LEGO Ideas - Review Results

ricecake · June 2016

rampantsully said:

Can't abide the Beatles, so it's saved me a few bob

I think you mean, it's saved you a John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

leetshoe · June 2016

l wish some of the Jurassic Park sets would get approved. l'm not a big fan of the Beatles

TheLoneTensor · June 2016

I know I'm projecting my own preferences, but I guess I get really discouraged by seeing incredible models getting shot down, like the Nautilus, the T-Rex, etc., and then we end up with pop things like Big Bang Theory and the Beatles. Don't get me wrong, I love the Beatles, and I love Lego but it doesn't mean I want a Lego set made out of them, it's just...weird.

For the ones released, Wall-E was cool, but had a f'd up neck (c'mon billion dollar company, how'd that happen?). The Maze is good for 5-6 minutes of fun. Ecto was one of the best. I still can't get over how bad the DeLorean looks. Birds spent so long in the process, I didn't really care when it came out. Curiosity was phenomenal because it linked a cool model with something that actually matters. Research Institute was nothing more than a cash grab for me personally. The Exo Suit was cool, but holy delicate Batman.

I know I'm critical and maybe a bit harsh with things I don't give a crap about: Adventure Time, yawn; Dr. Who, a complex, thought-provoking show I'm just not into; and Big Bang Theory is one of those things that if we ever meet intelligent aliens, I'd be embarrassed for humanity if they ever saw it. But honestly, Ideas is something that has devolved into just another line. The biggest difference is that with normal themes, you don't generally see the golden concepts that end up in the trash. Instead, this theme gets you all jacked for multiple potential sets that are awesome, then end up shoving mediocre crap in your face.

eanair · June 2016

Shame about the Victorian London set - it's beautiful; but on a positive note their not choosing it has saved me money.

The Beatles set will have a wide appeal outside the FOL community so I can see it would make financial sense for Lego to choose it.

TigerMoth · June 2016

eanair said:

The Beatles set will have a wide appeal outside the FOL community so I can see it would make financial sense for Lego to choose it.

That's true for many successful Ideas sets - they're touching on nostalgia and creating display pieces that appeal to non-FOLs, which would be admired by other non-FOLs.

jediami65 · June 2016

I would love for more of the rejected Ideas instructions/ ldd files to be release. I have seen some in the past made available by the designers.

Aanchir · June 2016

jediami65 said:

I would love for more of the rejected Ideas instructions/ ldd files to be release. I have seen some in the past made available by the designers.

That'd be nice in some cases, but of course, a lot of builders don't bother to make their creations digitally or create instructions. For instance, the Victorian Christmas project didn't even list a ballpark estimate for the piece count, so chances are it was only ever built physically and never "unbuilt" to create instructions or an inventory.

I've seen a lot of disappointment about the Victorian Christmas project, but honestly I can see why it failed review. Though the designer mentioned ways to cut its size down, like reducing the floors and buildings, even with those adjustments it'd be a massive project. Unlike the Saturn V, its size doesn't appear to be balanced with such huge amounts of repetition to keep the price in check. Also, it being a Christmas set means the window of interest for it might be narrower than with a less seasonal project. And while Christmas in Victorian London is iconic in large part due to Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and its many adaptations, it still might not resonate as universally as a Christmas set less tied to a specific time and place. None of this is to say it was a bad MOC, but it would have a lot of factors holding it back as a set.

cheshirecat · June 2016

A while back I thought cussoo/ideas was dying as a concept, but I've been really impressed with the range of sets produced and still to come. Really eclectic, not just movie after movie which it felt like might happen for a while. From good sized display pieces like wall-e (and the issue was not that bad and was fixed), and the caterham, through minifigure based (play) sets like TBBT and dr who, to completely different builds like the maze. Its given us types of build we just wouldn't have seen and licenses that wouldn't have happened either. Sure the delorean was poor but no worse than some main stream sets, ecto 1 gave us the firehouse, the kind of detailed large high price set afols were crying out for before. If they keep the Saturn v close to current scale that will be really novel too, throw in some decent apolo 11 figs and it will be amazing.

I was really excited about dimensions but the reality massively disappointed. By contrast I didn't expect much from ideas but they're now some of my most anticipated releases (wall-e, caterham,Saturn v) or become must haves when seeing in the flesh (maze).

pharmjod · June 2016

I was super excited about wall-e, and he remains my favorite ideas build so far. I was also excited about the maze as I like kinetic LEGO models. I also enjoyed ecto-1. Some of them I've not been excited about, but I expect if the line continues we will see some good stuff over the years.

