75827 Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters Discussion

[kelceycoe]

You're aware that movie is pretty darn popular... right? I mean, it's not like they're doing a set based on Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. This is Ghostbusters - I reiterate, GHOSTBUSTERS. It still plays in theaters from time to time - I saw it with a huge audience just earlier this year, and it still got a great reaction. And that was a theater-specific screening; it also had general rereleases in both 2011 and 2014. It's the top-grossing comedy of its entire decade, and when adjusted for inflation it still ranks in the top 40 box office grossing movies in history. It was nominated for multiple Oscars and Golden Globes, and it consistently is included on lists of greatest movie comedies ever, frequently in high rankings. There are still legions of fans; I frequently see huge numbers of Ghostbuster cosplayers at DragonCon each year.

The fact that the movie is over 30 years old is as irrelevant to this set's commercial prospects as the number of folds in the napkin closest to you. Star Wars is seven years older than Ghostbusters; by your criteria, that would make it automatically a colossal disaster, and clearly it's been draining LEGO all these years and bringing it close to bankruptcy. Do you think that's the case?

If the set fails it'll be simply because it's so super-expensive; there are plenty of people who'll want it but just can't afford it. But I unconditionally guarantee you there are plenty of Ghostbusters fans.

As for "not so detailed", I wonder what your basis for comparison is. I have a hard time thinking of any LEGO set ever released that's more detailed than this one. It's lavish with detail.

Let's not forget to mention GHOSTBUSTERS is WAY MORE POPULAR than Scooby Doo and the Scooby Doo sets are OVERFLOWING store shelves AS WE SPEAK thanks to TLC pulling a bad marketing plot and releasing only a few sets in the beginning to give the illusion they'll "sold out" when really they "didn't make enough." Yea, probably also so many didn't go to waste LIKE THEY ARE NOW JUST SITTING ON THE SHELVES UNSOLD!!!!

[Fuppylodders]

So... Youre saying that a set that is least popular isnt selling well... Which is reason that a set more popular will also not sell well?

That makes no sense whatsoever. At one end of the scale, there is scooby doo. At the other end, there is star wars. GB will fall somewhere inbetween. And im sure that it will sell *well enough*.

[thedudeabides]

Anyone interested in the popularity of Lego Ghostbusters should search through the Sony hack documents, which shows just how many Ecto-1 sets sold ... that is why the HQ is being put into production.

[Heppeng]

So... Youre saying that a set that is least popular isnt selling well... Which is reason that a set more popular will also not sell well?

That makes no sense whatsoever. At one end of the scale, there is scooby doo. At the other end, there is star wars. GB will fall somewhere inbetween. And im sure that it will sell *well enough*.

No, he was being Sarcastic. Scooby doo, the 'least popular' is in fact selling so fast that Lego cannot always keep up with demand, so goodness knows what this means for Ghostbusters...

[Fuppylodders]

No, he was being Sarcastic. Scooby doo, the 'least popular' is in fact selling so fast that Lego cannot always keep up with demand, so goodness knows what this means for Ghostbusters...

I completely missed the sarcasm.. Im still finding it difficult to see it... Even the capital words dont seem like sarcasm, just making clear certain points :s

Maybe i need a new sarcasm detector :(

[dr_spock]

Eurobricks have a set of appropriate emoticons that can be used to avoid misunderstanding or confusion.

[KlodsBrik]

Eurobricks have a set of appropriate emoticons that can be used to avoid misunderstanding or confusion.

LOL .... I so need to use that emote more often as i know my humor is screwed.

That said, i also hate the back of the GBHQ. But its understandable it had to be done like that in order not to make the build a 1000+ bricks more. And indeed everyone would like the Ecto-1 to fit in it also. I would however have liked some 100+ more tiles. Not to completely tile all floors, just to make the carpets a little bit larger.

I think that would have made the set look more complete for me.

Dont get me wrong, i love the set. And it holds an insane amount of usefull bricks. The pricetag is huge offcourse. Look at all the bricks in it. And theyre not all tiny pieces.

This set is HUGE both in usefull pieces and in larger pieces. If Marcos hadnt been using all those 2x5 and 6x5. Make a count on it. The set would have ended up with an even insaner amount of pieces and the pirce would have risen even further.

