LEGO Masters TV series

[exciter1]

I'll watch it soon, I know my son is interested.  It would be pretty hard to be worse than that putt putt golf show they had on for a short period last year. It was terrible...

[MusiKyle]

The Bearded Builders
It's so wierd watching Boone (from The Bearded Builders) because I'm familiar with him from Beyond The Brick on YouTube and the interview he did with Jang a month or two back.  I'm slowly attempting to building an amusement park right now at home so when the first challenge was a theme park I hoped I would be more inspired than discouraged (given they have way more experience than I do and millions of bricks at their disposal).  I really liked Boone's idea for the coaster lift and I had been considering how I could accomplish something similar.  Does anyone know if he was allowed to use Mindstorms or not?  I recall Boone mentioning the coaster would wait three seconds before the next step, and while timing can be managed with gears and switches, it would seem to be more commonly managed with Mindstorms and some level of programming.  I think The Bearded Builders would have won had they been slower moving their section back to the main group.  It looked like part of an assembly fell off and I wonder if that caused the coaster lift to jam at the end.  They're talented though and will come back stronger.

The Eccentrics
How did this team even get on the show?  From what I read in the interview with them on BrickSet, those two have never built togehter and appeared to have communication problems from the beginning.  Jessica states in the interview she prepared for the show by studying Lego BOOST and technic, yet on the first challenge had next to no idea how to motorize anything, didn't know how to gear down (complains to the effect 'this is spinning too fast'...).  I did laugh quite a bit, however, when she finally got the bumper cars motorized and one flies off.  Safety hazard!!!

The Unicorns
I laughed the hardest when, for a moment, there was a shot of the team of two younger women showing off their display, and the chair swings were spinning insanely fast!  My wife and I bust out laughing imaginging how sick we'd be on that ride!

Father and Son BFFs
Totally surprised when Jamie gives advice on the rollercoaster needing to actually complete the loop and not just fall off the edge, and the son says, nah, we're good.  Disregarding a judge's feedback is not adviseable.

The Newly Weds
From what I understand is Tyler is effectively the Lego fan and Amy just in love with him and will go wherever he does.  He's the technical/design focal of the duo and she's essentially good at sorting, landscapes and making duplicates of things.  I think that will be their weakness as it doesn't seem like she provides much in terms of idea creation and design.  As seen on the show last night, they used a lot of time planning and planning and I think Tyler was the chokepoint as Amy waited to be told what to do.  I think teams that have two people good at designing in different ways, and can communicate properly to create synergy, are what bring home trophies.

Host/Judges
Jamie is a legendary designer.  He did a good job, though his discomfort at the publicity/visibility of being a judge was evident.  I'm glad both judges provided some firm expectations.  Will is an all right host.  The one-liners and looking up at the camera out of the corner of his eye to show his surprise or see if we got the punchline got old pretty fast.  The best thing Will said was to the lady with the huge hair, to the effect, no no the hair is high enough LOL.

Sweepstakes
Don't forget there's a sweepstakes going on.  For every $10 you spend (between 2/1 and 4/30) on Lego sets (from an authorized retailer - resellers explicitly excluded, of course) you upload your receipt and get a chance to win.  There's a weekly prize of $500 of Lego sets (12 chances to win).  On or about 2/17/20, 2/24/20, 3/2/20, 3/9/20, 3/16/20, 3/23/20, 3/30/20, 4/6/20, 4/13/20, 4/20/20, 4/27/20 and 5/11/20, one (1) weekly prize winner shall be randomly selected.  There's also a trip for 4 to Legoland New York Resort, and a grand prize of a year supply of Lego sets ($3,000 value).  Many of us here would argue that is not even close to a year supply.

https://legomasterssweeps.com/default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Overall, we knew the show would be high on drama and backstory.  I too would have appreciated more highlights of building techniques.  I guess perhaps since it's a national audience they have to start slow and engage more people than to get too technical and turn off newbies that decide they can't do it.  I am very curious what this show will do to the Lego market, with people getting inspired and wanting to go out and either start buying Lego or buy more of it.

[exracer327]

Personally I felt the editing needs to be better.  During the reveal at the end there were at least three teams I caught myself thinking, "Hey, I don't recall seeing them during the build / design phase."  It also seemed a little rushed at the end.  Overall I liked it.  I was totally bummed the roller-coaster-tower didn't work.  I'll bet in the future someone will be sweeping LEGO off the floor before they try moving platforms.

On a separate note, I'm surprised they would so prominently display an out-of-production set like the monorail.  That almost seems cruel.  Unless LEGO is considering re-releasing such a set.  One can only hope.

[DadsAFOL]

On a separate note, I'm surprised they would so prominently display an out-of-production set like the monorail.  That almost seems cruel.  Unless LEGO is considering re-releasing such a set.  One can only hope.

Yeah that was a surprise. I can only imagine how many calls LEGO CS is receiving today asking where they can buy monorail!

There was even a commercial break bit with Jamie showing the LDraw render of the monorail train and talking about it. Not sure if that aired in all markets.

