Medzomorak

I think this is a reasonable vision of what's coming, I myself still can't see this not meaning a downscale. But we'll see, we'll see.

Actually if TLG would not dare to leave behind these theme mashups I'd be interested in a steampunk-pirate kind of theme like what Disney's Treasure Planet was. It really had some unique atmosphere and this could satisfy steampunk space, pirate, ninjago and maybe even castle fans as well.

I fear this one's fate will be the same as the previous design's. Anyway one support from me just to tell Lego where we stand.

I'm in an endless loop at this moment, so I might just take my leave.

Not to shake things up in a soon to be locked thread but I've just finished posting an answer to you in the other section because of this. In my honest opinion you and your friend who are making very subjective remarks selling them as objective truth and making the debate personal the first moment someone dares to contradict you with their own arguments. I had my quarrel wit MAB many months ago, I know he is a very precise and brutal debate partner and I actually do believe he contrariously enjoys finding logical holes. Still, I must take his side for this one. Just be more patient and if some statement can't be held up without subjectivity, just let it go and try not to be personal.

Nobody is hasty. I'm giving you answers. No need to imply anything on your debate partner just because you feel that way. You are putting frills on your argument, especially that thing with 'action based'. This is not slow processing, this is not reading the other forum members' answer, or just conveniently ignoring arguments contradicting yours. You are also making answers which implicate never-written arguments from the debate partner. Considering this, I think you've just made up your mind already and waiting to be agreed upon by others. The big picture you are talking about is actually your own subjective picture. The fact is that city is indeed the most diversed theme ever created by Lego, period. Why? Because you have arctic explorers, miners, jungle explorers, deep sea, trains, volcanologists, space, police, firefighters, medics, vehicles, cost guards, airport, cargo, harbour, swamp police, mountain police, construction site, traffic, tuning shops, even farm. This is all the previous 10 years and half of them is still available and new. It only takes a minute to check out Lego.com and see for yourself. You have Creator modular buildings and smaller buildings totally compatible with City sets. You just want it to be personally customized to your own needs and discard every other fundamental aspects. Also sales are not an excuses, they are reasons. TLG is not a charity foundation. Sales are causing other themes being drought out totally for long long years now, like Pirates, Castle and Space. The last hospital set is just 2 years old and it was a great one. In many stores still available. Nothing shows Lego would stop making newer ones in the near future. They're not reducing anything, only not creating more without reason. Also this was the question of the thread so you got an answer for it.

But I just told you, I can only repeat myself. Firefighters and Medical staff are emergency services for natural and healthcare disasters. Police on the other hand are part of the law enforcement, which means getting criminals. That inherently gives more exciting action generally, action which kids prefer more on a statistical level. Weapons, shoot-outs, bank robberies, etc. That's it. It's not about comparing cops' and firefighters' bravery it is just the very nature of their work of line. Doesn't matter how heroic a doctor is, it's not the same as fighting a criminal. This is how Lego thinks, this is what their sales show, thus the lesser number of sets. And again, everything you are talking about is actually there for city. This theme is the most diverse thing you could just ask for.

Uhh, ehmm, meh-ahh-ohh. I don't know. In an IDEAS set? Highly unlikely imho.

While might understand intuitively what you mean, I'm not convinced. There was the Res-Q town subtheme maybe, but that's just the costal guard city lineup today. Other than that Firefighters are fighting fires and hospitals are just medical staff hosting patients. Policemen are fighting bad guys, bank robbers, gangsters and masterminded evils. It'll always be more excitng. I think it is simple as that. City isn't really left behind, you even got the Jungle, arctic and subnautic themes integrated. There are new modular buildings all the time and very diverse creator sets as well. This is a farely new set with a lot of accessories and a great design. What else could you wish for?

That'd would mean a very scaled down version of the idea, considering that raised, studded baseplate is the biggest ever produced. It'd take at least a hundred big bricks to recreate that.

For another reason is interesting that they've done that, because it might imply the 2009 releases had sold well, thus the recycling. Which contradicts its actual buchery after one year. I think we can agree that TLG was just cheapo to invest enough resources into a better design team, they've just milked the market instead, which can backfire with bad sales all the time. I myself think newer Pirates are the case study of Lego managers' incompetence, which btw is always lingering around in every corporate environment from time to time. OR Lego is just forcefully creating theme diversity all the time and a lot of old themes are just cannon fodders which they can shoot at us any time without any financial effort. Maybe these two options are actually the same thing. I'm not a marketing expert but I consider it a harmful model on the long run.

