Has the LEGO group released too much 18+ sets this year?

[White Phoenix of the Crown]

35 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

They are not rated as 18+, they are marketed as products for those over 18. So, Not A Kids Toy so that an adult would not feel like they are purchasing a childish thing. The 18+ sets are implied to be premium products, items for the grown-up who has a fondness for LEGO, an art project or item for a hobbyist. 

Just a marketing gimmick.

Thanks you.

[JintaiZ]

45 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

They are not rated as 18+, they are marketed as products for those over 18. So, Not A Kids Toy so that an adult would not feel like they are purchasing a childish thing. The 18+ sets are implied to be premium products, items for the grown-up who has a fondness for LEGO, an art project or item for a hobbyist.

Just a marketing gimmick.

It's pretty much something that adults would enjoy, but teens won't enjoy much. Right?

8 minutes ago, Ragana9289 said:

Thanks you.

But that's not all. As far as playability is concerned, there's more fitting sets out there.

[MAB]

6 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

It's pretty much something that adults would enjoy, but teens won't enjoy much. Right?

No, wrong. Teens will enjoy them. The point is that the 18+ badge won't put teens off but a 12+ / 16+ badge does put (some) adults off. As already said, it is marketing.

[Toastie]

24 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

It's pretty much something that adults would enjoy, but teens won't enjoy much. Right?

I believe it is pretty much what adults (when amenable to marketing tricks) makes them feel good. Also, it is much easier to convince your wife that you NEED an 18+ set - as it is marked as "adults only" - not even remotely a toy, but a serious, no-nonsense, no-what-LEGO-was-invented-for, no messing around - well - box containing ABS plastic pieces that stick together. Serious stuff for grown-ups. Who know what is going on.

Teens may or may not enjoy the sets - it fully depends on their taste and habits.

Best
Thorsten

P.S.: That's what @MAB said a few seconds ago - his post came in when I pressed submit.

Edited September 15, 2020 by Toastie

[JintaiZ]

6 minutes ago, MAB said:

No, wrong. Teens will enjoy them. The point is that the 18+ badge won't put teens off but a 12+ / 16+ badge does put (some) adults off. As already said, it is marketing.

Not exactly. Most 18+ sets (Except crocodile locomotive and haunted house) are display pieces. And even when it comes to crocodile locomotive and haunted house, I just can't see adults buying the motors just to make it more playable.

 

6 minutes ago, Toastie said:

I believe it is pretty much what adults (when amenable to marketing tricks) makes them feel good. Also, it is much easier to convince your wife that you NEED at 18+ set - as it is marked as "adults only" - not even remotely a toy, but a serious, no-nonsense, no-what-LEGO-was-invented-for, no messing around - well - box containing ABS plastic pieces that stick together. Serious stuff for grown-ups. Who know what is going on.

Teens may or may not enjoy the sets - it fully depends on their taste and habits.

Best
Thorsten

P.S.: That's what @MAB said a few seconds ago - his post came in when I pressed submit.

I, as a teen, enjoy 18+ sets. However, most of them probably wouldn't.

[Toastie]

5 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

most of them

And how do you arrive at your judgement? By guessing or by evidence?

Best
Thorsten

[JintaiZ]

1 minute ago, Toastie said:

And how do you arrive at your judgement? By guessing or by evidence?

Best
Thorsten

Evidence. I have some friends who like playing with LEGO and only 1 out of 10 people would chose 18+ sets over fun playsets.

[Peppermint_M]

1 hour ago, JintaiZ said:

It's pretty much something that adults would enjoy, but teens won't enjoy much. Right?

But that's not all. As far as playability is concerned, there's more fitting sets out there.

It is beginning to look like you don't fit the 18+ criteria for the sets or this forum.

Any one of the sets marketed as 18+ could appeal to a teen easily. Love Star Wars? The Sith mosaic sets look great as decoration for a room. Things do not need to be played with to be fun or have value. 

Heck, I know people who build their kids nameplates for their room from LEGO and while there is no play value, they love to have it. Their name, in LEGO bricks on their room door! 

42 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

Evidence. I have some friends who like playing with LEGO and only 1 out of 10 people would chose 18+ sets over fun playsets.

And if that statistic could truly match accurately across the population, LEGO have now sold a product to 1 in 10 people in the developed world. That is a very good number for sales of any product! 

