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This may come as a surprise to many people, but one of my hobbies is creating
things with LEGO bricks.
Shocked? I know that my parents still are, and this after 30+ years of me
playing with the 'Automatic Binding Brick'.
It's my chosen hobby--a conscious decision was made many times thru my life to
continue this hobby.
Thru high school, when all my friends put away their collections, and snickered
when they found out that I didn't--I still had mine in a box in my room, waiting
for a spare moment between homework and other things, for when the inspiration
hit.
Into college, when I perhaps should have put the bricks away on a more permanent
basis, I didn't, and every so often I'd be in the mood to build an 18 wheeler,
or what I dared called a 'robot' (this was the '80's, you understand--no RCX!
*gasp!*), which interfaced with my Commodore 64.
Then as my 20's went by, I still had my collection (and it was getting bigger
all the time for I never stopped buying LEGO bricks), and my friends, now being
beyond the 'LEGO ain't cool to play with as an adult', would, after church on
Sunday, stop by for tea, cookies, and an afternoon of creating.
And now I'm almost thru my 30's and there appears no signs of me abandoning this
particular hobby.
Sort of a tangent, I was at a hobby show recently, in which 'us LEGO guys'
displayed many of our creations. Right across the aisle from us whas the
'Meccano guys', with all their creations. Now Meccano, as a company, has
'reinvented' themselves thru the years--instead of steel plates and girders, now
there's plastic stuff. Whatever--those guys still have their collections, and
they still actively pursue their chosen hobby.
Why?
Because they like it! They like building their nifty creations with Meccano. I
like making things with LEGO. That's my bottom line.
There was much furor and hoopla and name calling and ranting and raving when
Bionicle came out. "Oh it's not real LEGO! What's TLC thinking??" When I saw
that Alien queen the other day, I'd like to say to all those yippy people--'Well
look at that! An awesome creation using Bionicle parts! Just quit yer b**ching
and go create stuff! This is what LEGO is for!' My nephew (age 12) is a *huge*
fan of Bionicle, and so are most of his friends. In my opinion, it was a good
move for TLC. Yet, still according to some here, it wasn't.
Bottom line? TLC, change the colours or don't change the colours--It's your
company. You will stumble sometimes, and I guarantee you that you will not make
everyone happy with all the many different decisions you make on a daily basis.
I applaud your efforts to do what's right for your company and your product.
And if you, the AFOL, don't like the new colours? Then don't buy the new
colours. "But what about my MOCs? I won't be able to colour match!!" Well,
I'd like to see the '67 Camaro make a comeback as well, but I don't see that
company reissuing the car just 'cause the fans want it. Times change. Can you
imagine what would have happened if this tirade happened when TLC released green
in more than just baseplates? "Hey TLC!! Stick with the original red, white,
blue, yellow, and black bricks!!" I don't even remember any shade of grey
before '78.
I'm a big believer in letter writing campaigns. That's what kept Star Trek on
the air for 3 seasons. That said, there's a difference between a politely
worded letter in support of your cause, and some of the tirades and rants I've
seen here. Who would I want to listen to if I were head of 'Colour Research' at
TLC? A well spoken person who articulates thier position clearly, concisely,
and, above all, politely? Or some 'foaming at the mouth' "'cause I'm so ****
that the ****'s are changing the ***** colours!!!"
From me, a quick message to TLC--Know that for 30+ years you've made this
particular fan of the brick very happy with his hobby.
Dave K
-I give it a month before someone posts a MOC with new colours that'll make many
people say "Wow! Didn't think about that!"
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In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> My nephew (age 12) is a *huge*
> fan of Bionicle, and so are most of his friends.
A question, just because I'm curious: Are they fans of Bionicle to *play* with,
or to *collect*? Do the sets get used, or are they just built and set on a
shelf somewhere?
I've been in too many stores where I heard some kid point out a Bionicle set to
Mom or Dad and said "I don't have this one, yet" or "Here's a new one"...
