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In lugnet.technic, Ray Sanders writes:
> Dino Head Attack had 7 technic bricks in it (including a 1x16 in black), Gungan
> Sub had 2 1x16s in blue, four in the droid dev kit, etc. So the pcs are out
> there, just bits here and there.
>
> Ray
I'm not denying that there are SOME traditional Technic parts out there but
they are few and far between (except for in RIS sets). You will spend a
small fortune in trying to obtain a quantity comparable to what you used to
get with ANY large Technic set in the past. Think 8277 Giant set or 8299
Sub or 8460 (?) Crane. Even at inflated eBay prices I get far more for my
money than picking up current sets for a handful of pieces or paying rather
inflated prices to Pitsco for measly amounts.
Frankly, even the current large car sets are rather short on value in my
opinion - too many axle/rod and flex tubing connectors. I've got more bent
beams than I'll ever find real use for already. They are most pointedly NOT
as useful as traditional studded beams and NOT readily used with the
traditional bricks. THAT was my original point. Lego has abandoned the
concept of cross-line compatability - and in my opinion, devalued all of
those products.
While I never combined Primo,Duplo and Legos - the point was that at one
point at least, you could. There were Primo/Duplo blocks and those off white
2x4 bricks bridged Duplo and Lego systems. That scenario was far less likely
than using Classic Lego and Technic parts together. You are hard pressed to
use much from "Roboriders," "Bionicles" and new "Technic" with older Technic
or classic bricks. Just TRY to use any of the new stuff with classic bricks
WITHOUT using any older Technic pieces to "bridge" the gap. You can't. But
then just TRY to find the older, traditional Technic pieces in quantity.
I view all this from the perspective of makig "things that work" - cars,
simple machines, Rube Goldberg devices, Mindstorms robots. These are things
that sure seem to appeal to the market Lego is chasing (8 and up). Without
traditional Technic pieces you can't even mount the newer rod/smooth beam
pieces on a studded base. I have to wonder how much time some of those at
Lego actually spend BUILDING and PLAYING with their own product. Throw out
a huge box of parts in the middle of a room, let a bunch of kids loose
(different ages) and WATCH. THAT is a focus group. See what they do. Throw
in a few knowledgeable adults (or older kids) for some loose guidance and
help and then see what happens. Go watch kids at Legoland building cars and
such. I do it every week with a free play class. Twelve kids and 3 twelve
gallon totes full of parts. No where close to the variety I've got at home
but they're in heaven. I do it with a "structured" class in machines and one
in roobotics as well as an "unstructured" class in robotics.
This all brings up a point that seems to be lost on TLC. You need a
"critical mass" of Legos to really get going with them. Perhaps this is why
my house is a playdate destination of choice - more Legos than anyone has
ever seen. Rarely do kids really have this chance as Mom and Dad are
unlikely to buy a LARGE amount of Legos because "They're expensive" and
(being honest) "they're always all over the floor" (well, you CAN teach your
kids to pick them up but that seems to be unusual nowadays). The third
deterrent is a dirty little secret. Too many parents aren't around to deal
with their kids or simply don't want to. This is a product that can require
SOME adult participation now and then - help with instructions and such -
something that many parents do not seem to be around for or want to deal
with......And that's true of ANY product you assemble - even Bionicles. On
the other hand, the parents that ARE involved with their kids and who DO
spend time doing things with them are the ones I see buying Legos........for
those that truly want "quality time" with their kids, Legos can provide some.
(Sidebar - That was one of my complaints about Legoland. The "free build"
area had a VERY limited supply of parts (not replenished often enough).
Those looking foward to an "unlimited " chance to build were quite
disappointed.)
So, getting away from the initial topic:
Can Lego be all things to all markets or are they better focusing on a
market segment that actually uses and appreciates their product?
A kid who buys a bunch of Bionicles may outgrow that fad. And is TLC
building a long term market or depending on catching the fad wave every few
years? Kids who are really into Legos seem to stay interested (and quite a
few come back to them after a hiatus because they find they can build on a
different level as they get older). If you want to appeal to the long term
user, they value cross compatability - otherwise they've just got a bunch of
outgrown toys in their closet. Once a kid outgrows Bionicles, how many of
the pieces can they use to build machines or robots? I'm not a diehard
purist - bricks and only bricks - but too many of the special purpose parts
are of such limited use as to be near useless. Meanwhile, the reallyuseful
parts - that span across product lines - are so rare as to be near extinct.
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