83 replies to this topic

[Snark]

lightningtiger, on 04 November 2011 - 01:02 PM, said:

In the great land of Oz our loyalty to Lego must be strong....unless retailers are good...I mean really good at restocking the shelves, they are always full of this Kre-o. Like 'Hewman' stated they don't really transform - you must rip apart to change styles.....a total defeat of purpose eh ?
Even with mass TV coverage, I feel sales have been not so hot.
How has this product sold elsewhere ?

Here in Sydney, they seem to be doing ok. Personally, I've bought a bunch of sets, have gotten a few friends to pick up one or two and I've seen quite a few parents buying them for their kids.

Outside of personal observations, it's difficult to conclusively say exactly how well they are doing.

That said, Hasbro recently posted a solid Q3 growth of 15%, and stated "some" of that growth can be attributed to Kre-O, which would suggest that they are at least selling decently. Given how new entrants to a mature market generally enter with the assumption that they will be operating at a loss for the first few years, the fact that Kre-O contributed to growth at all in its first year probably means it's doing pretty well for Hasbro.

Edited by Snark, 04 November 2011 - 03:12 PM.

[lightningtiger]

So a handful of so-so designs have lifted their profits....I'm not so sure that would be the only reason !
I think Star Wars for Haspro is for Lego a money cow !
Oh, well if one likes Kre-o, their choice...Brick On !

[Peppermint_M]

Over here they have to compete with two national institutions: Doctor Who and The Army.

Really.

Characters two building series are greatly popular, not only Doctor Who, a massively popular tv series that parents recall with fondness and children eagerly watch (very high viewing figures) but also the HM Armed Forces sets, tradeable figures, RAF and Army sets (that I have seen on shelves). Spun of from successful toylines with action figures and action man scale figures. It is an odd news story on families greeting their members back from tours of duty that doesn't have at least one child in the background clutching an army man doll.

Kre-O has to compete with local interests wiht a toy that doesn't actually transform...

[IAmWillGibson]

lightningtiger, on 04 November 2011 - 01:37 PM, said:

So a handful of so-so designs have lifted their profits....I'm not so sure that would be the only reason !
I think Star Wars for Haspro is for Lego a money cow !
Oh, well if one likes Kre-o, their choice...Brick On !

I like the Kre-O kits quite a bit, although I realized about halfway through the process of collecting most of them that I liked them not despite of, but because of the bad design. See, I likes me my LEGO, but I'm also often at a loss creatively, so I really don't do much free building. And LEGO designs are so good most of the time that I build the kit, and am quite pleased.

Kre-O, on the other hand, featured so many frustratingly poor choices, that I'm forced every time I build or rebuild to rework the whole thing. I'm actually getting more building fun out of those kits, 'cause I hafta correct them so much.

So, you know. There's that.

[Snark]

Peppermint_M, on 04 November 2011 - 02:14 PM, said:

Kre-O has to compete with local interests wiht a toy that doesn't actually transform...

From what I undersand, Hasbro made the decision not to have transforming Kre-O so as to prevent competition with their own Transformers line.

Furthermore, I imagine Hasbro has long term plans to bring other Hasbro properties into Kre-O, and are worried about the line acquiring an overly strong Transformers identity.

Ultimately, time will tell whether they made a good decision or not, but as said, for now, they seem to be selling well enough.

As an aside, I really wish the Doctor Who stuff from Character Building was cheaper here in Aus. I nearly wept when I saw the TARDIS mini set sold at a whopping $30 :(

Edited by Snark, 04 November 2011 - 03:10 PM.

[Darkdragon]

Another thread I never would have seen but actually have something to contribute to.

A couple weeks ago at a TRU sale, I bought a bunch of LEGO sets. For some reason the checker gave me a KRE-O promo set. It was in a nice little box that looked like a 2x4 plate. Inside the box was an Optimus Prime figure and a booklet of all the other Transformers sets.  

The plastic of the figure parts was fairly weak, not as bad as MB plastic but nowhere near LEGO plastic. The helmet, however is just great. I really do like it and still have it. It's a little tight on the LEGO fig heads (though it does fit, the eyes on a standard head don't line up), so I also kept the KRE-O head. The KRE-O figure has a lot more articulation than a LEGO minifigure, but this leads to looseness and a strange look to everything. The arms and legs are on ball/socket joints, and the hips are a single elongated stud which means the figure can turn at the waist.

Here's a photo of the helmet+head on a LEGO minifigure body.


Here's a photo of the rest of the body with a LEGO head.