[DadsAFOL]

Does anyone know if he was allowed to use Mindstorms or not?

No, only Powered Up. This is mentioned in the latest interview on Brickset, and you can see a couple shots of the contestants using their smartphones.

[gmpirate]

1 hour ago, MusiKyle said:

Sweepstakes
Don't forget there's a sweepstakes going on.  For every $10 you spend (between 2/1 and 4/30) on Lego sets (from an authorized retailer - resellers explicitly excluded, of course) you upload your receipt and get a chance to win.  There's a weekly prize of $500 of Lego sets (12 chances to win).  On or about 2/17/20, 2/24/20, 3/2/20, 3/9/20, 3/16/20, 3/23/20, 3/30/20, 4/6/20, 4/13/20, 4/20/20, 4/27/20 and 5/11/20, one (1) weekly prize winner shall be randomly selected.  There's also a trip for 4 to Legoland New York Resort, and a grand prize of a year supply of Lego sets ($3,000 value).  Many of us here would argue that is not even close to a year supply.

It's a trap!

[BricksBrotha]

1 hour ago, exracer327 said:

On a separate note, I'm surprised they would so prominently display an out-of-production set like the monorail.  That almost seems cruel.  Unless LEGO is considering re-releasing such a set.  One can only hope.

Or, they could be hoping people will hope on over to TLG's newly acquired website where you can buy bricks and pieces along with RETIRED sets. And they would get a fee for every sale.

[Goofball814]

36 minutes ago, BricksBrotha said:

Or, they could be hoping people will hope on over to TLG's newly acquired website where you can buy bricks and pieces along with RETIRED sets. And they would get a fee for every sale.

That would require the general public to know about bricklink.  I'd guess maybe only 10-15% of LEGO users are aware of BL, and maybe 5% actually use it. 

[BricksBrotha]

31 minutes ago, Goofball814 said:

That would require the general public to know about bricklink.  I'd guess maybe only 10-15% of LEGO users are aware of BL, and maybe 5% actually use it. 

exactly, this is perfect exposure to a mass audience. I wouldnt be surprised if an ad or two pop up during the season.

[exracer327]

6 hours ago, BricksBrotha said:

exactly, this is perfect exposure to a mass audience. I wouldnt be surprised if an ad or two pop up during the season.

I almost made that comment in my original post as it makes sense.  Think about it; LEGO buys bricklink and then announces a TV show about LEGO building?  Hmmm....

[keymomachine]

Just watched the first episode with my 3 yo daughter and she just demanded another episode. Had to explain how TV shows actually work... we gotta wait! At least she's excited about next week's space theme.

[Mathew]

I didn’t care for it. They obviously picked contestants that covered demographics rather than building skills. The foofy haired woman just gawked at the camera. These types of shows are so heavily scripted and edited that I wonder how much the contestants are actually contributing to the final models. And yeah I wish I would have held onto my monorail.  

[nolanfan34]

5 hours ago, keymomachine said:

Just watched the first episode with my 3 yo daughter and she just demanded another episode. Had to explain how TV shows actually work... we gotta wait! At least she's excited about next week's space theme.

Haha. My kids were annoyed by the concept of "commercials".

We are not the audience for this show, let's be honest. I agree with the comment that the first ep editing was a little choppy, but really it's no different than Top Chef or something where early on when you have a ton of people you just can't see them all in depth.

My kids really enjoyed Will Arnett as the host. 

They gave this show a great time slot lead in (although there was grumbling in our house for sure from my wife wondering why they would put a Lego focused show at 9 pm vs. 8 pm on another night, which is a good question). If you think this show is going to be getting deep on building techniques then just head to YouTube. For this community it is going to be a great thing if it maintains some viewers, as it is for sure going to draw some people out of their dark ages. 

[KShine]

I thought that it was fun, and entertaining - I loved that they used the monorail (and all that track).

If we want to be LEGO snobs - of course the show is garbage.

As previously mentioned, if you want to go deep on detailed building techniques, there are plenty of places to find that - this isn't about that.

[jaisonline]

My kids want to watch it tonight as we recorded it.

 

Although I haven’t seen it yet outside of commercials, it’s reminding me of Netflix’s “Nailed It”. My kids love that baking show. Ha

 

 

I thought that it was fun, and entertaining - I loved that they used the monorail (and all that track).

If we want to be LEGO snobs - of course the show is garbage.

As previously mentioned, if you want to go deep on detailed building techniques, there are plenty of places to find that - this isn't about that.

 

[CosmicSpeed]

1 hour ago, KShine said:

As previously mentioned, if you want to go deep on detailed building techniques, there are plenty of places to find that - this isn't about that.

This. You can see how the older women team, while not having the best build compared to the others, were complimented on their storytelling via their minifigure use. Overall, I think it's a good way to show the wonders of Lego to the masses. I mean, their next show is about exploding the sets, none of us in our right mind would do that, its all about getting the Lego name out there even more.