Hey David, Great enhancement of the King there, especially the neon transparent clawed hands, it's something the original designed truly lacked. I see you've used some kind of mask element at the lumbar section. I'm not a fan of reusing somewhat recognizable parts like that - as we've discussed it previously in the dragon thread -, however I see why you've chosen that specific element. It matches the color and truly has some rocky texture to itself. So yes, this is what I'd also call an example of great usage of elements. My eye is too critical an distracted by these but I must admit the genious of it. All in all I'm very impressed by this MOC.

Because Lego has a cyclical release policy by nature. I don't have the best grip of the City subject, but there are still hospital and firefighter sets on sale at the moment - at least in Hungary. Police offers more ready made action and adventures for kids so it is always going to get more attention, while the other distress services are more supplementary and niched. However, I doubt they're ever going to stop releasing newer sets from these subcategories, because they're always going to be popular. So I wouldn't really worry about this issue. At least there's something out there to buy while a lot of other themes are practically dead right now.

Thats't a bit vague, what are you thinking of exactly?

Haha, a tavern maid is actually not bad candidate for a pirate girl, don't you think? Also there's a lot of pirate figs who seem have all the organ parts nice and dandy. The popcultural romanticization of the era is the obvious cause of peglegs and eyepatches. Also they want to take every chance to make a figure recognizable.

Nichts. He had made no contacts whatsoever with anybody since his last entry. I think some serious private life things (with a pinch of burnout) caused him to put all Lego things aside, but he has never elaborated things further. But definitely said in the form of comment reactions that he's planning a return. I hope we'll get him back by summer.

The Board of Directors represent the share and stakeholders. They appoint the CEO and other exectutive personel. Think of them as supervisors of the appointed leaders of the company. So I think no, until nothing bad happens and they're making growth they won't give any orders for new drastical directions.

I know everything is subjective here, but I think this sentence shows perfectly why Lego is hesitant to bring back classic themes. For many people Star Wars is already a classic. In my honest opinion it is the most non-classic themes ever, so at this point this thread is far away from reaching any synthesis.

I think it is a valid comparison taking that Playmobil do sell classic themes and making an acceptable profit from it. I think this is an important piece in the bigger picture.

Yes! :D I've bought the Sphynx set because of TrikBrix last summer. I got the Pharaoh's temple in 1999 Christmas as a little kid so it was a great to feel nostalgic again. Only took 20 years to finally create the diorama with them :D My next target is the Jungle Zeppelin, it was one of my biggest w.a.n.t. as a kid. Only remember seeing it once on the shelves before it was retired. Never really found any scientific and reasonable argument why my parent's hadn't bought this. I also remember these sets were just before the Mummy movies came out so I was very hyped about early 20th century expedition stories.

Playmobil is doing interestingly well considering it is truly just some static, plastic kid's toy.

Without a doubt. Only that TLG's perspective is more established now. They have stricter principles. Also the digital revolution had become somewhat constant for the past years. Something very drastic should come in virtual/augmented reality to push Lego again into very grey areas. The 2000's were experimental for the whole world. Take just the phones, cars, gadgets, movies. Everything was designed in an experimental, quite romantic but junkie way. Everything aged very bad from that era, evan the 90s things seem to be more refined at the moment. For example, take the iconic Porshe 911: The 2000's version looks like some plastic toy compared to old ones. Also everything had to be super curvy and futuristic because that was the trendy thing. Also like the Testarossa is considered much more iconic today then the Maranello: Or just think about great practical effects against 2000's horrible CGI. Take the music clips. They're laughable. Take the phones, a very overused example: I said romantic because nothing was alike, every product wanted to be more shiny and cool etc. This is what experimental truly means. Caused very big animals to cease existing so it did not come free. We are living now in a more minimalist and uniform era. Which one is better is subjective naturally. In my eyes, today's Lego apps are already clumsy and cheap but time itself will be better judge of this.

Serious change may come in the next decades for sure. I imagine this to start by the truly and whole automatization of every production step of the industry, with more augmentet IoT tools and technologies converging all the services to fully personalized marketing. That way you may just create your own things digitally and it is going to be wrapped, boxed, maybe even AI designed and shipped all the way to your very doorstep. Very similar to bricklink's and stud.io's present services just more in user friendly and smart way. Maybe you will be able to design your own themes and stuff quite easily. But that's just some fiction from me. For the short run it is very well based on trends. Maybe the designing of new and completely original themes will take more and more effort and capital and Lego will just take on the original ways again for a couple of years. There are just so many variables even in the toy industry to be sure of future situations.

I never said that this means anything, just corrected the statement. Also '98 is the 20th century as well, but the 20th century was not Lego's dark ages. So 80s and 90s is not the same as 1998 :D

I'm sorry but that is false. The dark age had started around 1998 when Lego forced corny innovations on itself to keep sales growing against an the upcoming video games industry and other new trends in the world.