What happend with plants?

[dJOLe_sk8]

I remember how I used to enjoy the classic castle landscapes in catalogs of the late 80's and early 90's... It was full of plants which gave it a relly awsome look... tree pines (popular christmas trees,large and small), green plant leaves,not even to mention the big cypress tree...

I can't be tired of these... I mean:
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1986/medium/21/
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1989/medium/19/
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1991/medium/5/?id=66
...just a few examples,but as you know,there was a bunch of them

So:

Dear LEGO,

When was the last time you gave us a single plant in castle set?
I think I haven't saw it since the DMs (I'm not counting those jungle bushes/cactusses)...
Add a few tree pines even to a Morcian castle and it would give it a much better look...

So why you stopped to produced it?

Greetings from Serbia

[Remyth]

I remember how I used to enjoy the classic castle landscapes in catalogs of the late 80's and early 90's... It was full of plants which gave it a relly awsome look... tree pines (popular christmas trees,large and small), green plant leaves,not even to mention the big cypress tree...

I can't be tired of these... I mean:
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1986/medium/21/
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1989/medium/19/
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1991/medium/5/?id=66
...just a few examples,but as you know,there was a bunch of them

So:

Dear LEGO,

When was the last time you gave us a single plant in castle set?
I think I haven't saw it since the DMs (I'm not counting those jungle bushes/cactusses)...
Add a few tree pines even to a Morcian castle and it would give it a much better look...

So why you stopped to produced it?

Greetings from Serbia

EXACTLY! I competely agree. I have often wondered this very thing. I pretty sure that the last set to have plants were the Legends(they have flowers.)

[architect]

I also think that plants really help castle sets. The last sets to have one piece molded trees is the 6081 King's Mountain Fortress. It had the small pine tree and also a larger tree with a palm trunk. That is a tree I have always liked. Brick built trees were used in Dragon Masters and Dark Forest. KK2 did have a sapling built out of a whip in Border Ambush http://www.classic-castle.com/sets/archives/8778.html The rear of Citadel of Orlan also had a folliage climbing wall. That wall works well but looks too much like technic and not enough like castle.

Ben

[Traveler]

I just noticed the complete lack of vegetation in newer castle sets the other day, when I read Fry_slayer's comic poking fun at KK2 for having no longbows. I started to realize how many things are missing from KK2 sets, not the least of which is common sense...

[Athos]

I can't be tired of these... I mean:
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1986/medium/21/
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1989/medium/19/
http://www.peeron.com/catalogs/1991/medium/5/?id=66
...just a few examples,but as you know,there was a bunch of them

Those were great advertisements. I'd love to have a couple of poster size pictures like that to hang on my wall. I remember as a kind trying as hard as I could to create scenes like that. I think Lego needs to go back to that and the kids will follow.

Plants definately add to the castle... or any other set for that matter. Though I personally don't need any more trees, I have a lot and you can buy them separately from S@H or PaB.

Steve

[TheOrk]

I just noticed the complete lack of vegetation in newer castle sets the other day, when I read Fry_slayer's comic poking fun at KK2 for having no longbows. I started to realize how many things are missing from KK2 sets, not the least of which is common sense...

True, but the line seems to be improving.

Maybe we'll see some plants next year. I don't care which kind, I like the premolded ones in large numbers, otherwise they just look odd. If sets don't have a dozen premolded trees then a few brick built trees will look more normal.

Hopefully they reading this.

[ottoatm]

This is a really good point... especially for the brick-built, not technic vegetation... For example, even though I usually don't like palms for Castle, I have to admit that the King's Mountain Fortress looks a lot better with one.

Trees and plants make a castle set look like it "belongs" in a world - LEGO should throw in a few - figs don't need to be able to climb them or use them for anything. One of the great things about foliage is that just by being there, it "works".

[TheOrk]

One of the great things about foliage is that just by being there, it "works".

Well the plants in real life don't exactly walk around and interact with building designs, but they still work too.

Does anyone know why they were cut out in the first place?

[kelderic]

Does anyone know why they were cut out in the first place?

Probably to save money. The less molds Lego has to use in any given line, the less it costs them for that line.

Kelderic

[TheOrk]

Does anyone know why they were cut out in the first place?

Probably to save money. The less molds Lego has to use in any given line, the less it costs them for that line.

The less it costs them for that line, the less it costs us as well.

[kelderic]

Exactly; it makes perfect sense. Except, the Lego sets aren't getting lower in price, so Lego must be making a nice profit there.

Kelderic

[ottoatm]

Well the plants in real life don't exactly walk around and interact with building designs, but they still work too.

Heh heh...that's true... I guess my point was that LEGO doesn't need to make the vines on the side of a tower (or citadel) be some sort of Bioncle green structure for the plants to be useful... a simple bit of leaves and vines down the side of the tower would have looked much nicer... as would a nice 'lil pine tree.

I agree that it was probally a cost-cutting measure... plus, I guess younger kids probally don't care about a tree next to their castle too much anyway.

[rogue27]

The blacksmith's shop from 2002? had two forestmen foliage pieces on it's walls to look like some kind of ivy or other vegetation. It was a nice touch.

Likewise for the flowers included with Guarded Inn. Little details like this really add a lot to a set.

Recent castle sets have looked rather plain, clunky, and full of holes compared to stuff like this. Of course, I'm one of those fools hopelessly clinging to the old ways...

[TheOrk]

Recent castle sets have looked rather plain, clunky, and full of holes compared to stuff like this. Of course, I'm one of those fools hopelessly clinging to the old ways...

Hopelessly?

I wouldn't go as far as to say that, but we will all probably be old men hopelessly clinging to life by the time that happens.

[Mike Viper]

I agree completely. I've desperately searched for sets to get my foliage pieces up. My best dealer was the Johnney Thunder stuff.

It's really sad now though, how kids are so much more action-oriented, that they loathe paying attention to little details. Lego's realized this. So now they make crappy castles, but put an action storyline behind it, and kids go for it. They dropped multiple factions cause kids are now uncabable of imagination in which armies do what. They can only now handle two factions continuously warring. This may seem all off-topic, but it all leads back to why plants where dropped: pretty plants aren't needed in a war. Sad, really.

So lego, read this please, and give us plants!