The Great LEGO Plague of 2002 

Wedge, Plate are in almost every set from cars, ships boats and houses to animals and they come in much more variants than those bricks

Please don't drop your video quality, so few RU-vidrs make such high effort stuff.

there is one happening now with the lego "dots" where all sets seems to have these useless 1x1 tiles now and showing no signs of stoping

Merry Christmas!

Yeah I totally agree, recently they have focused a little too much on the 18+ aspect of sets, it’s not bad it’s just we haven’t gotten many battle packs and mini builds, not that I like them but I feel other people might miss out because all the sets are $80 and up.

This pattern makes a lot of sense now that you point it out - it does seem to make sense within the context of them intentionally trying to constantly innovate while also preserving what works. Seems like a side effect of that innovation?

If think you are wrong 18+ sets are not the issue it is more an issue of seeking bigger and more expensive sets the hulk buster doesn’t need to cost $500 it could cost $300 and be smaller and with an excellent build what should make a set 18+ is the target audience and building techniques not the $ they can make good $35 18+ sets and they do but only as gwp outside the bonnonical line

Well, you know how the saying goes: "The Plague is in the eye of the beholder"! 😉

@@classiclegotanker4235 18+ sets main issue is that they are marketed as 18+ set and not being more sophisticated than 7+ set. At least botanical collections are amazing partpacks.

I could see that! I just hate having my curves and slopes touching though, haha. 😅

Thank you very much! 😊

This guy knows what's up! ^^

Haha, I'm definitely not the best builder out there, so maybe this is more about me not being able to adapt and innovate with new pieces. 😅

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! There's a huge back catalogue of stuff there, if you're looking for more. 😊

Hey, thanks for checking out the video Cheesey! Didn't expect to see you here. 😊 I know a fellow LEGO parts nerd when I see one, haha. I too was blown away at how widespread this part adoption was in as little as a year!

Thank you! I try to tie all my scripts back into the large tapestry of LEGO's history, if I can! 😊

​@@RRSlugger I appreciate these retrospectives! Your chill vibes also really helps making them a pleasant experience. btw, forgot to answer the question at the end XD: My least liked lego piece is more so an entire category...WINDSHIELDS. There are sooooo many different windshield models(many of them printed). They come from cars/ships so their range of use narrows down to making other cars/ships, and I don't really do many of those. In the end, I just end up with a massive tray of loose windshields that have no use for the MOCs I make.

It took me two decades to finally understand why I stopped liking Lego as much in 2002, but I think I can now put my finger on it! 😅

Haha, I am blown away by how many people want me to talk about those two pieces! It feels like every 3 or 4 comments mentions them - I guess I'll be making another video sometime, haha. 😅

Totally! I'm glad this video could help put words to those feelings!

That is fascinating! I *love* inverted slope pieces, so I definitely should look into that! 😮

@@RRSlugger however I need to correct myself a bit: They already appear in 1976, but for 77 it's (according to bricklink) over 30 sets (which is probably close to "all" back then…). 218 is still second in quantity for the red 2x2 inverted, closely behind the VW T1.

Yup, this is about where I'm also standing on the subject. I enjoy angular-shaped designs like Slugger which is why I'm attracted to older themes too, but I grew up with Lego during the latter half of the 2000s up to 2015, where Lego had found much better use and moderation of these pieces. Simply, I can't imagine a theme like Aqua Raiders, Atlantis, or Space Police III *looking right* without their more tasteful and intentional usage of curved or sloped pieces. And I'd argue they're just as easy to MOC for as most other themes! Yeah, it's annoying when something is being over-used in places it shouldn't be, but that shouldn't be the fault of the piece itself, right? Also yeah, I can't fathom what the problem might be with the levers and small turntable plate. Even if the argument is "they are two pieces that can only be attached to each other," I don't see the issue when that's literally the only way one *could* design pieces in the same size and functionality? Let alone the fact they always come pre-assembled together anyways. If pieces like these + the steering wheel were something totally extraneous I might see the complaint, but they're so basic and extremely utilitarian that I feel their functions outweigh "uh but how can I take the piece apart and use them individually?" At the end of the day Modern Lego's spamming of micro-details & several extraneous+unnecessary colors (arguably making sets LEAGUES harder to rebuild into something else) and their focus on "Mature display pieces" (garbage for insecure normies to clutter their shelves with) is what Lego's *truly* plagued with today.