Hide the back, enjoy what you actually get. Or dont buy it.

Its your choice indeed, and LEGO will learn from this, being its a succes or not.

Edited November 19, 2015 by KlodsBrik

[Dan-147]

I'm a huge Ghostbusters fan and I really want this set. Just before it was announced I was seariously thinking of bricklinking the Swiss Ghostbusters set.

It will stretch my budget but I hope I can make it work, especially if it's available for at least a year. As for the back wall and minimal tiling, eventually I intend to address these issues but I will spread it over time so that my budget can catch up. At least it will be complete from the get-go.

One thing I want to do is to mount Peter's and Jennine's desks on a 16 x 16 baseplate so that they are easier to remove when Ecto-1 is in the firehouse. I may even throw in a few of the Swiss Ghostbusters improvements.

Dan-147

[kelceycoe]

No, he was being Sarcastic. Scooby doo, the 'least popular' is in fact selling so fast that Lego cannot always keep up with demand, so goodness knows what this means for Ghostbusters...

Actually, no I was not. I'm speaking for what I am constantly seeing in American stores, I noticed both of you are from England and internationally the properties are likely fairing better, it's just the way that it is, simply because there are more people internationally than in America and LEGO sets are not as easy to come by as they are in America. But here in America every Walmart/Toys R Us is fully stocked with Scooby Doo sets (and my Toys R Us still has the CMF14 series) and I guarantee you'll find that true for most LEGO stores in America.

Scooby Doo is a "dissolved property" here in America. I spoke all the time in the Scooby Doo thread about why it's not very popular - because the Lego line appeals only to kids and other than the Mystery Machine there's no appeal to adults.

Ghostbusters has had mass appeal - that's the advantage to a PG-13 film. I remember many adults liking the film in the '80s, a time before there were so many "adult children" here in America, so it's more meaningful when working adults in that era liked something that could be mistaken for a kids property. With few exceptions, Scooby Doo has already appealed to kids and the recent attempts to make CG films ultimately fell flat so bad that the sequels were almost all direct-to-video releases. The majority of adults who like Scooby Doo were once kids who watched Scooby Doo. Many of the adults in that era weren't watching kid shows, they were too busy catering to the family establishment here in America. Or at Woodstock, lol.

Ghostbusters is the more popular property and will sell much better than Scooby Doo. TLC won't have to pull any shady tactics by limiting retailers a certain number had they not made the set exclusive to them (and those sets almost always end up sold through online store versions of major storefronts like Target & Walmart) so that online review sites could claim the sets are selling fast in order to get more people to buy impulsively so they would actually sell.

Add to the fact that the Ghostbusters set has been out over a year and TLC is still promoting it, especially on the Shop's page's Ideas button listed in Products, whereas Scooby Doo was rarely even promoted during Halloween except as a blurb on their Halloween site as TLC chose to focus on heavily marketing their CMF14 line since Halloween items in the retail world are not big sellers outside of the Halloween season (which starts in August for many of them, hence why Scooby Doo was released).

[8BrickMario]

It doesn't have to have a higher rating to be universally popular. Scooby-Doo sold out within its first three days of release. It's calmed down a bit now, because there's a supply. Scooby-Doo has the disadvantage of the only iconic features being the characters and Mystery Machine, which leaves the sets a bit generic in comparison due to the models themselves lacking that recognizable factor.

[Sven F]

I don't want to challenge the popularity of gb, but i still feel this will follow the fate of millenium falcon or more recently town hall. It will be just out of reach for many who will then postpone buying it untill it disappears from shelves when all of a sudden everyone will seem to want it.

[took9]

This would only happen if TLG finished it, add 800pc and sell it for 420€ and limit it at 10000 boxes like the Falcon. This set is maybe historical, because it will mark the end for the enthusiasm amateur desighers at lego ideas. They made the whole Ghostbusters line possible. Thanks to them

[Robianco]

I don't want to challenge the popularity of gb, but i still feel this will follow the fate of millenium falcon or more recently town hall. It will be just out of reach for many who will then postpone buying it untill it disappears from shelves when all of a sudden everyone will seem to want it.

I'd say that the 10179 MF and 10185 Green Grocer are exactly the reason things like that won't happen again. No-one will get 'caught out' with the failure to pick up a set just because it's a little more expensive.