Aanchir · June 2016

The thing to bear in mind about LEGO Ideas sets is that they're probably all going to be a little divisive. If any franchise for LEGO Ideas was both financially viable and a surefire hit with EVERYONE, then LEGO could probably recognize the demand for it without any need for crowdsourcing.

One of the best things about Ideas is that it helps identify products that might be a little more niche than your typical summer blockbuster tie-in or general LEGO set, but still have the potential to become popular products in their own right. Sure, this can mean disappointment for people outside each new product's specific audience. But if LEGO Ideas were just churning out "safe" products like police stations, fire engines, and iconic Star Wars spaceships, then there wouldn't be much of a point to it, would there?

As for the things that get rejected, that's kind of unavoidable when you have people out there proposing the sets of their wildest dreams. Not everything that gets to 10,000 supporters is a certifiable hit, especially since the people proposing them might have no idea of some of the obstacles they'll face during review. But even if not every Ideas set has interested me personally, I think generally LEGO tends to make some pretty good calls.

goshe7 · June 2016

Aanchir said:

Not everything that gets to 10,000 supporters is a certifiable hit.

Golden words. Emphasis on the golden.

MattDawson · June 2016

Despite the interest, look at the lack of train (or train related) projects going up for review.

I personally don't get the Beatles set (especially as a clone has already done it) but I'd like some of the non-licensed sets to come to fruition, as (locally) TRU still has plenty of the Doctor Who sets and the Entertainer in Birmingham is shifting BBT sets like a clothing merchant selling caveman attire.

jediami65 · June 2016

#21104 could not have suffered from the license issue and it has to be on of the Ideas sets with smallest release count, that was gone in about 1 month. Some times it seems like TLG does not have a clue about how much interest certain sets really have, or have not.

Shib · June 2016

I think the one big thing LEGO should do to improve the whole IDEAs process is tighten up the submission process, basically just stop the ridiculously large (or misleadingly presented - those with a giant build main image then scaled down "actual project" image) to cut back on the amount of impressive MOCs that are just never going to make it as a set.

I also think they could do a little more to weed out stuff that is currently under licence with competing brands, they do a little of this but some stuff still gets left that probably shouldn't.

More transparency would be great, but I realise that LEGO love their secrecy so that's unlikely to change.

tallblocktoo · June 2016

Agreed Shib I think your suggestions would go a long way to make Lego Ideas work better. I can only imagine there are some gems that get lost in the clutter. Perhaps not but I'm guessing so.

catwrangler · June 2016

jediami65 said:

#21104 could not have suffered from the license issue and it has to be on of the Ideas sets with smallest release count, that was gone in about 1 month. Some times it seems like TLG does not have a clue about how much interest certain sets really have, or have not.

I think part of the difficulty is that the number of people who support a set on Ideas doesn't necessarily correlate to the number who'll actually buy it. Yet they must realise this by now - witness that old thread (linked recently) where people were petitioning for a modular re-release, and that TLG designer Jamie pointed out how few people bought re-released classic sets, compared with the number who'd begged for them to happen.

I wonder if it's as much about other stuff they're trying to make/sell/stock at the time - there must be times when they can commit their machines to another run of an Ideas set that flies off the shelves, and other times when it's non-negotiable because they're going to need them for a new Star Wars range, or that Christmas's load of Creator sets...

Dadandlad · June 2016

richo said:

Also, rejecting the Toyota 4x4 probably means the British Land Rover that might make the 10k will probably not have a chance. Probably too narrow a buying market compared to things like the Mini and Camper van.

Hi, the Land Rover is our creation. We like to think that Land Rover is just as iconic as the Mini and Campervan and as there is no 4x4 in that range we made our model to that scale. We are hopeful we can get to 10,000 supporters and then I guess it is out of our hands. We have had a great response at Land Rover and Lego shows we have exhibited at with people wanting to purchase them. We are hoping the various options and modifications people can make with this model will possibly help. All we can do is try I guess. Hoping the supporters keep coming. :)

CCC · June 2016

jediami65 said:

#21104 could not have suffered from the license issue and it has to be on of the Ideas sets with smallest release count, that was gone in about 1 month. Some times it seems like TLG does not have a clue about how much interest certain sets really have, or have not.

Highly regional. It was available for three months in the UK (so probably all Europe).

bricktuary · June 2016

Also note it did have a NASA endorsement. I have really high hopes for the Saturn V.

And Yellow Sub is probably the last remaining IP plus vignette/vehicle plus cool minifigs Ideas set I can stomach.

CCC · June 2016

^ there will be more. They sell.

bricktuary · June 2016

Oh yes, there will definitely be more. But I've pretty much had my fill.