No need to apologize for the long comment - it was worth the read! You're probably right about set designers being excited to use these pieces - I can only imagine how it must have felt to introduce curves to LEGO in such a big way! I appreciate your criticisms of my arguments here, but really the 42% adoption rate *within a single year* is the main takeaway. Sure, a turbine is always going to be a turbine or a giant 8x16 tile is going to go on top of something, but were either of those parts included in 42% of the retail System sets the year they were introduced? *That* is why I consider it a plague; the limitations of the part itself PLUS the staggering adoption rate. One without the other isn't nearly as significant. 😊

Hahaha, guess I'll have to talk about them sometime!

I never realized it back then and only recently really understood what it was about LEGO from this era that irked me so much. I still had plenty of sets from 2002 - 2005 when I was younger, but there was always something intangible about the build quality of "plagued" sets that I could never put my finger on.

Thank you! I always start my editing process by synching up the entire script to the appropriate music tracks. I feel like some folks treat music as wallpaper, something that’s there but you don’t really notice it, but if you spend extra time and care during this phase of editing I find you can really improve the pacing and flow of the video. 😊

@@RRSlugger What you're doing here is really quietly amazing, the slow realization that I am watching something arranged so well is an uncanny sensation.

I'd have thought it woul be the other way round in that the Lego designers were excited to make use of a new sort of piece and took a few years of refinement to really get to grips with it.

Hello from Canada! I was actually in Berlin about a decade ago and loved it! ❤️️ Honestly, I definitely should have at least mentioned LEGO Star Wars here because it certainly had a huge influence on the creation of these pieces. 👍

Thank you! Indeed, it comes from a place of passion! ❤️️

Thank you! I'm super proud of this one. 😊

Thank you very much! 😊

Thank you! And thanks for checking out the channel! 😊

Thank you! I try to do my homework before writing a video like this, but even I make mistakes. 😊

Thank you Steve! ❤️

same

Perfect timing!! Welcome to the channel! ❤️️

The Maniac 4 Bricks Manifesto! 😄

@@RRSlugger that's the alternate title for my book Bizarre LEGO

It's on my list! Maybe this summer!

You very well could be right - perhaps this was a necessary evil to secure LEGO's longevity. Unfortunately, I think the sets of 2002 bore the full brunt of it... 😟 And I'm in full agreement with the over-tiling going on as well. Sometimes it can be nice, but when you have a Speed Champion set with some 200+ pieces and only a dozen or so exposed studs in the end, it starts to drift from the LEGO aesthetic I find appealing.

Thank you! Edutainment! 😄

Hahaha, *most* of my videos have a bit more of a positive tone... these last couple have been more negative though, I will admit. 😅

10k, sick :)

Indeed! I have similar feelings about a lot of Lego-adjacent themes, like Fabuland or Znap.

I personally thing it was a solid theme that had way too many problems in itself. Like not using minifigs or using pins instead of basic bricks.

@@Lordodragonss I had some of the pins break on me "Testing" like in the commercial and had to put in technic pins as a repair

Thank you so much! ❤️ I am fortunate enough to not have to rely on RU-vid as a source of income; I appreciate the offer, but I’d like you to keep your money. You can just support the channel by watching it at your leisure (and please use Adblock so you’re not getting pesky ads!). 😊 It sounds cliche to say “I’m not doing this for the money”, but I don’t know what else to say, haha. 😅

@R.R. Slugger Wow! I don't know what to say... that is amazing🤩 Thank you again my friend! Keep up your amazing work😉 God bless you!

And the round part can be used as tiny legs in smaller spaceships. It blew my mind when I used it that way

@@Lordodragonss how?

@@Superabound2 Just use these weird round plates as landing pegs for your aircraft

You don’t need my permission to enjoy these pieces in Lego! I’m thrilled they bring you so many fond memories. 😊 We are probably just looking for different things from this toy, that’s all. ❤️