Rebelscum LEGO Coverage

[Jeremy]

Hi all,

Hopefully you will have noticed that I am back and LEGO Star Wars is being covered by Rebelscum again. I'm looking for feedback on how - after a +7 year hiatus - we are doing?

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

 

[mec]

I wasnt part of the lego forum 7 years ago, only figures, busts, and everything else.

Can you rephrase the question?

 

[INDY]

I was surprised to see coverage. I really haven't seen anything on the front page about Lego ever. It's nice to have.

 

[The_Chosen_1]

I was surprised to see coverage. I really haven't seen anything on the front page about Lego ever. It's nice to have.

For the longest time, Rebelscum didn't cover Lego on the grounds that they "didn't care about the Star Wars collector" or something like that. Which, in my opinion, was complete rubbish. Lego was and is a major part of Star Wars collecting (even moreso in recent years), so it's great to see coverage again!

 

[PizzatheHut]

I vaguely remember that Dan Curto was irritated by something that LEGO supposedly said or did (perhaps what was mentioned above), so Curto laid the smack down and banned LEGO news. I'm glad to see news back on the main page.

 

[INDY]

Seeing that, if you read through the LEGO forum they would see a lot of people that got fed up and pissed off with how Hasbro has been running things the last few years jumped ship and went to lego, it would be kind of stupid to cut out any portion of your audience. I'm Lego since '12 and never looked back or bought anything from Hasbro since.

 

[Dr_Jedi]

Yeah, I've been around long enough to remember those days that any mention of Lego was practically forbidden. At one point I think I'd heard that Lego wouldn't cough up free sets to admin for review, and that was the source of the negativity towards Lego...but I think that was a rumor at best. I think any Lego attention is good, and I would argue that TLG has shown they listen (at times) to what fans want.

 

[commanderjoe276]

I've been a Lego fan since 2008, and I would definitely say that we have beenin a rough patch in the past year or two (in SW anyway). I'm a huge fan of the PT so please be aware of that. 2008-2011 were my favorite years by far because they had pretty much a perfect balance between CW/PT/OT sets, and the prices were WAY MORE FAIR. I feel like Lego is rehashing too much nowadays and is marking prices way up as well. For example, I remember the 2011-2012 Tie Fighter was $50 and the new one is $70 (for pretty much the same model). Also, I don't like how Lego is making so many new, obscure parts. The sets are nice and all but they seem to me that they are less "Legoey" if that makes sense (example:spring loaded missiles). Minifigures are also losing the Lego feel, with action figure level detailing. That's not a bad thing in any way but I just fear that Lego will lose its feel. On a different note, I really appreciate and respect Lego for not exiling the PT like most companies are (even if the sets are few and far between).

So overall I would say that Lego is not in its finest hour currently, but that doesn't mean much because it's still awesome. It just isn't as awesome as the good ole days in my opinion.

 

[Jeremy]

Just to clear a few comments up - the disagreement had nothing to do with Dan Curto; I ran the LEGO Star Wars coverage from top to bottom and he had no involvement in it, apart from covering LEGO at Toy Fair New York. The decision not to cover any LEGO Star Wars news was made solely by Philip Wise who is and always has been the top dog at Rebelscum. The details of the disagreement with LEGO have been lost to the annals of time, but I can remember that it was a hard decision for him to make. I believe (and don't quote me) that part of the frustration was that LEGO was continually focusing its attention on 8 to 11 year old boys, and had paid no thought for the adult collector. (This is true of LEGO for all lines - the only time the 35 to 40 year old men count is when they are the father of a 8 to 11 year old boy. I'm almost in that category now; my son fits in the focus age group but his daddy is just outside the band I mentioned ) Since the main part of Rebelscums readership was the adult Star Wars collector it was felt that our site was being marginalised. Eventually LEGO did see that the adult collector was worth flirting with, because they started attending Comic-Con and improved the UCS line.

Secondly we have never received free toys for review - all the LEGO Star Wars collectibles that have been photographed have been paid for in full.

On a personal note I started with LEGO Star Wars in '99, and until 2006 it remained a fringe section of my Star Wars collection because I was concentrating on 3-3/4" toys. When I decided to stop buying vintage action figures in 2003 and then modern action figures in 2006 it meant that I could focus on LEGO Star Wars - and I'm glad I did!

