agoodfella77

An Open Letter to The LEGO Group: SDCC Exclusive Minifigures

Recommended Posts

Dear LEGO Group,

I have been a life-long fan of LEGO. My son and daughter are both LEGO fans.

I am writing to you regarding the SDCC Exclusive Minifigures. This "Exclusive" system is really making your fans feel "Excluded".

This system of distribution is extremely unfair on at least five levels:

1) Not everyone (in fact the vast, vast majority of LEGO customers) can or will ever be able to attend the SDCC.

2) The fact that the SDCC Exclusive Minifigures never gets released into general circulation means that they will always be targeted by scalpers -- people who have nothing to do with LEGO, are not loyal customers of LEGO but are simply leeches looking to exploit a supply / demand dislocation and turn it into pure, greedy profit.

3) The net effect is that the limited availability for these minifigures (already scarce to begin with) becomes even more scarce and the simple supply / demand forces pushes the prices to astronomical levels (hundreds of dollars, sometimes thousands) on the secondary markets.

4) This ends up rewarding the absolute wrong segment (i.e. scalping non-LEGO fans) -- while the vast majority of LEGO fans worldwide end up feeling very frustrated and unappreciated for their loyalty. For example, the SDCC Exclusive system has rewarded the lucky few with 2 different Spider-Man variants in as many years (Symbiote and ASM2), meanwhile, 99.99% of loyal LEGO Marvel fans have had 8 straight sets with the same ultimate Spider-Man minifigure -- absolutely no variants during that time. It has left many of us wondering what we have done to deserve such poor treatment?

5) For "completists" or collectors who wish to have every minifigure of a certain line (for me that would be the MARVEL Super Heroes line) my choices are very stark: 1) I either have to prepare to spend thousands of dollars for a few minifigures (at least hundreds per minifigure) or 2) I will simply have to accept that my collection will never be complete.

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

1) Cease the SDCC Exclusive system

2) If after due consideration, TLG feels compelled to continue the SDCC Exclusive system, then at least rotate all of these minifigures into general circulation through future sets (even if it 1 or 2 years down the road). This will solve the issue of scarcity (and hence ridiculous hoarding and scalping of exclusive minifigures) and thus bring down the crazy secondary prices -- thereby effectively eliminating scalpers. And more importantly, your loyal customers get access to these minifigures at a reasonable price.

[EDIT #1]

3) In addition to 2), perhaps TLG can offer (in due time -- or even alongside the events) the minifigures online. As some of the replies have suggested within this thread, many companies who offer SDCC items also provide the ability for customers to purchase them online (again, this is another method for addressing the issue of scalpers and outrageous secondary pricing).

[EDIT #2]

4) Another excellent suggestion made by a fellow thread contributor is to make all SDCC exclusives very specific to each SDCC going forward (similar to the I NY LOVE Yoda). For example, each exclusive figure could be printed with an SDCC 2015 logo for next year (and for each year going forward). This way Convention goers can maintain the "exclusivity" and grab some Convention swag / goodies -- while the rest of us won't feel "excluded" and feel that we are missing an absolute crucial missing piece for their respective collection.

[FINAL THOUGHTS]

My main message to the LEGO Group is simply this: currently, the SDCC "Exclusive" system has left a lot of your loyal customers feeling "excluded" and this, in the end, runs counter to everything that LEGO should stand for -- products based on "building" and sharing that truly bring people together not pull them apart.

Thank you for listening.

From a loyal LEGO family.

Edited by agoodfella

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The easiest solution is actually to stop setting unreasonable goals for your own collection. If owning every minifigure isn't realistic for you, why pretend that it should be? Nobody ever told you that you're entitled to a complete collection. LEGO is an expensive hobby. Many LEGO fans wouldn't even be able to afford every single minifigure released in sets.

Let's look at a hypothetical situation here. Suppose that a minifigure of a certain character is made as a prototype and never put in a set. The prototype continues to exist, but no fans ever get to own it. Does its existence make every single fan's collection incomplete? Is every single fan's collection less valuable purely because it exists?

