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Subject: 
AFOL/Mindstorms stagnation (Was Re: FLL not allowing NQC)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Sun, 13 Mar 2005 03:49:33 GMT
Original-From: 
Steve Baker <sjbaker1@airmail.net%antispam%>
Viewed: 
4432 times
  
Mr S wrote:
> In lugnet.robotics, Dick Swan wrote:
> 
> > Mindstorms for the AFOL and consumer market appears
> > totally stagnant.
> 
> I am curious. I don't know about other AFOLs on this
> list, but I have not found anything on the LEGO sites
> that I want to buy? I already have 4 RIS 2.0 systems
> and some other parts I bought off of eBay/Bricklink.

I think that it's possible that the market has simply
saturated.

After all, there is a definite limit to the amount of
Lego parts you need to build robots that are as complex
as your time/imagination allows.  I also have 4 RIS
and a handful of the other Scout-based systems.  With
some additional sensors and about 50lbs of bulk/unsorted
Lego from eBay and I really don't *need* any more Lego.

The guys who build Lego Railroad, or do massive sculptures
can quite literally never have enough - but with Mindstorms,
the sheer power-to-weight issues limit the amount of Lego
a typical AFOL might need.

So it's possible that we simply all have all the Lego we
need - except for the occasional really specialised things
(like suddenly needing hundreds of chain links and soccer
balls for the GBC - or a ton of pneumatics so you can
play with pnuematic computers.

But I'd be suprised that this would be enough to keep
the Mindstorm division of Lego afloat.

> IMHO, if LEGO were to offer piece parts with a minimum
> order dollar value, after six months or so, they would
> have a good idea of what part 'kits' they could sell
> to the AFOL market.

Maybe - but are there REALLY enough people willing to buy
a huge bag of chainlinks to justify the effort of putting
them in boxes - versus churning out another Bionicle or
StarWars set?

Presumably not - or they'd be doing it.

---------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------
HomeEmail: <sjbaker1@airmail.net>    WorkEmail: <sjbaker@link.com>
HomePage : http://www.sjbaker.org
Projects : http://plib.sf.net    http://tuxaqfh.sf.net
            http://tuxkart.sf.net http://prettypoly.sf.net
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Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: AFOL/Mindstorms stagnation (Was Re: FLL not allowing NQC)
 
(...) That's right - I find that for Mindstorms the stuff I have matches the time I have, but brickscaping for trains takes vast quantities of bricks - at least they're basic bricks! To improve the power to weight ratio you could make a power (...) (22 years ago, 13-Mar-05, to lugnet.robotics)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: FLL not allowing NQC
 
(...) I am curious. I don't know about other AFOLs on this list, but I have not found anything on the LEGO sites that I want to buy? I already have 4 RIS 2.0 systems and some other parts I bought off of eBay/Bricklink. I bought the additional pieces (...) (22 years ago, 13-Mar-05, to lugnet.robotics)

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