75098 Assault on Hoth

[TheBrickHitHouse]

Still puzzled that £275 gets you 4,600 bricks if the IP is Ghostbusters but when it's Star Wars you get substantially less...

This set needed to have been 4,000+ bricks and chucking an extra £50 on the price tag seems to make more sense than charging £230 for surprisingly little content...

Edited February 28, 2016 by TheBrickHitHouse

[Markalus]

Still puzzled that £275 gets you 4,600 bricks if the IP is Ghostbusters but when it's Star Wars you get substantially less...

This set needed to have been 4,000+ bricks and chucking an extra £50 on the price tag seems to make more sense than charging £230 for surprisingly little content...

Yes it would have made sense for a UCS set aimed at AFOLs. But that is where the problem lies; its clearly a mega playset for kids and I think they are going to have a hard time selling it to parents at this price as it is! Maybe they should have released it towards the Christmas buying period and released an actual UCS set for the April/May period; traditionally when many adult SW Lego fans make big purchases to take advantage of the May 4th promotion.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Markalus

[Matti]

This set is picking up far more controversy than i thought possible at first. Not only here, but in every single forum i've read… I think it is interesting

But i think that my real interest in this by now, is how Lego would respond to these reactions. Even just hypothetically..

[BigEl]

This set is picking up far more controversy than i thought possible at first. Not only here, but in every single forum i've read… I think it is interesting

But i think that my real interest in this by now, is how Lego would respond to these reactions. Even just hypothetically..

My best guess: They simply dont and if they get directly confronted with it just deny any controversy about it. Would seem like a fitting reaction for a company such as Lego...

[Midlife-crisis]

I´m planning a small moc of hoth i don´t own any hoth related Minifigures or Sets yet, exept Luke Skywalker hanging down my motorized AT AT.

This set dont look like an UCS, more like a playset but with this set i could buy a bunch of minifigs, don´t know if i will use "the rest".

If i would buy all minifigs with shipping cost let´s say from 4 different sources it sure sums up to 100€?

hmm

[Matti]

My best guess: They simply dont and if they get directly confronted with it just deny any controversy about it. Would seem like a fitting reaction for a company such as Lego...

But then again; Denying any of the controversy that appears around this UCS-set, which is face-front served to you just about everywhere you look, would be a strange reaction from a company with their status.

Not that i expect any statement from their side. Last time Lego hit controversy, was the Wall-E neck-joint-thingy. They pulled back the kit and that was just based on a poor assembly. In my eyes this case is a lot more serious. We are talking a UCS set with an enormous price tag which doesn't even fit in its own category. A frighteningly poor value-for-money case

I guess the real interesting thing is to see how this will sell. Money talks :)

[Robianco]

And if they reach their sales target then any of the negativity however constructive or warranted will mean very, very little.

[analogkid81]

I wouldn't expect any statements from Lego about the "controversy." It is coming no matter what - I'm sure it's already in production as we speak. What they will look at are the sales numbers, they are a business after all.

If it sells really poorly, that will probably effect future UCS decisions. If it sells really well, expect the trend of UCS play sets to continue. Hey, maybe we will finally get a proper Bespin play set if this trend continues ;)

[Matti]

I wouldn't expect any statements from Lego about the "controversy." It is coming no matter what - I'm sure it's already in production as we speak. What they will look at are the sales numbers, they are a business after all.

If it sells really poorly, that will probably effect future UCS decisions. If it sells really well, expect the trend of UCS play sets to continue. Hey, maybe we will finally get a proper Bespin play set if this trend continues ;)

[jrscientist]

Hahahaha! Touche!

[lomis]

For those of you planning on getting 75098: Assault on Hoth, will you also purchase 75138: Hoth Attack if you haven't already?

I'm finding it hard to justify buying 75138 myself - knowing that 75098 basically covers it all.

[bountybossk]

For those of you planning on getting 75098: Assault on Hoth, will you also purchase 75138: Hoth Attack if you haven't already?

I'm finding it hard to justify buying 75138 myself - knowing that 75098 basically covers it all.

I bought 75138 because of the new Hoth Han. I assumed they wouldn't include the exact same fig in 75098... Thanks LEGO :|

I will not recommend this set. And this is coming from someone who really likes the Hoth scenes and the minifigs (snowtroopers and rebels). The value for money is just really bad.

[appiah4]

At this price, and this quality, this set will tank. Hard. Wait for the clearance sales.

[hinc94]

Why don't they update the helmet visor like they did to Poe's one in 75102?