If not, why is it any different with figs that are released in small quantities? Particularly obscure figs like the recently-released Batman of Zur-En-Arrh who would probably never be released at all if not as rare exclusive items? There is no rule that owning every single collectible item of a certain type should be a realistic goal for an average fan.

I have always been a BIONICLE fan. I have never been committed to getting every single collectible Kanohi mask, Krana brain, or Kraata slug (the Kraata slugs are particularly ridiculous. Getting all 252 variants from new sets bought at RRP would cost you upwards of $522 even if you never got a single duplicate... and did I mention they were blind-packaged in every set that included them? And yes, some people have decided it's worth their time and money to get every single one.

But even people who sought to get every BIONICLE collectible ever released don't have complete collections, and the chief reason for that is this. The platinum Kanohi Avohkii was given out as a sweepstakes prize in 2003. Yes, it's an official BIONICLE mask. There are a number of BIONICLE collectibles made of precious metals that were distributed as sweepstakes prizes, including gold Kanoka disks, sterling silver Krana-Kal, and gold Kanohi masks, but this one is the rarest: only one was ever produced and distributed.

Did this make collecting BIONICLE masks pointless? Of course not! Most BIONICLE fans were smart enough and mature enough to understand that owning every single collectible item the LEGO Group put out was a distant ideal, not an achievable reality. And they adjusted their expectations accordingly, setting their goals only as high as they felt they could reach. It's frustrating that so many LEGO System fans, who in the past have often dismissed BIONICLE as a worthless kiddie toy, lack that same intelligence and maturity. Instead they adopt an "if I can't have it, nobody should!" attitude that you'd expect to see from a five-year-old, not an adult.

I'm sorry if this answer makes you uncomfortable. But you can't expect reality to bend to your expectations, especially when your desire is to put a stop to a practice that does not affect you or your personal collection in any way. Some people would like it if the LEGO Group didn't release licensed sets at all, because they personally don't like them — never mind the people who do. Their desires aren't any less reasonable than yours.

Edited by Aanchir

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm 100% certain Lego is aware of the issues people have with these.

I'm also 100% certain Lego just doesn't care. They get more out of doing these than they loose. They piss off some Lego fans but the benefits of the marketing probably outweigh that. Many of which are hardcore fans who might cry over this (including me) but will still keep buying Lego.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Also, the exclusives provide lego with a platform to release figures they haven't designed sets for. This is really to our advantage, note that we are finally seeing green lantern! Lego doesn't do away with molds or designs so there's always a chance that these figures will appear down the road.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Particularly obscure figs like the recently-released Batman of Zur-En-Arrh who would probably never be released at all if not as rare exclusive items?

These characters aren´t obscure. Shazam, Bizarro, Phoenix are main characters and with a firm like Mattel, Hasbro and basically anyone else beside Lego these characters would get wide releases. The Collector is a villain of the GOTG movie. If Lego were releasing someone actually obscure like Red Son Superman or CIA and Dr. Pavel from The Dark Knight Rises (characters that nobody but the biggest nerds would know or even care about) there would be no problem. Zurr-En Arrh was from a very popular and known comics arc and even had tv appearances, Spider-Woman had a show of her own just like Green Arrow. But Lego just burns the bridges for wide releases of figures like a good TDK Batman (because the black costume was used on SDCC they had to use a gray costume in the retail set even though the costume is black in the movies and the UCS Tumbler uses a Begins outfit and there will probably not be another TDK themed set again for quite some time). I am being nitpicky about costume variations from a movie but really, when you are doing something like that make the main costume color wide available and the non-canon version, based on the colorblindness of some parts designer should be the Con exclusive. And yeah, through this it´s still possible to get the Shazam from the con with a better/more accurate and printed cape and the black suit Spidey with an actual Spider-Man torso instead of just Venoms body but that probably won´t happen for quite some time too, which brings me to the main part of the problem:

Of course Lego only releases these figures as exclusives because they don´t intend to sell them but that´s the point, all other DC and Hasbro licenses work out perfectly with every character that should reasonably be available being available plus some more. That is because DC and Marvel waves are the smallest waves in the entire year but Lego should expand the line and not just waste main characters on Comic-Con exclusives (and completely ignoring Captain America 2, Thor 2 and all movies before Avengers 1 by the way).