I'm pretty pleased to be back at Rebelscum and get to cover LEGO Star Wars again. I'm staggered that there is still so much news to report - while I haven't been actively involved, I have kept an eye on the community and with FBTB.net practically rolling down the shutters on LEGO Star Wars reporting I had figured that there wasn't anything going on. For sure I was wrong because I've had 50% of the Rebelscum.com front page since I resumed coverage about 6 weeks ago.

 

[ukepicker]

Glad to have the LEGO coverage back on Rebelscum!
LEGO is one of the more consistent companies to deliver great items in regards to Star Wars. Their popularity only seems to be growing each year, and with the plethora of new movies coming out, you couldnt have come back at a better time!

 

[Jeremy]

Glad to have the LEGO coverage back on Rebelscum!

Why, thanks!

 

[GNT]

Good to hear it's all back on track. LEGO is the best item on the market, heaps of play value and so much fun. Way better then Hasbro.

 

[solid_strider]

It's nice to see LEGO coverage on the front page! I agree that the old disclaimer about TLG disregarding SW collectors being a bit odd. Like GNT says above, the product TLG puts out is so much better than Hasbro's. I think I've only bought a dozen, if that, Hasbro figs over the last two years.

 

[Jeremy]

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. What you might have noted is that we haven't had any official press releases from LEGO posted - this is the core of the issue we had over half a decade ago - so I guess what I'm asking is: is the coverage enough for you, do you want more or do you have other sources for LEGO Star Wars set news?

 

[Fate]

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. What you might have noted is that we haven't had any official press releases from LEGO posted - this is the core of the issue we had over half a decade ago - so I guess what I'm asking is: is the coverage enough for you, do you want more or do you have other sources for LEGO Star Wars set news?

I think it's adequate. I also get my Lego news from Brickset.

 

[Killerbee]

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. What you might have noted is that we haven't had any official press releases from LEGO posted - this is the core of the issue we had over half a decade ago - so I guess what I'm asking is: is the coverage enough for you, do you want more or do you have other sources for LEGO Star Wars set news?

I may be out of the norm, but my bookmark for rebelscum is the Lego forum, and from there I may navigate to other forums..

If I go to the front page, it's deliberate (usually to get to photos)
So, I wouldn't normally notice Lego news on rebelscum (if it's not posted in here)

 

[Dr_Jedi]

TLG is so secretive, I don't think I ever rely on their official press releases for my information on Lego items - Star Wars or otherwise. When their official info comes out, such as the designer videos with the various large/exclusive/UCS sets, I see it as just a nice bonus. But none of this inhibits my enjoyment of their product. I think that, on some level, I actually enjoy all the speculation and rumors about what's coming out down the road. In January of 2015, someone came up with some information that essentially laid out all the exclusive releases for the 2015 calendar year, and while the info was very exciting at the time, I found that it really took away from my excitement for Lego for the rest of the year as the eventual set reveals would repeatedly confirm what was on the list from January. For me, no matter how much Lego Star Wars news starts to filter through Rebelscum, I'm always going to supplement it with info from these other sites (in order of my personal preference):

www.thebrickfan.com
www.toysnbricks.com
www.fbtb.net
www.brickpicker.com
www.brickfanatics.co.uk
www.eurobricks.com

 

[ISDAvenger]

Didn't know you left lol/jk. This is one of my favorite Lego Star Wars sites. I have met a few cool people from here, in person, at SW Celebrations. Look forward to the exciting future with new upcoming films and sets.

 

[QWONOS]

It's great seeing Lego coverage on here. I was wondering about what's going on with the First Order General polybag and saw the news on here first.

 

[Jeremy]

Didn't know you left lol/jk.

But did you now I was here in the first place?

It's great seeing Lego coverage on here. I was wondering about what's going on with the First Order General polybag and saw the news on here first.

I'm glad to hear we've started covering LEGO SW news that is original and informative. I'm looking forward to keeping the pace up.

 

[Krayt]

Hey Jeremy
First off let me say that I was a Hasbro collector until a few years (pick of the odd piece here and there still) but have switched my focus to Lego. While I don't buy everything they put out, I grab a lot of what is offered in a year now.

