I would love between 3-500 hundred gold pieces... Especially those 1x1 round tiles; they look like coins, and they would allow me to make my project that needs a LOT of gold...
$$$
Back, after quite a fun time. Got 20% off, so I grabbed 30 semi-random figs, including 15 (!) series 1! For series 2 I just took whatever I couldn't identify as something I didn't specifically want.
Gonna open them tonight. If I have time tomorrow before I leave, I might hoover the bin for any additional series 1. I'm assuming that people here can take them off my hands if I don't want them...
I haven't got an entire series off there, just individuals. I contact the seller to confirm that the figs have all accessories and a baseplate before I purchase. Once you sign up you can add the ones you want to your wish list and then you'll receive email updates when new ones are added to the site. Bricklink took a bit to get used to, but I love it now.
I'm kind of torn on this set and if I should try to get it when it goes up for order/pre-order. I do think it's pretty cool and wouldn't mind getting a set with the power functions and I've been looking for a good set to get back into the Technic line (I'm also liking the two other new large sets due out later this year). The limited nature of this also makes it even more appealing but then $200 is a bit of coin that could go towards other stuff I want. Is 20,000 sets really a small number for a set like this? Will this sell out within minutes of going up? I might try for it and if I get it, great, if not, no big loss.
I am at a lost here. I know we are slightly bias for LEGO but this criticism is very idiotic at best. Why should LEGO not make set specifically for girls? I mean really LEGO inherently is boy toys. The themes are thing that mostly resonated with boys like sport cars, heroes, sci-fi. Not that girls can't like these things but girls will always gravitate more toward subjects that they enjoy (cutesiness stuffs) like pets, animals, and bakery. I means how is the set not empowering girls, they have their own yacht.
I am consider myself pretty modern man (despite my old ages) and I am all for equality and gender neutral. But there are differences between boy and girl. My daughter plays video games, watch all sci-fi and super heroes shows with my son and I and enjoy them to the extent, but when building LEGO Star Wars as much as she enjoys building them I knew she prefers something that not so "boyish" fantasy. I wish when she was younger we have theme like Friends.
She's making some good points, but also some generalizations that are not exactly truthful, such as there not being any housing, dining, etc kits in the LEGO themes outside Friends. Also, that the various CITY themes are exclusively male. Not saying that there is a realistic female/male ratio in these kits, but neither is it as grim as she portrays it to be. Also, why stop there - you could make similar arguments regarding racial portrayal in LEGO.
Again, I do agree with her on the interior details issue.
And LEGO marketing had been failing pretty hard on the gender-specific marketing side, when it could have been gender-neutral.
If she has a problem with the licensed themes then she has a problem with Hollywood. Star Wars makes LEGO a lot of money, but it's not LEGO who determined that very few characters in the SW universe are female. The licensed themes saved LEGO's ass when they were in dire straits financially - there is no way they are going to abandon them now.
Now she's straying from the point and getting into the conflict argument with again flawed info regarding the police subtheme.
She seems to forget that LEGO is a company that drives a profit - dropping the themes that sell well, and focusing on gender-neutral sets akin to the CREATOR houses would not serve LEGO well financially.
So I agree with her on some points (the mini-dolls need to go, more female minifigs in general, less police and firefighter sets and more restaurants, zoos, etc.), but not on others.
So I agree with her on some points (the mini-dolls need to go, more female minifigs in general, less police and firefighter sets and more restaurants, zoos, etc.), but not on others.
Just try looking up Lego on ebay and see how many counterfeit ones you can find...you used to be able to find good deals but they are few and far between.
For the love of god, I wish they'd do more 'mundane' City-themed stuff - LEGO City is a Stalinist utopia with all the cop sets. The upcoming City Corner and the like are what I'd like to see more of, as well as more of the mundane 4-6 wide work vehicles and just plain old cars and trucks.
Just try looking up Lego on ebay and see how many counterfeit ones you can find...you used to be able to find good deals but they are few and far between.
I find this stat both interesting and disturbing that just two years ago 90 percent of the kids that play with LEGO are boys. But then again it's not surprising since LEGO focus more toward themes that are very much boys oriented (ie licensed products), so I don't see what is so wrong about having girls oriented theme. I think that speak more to gender equality than anything else. I don't think gender equality should mean that boys and girls must have the same toys, genders equality should mean that in today world, toys maker should cater to girls just as much as they cater to boys.
Here's a good video with some valid points (feminism warning), but some of their are arguments I feel don't explore alternative reasons (just the one that supports her argument). One example is maybe marketing moved toward boys because they were the larger demographic that purchased LEGO. What was the breakdown of toy sales to boy vs girls before the shift happened?
Back, after quite a fun time. Got 20% off, so I grabbed 30 semi-random figs, including 15 (!) series 1! For series 2 I just took whatever I couldn't identify as something I didn't specifically want.
