Subject:
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Re: Chris Gray's site (was Re: MB sites)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands
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Date:
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Wed, 15 Nov 2000 03:24:06 GMT
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Viewed:
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612 times
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"James Brown" <galliard@shades-of-night.com> writes:
> I think Lego is pretty cool. I grew up with it, and remember when it was
> the only game in town. But I turned into a teenager, and forgot how cool it
> was, and it moldered in my parents basement. I got hooked on it again, and
> brought a bunch home from Europe when we visited my wife's family in the
> Netherlands. I started buying stuff in toy stores here(1), and for the most
> part *didn't even notice* that there were other brands of building blocks.
> I'd wander into a store, look for "the Logo" and browse the stuff there.
> I'd never look on the next aisle over, or farther down the wall, becuase I
> wasn't shopping for toys, I was shopping for Lego. I first heard
> about/became aware of clone brands when I thought to look for Lego on-line,
> and found rec.toys.lego.(2)
I think James has hit a key point here. Things that we did as kids stick
with us, and are viewed "through rose-tinted glasses". That's likely
unavoidable - most of us had lots of fun as kids, and spent lots of time
playing. One of the advantages of growing up in a first-world country.
As a kid, I *didn't* have any Lego. I played with it once at a friends
place, but don't recall being terribly excited. I did have some rubber
bricks called "Minibrix", and played with that small set a lot. I also
had some Meccano and some Kenner building sets, both of which I also used
a lot. Now here's the relevant bit. A couple of years ago I bought a
set that is a clone of the Kenner stuff, and didn't like it at all. It
seemed not as good, and the instructions only had one model in them.
Similarly, I've bought Meccano sets in the last decade or so, and haven't
liked them all that much - the colours are different, they have plastic
pieces, they changed the screws, they have these icky big plastic wheels,
etc. As for the new themed sets - well forget *them*!
So, if things are different from what they were when we had fun, we react
negatively to them. It probably requires very little in the way of not
being as good as we remember (and can likely have ways it is better!),
in order for us to not like it. For me, I don't even have to go back to
childhood: when K'nex was first coming out, I bought the Big Ball Factory,
and loved it (still do!). That particular set struck chords with me. Some
of their newer sets, with themes and different colour schemes, bother me -
they don't seem *right* somehow!
Lego is still basically the same toy it was many years ago, so it doesn't
disappoint like other things do. Note, however, that people complain a
lot about "Juniorization", specialty pieces, etc. My guess is that kids
that grow up with some of today's sets would be disappointed by the sets
of 20 years ago. They would take too long to hit gratification.
So, I tend to agree with what James is saying. For me, since I didn't have
Lego as a kid, clones, as long as they are good value, are fine. Even if
they are inferior in some ways.
Oh yes, Lego can disappoint in the same way. I recently bought my first
Lego trains - some 9V ones. The quality and playability is good. But, I
*hate* the turnouts! They don't work anywhere near as well as the
turnouts did on the trains I had as a kid. It should take 6 curves for
a half-circle, not 8. That way, a turnout can be a join of one full
straight track (not the shorties that Lego uses) and one full curve track.
The little squiggles that you end up with using Lego turnouts drive me
bonkers - you can't build proper switching setups! There also needs to
be a larger radius of curves, to allow for better parallel tracks.
(Good old HO has 18" curves and 22" curves.) (I think I understand why
Lego builds them the way they do, however - it likely relates to maximum
mould size, and a desire to keep layout design very simple.)
--
Don't design inefficiency in - it'll happen in the implementation.
Chris Gray cg@ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA
http://www.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA/cg/
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Chris Gray's site (was Re: MB sites)
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| (...) I'm not sure why I took that with such a negative bent. But I'll think aloud for a bit. (warning, this is going to be rambling, long, and might turn into a rant) I think Lego is pretty cool. I grew up with it, and remember when it was the only (...) (24 years ago, 14-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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