Legos, anyone?

[technoblue]

1 hour ago, David Hingtgen said:

Well, I managed to get the VIP Ulysses probe for the shuttle.  It's also going for a good amount of money right now on ebay, to the point that it could pretty much refund the purchase of the shuttle itself.  Is there anyone here interested in it, before I put it up?   Sorry, can't let it go for "MSRP", but I will entertain reasonable offers based on it's going for right now, to sell it to fellow space-enthusiast Lego fans here at MW.   

I'm good. The site was acting flaky when the VIP set finally went up, but I was able to get one.

Anyway, I'm waiting for the Ulysses to arrive before I build the Discovery. It should be here tomorrow as long as shipping isn't delayed.

Edited April 19, 2021 by technoblue

[M'Kyuun]

I'm a fan of IDEAs and have bought a number sets, but despite getting bombarded almost daily by email notifications of new projects, I seldom visit the site. I decided to check it out this morning to see what's new and if anything piqued my interest. The quick answer is no. It seems like anymore the only projects that gain any real support are buildings of one nature or another. I can appreciate the artistry put into them, but honestly, the majority don't really interest me. Space interests me, but none of the current space projects have any real momentum, and many of the better looking projects, IMHO, are essentially modern updates of classic sets. I was further dismayed to discover that there is no mecha theme, although I believe there once was. This should be the platform that takes mecha beyond what LEGO's sets are capable of offering in terms of techniques, as sadly, no new parts are made for it. I wish they were, though, as the Voltron set may have benefited by having new joints. But LEGO doesn't seem to have any interest in producing more robust and articulate joints, as they continue to use the old Technic joints (44224,44225) most notably used for AT-AT and large mecha legs joints since 2003, as well as the same family of ratcheting joints developed for the Exo-Force theme in 2006. The small, but highly useful ball and socket joints developed for the Mixels sets, debuting in 2014, are the only new joints LEGO has developed since, but given the growing number of mecha sets across various themes they've been producing, one might think that they'd be inclined to improve upon and expand the joint palette. The reality is apparently otherwise.

I digressed a bit into my common 'no new joints' complaint, but my original intent was to vent my frustration concerning the lack of representation on the site for mecha builds. It's even more poignant now with the situation between HG and BW having reached resolution, as Macross builds may finally be realized on the platform, and there have been a few over the years that I would have bought.  Len_d69, the fellow who designed the Voltron submission that became a set, has a number of sweet Macross builds (VF-1, SD VF-1, SD VF-25, and most recently, a VF-1 cockpit). I'd be down for all of these as official sets. The question is, where would you submit it, as there's no ready category, not even a generic sci-fi theme. Anyway, as a big fan of mecha, and LEGO mecha by extension, it strikes me as a notable omission in the list of themes, and I'm curious if any other LEGO fans here who frequent IDEAs have noticed it.

[Chronocidal]

I'm not even worried about the themes, but the situation with the Kingsknight shuttle pretty much put me off of the concept entirely.  I'll still pick up good sets when they come around, but I'm done getting my hopes up for potential releases.  I know they have to pick and choose, but the support for that set was so overwhelming that the dismissal of every set from that selection period (if I remember correctly) was a slap in the face.

I'm just not impressed with their responses to what fans clearly want, and the "excuses" they often cite for why certain things don't get produced get punched full of holes when the fans go and demonstrate how well the designs work by building them and reviewing them on their own.

On a separate subject.. holy cow, do my eyes deceive me, or are they actually introducing a useful 3-stud diameter cylinder element?

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/luke-skywalker-s-x-wing-fighter-75301?CMP=EMC-PROMO-NEWS-20210422-VIP_20210422_NEWS_MT4_TEASER_GL-1073981-744067-MIX-STAR-0_0&HQS=PRODUCT_WIDGET_04&RRID=1073981&RMID=VIP_20210422_NEWS_MT4_TEASER_GL

They've released so many freakin X-Wings at this point I've lost track, but I think this one might be one of the best proportioned ones they've pulled off so far.

Edited April 22, 2021 by Chronocidal

[David Hingtgen]

Yup, and that's the only set with that piece:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=73111#T=C&C=86

[Chronocidal]

Hopefully that changes quickly, that's probably the single most useful piece I could ask for to complete the gun mounts of my giant-sized X-Wing design (which, who knows if it would even be physically feasible).  Fortunately it's in the right color.

