reading Instructions

[Andi]

Can you build all Lego Sets at every time of the day?
I discovered yesterday, that I really have problems in the evening with some Lego sets. With the Sandcrawler, Sail Barge and the new Pirate Ship.
Is it the brown which is so hard to recognize in the instructions?

[Joedward]

Yes, also black and the two shades of bley.

[Jabba the Taff]

I find it takes my eyes time to adjust to the colours. After several pages I can normally quite quickly discern what's what. It also depends on the background.

[Andi]

Do you have these problems with any light? Or only when it's dark outside?

[liquidcross]

I've noticed the color on some manuals can be hard to distinguish. Eventually, though, I figure it out.

[MrCRskater]

It's definitely more difficult to make these distinctions at night when the light isn't as good. Another factor that I think plays in here is that the print quality of most manuals is inconsistent, so black on one page really does look like dark bley on the next which can be frustrating. There have been moments when I've spent several minutes searching all of the bags for a given part in dark bley, then I finally figure out "Oh, they want a BLACK piece. . . sheish!".

[meeotch]

^^^That's exactly what I did 2 nights ago on step one of the Death Star II. I've noticed that I always have an eye-calibration period of one page when starting on a new Star Wars set. It's made especially difficult when you notice that the black technic friction pin is always depicted true black, while a black plate right next to it is closer to old gray.

[SkwerlJones]

Being a perfectionist, this bugs the hula hoop out of me, too. I remember when I finished my Sandcrawler, I noticed something wasn't quite right. A quick look at my booklet showed that I mixed up a bunch of the bley and black pieces. I had to basically rebuild the whole thing, again.

I think the best remedy for this problem is to only build during the day, preferably with a movie, and to always take short brakes, so your eyes don't get all fuzzy. (This also prevents scoliosis. Take it from someone who has to wear a back brace every. single. night.)

[bobalego]

Had the same problem with the UCS AT-ST last Sunday. If an AFOL with 30 years experience has trouble, LEGO ought to figure out a better way to match the colors because they do not look the same...but it did slow the build down, so maybe it is on purpose.