Subject:
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Re: Jake did good?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.color
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Date:
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Tue, 11 May 2004 17:20:12 GMT
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In lugnet.general, Jake McKee wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Reinhard "Ben" Beneke wrote:
Hello Jake,
some of my recent messages have been written under - let me call it - emotional
stress. I knew, part of it could be understood as hurting personally, on the
other hand the colour change is a topic that hurts me daily more. I kept really
cool, when I learned about it in late 2003, I was somewhat upset when we met in
Portland PDX; in the meantime the level of "hate" against the gray-decision is
beyond any rational explanation.
As said, I stopped buying new sets and I see not need to overthink that
decision. I dislike the bley colours and I would rather get out of my hobby than
starting collecting stuff I dislike.
So this topic is about leaving my hobby. Getting expelled out of my hobby,
because my bank account screems for being lowered by buying LEGO products as
usual, but the old sets become already somewhat rare in the shelves and there
will never be new sets to spend money on, since the bleys are eternal.
Under these circumstances none of your news have been good news. I do not want
some bulkpacks. In my eyes these are not more than a pill to keep us quiet.
Nothing good....
But one of the main points behind all this is trust: Can I trust the LEGO
Company (TLC), can I trust its employees and can I trust you?
My very personal opinion is that the answer on these questions is "No".
You said you did not lie to us. And I never called you a liar.
But between "telling not the truth" and "telling lies" there is still room for
lots of "Jake-postings" and Jake-TLC-announcements. (My very own opinion - as
everything written in this whole posting - in your mind, please add a "IMHO" at
the end of each line.)
Just to give you one very distinct point to overthink:
You said (more or less correctly quoted) something like:
*************
The flesh tone will (only) be used exclusively on "real charakters". Now and in
future yellow-head minifigs will remain to be used on TLC's "own" themes.
*************
Ok, concerning this very statement, I do not tell you a liar. But still I do
accept this only to be a truth for this very moment. And that means, it might be
not the truth tomorrow and I am 99% convinced it is not the truth in a few
years.
You tell me minifigs stay yellow. And I tell you: I do not trust you, I do not
trust TLC in this decision.
I would offering a bet about 100 $ US against your "yellow statement"!
I bet in the year 2007 will every new set come with the pale "fleshy" minifigs.
Yellow ones might only appear in Legend sets.
2007 that is not more than 2.5 years ahead and TLC-inside the sets for 2006
should be on the scratchbook already, so this is not about far future. I offered
this bet in public on the 1000steine-board and nobody held against it. So one
could believe nobody there trusted your word, your statement, your promise?
Ok, let me explain, why I doubt your statement and feel enough self-confidence
to do a bet like this:
1. Right now most (all?) new Explore - ehem, sorry - Duplo-figures come in
flesh tones. In a few years kids want to have these colours for minifigs as
well.
2. The mix out of yellow and "pale fleshies" looks awful (in my personal
opinion). That is the reason why all minifigs will appear that way soon.
3. It is a nice marketing instrument to have news at hand for some years. For
now the more expensive sets (the licenced ones) come with flesh tune, the
"cheaper" ones later....
4. Since you can't mix (imho) yellow and pale, there have to be replaced
millions of minifigs in the worldwide LEGO collections. Nobody wants to play
with oldfashioned stuff. That might lead to increased sales.
I am most sorry about the fact that some really nice yellow minifig heads will
become obsolete due to this change.
All in all I do not dislike the pale minifigs that much as I disklike the
grey-change. But I do not have to care about flesh at all, since I will not buy
any of them (or are there sets without bley that come with fleshies?
*******
Only as a sidenote: What I basically dislike about the new minifigs is the fact,
that they are no addition to the SYSTEM, but they are (IMHO) a replacement (you
cannot mix them). For me a brown Lando has been perfectly ok: that has been an
addition to the system, since he comes in standard brown colour. Doing pale
basketball players has been "on the border": those have been collectors items
only. I have no opinion on wether those had been better yellow or not. But it
helped opening pandoras box somewhat.
*******
Let me come to a conclusion:
As shown on the yellow-minifig example I do not trust the LEGO communication /
the LEGO promises any more. Changes to the worse might come at every time and
without warning. Our so far trustful communication has been cut from your side
(IMHO).
Other topics where I doubt your statements: purple busses are technical ok, but
it is only our eyes, which is "cheating" us, because the human eyes are very
sensible concerning this very colour. I still think this _IS_ a quality issue. I
do not trust TLC in this point.
I still doubt the explanation of the reasons why bley got introduced. If TLC
thinks it is so superior: why are there no posters in the retail shops no big
announcement on LEGO.com about the new improved colour. I feel betrayed in this
point. TLC should inform their customers about such a huge design change. I lost
my faith in TLC due to this as well....
In the end I see nothing good in all the bley-discussions. LEGO will not change
back but hands out a few pills to keep us quiet. I do not care if focus group do
have learned their lesson for now. I am out of the hobby (at least as far as it
concerns new sets) from now on. My hobby will suffer under drasctical changes. I
will "play" more and more with the ML-CAD system, I will stop being a promoter
for new LEGO products. If some parents around ask me about my hobby, I tell them
how upset I am about the bad way the company is run and how useless the 2004+
products are (IMHO).
I nearly cannot loose anything more now. You TLC cut me off from support of new
bricks and sets (which fit to the SYSTEM you sold me over the past 30+ years).
So I "fight" back as hard as I can. I am not interested in some tranquilizer
pills to keep me calm.
And I would not put so much time in claiming and discussing (and now even
flaming), if this was not all about my biggest hobby, my favorite childhood
memory, my most beloved, always inspiring LEGO bricks! R.I.P 2004.
Regards,
Ben
P.s.:
I will write a few more lines between your answer and send that to your private
mail. It does not belong into the public of Lugnet. And I have not sorted all my
thoughts to well right now. But I have to overthink your position of being an
Afol and an LEGO employeee at the same time.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Jake did good?
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| Hello Ben, I don't want to interfere between you and Jake. This post is only about some of the things you said about Lego and LEGO. It's not about any other considerations. First i would like to express my solidarity to you. I fully understand you (...) (20 years ago, 12-May-04, to lugnet.color)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Jake did good Thanks!!
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| It's past time to get beyond debating the "why" of the color change (and especially haranguing Jake about it). I don't see any reason not to take Jake and the TLC at their word that the new colors work better with the core market at point of sale: (...) (20 years ago, 5-May-04, to lugnet.announce, lugnet.general, FTX) !!
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