Gonna open them tonight. If I have time tomorrow before I leave, I might hoover the bin for any additional series 1. I'm assuming that people here can take them off my hands if I don't want them...
Here's a good video with some valid points (feminism warning), but some of their are arguments I feel don't explore alternative reasons (just the one that supports her argument). One example is maybe marketing moved toward boys because they were the larger demographic that purchased LEGO. What was the breakdown of toy sales to boy vs girls before the shift happened?
For the love of god, I wish they'd do more 'mundane' City-themed stuff - LEGO City is a Stalinist utopia with all the cop sets. The upcoming City Corner and the like are what I'd like to see more of, as well as more of the mundane 4-6 wide work vehicles and just plain old cars and trucks.
A proper LEGO Zoo is my ultimate white whale. I want that set more than any other theme desires, licensed or LEGO-owned.
Others on my list:
Natural History Museum
Science Center
Amusement Park (I would even buy the Carousel set to go with it)
Cafe/Restaurant
Recreational Facility/CITY Pool
Service Station (full-featured; we need a new one!)
CITY Arena/Colliseum
Post Office
Outdoor Mall
So I agree with her on some points (the mini-dolls need to go, more female minifigs in general, less police and firefighter sets and more restaurants, zoos, etc.), but not on others.
Completed Extremis Sea Port Battle and was positively surprised with the finished product. Most Lego sets are cooler in person than on picture thankfully. There are clear pieces inside it that you can't see from the outside though - odd.
Don't have time to watch them again right now, but from my memory...
I felt there were some areas not explored more to be more of a unbiased argument/report. I'd like to know more about the numbers/statistics that may have moved LEGO into the direction of marketing more to boys.
Also, one should remember LEGO Group is a business and not a social compass or leader of social standards. There is the statement the CEO made that I think is BS, but I think it was public relations BS (i.e. a canned response good or bad for when asked about the sexism). From a business point of view, hard to argue that their research was way off.
If this argument heats up some more, I rewatch the videos so I can debate with more information.
A proper LEGO Zoo is my ultimate white whale. I want that set more than any other theme desires, licensed or LEGO-owned.
Others on my list:
Natural History Museum
Science Center
Amusement Park (I would even buy the Carousel set to go with it)
Cafe/Restaurant
Recreational Facility/CITY Pool
Service Station (full-featured; we need a new one!)
CITY Arena/Colliseum
Post Office
Outdoor Mall
I've wondered this myself why they haven't had many of these things. I honestly think LEGO has research and sales stats on previous themes similar to those. I'd love a zoo and look at Duplo animals with envy. Obviously LEGO doesn't have anything against animals as Duplo is chock full of them and even have a zoo theme.
Think about this. What of the above list you have are seen in Friends sets? Cafe and pool. Maybe they are holding back on the shopping mall to be less sexist. There's even a school now. LEGO city must have a lot of dumb people. I bet amusement park or just a park isn't far off in the Friends line. This goes back to which came first. Did LEGO make the market for the sets, or did LEGO make the sets based on the market.
I'd love some numbers, without that it can be a bit of a hen/egg problem.
but you cannot really blame Anita for not having access to said numbers.
Imho friends would have been better received had it contained minfigs, I don't mind the pinks and pastels (so much).
and I see no reason why friends couldn't have be more closely integrated into the LEGO city line. giving the whole universe a more coherent structure without segregating the females to heartlake city.
Lego is such a never ending hole. I thought I would be satisfied with what I have considering it's a creative toy that you can build and rebuild, but I really want Aviation Adventures.
I'd love some numbers, without that it can be a bit of a hen/egg problem.
but you cannot really blame Anita for not having access to said numbers.
Imho friends would have been better received had it contained minfigs, I don't mind the pinks and pastels (so much).
and I see no reason why friends couldn't have be more closely integrated into the LEGO city line. giving the whole universe a more coherent structure without segregating the females to heartlake city.
I'll have to rewatch as I think this is a good debate topic. I can blame Anita for arriving at certain conclusions without said numbers.
IMO many girls like LEGO figures as is. The real question IMO is how many girls that didn't gravitate towards LEGO in the first place are playing with LEGO bricks via LEGO Friends. I don't see many people on this thread playing with Duplo bricks. Those are marketed to kids. Is that a form of ageism?
My bad. I wish to retract that comment, but yes some people may wish to skip it knowing it the video is a feminist's point of view on the topic. It's not hardcore (Rated R or Rated X) feminism though. I would avoid some videos if they were misogynistic at the Rated R or higher level.
I watched it awhile ago and definitely agreed with some points.
Moving on to more happy vibes and humor...LEGO is inherently sexist. You have a "male" component of the brick you insert into the "female" component all the time. This could be why boys gravitate to LEGO more! Although, this does make most bricks unisex. Just some random bizarre thoughts.
