Brick Miner

i wouldn't dismiss those awesome brick-built monsters as kid oriented.i really hope AFOL give this theme a chance "as is". instead of a pre-MOC for divers/city/town. this theme IS NOT DIVERS, and is really a great conceptualized theme on its own (giant mutants included). i hope we see many AR MOCs, and not just divers add-ons 8-| -------------------------------------------------- however, if it is true, that LEGO meant this as a AFOL pre-MOC set, that is interesting. it means LEGO is identifying (and pursuing) its secondary market. and that is potentially dangerous territory for the company. we have seen this type of change happen in the comic book industry. and, to me, has had some serious consequences... no kids read comics. now, this is obviously taking it pretty far. but if LEGO were to fully recognize its secondary market as its primary (and give AFOL exactly what it wants, classic-this-and-classic that), they might alienate their current primary market, kids. consequently, we would have an all adult hobby. it might sound far fetched, but 50 years ago... if you told anyone that comics would be an adult driven entertainment, they would have laughed. however, what we have in front of us, seems like a good attempt at pleasing both markets *y* and im sure the focus groups have spoken. anyway, just something to think about X-D - BrickMiner

:-D i meant this in regards to advertising items for sale, that i am interested in purchasing, of course ;-) - BrickMiner

he means there is no brick-built creature, like an angler, lobster, or giant squid (as seen in other AR sets).it is possible that is set is supposed to take place closer to the surface... as the baseplate appears tan, instead of dark gray (all the other sets have dark gray bases). tan could represent a reef or sandy area, and as the AR go deeper (into the dark gray rocky deeps and trenches) they encounter the brick-built monsters of their world. but maybe im looking too far into it :-D -------------------------------------------------- BTW, i too wish the little crab included was red... why this bright light orange :-X - BrickMiner

that seems more believeable than "special edition" being a sales gimmick.and that would be ok with me... target is where i shop for my new LEGOs anyway. BTW, is target a world wide chain, or would that mean this 7776 is a US exclusive ??? i could see making a quick BL buck if so ;-) - BrickMiner

i definitely want this... but what does "special edition" mean ??? limited release, possibly ??? or are they planning a NON-special edition of this set :-D - BrickMiner

:-D your sense of humor is impeccable !!!though, it brings up and interesting point... what ever happened to alternate models on the back of boxes ??? - BrickMiner

well, my knowledge of MOCs maybe limited to EB a little (especially considering i don't know when some of the MOCs on brickshelf were first published)... so im gonna stick to... "Best EuroBricks History & Adventure MOCs of 2006." jacob c's border bridge: http://eurobricks.hosting.ipsyn.com/eurofo...?showtopic=5291 and i remember really liking piglet's adventurer's airship: http://eurobricks.hosting.ipsyn.com/eurofo...?showtopic=5083 and as brickster knows... his grave stone hit close to home. may favorite is the whispering windmill. brickster is such a powerful story teller... to fully appriciate his MOCs you really have to read the stories. http://eurobricks.hosting.ipsyn.com/eurofo...?showtopic=6557 and mrts's street scene barely makes the cut (published on december 22nd ;-) ) http://eurobricks.hosting.ipsyn.com/eurofo...?showtopic=7341 these are just a few... i'll try to compile some more later ;-) oh, and i second baron sat's puerto brico as favorite pirate MOC.- BrickMiner

well... that bearded head is used in quite a few themes,... pirates, dark forest, royal knights, WW, and wolf pack... and as hobbes pointed out even SW... :-D :-D :-D ------------------------------------------------ i think the giant squid is the only one that exists in the AR size... i think this discussion is more interested in the angler, lobster, and crab.- BrickMiner

now, i admit to not knowing much about the process of LEGO set and theme design. but id be willing to bet their preliminary models and drawings run through several focus groups, before being accepted for production.for example, my good friend draws the current bionicle comic (ignition), and his art passes though two focus groups ( based on age). one younger age group (child) and a second (pre-teen). i bet, like his art, new themes and/or set designs must get an ok from focus groups similar to the bionicle comic panels. you might want to look at blaming focus group marketing stratagies for faults in LEGOs current products. but then again, maybe they aren't offering much to choose from in the focus groups :-D just a thought - BrickMiner

