Lego David

Our boy @LOTR34 is from Greece, so for the sake of the argument let's pretend LEGO wants to produce a theme based on Greek Myths in order to appeal to his country's culture. Since they want it also to be "modern" they decide to give Hercules a bunch of big motorcycles, so he can fight the evil Hades Underworld Mech. Ok, fair enough. It is super inaccurate, but at least it somewhat keeps the spirit of the original source material. But then, next thing you know, they decide to also give our hero Hercules a big rocket so he can travel all the way to the moon despite the fact that traveling into the space wasn't even in the human imagination at the time those stories were written. This is basically what Monkie Kid does right now. I am not gonna pretend like past adaptations of Greek myths from been particularly accurate (cough cough Disney's Hercules) but going as far as including rockets traveling to space is really pushing it IMO. There is nothing inheritingly wrong about adding your own unique twist to a classic story, but when a big selling point of your product is "this is based on your country's culture" you gotta stay at least partially true to the source material. If not, you're basically just disrespecting the very culture you're trying to appeal to.

Not gonna lie, this feels like a super lame choice of a set to me. We started out as "a modern retelling of a classic Chinse novel" and now we get to go in Space? I am amazed that Monkie Kid is already going to space after less than three years, I honestly expected Ninjago to do that first. But yeah, besides the original Monkie Kid Warrior Mech, I haven't been particularly impressed by any of the good guy vehicles, and this one is no different. It just doesn't really fit with what I have come to expect from this theme, and feels like a super random choice to me. And the prospect that now Ninjago/Monkie Kid can go to space now really bugs me, because if that is the case, I know we won't be getting anymore original Space themes for good while. The only thing I am interested in from this set are those big trans-red cockpits. I think they're gonna be very useful for Neo-Space Police MOCs.

As I said in the first comment already, on paper, that is true, but it gets a bit more complicated once you realize that you have way too many other sets already on display, and your new set doesn't really fit anywhere. So you either take one of the sets already there and stuff it into a closet because you ran out of space, or just try to cram them all together in a way that won't look like that pretty of a display to look at.

Well, that is one I didn't quite see coming. I guess I ain't old enough to experience "real" stress, but I am sure there are way cheaper ways to escape stress than endlessly buying LEGO sets to keep you occupied. Watching a movie or playing a videogame would have about the same effect, but for a much better value for money. In my mind, there are way better and cheaper methods to escape stress than buying LEGO, but I can definitely see your point. There is no feeling quite like building LEGO after a long day at work, is there?

Sometimes, as I am left to ponder why exactly are we still buying more LEGO. We have so much, and yet we still want more. And the thing is... We don't even do much with the LEGO sets we already own. We just build them once, put them on shelf, and call it a day. Sure, there are some genuinely practical things you can do with LEGO, such as MOCing, Brickfilming, Modding, or just taking them out in order to take some pretty pictures, but I find it that only a relatively small percent of the crowd that regularly buys LEGO actually does any of that. And for those particular things you could do with LEGO, you don't really need to buy everything that comes out. You can do just fine using stuff from your current LEGO collection, and if there is any particular part or minifig that you genuinely need for a practical reason, you might as well just use Bricklink instead of buying the whole set. So I am left to wonder, why do we still spend so much money on LEGO? Why do we anxiously wait for new sets to come out when we don't even have that much space left in our rooms to store them? And after we bought those long awaited sets, we just put them on a shelf (often on a not even that good looking of a display, consisting of a bunch of sets crammed together) and completely forget about them, leaving them to gather dust while we look forward to the next waves of sets. It is this deep "philosophical" question that has kind of prevented me from buying more LEGO for the past year or so, after I went through a huge LEGO colleting phase around two years ago. So, what are your thoughts? Is there any real practical reason for buying LEGO, or have we all just fallen victim to mindless consumerism?

Fun fact, LEGO have actually done this several times in the past before, particularly during the 90's, and then they briefly returned to the formula with Hero Factory in 2010:

From their own words, they asked people to refer to them as "LEGO Bricks" which honestly sounds really cheesy to me. As far as I am concerned, "LEGO Bricks" is a super outdated term that doesn't really describe how most LEGO pieces currently look like. Despite average people when thinking about LEGO, "bricks" or "blocks" instantly come to mind, to me, this makes me think more of the pre-70's LEGO instead of the LEGO of today. The system has evolved so much over the years, that now, it is widely inaccurate to refer to LEGO as simply "bricks".

I think this might actually be a new variant of the Macaque (the antagonist to the Monkey King that came in the Flower Fruit Mountain set).