[M'Kyuun]

The upcoming large scale R2-D2 looks like it has those 3-wide cylinders forming the details in the upper leg joints, so that'll be another source for them soon. The set's due to release on May first, although I'm sure the site will be jammed up again. 

Concerning IDEAS, since few of the latest submissions have involved space or mecha, my interest has been nil. Right now they're asking folks to submit flower and Minecraft ideas, neither of which are very appealing to me. Too, LEGO has a vote to determine the theme of their 90th anniversary set, and Bionicle appears to lead the vote.  I don't think Bionicle  should have even been a contender given that it didn't debut until 2000 when the classic themes of Town, Castle and Space, introducing the minifig, really drove the success of the brand until its decline in the late 90s, early 2000s. Bionicle certainly played a major role in buoying the company during that time, along with Star Wars, and I think it has earned its own place of honor for that. But personally, I think a 90th anniversary set should be firmly set in the brick which made LEGO successful from the start.

[M'Kyuun]

Courtesy of the Brothers-brick blog, LEGO have unveiled several upcoming 3-in-1 Creator sets:

 

I think the inclusion of a shuttle set that mirrors the Expert Creator Discovery set is brilliant, as it offers a less expensive alternative that is also a nice companion piece for kids who want to build a shuttle like their older family or friends have. I also like that it's System, and comes with a minifig. I'm down for at least one copy of that gator set, as I've a project in the wings that requires dark green, a color that we don't see very prominently in LEGO sets, at least not in any serious quantity. The Ferris Wheel is a nice addition for those wanting to expand their City Amusement Park layout. Also looks like good parts pack. lots of teal, which is another somewhat rare color. the aquarium is just a cool idea, and gives me some for a project I've had in mind for a year or so.

Other LEGO news: IDEAs has a record 57 entries for this period that achieved the 10K vote benchmark for consideration. I haven't looked through them myself, yet, but it seems with every new period, the number of MOCs reaching 10K votes becomes greater, and yet only a small fraction of those, if any, usually make it to production. I just want a good Classic Space set to come out of it at some point. And hopefully, some Macross models now that the licensing ordeal is over.

[Chronocidal]

Ok, I'm going to be a little blunt here.

That shuttle kind of pisses me off.  Not because it's a bad set, but because that's about as close as you can get to directly ripping off the Kingsknight set, including some of the adjustments made to the set after the fact to make the parts easier to acquire.

It's not a total copy, since they adjusted it to fit a minifigure, and turned it into that triple design set, but it's still a slap in the face to turn down that design, and then come out with a set that takes that many cues from it.

Annoyance aside, I still just want them to produce a full stack in that scale.

 

[danth]

46 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I think the inclusion of a shuttle set that mirrors the Expert Creator Discovery set is brilliant, as it offers a less expensive alternative that is also a nice companion piece for kids who want to build a shuttle like their older family or friends have.

I never thought of it that way. I was more confused as to why they keep releasing shuttle, after shuttle, after shuttle, in Creator, Ideas, AND City Space. And not a SINGLE. CLASSIC. SPACESHIP!!!

Like, how many shuttles can one need? I get that maybe they're more popular, but how can anyone know unless we actually release a cool sci-fi ship that isn't Star Wars? Now that LEGO is making Classic-themed Creator sets (you can thank me! I wished them into existence), maybe we'll get a real Classic Space ship sometime in the near future, if the Star Wars license doesn't totally prevent it with non-compete clauses.

20 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

That shuttle kind of pisses me off.

Me too, but because there are too many shuttles and NO CLASSIC SPACE SHIPS!

And no, Benny's Spaceship doesn't count because that was 7 (8?) years ago now.

[danth]

Anyways, surprised nobody has mentioned THIS:

This is the best Lego set release since Benny's Spaceship, IMO.

[technoblue]

40 minutes ago, danth said:

Anyways, surprised nobody has mentioned THIS:

<snip>

This is the best Lego set release since Benny's Spaceship, IMO.

The photos look great and are tempting me to get two copies to build the castle with the tower.

One thing I hope that this 3-in-1 design avoids is the larger wall pieces from more modern castle sets. It will be cool if this uses smaller brick elements in the walls and turrets like the Classic Lego sets.

Edit to add my vote for more Classic Space too. It may be a fool's hope, but I keep thinking that TLG may be holding some nifty surprises in reserve for their anniversary celebration.

