New Set Rumors

bobabricks

I'm still waiting for a modular school, maybe a university campus :D

madforLEGO

Yes.. nothing says fun to kids like pretending to have to go to school.

LEGO still needs a hardware store, and they have the tools and equipment to do it now.

Ondra

Detective agency or some kind of police precint as modular?Sign me in immediately, off course if there will be huge amount of details like in Parisien restaurant.Size of town hall will be also great .

tamamahm

madforLEGO said:

Yes.. nothing says fun to kids like pretending to have to go to school.

LEGO still needs a hardware store, and they have the tools and equipment to do it now.

Yes... Nothing says fun to kids like pretending to have to go to a hardware store.

I suspect there are far more kids that would prefer to play with a school than a hardware store... All pretty moot anyway, since I am not sure $150-$200 modular sets are particularly targeted at most kids anyway.

TheLoneTensor

I think a hardware store is a great idea. It would give Lego an excuse to make molds for some of the more exotic tools that they have yet to make. You know, those really rare ones like a claw hammer or pliers.

oldtodd33

Actually, my kids love to go to the hardware store just to see all the cool stuff you can buy for your house.

Xefan

Your kids are weird.

FollowsClosely

My kids love the hardware store also.

Pitfall69

My daughter loves going to Home Depot. She likes to go sit on the tractors and other equipment.

legomatt

@Xefan They're just mentally preparing for the zombie apocalypse. :o)

tamamahm

Pitfall69 said:

My daughter loves going to Home Depot. She likes to go sit on the tractors and other equipment.

Yes, my kids liked that when they were 2-4. ;-)

At their age, though, not a chance. They would rather read a book, play a video game, build Lego, etc. I am quite sure that is not weird. Even my son has little interest in going to Home Depot at his age. All of them enjoy school, though.

I just find it funny, that a place (school)that kids go every day, a place that many kids enjoy, a place that is the topic of many books (HP ), a place that is part of many kids pretend play, and an actual building in a Lego line, is alluded to as a not fun set.
On the flip, I really can not name a time I have seen a hardware store come up in pretend play....

As said, though, it is moot, since this line is not geared at younger kids.

A hardware store geared towards AFOLs works fine, and historically I could see it.
Realistically, though, police or detective does seem to make logical sense, with Fire Brigade gone. I personally would prefer a detective agency, if done well, so I would like to see those rumors correct. I would say post office, is also missing from this Main street set-up, but I do think like City Hall that is a bit utilitarian. A medical building is missing as well. I could actually see that at some point. Of course, I would love to see another combo building like the Pet Shop. Perhaps a small post office on one side and a doctor's office on the other.

dannyrww

My kids like going to loews when they do the kids building events but not just to look around. Still not a bad idea for a set. Just not sure how it would fit in to the type of city that most modular are....although mom and pop type downtown hardware store would make more sense than a home depot type.

I like the detective agency idea...but I don't think that would sell as well.

kooz

How about an apartment building/brownstone?

Xefan

I guess we're just unfortunate in the UK, our hardware stores don't have tractors. They have boring things like planks of wood, a few broken concrete slabs, some half-dead plants, and an assortment of overpriced hose extensions.

sidersdd

Xefan said:

I guess we're just unfortunate in the UK, our hardware stores don't have tractors. They have boring things like planks of wood, a few broken concrete slabs, some half-dead plants, and an assortment of overpriced hose extensions.

And four candles. :)

carlq

Also plugs. Rubber. bathroom. 14 amp. :-)

legomatt

^ ^^ I see I have taught you well, now my work here is done. :oP

tamamahm

Technically large riding lawn mowers at mine, but yes, those were the one popular item with my kids when they were little. ;-) For my one daughter it was the flowers. :-)

Aanchir

A hardware store could work as part of a set, I think, but maybe not an entire set. Content-wise, I would expect something like #7641 City Corner and #60026 Town Square. Two or three 8x16 or 16x16 shops, a couple vehicles (maybe small ones like a car and a pickup truck rather than big ones like buses and cranes), and an assortment of minifigures.