Edited by darkdragon, 04 November 2011 - 03:47 PM.

[Peppermint_M]

Snark, on 04 November 2011 - 03:10 PM, said:

From what I undersand, Hasbro made the decision not to have transforming Kre-O so as to prevent competition with their own Transformers line.

Furthermore, I imagine Hasbro has long term plans to bring other Hasbro properties into Kre-O, and are worried about the line acquiring an overly strong Transformers identity.

Ultimately, time will tell whether they made a good decision or not, but as said, for now, they seem to be selling well enough.

I guess they should have developed some other properties to go alongside as it is already thought of as a transformers toy, it now fills the zone between the action figures and the LEGO and associate compatible brands in most stores I find it in.

Quote

As an aside, I really wish the Doctor Who stuff from Character Building was cheaper here in Aus. I nearly wept when I saw the TARDIS mini set sold at a whopping $30 :(

Wow, it is only £9.99, less with deals ans supermarket competition pricing. Give me a PM if you do really want one.

[trainguy111]

Snark, on 04 November 2011 - 12:51 PM, said:

For better or for worse, Hasbro has stated they only have plans to expend the Transformers Kre-O line for 2012. Given that I'm a big TF fan, that's quite fine by me, but it's still a bit of a bummer that it'll be at least another year before we even have a chance of seeing any Pony Kre-Os.

Do not jump to conclusions. Hasbro could change their minds.

But let us wait and see. Good things come to those who wait. that's what my mom told me.

[Snark]

Peppermint_M, on 04 November 2011 - 03:58 PM, said:

I guess they should have developed some other properties to go alongside as it is already thought of as a transformers toy, it now fills the zone between the action figures and the LEGO and associate compatible brands in most stores I find it in.

Wow, it is only £9.99, less with deals ans supermarket competition pricing. Give me a PM if you do really want one.

Yeah, I guess Hasbro decided Transformers was its only sufficiently viable property for Kre-O for the time being. Probably not a surprise given that at present, Transformers is the only Hasbro owned boys franchise which is really popular. I'm sure they would have loved to include G.I Joe if it wasn't for the fact that the only people who still care about Joe are all above 30.

And in regard to a girls' line such as perhaps My Little Pony, for reasons well beyond me, companies (Lego included) seem very hesitant to really focusing on a girls' line of construction toys.

And thanks for the Who offer! I think I'll be fine for now, but if I'm ever itching for a little plastic Dalek on my desk or something, I'll be sure to shoot you a PM :)

Edited by Snark, 05 November 2011 - 07:23 AM.

[trainguy111]

Snark, on 05 November 2011 - 06:23 AM, said:

Yeah, I guess Hasbro decided Transformers was its only sufficiently viable property for Kre-O for the time being. Probably not a surprise given that at present, Transformers is the only Hasbro owned boys franchise which is really popular. I'm sure they would have loved to include G.I Joe if it wasn't for the fact that the only people who still care about Joe are all above 30.

And in regard to a girls' line such as perhaps My Little Pony, for reasons well beyond me, companies (Lego included) seem very hesitant to really focusing on a girls' line of construction toys.

And thanks for the Who offer! I think I'll be fine for now, but if I'm ever itching for a little plastic Dalek on my desk or something, I'll be sure to shoot you a PM :)

Lego is coming out with Disney Princesses and Friends, and those are girls toys.

Like I said, let's wait and see what happens.

[Snark]

trainguy111, on 04 November 2011 - 09:50 PM, said:

Do not jump to conclusions. Hasbro could change their minds.

But let us wait and see. Good things come to those who wait. that's what my mom told me.

Citing what Hasbro has stated isn't really what one would call, "jumping to conclusions."

Don't get me wrong, I would quite like to see MLP and other Hasbro properties in Kre-O. But it's quite likely the 2012 line has already been planned well in advance, with that line consisting purely of Transformers.

From a business perspective, this makes sense. Kre-O is a new product in a mature market with established competitors. It makes sense to focus R&D and marketing on a single, flagship line. Filling Kre-O with too many divergent themes in a short period of time runs the risk of confusing its marketing and image. Once Kre-O has really established itself, then Hasbro can focus on introducing more themes and licenses.

trainguy111, on 06 November 2011 - 01:19 AM, said:

Lego is coming out with Disney Princesses and Friends, and those are girls toys.

Like I said, let's wait and see what happens.

That's because Lego already made public it's intentions to penetrate the girls' market, way back in early 2011.

