Back in time...
Posted by CapnRex101,
It has been well publicised that the 21st of October 2015 is Back to the Future Day, in which case those of you in Europe, Asia and Australia might be wondering why we are posting this article a day late. In fact, the DeLorean did not arrive in Hill Valley, California until 4:29pm PST, the precise time and date at which this article was posted.
Had Doc Brown and Marty had time to visit a toy shop and peruse the LEGO selection from 2015, they might have been surprised by the advances made since 1985. Luckily, the Brickset database saves us the trouble of building a time machine from a DeLorean and eliminates any risk of meeting one's past or future self. Instead, you can simply follow the link below to visit an era of 12V trains, Dacta and Fabuland...
Perhaps we should begin with some facts and figures by which we might compare The LEGO Group from 1985 with that of 2015.
1985:
- 140 sets
- 13 themes
- Largest set - 7745 High Speed City Express Passenger Train Set - 736 pieces
- Highest Brickset user rating - 6392 Airport
- Most owned on Brickset - 6392 Airport
- 1 LEGOLAND park
- 0 LEGO Brand Retail Stores
2015:
- 721 sets
- 36 themes
- Largest set - 76042 SHIELD Helicarrier - 2996 pieces
- Highest Brickset user rating - 41043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245
- Most owned on Brickset - 70818 Double-Decker Couch
- 6 LEGOLAND parks
- 109 LEGO Brand Retail Stores
Clearly the progression has been considerable on all fronts as LEGO's popularity has soared and the company has become one of the most successful toy manufacturers in the world. I suspect few could have predicted that the brand would occupy a place in popular culture by 2015, surpassing its former status as a toy but maintaining many of its original values.
The range of sets in 1985 looked very different to what we see on the shelves today. As the total number of sets has increased dramatically, so has the variety of themes, although the marketplace seems to be dominated by a select few more than ever before, with smaller themes supporting the more substantial ones. While the selection in 1985 was underpinned by Town, Fabuland and Space for the most part, 2015 has seen the release of more Star Wars sets alone than all three of those themes combined!
However, despite some significant changes in how LEGO divides its range among different themes, there are also some surprising similarities between individual sets from 1985 and those of today.
Train sets are a timeless feature of the Town and City themes, with new models becoming available almost every year. While 2015 has seen the release of 60098 Heavy-Haul Train, the 1985 range included 7735 Freight Train set which consisted of a diesel-powered locomotive, three different freight cars and some trackside equipment.
60098 Heavy-Haul Train includes many of the same items: a diesel-powered locomotive, three different freight cars and some trackside equipment. The colour schemes are also fairly similar, as you can see, with both engines including plenty of red, a design which continues onto some of the flatbed cars in each set. By far the most significant difference between the two is how they are powered, with 7735 being released during the 12V train period while 60098 relies on Power Functions. The addition of curved slopes to the parts palette benefits the modern set enormously in my opinion, but the older design still has a charm about it which is very difficult to replicate.
6370 Weekend Home was also released in 1985 as part of the Town theme. Small houses like this one are redesigned almost annually, but 31035 Beach Hut from this year is notably similar to the older model. Both sets are brightly coloured, include two minifigures and represent a small holiday home, the only difference in that regard being their respective locations as one is in the countryside while the other is a beachfront property.
The set images are striking in their likeness. When folded out, 31035 presents a frontage which is almost identical to that of 6370, with the only immediately obvious differences being the colour of the walls and the shape of the roof. The two sets are obviously aimed at the same market and the most prominent difference is simply the range of parts available and the associated building techniques.
The development of The LEGO Company and its products between 1985 and 2015 is astonishing. While some sets demonstrate similar design features and many concepts seem to have remained the same, the number of different pieces available has increased exponentially and modern sets are therefore far more detailed than their predecessors in most cases. The shape of the market has altered too, with Advanced Models now being released with teenagers and adults in mind. This trend is a reflection of the changes in society and The LEGO Group's response to those changes, about which Back to the Future famously hypothesised.
I cannot help but wonder how LEGO might have developed by 2045 and how the fan community will have progressed accordingly.
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32 comments on this article
Quite interesting!
Nice article.
One difference I've noted between old and new sets is that older sets built their complexity using simple techniques, whereas modern sets seem to use undue complexity to build simple structures. I wonder if anyone else has been thinking this? It just strikes me sometimes that simpler methods - possibly using fewer and less specialised pieces - could achieve a similar end product.