When I think "LEGO City hardware store" I think more of a downtown hardware store like TrueValue or Ace rather than a hardware superstore like Home Depot or Lowes. And for goods on sale, I would think more of power tools, hand tools, pipes, and lumber than large appliances like ride-on lawnmowers (though a push mower would be a nice thing to display in the store window).

Pitfall69

Most model train layouts have a Hardware Store somewhere depending on the time period you set your town/city in. I'm still not quite sure what time period the Modulars are supposed to be in.

I have a small list of buildings that I would want released. Not in any order of preference:

Police Precinct
Bank
Bakery
Pawn Shop
Hardware Store
Bike/ Motorcycle Shop
Auto Repair/Mechanic
Salon/Barber Shop

I think we are thinking in terms of present day, but in the 50's there were tons of Mom and Pop stores that were in the city. General Stores and other mercantile shops and even cobblers.

Ondra

Im sure that next year will bring some creator vehicle, I dont know when horizon express will retire, but Im sure that sopwith camel is going to be retired soon.So Im expecting some plane as successor.Off course it is only my wish, but I like to see some another legendary war plane I dont know if supermarine spitfire or mustang will be OK for lego they are WW2 planes.

tamamahm

I like bank and bakery from that list, Pitfall.
Of course, if you have a bank, you really need a police or detective agency. ;-)

Pitfall69

tamamahm said:

I like bank and bakery from that list, Pitfall.
Of course, if you have a bank, you really need a police or detective agency. ;-)

A bank is a must. Lego have come out with many banks over the years, but it needs the Modular treatment.

Aanchir

A modular bank could be OK, I guess, though I'm a bit worried about what might be exciting. Bank buildings tend to strike me as boring. The bottom floor with the tellers is somewhat unique, but everything above that is just offices, which to me would feel sort of like a retread of the Town Hall. I guess you could have a vault, but don't know if that'd be exciting enough to offset all the offices.

mathew

A bank building would have to feature some pretty neat architecture for it be interesting. Maybe a bank/detective agency twofer like Pet Shop.

pharmjod

You could always include a little LEGO skeleton of Jimmy Hoffa to put in the bank vault as a play feature.

Pitfall69

Some older town layouts featured a small 3 story town bank. Maybe a Bank/Pawn Shop on 1/2 footprints :)

monkey

Not a rumour as such, but this year is the 100th anniversary of Tove Jansson (in August), any chance there will be a Moomin theme. They have such a variety of charming characters, and plenty of iconic scenes.

Aanchir

monkey said:

Not a rumour as such, but this year is the 100th anniversary of Tove Jansson (in August), any chance there will be a Moomin theme. They have such a variety of charming characters, and plenty of iconic scenes.

Hard to say. I think it's unlikely since Moomins are pretty much entirely unknown in the Americas.

Shib

I could see Moomin Lego getting made, but more likely as an Ideas set than a full theme.

carlq

^^^Personally, I'd love that ("Comet in Moominland" is still one of my favourite children's books), but I fear the likelihood is small.....:-/

Redbullgivesuwind

If they are doing Moomin I want Parsley the lion and Mr Benn as well.

CCC

And Mary, Mungo and Mudge. If you Google that and watch the intro ... You get to see Lego's inspiration for the mini mini (about 45 seconds in).

In fact, bring back vikings ... Noggin the Nog.

Redbullgivesuwind

I remember catching a few of the old episodes as repeats. All those cartoons were great but creepy, with their odd vacant dead eye expression. They all have this simple basic logic which seems to be lost in cartoons today.

Still at least Parsley the lion won't be in court on sex charges...

minicoopers11

Aanchir said:

monkey said:

Not a rumour as such, but this year is the 100th anniversary of Tove Jansson (in August), any chance there will be a Moomin theme. They have such a variety of charming characters, and plenty of iconic scenes.

Hard to say. I think it's unlikely since Moomins are pretty much entirely unknown in the Americas.