JohnG, GMLTC
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In lugnet.general, John Gerlach wrote:
> In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> > My nephew (age 12) is a *huge*
> > fan of Bionicle, and so are most of his friends.
>
> A question, just because I'm curious: Are they fans of Bionicle to *play* with,
> or to *collect*? Do the sets get used, or are they just built and set on a
> shelf somewhere?
>
> I've been in too many stores where I heard some kid point out a Bionicle set to
> Mom or Dad and said "I don't have this one, yet" or "Here's a new one"...
>
> JohnG, GMLTC
They take 'em to the school yard and have their little matches sometimes. I
don't know much about the Bionicle, but with the elastics and triggers and stuff
on some--they try to knock each others masks off.
At home my nephew keeps his Bionicle collection separate from his other 'Uncle
Dave bought for presents' LEGO bricks. Yes they're lined up on the shelf, but
he does play with 'em.
One of these days I expect to see the Bio mixed with the regular :)
Dave K
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In lugnet.general, John Gerlach wrote:
> In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> > My nephew (age 12) is a *huge*
> > fan of Bionicle, and so are most of his friends.
>
> A question, just because I'm curious: Are they fans of Bionicle to *play* with,
> or to *collect*? Do the sets get used, or are they just built and set on a
> shelf somewhere?
>
> I've been in too many stores where I heard some kid point out a Bionicle set to
> Mom or Dad and said "I don't have this one, yet" or "Here's a new one"...
>
> JohnG, GMLTC
I've seen the same thing happen with the regular sets too.
Erm... Actually, *I* do it with the regular sets sometimes. My girlfriend too.
She's currently on a kick to get all the sets with Ogel in them. I'm partial to
the Adventurers at the moment.
Eventually they all end up in the parts bins, but for a few weeks (sometimes
longer. I'm still not allowed to take apart the Black Seas Barracuda), at least,
they sit on a shelf as sets.
-Elroy
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In lugnet.general, John Gerlach wrote:
> In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> > My nephew (age 12) is a *huge*
> > fan of Bionicle, and so are most of his friends.
>
> A question, just because I'm curious: Are they fans of Bionicle to *play* with,
> or to *collect*? Do the sets get used, or are they just built and set on a
> shelf somewhere?
>
> I've been in too many stores where I heard some kid point out a Bionicle set to
> Mom or Dad and said "I don't have this one, yet" or "Here's a new one"...
Yeah, and a lot of AFOLS buy Lego to be complete. Then, I was in TRU the other
day and this boy was unexcitedly staring at Bionicle. Mother: "He already has
all the Bionicles." So he got the Space Shuttle. Good choice.
-Erik
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In lugnet.general, John Gerlach wrote:
> In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> > My nephew (age 12) is a *huge*
> > fan of Bionicle, and so are most of his friends.
>
> A question, just because I'm curious: Are they fans of Bionicle to *play* with,
> or to *collect*? Do the sets get used, or are they just built and set on a
> shelf somewhere?
>
> I've been in too many stores where I heard some kid point out a Bionicle set to
> Mom or Dad and said "I don't have this one, yet" or "Here's a new one"...
Its a good question. I know a lot of kids have the collector mentality with
Bionicle. One aspect of consumerism I really don't like, but its life. In the
toy business, many other people do it, and LEGO has to do it to survive. If
that's what gives me bricks to buy, so be it.
However, I've seen many a kid building with Bionicle parts and being creative
and learning. Its an extension to the building system. Sure, its a diversion
from studs and tubes, but still connects to them in limited ways, and works
seamlessly with Technic. Check out the new movie sets - Takanuva, Makuta, Jaller
& Gukko, and Takua & Pewku. Its all technic! I have Takanuva sitting right here
... was a rather complex build, of technic parts. Parts which are very useful in
other models.