Edited May 4, 2021 by technoblue

[M'Kyuun]

7 minutes ago, technoblue said:

The photos look great and are tempting me to get two copies to build the castle with the tower.

One thing I hope that this 3-in-1 design avoids is the larger wall pieces from more modern castle sets. It will be cool if this uses smaller brick elements in the walls and turrets like the Classic Lego sets.

Edit to add my vote for more Classic Space too. It may be a fool's hope, but I keep thinking that TLG may be holding some nifty surprises in reserve for their anniversary celebration.

That castle does look good, and since they did a pirate ship in the same vein last year, my hope is that a CS spaceship will appear at some point, as they seem to be using Creator as a platform to resurrect old themes. As to the anniversary set, if you're speaking of IDEAs where they gave consumers the ability to vote on a theme, it seemed to me that Bionicle, unfortunately, was leading. I hope not, but I have a bad feeling. AFAIK, the results of the vote have yet to be announced.

[technoblue]

40 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

That castle does look good, and since they did a pirate ship in the same vein last year, my hope is that a CS spaceship will appear at some point, as they seem to be using Creator as a platform to resurrect old themes. As to the anniversary set, if you're speaking of IDEAs where they gave consumers the ability to vote on a theme, it seemed to me that Bionicle, unfortunately, was leading. I hope not, but I have a bad feeling. AFAIK, the results of the vote have yet to be announced.

You know, I forgot about the IDEAs vote. I was also hoping that something like Classic Castle or Space would win that vote. When Bionicle won, my interest faded and I haven't been following it at all. I guess we might get lucky if TLG designs some new pieces for their humanoid figures that can then be repurposed in mech sets but I'm not holding my breath for something that substantial.

It does seem that Lego is using Creator to revisit Classic designs, and the 3-in-1 branding is a fun call back to those side builds that appeared on older Lego sets. We've had some sci-fi themed sets mixed in with the real-world Creator 3-in-1 space sets with 31115 and 31111. It wouldn't take much of a nudge to get something close to a more Classic space design. That's what I'm hoping to see.

[M'Kyuun]

57 minutes ago, technoblue said:

You know, I forgot about the IDEAs vote. I was also hoping that something like Classic Castle or Space would win that vote. When Bionicle won, my interest faded and I haven't been following it at all. I guess we might get lucky if TLG designs some new pieces for their humanoid figures that can then be repurposed in mech sets but I'm not holding my breath for something that substantial.

It does seem that Lego is using Creator to revisit Classic designs, and the 3-in-1 branding is a fun call back to those side builds that appeared on older Lego sets. We've had some sci-fi themed sets mixed in with the real-world Creator 3-in-1 space sets with 31115 and 31111. It wouldn't take much of a nudge to get something close to a more Classic space design. That's what I'm hoping to see.

That makes at least two of us, and I suspect a great many more echo the sentiment. LEGO, at least at the designer level, is well aware of the popularity of Classsic Space, and Classic themes in general. Many of the current set designers were part of the AFOL community before getting hired, and have a genuine knowledge of demand and nostalgia b/c they, too, love all that old stuff. Too, anyone who has attended a large LEGO convention knows what the prices are like on Classic sets, and CS in general are becoming harder to find and pricier. There's defi8nitely demand- just look how crazy folks went over Bennie's Spaceship, and it was definitely more of a neo-Classic Space ship than a straight-up CS ship. 

As to new joints- man I wish.  I get the sense that joints are difficult for them, and relatively more expensive to produce, so they don't introduce them very often. The ratcheting joint family goes back to 2004 with a few new parts made for it in 2006 for Exo-Force, and no new additions, upgrades, or otherwise since. Bionicle and Hero Factory at least saw the production of any number of ball joint pieces that are incredibly useful, although, if I had my druthers, they'd make a series of ratcheting ball joints. The small ball jointed system is the last joint system introduced, for Mixels, in 2014, and while useful, could do with some additional parts to increase its usefulness, especially the resurrection of the 1x1 round plate with hexagonal hole and towball. 

I wish they'd make a base brick or a round Technic joint akin to this that could snap into this . 

