Classic Set Remakes

[aldero]

This topic is fairly self-explanatory. Would you be partial to LEGO remaking some classic sets to promote older generations of sets to newer generations of kids and manchildren?

 

If you're not opposed to the radical idea that definitely wasn't inspired by LEGO's past acts of re-releasing sets, what sets would you remake? Additionally, how would you remake them? Would they adopt the CCBS building system or stick to the Technic-based system?

 

If you ask me, I would love to see some classic set remakes, particularly of ones that were particularly lacklustre and in desperate need of revision, such as the 2001 Turaga and arguably the Bohrok-Kal.

[Sybre]

Actually, I like your suggestion for a Bohrok-Kal remake. Nowadays, people like to blast those sets solely for being clone sets, so I think remakes of all six would have some fan support. Also, Bohrok-Kal are stronger, upgraded Bohrok, so a new look could reflect that. You're onto something, if you ask me.

 

As for what I would like to see remakes of, I'd say the 2008 Matoran, the Agori, the Glatorian, and the Stars. Anything with the Agori build can work as an impulse buy and a chance to get a kid's feet wet with BIONICLE, but they could have been so much more. If anything, the Protectors of 2015 are something like what the Agori should have been. As for the Glatorian, the designers played it too safe with the spammed Inika builds. They were cool on the Inika and I guess the Mahri, but by 2009, the designers should have gotten past it or at least improved on it.

[Aanchir]

I mean, the Toa sets in 2015 were kinda-sorta remakes. I guess more of "re-imaginings", though.

 

I don't know that I'd really want Bionicle remakes. Truly new stuff is more exciting to me, even if it does take inspiration from older stuff like the G2 Bionicle sets did. Before G2 Bionicle came out, I dabbled in making CCBS remakes of classic sets like the Toa Mata that were highly authentic to the colors and proportions of the originals. And yet the actual G2 Bionicle sets were way more exciting to me than anything I had built, not only because of the features they retained from the originals but also because of all the creative new design features and concepts they brought to the table. They weren't just trying to imitate sets that had come before them, they were synthesizing new ideas and ideas from many generations of past sets into a totally new form.

 

Beyond that, it's tough to make the inevitable changes a remake entails (like replacing retired parts and colors) without alienating fans of the original version. And as the LEGO Group found out when remaking classic sets for their "LEGO Legends" line in the early naughts, even if you keep a classic set as authentic as possible to the original, it will often still be less impressive than older fans remember it, and certainly less impressive than what younger fans have come to expect from today's sets.

 

If we did get further Bionicle remakes or re-imaginings, though, I'd want them to use both CCBS and Technic, like most CCBS sets have for the past three or four years.

[Pohaturon]

I'd love to see one set each remade with newer parts from the various classic space themes. You know, stuff like Blacktron. Take one set, say a medium sized one, from each "faction" in classic space and re-do it with the newer parts - but with the same colour schemes.

I'd be all over that.

:kakama.

[Sir Keksalot]

I'd love to see the Knight's Kingdom II and Exo-Force sets rendered in CCBS. If that system had been around back in the day, those themes would likely have fared better.

[Pohaturon]

I'd love to see the Knight's Kingdom II and Exo-Force sets rendered in CCBS. If that system had been around back in the day, those themes would likely have fared better.

Oh yeah, a thousand times this. I've brought up CCBS Exo-Force as well, but I never thought about Knight's Kingdom before, but now that you mentioned it, you're right and that would really be chipper.

 

[Xboxtravis]

I don't think classic Bionicle sets would play well as a remake since most classic Bionicle parts have been retired. The only way to recreate a Bionicle set would be to either have Lego invest in expensive mold reproductions which they will only use only for a few sets; or adapt it into a CCBS style (which arguably is what we already got with the Toa Mata being remade in G2).

 

But some classic Lego System sets or Technic? Yeah I am down for that. A few large sets such as the UCS Millennium Falcon, or upgraded versions of classic modular buildings could play well. Even better, go back to some real classic Lego stuff such as Lego space or castle or pirates.Maybe even some of the old 9V trains could be re-done into Power Functions sets. The only thing needs to make sure of is that the set has been a long time since the original went off market. Look at the complaints about the Winter Toy Shop and Death Star re-releases, those were largely because the sets they were based on hadn't been off shelves very long until the remake arrived, thus leading to the accusation that Lego was being lazy. I think set remakes need at least ten years or more of separation between them-self and the original.

[Jeffery Mewtamer]

personally, I'd be more interested in a bucket o' bricks consisting of Throwbot and Bionicle G1 parts than remakes/re-issues of old sets.

[Katanga]

personally, I'd be more interested in a bucket o' bricks consisting of Throwbot and Bionicle G1 parts than remakes/re-issues of old sets.

While this would be nice, as Xboxtravis pointed out, a vast majority of the parts used for those themes have been retired.

[Jeffery Mewtamer]

^But were they retired because the molds wore out and Lego didn't bother making new molds or were they retired because Lego decided to focus on sets using new parts? And even if the former, what's to stop Lego from deciding to create new molds to bring those parts out of retirement or design new parts that are equivalent but are redesigned to take advantage of advances in manufacturing technology since the originals were retired?

[Aanchir]

^But were they retired because the molds wore out and Lego didn't bother making new molds or were they retired because Lego decided to focus on sets using new parts? And even if the former, what's to stop Lego from deciding to create new molds to bring those parts out of retirement or design new parts that are equivalent but are redesigned to take advantage of advances in manufacturing technology since the originals were retired?

It's probably some of both. What stops LEGO from simply creating new molds to bring older parts out of retirement is that new molds are tremendously expensive, and usually they'd rather focus their new mold budget on parts that create genuinely new building opportunities than ones that stopped being relevant years ago.

 

That's not to say LEGO will never bring back or create a new mold for a once-retired part. But creating a bucket specifically of retired parts is a pretty big expense just to supply people with parts that are no longer needed for any other current sets, that are already owned by millions of people, and that generally cost pennies on the aftermarket.

 

If there were still enough demand for those old parts to justify bringing them out of retirement, they would never have been retired in the first place. But the truth is that in most cases, there's not even enough demand for those parts to raise their aftermarket prices by any meaningful amount. Even some of the most beloved classic Bionicle sets like the 2001 Muaka & Kane-Ra, 2002 Tahu Nuva, and 2003 Takanuva are available used on BrickLink for less than their original sticker price, and far less than what that sticker price would be adjusted for inflation.

[Xboxtravis]

Not to mention that a few of the most versatile old Bionicle pieces do remain in use, such as Bohrok eyes.

[Lenny7092]

Well, I once made a list of how the classic sets could be re-made: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/23578-what-characters-would-you-like-to-be-in-g2-and-how-they-would-be-like/ . Anyway, I also thought that the 2015 Toa are the re-imaginings of the 2001 Toa. For other classic sets, I would go with the Av-Matoran, Agori, and the Stars sets, because I would like to think that they should have bendable limbs. The Protectors from 2015 are what the G1 sets could have been by having the bendable limbs.