People saying there should be CMF lines for every single license are getting on my nerves too but if anybody deserves a CMF line it should be Marvel and DC, not The Simpsons. Especially seeing how Marvel even had a Mega Blocks CMF line in 2011, so you can´t just pull the "no action figure license" excuse because that is confirmed to only be relevant for Star Wars. The meat of Super Heroes are the characters and thus figures, not the vehicles and builds (especially when they are most of the time so sub-par like the Spider-Trike, Hydra flatbed car and countless Bat-Whatevers).

And of course complete collections aren´t feasible, especially with something as toyetic as Bionicle which Super Heroes aren´t (at least if they were sticking with the ≈ 80 years of material). I don´t think anybody ever seriously wanted all the masks since most of them don´t even play a part in any of the stories which makes your argument like comparing apples and oranges.

I agree with you that nobody should be devastated because they can´t get press promo kits intended for journalists only or specifically packaged versions of figures that are already available in regular retail sets (I really loved those Azogs you gave out on the Con last year Lego) but they shouldn´t release these characters in strong limited quantities to begin with. Con exclusives, should only be repackaged old stuff or pre-releases of new stuff (just like how everyone in the action figure branch is doing it and how Lego was doing it in the years before 2011 and nobody complained).

I'm 100% certain Lego is aware of the issues people have with these.

I'm also 100% certain Lego just doesn't care. They get more out of doing these than they loose. They piss off some Lego fans but the benefits of the marketing probably outweigh that. Many of which are hardcore fans who might cry over this (including me) but will still keep buying Lego.

Oh yeah, some article on yahoo.com and buzzfeed is totally doing something for their reputation or make casuals buy some sets even though they promote stuff that said casuals can´t buy or would have to wait 6 months for.

And the kids are running their mouth for purple psychotic Batman.

Edited by Navy Trooper Fenson

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed response, I'm going to try and answer some of your points / questions as best as I can

Let's look at a hypothetical situation here. Suppose that a minifigure of a certain character is made as a prototype and never put in a set. The prototype continues to exist, but no fans ever get to own it. Does its existence make every single fan's collection incomplete? Is every single fan's collection less valuable purely because it exists?

Not really a relevant point. For argument's sake and for the sake of comparing apples to apples, let's discuss collectible items which have been officially released to the public (either in the form of exclusive distribution or general distribution). Otherwise you start meandering down an bottomless pit of hypotheticals. Nobody is talking about prototypes.

If not, why is it any different with figs that are released in small quantities? Particularly obscure figs like the recently-released Batman of Zur-En-Arrh who would probably never be released at all if not as rare exclusive items? There is no rule that owning every single collectible item of a certain type should be a realistic goal for an average fan.

Again prototype =/= a limited release. Enough on that point. Obscure figure or not, it's still a collectible item so this is "fair game" for discussion. Next, yes, I fully agree with your point about an average fan. I am not an "average" fan. To each his / her own. I choose to be a collector. Are you suggesting that collectors should just shoot themselves in the face for even attempting or aspiring to collect everything in a certain line / theme?

I have always been a BIONICLE fan. ...... [ cut down for sake of brevity ] ...... Did this make collecting BIONICLE masks pointless? Of course not!

Fair point, if taken to the most extreme degree. I think most people would agree that a one-off platinum mask (only 1 ever made) which sells for $30,000 is a pretty extreme example, but point taken.

Most BIONICLE fans were smart enough and mature enough to understand that owning every single collectible item the LEGO Group put out was a distant ideal, not an achievable reality.

Smart? Mature? (all of these things are relative anyway -- smart compared to who? Da Vinci? Newton?). I've met with with heads of states and corporations (without even drooling on myself). I've had an Op-Ed piece published in the New York Times -- I can hold my own.

I'm sorry if this answer makes you uncomfortable. But you can't expect reality to bend to your expectations, especially when your desire is to put a stop to a practice that does not affect you or your personal collection in any way.

