Uh, funny LEGO instructions...

[wunztwice]

Hey C-C!

I have been noticeing something funny (at least to me) about the new instructions. From photo reveiws of new sets it seems like an buncha folks are as struck by these as I am .

Well, instead to trying to explain any more, I'll just let you see it, and decide what you think. (check out my notes on the image. They were my honest-to-goodness responces when I first saw it.)

Link-tacious!

There are some other funny images in the newer instructions, but I don't have the pics.

[Lamanda2]

..Hmmm, so we are supposed to stack the bricks? Interesting.. I'm glad they provided that information!

~Amanda

[Brickzone]

Hmmm... quite mind-boggling.

I was amazed to see "amendment" slips replacing two of the pages in one of the Viking instruction manuals. Seems amazing for TLC to make a mistake in such a thing.

I agree too with the comment on the linked Flickr page concerning distinguishing the colours. I would say even before the advent of bley, the instructions can be funny about grey vs. dark grey and dark grey vs. black. I think some of them have further confused it by having the bricks added in a given instruction step in a slightly lighter tone; and also of course black is printed lighter in the instructions.

Older instructions aren't perfect though - I would say some pages in the instructions for 6055 Prisoner Convoy (Lion Knights prison wagon with all the horses) are awkwardly laid out with the use of substeps.

I think having the part inventory on new instructions is a huge step forward! Thumbs up to that!

[Emp.Justinian]

Part inventory=good
the other things seem... unnecesisary. I have never heard of anyone sorting the bricks before building the steps. This looks like it would take twice as long. I don't think I need intructions one how to build with instructions.

God's speed

Emp.Justinian

[Recluce]

Remember that these are kids' toys....

When I was a kid I never separated my lego pieces when building a set. I dumped out all the bags into a big pile and just hunted for the pieces I needed. Sorting beforehand sure would have helped.... I am glad they are including this little helper for kids.

Believe it or not, 8 year olds aren't rocket scientists and it MAY NOT occur to them to sort the pieces.

[Emp.Justinian]

Actualy I meant that, at least with the smaller sets sorting the pieces isn't neccesary. I never did, and it was kind of fun to hunt through the pile of pieces looking for the right one.

God's speed

Emp.Justinian

[ZIGGY!]

Tis' the dumbing of America. I noticed it recently when a Barnes and Nobles dissapeared and then the bookstore from the mall. The dumbing indeed.

~Ziggy

[Spongey]

Well, I'm crestfallen, because I've just found out that you're not supposed to haphazardly throw the bricks on each other to build something. Seriously, though, this is unnecessary. I was building with LEGO since age four, and I had already at that point figured out how to stack bricks.

[Emp.Justinian]

Gosh I would have thought anyone could stack bricks, I did it with my first set when I was three or four, gosh that is sad that TLG doesn't think kids can di it on their own, and even sadder if theyrealy cannot.

At first I didn't understand what those bricks were supposed to mean. i thought that it had to do with sorting the bricks or putting the extras together so they wouldn't get lost. Sad Sad Sad that lego needs to do this.

God's speed

Emp.Justinian

[leaf_of_lire]

Hmmm... Although when I work with my brother (building a set) he always has me sort the pieces... but I have never seen anything like this before. Maybe there is a strange amount of very young kids getting System, so therefore they need to be specific. It is very strange though ...

[Shurtugal]

I think the pieces are sorted sufficiently already, in all the little bags. I've never actually sorted each type of piece out, maybe they should just note not to mix up different pieces from different bags...

[HeartOfDarkness]

Since these have only just started to appear, perhaps Lego recieved a complaint about 'unnessecary time wasted hunting for the correct bricks' or 'confusion over methods of attachment'. In the age of ludicrous lawsuits, I can almost envision this happening.

[Hob Took]

You are not to build on white grass under a yellow sky. You must build on the edge of a table. Then you make odd shapes on the table. Then you sort the big pile of bricks that are in the center of the table (where did the odd shapes go?) by whatever means you see fit.

Did you guys also notice that the plastic bags in the boxes now have numbers. Well, ones that come in medium-large sets. I recently got some of the new castle stuff, and the prisoner transport thingie had numbered bags. Too bad I didn't see that before I dumped everything out . Still the sets aren't that big. It isn't that hard to figure out that you must open the box, bags, then follow the instructions page by page.