As for what I would like to see on here.
These days my attention is divided by a variety of things. Most days when I come here now I don't even take the time to actually sign in. So for me, I would love to hear any breaking news of what is coming down the pipe from Lego. Then possibly reactions once the sets are out. If they re release or make a new version of an older item (ie the Falcon) how does it compare to the older versions of that item.

thanks, looking forward to seeing more news about Lego.

 

[Jeremy]

Thanks mate. I hope you are checking out the main site (www.rebelscum.com) because that's where I post the news first.

In fact there is a new May The Fourth exclusive story up there now.

 

[INDY]

I LOVE all the Lego coverage, but I can see he hasbro boys complaining that we took over their site. Not that I would mind another great Lego site...hint hint

 

[Jeremy]

LOL - 3 days of LEGO Star Wars coverage! It's unprecendented I don't think that I ever came close to it back it the ROTS days either. And at the risk of sounding catty FBTB hasn't managed it in years

I don't think we need another LSW site. I'll just get Rebelscum renamed to LEGOscum.

 

[Jeremy]

So it's been six months of LEGO Star Wars coverage now - are we covering what you want? Any thought on where we can improve our news or revitalise the forums?

 

[Hutt]

So it's been six months of LEGO Star Wars coverage now - are we covering what you want? Any thought on where we can improve our news or revitalise the forums?

Keep up the good work man. There has been a lot more Lego on the front page recently than in the past.

I know it can be difficult to post new info unless you have some sort of insider information. In most cases things get leaked prior to the official unveiling so by the time there is actual info to report it has already been discussed here or elsewhere. I enjoy coverage of "first images" of sets etc...like sets that are shown at NYTF or SDCC for the first time that haven't already had images leaked.

Another idea: there are a couple people that I plan on meeting up with for dinner or drinks at the next Celebration. One person in particular I met through the Lego forum here and I'm looking forward to talking Lego with him again.

If there was a more official RS Lego gathering...or heck even a general RS gathering that might be a good way to bring some attention to the RS Lego forum. Because, lets face it, that is the largest event where the most forum members will be in attendance and people tend to form better relationships in person than they do through a forum. That might make for a stronger community base to grow upon.
I know the Rebel Force Radio party at celebration seems to be a great way for that community to come together and bond and grow...though I'm not suggesting anything that large or elaborate.

 

[The_Chosen_1]

I'd be up for a "Lego 'Scum" meeting at Celebration. B)

I'd echo much of what Hutt said, Jeremy. While Rebelscum isn't my go-to for Lego news (I primarily rely on Brickset, Eurobricks and FBTB), the coverage recently has been great. Perhaps in the future we could consider a MOC contest of some kind? Something just for fun, to get forum members involved and sharing their builds.

 

[Hutt]

Another idea...that is done on fbtb, that encourages interaction among forum members, is a secret santa type of gift exchange.

Anything that increases forum member interaction on a more personal level than just typing forum posts is a positive in my eyes.

I would encourage anything unique that grows the community.

As a well informed Lego enthusiast that frequents multiple Lego sites a day, reporting the same info that has been reported on other sites doesn't do much for me (though it is nice to see more Lego on the front page than in the past). It is the extra, unique, creative things that can be done to brig the community closer together that I would appreciate the most.

 

[Jeremy]

Thanks for all your comments. I have plucked a few comments out of the couple of posts above that appeared after I solicited for feedback. If you sense frustration it's largely due to the struggle I've had with the Australian census website crashing on census night. There's only 22 million people in this nation and they can't even maintain a stable platform for one night! C'mon!!

As a well informed Lego enthusiast that frequents multiple Lego sites a day, reporting the same info that has been reported on other sites doesn't do much for me

It's kind of what I'm going for and where Rebelscum is at. Back in the day (2002 to 2005) Rebelscum was on the press list and we got news ahead of schedule. That, for reasons I have honestly forgot, changed and we don't get that access anymore. So we are at the place where we are reporting on reported news. But to say we only report the same info that others get is untrue - I've posted stacks of news from the wider LEGO Star Wars brand that no-one else has covered, and occasionally got wind of something new (a couple of polybag minifigs and LEGOLAND SW Day events) and got it up before any of the other sites. If we started getting link backs I reckon LEGO fans would start to remember than for 4 or 5 years we delivered top flight coverage of the LSW theme.