Can confirm. I have no idea what this is.

Shib

^ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin

I know it has quite a big following here in the UK and on a holiday in Japan about 6 years ago I remember seeing a lot of vending machines with Moomin branded drinks in - which I found very surprising.
Lego based on it would only really sell for nostalgia value, I could be wrong but I don't think that any TV networks in the UK currently show Moomin, so I don't think theres much kiddy appeal.

monkey

I think Moomins are favourite because of the books and pictures, not the just TV. Japan is indeed very fond of the stories, Finnair plane to Japan has Moomins all over it :)

ArtfulDodger

While we're at it, we could hope for some Asterix Lego sets.

Captain_Eyebrow

Moomins - the creator of the Moomins would have been 100 this year, she was a Finn and on a recent trip to Finland the level of Moomin related merchandise was quite high so an limited range might work quite well there.

As for in the UK? I could not say . . . . . .

Shib

^^that I'd be interested in, especially if they did Obelix as a big fig and a new mould for Dogmatix...that would be massive childhood nostalgia for me.

KingDave

The 'classic' Moomin cartoon was a Japanese/Dutch co-production. This is why it was and is still popular in Japan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin#TV_series_and_films

Aanchir

I was an Asterix fan growing up. That series is more widely known in the United States than Moomins for sure, even though it's still reasonably obscure.

I'd love Adventures of Tintin LEGO sets, though I don't know whether that's ever likely to happen. I grew up with both the cartoon on Nickelodeon and the comic books. I was disappointed when the LEGO Group didn't pick up a license for that to tie in with the film in 2011. But there's still a chance with the sequels, assuming those do in fact move forward and it doesn't get mired in development hell.

Any of these franchises would be far more well-known in Europe than they are in America, but Tintin would probably stand the greatest chance of being well-known enough for a LEGO theme on account of the movies, provided the sets are released to tie in with a new film release. There might be some concerns about subject matter (considering that Haddock's alcoholism is one of the series most enduring running jokes), but really it's not much worse than other series like Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean in that respect.

Peter1975

So maybe the Smurfes are a better opportunity? I'll probably wait for the new pirates....

Pitfall69

I am 42 years old and have never heard of Asterisk or Moomins. I have no idea what the Adventures of TinTin is either, although I have heard of it.

Pitfall69

Peter1975 said:

So maybe the Smurfes are a better opportunity? I'll probably wait for the new pirates....

The Smurfs are very popular, but I don't know if Lego would be able to get the license. Maybe for the films???

Aanchir

Pitfall69 said:

I am 42 years old and have never heard of Asterisk or Moomins. I have no idea what the Adventures of TinTin is either, although I have heard of it.

The Adventures of Tintin is a series of Belgian adventure comics dating back to the 1930s (older than Batman!). Really sophisticated stuff, considering it's aimed at kids, but not lacking in humor, either. The recent movie might be a good introduction to it, or you can check a comic or two out of a local library — that's how I enjoyed many of the comics as a kid. "Cigars of the Pharaoh" is probably a good issue to start with, or "The Crab with the Golden Claws".

Asterix is a series of French comics about a village of Gauls (ancient peoples who occupy what is now France) defending their home against Roman invaders. The Gauls have a magic potion that gives them super strength and speed. Much slapstick Roman-bashing ensues. My uncle (who's around your age) was a fan when he was a kid... not sure quite how he was introduced to it. I got my first Asterix comics as gifts from him if I'm not mistaken.

Moomins are Scandinavian characters I have no familiarity with other than what I've read on Wikipedia.

tamamahm

Pitfall69 said:

I am 42 years old and have never heard of Asterisk or Moomins. I have no idea what the Adventures of TinTin is either, although I have heard of it.

I could have written this post. ;-)

legomatt

ArtfulDodger said:

While we're at it, we could hope for some Asterix Lego sets.

Legobrix? :o)

I'd buy.

legomatt

No wait; They'd be Legiobrix

:oP

Paperballpark

Doesn't another brand have the Smurfs license?