Have the Lego Modulars Become Stale??? | Analysis
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2023
- After 16 years and 19 modular-compatible buildings, have the Lego modulars become stale? Has the line fallen prey to its own success? Colin takes a look at some data to determine if various ratings for the modulars have declined in recent years.
#lego #analysis
I think this view is relatively uncommon among modular fans, but I have very little interest in the older sets - the newer ones to me are far and away better sets. The Police Station is my favourite set of all time, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Marvel pseudo-modulars, and I’m really eyeing up the Boutique Hotel - the oldest modular I’d like to get is the Brick Bank, and even then, that’s with modifications.
It might be an unpopular opinion with the OG collectors, but I suspect you have a lot of company among newer modular collectors. I love the Cafe Corner, but that's because it was the first one and I have it. Would it sell well as the 17th modular? Not without a significant upgrade (interiors, actual windows, more life on the street, etc.). For newer collectors, it just ends up looking a bit "blah" compared to the new pieces and techniques used today. Of course, if the theme persists for another 15+ years, we'll be saying the same about the Police Station, Boutique Hotel, and Jazz Club!
@@buildingtogether4171 For sure! I think there are also some stylistic changes that have happened in the line recently, namely the move away from using only one baseplate per building - which I personally love! I often find 32x32 modulars a little chunky and awkward, so I appreciate the smaller buildings (and I like that you can more quickly create something that feels like a street), but I appreciate that a lot of collectors enjoy having one imposing structure that utilises the whole baseplate.
Town hall is the oldest modular I like. I do love others like detectives office and downtown diner
in my opinion the best are the brick bank, downtown diner, assembly square and the detectives office. at first i was interested in the jazz club but it has a different vibe to the others somehow.
The main and oldest reason many collectors didn't like how the modulars evolved is the introduction of interiors, that brought to a reduction of the buildings size. I have started buying modular buildings with the Detective's office, so I have missed the "feeling" of the previous ones, and in my head the new generation is in many ways better. That said though, not all modulars are good imo, and I'm only buying those I feel something for. Speaking about how long Lego could go on producing them, well, there still are some that fans have been asking for for a long time, like the Hospital, but I agree that sooner or later there will be a lack of ideas. The fun thing though, is that other brands offered, and are still offering, nice modulars. So, in the end, I can't really say if it's really a modular buildings problem, or just a Lego problem.
There could be something to this, but I don't think it's just the fact that they have interiors. The Green Grocer (Lego-designed modular #2) had a killer ground floor interior. I think it has more to do with letting the storyline dictate the external design that turned some people off (or at least disappointed them). The Detective's Office is the first one I recall that some fans ripped for sacrificing looks for play functionality, which they argued was unnecessary for a modular building that was primarily a display piece.
To your last point, it could very well be a Lego problem if the prestige of the line dips. Walk through any city in the world and you'll see a lot of different types of establishments and architecture types. There's no shortage of ideas in the real world, just a shortage of Lego imagination!
honestly it hasn't with the new color schemes since 2020 but it was a but dry for some years
An interesting point of view. True Detective being a notable show that couldn't recreate the incredible first season. I think the modular buildings have become much safer in their execution. Definitely true about the buildings losing their charm though.
I wouldn’t compare the modular buildings as a single tv show, but more as a genre in which each modular building would represent a separate show. Like Fantasy where you have Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, The Witcher, Lord of the Rings etc. And each show will have their own quality, but still falls in the same genre.
As for the modulars I really appreciate the theme and even though my initial response to some them hasn’t always had the same excitement, I very much love the theme and hope it will continue for a long time (and in the same frequency of only 1 per year to avoid over saturation).
Yes, more than 1 official modular per year could oversaturate the line. Getting an offshoot like the Sanctum Sanctorum is nice every now and again, but there's something special knowing that January 1 is the new modular release each year.
3 quality modulars! I think Julia would have a similar top 3.
I think to be accurate you have to remove the 2 years of covid lockdowns from the analysis as all Legos went crazy and unrealistic during that time when people were locked down with nothing to do. Millions got into Lego that normally weren't for something to do and people that were already into Lego spent way more than they normally did. Also people were given a lot of money during this time with limited things they could spend it on for entertainment. So sales in 2020-2022 would be heavily influenced by that and not necessarily by sets being better or not.
You're right - there's no doubt Lego sales were aided by the Covid pandemic. Interestingly, Lego sales have only continued to climb since then, which suggests that this increase wasn't a short-term blip. Since I have no clue how many modulars were sold, I can only use the ratings available online, which I'm not sure were affected by all of the stimulus spending, free time, etc. For instance, while many new people got into Lego during that time, were a disproportionate share of modular reviews posted during that time? And by new fans? Or old fans who got back into the hobby and were gushing about a theme they never experienced as a kid? It's hard to say!
I have four modulars from the years 2014-2017. I don't have the previous ones, and I'm not really interested in them because of the poor interior. I skipped 2018 and 2019, the diner because of the American style, and the workshop is simply ugly. I'm still considering the bookstore, I'll definitely buy a police station. The two newest ones will probably complement the collection in the future.
However, due to the castle from Icons series that I recently purchased, I came up with a different idea.
Lego could create a series of modulars in the style of a castle. Create a large castle (20-30k elements) composed of 10 modulars released every year, such as: keep, main gate, stables, prison tower, chapel. After 10 years we will have a giant sized medieval castle instead of the modern city.
I would say Lego City sets have declined
The diner is the worst set because it's totally out of place
Imo they have gotten better