Real Life Colors

Vindic8ed

Just like LEGO bricks, life is full of color!  I've seen (and participated in) various debates about LEGO's choice of color pallete when it comes to "foundation" bricks, or bricks used early on in a build that eventually get covered up.  I'm not creating this post to change people's preferences, but I would like to attempt to get rid of one of the arguments being used.

"It's not realistic" is a poor argument, in my opinion.  In reality, it's a false argument because actual construction(s) have quite a few different colors.

Below are photos of buildings and houses that are all within 15 minutes of where I live.  You can see gray, white, orange, green, black, brown, etc. all being used here, and everyone of those colors will be covered up with the final product.  I personally took the photos of the bottom three construction sites.


These pictures of insulation I pulled from Google, but can be purchased at a local hardware store such as Home Depot.  The colors are pink, yellow, white green and brown.



Below are photos of various building materials in different colors that I took at a Home Depot that's about 10 minutes from my house.  These include different color pipes, wiring, wood, etc.

560Heliport

I agree. Very few people are going to buy the UCS Razor Crest just for the grey pieces. 

CCC

Vindic8ed said:

Just like LEGO bricks, life is full of color!  I've seen (and participated in) various debates about LEGO's choice of color pallete when it comes to "foundation" bricks, or bricks used early on in a build that eventually get covered up.  I'm not creating this post to change people's preferences, but I would like to attempt to get rid of one of the arguments being used.

"It's not realistic" is a poor argument, in my opinion.  In reality, it's a false argument because actual construction(s) have quite a few different colors.

This is for modern (real) constructions only. If someone is building a medieval cottage, they would not be using pink insulation or a blue damp proof membrane. So the argument can still hold depending on what era you are building.

The "it is not realistic argument" does still hold even for modern builds, especially if there is a wide mix of colours in an interior that would all represent the same thing. Using all yellow inside a build would be just as bad as using all (insert any more natural colour here) and so is unlikely. More likely LEGO would use a whole range of colours in an interior, whereas the images you post tend to use, for example, all blue or all green and so on.

But then LEGO builds are very different to real life building anyway. So whether it matters or not is down to the individual. When I MOC, especially when free building, I tend to use similar interior colours to the exterior ones in case I later decide to expose some interior. It is much easier if I slightly change a build part way through. I don't want to have to completely dismantle something because an inappropriate colour is showing. It follows for me that it is the same with official sets, because I often amend those to my liking too.

Vindic8ed

CCC said:

This is for modern (real) constructions only. If someone is building a medieval cottage, they would not be using pink insulation or a blue damp proof membrane. So the argument can still hold depending on what era you are building.

That's true, and I did think about that while writing this, because that argument could also be made for landscapes.  However, if you dig deep enough and/or in the right spot, you'll come across all kinds of different colors (it also depends what landscapes are being referenced as well).

The "it is not realistic argument" does still hold even for modern builds, especially if there is a wide mix of colours in an interior that would all represent the same thing. Using all yellow inside a build would be just as bad as using all (insert any more natural colour here) and so is unlikely. More likely LEGO would use a whole range of colours in an interior, whereas the images you post tend to use, for example, all blue or all green and so on.

Yes and no.  While you are correct that LEGO does use a range of colors for the same thing on occasion, there are still a wide range of colors used in actual constructions.  For example, look at the bottom picture with the "blue" weather siding (it's actually purple, but the angle/lighting made it look blue in the photo).  Aside from the purple siding, there's a variety of colors being used: the gray concrete floors, the "silver" steel pillars, the brown steel beams, the red/brown "rustic" iron stairs, etc.  There will also be a variety of other colors applied as other materials are added to the construction.

In addition, the gray concrete floors are only part of the story.  Before the concrete was poured, it was steel beams, rebar and pipes.  Chances of it staying concrete upon completion is probably slim too.  There were be a variety of colors applied to the top (carpet, tile, wood, etc.).  There are various different colors/materials that go into the product before it is complete.