[dennugsmello]

I watched it with my two kids age 4 and 6. They loved the builds, but kept asking "Why is that man wearing a dress" and "why does he have a bow in his hair." 

Frankly, I'm not ready for these kind of conversations...

[BricksBrotha]

On 2/6/2020 at 6:49 PM, exracer327 said:

LEGO buys bricklink and then announces a TV show about LEGO building?  Hmmm....

Precisely, I wouldnt be surprised to see more retired sets showcased.

personally, our whole household can’t wait for the next episode. Id agree with others that will arnett isn’t great. And also this

9 hours ago, dennugsmello said:

"Why is that man wearing a dress" and "why does he have a bow in his hair?”

? 

[Ed Mack]

I liked it.  If they did it 5 years ago, it would have been more effective, but it certainly won't hurt reselling or LEGO collectibles in general.  It's a plus for sure. 

[CosmicSpeed]

Thoughts on EP.2:

- Really impressed with the couples build (Green Alien) I think they are one to watch as a finalist.

- Shaking my head when the Gold Brick team was building with Train tracks. Jamie literally told them not to build with technic, but they did anyways. Great build techniques and I think this team is good, but depending on the type of build, they can get overconfident and lost in their build structure and not the end goal.

- Im ready for the older guys to leave, it stresses me out watching that guy stress about building. Just build!

- YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND LEGO! No, man, I think we just don't understand you. Chill and be nice.

Im looking forward to EP.3 with the contestants building the other half of whatever object they are assigned. Will Arnett has totally embraced his dad jokes.

[odysea11]

Agreed.....fun episode! Although I cringed a little bit every time a model was destroyed.....

Next week's show should be pretty cool! My family is hooked!

[MusiKyle]

The Newlyweds' (Tyler and Amy) - I was also very impressed with their green alien, not just the build itself but their forethought into having that explosive fall into the alien mouth.  I had somewhat pre-judged them the first episode in their ability to work together but they really turned it around this time.

The Eccentrics (Sam & Jessica) - I don't get these two and part of me feels like it's just an act.  I kind of want to go back and watch the show again and see how they edited it because I feel like they must argue with each other early on to get screen time and drama, but yet they still put together a decent looking cat in the end.  Definitely eccentric though, I won't mind when they leave just on that account.

Clark Kent & Superman (Christian & Aaron) - There is definite talent here but man those guys are cocky.  So funny when the two people cheering on how their set got destroyed was essentially themselves.  I mean, hey you need to sell it, better than saying "ooh that didn't work"... let the judges decide.  So I get that part but still, we've got over-confident "Lego Instructor" and ginormous Army Sergeant.  Interesting team.

Married Thespians (Flynn & Richard) - I could care less about their "lifestyle", though I was concerned in the beginning that the producers would emphasize it way too much and I'm pleased that so far it's been rather subtle.  Funny seeing the opposites attract thing going on, the nervous stressed out one with the calm level-headed one.

Brothers Who Brick (Travis & Corey) - These guys are interesting because so far their builds have been rather "bricky" and "blocky".  Not that everything has to be smooth and polished but that type of thing might be required down the road so I'll be interested to see how they adapt.

East Coast Brickers (Mel & Jermaine) and The Unicorns (Krystle & Amie) - Neither of these teams have gotten much screen time and are somewhat under the radar.  If they don't differentiate or stand out in some way I don't see them sticking around long.

Father & Son BFFS (Manny & Nester) - These two are funny to watch interact and listen to.  Like others, they somewhat have 'hobby-level' talent but I don't see them lasting long.  

The Bearded Buiders (Boone & Mark) - These guys are smart, fun, and to me have seemed to be very versatile.  The challenge could change, and so do the requirements, but they still tend to bring a polished end product and I think that's one of their advantages is their adaptability.  Only 2 episodes in though, so we'll see.

Higher the Hair, Closer to God (Jessie & Kara) - Glad to see them go.  Between episode 1 & 2 they didn't present that much Lego-building talent.  I'm sure their over-the-top personalities and facial expressions got them on the show.  Next...

Edited February 13, 2020 by MusiKyle

[CosmicSpeed]

^ Thank you for putting in the team names. I was too lazy.

EDIT: I almost forgot abut the SNOT reference. It was rather lame and they could have explained it in more detail rather than just showing a brickhead sized sphere...

Edited February 13, 2020 by CosmicSpeed

[Jeffrey_Dollars]

It seems unfair that the guy in "The newlyweds" is literally a set designer for LEGO. i could see have an occupation that involves working with LEGO but set designer seems rigged

[MusiKyle]

1 hour ago, Jeffrey_Dollars said:

It seems unfair that the guy in "The newlyweds" is literally a set designer for LEGO. i could see have an occupation that involves working with LEGO but set designer seems rigged

I don't think he could be a set designer for Lego as that would make him an ineligible participant for the show.  It looks like (based on his website) he was the designer of "Stitch" (from Lilo and Stitch) that was on Lego Ideas.  He also does do commissioned work, so he's good enough to get paid for it.

https://www.tylerclites.com/