

Lego does Frank Lloyd Wright - mnemonicsloth
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/frank-lloyd-wright-lego-sets/

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yason
This product line has a good feeling about it. However, I do have an awkward
feeling about the new Legos these days.

While delighted about Lego's new success I'm more afraid that Lego seems to
have begun to productize their pieces too much since my childhood in the 80's.
These days I have kids myself and the Legos I've bought them have more special
parts designed to fit one particular model, and to merely make them look cool.

It was different back then when I was playing with Legos. The model you bought
(well, or more likely were given as a present...) was merely a single example
of what you could do with the given pieces. The gist was to build and scrap
the model and then combine the new, cool bricks and gears and mechanisms with
everything else that you got before.

You basically bought new models to get new parts and more parts. The new parts
were all very generic which was the whole point: they didn't look as realistic
as now but you could make anything from them. You could use all parts in a
helicopter model to build the greatest Jeep ever.

My kids Legos have large, special pieces like an automotive chassis, that are
only useful for that particular model. In the 80's you built the damn chassis
yourself, and you could invent a hundred different ones yourself. This was so
even in the sets designed for 5-6 year old kids, and totally so for those
designed for teenagers.

Ok, my kids are young enough to not have the large Technics sets yet but what
I've seen doesn't look promising. The Technics sets also seem to have
specially curved / formed pieces to make the model good look but that are
rather useless elsewhere. I haven't even found Technics supplementary packs
like in the 80's where you could buy packs of girders, gears, axles, electrict
equipment, motors etc. as a separate expansion pack.

Now everything seems to be about the models and themes themselves: the
Technics sets I've reviewed also contain many special parts that aren't
generally useful. It feels like the mindset now is to have the kid build that
one model and play with it -- which is exactly the most boring thing ever
about Legos! Why build something that's pre-designed when you can build
anything you can come up with?!

Granted, Legos are so good that you can still build other things from basic
Legos and Technics these days. And there's the programmable MindStorm thing,
too. Still the percentage of generic parts seems to be lower. But what is more
alarming that the mindset seems to be toward predesigned models only.

I hope I'm wrong.

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axod
I think you are wrong. My daughter just made me a boat with flowers all over
it, 2 drivers, and a guy with a light saber on a throne in the middle.

I agree there's more 'formed' pieces in _LEGO_ these days, but I don't think
that takes away from the creativity at all. It just gives you a few more bits
to play with.

There's always been a sort of divide between people who prefer to only make
the models in the instructions, and those who get creative and make whatever
they like. It's a skill that needs developing. I'm sure Lego could do more to
prompt kids to do that, maybe with generic sets that just have ideas and no
instructions - "Build a crane", etc then ask the kid to photograph and upload
it for a possible prize.

You can still buy specific general technics sets, they're part of the
'education' range, but afaik anyone can buy them.

[http://www.legoeducation.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=1277&b...](http://www.legoeducation.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=1277&bhcp=1)

Similarly you can buy a pack of about 30 minifigures which is fun, and part of
the same range.

[http://www.legoeducation.com/store/detail.aspx?CategoryID=15...](http://www.legoeducation.com/store/detail.aspx?CategoryID=155&by=9&ID=420&c=1&t=0&l=0)

Also go into a LEGO store, and you can get a tub, and fill it up with whatever
bits they have in the wall that week.

Lego is still one of the best toys for developing creativity, mathematics,
etc.

BTW, If you missed it last time, <http://gizmodo.com/5022769/exclusive-inside-
the-lego-factory>

~~~
yason
Thanks for the legoeducation.com link; I probably wouldn't have found it
myself. I've just crawled all over the main Lego website a couple of times and
found nothing.

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patrickg-zill
If they truly have a dimensionally accurate Fallingwater, I have to admit that
my ability to resist it even at a high price would be quite low...

~~~
gibsonf1
I can tell by looking at the model that the proportions are off, but Falling
Water doesn't look that bad considering. The Guggenheim, though, is a
proportional disaster, and of course they can't match the iconic reverse
vertically sloping walls. But I sure do applaud the effort :)

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zimbabwe
I haven't used Lego in a decade and yet I might buy this set. Architecture
fascinates me, Lego used to, and I'm really happy they're doing an entire
series on architecture.

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zackattack
Here's hoping they come out with a Robie House, which has a very special place
in my heart.

