21305 - Maze

AdeelZubair

Item 21305
Pieces 769
Release Date April 2016

Price $69.99 USD

Project Page https://ideas.lego.com/projects/14605

Like most 'LEGO Ideas' products it's no exception that it's also very similar to the original submission besides the Technic walls being replaced with system bricks. The source claims it might include a 32x32 baseplate, however they are uncertain with that aspect of the product.

Source www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1UqT9gB4zQ



I first discovered and supported this project during it's early days towards 10,000 supporters so you bet I cannot wait to see the final concept!

tallblocktoo

Always enjoy Lego Ideas.  Will likely get this as well.  Can't wait to see if they will be producing any other sets this year.  It sounded promising in a more recent Lego Ideas blog post but they haven't released anything further that I am aware. 

prevere

Loving the tan tile.

Thecollector123

I was one of the first hundred supporters on this! This is going to be #awesome

bricktuary

I'm probably alone but I think this is the worst Ideas set yet. Play value will be exhausted very rapidly and it's not a display piece. $70 seems insane. 

akunthita

I was also an early supporter of this project and can't wait to see it. My grandpa had a maze like this made of wood, which we really enjoyed as kids. I'm really interested to see the mechanics.

mathew

bricktuary said:

I'm probably alone but I think this is the worst Ideas set yet. Play value will be exhausted very rapidly and it's not a display piece. $70 seems insane. 

Probably not alone but I disagree.  This is a great Ideas set.  The mechanics will be interesting to learn and build.  You can also customize the maze which will be fun. Simple concept with lots of possibilities.  Personally I prefer this kind of Ideas set over the licensed ones which are nothing more than collectables.   

flord

I agree with it being over-priced. I could see a traditional hand-made wooden maze going for $70. But a plastic one you have to assemble yourself? Not for me.

bricktuary

Oh I totally agree it makes a change from the licensed sets (TBBT vignette being the worst example) but this I just don't like.  Personal preferences and all that. There are much stronger sets coming in that  $70-ish price bracket too. 

Fauch

maybe the maze will look more exciting than on the pictures. I think the original creator showcased a couple themed ones.

CCC

mathew said:

bricktuary said:

I'm probably alone but I think this is the worst Ideas set yet. Play value will be exhausted very rapidly and it's not a display piece. $70 seems insane. 

Probably not alone but I disagree.  This is a great Ideas set.  The mechanics will be interesting to learn and build.  You can also customize the maze which will be fun. Simple concept with lots of possibilities.  Personally I prefer this kind of Ideas set over the licensed ones which are nothing more than collectables.   

They are plenty more than collectables. They are play sets too.

mathew

CCC said:

mathew said:

bricktuary said:

I'm probably alone but I think this is the worst Ideas set yet. Play value will be exhausted very rapidly and it's not a display piece. $70 seems insane. 

Probably not alone but I disagree.  This is a great Ideas set.  The mechanics will be interesting to learn and build.  You can also customize the maze which will be fun. Simple concept with lots of possibilities.  Personally I prefer this kind of Ideas set over the licensed ones which are nothing more than collectables.   

They are plenty more than collectables. They are play sets too.

You can debate the "playability" of a set like The Big Bang Theory, but primarily it's designed to be built and then put on a shelf.  The Maze set is more with what I envision an Ideas set being.  

TheLoneTensor

I remember when these came out in the 70's early 80's.  I got bored with them quickly back then, and that was in the days when there wasn't a billion other things vying for my attention like there is today.

Like many ideas sets, this doesn't cover new ground, but rather is fueled by nostalgia.

Jayoheazy

TheLoneTensor said:

I remember when these came out in the 70's early 80's.  I got bored with them quickly back then, and that was in the days when there wasn't a billion other things vying for my attention like there is today.

Like many ideas sets, this doesn't cover new ground, but rather is fueled by nostalgia.

My thoughts exactly. That said, I love buying things out of nostalgia which is why I got back into Lego to begin with. However, I do not like this set much

mathew

TheLoneTensor said:

I remember when these came out in the 70's early 80's.  I got bored with them quickly back then, and that was in the days when there wasn't a billion other things vying for my attention like there is today.

Like many ideas sets, this doesn't cover new ground, but rather is fueled by nostalgia.

Wow man, you are old ; )  No wonder you're so cranky.  Is The Lone Ranger anything more than nostalgia?  Cowboys and Indians in the 21st century?  Really?  And that went over like a lead balloon.

I don't see this set fueled by nostalgia any more than anything else today.  It's a classic toy that now will come in a customizable Lego form. At least it gives kids something to build that resembles something that functions from an engineering standpoint.

mathew

Jayoheazy said:

TheLoneTensor said:

I remember when these came out in the 70's early 80's.  I got bored with them quickly back then, and that was in the days when there wasn't a billion other things vying for my attention like there is today.

