As for whether or not we’re being too harsh... honestly, I’m in the camp that we’re not. I’ve said it before that LEGO is acting like a premium brand, so I expect premium quality. Especially with the prices they ask for most sets. However, there is a civil way to give a heads up that something seems off, and I believe articles like this are the way to go. When you consider that a lot of 2021 and 2022 sets were designed during the pandemic, and think about how this must have affected the design teams, I'm inclined to be quite forgiving of all these recent minor slip-ups, given Lego's generally excellent quality." CapnRex101 tells me that it does not prevent 76205 Gargantos Showdown from being assembled, nor does it have a detrimental effect on the finished model, but it doesn't seem to meet the high design standards to which we have become accustomed, and of course the parts will be stressed which may result in damage over time.

In this case, adding the Mixel joints to that fender might be acceptable, if the 1x6 plate was not added to the other end. I’ve seen instances where official sets bend geometry just a tiny bit, but it can’t do so in a way that creates undue stress. Without building this, I don’t know how much stress it creates, but visually it appears to be too much to pass muster. However, that doesn’t mean this is an illegal technique...yet.

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Interestingly, trying a digital build as well, Stud.io doesn't throw up a collision warning, even though the parts clearly overlap visually." Many molds have been slightly tweaked over recent years. I'll bet they had a revised version of that wheel arch in house, and the designer program had the up to date revised dimensions. They didn't see a problem because there wasn't one. Because the grey pieces are splayed inwards slightly the stud of one of them does not align with the stud receptor on the bottom of the 1x6 plate. The set contains no completely brand-new parts, but there are some new colors/prints among the inventory that are of interest. The 4×4 dome with 2×2 recessed center just debuted in 2021, and this is its first appearance in trans-yellow. That piece pairs with a new print on the 2×2 plate with rounded bottom to make up the creature’s eye. The elephant trunk/tail is available here in olive green for the first time. And there’s a 1×1 round tile with a rainbow print that acts as a minifigure accessory. I’m betting we see lots more of this piece in upcoming Dots sets.

I'd agree, I don't actually have an issue with the AT-AT set. A construction method that requires a degree of skill to disassemble I feel is fine for a large complex set and the intended audience for it. What do you think -- Is this a problem that would worry you, or doesn't it matter? Should we continue to bring issues like this to your attention?"The issue is that the software cannot perfectly model reality. A lot of parts in LDD were modelled pretty imprecisely, resulting in a wide variety of illegal connections being possible and legal connections not being possible. Stud.io is better in that regard but its still not perfect. The aforementioned scaly design becomes especially apparent when viewing this model from behind, where various slopes and wedge plates are employed to splendid effect. The resulting shape looks great and avoids interfering with the articulated tentacles because those ball joints remain relatively exposed. Had the collision been accidental, with the expectation that the parts would sit flush with one another, the designer probably would not have left such a large "buffer zone" between the reversed plates and the tiled surface beneath them. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if an earlier sketch model had used 2x2 jumper plates to fill that space, which were removed once the usual quality assurance tests made it clear that this would stress the parts beyond their natural tolerances." Panke ist the best known, true. He's very polemic, also true. But he's not the only one reviewing off-brands; others do that, too, and in a much friendlier manner.