[JintaiZ]

2 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

LEGO have now sold a product to 1 in 10 people in the developed world. That is a very good number for sales of any product! 

Then again, 9/10 of them is buying 16+/14+/12+ sets instead...

[TeriXeri]

Does the age on the box really matter that much?

I only look different at sets if they are labeled 4+ (formerly Juniors) as they are simplified on purpose.

As for other sets, I look at the parts/build, not the age "suggestion".

Star Wars helmets / Mosaics are intended as display pieces (in their original builds), but even then, the sets can be built by younger people, and the parts used in anything as well.

Plenty of other 18+ sets can easily function as playsets, including Crocodile, Haunted House, Mos Eisley cantina, they don't even look especially more complex compared to Diagon Alley (16+).

18+ is just a suggestion, not a restriction.

 

Edited September 15, 2020 by TeriXeri

[Toastie]

Just now, TeriXeri said:

Does the age on the box really matter that much?

Not at all, I guess - other than what the marketing folks over at TLG make of it (in terms of cashing in). That is the whole point here, isn't it?

I buy LEGO "magazines" to get hold of a mini-dinosaur cracking through the egg-shell by illumination with some sort of - light. There isn't even a XY+ number on it, as it is marketed for kids at age whatever.

But I feel as if I had made the purchase of my life. I am >>18++ years old.

It does not matter. It is a marketing tool. Well - I believe.

Best
Thorsten

 

[TeriXeri]

12 minutes ago, Toastie said:

It does not matter. It is a marketing tool. Well - I believe.

Exactly how I see it as well. 

Sets were labeled something like 5-12 in 2018, now they just use a + , there's no upper age limit, but not really a lower either (except for the  0-3 small parts warning really)

And even so, I can see kids 4+ easily build 12/14/16/18+ sets at a younger age.

I even read stories here and on other discussions they let their kids under 4 play/build with regular LEGO (likely mostly under supervision but still)

 

Edited September 15, 2020 by TeriXeri

[Toastie]

7 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

The 0-3 small parts warning means more then anything age related on the packaging imo.

Absolutely. And it has become much more of an issue over the last decades.

Same with the XY+ labeling. It is something else, but no real "target" population.

Best
Thorsten

[JintaiZ]

@Toastie@TeriXeri

Right, it doesn't really matter because it's just the way TLG is trying to market.

The real question is that has there been too much good sets released.

[TeriXeri]

3 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

@Toastie@TeriXeri

Right, it doesn't really matter because it's just the way TLG is trying to market.

The real question is that has there been too much good sets released.

Too much is really different per person.

I can see if someone is a Star Wars AND Harry Potter fan and wants all the (big) sets, yes that'll be expensive, with the regular sets, UCS, Diagon Alley and 18+ sets.

 But personally I try to heavily select per set/theme, even if that means avoiding Licensed themes in favor of in-house themes which I generally like more, and even then, there are sets like Barracuda Bay which are awesome but large.

When Nexo Knights was still going, it was the only theme I collected, especially during 2016-2017, and that theme had a lot more then just sets with the books, magazines etc, which are also part of other themes.

Edited September 15, 2020 by TeriXeri

[koalayummies]

52 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

18+ is just a suggestion...

They have to put that on there.

[TeriXeri]

-

Edited September 15, 2020 by TeriXeri

[JintaiZ]

3 minutes ago, koalayummies said:

They have to put that on there.

Not just that. 18+ sets are intended for adults and they won't have to worry that kids won't like it.

1 minute ago, TeriXeri said:

not sure what you mean with that picture (i see LEGO from a movie?), but you mean Star Wars are telling LEGO to market some products as 18+?

What does it say? (The picture won't load on my computer)

[TeriXeri]

Just now, JintaiZ said:

What does it say? (The picture won't load on my computer)

It's some picture from a movie of an attic with LEGO in the background , probably unrelated to the movie itself.

[JintaiZ]

3 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

It's some picture from a movie of an attic with LEGO in the background , probably unrelated to the movie itself.

Sounds somewhat weird to me ?

[Vindicare]

57 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

It's some picture from a movie of an attic with LEGO in the background , probably unrelated to the movie itself.

