2016 UCS Reaction

[bataleon]

Amen brother. The pricing is getting out of control. I know it's ridiculous and the quintessential first world problem, but really, what a rip off!

At the rate we're going it'll be cheaper to buy a 10030 ISD or 10179 MF off eBay than buying a new version from Lego!

[Borex]

I think us being afols also mean that we already have most of the star wars stuff.

Because of it i hardly buy sw sets anymore.

Making playsets will be interesting for people that are new in this theme or just kids (you know, tiny people). Hoth was imho a missed opportunity because they could have made it so much better. But i totally get why they left the DS almost the same. Because it is a cool set.

To get my attention back into star wars they need to release cloud city stuff. And tons of new figures. Jabba henchmen and cantina aliens. And not a set with just one new fig, because i am not doing that anymore.

Edited September 9, 2016 by Borex

[Seltz]

I would love another minifig-scale UCS craft, but I doubt that'll happen.

[ChiefPie]

With Assault on Hoth, I didn't really expect a good UCS Hoth set so when it was revealed I wasn't really surprised except the fact that it looked more like small sets combined into one big set. Some of the minifigures look great and the rest have good printing. Some structures should have had the technic pieces covered. If I had the funds I would buy it mainly for the minifigs and some of the structures.

I didn't really know what to expect with the Death Star. I don't have the original one so I may get this one even though it's more expensive. The minifigures are great. The structure is practically the same. Of course I would have liked something new but oh well.

[Forresto]

The price increase is dissapointing but unlike Assault on Hoth the Death Star UCS is still an amazing set. Its just not a really new set.

[Japanbuilder]

Let the sales speak for the sets I suppose. On their own I think Assault on Hoth is by far the weakest of the two. It is just a play set not a UCS set as the community has understood UCS up until now.

The Death Star set looks great for those of us who do not have it but as with many of the others the price hike for only 200 parts seems way out there. Plus the pricing is odd in every regard. In Europe where the LEGO is produced the pricing ranges by $100s of dollars of difference.

Here in Japan Assault on Hoth opened at more than $600 and the Death Star is going for the equivalent of $1,100 on Amazon Japan. This price will match or be very close to the price at ClickBrick (one of the few LEGO authorized shops in the region). And isn't there a plant in China making LEGO in Asia?

This puts these sets firmly out of the hands of most collectors and are certainly not the prices most parents or kids would be willing to pay for these things. I am not sure what the fairest price would be but right now $400 USD for it seems so dreamy when compared to what I would have to pay if I had the nerve to get it here in Japan ><

Edited September 13, 2016 by Japanbuilder

[VaderFan2187]

I largely agree with you @MaxTube55 about the sets. I feel Assault on Hoth is a bad set: bad for display, bad for play. I feel the only problem with 75159 is that it was a disappointment: it wasn't what the fans expected. They wanted more.

But I don't have 10188 and thus rejoice over 75159. 

[Alien Hand]

Can someone help explain something to me?  I don't want to have to buy 75159 and just want some of the figs.  I realize that there are not many people that will be buying this set to part it out, hence the figures are hard to come by.  But how/why are some of the figures (like black death star droid and Han) relatively much more plentiful on eBay and BrickLink?

[dmarkng]

Maybe you find a friend who might want the set and split it up?

Though I'm not sure the interest in people just getting the set.

[masterX244]

11 hours ago, Alien Hand said:

Can someone help explain something to me?  I don't want to have to buy 75159 and just want some of the figs.  I realize that there are not many people that will be buying this set to part it out, hence the figures are hard to come by.  But how/why are some of the figures (like black death star droid and Han) relatively much more plentiful on eBay and BrickLink?

Not sure but maybe those ones might have appeared in a few more sets

[Robianco]

I've thought for a while that there must be somewhere that sellers on BL are picking up bulk figures. There's a seller with 24 of those Han figures and they certainly didn't buy 24 75159s.

There's a seller I buy from regularly in Denmark and they still manage up update stock of certain figure parts with new parts on figures that have retired. Not sure how they do it... whether they trade for them or whatever... Bellatrix Lestrange for example.

Han is common except for his hairpiece... There is over 90 sellers with Luke Stormtrooper but again, the parts aren't particularly exclusive. The black Protocol Droid is the exception though... Factory leak?

[VaderFan2187]

13 hours ago, masterX244 said:

Not sure but maybe those ones might have appeared in a few more sets

No, Han's body is common and his hair is in the Desert Skiff too, but the Death Star Droid is exclusive to the Death Star.

[Irish437]

On 1/22/2017 at 2:17 PM, Alien Hand said:

Can someone help explain something to me?  I don't want to have to buy 75159 and just want some of the figs.  I realize that there are not many people that will be buying this set to part it out, hence the figures are hard to come by.  But how/why are some of the figures (like black death star droid and Han) relatively much more plentiful on eBay and BrickLink?

I think those figures may be knock offs.  I posted in another thread but I saw a Han Solo that looked legit to me but the guy only wanted $4 for it.  I looked on eBay and you can get knockoffs cheap including the Death Star droid.  I'd be careful.  Trying to figure out if the new Han or his hair piece have any distinguishing marks

[VaderFan2187]

1 hour ago, Irish437 said:

I think those figures may be knock offs.  I posted in another thread but I saw a Han Solo that looked legit to me but the guy only wanted $4 for it.  I looked on eBay and you can get knockoffs cheap including the Death Star droid.  I'd be careful.  Trying to figure out if the new Han or his hair piece have any distinguishing marks

How did I not think of that. What you said is probably right.

Oh how I hate knockoffs.

[Robianco]

I very much doubt they'd be knockoffs on BL. BL isn't the kind of place that has inexperienced Lego buyers picking stuff up and one bootleg figure could ruin a shops rep and ultimately their business.

Bootleg figures don't have Lego stamps anywhere and the plastic is different so they can be relatively easy to spot... also the moulding on some parts can be 'close but no cigar'. Han's new hairpiece seems to be one of these moulds from what I've seen.

The US based seller with 48 protocol droids has a positive rating over 4,000. He won't be selling fakes.

I'm more inclined to say factory leak from somewhere like Mexico (you only have to see what's available on the Mexican Mercadito Lego FB page when waves get released to know that lots of figures are going missing). Sellers in Europe, especially Germany, seem to have a good contact somewhere too.

[Alien Hand]

I didn't know about the Han hairpiece being available in another set - that might explain him.  As for Deathstar droid, I'm thinking perhaps what Robianco mention - maybe someone stuffing their pockets in a factory.  I wish someone would stuff their pockets with Leia or Tarken!