[Lobot]

I've just found a copy available on Ebay (link).....it almost makes the UK RRP seem quite reasonable

I'm still in two minds about buying it on 4th May; it just seems ridiculously expensive, even for a LEGO set.

[belkor]

Geez the b.i.n price is £640. I'm always amazed by the prices some people hope for.

[Flandy]

especially when if you want it cheaper you just have to wait 3 weeks and save two thirds! People are dumb.....

[analogkid81]

Not only cheaper, but will get double VIP points and an exclusive May 4th minifig.

Still on the fence about the set. Guess I'll wait for reviews once actual fans get it in hand.

[Forresto]

Not only cheaper, but will get double VIP points and an exclusive May 4th minifig.

Still on the fence about the set. Guess I'll wait for reviews once actual fans get it in hand.

Exclusive shoulder pockets more like

[randomwalk]

It comes as no surprise to everyone that 75098 (Assault on Hoth) has departed remarkably in the wrong direction from the standard we are used to seeing in UCS sets. Universal complaints have arisen regarding its price, the fact that it is just a "4-in-one" collection of mini-sets, unworthiness for the UCS label and the seeming lack of effort in design and product execution. As adult collectors, we crave large, detailed and iconic representations of vehicles or objects that step beyond the standard playset designed to entertain kids. In the almost 9 years since the initial release of the 10179, we have witnessed an enormous drop in the UCS "brand" in terms of quality.

Therefore leading to the following question: What went wrong? Does anyone with some bit of inside information know anything about why this set was produced? Is this a 1-time anomaly that they messed up, or is this a deliberate decision that is the beginning of a new style of "UCS" sets that are actually designed for children?

I don't know the answer, but here are some plausible ideas:

- We as AFOLs are oblivious to the actual purchasing patterns of the vast majority of Lego consumers (children). Based on market research, TLG has concluded that it is more cost effective to make these N-in-1 playsets rather than large 1-in-1 vehicles we are accustomed to. They have just slapped on the UCS label as a marketing tactic. Alienating the AFOL community is just a necessary evil in increasing their profits.

- Disney has influenced the product design, pressuring TLG to make everything kid-friendly and ensure that anything with the Star Wars label ruthlessly pursues the bottom line.

- Due to lack of organization or time, they hastily decided to rush this set through, without any thought. (Possibly something similar to the 10249 Toy Shop incident)

- (Unlikely) The designers (including BrickCommander), came up with the designs for this set. I can't imagine why any self-respecting UCS Lego set designer would come up with an actual design like this. Watching the design video suggested that they are just doing their job, and inside they probably want nothing to do with this set.

Unfortunately, looking at the trend of new UCS sets (e.g. 75098) and new modulars (Brick Bank and Detective's Office), I am fearing that TLG is alienating us AFOLs, with cheesy play-features, inflated piece counts (by including hundreds of tiny pieces), and rising prices. What ever happened to the days of Cafe Corner and 10179?

[analogkid81]

Idk, the Slave 1 and TIE Fighter were pretty good and they just came out last year. I wouldn't call the end of days for the UCS line just yet.

This is definitely an odd choice for a UCS set however. If they released this thing without the UCS badge there would be much less of an uproar. I think TLG knows they messed up with this one and hopefully the rumored Snowspeeder and Death Star sets will put the line back on track.

[BimmerBoy]

Assault on Hoth is a dud, but Star Wars UCS has generally been good since 10179. Slave 1, Imperial Shuttle, TIE Fighter, Sand Crawler and so on.

There have been some super hero sets of great quailty (Batman Tumbler, Helicarrier, Ghostbusters HQ).

Cafe Corner looks nice outside, but the unfinished inside is disappointing compared to newer Modulars. All those little pieces may not add size, but they add detail...

The Creator cars (VW van, Mini Cooper, Ferrari F40) are really nice if you are a car enthusiast.

Lego made a mistake with Assault on Hoth, but Lego has not lost their way in my opinion.

[Forresto]

Lego has hardly made a with the UCS up until now. I think if the Death Star turns out to be abysmal then we should all have the right to be concerned but as it stands, there isn't enough for there to even be a trend yet.

[Risgrynsgrot]

I think that LEGO messed up on both 75098 Assault on Hoth aswell as 21128 The Village being playsets, both being really expensive sets but too ugly and messy to be a good display piece for an adult, and way too expensive for a kid to get as a birthday or christmas gift.

[eldiano]

What if the designer just made this set first then planned on releasing the smaller sets?