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Strakk

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  1. Strakk
    Ok, I can see that if connected to the LEGO line. I believe that outside the LEGO world it can be used to indicate also a building which is the combination of modules itself. Ok, you know way more than me about these details. Still then, to go back to my original comment, I guess that if you remove the connections any submitted entry from Lego Ideas can be made into a non-modular set and sold. I think the question was more asking if LEGO should exclude automatically entries based on city-centre non-licensed buildings that cover a baseplate or more. These are basically the topic of the Modular Buildings LEGO line.
  2. Strakk
    How do you definite a modular building then? Is there an official definition from LEGO (I am not being sarcastic)? It is a building which can be separated in different modules. Even its creator used that definition: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/25822826-4360-4a8d-9665-2766d064677chttps://ideas.lego.com/projects/25822826-4360-4a8d-9665-2766d064677c
  3. Strakk
    As Aanchir said, it is hard to write a strict rule against the city-center modulars. However, one of my favorite Lego ideas sets (Old Fishing Store) is a modular, so I would leave things as they are. Hyped for the modular reveal. From the silhouette, it seems we could have quite a large set, possibly with only a single building.
  4. Strakk
    Ok, but none of those would really fit together with other the modulars. As you said, the most famous palaces/building from Italy are not really from modern times. In case they want to do a shopping center, there is the "Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II" in Milan which could be an inspiration. However, that would probably require a larger set. If they want to create a station (do it LEGO, I have been waiting for years!), then maybe Milan central station may provide some ideas. I am starting to sound like a tourist guide so I will stop. xD But in the end what I care to see is modular where the main shop/purpose is detailed enough, unlike the Bookshop.
  5. Strakk
    To be honest, as Italian, as there are many different architectural styles here that I am not even sure what I would define as "Italian". I guess most of you have in mind something from central Italy (Florence, Rome), but, for example, near the border with Slovenia we have cities (Trieste is the major example) which have buildings similar to the previously released Brick Bank. Here is in fact... a bank! I am not convinced about an art gallery, however I can see it being a part of a museum. Still we are just speculating at the moment.
  6. Strakk
    Between the Downtown Diner and the bookshop? From the outside they are both great sets, I think it comes down to personal preference (if you like diners in real life, you will like it for sure). Looking inside the buildings, I would say that the bookshop does not have much to offer, while the Diner is much more refined. Personally for me the Diner has also a better overall design. I have not purchased the Bookshop and I do not think I will. I know some folks here like the two-building scheme for the modulars, but I admit I am not a fan of it. BTW, for me (Italy) the only modulars left on Lego S@H are the Assembly Square (great set) and the Bookshop.
  7. Strakk
    I really like the final result and it would have been a day-one purchase without our current lockdown. I have read a few pages and, indeed, to me it looks like they took the opportunity to try to please everyone, but especially old fans of the pirate line. I understand the disappointed fans of the original project, which had certainly some different aspects and looked more structured headquarters with remains of an old sailing ship rather than the opposite. That being said, while I loved it, the original submission was way too monochromatic and uniform. It is certainly a great MoC and it would be great to have it as a part of a display, but I feel like the final product managed to become much more appealing, not only for Pirates enthusiasts.
  8. Strakk
    It is not just a matter of two in one. As I said, I was not a big fan of the CG either, although I think the DD is much better than most of the people consider. In fact I doubt the latter and not the former even though they are both large buildings. What I do not really like about the "bookshop" set are the interior details, which are not up to the same level of the previous modulars (excluding the CG). For example, I do not see anything as great as the bottom floors in PR and DD. I am not blaming the designer for that, as the two-buildings choice clearly provided more variety outside, but limited the amount of space per floor to develop something special.
  9. Strakk
    I believe I was not able to convey my point, so I repeat it. The key point is the town building aspect. In my original post, I said that compared to other themes modular buildings (creator expert) and city overlap much more than other combinations. I think that is evident why. Then, I suggested that, as we get a modular building per year, maybe LEGO would not want to release the same kind of building from both the creator expert line and the city line (one of the largest of the wave) within the same semester. I made an example saying that, as police stations are pretty popular with kids and they may be building a lego town, the parents, who may be buying sets from the creator expert line too, may either postpone or dismiss the idea of buying another police station which would cost more. It is likely that the best set would be the one from the creator expert line, but having playability in mind, they could opt for the city one. That is it. I do not completely agree with what you said. We agree on the fact that SW is much more popular than modular buildings. But SW big sets are mainly thought for collectors and not for 6-year-old children as city are. They are quite expensive compared to what you get in other themes with the same price and I doubt the average parents buy primarily SW sets for the children. That is why, in my opinion, the comparison does not hold up. Also, the cost may not be an issue for collectors, but 100 euro/pounds/dollars is not an amount of money that anyone can spend twice in a row, especially for toys.