Unless there's a Vic Reeves Big Night Out set.

CCC · July 2016

It looks like another NASA set will soon make it to review ... 7000 votes in 10 days.

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/147876

It would seem a bit strange to me if they did a historical set like this with real named minifigures but left out most of the key players due to their gender.

TheLoneTensor · July 2016

Slippery slope! Slippery slope!

GallardoLU · July 2016

and for that matter how did this even get onto Ideas? I mean isn't it a glorified minifig pack?

Fauch · July 2016

so are those votes for political correctness or people really love the set?

Aanchir · July 2016

GallardoLU said:

and for that matter how did this even get onto Ideas? I mean isn't it a glorified minifig pack?

Not really; it includes a pretty substantial vignette for each figure.

Fauch said:

so are those votes for political correctness or people really love the set?

I'm going to say a lot of people really love the set for showing diverse women who made important strides at NASA, thereby presenting girls with positive scientific role models. I guess others might call that political correctness, but that doesn't make supporters' love for the concept any less genuine.

I didn't support it, but I don't think it's a bad project, per se. I just have no interest in it personally.

I think the biggest limiting factor on this set's production is that it would need the permission of all the people featured in it, or in the case of those who are deceased, their next of kin. Which may be more complicated than a simple licensing agreement.

TheLoneTensor · July 2016

I gotta admit, it'll be nice when we get past all the "first X to do Y" scenarios in the course of human evolution.

pharmjod · July 2016

That would imply that there would be nothing left to discover or do. That would be pretty boring.

TheLoneTensor · July 2016

No, I'll be totally happy with the first human do to Y. It's the whole "first man/woman/black/latino/Australian/penguin-hybrid/etc." thing we need to get past first.

SumoLego · July 2016

I want to be the first Japano-DuScotFranc-GerIrWelglish to win the PowerBall sometime next week. Then, as a species, we can cross that off that list. (For the betterment of humanity, of course.)

My Italiajapano-DuScotFranc-GerIrWelgish son isn't old enough to claim the prize.

I'm happy to go gender and race blind once this goal is accomplished. At that point, I think everyone else will just look poor to me.

@TheLoneTensor - whadda got against Penguin-Hybrids? I hear they make popular minfigures for animal suit collectors...

catwrangler · July 2016

Aanchir said:

GallardoLU said:

and for that matter how did this even get onto Ideas? I mean isn't it a glorified minifig pack?

Not really; it includes a pretty substantial vignette for each figure.

Fauch said:

so are those votes for political correctness or people really love the set?

I'm going to say a lot of people really love the set for showing diverse women who made important strides at NASA, thereby presenting girls with positive scientific role models. I guess others might call that political correctness, but that doesn't make supporters' love for the concept any less genuine.

I didn't support it, but I don't think it's a bad project, per se. I just have no interest in it personally.

I think the biggest limiting factor on this set's production is that it would need the permission of all the people featured in it, or in the case of those who are deceased, their next of kin. Which may be more complicated than a simple licensing agreement.

That's why I supported it - but also, on a gut level, they're heroes of mine and I just like the set. But yeah, I'm going to guess it won't end up being made for that reason and others - looking at the sets that have come out of Ideas lately, or been approved, I think they want stuff that's more substantial and less vignettey.

JudgeChuck · July 2016

SumoLego said:

I want to be the first Japano-DuScotFranc-GerIrWelglish to win the PowerBall sometime next week. Then, as a species, we can cross that off that list. (For the betterment of humanity, of course.)

My Italiajapano-DuScotFranc-GerIrWelgish son isn't old enough to claim the prize.

I'm happy to go gender and race blind once this goal is accomplished. At that point, I think everyone else will just look poor to me.

@TheLoneTensor - whadda got against Penguin-Hybrids? I hear they make popular minfigures for animal suit collectors...

That is an impressive mix you have there @SumoLego!! :-)

My daughters can only manage AlgTun(Fra)-Eng... ;-)

SumoLego · July 2016

My Jamacian-Japanese cousins make for a very confusing set of family photos.

(Particularly to narrow-minded folk that have the mentality to 'stick to your own kind'.)

tallblocktoo · August 2016

Lego Ideas submission Women of NASA has achieved its 10, 000 votes in less than a month! Crazy! https://ideas.lego.com/projects/147876

sklamb · August 2016

The connection between Lego and NASA has always been powerful. This isn't a very flashy set but I would enjoy having it.

dougts · August 2016

the set is a pure gender politics ploy. A historic people of NASA set would be great, but removing the great number of men who would otherwise be great candidates to be manifested in minifig form would be silly and counterproductive.

