| |
John Neal wrote:
>
> lawrence wilkes wrote:.
>
> >
> > I cant see Lego being motivated much to produce new train sets, or reissue • old
> > ones for that matter. The market is too small. Train looks too 'fiddly' in
> > comparison to juniorization trends. Train heads are enthusiastic, but a very
> > small part of the lego market.
>
> I couldn't disagree more. I would argue that Trains is the most popular theme
> TLC has. Which other theme (besides town [1]) has sustained itself for almost • 40
> years? Which other theme is so non-violent (besides Model Team)? Trains, in
> general, are popular now, and *always* will be popular-- all over the world.
>
> Take a look at the model railroading hobby industry. Show me any other LEGO
> theme that has such a legacy. The potential for the Trains theme is so vast • that
> I can't believe TLC isn't jumping all over it. People love trains, and people
> love LEGO. It is a match made in heaven.
One of the things I often point out as to why trains should be so
popular is that it is really the only model of a real life SYSTEM which
can be so completely simulated. RC boats, cars, and planes are lots of
fun, but mostly all you will ever simulate is races. Also, they are much
more fiddly. Trains also have the advantage of being able to nearly
invisibly deliver power so you don't need batteries (though in exchange
for this nearly invisible power delivery, you lose the ability to easily
have reversing loops, or have to deal with the fiddlyness of overhead
wire - which also limits your simulation to electric trains, note also
that it is possible to have a very nearly invisible third rail which
then allows you to have reversing loops).
I see another place where AFOL interest will develop into clubs and
meets, and that is LEGO wargaming, either Brickwars or Evil Stevie's
Pirate Game. This will bring in some number of new fans since it will
occur at non-LEGO gatherings (in fact, the game with the strongest
history has only just now started to appear at LEGO gatherings - the
Pirate Game, though Brickwars is developing nicely also, of course, if
TLC doesn't start producing ships again, the growth of the Pirate Game
will be severely limited). Interestingly, wargaming is the other hobby
where real life is so extensively simulated with models (I'm discounting
software simulations here, they in the end will eventually become the
most complete simulations, but despite that, I expect the modeling
hobbies to continue so long as individual personal space allows, we
humans seem to have a real attachment to real physical models, software
can only go so far [though I guess if we ever develop a complete
computer/brain interface, physical modeling could take a steep dive, but
then I still expect a certain population will even STILL prefer physical
models even when they become less complete than the software model]).
FUT: lugnet.off-topic.fun (while I find this angle of this subject
interesting, such discussion should rapidly diverge from being
appropriate for trains - please follow me for more discussion, I'd love
to see some other opinions).
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
|
|
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: WHAT IF? Take a look!
|
| lawrence wilkes wrote:. (...) I couldn't disagree more. I would argue that Trains is the most popular theme TLC has. Which other theme (besides town [1]) has sustained itself for almost 40 years? Which other theme is so non-violent (besides Model (...) (24 years ago, 31-Jul-00, to lugnet.trains)
|
32 Messages in This Thread:
 
 
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