Definitely. I'm so glad they came out with the Friends pet packs. I have all first 2 series. Hoping for a Friends Zoo if LEGO doesn't have one with City Theme with minifig scale animals!!!! I love the recent bear!
I just came back from a Toto concert! Powerful stuff, especially when the crowd sings along.
Anyway, also verified the following:
1:
Dummy x 2
cowboy
robot
luchador x 2
clown
diver x 2
spaceman
syringe person
native american
zombie
ninja
caveman
(pretty good random selection)
2:
mr karate
highway patrol
spartan x 2
disco dude
circus guy
pharao
fitness girl
skier
3:
samurai
mummy
4:
skateboarder
geisha
5:
sherlock
eskimo
Overall pretty good. I'll go back and search specifically for Hazmat guy, black spaceman and pink spacegirl. However, there's a specific Lego place here too, I might just trade some to them.
I'll have to rewatch as I think this is a good debate topic. I can blame Anita for arriving at certain conclusions without said numbers.
IMO many girls like LEGO figures as is. The real question IMO is how many girls that didn't gravitate towards LEGO in the first place are playing with LEGO bricks via LEGO Friends. I don't see many people on this thread playing with Duplo bricks. Those are marketed to kids. Is that a form of ageism?
Her argument basically lives or dies on whether boys and girls are identical and have identical desires. If they do, then the previous lego range would appeal to both sexes equally and there would be no need for friends.
But they aren't. Lego has spent a lot of money and their approach with friends is clearly a lot more than just 'pink bricks'. The focus seems much more on character role play vs perhaps vehicle or action role play with standard lego. The increased detail on interiors would seem to back that up. If lego just wanted pink for girls they could have done that with tweaks to the creator houses etc. in many ways the friends line is more advanced than other lego sets - modular in design, more accessories, more interior equipment etc.
Yesterday when I was thinking of a set for Smaug, Scrooges vault instantly came to mind because of the all the gold. I wouldn't mind seeing him paired with a front facade of Erebor.
I'd love some numbers, without that it can be a bit of a hen/egg problem.
but you cannot really blame Anita for not having access to said numbers.
Imho friends would have been better received had it contained minfigs, I don't mind the pinks and pastels (so much).
and I see no reason why friends couldn't have be more closely integrated into the LEGO city line. giving the whole universe a more coherent structure without segregating the females to heartlake city.
May be I just don't see what the problem is with having "segregated" LEGO series, I mean nothing stopping you from mixing Ninjago with Chima with Star Wars but you know they would look ridiculous. Friends is just another theme but it's more girls friendly just as Castle is more for boys (in general). My argument would be there should be even more girl specific theme, things that appeal to girls. Also I don't find Friends mini-figs to be offensive, I think they are their own thing and that is just fine, it's not like you can't use thousand of available Mini-figs to populate Friends world if you so desire. I think the reason Friends are as popular as they are is because the Mini-figs look like the way they are. They resemble miniature dolls and well according to my resident expert (my daughter) that is what make them attractive to little girl.
May be I just don't see what the problem is with having "segregated" LEGO series, I mean nothing stopping you from mixing Ninjago with Chima with Star Wars but you know they would look ridiculous. Friends is just another theme but it's more girls friendly just as Castle is more for boys (in general). My argument would be there should be even more girl specific theme, things that appeal to girls. Also I don't find Friends mini-figs to be offensive, I think they are their own thing and that is just fine, it's not like you can't use thousand of available Mini-figs to populate Friends world if you so desire. I think the reason Friends are as popular as they are is because the Mini-figs look like the way they are. They resemble miniature dolls and well according to my resident expert (my daughter) that is what make them attractive to little girl.
I think a really great experiment would be to have the one who made the video on Feministfrequency youtube channel get a team together to design a LEGO set how they would like it and see how it sells to girls versus current LEGO sets.
On a more positive note, I think she and I would agree this Cuusoo idea is a great one (but I doubt it would increase sales to girls that don't already play with LEGO).
I hope the final idea has 2-3 of those mini sets in one bigger set or they make those into polybags. I want more than one of them.to get made.
-------------------
Changing topics. I'm a fan of "The Guild" and just saw this on Cuusoo. I like it. Also makes for nice generic fantasy theme minifigs.
Back, after quite a fun time. Got 20% off, so I grabbed 30 semi-random figs, including 15 (!) series 1! For series 2 I just took whatever I couldn't identify as something I didn't specifically want.
Gonna open them tonight. If I have time tomorrow before I leave, I might hoover the bin for any additional series 1. I'm assuming that people here can take them off my hands if I don't want them...