This set isn't much more than the recent Sandrawler... around £30 in total... for something that's a three storey building which has a full interior and 9 minifigures plus three ghosts (not forgetting 1300 more parts). I don't remember this much complaining about the Sandcrawler.

It's also roughly the same price as the Helicarrier... and has around 1500 more parts in it (and a lot more minifigs).

I'd say it'll do just fine.

[6ix]

If you can't afford the GBHQ set, get a third mortgage. Everybody has three mortgages nowadays.

[davidmull]

If you can't afford the GBHQ set, get a third mortgage. Everybody has three mortgages nowadays.

[Blondie-Wan]

This magnificent set represents the last of the petty cash.

[Bustajesse]

The back of the building is being blown out of proportion. The real building doesn't even have a finished back since most of it is attached to another building, and honestly, a lot of the older buildings in New York look dumpy from the back anyway.The back of the LEGO set actually reminds me of the back of the firehouse in California that was used for most of the interior shots in the movies. The great thing about LEGO is you can always customize and mod it yourself.

I'm just thankful this set is even happening. I never thought in a million years LEGO would make a Firehouse, let alone one of this size. It's a day one purchase for me.

If you can't afford the GBHQ set, get a third mortgage. Everybody has three mortgages nowadays.

Lol I see what you did there............

Edited November 19, 2015 by Bustajesse

[legonerd54321]

If you can't afford the GBHQ set, get a third mortgage. Everybody has three mortgages nowadays.

That reference made me feel so funky.

[jaesroe]

LEGO should have produced THIS (LEGO Ideas) version http://www.swissgb.c...tbusters-hq-v2/

I think every AFOL as well as Ghostbusters fan would have bought it instantly - it looks superb, I can't find anything bad with this model, unlike the official LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse HQ set.

Why LEGO, why???

I have also had a high hope since I heard the rumour of GBHQ release by TLG in September because of the superb work of SwissGBHQ.

I do understand and am aware of the fact that Swiss GBHQ has more than 1,000 pieces compared to TLG's GBHQ and due to other realistic reasons such as price tag and other issues, 75827 seems the great outcome that TLG could offer and I am happy to see this set. As said a few times on my previous posts, the jewel of this building is all about interior detail. Well I would not complain about the fact that Ecto-1 cannot be accommodated without removing Janine's desk and cannot open the main door as it opens inwards. But the overall feeling and level of detail of 75827's interior was, to be honest, not as great as I expected...

I know in many ways it may not possible to release Sergio's GBHQ in IDEA label as TLG has already started developing own GBHQ set, but...I still prefer Dark orange coloured building to TLG's dark red and all details of interior of Swiss GBHQ.

*I have just found that this is my 100th posts and now I am Citizen level with blue star hooray!

Edited November 20, 2015 by jaesroe

[joejoe0783]

As a GB fan, I am definitely getting this set. I still have the GB firehouse toy that I played with as a kid. I plan on getting it when LEGO offers double points. Yes, it is an expensive set, but what isn't expensive anymore. I will have to reevaluate what sets I will get next year. My biggest problem with this set is finding space to put it.

Edited November 20, 2015 by joejoe0783

[madgaz]

You know; thinking about it (I've had time to think this week lol :laugh: )

Concerning the Ecto-1; surely we wont need to actually move any furniture unless we want to close the sides of the building?

I mean, what's to stop us from parking it alongside the lockers or at an angle when the building is open?

Sure it would mean that everything's taking up more room than the building footprint would be; but then surely when all the walls are open this is kind of what's happening anyway?

Hope this makes sense? It's still early (ish) here and I can see what I mean in my head... just maybe not translating it well lol :blush:

I'm personally in love with this set! Just wish there'd been something this cool when I was younger!!

Gaz

[rob-ot5000]

Totally agree. Don't know what people are moaning about it's a great set.

For myself, I love the set, with the exception of one quibble. But it's one of the largest quibbles I've had with a set before. Not gonna stop me from getting it, I just thought I'd discuss it with a community of like-minded individuals

If I'm following the discussion correctly, they're complaining about the fact that it has so many pieces that it's unaffordable, and also that it doesn't have enough pieces.

Ha, okay sure, sign me up for both sides

Four. The closest napkin to me was folded approximately four times. I know this wasn't directed towards me, but after reading that I had to find the nearest napkin and count the folds. Then I'd already spent enough time for this post to feel warranted.