I'm not uncomfortable at all. I enjoyed reading your post and you have made some excellent points. I am a LEGO fan and customer first and foremost -- that is common ground that we can all share here. I am a single voice, yes, but one nonetheless. It was not my intention to suggest that my opinion or voice is or should be the default expectation for every LEGO customer. I am merely expressing my (family's) own view (which I might add, has some very good company). I certainly have a right to express that view and I have done so. I am quite realistic about the outcome of my suggestions, but I do have the right to express it and I have.

My main point to the LEGO Group is simply this: the SDCC "Exclusive" system has left a lot of their loyal customers feeling "excluded" and this, in the end, runs counter to everything that LEGO should stand for -- products based on "building" that truly bring people together not pull them apart.

Edited by agoodfella

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Lego doesn't do away with molds or designs so there's always a chance that these figures will appear down the road.

I certainly hope so!

I'm 100% certain Lego is aware of the issues people have with these.

I'm also 100% certain Lego just doesn't care. They get more out of doing these than they loose. They piss off some Lego fans but the benefits of the marketing probably outweigh that. Many of which are hardcore fans who might cry over this (including me) but will still keep buying Lego.

I'm sure they are aware. They may / should start to care if enough of their customers complain.

That is the entire point of my post. Let them hear our collective voices. Write them. Tell your friends to as well. I have and will continue doing so until there is change.

Edited by agoodfella

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My friends don't care since they're not into Lego as much as me and I don't see the negatives outweighing the benefits to Lego. Again, anyone that's into Lego enough won't STOP buying Lego because of this. And these figures often do get around news sites and they do help the word get around to more than just us fans. The fact that they sell for such insane prices just helps get the word out a bit more too.

Plus I'm too lazy to write a letter. ;P

But hey, if it works then good. I'd be surprised if it did.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1) Not everyone (in fact the vast, vast majority of LEGO customers) can or will ever be able to attend the SDCC.

2) The fact that the SDCC Exclusive Minifigures never gets released into general circulation means that they will always be targeted by scalpers -- people who have nothing to do with LEGO, are not loyal customers of LEGO but are simply leeches looking to exploit a supply / demand dislocation and turn it into pure, greedy profit.

4) This ends up rewarding the absolute wrong segment (i.e. scalping non-LEGO fans) -- while the vast majority of LEGO fans worldwide end up feeling very frustrated and unappreciated for their loyalty. For example, the SDCC Exclusive system has rewarded the lucky few with 2 different Spider-Man variants in as many years (Symbiote and ASM2), meanwhile, 99.99% of loyal LEGO Marvel fans have had 8 straight sets with the same ultimate Spider-Man minifigure -- absolutely no variants during that time. It has left many of us wondering what we have done to deserve such poor treatment?

I think you have to be a bit careful the way you describe the sellers of exclusive minifigs. You say many people can or will ever be able to go to SDCC, for example. Why is that? Anyone can apply for tickets, travel there, stay in a hotel, go to the convention, etc. Nothing is stopping anyone that wants to. Except money and time.

Bearing that in mind, calling people that do decide to pay a lot of money to attend conventions leeches, scalpers, pure greedy profit seekers is not necessarily correct. They are selling something that often people are willing to pay a high price for as a way of recouping some of the cost of attending the convention.

How would you describe a lego fan that gets an exclusive but decides to sell for $500 as they know what they can buy with that $500 instead of having one exclusive minifig? Are they still a scalper?

If you could buy something in a local theme park to you for say $20, but there is an entry fee of $100 to the park, then how much would you sell it for? $20 as that is what it cost? $120 as you are recouping the cost of entry to the park, even though you got to enjoy the park for the day too?

And what changes if you know that I am willing to pay $200 for it?

Edited by MAB

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think you have to be a bit careful the way you describe the sellers of exclusive minifigs. You say many people can or will ever be able to go to SDCC, for example. Why is that? Anyone can apply for tickets, travel there, stay in a hotel, go to the convention, etc. Nothing is stopping anyone that wants to. Except money and time.

Bearing that in mind, calling people that do decide to pay a lot of money to attend conventions leeches, scalpers, pure greedy profit seekers is not necessarily correct. They are selling something that often people are willing to pay a high price for as a way of recouping some of the cost of attending the convention.