I say Bionicle enhances the LEGO building system, and heartily disagree with
people who say it detracts from it.
-Tim
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In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
| |
This may come as a surprise to many people, but one of my hobbies is creating
things with LEGO bricks.
Shocked? I know that my parents still are, and this after 30+ years of me
playing with the ‘Automatic Binding Brick’.
It’s my chosen hobby--a conscious decision was made many times thru my life
to continue this hobby.
snip
Bottom line? TLC, change the colours or don’t change the colours--It’s your
company. You will stumble sometimes, and I guarantee you that you will not
make everyone happy with all the many different decisions you make on a daily
basis. I applaud your efforts to do what’s right for your company and your
product.
And if you, the AFOL, don’t like the new colours? Then don’t buy the new
colours. “But what about my MOCs? I won’t be able to colour match!!” Well,
I’d like to see the ‘67 Camaro make a comeback as well, but I don’t see that
company reissuing the car just ‘cause the fans want it. Times change. Can
you imagine what would have happened if this tirade happened when TLC
released green in more than just baseplates? “Hey TLC!! Stick with the
original red, white, blue, yellow, and black bricks!!” I don’t even remember
any shade of grey before ‘78.
From me, a quick message to TLC--Know that for 30+ years you’ve made this
particular fan of the brick very happy with his hobby.
|
David, I applaud you.
This has been a refreshing post to read due to current events and I thank you.
Nathan (who is in total agreement with David Koudys) Wells
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Dave K
-I give it a month before someone posts a MOC with new colours that’ll make
many people say “Wow! Didn’t think about that!”
|
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In lugnet.general, Nathan Wells wrote:
> In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> > Bottom line? TLC, change the colours or don't change the colours--It's
> > your company. You will stumble sometimes, and I guarantee you that you
> > will not make everyone happy with all the many different decisions you make
> > on a daily basis. I applaud your efforts to do what's right for your
> > company and your product.
> >
> > And if you, the AFOL, don't like the new colours? Then don't buy the new
> > colours. "But what about my MOCs? I won't be able to colour match!!"
> > Well, I'd like to see the '67 Camaro make a comeback as well, but I don't
> > see that company reissuing the car just 'cause the fans want it. Times
> > change. Can you imagine what would have happened if this tirade happened
> > when TLC released green in more than just baseplates? "Hey TLC!! Stick
> > with the original red, white, blue, yellow, and black bricks!!" I don't
> > even remember any shade of grey before '78.
>
> David, I applaud you.
>
> This has been a refreshing post to read due to current events and I thank
> you.
>
> Nathan (who is in total agreement with David Koudys) Wells
>
> > Dave K
> > -I give it a month before someone posts a MOC with new colours that'll make
> > many people say "Wow! Didn't think about that!"
Again, this misses the point. I think what most people are upset about is not
new colors appearing, but old colors disappearing. Sorry to flog a Dark Grey
horse...
- Chris.
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In lugnet.general, Chris Phillips wrote:
<snip>
>
> Again, this misses the point. I think what most people are upset about is not
> new colors appearing, but old colors disappearing. Sorry to flog a Dark Grey
> horse...
>
> - Chris.
I didn't state it as clearly as I intended, then--I understand the disappearance
of colours. I was having issue with the approach of many individuals--It's like
me demanding, in a very unpleasant way, that TLC bring back the wheels with the
metal axles and the 2x4's with axle holes on all 4 sides. Another point--I
would love to see the 1x4 brick with chrome headlight pattern from the '70's
come back. Will I cuss up and down that TLC discontinued that particular brick?
No.
It was a business decision to stop producing those particular models of bricks,
just as it is for them to change the colours. It's their business, and they
have to make business decisions.
If we have an issue, we can ask politely that they reconsider this decision.
I'm responding to the 'all is doom for us AFOLers!' and the 'TLC sux' rants.