Perhaps instead of having "women of X, men of Y", and all the rest of the identity politics stuff we could get to the more inclusive and enlightened period of time where we can just say "People of Z"

sklamb · August 2016

dougts said:

Perhaps instead of having "women of X, men of Y", and all the rest of the identity politics stuff we could get to the more inclusive and enlightened period of time where we can just say "People of Z"

That's certainly the desireable situation. Sadly, we're not there yet. Given that the only included person of whom I'd heard is Sally Ride, I'd still enjoy the set not only for itself but as a commentary on past and present attitudes.

Fauch · August 2016

I guess the problem is it would probably lead to a big majority of men being represented and some people would scream sexism. what if they made a set about black, jewish, women of NASA? there is probably no winning at this game anyway.

TigerMoth · August 2016

The trouble with being "enlightened" is that those views are not universal. In some parts of the world where they aren't, attempting to push any sort of agenda might even damage the brand. Why do you think most minifigs are bright yellow?

dougts · August 2016

sklamb said:

dougts said:

Perhaps instead of having "women of X, men of Y", and all the rest of the identity politics stuff we could get to the more inclusive and enlightened period of time where we can just say "People of Z"

That's certainly the desireable situation. Sadly, we're not there yet. Given that the only included person of whom I'd heard is Sally Ride, I'd still enjoy the set not only for itself but as a commentary on past and present attitudes.

Well I will submit that suppressing the accomplishments of one group in an attempt to build up those of another does more to exacerbate the problem then solve it. And it looks pretty ridiculous to ignore a whole group of people who had made the more significant contributions historically - kind of an elephant in the room. We would all be better off by studying and learning from history's inequities than by trying to ignore them

all of which underlines my main point - a kids toy is a very poor forum to use in trying to drive education and cultural advances

SumoLego · August 2016

I happen think this is a pretty uninspiring set, from a parts/build perspective.

Reminds me of the Star Trek MegaBloks set. Five dudes on a bridge is just as not inspiring...

Bumblepants · August 2016

^Yeah at least have the minifigs doing science/NASA things. But then it just 'Research Institute II: This Time Licensed Characters'.

Also, I thought Ideas based on previous IPs or Ideas were no longer allowed? NASA has been done and women scientists as well so it seems like it should have struck out on both counts to me.

MattDawson · August 2016

^ Whilst that is true, due to the wide subject matter (NASA is more than just shuttles - it even has it's own railroad!) it would he hard to turn it down on that basis, especially considering NASA don't do licensing, per se.

CCC · August 2016

dougts said:

sklamb said:

dougts said:

Perhaps instead of having "women of X, men of Y", and all the rest of the identity politics stuff we could get to the more inclusive and enlightened period of time where we can just say "People of Z"

That's certainly the desireable situation. Sadly, we're not there yet. Given that the only included person of whom I'd heard is Sally Ride, I'd still enjoy the set not only for itself but as a commentary on past and present attitudes.

Well I will submit that suppressing the accomplishments of one group in an attempt to build up those of another does more to exacerbate the problem then solve it. And it looks pretty ridiculous to ignore a whole group of people who had made the more significant contributions historically - kind of an elephant in the room. We would all be better off by studying and learning from history's inequities than by trying to ignore them

all of which underlines my main point - a kids toy is a very poor forum to use in trying to drive education and cultural advances

It is not only that, but if you aren't going to celebrate the achievements of men, why bother celebrating those of women - after all the achievements are the same thing when they worked together. Things are changing but it is important not to rewrite history from a skewed perspective ignoring men. Men have contributed more to NASA than women, it is a fact arising from social attitudes in the past which still unfortunately overhang today, albeit slowly getting better.

xwingpilot · September 2016

xwingpilot said:

That Caterham 7 is going to test my resolve to 'stay on target' with a single theme...

Yep, being tested...

http://brickset.com/article/23536/21307-caterham-seven-620r-revealed

Stay on target. Stay on target...

AdeelZubair · September 2016

Bricks Magazine

Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIC33wAmPR4

Fan Designer Interview: http://caterham.republic66media.com

starwars4ever · September 2016

The moment they approve a Star Wars set I will be thrilled!!! There are 2 projects under consideration right now!

dougts · September 2016

^ don't hold your breath

rbozarth · September 2016

My vote is for Voltron but I know there will be a licensing issue there.

SithLord196 · September 2016

It sounds like the Caterham is approximately the same footprint as the Ferrari F40, albeit with a little less going on to fill out that dimensional box, so the price sounds reasonable enough I think.

LEGO Ideas - Review Results

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