i spent nearly 100 USD on them, and built them in two nights... talking about them here on EB, is another way to get my moneys worth :-D plus, it's the only theme (that i've been half-way interested in) that LEGO has put out since i came out of my dark ages about two years ago |-/ so i decided to embrass them... LEGO seems to be heading their themes in the right diretion, so my buying AR is my contribution to LEGOs reward. it's the least i can do for the company that has brought me so much joy in the past. but don't be fooled, in the next week or two im releasing my next MOC, and it's in my truely favorite theme *pirate* -------------------------------------------------- ok, so maybe like a naturally occuring mutation ??? 1 in evey 1,000,000 tiger sharks are born huge 8-

well, now that is an interesting take on the skycraper theme... RAMPAGE !!! :-D :-D :-D in fact, taking that one step further... it could be like the new AquaRaiders line... giant mutant brick-built zoo animals on the loose !!! :-D - BM

ok, so i've been looking to upgrade my AR sets beyond modifying the brick-built creatures. my first attempt was to incorporate some elements from previous themes that i may already have in my LEGO arsenal. some themes that come right to mind are town: divers, and aquazone: aquanauts, aquasharks, aquaraiders I, and hydronauts. i always felt that some of the coolest elements from those themes are the underwater scooters and the sea animals. however, by looking at the new AR line, you kinda have to ruled out the underwater scooter piece as an element for upgrading, as this new AR theme seems to be going for more of a brick-built feel (reference the brick-built underwater scooters of 7774 and 7775). but that can be said about the sea life too !!! so my next logical question was, do the non-brick built sea creatures from themes past (dolphin, shark, octopus, manta-ray, etc...) fit this new seemingly, brick-built heavy, theme ??? to answer this question, you kinda have to look at, and consider, the brick-built creatures of AR. are these giant anglers and lobster the size of normal creatures in the AR world ??? or are they mutated versions of regular sized sea life ??? they almost must be mutants of some kind, if you take into consideration the single-piece crab that is included in set 7775. the official LEGO AR line includes both GIANT and "normal" size versions of this one particular sea creature. of course that could be explained away by the many different species of crabs that exists in the AR world... but still doesn't explain the un-natural size of the large one. now, at this point, it almost seems natural to say,... sure, why couldn't the single-piece sea life co-exist with the giant sea life of AR, and be seen as different species of the same animal. now, that seems to work fine for me, except in the case of the tiger shark... the great white from divers seems meek in comparison. if including the single-piece sea life is appropriate to the new AR line, then what explains this ill-proportioned difference in size between the tiger and great white sharks ??? the great white should obviously be bigger... unless again, we go back to the theory that these brick-built AR creatures are special mutants, and "normal" size tiger sharks also exist in the AR world. all of that considered... i'd like to see what other fans of the theme are feeling... are these brick-built creatures mutants ??? or are these brick-built creatures the "standard size" in this fictional/fantasy AR world ??? and do the single-piece sea animals fit this theme ??? open discussion about how you use the theme, or plan to (if AR is not available in your area yet ;-)) - BrickMiner

no aquaraiders in belgium !!! that is terrible, as i have found that the box art and images on lego.com are not doing the theme justice. my opinions have changed greatly on each one i have openned (after openning, that is). this is a theme that is a must see (in person), in order to correctly judge, evaluate, or appriciate !!! BTW, any word on set 7776 (belgium or elsewhere) ??? - BrickMiner

