Confessions of a Purist

Aidan · Post by **Aidan** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:06 am

I have always considered myself a purist. I would never cut up my lego (again

). However, I do use stickers on parts as you can see from my avatar. I also have created a phalanx of Black Falcon's using Sava's torso sticker. Am I kidding myself that I am a purist? I rationalized it by the fact that Lego used to use stickers for their shields and minfigs!

Sir Smittens · Post by **Sir Smittens** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:19 am

I agree. I have also consider myself a purist, but use stickers. You're not alone! So lego used stickers on minifigs? I never knew that...

LEGOFREAK · Post by **LEGOFREAK** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:25 am

I voted yes as a purist you can, but I think if you are a 'pure' purist then you couldn't unless the lego company actually MADE those stickers. SO.. I voted wrong, but I still think it's ok.

I used to "customize" many a weapon and face in my foolish youth. (euphemisms for hack up, paint, carve or otherwise change irreversibly
HOWEVER, now I limit myself to things that could be undone. For instance, my stickers do not have mega adhesive on them. Sure they peel right off.. but then again, they peel right off!!:D

freak

***I should mention... I do NOT consider myself a purist by anymeans!***

Aidan · Post by **Aidan** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:29 am

Oh sure! The classic 1592 set was full of stickers, including the torsos of the knights!

http://guide.lugnet.com/set/1592

The classic castle 375 had stickers as well. Not really on the figs, but on those vests they wore and on the shields.

http://www.classic-castle.com/sets/oop1978.html

Aidan · Post by **Aidan** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:36 am

oooh Freak, I like that one! Yes, I use regular stickers that could come right off, therefore could easily be undone. So its OK.

In fact, I had to peel the stickers off of 32 ovoid shields when I got a better resolution image.

On your first point - Well Lego may not have made the stickers of the falcons but its their design

.

Oh and rationalize rationalize, and don't forget rationalize.

J1A3L5 · Post by **J1A3L5** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:46 am

I say no, a purist cannot use stickers unless they are official stickers.

I consider myself purist and I refuse to use anything that is not official. But there is one exception...Jeff's stuff. It's just too awesome to NOT use. So I'm not really purist I guess. But his stuff just fits in with real lego pieces so well it could be real.

However I thought about this and maybe a purist could use stickers if they are stickers of real torsos. To me a purist should absolutely not use any 'new' designs or patterns. But if they are just converting all their HP torsos into already existing castle factions...well then maybe that's okay.

But personally, I think a purist refuses to use anything that is not official.

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 5:37 am

No. No, no, no! You aren't a purist if you use Jeff's stuff. You aren't a purist if you use non-Lego produced stickers. You aren't a purist if you hack up parts. You aren't a purist if you paint the parts. You aren't a purist if you use Mega Bloks.

If you work within the limitations of what Lego offers, you are a purist. If any of the above does not disqualify you, then logically even if you do all of them collectively you should be a purist! So for all you rationalizers, I'm a purist just as much as you!

Sir Smittens · Post by **Sir Smittens** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 5:55 am

Oh sure! The classic 1592 set was full of stickers, including the torsos of the knights!

Why are there knights in the town square? Doesn't really seem to fit...

No. No, no, no! You aren't a purist if you use Jeff's stuff. You aren't a purist if you use non-Lego produced stickers. You aren't a purist if you hack up parts. You aren't a purist if you paint the parts. You aren't a purist if you use Mega Bloks.

So then I'm not a purist. I feel so ashamed.

lar · Post by **lar** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 6:47 am

A "pure" purist can only use stickers if LEGO printed them and intended them to be used for stickers.

(that disqualifies using the numbers on the bottom of the sticker edge for other purposes, a trick I cottoned on to early, for stuff like license plates).