Using an example from past hooplas like the Bionicle rants, I tried to show that
maybe all the ranters should just tone it down a notch and see what transpires.
The flurry of activity this colour change has produced on LUGNET is just
staggering. We have passionate individuals who cherish our collective chosen
hobby. We all anjoy LEGO, or we wouldn't be here in this discussion group.
However, sometimes our passion gets the best of us and things get said. I'm
more guilty of this than most--just look in o.t-d (sorry 'bout questioning your
humanity, Hoppy).
Every now and then, though, we should just sit back, take a deep breath, and
realize that, for at least my lifetime anyway, TLC's still here, and they still
make a pretty good product, and we still actively partake in LEGO related
activities--perhaps we could just calm down a second. Absolutely get the
petitions going and write letters, but please do so politely and with
consideration and respect towards each other and to TLC.
Dave K
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In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Chris Phillips wrote:
> > Again, this misses the point. I think what most people are upset about is not
> > new colors appearing, but old colors disappearing. Sorry to flog a Dark Grey
> > horse...
>
> If we have an issue, we can ask politely that they reconsider this decision.
> I'm responding to the 'all is doom for us AFOLers!' and the 'TLC sux' rants.
> Using an example from past hooplas like the Bionicle rants, I tried to show that
> maybe all the ranters should just tone it down a notch and see what transpires.
>
> The flurry of activity this colour change has produced on LUGNET is just
> staggering. We have passionate individuals who cherish our collective chosen
> hobby. We all anjoy LEGO, or we wouldn't be here in this discussion group.
> However, sometimes our passion gets the best of us and things get said. I'm
> more guilty of this than most--just look in o.t-d (sorry 'bout questioning your
> humanity, Hoppy).
>
> Every now and then, though, we should just sit back, take a deep breath, and
> realize that, for at least my lifetime anyway, TLC's still here, and they still
> make a pretty good product, and we still actively partake in LEGO related
> activities--perhaps we could just calm down a second. Absolutely get the
> petitions going and write letters, but please do so politely and with
> consideration and respect towards each other and to TLC.
You are absolutely correct on this point, and I couldn't agree more. I've been
somewhat taken aback by the tone taken by many here the last few days,
particularly with regard to the color change and the BioniCastle issue. Abusing
Jake is not the best way to convince the powers that be in Billund that they
have made some poor decisions. And some of the reactions posted here have been
so hysterical that they will be easily discounted in the board room.
I hope that people will give TLC some credit here. Jake has hinted (perhaps too
subtly) that the BioniCastle sets are not the only Castle sets that will come
out in 2004, and much of the ranting on that topic seems to have overlooked
that. I also have great hope that the sheer volume of responses to the color
change issue and even the passion contained therein may convince LEGO to reverse
this decision. I'm getting an awful lot of "server busy" responses today that I
doubt are being caused by a worm attack.
I also think that in recent years, TLC has shown an increased sensitivity to the
AFOL market. Pick-a-Brick, Legends, and Jake's involvement on this forum are
but a few examples that they are listening to us, even if they tend to react
slowly in most cases. Large corporations, like oil tankers, do not change
course quickly.
- Chris.
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In lugnet.general, Chris Phillips wrote:
> I also think that in recent years, TLC has shown an increased sensitivity to the
> AFOL market. Pick-a-Brick, Legends, and Jake's involvement on this forum are
> but a few examples that they are listening to us, even if they tend to react
> slowly in most cases. Large corporations, like oil tankers, do not change
> course quickly.
>
> - Chris.
No, but oil tankers can sure run aground with a quickness ;)
-HRH
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In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
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Absolutely get the petitions going and write letters, but please do so
politely and with consideration and respect towards each other and to TLC.
|
Respect is absolutely a two-way street. TLC has none for the adult consumer,
not unless it somehow coincides with something they were planning anyway. Much
is made of the tiny part of the market we represent, so fine-- that’s just proof
that they don’t care about what we adult brick nuts think.