How would you describe a lego fan that gets an exclusive but decides to sell for $500 as they know what they can buy with that $500 instead of having one exclusive minifig? Are they still a scalper?

If you could buy something in a local theme park to you for say $20, but there is an entry fee of $100 to the park, then how much would you sell it for? $20 as that is what it cost? $120 as you are recouping the cost of entry to the park, even though you got to enjoy the park for the day too?

And what changes if you know that I am willing to pay $200 for it?

All fair points.

Look at the end of the day, its the artificial supply / demand imbalance that creates this situation that needs to be addressed rather than anything else. Frankly, everything else is a side effect.

These characters aren´t obscure.

Absolutely. Many of them are mainstream characters.

if anybody deserves a CMF line it should be Marvel

Although as a Marvel fan, I wouldn't want just one season / series.

And of course complete collections aren´t feasible, especially with something as toyetic as Bionicle which Super Heroes aren´t (at least if they were sticking with the ≈ 80 years of material). I don´t think anybody ever seriously wanted all the masks since most of them don´t even play a part in any of the stories which makes your argument like comparing apples and oranges.

Completely agree.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Look at the end of the day, its the artificial supply / demand imbalance that creates this situation that needs to be addressed rather than anything else. Frankly, everything else is a side effect.

There is a supply / demand ratio that causes the high prices, but that also exists for minifigs in regular sets too. For example, the exclusive minifigs to Ewok Village or Arkham Asylum are expensive to buy compared to other minifigs in cheaper sets. Should lego also address that imbalance, and make sure that everyone, even those that can only afford to buy $12 sets, gets a chance to buy whichever characters they want in a cheap set? Just like there are complaints everytime a CC comes around, there are also complaints about minifigs being exclusive to large sets and the need to pay a lot for a set just to get one minifig. Of course, it is not as extreme, you just have to shell out $250 or whatever in one go to get what you want.

Personally, I don't mind the exclusives. They do a job in that they get lego advertised, they get lego talked about, they get people going crazy. If every exclusive came out in a set in the next year or two, I think the hype will still be there, but will be diminished. I know some people (and this is from the UK), that have traveled to a CC (NY instead of SD) in the past, just to see the lego stands and get a chance to get hold of the exclusives. If the exclusives were no longer exclusive, would people be as willing to go?

I think a good alternative is to keep the exclusives exclusive, but for popular characters to later re-release the same character in a different print - like has been done with Green Lantern. That way general collectors get to have all the superheroes (or whatever range) they want in at least one form and the real collectors still get something special to aim for.

But then, I'm also for keeping things like Marina Bay Sands in the architecture range special to the location, and not having it available worldwide at the touch of a button. Same with even little poly bags like the New York Taxi. Keep it exclusive to NY and it is a little more special (I know they later appeared at US TRU stores).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There is a supply / demand ratio that causes the high prices, but that also exists for minifigs in regular sets too. For example, the exclusive minifigs to Ewok Village or Arkham Asylum are expensive to buy compared to other minifigs in cheaper sets. Should lego also address that imbalance, and make sure that everyone, even those that can only afford to buy $12 sets, gets a chance to buy whichever characters they want in a cheap set? Just like there are complaints everytime a CC comes around, there are also complaints about minifigs being exclusive to large sets and the need to pay a lot for a set just to get one minifig. Of course, it is not as extreme, you just have to shell out $250 or whatever in one go to get what you want.

Personally, I don't mind the exclusives. They do a job in that they get lego advertised, they get lego talked about, they get people going crazy. If every exclusive came out in a set in the next year or two, I think the hype will still be there, but will be diminished. I know some people (and this is from the UK), that have traveled to a CC (NY instead of SD) in the past, just to see the lego stands and get a chance to get hold of the exclusives. If the exclusives were no longer exclusive, would people be as willing to go?

I think a good alternative is to keep the exclusives exclusive, but for popular characters to later re-release the same character in a different print - like has been done with Green Lantern. That way general collectors get to have all the superheroes (or whatever range) they want in at least one form and the real collectors still get something special to aim for.