But I'm only sort of pure so I'm OK with it... My deviations:

- I use LEGO stickers in ways they were not intended to be used, and I sometimes use the part of the sticker sheet that isn't the sticker
- I print and use my own stickers (and include them in my kits)
- I use non LEGO string, cut to length (but the kind I use is very very similar to LEGO string in look and feel)
- I cut LEGO (hard) tubing, not just soft tubing... I do that a lot actually... it seems to be a common technique of mine, and 4 different MTW kits (out of 9) have some tubing cut in them somewhere
- I own Big Ben Bricks custom steam driver wheels and like them a lot
- I own Little Armory (space) weapons and like them a lot, although they're mostly used by Nik.
- I have cut 9V connector wires so that I could mount 12V connectors on them, making interoperability connectors

Where I draw the line:
- no brasso'ed parts
- no cutting or drilling of parts by me (although I own some Rob Hendrix mod'ded parts and he and I continue to talk about a coproduced kit, and as I say I cut tubing and wire)
- no nonLEGO parts unless they're fan produced

Troy T. Moore · Post by **Troy T. Moore** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:20 pm

With the poor availability of castle figs and the seemingly neverending amount of HP figs, it is inevetable that I will be using stickers. So I voted yes.

It's getting real bad, I hacked up my first bits of Lego this week!

I cut the sight off of some revolvers to make them into handles for radar dish shields. I don't plan on doing anything worse than that

wlister · Post by **wlister** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 3:05 pm

I voted yes,

But I must say that I am in no stretch of the imagination a purist. I do a ton of customizing and I will keep doing it. It is great fun and I have more than enough of the parts I customize that I do no damage to my collection if I decide at some point "Hey, why not be a purist."

I don't buy Megabloks though. Not for any other reason than plastic quality though. I feel no great loyalty to TLC or any animosity towards Megabloks. They keep kids building when their parents can't afford Lego. Any kid who builds with interlocking block systems is a potential AFOL even if their start is with a rival. Myloyalties to TLC went away when they left me with semi-incompatible grays.

So yes I will customize weapons, figs and whatever else I deem necessary to keep me happily in my hobby. But I don't consider stickers even custom stickers to infringe on any claims of being a purist. If thats what you want to be, feel free. Its just toys after all.

Will

lemon_squeezer2 · Post by **lemon_squeezer2** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 10:11 pm

Main Entry: pur·ist
Pronunciation: 'pyur-ist
Function: noun
one who adheres strictly and often excessively to a tradition; especially : one preoccupied with the purity of a language and its protection from the use of foreign or altered forms

Using that definition I would say no. I used to consider myself a purist but I use some of the great stickers posted here, and I have planned to use Twotonicknight's rubandbuff technique for some helmets and a piece of armor I have.

Jedipawn · Post by **Jedipawn** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 5:32 am

Lar, I noticed you said you made custom kits. Could I get a link to you website?

Jedipawn

lar · Post by **lar** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 5:08 am

Jedipawn wrote:Lar, I noticed you said you made custom kits. Could I get a link to you website?

Jedipawn

Sure can. Check out myMTW(tm)site. This is a brochureware site, all sales are actually through my BrickLink store...

For many more great custom builders (including Troy!) check out the Guild of Bricksmiths(tm)site.

++Lar

Post by **architect** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 6:30 am

While thinking about this concept of sticker purity, I came up with another idea.

I argue by being a complete purist, a person is actually not being like LEGO because you limit your creative potential and experience. I am not saying that we should all drive off and buy megablocks. A bit of sticker creativity here and there can be a good thing.

For example, I tried to mimic a real building, Stokesay Gatehouse in this moc:

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Benja ... 0hgate.jpg

Using stickers helps more accurately create the building at minifigure scale:

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Benja ... egate6.jpg

The actual facade can be seen here:

http://www.uklandscape.net/Darryl-Gill/ ... pshire.jpg

Of course, by building a model of a real building, I am limiting myself a bit.

Hmm, looking at the pictures again, I didnt do a very good job...

Ben

Classic-Castle.com

Confessions of a Purist

Can a Purist use stickers?

Confessions of a Purist