A Disastrous Toy Almost Killed Lego [video]
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In my mind it was simple why I stopped asking my parents for it and stopped buying it myself. There was way too many highly specialized pieces in the sets. It really limited what could be built with them. It stopped allowing creativity. I would see the boxes and be like I don't want that because I can only make a couple of things.
That period kept me away from Lego for a long time, even after they corrected. Now I love some of the creator sets... But I still find their space Lego lacking, and many of their city sets are lacking too.
Just compare the old or new galaxy explorer set to modern space sets. It's obvious how they've let us down in the space Lego area. I wish they would redesign and release many of the old space Lego.
Lego is very much back today and hotter than ever, especially with pricey sets for grownups.