Is 4+ Overrated or Underrated?

[Brick900]

I've seen a good deal of excitement around the 4+ theme. For one thing, it doesn't use stickers (a lot of people don't like stickers). However, the benefit to stickers it is that they are cheaper to produce, as well as interchangeable So with stickers there is more variety in how you could use the print (move it to a different piece, etc.) A lot of people have compared 4+ to the actual themes.

So is 4+ underrated or overrated?

[MAB]

Neither. If you like a set or the parts in it, it is a good set. If you don’t,  it isn't. Different people will view the same set in different ways so there is no over or under rating. Just different opinions.

[danth]

3 hours ago, Brick900 said:

So with stickers there is more variety in how you could use the print (move it to a different piece, etc.)

I argued about this somewhere else.

 

Anyway...I really like the 5+ sets since they aren't nearly as junior-ized as 4+ sets but still have prints.

[Lyichir]

Ultimately, it doesn't particularly matter what AFOLs think of 4+ sets because they're not for us. Sometimes they offer things AFOLs like (like printed parts) and sometimes they offer things they're less fond of (like chunky, specialized chassis pieces or prefab wall panels), but in the end that's all tangential to the main purpose of them which is to offer a fun, simple building experience for kids just graduating from Duplo to hopefully make them into lifelong fans.

Personally I rarely buy 4+ sets, though I recently bought this year's tractor set for my dad after seeing a review of it on Brickset and thinking he'd like it, and I ordered the printed computer screen from the 4+ City Space set last year on Pick-a-Brick to maybe use in some MOCs.

[Mylenium]

Doesn't really matter one way or the other. I've bought a couple of 4+ sets just for "rare" pieces, specific figures or animals. It's neither over- nor underrated. It's more a question of would we actually need there to be a specific sub-set of sets to which I would not agree. There are enough simple City and Creator 3in1 sets already that feature just as many chunky special pieces. It's really more of a marketing thing to justify the exorbitant prices. That also touches on your flawed argument on prints vs. stickers, but let's not go there again...

Mylenium

Edited March 13 by Mylenium
Fixed typo

[SpacePolice89]

I appreciate that the 4+ sets have no stickers but otherwise I believe they are unnecessary. They should be merged with the Classic theme as subtheme focused on smaller builds including minifigs. Back in the day Basic had such sets like 1880. I have only bought one 4+ set and that is 70821 and I bought it for the spaceship which is actually very nice. As a young kid I started with normal sets when I was much younger that the recommended age because the simplified sets didn't have the same appeal to me. 

[imposter]

under

There is so many prints for example. That SPACE 4+ set was a big surprise for me. Very good parts.

[danth]

I think Lego knows what they're doing when they put exclusive minifigs in SW 4+ sets. They know adult SW fans are going to buy those sets at stupid 4+ prices.

[MAB]

It was Juniors rather than 4+ but I bought the Defend The Batcave set 10672. I think I got it at £20 (33% off). Not bad for the until then exclusive SDCC Batman and Robin that were changing hands for 10x that at the time, plus a free Joker too.