Such a joint would make building medium to large mecha much more elegant and easier. With all the mecha sets they continue to produce, I would have thought it'd be a no-brainer part that would make life easier for the designers, and less clunky on the models, but no. The designer who created the IDEAs Voltron model was posting on Twitter last week, and I made mention of the "shortcomings" of their joint system being apparent in that set due to the statuesque nature of the Black Lion. (For those who don't know, BL has no moving hip joints, and no working knees in combined mode. The back legs must be removed and re-snapped on in either Lion or Voltron configuration). The designer disagreed with my assessment, saying that it was a challenge to make the set without the need for creating new parts.  There were, in fact, numerous concept models built for Voltron, and all of them attempted to use the AT-AT leg joint parts to try and impart hip rotation, and even knee rotation. But, the results were less than appealing to look at, so they eschewed joints in the legs altogether and focused on making it look as close to the animation as possible. A suite of new robust joints would have allowed for both articulation and a nice looking model, but the way he sidestepped my gripe said a lot.  I'm sure the designers want better stuff to work with, but I'm thinking the folks that make the decisions aren't keen for whatever reasons.

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, literally all I want for mecha design?  I want those heavy click hinges, with the lift arm turned into a turntable mount on the round face.

That would make PERFECT rotational joints for shoulders.  As they are now, it takes massive work-arounds to get those joints inside of anything but a knee or elbow.

[M'Kyuun]

 

This setup has been their favorite technique for imparting hip rotation fore and aft, as well as a little bit of lateral movement, on medium to larger mecha for a number of years now.  It's clunky  and quite limited in the amount of motion it offers. And it  doesn't allow for a thigh rotation, which is another shortcoming of using that  heavy ratcheted Technic joint. They just need to make a dedicated joint that allows for three axes of rotation that are all ratcheted and robust enough to bear a fair amount of weight and torsion. I've been hoping hard, but LEGO seems to be ever reluctant to produce such a joint, so we're stuck with half-assed solutions like this. As I said, with all the mecha sets they've produced, one would think that the justification for such a joint, especially after the difficulties they encountered when designing Voltron, is readily apparent .  Mecha are popular with kids (old and young), and LEGO's  going to continue making mecha and creature sets that could definitely benefit from the introduction of a new family of multi-axis ratcheting joints.  I'm not sure what it takes to get the ball rolling on something like that at LEGO, but I sure wish the issue would get pushed fervently enough to see production.  This is an area where Mega-Bloks is doing a better job.  That and their highly articulated figures. I so wish LEGO would consider making a midi-fig with better articulation; the minifig is great, but its limitations are anachronistic to toy expectations of the 70s and 80s. Time for something better.

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, making a small-scale turntable that can be used for an in-line rotation like a bicep or thigh would be a huge step up.

Far as figures go.. I'd be happy if they just brought back the classic Technics figures.  They're a bit outdated, and maybe a little bigger than they need to be, but those things have a level of articulation that rivals many modern action figures.

[M'Kyuun]

9 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Yeah, making a small-scale turntable that can be used for an in-line rotation like a bicep or thigh would be a huge step up.

Far as figures go.. I'd be happy if they just brought back the classic Technics figures.  They're a bit outdated, and maybe a little bigger than they need to be, but those things have a level of articulation that rivals many modern action figures.

Yes and yes. As a mecha MOC builder, the first point is foremost in my mind at all times, especially when I'm working on a project. It's 2021, and as I mentioned, with all the former AFOLs cum set designers working and giving feedback, I assume, to their superiors, it just seems like new joints would be a more periodic addition to the palette as the usefulness of older joints ebbs in the face of larger mecha and creature builds making their way into sets. In short, advancement. I am very happy, however, to see the number of SNOT bricks, curved parts, and various new wedges are finally making their way into the palette. the clone brands have a bit of a head start, and LEGO's playing catch-up. Now they just need to apply that innovative spirit towards joint systems.

The old Technic figure was absolutely amazing, especially for its time. Heck, it had more articulation than a GI Joe fig, which was pretty much the paramount of fig articulation in the 80s, at least in American toys. The Japanese one-upped us there with their GI Joe inspired Microman figs, known as Micronauts here in the States. Anyway, I think it'd be great if they brought it back as a way to interact with some of the large car and construction sets they've been making over the years, or just build a theme around it like they did in the 80s and 90s. LEGO needs to hire us as consultants- we have good ideas!

[jvmacross]

Surprised this has not happened already....I'd buy a set!

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/5624c886-2dc6-4944-8798-7e5def4aaa46/updates

 

[M'Kyuun]

Meh, no interest in The Nightmare Before Christmas, but then my interests are pretty much limited to sci-fi, mecha, space, and City. IDEAS doesn't even have a mecha, or a generic sci-fi theme. Sad. 

