TLG has been moving away from their originally extremely strict no violence policy under Godtfred Christiansen's watch since the late 70's. The original castle set was yellow due to his fears that if it were rendered in grey, kids would make tanks and other military stuff with it. Eventually he relented, and grey was introduced in the Space line many of us have come to love and cherish, as well as Classic Town, and eventually Castle, Pirates, etc. The no violence policy slowly gave sway over the years as various weapons were introduced for the minifigs. The acquisition of the Star Wars license was a point of serious contention within the LEGO Group, but we all know how that turned out, and for the better, as it and Bionicle saved their bacon back in the early two-thousands when they were facing bankruptcy. Since then, they've played rather fast and loose with their violence policy, as conflict-driven scenarios involving everything from medieval weapons, to fairly realistic looking guns in the early Batman sets, to sci-fi guns, spring-loaded shooters, stud-shooters, and magic wands and other fantasy weapons have dominated sets since 1999. Where they've consistently drawn the line has been the release of blatantly 20th/21st century military weapons and vehicles. They've bent the latter any number of times by altering the livery/paint scheme so as not to present it as a military asset. I don't see it as cowardice at all, but as a way of producing a particular vehicle that we otherwise wouldn't get from LEGO under their no modern military stance. It's a workaround, but one I favor, especially in light of the Osprey, of which this will be the second version they've produced. The first was a City set 60021 Heliplane, a set I was stoked to get, as I'm a huge fan of the Osprey's design. I'm excited for the Technic set as well. I also have the Technic Cargo Plane set from a few years back, which takes its design cues from military transports like the C-130. They also made what was essentially an F-35 in the Creator line, set 31039 Blue Power Jet, giving it a stunt plane livery so as to distinguish it as non-military. I love that set, too, and quite honestly, if varying a paint job and depicting a military asset in a non-military application enables them to produce it, I'm all for it. I don't understand the disdain for wanting to avoid the connotation of modern warfare, and I don't think less of TLG for standing by this policy. War is terrible; it takes a toll on all of us involved, and too often that toll is a human life. Many who've given their lives or who've been permanently wounded have children, and to my thinking, having a modern military toy, regardless of whether it's LEGO or some other brand, may stir up unpleasant memories or associations. To my mind, TLG's making modern military toys brings the experiences too close to home for many people, and in a way, celebrates the way we prosecute war, via representation of the tools thereof. To that end, I think TLG are correct in maintaining their stance. Fortunately, in the US, due to much blood spilt here and abroad, you're free to disagree with me, but I hope you'll give my reasoning some consideration.
I think that's a poignant distinction. For whatever reason, we as a species, for as long as history records our thoughts and conduct, have been a contentious lot who engaged in and celebrated the use of varying degrees of force against pretty much everyone and everything. It's part of who we are, good or bad, and shall be for as long as we exist, barring some unforeseen 'cure' in the future. That said, from early childhood on, conflict in one form or another is an essential part of the way we both approach and perceive relationships and circumstances, and it finds its way into play patterns early on. For LEGO to ignore that is to ignore an essential part of our development as human beings, so whether you favor the old Space sets which set no conflict precedent (leaving it to the small humans building and playing with said sets to develop those conflicting scenarios independently, which, let's face it, we all did) or integrating those conflict-laden scenarios directly into the sets by putting clearly designated protagonist/antagonist characters/machines in the box and depicting conflict on the box itself, I think it's something that will develop naturally, and I think it's fine that TLG create the sets with conflict built-in, so to speak. I don't think it needs to be in every set, and it's not, but it certainly has found its way into many themes over the years, and I don't foresee an end to it. If anything, restrictions will relax further. However, I hope they stick to their no modern warfare rule. I think there's more benefit than not to it, and there are alternatives to LEGO if modern military building sets are what you desire.