*Block-n-Roll
I feel that way completely, I also started to think that they are adding smaller pieces just to bump up the price.
Such as putting down two 1x2 plates, when they could of just put down one 1x4 plate.
@ Block-n-Roll
I feel that way, too.
I remember playing with Star Wars and general Space stuff a while ago, but still remember wishing for a good, simple space theme, too.
Great article!
I love '80s Lego and also love modern Lego. I have one complaint and one challenge with modern Lego. I don't like the over-simplified instructions with one or two pieces per step. 8880 Auto Chassis has something like 15 steps, whereas a similar model today would come in three books...
My challenge as a colorblind man is distinguishing between all the colors now offered. My wife and kids help me so I've managed and I do appreciate them in various models, but it can be challenging to sort the loose pieces by color. Light gray vs medium stone is especially brutal.
@ Block-n-Roll Agree 100%.
Actually I find some days my interest in LEGO is less than it used to be in part because I feel it's less "LEGO'ish" these days -- way more specialized pieces, and much more pushing of their own themes instead of promoting creativity and a do-it-yourself spirit.
Wow. didn't know even back in 1985 they already had 13 themes! At that time I'm only aware of Classic Space and City themes.
On the issue of "specialised" pieces, this is primarily what keeps me away from Chima, Ninjago, etc. - I look at those sets and just think that the number of specifically-themed parts is a cop-out. Sure, they *can* be used outside their "core" theme, but (i) they don't look right when built into a model that's predominantly "classic" bricks, and (ii) the last thing anyone wants is to have their MOC mocked because some kid cries out "That's not a lawnmower blade, it's Verminatrix's Spin-a-Zorg Deathsaw!" Or something ....
Wonder how they would react to Lego Dimensions.
Good comparison of similarities over the span of 30 years time. Would be interesting to read what major new developments and milestones are in the same period. Idea for a follow-up article?!
@Morpeth ... it's funny you say that. I work in a toy shop, and yesterday, I actually had that exact conversation with a woman who said that she felt Lego is too specialised, these days, and the emphasis on creativity and just building stuff is a *lot* less, which is why she doesn't buy it much for her kids.
Sometimes, I think, I don't disagree with that.
To continue the discussion on piece specialization/creativity...
There are definitely an excess of specialized pieces. Ninjago, for example, could probably make do with 4 or 5 different sword molds in different colors instead of the (guesstimating) 10+ that were created for the theme. Some specialized pieces are pretty useful, like the 45-degree plates from the newest Friends sets and now in the Dimensions portal. From the look of Nexo Knights, it's just getting worse, too.
Some specialized parts do boost creativity, although the advertising/set designs do seem less about the "do-it-yourself" aspect of LEGO and more about "build this set! Then stare at it - it's beautiful!" Maybe it would be better if TLG expanded more gradually instead of this Cambrian explosion of new sets that we're seeing.
It is nice to see that sets have gotten much more detailed and intricate over the years, though the number of small parts used in such details does "inflate" piece-to-price ratios a lot - my 10176 King's Castle has more than 500 fewer parts than 10229 Winter Village Cottage yet it is at least twice the cottage's size, and both are $100.
I often think the criticism that LEGO has too many specialized pieces is a cop-out for people who lack creativity. Case in point, a lot of the pieces found in the Ninjago sets weren't specifically designed for the theme. The Master Wu Dragon is a great example of creative use of parts, with croissants as horns and Unikitty tails as moustaches. When I open up virtually any LEGO set (with a few exceptions, like Bionicle), I don't think to myself that this can only be one thing, and one thing only. I think ever since LEGO stopped putting the alternate builds on the back of the boxes, consumers have gotten tunnel vision and only see sets as the sum of their parts.
LEGO has come a long way from its humble beginnings, and it's done a great job balancing mainstay themes like City, Technic, and Duplo and new themes like Ninjago and Super Heroes.
I wish I had a time machine to go back and buy a load of old sets. I still feel more excited about seeing an old yellow castle box than I do with any sets now. I do love how the minifigures have evolved though.
Great article for an early morning read, thanks.
I sometimes just wish my parents wouldn't have lived in a communist country and that they would have bought Legos from the '80s and '90s... :)
I have just got 7730 electric goods train from 1980! It was sold to me as a bulk of legos., with the tracks, transformer... When I washed them, completed the set and put it on the tracks- I screamed out of joy- electromotor is running perfectly!