Sure they go to these “conventions” and so forth -- what company would forego an
advertising coup like that? Shoot themselves in the foot, sure -- miss an
opportunity for free marketing and possibly free press, not a chance.
I mean, can you even believe that Brad Justus mentioned these new castle knights
as new “castle”? I wasn’t there, but did he say it with a straight face? Were
his fingers crossed behind his back as he misrepresented and savagely distorted
the reality of what he was saying? There is a very serious disconnect right
there!
Bottom line: TLC is not the only game in town. They once were the best game
in town, but the more they play the game of the competition -- with action
figure junk, clone type colors, and lowered quality control -- the more they
will find that they have so muddied what separated them from the pack (mainly
MegaBloks) that there is no true difference.
Color me not that surprised...
-- Hop-Frog
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In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> Bottom line? TLC, change the colours or don't change the colours--It's your
> company. You will stumble sometimes, and I guarantee you that you will not make
> everyone happy with all the many different decisions you make on a daily basis.
> I applaud your efforts to do what's right for your company and your product.
>
> And if you, the AFOL, don't like the new colours? Then don't buy the new
> colours. "But what about my MOCs? I won't be able to colour match!!" Well,
> I'd like to see the '67 Camaro make a comeback as well, but I don't see that
> company reissuing the car just 'cause the fans want it. Times change. Can you
> imagine what would have happened if this tirade happened when TLC released green
> in more than just baseplates? "Hey TLC!! Stick with the original red, white,
> blue, yellow, and black bricks!!" I don't even remember any shade of grey
> before '78.
There were many complaints about "new colors". Google searches of rec.toys.lego
will easily uncover such postings. Here's a quote from Charles B. Naumann
(cnaumann@HiWAAY.net) way back on 1998/06/24, "I am personally tired of all the
new colors. It was kind of neat when grey came out, and green, but I cannot even
count the number of common colors out now". I'm sure such feelings are not
uncommon today, at least in the AFOL community.
Change can be good or bad, but there isn't much point in moaning and groaning
over change that you can't control. The fact is that Lego is a private company
and its customers' only real input into Lego's decision making process is sales.
Along those lines, ticking off a certain percentage of AFOL's is the least of
Lego's worries. Continuing sales to its biggest customer group, children, is a
far bigger concern.
Competing with today's virtaul toys in "16,24,32... bit color" is hard when your
range of colors is so few. The "classic" colors of the 60's and even 70's look
primitive and "baby like" to today's youth. Those are the sorts of colors you
would have seen on the 8-bit game systems and computers of the late 70's and
early 80's (sometimes limited to only 16 colors). How booring. ;-)
Jeff
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In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> I'm a big believer in letter writing campaigns. That's what kept Star Trek on
> the air for 3 seasons. That said, there's a difference between a politely
> worded letter in support of your cause, and some of the tirades and rants I've
> seen here. Who would I want to listen to if I were head of 'Colour Research' at
> TLC? A well spoken person who articulates thier position clearly, concisely,
> and, above all, politely? Or some 'foaming at the mouth' "'cause I'm so ****
> that the ****'s are changing the ***** colours!!!"
>
> From me, a quick message to TLC--Know that for 30+ years you've made this
> particular fan of the brick very happy with his hobby.
>
> Dave K
> -I give it a month before someone posts a MOC with new colours that'll make many
> people say "Wow! Didn't think about that!"
David -
I don't see most of the objectors complaining about adding colors, only about
taking them away. Lego is my chosen hobby too - and the more colors they add,
the better the palette is that I have available to build with.
I agree 100% on the rants. On top of being ineffective, they're just plain
rude, especially in a forum where children might be reading.
Me, I'm already thinking about models I can make with ash and bley. I haven't
seen the new brown yet, but if nothing else it could be another hair color for
larger-scale works...
.Steve Coallier
"Attack life, it's going to kill you anyway!"
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