That's almost entirely the case. Knights and castles and pirates have been romanticized beyond their sordid histories, and are the setting for many kid-friendly franchises and stories. It's pretty obvious that that's the ideal that Lego is catering to, and not the raping and pillaging and plagues and shit. To say that's the case is being pointedly obtuse. No such distinction exists for modern military history. It's purely the glorification of the murderous military-industrial complex, which is where Lego draws the line. The Osprey is a corner-case scenario where, while it's technically a military vehicle, its usage is almost purely for transport, with relatively low combat capability. By omitting any weaponry and giving it livery evocative of a rescue vehicle, they sidestep the issue entirely.
excellent posts by m’kyuun and mx-01! look lego aren’t cowards or lacking in integrity (relatively, it’s a business, none of them really have “integrity”) for not making the jump from the stylized action violence of overwatch to the real world violence we see these military vehicles do all the time. i think it’s great lego has taken a stand and doesn’t contribute to the pro-war propaganda like a different franchise this forum is based on. talking about integrity, i thought it was really great lego sided with a certain political movement, donated $4mil to various charities, and pulled advertising for their cop sets. they’re still making money off those sets sure, but they’ve done more than a lot of other companies (especially toy companies) to help the cause. like yeah, there’s a catch, but they’ve snuck in a couple military style sets. be happy with the bones they’re tossing, or you could easily get ahold of instructions for mocs people have made of military vehicles.
Well said. There's a definite distinction between portraying idealized themes in a fantastic or romaticized fashion vs the darker historical reality. Disney's been doing it for decades with everything from piracy to fairy tales, which were often much darker in circumstances and endings than their sanitized re-depictions. Society has changed a great deal over the last few centuries as to what is considered acceptable lore for our children; we've become a polite society, eschewing much of the more disturbing aspects of old stories that were once completely acceptable. It follows that our entertainment follow suit. I think TLG have done a decent job towing the line on the softer aspect of violence, but in taking on licenses like Marvel and DC, where the violence on the screen is rather blatant, and potentially frightening to a small child (and even some adults), they have a harder job of it when deciding what and what not to do as a set in order to try and maintain a softer tone, while still having elements of conflict, and trying to stay somewhat true to the source. They've done a good job, too, in their homegrown properties like Ninjago, Chima, Nexo-Knights, and now Monkie Kid. The violence is cartoony, and dosed with a lot of humor, making it palatable for just about anyone. As I said earlier, 20th and 21st century warfare is too close to home for many people, having had friends and family members involved in the various wars and conflicts throughout. I think a respectable distance is warranted. The beauty of any number of modern military machines is that they can be reimagined as something innocuous, divorcing them from their military associations. The Osprey is a perfect example, and I'd love to see it someday used by our search and rescue folks, firefighters, and Coast Guard, for which it is a fitting match to those missions. There was a lot of contention in the development and acceptance of the Osprey, both internally between Bell and Boeing, and within the govt and the military branches. The Marines fought a hard battle to get it, and fortunately, they got it in the end. I digress. Obviously something like a tank is too specialized to be anything other than a giant gun on treads, but I'd love to see a LEGO version of the HEMTT in a non-military application. The same applies to any number of vehicles. I was quite surprised by the Blue Power Jet set; I never thought I'd see a modern fighter depicted in LEGO, but I applaud the form in which it was presented, and hope to see the same philosophy applied to other military vehicles moving forward.
Quick question for anyone who'd know: is baalot.com legit? I was digging around and they have a set in stock that's sold out on the official site for HALF OFF! I would love to not spend more than I have to since the MSRP of the set is $250.
Did some further digging and looks like a scam to me. There's a listing of the Falcon 75192 for $160 USD while the regular price is $800. Looks like this faux company copied and pasted the exact stuff from Lego and transposed it to their own site. Will have to see if other members here will say the same thing.
Quick question is there a Lego shortage, or is it a local thing? Seems like the COVID-19 panick exhausted the supply of Lego sets in my area.
Yes, this seems to come up at least once every week or two. Lego has posted on their site and across their social media pages that it is not so much a shortage but certain manufacturing plants are closed, so there are shipping delays, etc. that's why we here in the US are getting things about a month after the UK, rest of the world and why items you find at Target have white stickers on them, they were brought in from the UK to help with the fill the void, delays.
I really love these mosaics. The Sith one is probably the only one I'd actually buy, but the Beatles one is insanely impressive, and the large/3 panel Iron Man one is extremely well done.
