Yoggington

I picked up this set for birthday, and have now finished the first booklet (Carpenter/Weaver/Cheesemonger side) across two relaxed evenings of building. I'll save the other half for a week or so. It's pretty top notch, without being anything stunning. Like there's no techniques as per the LKC where I've been blown away or inspired - but there is just a lot of very solid thoughts and design put in. Small things like the trapdoor to the loft, or the detail in the side-builds are perfectly clever. I am most impressed by the compact scaling of the whole thing. As with the LKC, they have achieved a feel of larger scale by keeping it small.

I think you're good so long as you're not just blatantly advertising. In a case like this, the video is helping to highlight all the neat features worth discussing - and better than just the pictures would. At least, that's how I understand it, I'm not a mod. It's super clever though. I am going to trial this concept at a smaller scale in a MOC I think.

Having just been served your explainer video on YouTube, this is insanely well done! I'm not sure the pictures alone do it justice.

Colour me impressed! I would read this if you ever did write it.

Well I for one find it very interesting, as you can tell by my post above. Sure there's a bit of corporate bumpf and buzzwords about the whole thing, but at the same time it scratches the same part of my brain as when some angled connection in lego fits together just right, or when you've ordered your spare parts together just so.

Well this sent me right down a rabbit hole for the past hour or two. The official video release is well worth a look: https://player.vimeo.com/video/932665402?h=7a84303a79 There's an additional article here; https://www.thedrum.com/news/2024/04/09/lego-evolves-brand-identity-launching-first-full-set-design-elements And indeed, the paywalled article above is better than the unpaywalled, access is easy enough if you just ask for the free entry version. Overall it's not so much a full rebrand, as a simplification of the many disparate messy old brand principles. Previously: “23 guidelines and over 110 separate principles”. They've distilled this down to just five; design for your audience build from its system-in-play tell stories be playful and optimistic keep it simple In real terms they seem to be pushing a few distinct items; 1) A new typeface (not a million miles away from the old one) called 'Lego Typewell'. It'll be a single typeface across all products/website/social media etc., with varieties of course for light, regular, bold, black etc. I don't expect this will mean no more Ninjago or Duplo logos etc., but all other uses of font outside of logos will likely be 'Lego Typewell' where possible. I quite liked the old Cera Pro they currently use on the website. This is built from / based on the 'system in play' (aka real bricks). Look at these curves for example; 2) Improving & emphasising the 'Key Information Stack'. e.g. The area on the product box that tells you how many pieces, the recommended age and so on. see diagram below; https://i.imgur.com/O9jo6EO.mp4 3) What they are calling the 'Clutch system'. This seems to be the most interesting. See the background of the key info stack for an example. It boils down to any shape or silhouette you'd see on a box, a website, in an instruction manual etc., being something you could build out of the 'system-in-play' (aka real bricks). Specifically these bricks: So everything will end up with the same dimension as lego, like the three plates deep to 2.5 wide. In theory, you can build any of these. And here's some sample usage: https://i.imgur.com/UdhqC2T.mp4 4) Action Graphics This is the commitment to use of language-free iconography for various actions within images, again using lego pieces. So instead of 'generic exhaust fume' behind a racing car on the start line, you'll see a cluster of ice-cream bricks and the like. 5) Colour. Not a lot of update here, but it sounds like the only colours you'll see being used in the future, are the actual lego colours. Plus of course, their traditional yellow will be prominent. 4) Motion Principles This one is for the digital only. It reads like when you see an element on say, the website, in motion - well that motion will now simulate how bricks would work in the physical realms. So objects will click together or bounce with 'Lego physics'. An example is given of the 'add to bag' click affect on the website; https://i.imgur.com/oTxu89c.mp4 All in all it doesn't really give specifics of where we'll see this all used in the future. It shows all kinds of samples of packaging, posters, catalogue, website - but these are things the branding agency would have pitched to Lego, not commitments by Lego itself. If we see follow through, I imagine it means an updated (unified) packaging range, changes to the website & social media posts, differences in the mailing list output, instructions and that sort of thing. ...on the other hand, we could always see it only half-adopted..

