles still blow away the new stuff (with the exception of the train engine shed and crossing).

I most disagree with the General Grievous Chase and the Vader Transformation. Boga is pretty bad (should have been a single color like the dewback), but the two-mode wheel bike is pretty slick. It just looks cool and I like the way you can change modes. I'm not crazy about Grievous. Needs color, better legs, and arms that can be moved in other positions. What I like most about the Vader Transformation is an alternate pictured on back of a laser cannon that can be build very easily and it uses all the pieces in the set (save 3 robot arms). It even uses Anakin's legs for the tilt. I like creative little sets that offer some alternates. Try building. It's neat. I'm a little disappointed with the Jedi Starfighter that just doesn't look as good once built (compared to pictures). Hard to hold and I'm not crazy about the cockpit cover. - and when the head of a droid like R2 is used, Lego should always throw in the lower section (even if not used in the model). The Vulture Droid is funky and I hate stickers. I haven't built the ARC yet.

Let me add, I'm not against new sets which I always look forward to. I'd just like to see Lego continue creating Legends as another chance to buy sets we missed.

I want to see classic sets. That's what makes it a Legend. If it's in new colors, then it might as well be a new set.

I would love to see a Hoth Rebel base. Would fit in nicely with the newer Falcon and At-At. An open Death Star would be great to (like Bespin) with multiple levels/floors. The list could be endless. Lego definately did well to purchase Star Wars building rights. I just wish we had some of these sets in the late 70s/early 80s.

I haven't heard any rumors about train car(s) in May. Is this a credible rumor?

Plus people will buy duplicate sets for more figs. I'm sure Lego knows this little trick. But you're right, it doesn't seem like it would cost a whole lot to throw in a few more troopers or whatever fig if they already made thousands.

I liked the chrome - added detail.

I voted for Pirates of the Carribbean. REASON: Pirates have been one of Lego's best historic themes and a future pirate theme gives the opportunity to add to your existing models. I predict that Vikings will be a short lived theme (somewhat like Western in duration with limited sets). Vikings just doesn't seem to offer the opportunity to add many sets to the line or sub-themes later. Great for a collection; however, if limited. Also, Pirates of the Caribbean was a much better movie than the 13th Warrior. In fact, I don't recall a really good viking movie ever. This adds appeal to pirates. And lastly, pirates provide a great deal of mystery and imagination with burried treasure, jungle adventures, and tales of marauding pirates. Vikings just doesn't have the same appeal. Now if another theme like Sinbad or Greek Mythology is introduced, this may give Pirates a run for the money!

I'd rather see some more classic SW sets released.

Great set, but I do wish this had been mini-fig scale. Further sets could have been a cargo dock with a crane, truck, and even a Maersk container car for a train. I would have preferred to see these sets then re-releasing this.

I vote to keep politics and present day armies out of Lego forums.

Appears the set is already listed on BrickLink for $38+ USD. It would be great if Lego made this available through SAH.

I hope this set becomes more than a promotional set (maybe a new theme- planes from different countries) - or better yet, a new adventurer theme. From the back image, it looks even better. I love the storage compartment and the cockpit with fly stick. It has much greater detail than the last biplane, Thunder Blazer (7420). Neat little set!

I received the new construction set yesterday evening (7243), and I love the crane and dump truck, but aren't too crazy about the gravel sifter (for lack of the correct name). When turning the wheel, I notice that once the gray dump-truck piece hits the conveyer, you have to continue turning the wheel to get the round 1x1 pieces to make it to the end of the conveyer. As this is done, the conveyer belt seems to almost create friction and become "un-treaded" and harder to turn. Not that the belt slips off, but rather, just doesn't line up with the large yellow wheel pieces very well. In addition, the gray flat (2x6 or 2x8) connecting the tops of the two sides of the machine (toward the front where the rocks fall down), snaps off when turning the wheel (due to both sides of the machine moving when not EXTREMELY careful in turning the wheel. - the machine is nor very stable when turning. I'm rather disappointed with this part of the set as I think the conveyer component could have been designed better. I tried re-building a few times and finally gave up frustrated. Have any of you encountered this? I do love the crane and the dump truck which is much larger than I expected (expected a dump truck the old standard size (with the gray piece used on the conveyer). It uses a new larger dump truck piece.

Reminds me of Grease.

I would have liked to include some of the others mentioned above, but polls have a 10 choice limit.

I'd love to see an Orient Express, a nice classy passenger train that would go great with the Adventurers theme. Even an American Orient Express with blue, white, and yellow colors would be nice. The Super Chief was a great engine, but the cars were just so plain (as is the real train). I like color.