That’s from the first LEGO Movie where he’s explaining his “toys” to his kid. He says they aren’t toys(not the way he uses them) despite buying them at the toy store. Kid counters by saying it has age XX on the box, to which AFOL dad responds “that’s just a suggestion, they have to put that on there.” It’s completely related to the movie. It practically is the movie. 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Vindicare

[Peppermint_M]

So put a tick in the "not seen The LEGO Movie"  box. The mind boggles that there are people on a LEGO fan forum who have not watched the movie (even out of morbid curiosity). 

The only time there is too much product is when the market cannot support it. Currently, LEGO seems to be in a strong position to start pushing into other less traditional Toy markets and have discovered that there is an audience and an appetite for a product aimed solely at the Adult age bracket. Maybe in a few years time they decide that the branding is not working or those type of products are not selling, so they change.

Basic became Classic. City branding has absorbed what would have once been a distinct sub-theme (Arctic, Mining etc). Things will change again when the current marketing strategy stops shifting product and making sales.

"Too much" is only any kind of issue if you desire to own everything possible. Choices might have to be made on which set to purchase, but deciding what you can and can't get is part of life as an adult. (I would love a brand new Ford Raptor, or maybe a very early Land Rover. Instead, I chose a sensible commuting car that was within my budget and low cost to run.  grown-up stuff) 

[TeriXeri]

19 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

So put a tick in the "not seen The LEGO Movie"  box. The mind boggles that there are people on a LEGO fan forum who have not watched the movie (even out of morbid curiosity). 

LEGO Movie 1 released during my no-LEGO period, so excuse me.

I never watched it (yet), maybe I might now.

1 hour ago, Vindicare said:

That’s from the first LEGO Movie where he’s explaining his “toys” to his kid. He says they aren’t toys(not the way he uses them) despite buying them at the toy store. Kid counters by saying it has age XX on the box, to which AFOL dad responds “that’s just a suggestion, they have to put that on there.” It’s completely related to the movie. It practically is the movie. 

Movie came out during my no LEGO period (2001-2016) , never got around to watching it.

The reason I thought unrelated was because it  reminded me of this Bricks in movies website ( https://bricks.inmovi.es/ ) which collects movie stills of Movies/TV shows with LEGO in them , and there are multiple of them where LEGO is just a background/side decor object.

Edited September 15, 2020 by TeriXeri

[JintaiZ]

29 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

So put a tick in the "not seen The LEGO Movie"  box. The mind boggles that there are people on a LEGO fan forum who have not watched the movie (even out of morbid curiosity). 



The only time there is too much product is when the market cannot support it. Currently, LEGO seems to be in a strong position to start pushing into other less traditional Toy markets and have discovered that there is an audience and an appetite for a product aimed solely at the Adult age bracket. Maybe in a few years time they decide that the branding is not working or those type of products are not selling, so they change.

Basic became Classic. City branding has absorbed what would have once been a distinct sub-theme (Arctic, Mining etc). Things will change again when the current marketing strategy stops shifting product and making sales.

"Too much" is only any kind of issue if you desire to own everything possible. Choices might have to be made on which set to purchase, but deciding what you can and can't get is part of life as an adult. (I would love a brand new Ford Raptor, or maybe a very early Land Rover. Instead, I chose a sensible commuting car that was within my budget and low cost to run.  grown-up stuff) 

I'm not a completist, and I only want 4 sets. But 3 of them are huge sets that will hurt my wallet...

 

16 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

LEGO Movie 1 released during my no-LEGO period, so excuse me.

I never watched it (yet), maybe I might now.

Movie came out during my no LEGO period (2001-2016) , never got around to watching it.

The reason I thought unrelated was because it  reminded me of this Bricks in movies website ( https://bricks.inmovi.es/ ) which collects movie stills of Movies/TV shows with LEGO in them , and there are multiple of them where LEGO is just a background/side decor object.

That makes a lot more sense now! Thank you so much for clarifying!

Best regards,
JintaiZ

[Vindicare]

31 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

LEGO Movie 1 released during my no-LEGO period, so excuse me.

I never watched it (yet), maybe I might now.

Movie came out during my no LEGO period (2001-2016) , never got around to watching it.

The reason I thought unrelated was because it  reminded me of this Bricks in movies website ( https://bricks.inmovi.es/ ) which collects movie stills of Movies/TV shows with LEGO in them , and there are multiple of them where LEGO is just a background/side decor object.

You should definitely watch it. In my totally not bias opinion..........you’re missing out.