While Rebelscum isn't my go-to for Lego news

Can I ask why not? We are covering all the news that the other sites have, plus a lot more. If we are anything it's at least a one-stop-shop for LSW news. Nothing has slipped through my fingers, and our coverage by post count, is a lot greater than most. Plus if you read out LEGO SW channel (www.rebelscum.com/c-legonews.asp) you'll see it's only got LSW news in it and isn't cluttered with non-LSW news like the two primary LSW news sites out there. Do we need a separate identity for our LSW news then? Is the coverage you want being crowded out by Hasbro, Hot Toys, etc? I know that the Hasbro boys think that LSW is pushing their content off the page too frequently o-o

I would encourage anything unique that grows the community.

I'd like to do some more community engagement - we've already done three give aways (LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game, the Prima Games strategy guide and tickets to see the LEGO Imagine Nation tour) in the last month and a half. These are from LEGO sublicensees but sadly LEGO won't entertain us with any support of their own. I'm looking into my own collection for prizes - any one need an original 7119 Twin-Pod Cloud Car? I'm happy to run the comp but judging from past experience with entry numbers we'll get three or four people at most. I'd prefer to see our numbers go up before I denude my own collection.

It's quite disheartening to come into these forums and read people's comments saying they've seen X news on Y site - it's never X news on Rebelscum.com. I really want to change that! I'm happy to keep plodding on with this, but I honestly could do with some help. Got any news? Send it to me - I'm still contactable at jeremy@rebelscum.com. You can share some of our news from the main site or our Facebook page to other news/social media sites too. I spend a fair amount of time doing this but I can't cover all the bases. I'm not working at the moment so I have the time but who knows, one day I might get a job and have to do something real with my life!

 

[Hutt]

Jeremy, thanks for the reply. I can't help but think you seemed to focus on more of the negative comments in your response.

There were many positive parts of the replies you received. Personally, I thank you for updating the front page with Lego news so much lately. I think we have all noticed the extra coverage.

So, Thank you. It is appreciated...even if you don't hear it enough.

There are two things I'd like to point out:

No one is asking you to donate prizes from your personal collection (though that is nice of you to offer). I hope you didn't feel like that is what was being asked of you?
It is possible to do little community growing activities that don't require prizes for the winner.

Also, it is ok that RS isn't peoples "go to" for Lego news.

Heck, I couldn't tell you what my "go to" site is. I check a lot of different Lego sites every day...more than once (when I have my morning coffee, again when I'm relaxing after work, and often a third time before I go to bed).

I'm checking a dozen or so Lego site bookmarks each day and they all add something different. Every site adds a little piece to the whole Lego information pie.

I don't see it ever being possible that I have 1 "go to" site for Lego...or even just LSW, and that is ok. Though I do have my favorites...and RS is actually on top of that list now that I think about it. The maturity level on some of the other Lego sites is, ...well, the maturity level you would expect from a site that covers children's toys. I appreciate that RS seems to be generally an older community.

Anyway, thanks again. I hope you didn't think the replies you got were overly negative. Please don't let yourself get "dishearten"...ed.

 

[The_Chosen_1]

Yeah, I'll definitely echo Hutt's response. My mentioning that Rebelscum isn't my go-to for Lego news wasn't meant as a snub; it's become one of several sites that I check regularly. That in itself is saying something, because my involvement with the Rebelscum main site has lessened significantly in recent years.

Speaking for myself, the main reason I rely on other Lego sites is my interest in the Lego hobby overall. I don't solely collect Lego Star Wars sets.

 

[HJR]

Rather curious to see that FBTB is referred to as a benchmark for a Star Wars LEGO we site. For me it has already lost its position as 'LEGO Star Wars news supplier' eons ago, and especially the last few years my nr.1 source is hothbricks.com

I like the LEGO coverage at rebelscum, but from time to time it's a wee bit much. And that's from a 100% LEGO collector / MOC builder

 

[ISDAvenger]

Ditto on Hutt's response. You have definitely upped your game on the LSW news and we all appreciate your efforts. I bounce from this page, to Eurobricks, and Brickset. FBTB not so much anymore, since there is not that much activity on their page anymore. Eurobricks members can get kind of bonkers at time. I really like this page as all the members seem laid back...at least on this particular topic anyway.