Well, that's the thing. Brickset recently made a survey to find out which of all those 18+ sets were the most popular, and indeed, only a small fraction of them were actually popular (with the people on Brickset, at least) I may sound like a broken record at this point, but despite the number of sets produced being higher than ever, they just focus mostly pumping as many sets for the already well established themes like Ninjago, Friends, and City, which I don't even care that much about, and we don't get as much of the kind I would personally want more of. We still get stuff like Hidden Side or Monkie Kid from time to time, but those are much scarcer compared to the sheer amount of stuff they pump out every year for the "popular" themes. But hey, this is just how I'm feeling. If you're happy with LEGO's current offerings, than more power to you. I wish I could be too, but as I said earlier, every time I visit a LEGO Store or LEGO Isle, I always walk out emptyhanded and disappointed.

Any of the ads from the mid 2000s to early 2010's era. All those super realistic backgrounds and setpieces really blow my mind. Like, just imagine how much work must have went into constructing those highly elaborate and realistic sets just for a few single 30 second commercials. And of course, who can forget the absolute masterpieces that were the Bionicle Commercials. Those don't even feel like toy commericals... They feel like outright movie trailers. Most of my favorite LEGO adds focus on making the toys look as cool as possible, but there have been quite a few that showcased actual people in them in hilarious ways, such as the famous "Jack the LEGO Maniac" from the 80's... If you watch all those adds, perhaps you'll finally understand why I love original LEGO themes so much.

Yeah, also known as the people Woke Culture wants you to think of as "diverse". If you want to be truly diverse, how about also including minifigures that belong to identifiable ethnic groups? Asian, Indian, African, Middle-Eastern, and the like? And while we're at it, let's acknowledge the all the diverse beliefs, religions and cultures of those ethnic groups as well. Yes, people around the world are incredibly diverse. So diverse, in fact, that it virtually impossible to represent everyone. But guess, what? Most people don't care. They would rather just have LEGO continue to produce quality toys instead of trying to stress themselves out by trying to be "diverse".

The thing is, I really question how many non-fans just walking into a LEGO Store out of curiosity are going to buy those huge 300$+ sets. Dedicated LEGO fans who are already used to the price of LEGO surely might, but how many non-fans would? I am willing to bet someone who hasn't touched LEGO in years just randomly walking into a LEGO Store might get quite shocked at how expensive some of those sets can get. This is completely different from an impulse buy like Funko Pops. I'd actually even argue most people who buy those sets come to the LEGO Store specifically to get one of those big sets, it isn't simply something they see on a shelf and say "oh that's cool, I guess I'll buy it". I never suggested they should completely eliminate them, but that they should not oversaturate the market with it like they've done for the past year it (in other words, don't make those sets your primary focus). By making dozens of those black boxed sets, they alienate the other types of fans such as me that enjoys the toy aspect of LEGO more.

The thing is, I am really starting to question the LEGO Ideas 10k system. From what I can see, most people who vote for those creations are just looking around the site, and just press the "support" button because they think it looks cool, but have no real interest in buying it. With so many LEGO Ideas projects reaching 10k those days, it is hard to see it any other way. There is a big difference between simply pressing a button and spending 300$+ dollars on a set. I am not really a fan of those either, but those at the very least often include exclusive desirable Minifigures and that kinds of stuff. But still, I am not a fan of "Collector's Display Model" sets regardless of the subject. I cited those more as an example on how random those new 18+ sets tend to be. While you could argue that the Typewriter was asked for, the LEGO Adidas Shoe was definitely not.

That's literally what everyone who didn't grew up with Bionicle says, so not really an unpopular opinion. I could say the same thing about something like the Super Mario games, which I never grew up with, and never understood why there is such a big fanbase of grown adults that still enjoy dressing up in silly Mario and Luigi costumes. What can I say, I guess some things you can only get into if you got into it as a child.

Ok, this one might annoy some people, but I really am not a fan of those recent 18+ "Adults Welcome" sets. I get that they are trying to expand into a new market, and so far this strategy seems to have payed off, but too be fair, I feel like they already oversaturated this market and its barely been a year since they started tapping into it. It feels to me almost like every few weeks we get a new announcement of yet another 18+ set, and this is really starting to piss me off. Some of them are selling very well, I get it, but most of them feel just so randomly generated, like who in the world asked for a LEGO Shoe? Or a LEGO Electric Guitar? Or a Typewriter? I mean, sure, they are impressive on a technical level in terms of size and design, but after you've built them once, what in the world are you supposed to do with them? Just put them on a shelf and let them to gather dust for the rest of eternity. Those types of products feel like they completely go against what LEGO is supposed to stand for (to me at least)... Build your own things, think outside the box, be creative. Yet those feel like their supposed to be treated simply as display models. Every time I walk into a LEGO Store and see all those dozens of black boxed sets, the first thought that always comes to my mind is just "soulless".

So, I was recently wondering, on average, what is the average age kids grow out of LEGO? As much as we would all like to believe that LEGO is a timeless hobby for everyone, the reality is that most kids who played with LEGO often grow out of it as they mature and find other interests. Some rediscover the hobby years later after their "Dark Ages" but I don't really believe that is the case with everyone. So, from your experiences, when did your siblings or other people you know grow out of LEGO, even though you remained interested in it?

