LEGO Ideas – Red Dwarf Lego

[Dave]

Apologies if this was mentioned and I missed it, but I just saw that this LEGO Ideas Red Dwarf set got rejected last month:

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/476ec4f8-d2a4-44d2-b70c-e67a2256d20d/official_comments

Our team has thoroughly considered the possibility of releasing this project as a LEGO set according to the criteria of the LEGO Review. Unfortunately the LEGO Review Board has decided that we will not produce this project as a set.

Thank you to Legobob32 for the passion and creativity that went into this project, and to all of you who voted so that we would have the opportunity to consider this as a potential LEGO set. We’re sorry to deliver this disappointing news.

A shame, as it was one of the better RD Lego sets I’ve seen. I liked the combination of different eras of the show.

Topic

[Seb Patrick]

I suspect it was always likely to be a long shot, even with the support it got – I don’t think I’ve seen a set based on a not-all-ages property get through the final stage before?

[(deleted)]

They said that about Doctor Who a few years ago, then changed their tune when they saw there was money in it.

Still shitty though, I was looking forward to that.

[Jo]

Doctor Who is a show for all ages though…

[bloodteller]

>Doctor Who is a show for all ages though…

is it? i honestly thought it was a bit more adult-orientated, but then again i don’t watch much Doctor Who cus i don’t like it very much

i do quite like that movie they did, though. the one set in San Fransisco, with Eric Roberts as the villain. that was a good film, but that aside i could never really get into the show

[Dave]

Doctor Who is definitely an all-ages show.

I got the impression Darrell was just saying that people said a Doctor Who set was unlikely and then it happened, so there was always a bit of hope that the Red Dwarf set might have a similar shot at succeeding.

(I was especially hopeful after that Dwarf-related content showed up in Lego Dimensions, suggesting they’d got the licence and might do more with it.)

[Ben Saunders]

Doctor Who is a family show. It started off as an out-and-out kid’s show, but that didn’t last very long. It has dealt with some very adult themes such as suicide and cremation, and gotten quite dark, but it does so without foul language and in a household environment. There’s nothing in it I wouldn’t expose my kids to, but Moffat’s two Cyberman finales have featured some pretty grim stuff that honestly surprised me in how far it went.

[International Debris]

There was, until recently, a children-oriented magazine (Doctor Who Adventures), plus a whole host of books and such.

[(deleted)]

I don’t think Dwarf is any more adult than The Big Bang Theory which they did do a set of. Or Ghostbusters to be honest.

[Lily]

I imagine the most significant point is the marketability. The bottom line is that they want to sell these things. The Red Dwarf fan base is small (in the grand scheme of things) as it is, and then you’re only appealing to the subset of that small group who also want to buy novelty lego sets.

[Ben Saunders]

>I don’t think Dwarf is any more adult than The Big Bang Theory

It is
Red Dwarf is a 12 (up to a 15 at one point) and features quite a lot of (mild) swearing.

I just checked and TBBT is a 12 as well… but why?! I guess there are sex references and people are prudes. Definitely a light 12 vs. RD’s strong 12.

[Jo]

I imagine the most significant point is the marketability. The bottom line is that they want to sell these things. The Red Dwarf fan base is small (in the grand scheme of things) as it is, and then you’re only appealing to the subset of that small group who also want to buy novelty lego sets.

This. As much as *we* all love RD, it’s not anywhere near as popular worldwise as either TBBT or Ghostbusters. I fear that the number of people in the centre in the venn diagram of RD fans and people who buy Lego sets, is probably too low to make it financially viable for Lego.

[(deleted)]

You’re right I think – due to the lack of merchandise for such a long time and the parochial nature of the new merch store, it’s difficult to stress-test the viability of Dwarf stuff on paper as there are no numbers to crunch. My hunch is that it would sell extremely well in the UK, do pretty well in Japan, and not shift anywhere else. There have been region-specific Ideas sets before though. I think they’re being short-sighted and undermining the point of the Ideas range to be honest.

[Dave]

Yeah, I guess it’s a judgement call isn’t it. You can’t blame them if that’s their rationale. If this didn’t get made then I doubt we’ll ever see a Red Dwarf set. A shame as this was a really nice effort.

[International Debris]

Maybe the original creator could put together a guide on how to make it and we could all just buy boxes of blocks and make it ourselves?

[Warbodog]

Red Dwarf is a 12 (up to a 15 at one point) and features quite a lot of (mild) swearing.

I got ID’d when trying to buy the 12-rated VII Xtended video when I was 12. Had to go home to get my birth certificate to “prove” to the apologetic lady that I was allowed to buy it. This never happened for any other video ever. Red Dwarf is dirty.

I was already way too old for Lego by that point.

[Ben Saunders]

You had to get your birth certificate? Hahahahaha.
I once tried to buy Halo Reach in Argos but they denied me, and I had to get my mum to get it for me.

[(deleted)]

I bought The Fast Show Live and The Very Best Of Father Ted (both 15s) on my 13th birthday without being checked. I felt like Carlos the Jackal.

[Dave]

I got into Judge Dredd at the cinema when I was 13.

I’m not sure it was worth it.

[Smeg4Brains]

I’m 28 and I got ID’d for a scratchcard last week.

[Ben Paddon]

I was already way too old for Lego by that point.

Unless you typed 12 when you meant to type 120, this is an outright lie.

[International Debris]

I’m 33 and I still get ID’d for alcohol. I’m not sure whether it’s a compliment (you look young!) or an insult (you look like a teenager).

[si]

I bought a ticket for the very first National Lottery draw in 1994. I was only 15.
Yeah.

[Lily]

At 12, my friends and I all stuffed our bras to get in to see Shirley Valentine, rated 15!

I’ll always remember that one friend added rolled up rubber bands as nipples for added realism.

I don’t remember much of the film to be honest. Considering it was about a middle aged woman, self confidence and sex, most of it went right over our naive little heads.

[Author]

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