Subject:
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Re: WHAT IF? Take a look!
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Mon, 31 Jul 2000 19:52:45 GMT
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Reply-To:
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johnneal@uswestAVOIDSPAM.net
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Viewed:
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1797 times
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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.
Look at AFOL clubs. All of the big ones revolve around trains. And what do
these clubs do? They go around to non LEGO events and lobby for the brick! They
expose tens of thousands of people to LEGO who otherwise wouldn't seek it out.
Any other theme's fans do that?
You can't even compare Trains with other LEGO themes. The closest in popularity
to Trains IMO would be Space. But I find many Space folks are into ldrawing
their stuff, or building quietly amongst themselves, which is okay, but have you
ever noticed-- there aren't any Space clubs. You don't see many "Space heads"
showing their MOCs at Star Trek or Star Wars conventions! It's mostly on line
action. The few times I've seen LUGs show space stuff to the public is dwarfed
by the number of trains shows that LTCs have done over the years.
And Castle? Please, if it were so popular, why would TLC discontinue it for a
time? The same goes for Pirates.
So, personally, I can't think of a *better* theme in which to pour resources and
effort. The dividends would be rewarding, to say the least.
[1] I ruled out comparing Town because IMO there is a very gray area between Town
and Trains among Trains heads. The Trains theme isn't just engines and cars--
it's round houses, sheds, bridges, stations, etc. At least that is what the
GMLTC believes.
-John
>
>
> regards
> lawrence
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Message has 4 Replies:
 | | Re: WHAT IF? Take a look!
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| (...) How do you assess popularity? Number of sets available? Number sold? If it is so popular, why is the number of train sets so thin on the ground? And why do shops not stock it? And why do Lego not even bother importing it into the UK as they (...) (24 years ago, 31-Jul-00, to lugnet.trains)
| | | Re: WHAT IF? Take a look!
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| (...) old (...) 40 (...) that (...) 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, (...) (24 years ago, 31-Jul-00, to lugnet.trains, lugnet.off-topic.fun)
| | | Re: WHAT IF? Take a look!
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| (...) Good point there. Most of the themes, especially recent ones, are centered around violence.Pirates v. Islanders/Imperial Guards. Good knights v. bad knights. The whole wild west theme was centered on a good guy/bad guy emphasis. Samurai v. (...) (24 years ago, 31-Jul-00, to lugnet.trains)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: WHAT IF? Take a look!
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| (...) I think the worse thing lego could do is produce some 'limited editions' of classic sets. This generally equates to those sets that are rare and expensive on ebay like 4558. Producing them in only limited editions would only maintain their (...) (24 years ago, 31-Jul-00, to lugnet.trains)
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