  10. Strakk
    Stunning! The facade looks very clean and elegant and the interior is really well designed. The large corridors and internal spaces make it seem quite realistic, although I believe that reducing those a bit would not take away too much. I say this as I think it would fit very well with the other official modular buildings if this particular is changed to reduce a bit the piece count. Great work (and patience)!
  11. Strakk
    Yes, I agree. That is my main problem with the set. It really seems it would fit more with some of the recent Creator 3 in 1 modulars. I would rather see a single building on a 32x32 baseplate. From outside, it clearly looks way better than the average set of that line, but I honestly do not see much difference in the internal elements. I really want to like it, but I will not purchase it for now. I skipped the Corner Garage last year, and while this one has certainly elements that I like better, I would put them almost at the same level. Nevertheless, the CG was also more expensive, thus I would say this one may be superior overall. In my opinion, all the rooms are quite boring. In this regard, I have to disagree with who says that this is superior to the PR or even the DD which had much more interesting internal designs,
  12. Strakk
    In such case, no one, or at least not nearly as many, really builds an environment around them like for city sets. The SW vehicles are really meant for display and not much else so they are targeted more as items for collectors. Also, there is a much bigger difference in price between the UCS falcon and the system one compared to a modular fire station and city fire station, making them quite distant in this regard. This is quite different from lego cities where also children may be involved and you can actually build a whole town without spending too much.
  13. Strakk
    I have seen it, yes. What I am saying is that, while other themes like Architecture are obviously just meant for display, the creator expert modular buildings are something that can be fitted in a lego city comprising sets from the City line. I can think of a few situations where, having both of them coming out at the same time, one would one for the CIty one. Let's say that the buyer has young kids: most likely the City one will have more playability and it contains characters from the show they are watching. Would you spend 180 $ for another police station in a few months? Again, let's say you want to complete your city in a short time, but you do not have too much money. The City one may be a compromise. In my opinion, I would avoid this overlap, although it could still sell very well. It is true that City sets usually are simple, but small builds do not need to be complex in every case. My favourite town set is the Pizzeria set from 1994, which is a great example of that.
  14. Strakk
    Well, the modulars are almost an extension of the city line, while usually the other themes have more differences among each other.
  15. Strakk
    I believe it all comes down to personal taste and your LEGO collection. While nice to look at, the architecture sets are only meant for display. If you are someone like me, who has always had a preference for town sets and has still a built lego city, a modular is much more appealing as I can integrate it with what I have. Moreover, if you have a lego city, interiors are something almost essential. For this reason, I would like to see some buildings which are not the typical ones from the city line. Also, I doubt LEGO would release a modularpolice station in the same semester as the city one I do not care too much about playability either, although I feel it needs to be believable that LEGO characters would live inside.
  16. Strakk
    My impression is that the main target are families where adults like LEGO too. I can see two types of situations. 1) The set itself may be still or their daughter/son, but they are ok with spending more for a good product and display it. 2) AFOLs. Do we have a number for the sold units (sets)? That could give a hint.
  17. Strakk
    I can see a school as a possibility. I think it can provide a wide variety of rooms (classes, labs, meeting rooms, canteen, school yard...). I have my doubts on a museum, since you may need to have large rooms with only the showcased pieces. Yes, you may try to change themes for the different floors, but the visitors would be doing more or less the same things, which would reduce playability. I know it would be mainly for AFOLs, but it seems LEGO always tries to include scenes where people interact. A police station may be released sooner or later. If they continue with the current American-style, it would be nice to see one with the 80s look. As much as I would like to see an old post office, I am afraid it will never happen. Hopefully, they can fit a little one in one of the next composite modulars. @Hippocampe I would be interested in a media center, but as I previously said, I have the feeling that it might look a bit too "adult" compared to the current style there are using- A proper train station would be great too. It has been a while we had one also in the regular city line.
  18. Strakk
    Great review Jim! Regarding the set, I share your general opinion. It is a good set, but not something marvelous as some of its predecessors. Basically I do not find anything that stands out and makes me want to purchase the set. Granted, another big issue for me is its price. Here in Italy it costs 190 euro while the diner was 160 euro and I liked it much more too. To buy a set with that price tag, I would like to see something better.
  19. Strakk
    I do not think it adds much, but the text below in Italian says "Fire-extinguihing mission in the city", so it is definately not meant to be a fire station.
  20. Strakk
    You can find a "2018 sets discussion" in almost each subforum. For example for the trains, this is the topic. Sadly, there has not been any evidence of a new station so far. Back on topic, the downsized models look great. Regarding the idea of applying this style to the Creator "3-in-1" line, I would say that, since it is directed to kids, it really needs to maintain a high level of playability. I do not think these MoCs fulfill this requirement.
  21. Strakk
    I was not a fan of the original set either, but I really appreciate your work. In particular I like the ground level, which is very detailed, but at the same time it seems the minifigures have enough space to move around. In my opinion, mainly because of its colour scheme, I think it would look great next to the Detective's office (10246), even though it looks more modern.
