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SNIP
>
> I don't like all the new molds they had to make to put out these parts,
> though. I see almost totally new parts. I wish they would quit wimping out
> and saying "oh, don't have a part to fit there? just design a new one!" and
> instead try rebuilding and retrofitting to work with the pieces there. I
> guess it's just a result of Juniorization, but still...kids these days
> aren't total dummies. Sure, I'd say kids these days are more juniorized
> than they were twenty years ago, but that doesn't mean they are incapable
> of putting a couple score parts together.
I've been thinking about this for awhile. It seems that in the last few years,
the number of new molds per year that TLC creates has been consistently rising.
For example, for 2004 it looks like they have pretty much phased out most of the
old-style finger hinge parts in favor of the newer click hinge versions.
I do remember that when I was just a kid, my standard response to my parents'
question "don't you have enough lego?" was that I didn't have the new pieces
that were available in the new sets. It could be that creating new piece types
every year is just as important to creating demand for new sets as the set &
theme design themselves. Otherwise, without new piece types (and colors),
eventually, there would be little to no incentive for longtime consumers to
continue buying new product??? I'm sure some pieces are juniorized when it
comes to the duplo/explore/jackstone product lines, but I don't really see these
pieces as being overly juniorized. Instead, the Knights Kingdom action-fig
(anyone got a better term) pieces seem to be very complex. There are lots of
ways to interconnect to standard system bricks and technic system parts using
multiple stud orientations. I bet the Mecha builders are already drooling over
some of the new pieces here (sure, the main torso looks pretty useless but at
least it does have studs on it)
Another thing, that strikes me as odd, is that Lego Direct always seems to refer
to the expense of creating new molds as the reason for not being able to produce
more monorail track, cypress trees and various older parts. This seems to be in
conflict with fact that TLC is able to produce many new molds each year; some of
them being specialty molds for licensed themes such as all the Starwars,
Spiderman or Harry Potter. Certainly, once the licenses run out, TLC won't be
able to re-use these some of molds for other themes (specifically thinking about
license specific parts like the chewbacca head)?
The only thing I can figure is that modern CAD tools and computerized machining
have drastically reduced the cost of creating new molds. I imagine that TLC has
an entire library of elements that they can use to rapidly design and prototype
new pieces, and then drop those specs to a computerized CNC house to have a mold
created. The only thing I can figure when it comes to resurecting old part
types (such as monorail track) is that the orginal design was never transferred
into the CAD system and that the original specifications have now been lost??
The expense of re-desigining a new version and ensuring it is 100% compatible
with the old versions may be the part that is too cost-prohibitive??
Anyways, just some random musings..
drc
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Message has 4 Replies:
 | | Re: Knights' Kingdom figures
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| (...) Snip! You bring up a lot of good points, Douglas. Although others have asked me "Don't you have enough LEGO?" before, I never gave that question a serious thought until now. It's because a) there's a cool new set, or b) like you said, I don't (...) (21 years ago, 20-Dec-03, to lugnet.castle, lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Knights' Kingdom figures
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| "Douglas R. Clark" <drclark@cinenet.net> wrote in message news:Hq638w.12pI@lugnet.com... (...) [ ... snipped ... ] (...) years, (...) rising. (...) of the (...) [ ... snipped ... ] Which is really unfortunate because the click hinges are a far (...) (21 years ago, 20-Dec-03, to lugnet.castle, lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Knights' Kingdom figures
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| (...) I bet the Mecha builders are already drooling over (...) As a mecha builder, i can say my mouth is indeed quite saliva-less :) Sure the new parts might be great for making strong and compact joints, but that takes the fun (and skill) out of (...) (21 years ago, 20-Dec-03, to lugnet.castle, lugnet.general)
| | | Re: Knights' Kingdom figures
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| In lugnet.castle, Douglas R. Clark wrote: SNIP (...) Cost of new mold divided by number of parts needed equals reality check. TLC needed far more Chewies than they need cypress trees (or monorail track) despite what the AFOL community might feel. My (...) (21 years ago, 20-Dec-03, to lugnet.castle, lugnet.general)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Knights' Kingdom figures
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| (...) I agree with Adrian somewhat. I'll be first in line to criticize Galidor and second in line for Bionicle specialty parts (like the masks) but these seem to be half decent. I don't like all the new molds they had to make to put out these parts, (...) (21 years ago, 19-Dec-03, to lugnet.castle)
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