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Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 11:04 pm
by tatu
So I've been playing around a building some simple official LEGO sets in LEGO's official LEGO tool "Lego Digital Designer". I've been thinking for a few years now how it would be to build Trespasser parts with LEGO and the issues like scaling problems and such. However, today I started to try it out by building the Monorail Station location in LDD.

It turned out alright and I might continue to do other locations just for fun. It is far from flawless, but fun to do nevertheless. This created turned into ~600+ pieces.

Here is how it turned out:
LEGO_Monorail_Station.png
LEGO_Monorail_Station.png (323.16 KiB) Viewed 12729 times

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 11:10 pm
by TheIdiot
Not bad at all! Looks pretty good, though 600 pieces seems kind of unreasonable for something so simple. I would think were this actually sold they would omit the wall to cut back on piece count. I'd really like to see Hammond's house and the Ops Center too if you ever get around to them.
Now, as for retail value, knowing LEGO, this would cost around 400 dollars and there would be pieces missing... :P

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2016 12:57 am
by tatu
Well, only the monorail is like 200+ pieces, and I believe so too, they would make special parts of it.

As for ~600 pieces. Around here it goes for about £70-100 depending on the brand of the theme (LEGO City vs like Disney Princess). As for missing pieces, I have never experienced that. Extra parts I have gotten, but that is standard in all sets.

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2016 4:36 am
by Draconisaurus
Looks great! :D Used to have thousands o' Legos, myself... The idea of Legos in Tres never stayed with me due to a notion that TresComers wouldn't care.. Maybe I'll do a Lego level sometime o-0

Mmmm I wonder if we should try to get Lego JW models into Tres... :|

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 12:00 am
by TheIdiot
As for ~600 pieces. Around here it goes for about £70-100 depending on the brand of the theme (LEGO City vs like Disney Princess).
Well, not sure on the Euro conversion rate to Canadian Dollars, but I'm pretty sure it's about 1.5 Euros to a Dollar, which means a £600 LEGO set here is about $150. Pretty insane for a little playset made of bricks, especially when it's specifically designed to make a certain object and the pieces are mostly useless for other purposes.
As for missing pieces, I have never experienced that. Extra parts I have gotten, but that is standard in all sets.
Hmm. They must have stepped up their game, then. I used to collect LEGO Star Wars and I remember several instances where there were pieces missing. Never anything major, but it was still annoying to have to search through my reserve collection to find a fitting piece.
Mmmm I wonder if we should try to get Lego JW models into Tres... :|
That would be interesting! I don't have a clue if they can be ripped or not, though...the ones that are part of the scenery and not made of LEGO in particular might be a pain as to me it seems they are actually sculpted into the landscape as a single model.

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 12:14 am
by machf
TheIdiot wrote:
As for ~600 pieces. Around here it goes for about £70-100 depending on the brand of the theme (LEGO City vs like Disney Princess).
Well, not sure on the Euro conversion rate to Canadian Dollars, but I'm pretty sure it's about 1.5 Euros to a Dollar, which means a £600 LEGO set here is about $150. Pretty insane for a little playset made of bricks, especially when it's specifically designed to make a certain object and the pieces are mostly useless for other purposes.
Saw some Formula 1 sets at local sites... "discounted" from about US$200 to US$150 and from US$150 to US$100, or something like that... (one Ferrari and one McLaren)
What the ... ? Back then when I worked at a retail store in 2008-2009, it was the robotics sets that had such prices... but these ones aren't anything extraordinary. Is it just the license? Or is the store getting such a high profit margin?


EDIT: I think it's these two:

http://shop.lego.com/en-US/F14-T-Scuder ... &HQS=75913
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/McLaren-Merc ... &HQS=75911

And there's this one, too, at a similar price:
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Porsche-911- ... ng=listing

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 12:28 am
by TheIdiot
Saw some Formula 1 sets at local sites... "discounted" from about US$200 to US$150 and from US$150 to US$100, or something like that... (one Ferrari and one McLaren)
What the ... ? Back then when I worked at a retail store in 2008-2009, it was the robotics sets that had such prices... but these ones aren't anything extraordinary. Is it just the license?
I do get the feeling that it's partially the license (car companies in particular seem to request high asking prices for their licenses), but also that LEGO has become much, much more expensive over time. I have no idea why that might be though. It might just have something to do with covering the licensing costs for everything as they have literally made sets for every franchise imaginable. I mean, if they have the money to churn out video game after video game and TV shows and movies plus their regular products, they're definitely bringing in some major cash.
Or is the store getting such a high profit margin?
Perhaps. I think it's just LEGO being greedy, personally. They're like the Disney of toys.

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 3:56 am
by tatu
The thing is, a few years back, around 10 something years, LEGO almost got bankrupt. However, they recovered due to the licensed stuff because people are more keen to buy stuff like Star Wars LEGO or LEGO Friends etc.

I think there is a profit margin, but I also believe the license for what they make is expensive. It's not really a one time cost but rather they expect a certain % of the sale I would believe. And LEGO have not become more expensive than it was like 20 years ago.

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 4:35 am
by Kaffeebohnson
Fun project, you should look into rendering programs to make a nice photorealistic image out of it.

Also add Lego Dinosaurs and a floating minifig torso without a head and only one arm ;)

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 5:49 am
by machf
Kaffeebohnson wrote: Also add Lego Dinosaurs and a floating minifig torso without a head and only one arm ;)
LOl. Yeah, that would just make it complete...!

Re: Custom LEGO Sets

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 2:34 am
by Deadeyeguy_45
You could probably make anything from Trespasser with just a tub legos. Seeing as the shapes of the buildings are pretty box like, I don't think you'd have a problem making a basement scale lego set! Be really coolio to see someone who would be willing to do this and see how it turns out.