The increasing specialization of LEGO parts...

[Nitewatchman]

What are your thoughts on the increase of specialty parts in sets?

What I mean is: it seems like more and more pieces that are being made that don't really have any other uses. Not just specially decal'd parts, but actual specialty pieces. Weapons, armors, etc.

It seems to me that it might be limiting the creative freedom and imagination involved in lego. Where one used to have only a few things at their disposal that they had to use in order to create specific forms, one now has easy access to very specifically shaped, recognizable pieces. Personally, when I encounter these, I have a hard time using them in any other way than what seems to be the obvious use. Am I just a moron?

[stubby]

This was a big problem ten and fifteen years ago. The construction quality and general-purpose brick supply today is 100x better than it was back then. Now they're using specialized parts the way they're supposed to: as minifig accessories, designed to help force people to buy big sets to get rare minifigs.

But also, the design quality of the specialty parts is much better than it used to be, too - more connection points for finding alternate uses. Back in the olden times we got guys like BURPman. I mean look at that ugly thing.



No re-usability at ALL.

[Zupponn]

Watch out for that shit monster. It's coming for you.

[Quantumsurfer]

I don't mind so much. LEGO has put out so much at this point that I'll never want for a specific brick for anything I can imagine creating. I still have creative freedom through diversity. So specialty parts are a total bonus for me. I don't suffer from Lego Elitism so I actually like most of the pieces with only one purpose. Yes, I sure do like POOP.

[stubby]

By koincidence, I was talking with one of my afol (non-BrikWars) buddies a couple hours ago and she was talking about people who get overly excited about POOP. We started calling them "poop groupies," because who can resist a name like that. The end.

[Quantumsurfer]

Poop groupies.

[aoffan23]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you can't find more than one use for a part, you're not Legoing properly. This excludes POOP figures (like good ol' BURPman).

If you think that specialized parts can't be used as anything else, then take a look through this guy's photostream. I personally enjoy finding alternate uses for specialized parts, and challenge myself every time I get a new one in a set. It really helps stimulate my builder's brain. I recently used a ray gun piece for a robotic claw, made a flagpole out of a steering wheel, rod, flag and microphone, and I frequently use revolvers as angled joints. I just acquired two of those giant plastic olive green wheels from a Chima set, so I'll see what I can do with them.

The only way these parts limit creativity is through lack of effort. It takes a lot more creativity to make a coat rack out of guns that to pile up some 1x1 bricks and say it's a coat rack.

[Bragallot]

,

Then again...

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Generally I feel there's an increase in usable parts, especially in Castle, in the new lines, whereas around 2000 sets were a bit cheap and low on parts. There's the occasional poop but if you can get over it there's enough sets without poop not to have to buy the ones that have poops in them (yes, I just had to phrase it that way).

[Colette]

I remember there was a flickr group somewhere dedicated to finding other uses for the troll POOP.

[Zahru II]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragon55/s ... 729127830/

[IVhorseman]

If somebody can tell me how to use a Hairbrush and a Push-broom I'm all ears.

Seriously, I've had these things since like 1998 and haven't used them as anything other than what they are ONCE.

My buddy left a bag of bricks from a brikwar we had last night, and he's got a LOT of specialty pieces because he loves them, since he's horrendously uncreative when it comes to building stuff on his own. That said, he's got a bunch of cool weapons like rapiers and crap, a bunch of strange shields, and those weird ninjago snake staves. I also personally have a bunch of brikarms weapons. All of these pieces pretty much only serve one purpose. In fact, I'd still say that my minifigs with brick-built guns are far more intimidating than the ones with shiny detailed sniper's rifles. Still, I think specialization is actually far better than it used to be - I have far more pieces from the 90s that I have no idea what to do with than modern air-vents and engine bits.

[samuelzz10]

If somebody can tell me how to use a Hairbrush and a Push-broom I'm all ears.

Seriously, I've had these things since like 1998 and haven't used them as anything other than what they are ONCE.

you could use the hairbrush as the stuff an officer wears on his shoulders on a bigger scale

[Silverdream]

If somebody can tell me how to use a Hairbrush and a Push-broom I'm all ears.

Seriously, I've had these things since like 1998 and haven't used them as anything other than what they are ONCE.

you could use the hairbrush as the stuff an officer wears on his shoulders on a bigger scale

Epaulettes.

[Bragallot]

I remember there was a flickr group somewhere dedicated to finding other uses for the troll POOP.

The Fantasy trolls are great. The cave troll is a different story.

[Zahru II]

That and the goblinking are colossal mounds of shit and wasted ABS.