Oh okay, I get you. Sorry, not meaning to pick a fight. You're hoping for things that are recreations of "the classic space theme" of Lego's past. Unfort, I don't think we'll see much of that outside of occasional nostalgia-bait. I see these as very much space-related. But I'm talking about the much more general space, as in, astronomy & vague sci-fi elements. I don't need the blue brick and yellow cockpits to be satisfied. If Lego would release a JWST model I'd be a happy man.

How do you reckon?

I see Emma Frost has been promoted to 'opening credits' since the original series. Might mean good things for a minifig in the future.

Confirmed by this clip from the build-video above too, from the instructions:

These are the first CMF where I am interested in every single one.

Hrmm. I was wanting to see Barad-Dur before deciding to buy Rivendell or not. Ho-hum, once it's still on shelves at Christmas I suppose we'll know more by then.

Super original work, I love it.

Yes you can rollback. I had to do this a little while ago, when the latest version gave issues on Mac. This thread has the details:

In your mind's eye, I imagine the ideal 'lego room' in your future dream house. Would I have the set built on display in that room? If not, then I'm happy to disassemble. Looking at my collection stats I've about 70 medium-large sets bought since I came out of my dark ages. About 25 passed that test, typically bigger ones.

I actually polished this off a week or two back. Stellar construction around the floor angles especially. I was considering writing a review for here, but at this stage it's packed up before a future house move. There are a few parts to the ground floor windowfront that are not super secure - like the far right as you look at it, or the doorway that could easily be connected to a snot brick in the grey wall, but minor niggles in an otherwise suberb model. btw, I was able to get very good quality stickers made from the file you get from MingBricks, at the www.brickstickershop.com online store. Cost was €15 (basic print fee) + €6.90 (A6 transparent vinyl material fee) + VAT & shipping. A little steep maybe, but I think I'll be glad I did once I get around to lighting the modular street. Those front windows stickers make it.

Seeing these altogether is sublime. Really like the look of this one, excellent work!

The centrepiece here might have been designed with LotR in mind; https://www.bricklink.com/r3/catalog/sets/product.page?S=71469-1

It's a nice 'idea', but I don't love the execution. It's a bit busy for my tastes. That said, if it were to be selected, I think a once-over from the Lego designers could see it become quite a desirable set. Some of the bones here are very good - like a wooden fort built into the trees and rocks has potential for sure. I like the set-up of the prison cell in particular. For what it's worth, I'm not sold on the Bricklink Forestmen fort either.

They are unlikely to be able to match like for like in this case, as that particular horse is out of print since 2022. But, their customer service is really great compared to most companies. And there's been previous issues with a lot of reddish brown parts from that era. Send them an email, they may well send you a new 'similar' horse. Update us if they do, I'd be curious. Edit: Failing a replacement, you can buy them on Bricklink from local sellers: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=10352c01pb01&idColor=88#T=S&C=88&O={"color":88,"iconly":0}

You'll have my support on Ideas if you design this. Hire this person immediately Lego.

Do you have any pictures of this? I'd love to see how it turned out. I can't say I love what I see in the blurry leak pic, but I'll wait for more pics before jumping to judgement. As for the CMF series, sounds good to me. I wonder if this is where a stack of unused Vidyo molds ended up

There si a whole lot to love here but the bay windows in particular are striking to me.

For anyone willing to drop €50 extra to add some animals, the 60346 Barn & farm is still pretty widely available in non-Lego stores. I've even seen it as low as €30. I prefer this at a €230 price point. I've a tub full of horses & sheep & cows & pigs already. This thread has such a weird vibe. When I watched the same interview with the designer I though his answer were political to appease the stereotypical AFOL complaints. "How many stickers in the set?" "Oh too many, no doubt, haha"

Having refrained from this round of the program, I think that gives me leeway to buy the Station next time, and maybe even the chocolatier the one after.