That doesn't change the fact that the girls market for construction toys has been superficially catered to, if not outright ignored.

[trainguy111]

Snark, on 06 November 2011 - 11:20 AM, said:

Citing what Hasbro has stated isn't really what one would call, "jumping to conclusions."

Don't get me wrong, I would quite like to see MLP and other Hasbro properties in Kre-O. But it's quite likely the 2012 line has already been planned well in advance, with that line consisting purely of Transformers.

From a business perspective, this makes sense. Kre-O is a new product in a mature market with established competitors. It makes sense to focus R&D and marketing on a single, flagship line. Filling Kre-O with too many divergent themes in a short period of time runs the risk of confusing its marketing and image. Once Kre-O has really established itself, then Hasbro can focus on introducing more themes and licenses.



That's because Lego already made public it's intentions to penetrate the girls' market, way back in early 2011.

That doesn't change the fact that the girls market for construction toys has been superficially catered to, if not outright ignored.

I understand. Sometimes with new toys, you need to start small and then work your way up.


In the meantime, allow me to share one MLP set idea I came up with.

The Canterlot Castle set. It would, in my opinion, include Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Philomena, 2 royal guards, royal carriage, castle, etc.

Edited by trainguy111, 06 November 2011 - 04:17 PM.

[surrideo]

Just caught hold of this topic. Thinking of getting the basic sets as stocking fillers for my kids. For less than £10 surely I cant be going too wrong?
They look reasonable, though nothing like the quality of the toy when I was young lol  

[IAmWillGibson]

surrideo, on 07 November 2011 - 06:24 PM, said:

Just caught hold of this topic. Thinking of getting the basic sets as stocking fillers for my kids. For less than £10 surely I cant be going too wrong?
They look reasonable, though nothing like the quality of the toy when I was young lol  

Prime is okay, but Bumblebee is wonderful.

[Snark]

surrideo, on 07 November 2011 - 06:24 PM, said:

Just caught hold of this topic. Thinking of getting the basic sets as stocking fillers for my kids. For less than £10 surely I cant be going too wrong?
They look reasonable, though nothing like the quality of the toy when I was young lol  

Like WilGibson said, the Bumblebee is far superior to the Prime.

If you are able however, you might want to look into the price class above (Mirage and Jazz). They're not too much more expensive compared to the basic sets, and they come with the little Kreon versions of the bots, which from what I understand, are a pretty big hit with kids.

[surrideo]

Snark, on 08 November 2011 - 12:31 AM, said:

Like WilGibson said, the Bumblebee is far superior to the Prime.

If you are able however, you might want to look into the price class above (Mirage and Jazz). They're not too much more expensive compared to the basic sets, and they come with the little Kreon versions of the bots, which from what I understand, are a pretty big hit with kids.

Thanks for the two replies. I've ordered Prowl and Jazz as they both come with the Kreons and the two were both under £10 on amazon  

[trainguy111]

Did anyone like the idea I posted?

[trainguy111]

And in this link,

http://www.tfw2005.c...ce-call-173574/

they said this:

Kre-O business is focused on Transformers… this year [this may very well mean other Hasbro brands receiving the Kre-O treatment]. It’s off to a great start.

By "this year", they might have meant 2011.

So there is still a possibility for a new toy line in 2012.

And check out my toy ideas page I made on scratchpad wiki featuring Kreo.

http://scratchpad.wi...magic_toy_ideas

Edited by trainguy111, 23 November 2011 - 04:59 AM.

[Aanchir]

According to Bricker.ru, the next property to get the Kre-O treatment is Battleship, presumably to tie in with the upcoming movie.

MLP Kre-o would be awesome (just was welcomed to the herd last week), but unfortunately as mentioned girls' toys and building toys currently have a rather small overlap on toy store shelves.

Then again, there were the Hello Kitty Mega Bloks, and the upcoming LEGO Friends line, so perhaps for whatever reason there's an across-the-board feeling that girl-oriented building toys are worth another shot. In that case, I'd love to see what is dreamed up in the next few years, though hopefully the cute appearances of the characters wouldn't be butchered for the sake of compatibility.

Now, I'm not a big fan of Kre-O and haven't seen anything to convince me that it's a "top-of-the-line" clone brand like Mega Bloks has become in recent years, with unique and non-plagiarized part designs even if they suffer more than TLG when it comes to juniorization. Some of the Kre-O parts seem to try and replicate LEGO parts where it is wholly unnecessary to do so, such as with the curved slopes that greatly resemble those used in Knights' Kingdom II constraction sets. Still, they are also not the slimiest copycats in the industry, and show the potential for improvement if the brand is successful.