But then, I'm also for keeping things like Marina Bay Sands in the architecture range special to the location, and not having it available worldwide at the touch of a button. Same with even little poly bags like the New York Taxi. Keep it exclusive to NY and it is a little more special (I know they later appeared at US TRU stores).

And what is your opinion about this latest development:

http://imgur.com/a/3yVmX

Edited by agoodfella

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Exclusivity and rarity make collecting fun. If every figure would simply be purchasable online it becomes to easy... Before the internet exclusivity was easily achieved by distribution limitations, serious amounts of money needed to be spent to travel to, or arrange for it to be sent, a store that had the one item missing from your collection. The internet vaporized this natural form of rarity and exclusivity.

Take for example the sets that are labeled "exclusive" or "hard to find". These labels are nothing more than a marketing tool, every person with even a minor internet connection can order any of these sets online.

Now how does Lego keep us interested in collecting specific Lego themes. Exactly, artificially create rarity and exclusivity by handing out true "exclusives" at events (comicon, factorytour, etc..) or limited production runs like the 41999. Now we the collectors need to travel to these events, or be online at a specific time, to have a chance of obtaining that one rare minifig or set.

I understand your frustration of not being able to acquire these true exclusives. But this is just the way things are now...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Exclusivity and rarity make collecting fun.

For the few able to get the rare exclusives, perhaps. However, I haven't yet encountered anyone who wasn't able to get a figure they really wanted and was happy about it, saying, "Wheeeeee! I'm so glad my favorite character has been designated as something to be made available only as an SDCC exclusive, forever locking me out of getting one! Imagine how dreadful it would be if I'd actually been able to get it!" But I don't know; perhaps this is something you hear every day, six times before breakfast...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Exclusivity and rarity make collecting fun.

Now this is some Grade A+ corporate shilling. Just saying something doesn´t make it real.

I am a big guy for you.

See, I have not grown a millimeter.

Read my first reply and counter those arguments instead of ignoring them like everyone else.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm 100% certain Lego is aware of the issues people have with these.

I'm also 100% certain Lego just doesn't care. They get more out of doing these than they loose. They piss off some Lego fans but the benefits of the marketing probably outweigh that. Many of which are hardcore fans who might cry over this (including me) but will still keep buying Lego.

Exactly! They have no reason to care. Exclusives are created for a reason.

Many toy companies make exclusive toys for the SDCC because it is such a huge event and I highly doubt that TLG is stop being a part of the Con because people are mad that they can't get exclusive figures specifically made for the convention. It would be nice if they made enough to go around so scalping prices are not so insane, but you can't ask them to stop doing the exclusives altogether.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Exactly! They have no reason to care. Exclusives are created for a reason.

Many toy companies make exclusive toys for the SDCC because it is such a huge event and I highly doubt that TLG is stop being a part of the Con because people are mad that they can't get exclusive figures specifically made for the convention. It would be nice if they made enough to go around so scalping prices are not so insane, but you can't ask them to stop doing the exclusives altogether.

All those other companies make their exclusive available to order outside of the con.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For brevity's sake I'm going to just cut out the hypothetical situation I presented. You are right that it is not a perfect analogy, though personally I think it still has some merit. With a prototype, at least, you're dealing with something that was at one point supposed to be made widely available to fans, whereas with these exclusives that was never the intent.

Next, yes, I fully agree with your point about an average fan. I am not an "average" fan. To each his / her own. I choose to be a collector. Are you suggesting that collectors should just shoot themselves in the face for even attempting or aspiring to collect everything in a certain line / theme?

No, of course not. As you say, you choose to be a collector. It's not something you're locked in to doing, and you're free to set different goals for your collection whenever you like. If you think the alternative to being able to get every single item you want (want, not need) is suicide, that's unhealthy, whether you are talking about LEGO or life in general. You are willfully putting your own life in the hands of a toy company that is under no obligation to accept your demands. Making the choice to try and collect a certian thing shouldn't mean giving up the choice to alter your goals according to the circumstances.

