apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The unfortunate thing about most any Lego product these days is all the 'fun' has already been had by the product manager, when he (usually it's a 'he') designed it. Just check out the Lego website and you'll see.
Instead of various building block sets, like the original versions, and allowing (even encouraging) a kid's creativity, current Lego products are designed to be put together in one specific configuration -- and only that configuration. It's a paint-by-numbers (and not in a good way).

I understand what you are saying, MaeEast, but I have to tell you - my son does a great job of disproving your statement. He is currently 15 years old and had been playing with Lego all his life (yes! starting with the oversized Duplo). He has all his original Lego sets and instructions, but the blocks are all tossed into bins. He has built some very original creations that no longer follow any of the instructions - they move, spin, use lights, etc.

I would also recommend looking up Lego steampunk creations on the web - I don't think these people are painting-by-numbers either...

I think this is a neat idea. Especially for the Lego fanatic in adults.

MaeEast: I remember putting the Lego sets I had as a child together in the "proper" way once, maybe twice. Then, the set that was supposed to be a time ship became part of a city. Some kids just don't have the patience to put sets together the way the instructions tell them to. Some do, and just get bored with it and move on to their own little masterpieces.

Too bad these things are built to such a small scale. The detailing would work better if it was to the scal of other lego products (ie. made with lego men in mind)

Now I want to go get out the giant box of legos again and try building some buildings. Guggenheim, here I come!

MaeEast:

1. you can still buy independent blocks.
2. please refrain from being sexist.
3. there are lots of us out there who don't follow directions, even when putting together Ikea furniture.

I have to disagree with MaeEast....my nephew has about a half dozen sets of big Star Wars models..........yet he usually creates his own stuff. Not only does he build other Star Wars ships and such that he doesn't have the instructions for, but he also builds entire scenes from his favorite movies, school, home, just about anything he can think of.

If you know of a kid who can't think of anything to build other than what the map book instructs, then throw the map books away and make the kid think for him or her self.

Legos are awesome and I love the tie in with architecture. Just to reiterate what others have said...legos are not gender specific! I'm a woman and I played with legos as a kid. I had a few kits, but I generally repurposed the pieces to make my own masterpieces. I'd love to see what a reimagined fallingwater might look like. Yay for Legos!

One summer, my brother and I pooled our separate extensive lego collections and built an insanely large castle that included very few actual "castle" sets. I'm with Ohjodi.

Legos were my all time favorite toys as a kid and as misterfox stated, I would configure the set per instructions at least once(to make sure all the pieces were there) and then they would be added to the large pile. I just wanted the bricks!

At first look, I wished they had changed the pieces to make it more accurate but then I remember all the criticism they were getting for making too many "custom" pieces so I guess they are taking that into consideration.

I'm glad to see them appealing to the designers who as kids, really learned to put things together with their products.

I really like the Fallingwater model. The only thing is that I wish they diversified the colors a little bit- the model makes it look as though the house and surroundings are the perfect shade of beige when that is FAR from the case.

I'm not trying to disagree with anyone, but I thought I would throw in another point of view...

When I was younger, one year for my birthday, I got this really awesome castle set that I had been wanting and wanting and I actually wanted to put together the set according to the directions... It was almost like a challenge to see if I could get it to look just like the box. Then after a couple of weeks of playing with it that way I started modifying it and adding on my own pieces to make it even better.

So I think it can really go both ways, and I think even though its pre-designed to look a certain way, it almost challenges the person or kid to make something that is on tv and in the lego catalog (I’m not sure if they still have those, but those were my number one source of reading when I was younger). I know personally, as an architectural graduate, I would love to have to the falling water set, and or course I would put at least one draw bridge and multiple cannons :D

Who knew Lego lovers could be so hostile?
I read all the posts and then I had to go back and read the first post (from MaeEast) again to see where she/he said Legos are gender-specific and Lego customers aren’t creative. As I read it, her/his comments were directed to the Lego company, not Lego customers. In fact, it sounds as if she/he applauds kid creativity with Legos but is disappointed with the Lego company.

it seems that everyone was simply recognizing that just because Lego might be selling Legos as a particular set to build a particular thing, doesn't mean the company beleives Lego users are doing only that.

i have to agree that it's a pretty myopic and lego-unfamilar thing to say that a set that builds the Death Star *only* can build the Death Star. even if you only had a single set, you can still build whatever you want! and really, who only has one set? lol. my son builds them by the directions once or twice, then they allllll go into the bins and become part of the medium. =)

lego and let die.

My comment about sexism was related to the phrase, "all the 'fun' has already been had by the product manager, when he (usually it's a 'he') designed it."

Making the assumption that a product that purportedly doesn't foster creativity must have been created by a man bothers me.

You can make the thing specified in the booklet and then use it as a set for make-believe play.

Anyhow ....
The point is that Lego has neat new architecture modules and we should all go out and make something neat - lego or not.

Lego were far and away my favorite toy when I was a kid and I love Frank Lloyd Wright... I really want to get my hands on these? Has anybody found anyplace online selling them yet? I've searched in vain since first seeing these a couple days ago. MUST FIND FALLINGWATER!

These are going to be my Nephew's Birthday presents this year...

Benjy, I believe you can order them online directly from lego.

These have really hit a nerve! Don't get me wrong -- I love them! But how cool would it be if Lego put out a set of blocks based on Wright's various proportional systems? The 2x4 sections, the interlocking hexagons of the later Usonians. That could be so incredibly cool! These are cool, very cool, but they could be so much cooler! I have the same problem with the Froebel Block reproductions; they're just not quite extensive enough and just not quite there! Oh, to not have my imagination fettered by the exigencies of economic viability! Alas, the spirit is so strong, but the toys so limited . . . . And yet, these are the coolest toys I've seen in ages.