  22. Strakk
    Yes, I think personal taste plays a big role. Naturally, there are things that have been improved since 2010 as you mentioned. It is the opposite for me in terms of designs. However, our impression may be different depending on how old we were when we first saw the sets. For example, when HF started I was already in my final years of high school, whereas I had most of the BIONICLE sets during elementary school and junior high school, when I probably formed my taste. The number of molds is certainly a crucial factor in the overall cost, but you have a point. In fact, Aanchir has been posting these statistics for quite a while and, even though they are correct, in my opinion they don't give the whole picture. As you said, there had been several years with almost the same Piraka/Inika build, when the decision to end BIONICLE has taken. Personally, I think the molds should be considered as a kind of investment and important, not just in terms of their number, but mainly in terms of which sections of the set are going to contain them. If you do not innovate the sets in their fundamental parts (main body) is quite natural that sets sales will decline at some point. Both children and parents will lose interest in the line after a while. As you said, most of the new characters were built almost identically varying mask and weapons. In the first BIONICLE years, risks were taken and fortunately most of them were successful, keeping the sets "fresh". In the period 2001-2006, only the Mata-Nuva and Bohrok-Bohrok Kal were very similar as waves. Starting from 2006, the designs were mostly human-like (excluding the Barraki, I would say), maybe considered to be "safer" than others in terms of sales. HOWEVER, alongside with this idea, the price (and parts) increase probably played the BIGGEST role. It did not surprise me that the first wave of HF went back to a lower price (and parts) range. I may be repetitive, but LEGO needs to create a new "Bohrok" line if they want to be again successful with the action figures. Yes, there are certainly risks, but I doubt humanoid figures can carry a long-lasting line by themselves, also because many toy companies produce them too (even cheaper).
  23. Strakk
    I am skeptical about this being true too (timing mainly). In any case, story is still a secondary reason to buy a Lego set, especially for the casual customers. They should try to come up with some unique features for the sets, just as the original Bionicle team did with the Bohrok, which could attract kids. In my opinion, those are what could interest them the most. In a sense, first toys then action figures as concept. Regarding the whole TECHNIC-CCBS discussion, I do not think it was the deciding factor for the failure of Bionicle Gen2, which I think had the high price (yes, more parts, but there is a limit to what common kids can ask to their parents) as the main factor. Also the fact they released two consecutive hero waves with the same names did not help either. Some users here posting disagreed with me back when Bionicle Gen2 was still ongoing, but I believe the cost was the deciding factor. Also, apart from the interesting gear box, as I mentioned before, they lacked of an unique feature to make them look distinct and original. Yes, some CCBS pieces that look ok on robots (Hero Factory) lack of details on what are supposed to be biomechanical or even completely natural creatures. This was improved with the Uniters, introducing some new pieces and fusing a bit CCBS with custom builds. Yes, it is certainly easier and faster, but some the best HF titans (e.g. Black Phantom, Witch Doctor that I own) had to use double leg pieces to improve the stability. Personally I find it less elegant and more stiff than the Bionicle piston support used since 2006, which worked ok. As for pricing and part counts, it is actually not true. For example (even though some are missing), look on Brickset under the category "titans" (quick link) and order them by price per piece. You will see that the old Bionicle sets generally win. Naturally, of course, inflation and salaries have to be taken into account too. In this sense, a definitive comparison is hard and may vary depending on your country.
  24. Strakk
    Also, in my opinion, it was very fun to play with the Bohrok. I do not play with my sets anymore, but with that number of pieces they offered a lot in terms of playability. Back to the 2016 sets, I am not a big fan of the beasts, but I'd like to see more pictures of Umarak. I am still not sure if I like it or not.
  25. Strakk
    I wrote it in my previous post, but I repeat: toy line (only). Then in the same post I wrote Is there any toy line (born as a toy line), whose story is based on a single adventure, that has lasted more than three years repeating the same characters, without the help of a TV show? Also I added what I mean is that introducing characters that weren't mentioned before in the story isn't as interesting as developing characters that you already have in the story that were not in the spotlight. So far (apart from books or comics that only a small part of who buys Bionicle read) I don't see much information about the secondary characters or their personality. In my opinion if the Bionicle G2 story is kept to a minimum together with only a few TV episodes, games and online content, it will be hard to introduce different characters as heroes. Do another MNOG. In 2016 many more kids have access to the internet and that could be a good success and help expanding the story, telling more about the single characters. Compare it to the first Bionicle years and you will see that this opportunity could be used way more. One last thing, you say "Personally, yes, I'd generally rather play with characters I know and understand and care about, and who I've gotten to see grow and develop, than with random newcomers who show up to take their place." But how do you play with three versions of the same character at the same time unless you create new characters and give them those bodies?
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