So, 80"s lego spirit has visited our house and stayed since then! It is wonderful set indeed!!!
P.s. Forgot to mention: In that bulk, there was also 4-5 sets from classic space series. Now I can go back to the past and back again!
@LanceBrick
"Such as putting down two 1x2 plates, when they could of just put down one 1x4 plate."
I've often been wondering about that myself but the (totally unverified) explanation I've come up with was more in the line that it was easier and more efficient (cost and time -wise) for the machines to add a bunch more of those 1x2 pieces already in use aplenty in the set instead of going all the way to back to molding just to add barely two 2x2 pieces of the same color...
But then again, I'm totally biased and can't see any evil in whatever TLG is doing no matter how much it stares me in the face :D
CapnRex thanks for the look back!
I don't see a problem with the current design and number of elements. And I don't say that from my own perspective. I have two children; 4 y/o girl & 6 y/o boy. We love to build the sets but it is less me and more my kids that love building creatively with whatever pieces are available. It is amazing seeing what they come up with and how thru trial and error figure out what they want. I may be interested in matching colors and smooth lines whereas they are more interested in having something they can play with and let it grow as the adventure continues.
It's great that TLG still makes basic bricks available for those that want to live the good ole days! But as for my family we enjoy living in today's times with the ever crazy adventures our minds can conjure up!
We need another Hospital.
Nice read, especially the numbers comparison.
It may add credence to the feelings many hold that Lego is putting out too many sets and dropping the ball on some of them
@myscrnnm Oddly enough Bionicle is one of the few themes to have been "simplified" with its newer waves,instead using a common core set of pieces for everything other than the masks. Some of the same pieces appear in Ninjago or Superheros now. It used to be back in the day that every Bionicle wave would have dozens of one use pieces just for that wave.
I don't mind more complex Lego sets, or new molds. But I do mind when it is obvious Lego has other simpler elements which look the same.
Back to the article, Doc Browns mind would be blown when he realized Marty and Him are now Lego figures too...
cool!!!!!
@ myscrnnm - looking at how junior mashes up themes, parts, colors and ideas I'd have to agree. Spider-Man boat-spaceship and castle-pirate condo anyone?
And with both Lego Play and Lego Adventure books selling consistently well (translation and additional volumes as proxy for actual ), I'd say the build interest is strong.
Thanks for the comparisons between 1985 and 2015. It is interesting to see how much hasn't changed.
1985 was an awesome year for Lego! My favorite set of all time, 6931, came out that year. Lots of other great classic space, too!
I don't take as much issue with specialized parts in and of themselves -- sometimes they are necessary - but I do think we are seeing less and less 'classic' parts across the board, which makes the specialized pieces feel more like replacements to people and less like additions - thus fueling people's grievance. I do think the turn towards smoother, sleeker builds with less exposed studs has fueled this problem as well, because most classic parts are, well, stud-y.
I'm not too bothered -- I still love LEGO either way, but they could stand to issue some 'classic-inspired' builds.
I remember spending my holidays building a jet fighter with the limited blocks I had from space theme and city blocks I was fortunate to get for birthday/christmas. Limited nose options and no curved pieces meant I had to create the shape by placing blocks a stud in. Eventhough it was multi coloured and blocky, it looked like the blue powerjet in my imagination. So I have bought myself the powerjet for my Christmas present, so 30 years later I can fly a lego jet around the house making jet and shooting noises. I am pleased to see lego still battles, like I did, to fit a minifigure in the cockpit and leave no gaps where the canopy glass curves in.
You list for 2015 the Helicarrier as having the most parts. I assume you means sets launched in 2015, because there are sets like Tower Bridge that are available for sale now with more parts.
@nparker I do think LEGO fans do forget. I get consumed myself in detailing my own creations at times. What brought me to the world of LEGO was my kids so they are very much hands on with all our LEGO sets. For us LEGO is something we enjoy doing together so very few restrictions. (The only time I bring Lord Budiness out is when real explosions and physically breaking elements is about to happen.)
But no one can ever reference back to the future again since it is now beyond when they traveled in the movie.
As for sets, out looks like lego is rehashing the same stuff, only tweaking it and bumping up the price. Good to know.