But then LEGO builds are very different to real life building anyway.

I think this adds to the point that "it's not realistic" is not a valid argument.

So whether it matters or not is down to the individual. When I MOC, especially when free building, I tend to use similar interior colours to the exterior ones in case I later decide to expose some interior. It is much easier if I slightly change a build part way through. I don't want to have to completely dismantle something because an inappropriate colour is showing. It follows for me that it is the same with official sets, because I often amend those to my liking too.

I agree that it's up to the individual to what they prefer.  So, people constantly getting upset that LEGO prefers to add color to the build is kind of ironic and hypocritical (not necessarily referring to your specific views on the matter).

CCC

Vindic8ed said:

I agree that it's up to the individual to what they prefer.  So, people constantly getting upset that LEGO prefers to add color to the build is kind of ironic and hypocritical (not necessarily referring to your specific views on the matter).

As I tend to MOC with parts from sets, I find it mildly annoying when interiors use very different colours to the exterior that I would not use in MOCs, since I would prefer a range of parts in the same colour as the exterior. If these often brightly coloured parts are only there to be hidden, it limits what the parts of just one set can be rebuilt into as interior parts need to remain on the interior unless you want something to look BOLOCS (built of lots of colours).

I also don't think LEGO needs to be quite so patronizing that different colours are necessary to make instructions clear or for that matter that sometimes just one or two parts are added per step. I think most people could cope with manuals of half the size (or less) and where brightly coloured interior parts are avoided, but it is what it is. Some people see it as patronizing, whereas others see it as LEGO being helpful or making it as easy as possible.

Vindic8ed said:

Yes and no.  While you are correct that LEGO does use a range of colors for the same thing on occasion, there are still a wide range of colors used in actual constructions.  For example, look at the bottom picture with the "blue" weather siding (it's actually purple, but the angle/lighting made it look blue in the photo).  Aside from the purple siding, there's a variety of colors being used: the gray concrete floors, the "silver" steel pillars, the brown steel beams, the red/brown "rustic" iron stairs, etc.  There will also be a variety of other colors applied as other materials are added to the construction.

Although if a builder is using a steel frame (or a wooden frame, or whatever) then they are not going to use lots of different colours of steel (or wood). A bricklayer will tend to use bricks of the same colour for the same job. They might use nice looking red ones for an exterior, and cheap grey ones for the interior, but they won't use loads of differently coloured bricks for the interior like LEGO does.

And of course there is the argument that it is done as they only produce certain parts in certain colours. Personally, I think there are probably too many colours these days and would prefer to see less colours combined with a wider range of parts available in each colour. They have become better here over time, but it used to be very annoying when they created for example 1x2 and 1x4 bricks in some colours but not 1x1 and 1x3 bricks. It makes that colour much less usable if even basic bricks are missing.

Vindic8ed

CCC said:

As I tend to MOC with parts from sets, I find it mildly annoying when interiors use very different colours to the exterior that I would not use in MOCs, since I would prefer a range of parts in the same colour as the exterior. If these often brightly coloured parts are only there to be hidden, it limits what the parts of just one set can be rebuilt into as interior parts need to remain on the interior unless you want something to look BOLOCS (built of lots of colours).

Again, that goes back to "personal preferences."  Yours vs. others vs. the manufacturer.  Most sets have limitations to what you can rebuild them into by themselves.  I can use your same argument with sets that are dominated by a single color (a large amount of Star Wars sets, for example), or a specific piece (like the triangle plates in the Star Wars sets).

I also don't think LEGO needs to be quite so patronizing that different colours are necessary to make instructions clear or for that matter that sometimes just one or two parts are added per step. I think most people could cope with manuals of half the size (or less) and where brightly coloured interior parts are avoided, but it is what it is. Some people see it as patronizing, whereas others see it as LEGO being helpful or making it as easy as possible.