If the NBC sets become a real thing, that's great for fans. I'm hoping and praying for a Macross project to make it to production, although my concern is that they won't be able to find a 'safe' way to realize the transformation, or that it, too, will end up like Voltron with a paucity of articulation in order to 'preserve stability'. So many cop-outs to avoid facing the need for better joints and their reluctance to produce them.

[mog_kupo]

 

[sh9000]

Nice custom Airwolf.

[Dobber]

23 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

Nice custom Airwolf.

Oh man, I was hoping that was real.

Chris

[Chronocidal]

Sheesh, yeah, I would buy that so hard.  Looks good!

[wm cheng]

YES!

 

[Dobber]

That damn box got me for a second!  

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Arrgh, I got snookered too. Nice looking MOC though!

[M'Kyuun]

Nice box and presentation, but I doubt it would ever happen, what with LEGO's anti-violence policy. They'll allow for 'fantasy' violence, but Airwolf  by virtue of its adult content and too-close-to-real world weaponry is a bit beyond what LEGO would consider appropriate, IMHO.  I'm still surprised that the A-Team was represented in Dimensions, as it was chock full of violence, albeit in an 80s cartoonish fashion where thousands of rounds are fired but the heroes seldom get hit, and the baddies suffer near bloodless deaths when hit.  Such a great time to grow up! Airwolf was a bit darker than a lot of 80s shoot-em-up shows built around an advanced vehicle, which gave it an edge.  Too, Jan Michael Vincent (RIP) made Stringfellow Hawke one of the more memorable and darker protagonists of 80s tv shows. I wish we had a modern equivalent- it was always a thrill when Dom or String headed out to their desert hideaway to fire up 'The Lady' for a mission. There's nothing like that on tv today, and that's a shame.

Thanks for sharing the pic, @sh9000. Even if the set's just a MOC, the trip down memory lane was worth the post.

[Froy]

Check this one out!

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/COuoImvreMy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[snakerbot]

9 hours ago, Froy said:

Check this one out!

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/COuoImvreMy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

An oldie but goodie. Original publication at https://brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=153337.

[M'Kyuun]

4 hours ago, snakerbot said:

An oldie but goodie. Original publication at https://brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=153337.

Yep. I was gonna say that MOC's over a decade old now, but it still looks pretty good. 

He also built a pretty nice VF-1 back in the day. 

I'm pretty sure this is fully transformable, which is notable b/c the legs are better proportioned than the Yammie.

I started building my own YF-21 around 2003 or so, but abandoned it for lack of skill and parts necessary to do it justice. This model was posted on Brickshelf around that same period, IIRC. It's quite well done, especially in light of the palette back then. It's nice to bring some of these old Macross MOCs to light again, as so many were really well done and show off the skill and creativity of the builders long before we had all the complex curved slopes and wedges that we have now.

Edited May 15, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[sh9000]

 

[M'Kyuun]

Totally down for some Daily Bugle action. I'm really surprised to see Punisher in the lineup; given the nature of the character, this'll likely be the one opportunity to get him in LEGO form.

Nice to see this done in a more deluxe build- they could have just made it like the Avengers' Tower, simplifying it to meet a $120-150 price point for mass retail in the big box stores, but given how iconic the Bugle is to Spidey lore, I'm glad Mark got his wish to design this at a larger scale with all the detail an Exclusive allows. The minifig lineup is impressive as well, although I wish Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman, had been included so we'd have the full team from Spiderman and His Amazing Friends, which I watched religiously as a kid. Firestar is a pleasantly surprising addition (funny that the reviewer didn't know who she was), and a nice nod for us 80s kids who watched her, Spidey, and Iceman take on the gallery of villains every Saturday morning growing up. The Goblin's smashing escape is pretty darn cool, and I appreciate its inclusion. That particular feature was also something the designer, Mark Stafford, long dreamt of doing since his pre-LEGO AFOL days; it was a passion project for him, and it's cool to know that he got to actualize it as a set. 

[Sanity is Optional]

So, I just found out there's a LEGO store like 5miles from my condo, and went over.

And now I have a UCS Millenium Falcon and no idea where I can put it.

[wm cheng]

Yep in the exact same situation - its so big when its done!  No idea where I would put it.