Hutt, not sure if you were alluding to me or not, but if given the chance I would like to hang out and chat at CVIII. The DS progress has been slow and the Emperor would be most displeased. In the words of Moff Jerjerrod, "We shall double our efforts." I am almost halfway done, with the 5th level almost complete.

 

[Hutt]

Hutt, not sure if you were alluding to me or not, but if given the chance I would like to hang out and chat at CVIII. The DS progress has been slow and the Emperor would be most displeased. In the words of Moff Jerjerrod, "We shall double our efforts." I am almost halfway done, with the 5th level almost complete.

I think you know I am excited to see the completed DS! I'm looking forward to it. We will definitely have to plan a lunch or dinner when we can meetup.

 

[xwingpilotuk]

I like Rebelscum's Star Wars LEGO focus, both in terms of news and forums.

The statement on the LEGO photo archive page seems a bit out of place now though given that the site does post LEGO news and have an active LEGO forum...

 

[Jeremy]

I like Rebelscum's Star Wars LEGO focus, both in terms of news and forums.

The statement on the LEGO photo archive page seems a bit out of place now though given that the site does post LEGO news and have an active LEGO forum...

Thanks very much

Rebelscum's position on the photo archives is something that I'm working forward to changing. However given the amount of time that has passed since we had a photo archive and that Brickset and others have done a brilliant job in providing a database I wonder if that ship has sailed?

Is there need for a LSW photo archive on Rebelscum? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

[xwingpilotuk]

Thanks very much

Rebelscum's position on the photo archives is something that I'm working forward to changing. However given the amount of time that has passed since we had a photo archive and that Brickset and others have done a brilliant job in providing a database I wonder if that ship has sailed?

Is there need for a LSW photo archive on Rebelscum? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

I don't think there's a need to have a LSW photo archive - as you say, Brickset already has that covered (and on a scale that would be very difficult to replicate).

I'd suggest just removing the page altogether because the current statement on it isn't exactly a positive one...

 

[The_Chosen_1]

The messaging is indeed pretty negative on that page. If we're looking for new Lego enthusiasts to join the Rebelscum community, it's enough to turn them away.

 

[MARK2D2]

I am excited to see Lego coverage returning. I came into the Lego game rather late... I was SO frustrated with the Hasbro line that I gave Lego a whirl for THE FORCE AWAKEN and it's been fun. BUT EXPENSIVE... I also went hog wild with ROGUE ONE. Now, suddenly, I am more enthused by Hasbro's Return of the Vintage line news and scored all the Walmart Black 3 3/4 figs at just under $6 so I am firing on all cylinders as we go forward.
.
Very intrigued to see what Lego has for BLACK FRIDAY!!

 

[Jeremy]

LEGO Forum Curation

I'm going to be doing some Spring cleaning (it's Spring here in Oz so I can say that) and putting a huge amount of work into amalgamating threads to capture some of the older conversations and discussions.

I've started collating already and have notes on LEGO Star Wars 2001, 2002 and 2003 News and Discussion(s), as well as a number of conversations about sets from 2000 to 2003. Sadly the forums didn't exist in 1999 to my knowledge so there aren't any of the original sets, unless there was a later pick-up thread.

Additionally I will combine the checklist and thread index so that the former will be a living document which link to discussions about each set. With luck we will have separate threads >75% for all the sets. I'm also going to unsticky the LEGO Frequently Asked Questions and re-purpose it as Rebelscum's new position as a Recognised LEGO Fan Media outlet becomes more clear.

I'm hoping to have all this done by March of next year to mark the anniversary, and so that Rebelscum's LEGO forums will an almost complete archive which will rival the vintage Kenner forums.

What impact will this have on you? I have a feeling that the old threads that I merge might jump to the start of the forums, and current threads may get pushed down the page. I intend to do this in batches so that the most recent topics don't get forced out of sight, and allow comments to get posted so that they'll jump back to the top.

If anyone wants to help or has any suggestions please post in this thread - I'll be checking it when I share progress reports.