Subject:
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Ultimate Lego Book (was re: AFOL Take Action!)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.dear-lego
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Date:
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Thu, 7 Oct 1999 05:29:58 GMT
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Viewed:
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1019 times
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[Posted here by request the of another adult Lego fan...]
I highly recommend this book to any serious Lego fan -- its more or less a
must have item and fairly well presented. The book contains great pictures,
great ideas, and a thorough enough development of TLG's history to satisfy all
but the truly rabid Lego fanatic.
The fact that Shop@Home is distributing this book is surely a sign that it is
an officially sanctioned portrayal of TLG, its products, and the image it
wishes to put forward to the public -- or of company and product "branding,"
if you will.
But as I looked and read, I could feel my blood boiling. And while I haven't
had the chance to exhaustively read this book cover to cover, a rather
leisurely scan last night has already caused me some degree of annoyance.
Much of my annoyance relates directly to the issues raised by Ian in his
thread regarding Adult Fans of Lego taking some sort of action to get TLG to
realize how far off the mark they have gotten of late.
I will just make a short list of observations about the book and relate them
to my own curmudgeon-y thoughts:
On page 115, the book notes that a modestly sized carousel is composed of
8,000 bricks. The bricks in question range from brown cylinders, numerous
transparent colored plates, many different colored plates, cones, round 1x1
plates, connectors, horses, radar dishes, etc. This carousel, as most of the
models in the book, is composed of elements that are ABSOLUTELY NOT EASILY
OBTAINABLE BY THE ADULT LEGO HOBBYIST!!! Did I mention that this thing is
made of plates? Check out the huge number of transparent plates and brown
bricks!
Now look at the chessboard spread between pages 114-115. Look at those tan
and dark grey tiles! Freaking tan and dark grey tiles! ::GRRRR!!!::
Okay, back to 8,000 bricks. Now many of these bricks in the Carousel model
are far from ordinary bricks, nonetheless I am going to calculate the average
cost of 8,000 bricks based on the prices listed on page 26 of the current Fall
1999 Shop@Home catalogue (please correct my math should the need arise):
{ I am totaling the price of items A, B, C, D, E, F-K (as one entry), N, O, P,
Q, R, S and T (as one entry), P, and lastly Q - or (8 x 5.50) + (2 x 4.50) +
(2 x 3.00) = 59.00 / by the number of pieces of the same entries -- which is
545 = = $0.10827 USD. Now, 8,000 x .10827 = $866.16!!!}
Now all of us know that bricks priced at around 10 cents are a good deal where
Lego is concerned -- this is common knowledge amongst us (indeed, most new
sets price at around 20+ cents a brick). Now look again to the Carousel model
and ask yourself if you bought 8,000 bricks at that not-so-modest price and
from the bricks available at Shop@Home on page 26 if you could build the model
in question. Could you build the chessboard mentioned above? How about the
bowl of fruit on page 124? Or the ‘57 Chevy on page 109? The helmet on pages
120-121?
Answer: NO, YOU COULD NOT!!!
$866 would not buy you the elements you would need! This is the problem with
the way TLG markets its product. You wouldn't have the tiles, the colors, the
transparent bricks, the cylinders, etc. And you wouldn't find the needed
parts in many sets or buckets either. We, ALL OF US, know this...And while we
are at it, ask yourself if the average kid could afford even a "poor-man's"
version of this $866+ edifice. No s/he could not!
On page 20 of the book, another interesting fact is revealed (although it may
now be dated in the face of Star Wars and Mindstorms sets), it reads: "Yo ho
ho! Eleven LEGO Pirates sets were launched in 1989, with ships and forts; it
became the most successful product line yet."
O yeah?
THEN WHY THE F**K DID TLG DISCONTINUE IT? BLAST THEM!
Okay, so that's it. That's the reason my blood boils. Because TLG sucks
either because of intentionally and rudely hoarding the cool stuff; or because
of gross mis-allocation of resources and a total failure in current marketing
efforts. Look at the current catalogue unless you really want those jr.
parts, you are s**t out of luck!
My only satisfaction lies in the fact that if TLG collapses under its own dead
weight today, I can still score discontinued sets from the aftermarket that
has arisen out of the abyss of satisfying builder needs. If TLG will not
satisfy certain segments of the market, others certainly will. Still, I am
not happy about the prices I sometimes have to pay for these desired sets and
elements. And I am even less happy about the unavailability of certain
elements.
What are my suggestions for a happier Lego future? Bricks by weight would be
cool and a good start -- but hey, you can already buy basic bricks. Doesn't
anyone else want black pyramid/cones, or steep corner slopes? How about
numerous service packs of essentially EVERY element TLG has ever made, and in
every color? And if not all at once, or all the time -- how about at least
cycling the elements so they are at least available periodically and keeping
the market for them satisfied? I would also recommend developing and
marketing parts not yet made by TLG (like my minifigure batwing attachment:
http://members.aol.com/blueofnoon/lego/lego.htm ; or even double-sided stud
and double-sided tube plates -- yes, they are out there, or at least in my own
head!). Lastly, AND FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, bring back the discontinued Pirate,
Space, and Castle theme sets!!! And don't ever again market any set or
service pack peculiar to a certain region of the world that's just bloody
stupid. Sheeesh!
Let there be "System into the System" to borrow a phrase from current CEO, and
apparent corpse, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen.
Well, there it is. My thoughts on the Ultimate Lego Book, why TLG sucks, and
some ideas to further guide what AFOL should do or demand. Just my own
opinion and no more.
TLG can now either hire me or bite me!
"Only the best is good enough." HA! I wish...
- Richard (Curmudgeon Supreme)
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