;-) i agree about the techniques... however, all that aside. it doesn't have that action figure feel for me... it looks how proper LEGOs should. ya, sometimes it takes me awhile to get my point finalized... my posts sometimes start as ideas i haven't fully realized myself :-D -------------------------------------------------- 8-

from my experience of building in the LEGO SYSTEM style of building, piece counts add up fast.the builders at LEGO really know how to get the most out of each piece. so, i personally feel, our perception of piece count verses size of model is skewed a little. i feel my piece counts are always high, for the size of my MOCs. id say the same thing happened here. - BrickMiner

hmmm... i think this maybe a separate issue. i don't like the bionicle-action-toy-ness of the lobster, which also looks very unreal to me. therefore, these seem like separate issues.i like the lobster in my initial post much better, and he is more real. just give him a little more menacing look, and he is AR ready !!! cute mini-lobster BTW... you sure love using your minifig hands and arms as building elements, don't you ;-) - BrickMiner

hmmm... so this is interesting alex. you have more a problem with the two that i think are fine (in terms of this subject, anyway) !!! :-D -------------------------------------------------- i wanted to add (and clarify) that part of the problem i have with the lobster, crab, and squid is that they look too "scary". and not scary fun, like i did with ghost town or as seen in the new castle theme (skeleton army). its kinda like the question that was raised about halloween last year. http://eurobricks.hosting.ipsyn.com/eurofo...?showtopic=6590 im not saying that they scare the megabloks out of me... but part of my appeal with LEGO is that it is very kid friendly, and easy to understand and enjoy for all ages. consiquently, i like themes that are timeless, to any generation. bionicle looses that timelessness (and really limits the target audience)... and some of the design choices behind the AR creatures give me the same feeling. this is just a shame, because making sea creatures timeless should be an easy task, right ??? :-D therefore, it's not only piece selection (as i mistakable mentioned in the starter post) that drives the bionicle feel... its also the approach. however, as already stated, AR is a step in the right direction from past years themes. and i very much enjoy the 4 sets i have... AR are just so close to what im looking for in NEW LEGOS. with a few mods im there ;-) -------------------------------------------------- it seems there are a couple AFOL here who agree the creatures need a more brick built look... but the majority feel they are fine as is... feel free to discuss !!! - BrickMiner

as an update for anyone wondering... the WW retail display was relisted with a buy-it-now of 95 USD. and was purchased within hours of being listed. - BrickMiner

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well, since you put it that way !!! ;-) - BrickMiner

it got me thinking... thats for sure ;-) yes, it is true that they are made of system parts... but i definitely get the older audience feeling about these creatures that bionicle also demands.actually, me and my girlfiend were having a conversation about the crab and lobster i have set up in my room. she doesn't like them, cause they remind her of bionicle too (mind you, she loves my WW, egypt, and pirate stuff ;-) ). it is more of an overall general look the beasts have. you have to admit, that the heavy use of the cylindrical hinges and dino tails make them look more like an "action figure" than built from LEGO bricks, right ??? - BrickMiner

ok, ok... aside from the two finned creatures, do you wish the AR creatures were more brick built ??? when i look at the lobster, squid, and to some degree, the crab... i get a feeling like they are closer to bionicle than to SYSTEM. i found this MOC on brickshelf, and it made me really want a more brick-built designed lobster, crab and squid. this is so nice... it could maybe look a bit more menacing to fit into the AR theme better, but i love how accurate its body structure build is... and look eight legs !!! the three beasts mentioned above, personally, give me a robotic feeling. i guess, i wish they were more organic. so for me the answer is number 1 - they are too close to bionicle. especially when compared to the minifigs and vehicles in the theme. i almost get a feeling that they are from two entirely different themes (the creatures vs. everything else). especially the lobster... its almost too "scary" (not scary fun... more like bionicle scary) for minifigs to interact with. is it just me, or do other fans feel the same... lets discuss !!! - BrickMiner

are you saying you've seen that half/half lobster in really life ??? 8-

:-D :-D :-D i don't trust anyone with a pocket book that is possibly bigger than mine ;-) - BrickMiner

about the lobster legs... on mine i did a quick mod.by taking out two of the black cylinder hinges on each leg, i was able to get the lobster to stand without a problem. actually he stands pretty high now, and i can wrap the tail under (instead of up). this removes the scorpion-ish look that LEGO gave him, and makes him look like a proper lobster ;-) - BrickMiner