Subject:
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Re: Nicely now. What do you think of the new colors?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego, lugnet.general
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Date:
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Mon, 19 Jan 2004 01:32:00 GMT
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Viewed:
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13135 times
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In lugnet.lego, Jake McKee wrote:
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I would ask that you reply to this thread with your thoughts and feelings
about the color issue, both for and against. One post per person, I would
think would make sense. I would ask that the debate be restricted to other
threads, and that all posts be rational, calm, and non-hateful. This will
ensure that I can more easily pass along the information, and that the
message isn’t bogged down in debate.
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Hi,
I am in the camp that likes the new colors, and I think the new light grey may
be better than the old. But then, I have a pretty large collection of the old
colors, and for what I do with LEGO, it’s all I should need going forward. For
me, the new colors are additions, not substitutions. If anything, the problem I
have is that, even after buying one or two each of all of the new sets (SW,
Racers, and World City), I have less than a handful of bricks and plates to
build something with (more on that later.)
That said, I do see this whole situation as a problem for others. First off,
how the change affects the general consumer, the non-AFOL crowd. TLC has stated
that the reason for this color change is that the new colors are “better”.
Normally when a company makes an expensive change for the better, that company
does all it can to publicize the switch. If you go down the laundry detergent
aisle at the grocery store, you will see boxes marked “New Brighter Colors!”
Yet TLC has done NOTHING to advertise a switch which is alledgedly better for
the consumer. It’s as if TLC is just trying to sneak it by people...why, if
it’s such a great improvement? And most of the time people might not notice,
chalking it up to just another new color release (of which there have been quite
a few in recent years.) The problem is, there are sets out there with
history...the movie licenses and the Legends. TLC did a great job designing the
Harry Potter line so that the set-piece sets can all be linked into one huge
Hogwarts castle. The problem is, those sets use a lot of grey, and the floors
are all dark grey...I’m sure kids will notice this summer when their Hogwarts
flooring doesn’t match. The same with Chewbacca in the new Millenium
Falcon...put him with an old Chewie, and the difference is obvious. I’m sure
there are more than a few kids out there who have old Chewies lying around.
You say you haven’t received many complaints from Customer Service. I’m not
surprised, as there haven’t been that many opportunities yet...most of the
complaints have been from AFOLs who heard about the switch on the Internet,
because they are aware there was a switch. Like I said, wait till Harry Potter
comes out this summer...if the line sells like it has historically around movie
time, I bet you’ll hear about the “problem”. Or maybe not. Here’s a story from
my youth: I was 5 when Star Wars came out. From the outset (the Early Bird
Special box), my parents were buying action figures for me. The original
figures came with black, hard plastic guns. When I was around 9, Kenner had a
mail-in offer for an accessory pack that included 5 guns. The new guns were
blue (NOT the color from the movies), and apparently a softer plastic. I didn’t
tell my mom, and she never called Kenner Customer Service to complain, but I
never liked those guns. I was 9 when I noticed this change...definitely in the
LEGO target age group. If it’s LEGO, maybe I don’t complain about the new
colors...maybe I also don’t ask for more LEGO toys for Christmas and birthdays.
And then there is the Adult Fan crowd, which has different considerations.
AFOLs prize the stability of the product over time. That’s seen as both the
linkability of the bricks, as well as the color. I realize LEGO wants to make a
change...but people get used to certain things, and don’t want a change. We do
a lot of things in this world because of history, when a change would be better.
For example, Americans have been extremely resistant to changing to the metric
system because we aren’t used to it. You usually have to stick with the way
things have always been done, unless there is a compelling reason to
change...and unless TLC thinks it’s losing a lot of sales because of the old
greys and brown, “the new colors are brighter” just doesn’t seem to be a good
reason to change. And as you’ve seen from the comments here, you WILL lose
sales BECAUSE of the change.
So please, reconsider your color change. Put out products with new colors if
you want, but at the very least use the old colors with licenses and Legends and
in providing parts packs and Pick-a-Brick.
I’d also like to diverge a little from the topic (as others have) and comment on
TLC’s well-publicized “return to core values”. Here’s one fan’s input on what
that means:
1. The aforementioned stability. A lot of people know what “Duplo” means...it’s
a name that’s been around for years, and it has stuck. A lot of people are used
to the old colors. Please change both back.
2. LEGO makes building bricks and building sets. Not games! I don’t know how
well your Sports lines are doing, but the shelves are always full of the NBA
sets...that’s not a good thing. The great thing about LEGO is that a kid can
build the model on the box, play with it, and then take it apart and build
something completely different. The problem with the Sports sets is that you
can’t really do anything else with them after you get bored of the game
(although, I personally love the “skateboard ramp” pieces for the walls of the
NBA arena or the Snowboard Super Pipe...but then, I’m an AFOL with a sizable
collection, and I have other things in mind for those pieces.) Also, the Orient
Adventures are great sets, but they all include pieces for a game...again,
people buy LEGO to build, not to play a game. If I don’t buy the largest sets
in that line, and only buy the smaller ones, I get game cards I’ll never
use...I’d rather have either a cheaper set or more bricks for the money.
3. There’s been a big interest in the AFOL community for the 4400 and 4405 sets,
and it’s not because of the regular black and red and blue bricks...it’s the
odd, yet interesting, mix of colors and parts that are included as “300 extra”.
Problem #1 is, you need to buy a bunch of those sets to get an appreciable
amount of those one- and two-count parts. Problem #2 is that the 4405 isn’t
even offered for sale in the US (that info comes from LEGO Customer Service),
and the 4400 sold out on the Shop@Home website in about a day, has been rather
unpredictable to find elsewhere, and sells out quickly when found. My
recommendation for LEGO is that you put out more parts/color assortment
packs...as others have said, the newer colors like dark red, teal, etc. are
great, but it’s tough to get a decent amount. And few people have access to
Pick-a-Brick...like you, Jake, I live in the second-most-populous state in the
nation, yet the nearest Pick-A-Brick is 1000 miles away. It would be great to
be able to order from Shop@Home an assortment of, say, 5 of each uncommon PAB
offering, or parts packs similar to the 300 extras from 4400/4405. Include bulk
packs of both the old and new greys, and this whole color switch would be easier
for some to swallow. Give people choices on what to build with!
4. AFOLs are great champions and ambassadors for the LEGO company, without
compensation other than their own enjoyment. We’ve helped customers in the
aisles at stores, we give LEGO products as gifts to others in addtion to our own
purchases, we give testimony as to the quality of the LEGO product now and over
the past years. Unlike others here, I accept the “less than 1% of customers/a
few percent of sales” numbers that TLC gives us for AFOL buying activity (I made
ballpark estimates, and those numbers seem logical.) But it’s been stated that
TLC was pleasantly surprised at how well the ISD did sales-wise (and the
Blockade Runner that preceded it)...parents aren’t buying for their kids
$200-300 ship models that just sit there. And the influence of AFOLs goes
beyond those sales numbers. Take advantage of that loyalty and that knowledge,
and maybe consult with some AFOLs about possible future products and changes
(with non-disclosure agreements, of course.) I’m sure you’ll get a share of
“sky is falling” comments, but you’ll also find some honest criticism...and it
would help minimize problems like the color change down the road with your
customers.
Thanks for this opportunity to share our opinions!
Doug
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Nicely now. What do you think of the new colors?
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| It's only a couple of weeks in the new year, and it looks like it's going to be an interesting 2004! I have a request, but before I go any further, let me say that personally, I understand the concerns surrounding the color changes. I know many of (...) (20 years ago, 15-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, FTX) !!
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