I agree with this to some extent.  I like that they use different colors, but they could be less dramatic about it.  For example, the dark blue/red vs. their brighter counterparts would be less conspicuous.  I also think they should work on whatever algorithm they're using to generate the instructions, because when there's literally only one piece on a page...it's pretty ridiculous.  

And of course there is the argument that it is done as they only produce certain parts in certain colours. Personally, I think there are probably too many colours these days and would prefer to see less colours combined with a wider range of parts available in each colour. They have become better here over time, but it used to be very annoying when they created for example 1x2 and 1x4 bricks in some colours but not 1x1 and 1x3 bricks. It makes that colour much less usable if even basic bricks are missing.

I disagree; I like the large range of colors they have now, it allows for more intricate details when building.  However, as you said, it is annoying when there is not a certain colored piece.

Paperballpark

Let me get this straight.

You went to a Home Depot to take photos of building materials, so that you could post them on a forum about LEGO.

Can I have some of your time? You seem to be at a loss as to what to do with it yourself.

WesterBricks

^ I'm willing to bet many of us would consider a trip to Home Depot (or equivalent home improvement store) to be important field research for the Lego hobby.

CCC

Vindic8ed said:

I disagree; I like the large range of colors they have now, it allows for more intricate details when building.  However, as you said, it is annoying when there is not a certain colored piece.

It is an assumption of course, but I imagine the reason we don't get a full range of brick / part styles for each colour is partly due to the number of colours they have available. So one colour might get a roof with exterior corner pieces, whereas another set might use an interior slope corner in a similar but different colour. I think most common colours have now got a full range of brick sizes but it used to be very annoying when colours like bright light yellow would get some 1xX bricks, then another shade would get the missing ones that could have been BLY if the other shade hadn't existed. I think the rapid expansion in new colours that came about in the Friends era (although not just confined to Friends sets) has slowed down now and gaps are being filled.

Vindic8ed

Paperballpark said:

Let me get this straight.

You went to a Home Depot to take photos of building materials, so that you could post them on a forum about LEGO.

Can I have some of your time? You seem to be at a loss as to what to do with it yourself.

It's amusing and ironic that you would take the time to reply to something while--what appears to be --complaining about a lack of time in your life.  I'm actually pretty good at managing my time, and have a good work/life balance.  It literally look me an extra 10 minutes of my day on my way home from work the day I posted this.  If you're so busy and strapped for time, then I'd say that you seem to be be at a loss of what do do with yourself while complaining on a forum about LEGO (and have zero time management skills).

Vindic8ed

CCC said:

It is an assumption of course, but I imagine the reason we don't get a full range of brick / part styles for each colour is partly due to the number of colours they have available. So one colour might get a roof with exterior corner pieces, whereas another set might use an interior slope corner in a similar but different colour. I think most common colours have now got a full range of brick sizes but it used to be very annoying when colours like bright light yellow would get some 1xX bricks, then another shade would get the missing ones that could have been BLY if the other shade hadn't existed. I think the rapid expansion in new colours that came about in the Friends era (although not just confined to Friends sets) has slowed down now and gaps are being filled.

Friends definitely expanded the colors.  Newer themes have added to that as well, such as Monkie Kid.

Vindic8ed

WesterBricks said:

^ I'm willing to bet many of us would consider a trip to Home Depot (or equivalent home improvement store) to be important field research for the Lego hobby.

It's hilarious that someone like Paperballpark complains about other people wasting time when they have 4.2k posts on an online toy forum.  I'll be generous and say his average post takes 20 seconds to write.  Using some basic arithmetic, we can see that he's spent nearly a full day of his life writing meaningless* drivel (23 hours, 20 minutes).  That's just writing; who knows how much time he spends reading posts, browsing articles, etc.

*I'm using the term meaningless in the nicest way possible.  IE, anyone (including myself), reading/writing/talking about a plastic toy brick could be considered a waste of time since it does nothing to sustain a person's life.

If an admin were to pull all the site statistics about how much time people spend on the site, we'd see who the real "time wasters" are.

560Heliport

I can't see time spent on one's hobby as wasted.