4 ms·

Take a look at modern Lego kits - this is no longer really possible. Half of the pieces are now completely custom pieces that will only ever fit in one way. Gon

Take a look at modern Lego kits - this is no longer really possible. Half of the pieces are now completely custom pieces that will only ever fit in one way. Gone are the Lego kits where just about all the pieces will recycle into your future creations.

EdwardMSmith 15y ago
Ya know, as a father of a 7yo boy and a 9yo girl who together have put in about 40 hours of lego building in the last week alone, using lego from my childhood as well as a dozen kits purchased in the last 5 years or so, this simply isn't true. Its not true that the pieces will only ever fit in one way. The reality, I've come to realize after playing with these things quite a lot recently, is that they're simply 'higher-resolution'. For instance, I have watched this brick (from a Star Wars ship) http://cosmicbricks.ecrater.com/p/11804345/lego-dark-bluish-gray-brick http://cosmicbricks.ecrater.com/p/11804345/lego-dark-bluish-... become variously, a foot, an ear, a beak, part of a dragon's wing, part of a temple, part of half a dozen spaceships of completely bespoke design, part of some sort of epic death dealing mechanized tank/robot thing, and probably several more models where I didn't even notice it. Whereas I had to be content with "8-bit" round shapes with my old Lego brick pieces, my children and I are able to produce models with much higher resolution - and that're pretty satisfying. My kids play with these "model" kits by building them as per the instructions, learning a few new construction techniques in the process, playing with the finished model for a day or two, then tearing them apart and applying any new techniques they discovered into their constantly evolving storyline. Just like Dad did... does...
dragonsky 15y ago
Take ANOTHER look at modern lego kids... I think you will find that they CAN be re-purposed. Yes some of the big moulded pieces are single purpose, but a castle wall can turn into a tower wall can turn into a alien cliff face can .... You get the picture... You may as well complain that a lego rubber tyre is single purpose... well duh.
ugh 15y ago
That’s complete and utter bullshit. Stuff like that used to happen (the dark late 90s and early 2000s) but not anymore. And even during that time (which was during my childhood) I always found a cool new way to use the special pieces. I actually always loved having special pieces I could repurpose in some way. This meme needs to die. It’s not based in fact. Case in point: http://city.lego.com/de-DE/Products/Default.aspx#4643 http://city.lego.com/de-DE/Products/Default.aspx#4643 That big windshield is awesome. I could make a big fire truck with it or other kinds of vehicles, maybe integrate it into a building. Oh, and Lego has tons of sets that are just awesome and pretty much only made from normal bricks. Take this awesome house: http://creator.lego.com/de-DE/products/default.aspx#5771 http://creator.lego.com/de-DE/products/default.aspx#5771 Lego has diversified their product line. That means you can get more, well, normal toys. But they are still selling as much classic Lego stuff as they always have.
- tptacek 15y ago
  Wow, you have strong feelings about Lego, don't you?
  - ugh 15y ago
    I do have strong feeling about this particular meme – but I really should have toned down my writing a bit. Ah, well, you can’t always find the right words.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      You and me both! I agree that the new Lego pieces get a bad rap; my kids have done ridiculous things with them; in fact, I'm not sure they've ever actually built the thing the box told them to.
- soonerjm 15y ago
  Strongly stated, but I agree. When I first started buying Legos for my eldest a few years ago, I was initially turned off by all the special pieces they include in kits nowadays. I thought they'd be a deterrent to building his own creations. In practice, it hasn't been a problem at all. He's always excited to build the model on the box, but it's never together more than an hour or two before he's torn it down to create his own things. Which is awesome, since I think that's where most of the fun and a lot of the value of Legos comes from.

EdwardMSmith 15y ago

Ya know, as a father of a 7yo boy and a 9yo girl who together have put in about 40 hours of lego building in the last week alone, using lego from my childhood as well as a dozen kits purchased in the last 5 years or so, this simply isn't true. Its not true that the pieces will only ever fit in one way. The reality, I've come to realize after playing with these things quite a lot recently, is that they're simply 'higher-resolution'. For instance, I have watched this brick (from a Star Wars ship) http://cosmicbricks.ecrater.com/p/11804345/lego-dark-bluish-gray-brick http://cosmicbricks.ecrater.com/p/11804345/lego-dark-bluish-... become variously, a foot, an ear, a beak, part of a dragon's wing, part of a temple, part of half a dozen spaceships of completely bespoke design, part of some sort of epic death dealing mechanized tank/robot thing, and probably several more models where I didn't even notice it. Whereas I had to be content with "8-bit" round shapes with my old Lego brick pieces, my children and I are able to produce models with much higher resolution - and that're pretty satisfying. My kids play with these "model" kits by building them as per the instructions, learning a few new construction techniques in the process, playing with the finished model for a day or two, then tearing them apart and applying any new techniques they discovered into their constantly evolving storyline. Just like Dad did... does...

dragonsky 15y ago

Take ANOTHER look at modern lego kids... I think you will find that they CAN be re-purposed. Yes some of the big moulded pieces are single purpose, but a castle wall can turn into a tower wall can turn into a alien cliff face can .... You get the picture... You may as well complain that a lego rubber tyre is single purpose... well duh.

ugh 15y ago

That’s complete and utter bullshit. Stuff like that used to happen (the dark late 90s and early 2000s) but not anymore. And even during that time (which was during my childhood) I always found a cool new way to use the special pieces. I actually always loved having special pieces I could repurpose in some way. This meme needs to die. It’s not based in fact. Case in point: http://city.lego.com/de-DE/Products/Default.aspx#4643 http://city.lego.com/de-DE/Products/Default.aspx#4643 That big windshield is awesome. I could make a big fire truck with it or other kinds of vehicles, maybe integrate it into a building. Oh, and Lego has tons of sets that are just awesome and pretty much only made from normal bricks. Take this awesome house: http://creator.lego.com/de-DE/products/default.aspx#5771 http://creator.lego.com/de-DE/products/default.aspx#5771 Lego has diversified their product line. That means you can get more, well, normal toys. But they are still selling as much classic Lego stuff as they always have.

tptacek 15y ago
Wow, you have strong feelings about Lego, don't you?
- ugh 15y ago
  I do have strong feeling about this particular meme – but I really should have toned down my writing a bit. Ah, well, you can’t always find the right words.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    You and me both! I agree that the new Lego pieces get a bad rap; my kids have done ridiculous things with them; in fact, I'm not sure they've ever actually built the thing the box told them to.
soonerjm 15y ago
Strongly stated, but I agree. When I first started buying Legos for my eldest a few years ago, I was initially turned off by all the special pieces they include in kits nowadays. I thought they'd be a deterrent to building his own creations. In practice, it hasn't been a problem at all. He's always excited to build the model on the box, but it's never together more than an hour or two before he's torn it down to create his own things. Which is awesome, since I think that's where most of the fun and a lot of the value of Legos comes from.