Like many ideas sets, this doesn't cover new ground, but rather is fueled by nostalgia.

My thoughts exactly. That said, I love buying things out of nostalgia which is why I got back into Lego to begin with. However, I do not like this set much

Nostalgia sells nowadays.  Look at The Force Awakens.  But I don't see this as nostalgia.  It's a classic toy that you can now build and customize your own.  Did you even bother to look the Ideas page for it?  Do we really need another set based on a classic tv show or movie?  I mean I enjoyed Ghostbusters back in the day and it still holds up today but I have little desire for a giant Lego built firehouse much less the $50 Ideas set.  And a $270 60's Batman set?  We're suckers for sure.

AdeelZubair

LEGO Maze… under construction. Arriving April 2016!

datsunrobbie

Very cool idea. Looking forward to seeing instructions to see if I can build it from a couple of Ramses Pyramids and other parts culled from my UCS Alderaan (post Death-Star) set. 

pharmjod

Thought this thread could use a bump. Set revealed;

https://ideas.lego.com/blogs/1-blog/post/59

Looks pretty cool. I will be buying one to build and play with for sure.

ryjay

Not for me at all, but I'm sure a lot of people will have fun with it.

pharmjod

At second glance, I do think $70 is too much though, so I will be looking to get it at $50 or less if possible. Or just sourcing the parts. No way there are $70 worth of parts in this one.

MattsWhat

^Not that I think it shouldn't be less, but I doubt you could source the 770 parts for anywhere near that. It's 30 studs square, multiple walled and coated in tiles. While there may not be anything in there particularly expensive there doesn't look to be much that is actually that cheap either - look at the number of decent length 1xX bricks for example. 

ARo2891

Probably priced too high, but If I cut back my burrito intake by two that will make up for the $20 up charge on this set.  Definitely getting my hands on this as I have fond memories of NYE in NH playing with a real maze labyrinth.

legobod

I made something like this about 20 years ago by sticking a load of pieces to a baseplate. There were no fancy mechanisms though, just tilting by hand to move a marble around.
I really like the alternate maze with the castle, can see some elaborate mazes being MOC'd by people when this is out. A Death Star trench maze with mini X-wings and Tie fighters will undoubtedly appear

Jern92

Initially thought the Ideas project was rather dull, but now that the official version is out I can't help feeling a wee bit interested. The mechanisms are pretty cool after all, and it would be fun to play with. But then I'll probably get tired of constantly rebuilding the maze, or just start building ridiculously difficult mazes to torture any visitors to my home with.

AdeelZubair

I can understand why people are complaining about this set being an underwhelming concept however I personally feel that is the beauty of this concept. I just wish they continued that SNOT pattern using the 2x4 tiles across the whole maze to give the sides more character and depth.

I'm glad they at least included one alternative maze which is what we were all concerned about. This concept screams modification and creativity towards the consumer; I cannot wait to make more maze combinations and possibly update the wooden sides as mentioned above.

Judging the difference between the price and piece count of #21301 Birds (another non-licensed LEGO Ideas product with no Minifigures) I'm guessing the UK price will be £59.99. I reckon that is a fair price given it includes a 32x32 baseplate.

mountebank

Does this set come with any exclusive minifigures?

legomental

I ignored this thread for ages once I'd read the initial post but actually I like this now I've seen it close up. It's got a big base plate and I bet if you stick it out on the coffee table visitors will play with this. I've just added it to the wanted list

JudgeChuck

The default layout looks a little dull, although practical, but the castle themed layout is brilliant and there's certainly plenty of scope for further customisation, of course. I might have to get this...

Fauch

a bit disappointing to see the medieval layout is the same than on the ideas submission but with less details

SumoLego

Variety is the spice of life.  I'm happy that TLG is willing put out less conventional sets.  I know plenty of my engineer friends (the egg-heads, not the train drivers) that wouldn't normally spend a moment fussing over Lego, definitely fussing over one of these.

No helicopter, sausage, lighthouse, Landspeeder, re-tread, Police/Fire HQ for this one. 

tallblocktoo

SumoLego said:

Variety is the spice of life.  I'm happy that TLG is willing put out less conventional sets.  I know plenty of my engineer friends (the egg-heads, not the train drivers) that wouldn't normally spend a moment fussing over Lego, definitely fussing over one of these.

No helicopter, sausage, lighthouse, Landspeeder, re-tread, Police/Fire HQ for this one. 

We could always incorporate a few of those elements into the maze seeing you will be missing them otherwise!

SumoLego

And a white rangefinder!

