As adopted by many of the larger LEGO websites, it’s time for a list of awards that do not give out trophies or certificates. Some might even say that it’s just an excuse to remember things that have happened in the past year of bricky goodness. Yes, that’s exactly what this is.
Images have now surfaced of one of the most exciting licensed LEGO sets of the year, Wall•E (21303). Wall•E was submitted through LEGO Ideas by Angus MacLane, hit the threshold and is now heading for stores just in time for Christmas. The set looks good and will no doubt prove popular among fans of the movie. So does this suggest any precedents for what future Ideas projects may get accepted?
LEGO Ideas user Alatariel saw her project Research Institute (21110) not only be released as an official LEGO set, but generate huge buzz and great sales too. It’s no surprise following the set’s popularity that Alatariel’s latest project, Science Adventures, has also hit the threshold of 10,000 supporters and will be reviewed by LEGO for possible official release.
Firstly, congratulations to Alatariel and GlenBricker for getting The Big Bang Theory set commissioned and to DeTomaso for the Birds set. The competition is fierce, and as more sets reach the LEGO Ideas Review Stage passing becomes an even more impressive feat. There is no doubt that those who put forward these projects put in the work and passionately want their project to become an official LEGO set. The following article will, however, question what LEGO are thinking and what fans want from the plastic brick.
I have written before and commented on the lack of female representation in LEGO, and supported articles that call on the company to re-balance its products for both genders. But for all the faults that LEGO has, and of course there are faults, LEGO does not exist in a vacuum and has actually improved in terms of appealing to both genders. So this article will be approaching the issue in support of LEGO, pointing out where they have improved and why aspects of the attacks are unfair.
LEGO collectors have been frustrated recently with not being able to get hold of the latest Ideas sets – the Research Institute (21110) and Exosuit (21109) – after they both sold out on the official online store. It is debatable how short supply is here in the UK, with physical LEGO Stores still getting stock, however anecdotally it seems that in the USA the shortage is real. Is it positive that sales have been this good, or a failing that LEGO didn’t supply enough sets?