FINALLY! I have been sorting through my collection to get Tower Bridge back together, but have been having trouble finding the last three of this part:
It was a part so unique, I could not remember how I sorted it into the collective. I found the opposite curve fine, but this angle was eluding me for days. FINALLY I found the rest tonight. So begins the great Tower Bridge rebuild. When I hit a wall, I will figure out what MOC to take apart. I feel I will not have to disassemble as much as I previously thought. The reason I was waiting to find this part before building is that it is one of the first pieces you need to start the base of each tower.
So as I mentioned earlier, we hit up the LEGO Discovery Center in Toronto today. My daughter, her best friend and her older sister (7, 7 & 10 respectively) all braved the trip up to the sprawling shopping complex in which LDC is located.
If you are planning on going I would definitely recommend you make sure your kid has a buddy/buddies. I suspect if not for her friends my daughter would have been done in 20 minutes-it isn't a large place. As it stands we lasted for about two hours. Highlights:
There is a very large room dedicated to a day/night cycling reproduction of Toronto. A lot of the models were animated, and all of them were beautiful. LA and NYC are the only American cities larger than Toronto, but we tend to be subdued in our municipal patriotism. It was awesome seeing our home represented with so much obvious love.
There's an on rails Kingdoms/Castle theme ride where you slowly travel around and shoot at targets. My kid was too scared but her friends loved it.
A 3D movie theatre that cycles through one of several 10 minute LEGO films based on different themes. The theatre actually sprays water & mist at you throughout. Much like the Castle ride, we bailed immediately. My daughter is ok without ever seeing a 3D movie again.
Fire Station / Fire Rescue. This is just a giant multi-level play structure that anybody with kids has seen a thousand times. They loved it.
Spinny ride thing. There are six carts attached to a center axle which slowly turns and your cart moves up and down. Like the Dumbo ride at Disneyland but way slower.
Master Builder Academy. Sadly none of the three girls were remotely interested in this, but I had a peak into one of the sessions and it looks like they have some really passionate employees teaching advanced building techniques. Looked cool.
The cafe has a lot of healthy food options and almost no junk food!
So all in all it was fun, but it was clearly a very large add on to a mall. It didn't feel like much of a destination.
Also the store that was attached kind of sucked. The PAB wall had a ton of tan pieces though...and they also had small plastic bags which can be weighed if you don't want a full bucket. I hadn't seen that before.
House of Parlament (this is actually in Ottawa so I'm not sure why it was in the Toronto display, set up next to Niagara Falls. Many tiers of incongruity there.
The inside of the Air Canada Center. The Leafs are getting smoked. Fun fact! If you see the dude with the orange hat in the top left...my office used to be directly above him in the real ACC. We'd regularly sit in the stands and watch visiting bands warm up during our lunches.
CN Tower with BMO Center and Trump Tower. CN Tower was huge. 15 feet at least. God these pictures are terrible.
Union Station, and City Hall. Also featured: a tiny alley where the mayor smokes crack.
And finally the only venue with a team we can actually be proud of. The Skydome!
It will never be the Rogers Center to me
The center featured brick-built creations throughout the location. If any of you have been to the larger LEGO stores you've seen stuff like this I'm sure:
I mentioned Olivia's House earlier and it surprised me with its faithfulness. The facade was a (well done) painting, but the detail is amazing. I didn't get a shot of it, but if you look in the bottom left & right of this picture you'll see the purple cushions. They actually modeled the Living Room and Kitchen perfectly, including the "LEGO couches".
Like I said, the kitchen. This was my single favorite piece there.
This was a close second. I want this mailbox.
Finally, the walls had several decorative accouterments like this. I probably appreciated it more than I should have.
Not sure if this has been mentioned but Entertainment Earth has been doing a Buy one Get one 50% off on Lego.. seems to include S10 Minifig boxes if people are still hunting (they also have older series boxes as well)!
I have been eyeing it for over a year. It is all the small details that make me want it. But lately Dolphin Cruiser is what is pulling me in. Yet I know Olivia's House will be gone sooner than that, so I should snag that first.
The inside of the Air Canada Center. The Leafs are getting smoked. Fun fact! If you see the dude with the orange hat in the top left...my office used to be directly above him in the real ACC. We'd regularly sit in the stands and watch visiting bands warm up during our lunches.
How did they bend the glass pieces for the rink? I'd have thought they would be on hinge pieces, but those white parts look naturally curved. Unless they put cardboard or stickers to smooth out the slight angles.
Went back and grabbed another 15 series 1, plus a Battle of Alamut at a decent price. I have all of series 1 except Robin Hood now, and multiples of several. I'll get back to you with a have/want list for trades.
I also went to the dedicated shop. I traded three unwanted series 2 for Evil Spaceman, Hazmat guy and Pink Spacegirl.
The shop with all the old stuff (although 30 less series 1 now) is 'Liten blir Stor', an independent toy store in Örebro, Sweden. You're welcome to raid it now.