Four folds in my napkin.

Carry on.

Beautiful.

The back of the building is being blown out of proportion. The real building doesn't even have a finished back since most of it is attached to another building, and honestly, a lot of the older buildings in New York look dumpy from the back anyway.The back of the LEGO set actually reminds me of the back of the firehouse in California that was used for most of the interior shots in the movies. The great thing about LEGO is you can always customize and mod it yourself.

I'm just thankful this set is even happening. I never thought in a million years LEGO would make a Firehouse, let alone one of this size. It's a day one purchase for me.

I agree. I know I'm making more of the wall than it warrants, but like I said, this is a first for me where I have had such reservations. I'm not used to it! I'm still incredibly stoked that this is A REAL THING, and I will most likely be getting it.

Everybody always throws the "customize and mod" argument out there, but really, it's unfair. Sure, the product encourages and allows creativity, but that's not why I'm buying the set, and people shouldn't give that as a reason for why someone should get over their negative opinions of the way a set is designed. That's the product being sold. Sure, I CAN, but I shouldn't be told I HAVE TO. You know? It's a personal decision, and if you're okay with that, then that's perfectly fine. I'm not. To each his own, but that includes my right to criticize and yet stubbornly not mod it

[x105Black]

But here in America every Walmart/Toys R Us is fully stocked with Scooby Doo sets (and my Toys R Us still has the CMF14 series) and I guarantee you'll find that true for most LEGO stores in America.

They're also fully stocked with City and Ninjago, should we assume they're not selling well? Or could we perhaps consider that they have additional stock in the stockroom and are replenishing the shelves when items sell? That's what I'll do.

Everybody always throws the "customize and mod" argument out there, but really, it's unfair. Sure, the product encourages and allows creativity, but that's not why I'm buying the set, and people shouldn't give that as a reason for why someone should get over their negative opinions of the way a set is designed. That's the product being sold. Sure, I CAN, but I shouldn't be told I HAVE TO. You know? It's a personal decision, and if you're okay with that, then that's perfectly fine. I'm not. To each his own, but that includes my right to criticize and yet stubbornly not mod it

I agree with you here.

LEGO could just start making every set half as big and twice as ugly. Then the only option would be to customize and mod. But the better alternative is that they actually put out a superior product in the box, and then all customizations would be optional rather than necessary to bring it up to standards.

[Bustajesse]

I agree. I know I'm making more of the wall than it warrants, but like I said, this is a first for me where I have had such reservations. I'm not used to it! I'm still incredibly stoked that this is A REAL THING, and I will most likely be getting it.

Everybody always throws the "customize and mod" argument out there, but really, it's unfair. Sure, the product encourages and allows creativity, but that's not why I'm buying the set, and people shouldn't give that as a reason for why someone should get over their negative opinions of the way a set is designed. That's the product being sold. Sure, I CAN, but I shouldn't be told I HAVE TO. You know? It's a personal decision, and if you're okay with that, then that's perfectly fine. I'm not. To each his own, but that includes my right to criticize and yet stubbornly not mod it

It comes down to cost and what LEGO thinks would be profitable. I think it would be safe to assume the designers were given a price and parts count to work with and had to create the HQ within those guidelines. I'm sure the back was not intentionally designed to look awful, but perhaps making it match the rest of the building without sacrificing the interior exceeded the budget? The reality is, most collectors are going to either display it opened or the front facing towards them with the car driving out.

I get that people want perfection, especially at this price point, but I think you need to look at other sets released by LEGO and have realistic expectations. Very few are universally loved and considered perfect out of the box.

I agree with you here.

LEGO could just start making every set half as big and twice as ugly. Then the only option would be to customize and mod. But the better alternative is that they actually put out a superior product in the box, and then all customizations would be optional rather than necessary to bring it up to standards.

To whose standards? Is the finish of the back of the HQ really necessary to the point where the set is neither enjoyable or functional in anyway? Do you get upset looking at the bottom of the Ecto-1 because it doesn't look like the bottom of a real car?

[kelceycoe]

I wanna know how to scale the inside garage is with the car inside looking at the doors open to the inside. Is there enough room people could walk on the left side like Walter Peck did?