Final_Sign

I can't tell on the box image but the castle layout makes it look like the ball just falls down off of a flat plate onto a baseplate, not down a hole.  Is that right?

tallblocktoo

@Final_Sign Yes there are no actual holes for the ball to fall through. 

legomatt

I think (if i buy this) my first alteration will be to buy some arches, and build a second storey, to create a multi-tiered maze. Hopefully it's possible. Plus I would imagine the added height of the upper level would make it that little bit more challenging (would expect ball to move faster, as tilt would be exaggerated).

Perhaps even a third or fourth tier, leaning tower of pisa style, might make for an entertaining maze game, with holes to drop down/out resulting in fewer 'points' scored.

So many possibilities. 

MattsWhat

^How will you see the ball on the lower levels? For the record I only ask as it sounds awesome.  

catwrangler

@MattsWhat That would make me want to mod it with some transparent bricks along the sides, or to replace the plastic ball with a metal one so its location would be more apparent by weight...

legomental

catwrangler said:

@MattsWhat That would make me want to mod it with some transparent bricks along the sides, or to replace the plastic ball with a metal one so its location would be more apparent by weight...

neat idea

I think this could be a lot of fun

catwrangler

legomatt said:

I think (if i buy this) my first alteration will be to buy some arches, and build a second storey, to create a multi-tiered maze. Hopefully it's possible. Plus I would imagine the added height of the upper level would make it that little bit more challenging (would expect ball to move faster, as tilt would be exaggerated).

Perhaps even a third or fourth tier, leaning tower of pisa style, might make for an entertaining maze game, with holes to drop down/out resulting in fewer 'points' scored.

So many possibilities. 

This is awesome and makes me want the set even more. 

Would the extra weight make much difference to the Technic assembly? I also wonder if it'd be possible to add some kind of variable to one of the tiers with a bit more Technic - I'm not explaining this well, but some way of turning or flipping part of the maze... 

Either way, it seems like this is going to be the kind of set that inspires modding for years to come; I can see why TLG chose it...

SithLord196

While I feel it is overpriced, it is over 700 pieces for $70, which is a good amount of parts for that price nowadays. 

I will be purchasing this because I am interested in the mechanics of it.

legomatt

@MattsWhat I imagined making the support 'walls' for the upper tiers entirely from arches, 6 or 8 studs wide, all around (or just giving the architectural appearance of an arch), so in effect the supports would just be a series of decorative columns - just enough for stability and clutch, but plenty of room to see through. It might not work at all, or might require technic pinning for strength (particularly if there were two or three tiers) to prevent collapse. Having said that, a little bit of blocked visibility adds to the difficulty, making the lower level even more intriguing - which presents an idea of itself: how about a version where rolling 'blind' is a feature - two duplicate levels, the first (upper) one being the visual guide, but the lower one completely blocked from view, so you only know you completed it when the ball drops out at the end. :oP

@Catwrangler Good question to which i don't have an answer. It's just an idea at the moment. Until i have a set in my hands and start messing about with it, i won't really know what's possible, or how much extra weight it can handle. Hopefully it can cope with an extra few levels. If so, one could even create wider levels, or mini levels.

catwrangler

@legomatt I love the idea of the duplicate levels, with the ball being hidden!

MattsWhat

^I quite like the idea of covering just part of the maze without a duplicate, just a blind section without holes to fall in but no way of knowing the route through (other than you built it of course).
I'm getting more excited about this set by the day.  It really lends itself to rebuilding and doing rather than just displaying which the other ideas sets have been for.

pharmjod

Still overpriced, but I agree it has great potential.

MattsWhat

I'm just going to try to resist it on day one and assume they follow what they did with Dr Who and make it available through other retailers.  Dr Who was 25% on Amazon not that long ago, which would make this a whole lot sweeter.  I still haven't seen a UK price, I'm still hoping for £49.99 rather than £59.99!

cheshirecat

^Have any unlicenced ideas sets been available through other retailers though?

TheLoneTensor

Research Institute was, and Birds still is available at Amazon proper (not 3rd party).

SithLord196

The Birds set is still available through Barnes and Noble's online store, and my Toys R Us was also selling it.

MattsWhat

cheshirecat said:

^Have any unlicenced ideas sets been available through other retailers though?

For a this side of the water answer - no, not that I am aware of.  But then we haven't seen an unlicenced since Birds and the line has grown in popularity a lot since then.  We are starting to see a shift away from exclusive sets on the whole really, more and more of the vignettes, polys etc starting to turn up.  Not to mention a certain poultry clad minifigure at a major supermarket.  Times are changing and I'm hopeful it will be good for ideas.

SumoLego

SithLord196 said:

The Birds set is still available through Barnes and Noble's online store, and my Toys R Us was also selling it.

TRU and BN have the 'exclusive' US rights to the Ideas line.  (Aside from [email protected] and the Lego Retail Store.)