Smart? Mature? (all of these things are relative anyway -- smart compared to who? Da Vinci? Newton?). I've met with with heads of states and corporations (without even drooling on myself). I've had an Op-Ed piece published in the New York Times -- I can hold my own.

As I was trying to say, smart and mature compared to a child who has learned that sometimes you can't get everything you want, and you have to take no for an answer. That doesn't mean you have to stop wanting the thing, naturally. There are plenty of things I know I can't have that I would still like to have. Sometimes it frustrates me. But you shouldn't confuse that want for a need, no matter how strong it might be.

I'm not uncomfortable at all. I enjoyed reading your post and you have made some excellent points. I am a LEGO fan and customer first and foremost -- that is common ground that we can all share here. I am a single voice, yes, but one nonetheless. It was not my intention to suggest that my opinion or voice is or should be the default expectation for every LEGO customer. I am merely expressing my (family's) own view (which I might add, has some very good company). I certainly have a right to express that view and I have done so. I am quite realistic about the outcome of my suggestions, but I do have the right to express it and I have.

My main point to the LEGO Group is simply this: the SDCC "Exclusive" system has left a lot of their loyal customers feeling "excluded" and this, in the end, runs counter to everything that LEGO should stand for -- products based on "building" that truly bring people together not pull them apart.

I respect your decision to make your opinion clear, and I appreciate that you were so civil in your reply. I think we are both a little bit frustrated by the way this issue divides the community, but we simply have different explanations for how the problem should be solved (if it can be solved at all). You feel that the LEGO Group should make all minifigures and sets available to every fan who can afford the cost. I feel that fans should learn to admire and respect each other's collections without feeling like their own collections are made less valuable by the existence of items that are, through no fault of their own, not available to them. Sometimes I am also jealous of other people for things they have that I want: a stable job, a loving partner, the means to support their families and friends, the skills and confidence to create things that are beautiful and admired. But I reserve my right not to let those feelings divide me from the people who have things I wish I had for myself. I admire their gifts and their good fortune, but I remain appreciative of the gifts and good fortune I myself am privileged to have, not bitter over those that I lack.

I like collecting things myself — growing up I've collected Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards, BIONICLE sets and collectibles, other LEGO sets, coins, and all sorts of other things. But I do not think it's healthy for fans to set goals for themselves that they cannot change or control. Even if the LEGO Group did try to make all products available to anyone who could afford them, there's always the chance that you might one day find yourself unable to get a complete collection, due to financial trouble or other factors outside your control. And in that case, you have to be able and willing to adjust your goals to be more realistic. Collecting should be a fun hobby, not a burden, and when people treat a 100% complete collection as the only collection worth striving for, I feel they set themselves up for frustration and disappointment.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All those other companies make their exclusive available to order outside of the con.

That's... not true. As a member of the My Little Pony fandom I know for a fact that Hasbro (Lego's second biggest competitor) does no such thing with their exclusives. And I'm sure the same applies to several other manufacturers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All those other companies make their exclusive available to order outside of the con.

This is not true, at least is hasn't been before this year. It may be true for some companies, but defintely not all of them...

I collect Hasbro 25th anniversary(2007 and up) Carded G.I. Joe figures and I have had to pay high prices on every SDCC exclusive figure (2 different ones per con, a common figure and a rarer variant of that figure) because that was the only place that you could get them.. They were never sold anywhere else other than online stores like Big Bad Toys who also sold them at high prices...

Now I know that this year there is some SDCC set that is also going to be able to be purchased at some point in the future as a Toys R Us exclusive...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hasbro has had GI Joe SDCC exclusives in the past on their website shortly after SDCC.

Mattel and Hasbro both offer their exclusives after the SDCC on their website.

NECA has already sold their SDCC figures twice online this week.

A lot of these companies even offer preorders for their con exclusives.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The easiest solution is actually to stop setting unreasonable goals for your own collection. If owning every minifigure isn't realistic for you, why pretend that it should be? Nobody ever told you that you're entitled to a complete collection. LEGO is an expensive hobby. Many LEGO fans wouldn't even be able to afford every single minifigure released in sets.

I don't believe his letter carries any sense of entitlement.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.