donkeyrocket t1_j5uleaq wrote on January 25, 2023 at 5:58 PM

Reply to comment by downwardspiralstairs in Lego moving its US headquarters to Boston by 2026 by scw

A better argument would be the pirate sets with tall ships much like the USS Constitution. Not sure why you're under the impression the Space Shuttle was military in any way. Launching military satellites or potentially having active-duty astronauts doesn't make the vehicle military.

I still think they'll avoid it as those old sets aren't a direct reference to any military vessels.

downwardspiralstairs t1_j5un66l wrote on January 25, 2023 at 6:09 PM

The USS Constitution is technically still a ship of the US Navy but it's more of a living museum and only stays part of the Navy because the DOD has the largest budget on the planet.

downwardspiralstairs t1_j5v3f58 wrote on January 25, 2023 at 7:47 PM

That's the thing because they have the pirate ships and the USS Constitution famously fought the Tripolitan pirates off the Barbary coast which was a big deal in 1805.

donkeyrocket t1_j5vlq47 wrote on January 25, 2023 at 9:38 PM

I mean, as your other comment points out, it is still very much an "active" US military vessel.

LEGO often catches flak for the increased presence of weapons in their sets (like the entire Star Wars line) and many argue that is at odds with their ethos of not producing sets that promote violence. I agree that it is sometimes hypocritical. Their defense is the "weapon-like" elements are in fantasy settings and not real-life scenarios that promote violence. Which a military ship (even as a glorified museum) would be counter to.

This is all besides the initial point that the USS Constitution isn't anything like the Space Shuttle in terms of military use. One carried military cargo at times while the other actually engaged in battles.