I haven't read up this entire thread, so forgive me if I am not cought up to the entire discussion, but one point I keep seeing is that supposedly it is the parents who "enforce gender stereotypes". I do have to seriously question whether this is truly happening. From my experience, boys and girls have always been naturally attracted towards different things, both in childhood, and into adolescence. I don't think most parents have to tell their kids what kinds of toys they think they want... Kids will always just ran to the toy shelves they find attractive and pick something from there. In most cases, girls will just naturally be attracted to dolls and that kinds of stuff. Sure, some may like "boy toys" too, but most of the times, you shouldn't be surprised when you find out that your daughter doesn't really care about robots and spaceships as much as your son. If your daughter is indeed interested in "boy things" and doesn't care about dolls and that kinds of stuff, than by all means, buy her the toys she wants. But don't be surprised if some things are just naturally going to appeal to her, even if it is something that enforces "gender stereotypes". Going beyond just the realm of LEGO, ever noticed how the ratio of Teenagers who play videogames (particularly more "violent" games) is significantly higher among boys than it is among girls? Or on the flip side, the fact that on average girls like reading for entertainment far more than most boys? Even in the case of LEGO, the very fact that there are so few females as opposed to males on this LEGO forum (so much so that there even is a "Lady" tag) I think says a lot. I never really understood why so many people are so concerned about "gender equality" and trying to enforce a bunch of social changes that previously nobody could care less about, when they just can't accept the simple reality that boys and girls like different things. The two genders are different in many ways, and that is totally fine. As far as I am concerned, LEGO right now is doing nothing but submitting to the Woke Culture agenda, in order to be politically correct and maintain their brand image as such. But than again, this is just my opinion, based on my own experiences, so take that as you will.

This looks incredible! The 3D printed parts look very convincing, and honestly, if you show this to a non-Bionicle fan, they might be tricked into thinking they are official parts. If there is one criticism that I would give about this template, though, is that the shoulders seem way too wide. I know that's the easiest piece to use in a simple build like this, but at this scale, the proportions don't really look right.

I unfortunately do not own any Znap parts... Yet. But rest assured that whenever I'll get some, I'll definitely figure out some crazy ways to use them! I get that it doesn't look like LEGO, but then again, that was kind of the intention all along. I have a very different style compared to what most people typically build. As for the Scala Doll, I honestly fail to see what about it is any more creepier than any other average Barbie doll.

Well, to their credit, the Creator X-pods seemed to be quite popular, having a decent run of three years. They apparently even had their own website back in the day, where people posted their creations they made from those sets, but unfortunately that site had been shut down as soon as the sets retired. So I definitely think the idea has potential, and I wouldn't mind seeing LEGO take another shot at a similar line (that is l, of course assuming those things will be cheap impulse sets in the 10$ range, and not stupidity overpriced like the Vidyo Beatboxes). Those are very good points. I was super into the LEGO Games line back in the day, but I agree that most of them weren't all that engaging play experiences (that was probably mostly due to oversaturation, as they released a surprisingly high amount of them after the first year, and with most of them flopping they had several cancelled ones that never ended up hitting store shelves). So if they ever do attempt tapping into the Board Games market again in the future, they definitely should invest more into coming up with engaging gameplay that will keep people interested.

What's so bad about it? I think it fits the scale of this vehicle perfectly.

Well, if say the line consists of about 6 characters per wave, at least a couple of them receiving a new mold isn't exactly unreasonable. CMFs always come up with a bunch of new one-off molds with each new wave, so having that also happen with a line like that wouldn't be impossible. Plus, in other lines like Bionicle or Hero Factory, all the individual characters always got their own unique mask molds. I actually do think that this would be a pretty cool idea, all things considered. Maybe it would be even cooler if those characters also came in some sort of pod that can open up and store the character in, similar to the Creator X-pods from the mid-2000's or the Slizers from the late 90's.

Really? What a shame... I thought we finally solved the problem of not having any drivers for Technic and Creator Expert sized vehicles

Well, we just had the 1st half year report just come out a few weeks ago, and I don't recall there being any mention of Monkie Kid in it whatsoever. Again, I am not saying the theme has outright flopped or anything, I am sure it was a moderate success in Asia at the very least, but I definitely don't believe it was a smash hit. Therefore, I am not holding any hope of the theme getting passed 2023, if it would even reach that at all. But then again, what do I know? This discussion would be a lot more productive if some LEGO fan from China could give us some insight into how well the theme is doing in that region from their experience. That way, we could judge the theme's success a lot more accurately.

I'm honestly surprised people don't talk about the LEGO Games line more often. It was actually quite a decent hit at the time of its release, but I guess it didn't make any long-term impact... The Heroica subtheme in particular was amazing... That's probably the closest we'll ever get to a D&D style Fantasy LEGO theme. I am actually quite surprised they made an entire story, characters, and world just for one single Board Games subtheme and didn't use it at all afterwards. It would have made for an amazing minifigure theme had it been released in that formant.