[crossmr]

Quote

That doesn't change the fact that the girls market for construction toys has been superficially catered to, if not outright ignored.

Only if you define the "girls market" as pink.

Even if you define the "boys market" as things like castle, pirates, space, star wars, and other "Action" lines, the town line is rather gender neutral, with plenty to cover a more softer, nurturer mindset with things like hospitals, and the like.

That said, Oxford has done a reasonable job with their Hello Kitty line. they've got several decent "girls" sets in that line both in small lego sized blocks and duplo sized blocks.

[Shadows]

crossmr, on 29 November 2011 - 10:55 AM, said:

That said, Oxford has done a reasonable job with their Hello Kitty line.

I still want those ...

[Aanchir]

crossmr, on 29 November 2011 - 10:55 AM, said:

Only if you define the "girls market" as pink.

Even if you define the "boys market" as things like castle, pirates, space, star wars, and other "Action" lines, the town line is rather gender neutral, with plenty to cover a more softer, nurturer mindset with things like hospitals, and the like.

That said, Oxford has done a reasonable job with their Hello Kitty line. they've got several decent "girls" sets in that line both in small lego sized blocks and duplo sized blocks.

Well, that's an argument I've seen a lot. And it's true, shop.LEGO.com has tried to market some City sets to girls, presumably because they seem "unisex" in focus. But with that said, girls are still a very small minority among LEGO buyers, and I expect this holds true for the City theme as much as any other. As mentioned in an interview posted here, girls and boys play with LEGO in about the same frequency within the Duplo age range, but as girls begin attending school and face increased peer pressure to fit predefined gender roles, they tend to stop playing with building toys. And unfortunately those influences are far outside any one toy company's control.

Additionally something I read at one point regarding MLP in specific is that while consumers might not care whether a toy is pink or not, retailers do. This is why the toy of the character Princess Celestia is pink despite that character being white in the show. Retailers expect more stereotypically "girly" toys to sell better to girls, and in many cases they're unfortunately correct.

[sharky]

My only gripes with the Kre-o Sideswipe set

• I would have preferred rubber tires over the all-plastic ones
  
• The stickers were die-cut off center so that the images were shifted on each sticker
  
• The rear area looked rather unfinished with the rear fender piece sticking out

Still a nice effort, and I did like the overall brick quality.  I guess Oxford's history of making construction toys is paying off, but I do prefer the Lego designs more in comparison.  I think the designers need to work on the overall aesthetics of the sets and that should put them even closer to Lego.

I did some searching online with regard to Oxford sets, and I came across some pretty cool looking military sets that they do for the Asian market.  I do hope that Hasbro will continue to develop the Kre-o line with some GI Joe themed sets.

[crossmr]

Quote

I still want those ...

Follow the link in my sig, you can order them pretty cheaply directly from Korea.

Quote

Well, that's an argument I've seen a lot. And it's true, shop.LEGO.com has tried to market some City sets to girls, presumably because they seem "unisex" in focus. But with that said, girls are still a very small minority among LEGO buyers, and I expect this holds true for the City theme as much as any other. As mentioned in an interview posted here, girls and boys play with LEGO in about the same frequency within the Duplo age range, but as girls begin attending school and face increased peer pressure to fit predefined gender roles, they tend to stop playing with building toys. And unfortunately those influences are far outside any one toy company's control.

Additionally something I read at one point regarding MLP in specific is that while consumers might not care whether a toy is pink or not, retailers do. This is why the toy of the character Princess Celestia is pink despite that character being white in the show. Retailers expect more stereotypically "girly" toys to sell better to girls, and in many cases they're unfortunately correct.

Yes and undeniably a lot of little girls like that colour. That said, Lego could go a long way simply by adding things that girls are traditionally interested in. We don't need everything to be pink, but if you take cues from other girls toys and build sets based around those themes, it might help them reach that audience. Like Lego Barbie. Include things like horse ranches, maybe beauty related things.

Quote

I did some searching online with regard to Oxford sets, and I came across some pretty cool looking military sets that they do for the Asian market. I do hope that Hasbro will continue to develop the Kre-o line with some GI Joe themed sets.

see their more or less current line-up here http://oxfordtoy.co....e=10&menu_img=1

[Brickmamba]

i am also one of those huge transformers fans, though definitely spent more on Lego the past few years, tempted to pick up an optimus prime after reading this thread and some of the reviews