Are the Creator Expert trains finished?

[Redimus]

Admittedly I was thinking more of the instore PAB, however, I built my first loco using the online PAB as much as I could. It was hellishly expensive. PAB might be marginally cheaper in store, but then you go back to the complete lack of availability.

My latest project is a lot more complex, and uses a lot more rare parts. Not wasting my time and money on PAB.

[Bartosz]

Kind of OT, but I chime in regarding couple of the last messages here - I fit into this situation. I don't really crave for newer train sets from LEGO. I've missed almost all of them, and all I'd like to, is to have a nice way of somehow rebuilding/buying those without spending a fortune. 

So far got only tiny success with bricklink (no pretty, because I tried to not go overboard with budget) - I managed to recreate one loco and only two (simplest) wagons from a set (4564)...

For me having some nice source of parts would be dream, but I find PAB to be expensive, and lacking rare parts (it's old stuff were talking about).  Kind of lost case :(

[zephyr1934]

On 12/17/2018 at 1:43 PM, fred67 said:

@TeriXeri, exactly.  PAB is not a substitute for a "trains" pack - it's tedious and expensive and, yes, you might end up with parts you don't need, but that's how most of the creative boxes work anyway.

Sadly that was not the case at the launch of the online PAB, it launched concurrently with the hobby train. Since all of the parts were readily available and no one had any need to part out all the red bricks in the set, the set sold dismally. Sigh.

[sed6]

No PAB for me, except what's on the wall at my local store. Bricklink is my go to for buying Lego for my MOC's, I have over 100 orders in the last 15 months!

[Digger of Bricks]

I've proposed this a few other times before elsewhere in the past, but I think Lego should try a more affordable Creator Expert L-Gauge locomotive based upon a smaller type of engine, such as a British Tank Engine or Shunter Diesel. Even better, how about making such a set a Three-In-One build, with the main construct being the locomotive/engine and its two alternate builds that of rolling stock? Plus, the set could exclude track, or it could just throw in two straight track for display purposes. 

You see, with a set like that, I believe it could be a win-win for both kids and AFOLs. Just think about it, such a set would likely come in at a price range of only $49.99 to $69.99, multiples could be easily bought for those wishing to buying extras for the alternate rolling stock builds, and the inclusion of only two straight tracks for display purposes means no excess curved tracks that would otherwise come in a track pack! Also, I believe many kids may find such a set appealing if they'd grown up with Thomas the Tank Engine, finding British Tank Engines the most endearing type of locomotive they grew up with and loved. 

[Pdaitabird]

1 hour ago, Digger of Bricks said:

I've proposed this a few other times before elsewhere in the past, but I think Lego should try a more affordable Creator Expert L-Gauge locomotive based upon a smaller type of engine, such as a British Tank Engine or Shunter Diesel. Even better, how about making such a set a Three-In-One build, with the main construct being the locomotive/engine and its two alternate builds that of rolling stock? Plus, the set could exclude track, or it could just throw in two straight track for display purposes. 

You see, with a set like that, I believe it could be a win-win for both kids and AFOLs. Just think about it, such a set would likely come in at a price range of only $49.99 to $69.99, multiples could be easily bought for those wishing to buying extras for the alternate rolling stock builds, and the inclusion of only two straight tracks for display purposes means no excess curved tracks that would otherwise come in a track pack! Also, I believe many kids may find such a set appealing if they'd grown up with Thomas the Tank Engine, finding British Tank Engines the most endearing type of locomotive they grew up with and loved. 

THIS!!! TLG, why have you not hired this man?

[Digger of Bricks]

I should add, for those who may figure that Creator's Three-In-One line couldn't give us a set with the quality of Creator's Expert line, just look at a couple "flagship" Three-In-One sets from previous years that sat within a similar price range:

[Redimus]

Both are really great sets, which provide some good generic pieces, but not much use for train fans.

[Hamster]

This would be a good idea Creator 3in1 train sets. Why ist the theme train at Creator not existent? James Mathis desingned a wounderful modular train with Wagon. Maybe the train as one set and the Wagon as a second. But instead we get more houses, cars and planes.

[Digger of Bricks]

4 hours ago, Redimus said:

Both are really great sets, which provide some good generic pieces, but not much use for train fans.

I was only using those two sets to illustrate what kind of construction quality can be expected from Creator's Three-In-One line, as a locomotive under the line wouldn't at all be lackluster I feel. 

4 hours ago, Hamster said:

But instead we get more houses, cars and planes.

Understandably, all themes recycle or revisit popular subject matters of theirs every couple years, but the ruts the Creator Three-In-One line stays stuck in greatly frustrate me. I mean, come on, Creator is definitively Lego's most unrestrained theme, and why they don't take it to infinity and beyond is, well, beyond me. 

[CSW652]

On ‎12‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 12:49 PM, Hamster said:

This would be a good idea Creator 3in1 train sets. Why ist the theme train at Creator not existent? James Mathis desingned a wounderful modular train with Wagon. Maybe the train as one set and the Wagon as a second. But instead we get more houses, cars and planes.

I like this idea of Creator 3 in 1 train sets.  Wish Lego would do something like that.

[Bartosz]

1 hour ago, CSW652 said:

I like this idea of Creator 3 in 1 train sets.  Wish Lego would do something like that.

Someone pitch this to be heard in the right places by right ears :) ?

Obviously here we'd like that :)

[Digger of Bricks]

3 hours ago, Bartosz said:

Someone pitch this to be heard in the right places by right ears :) ?

Obviously here we'd like that :)

Well, @zephyr1934 is a LUG Ambassador... 

[zephyr1934]

18 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Well, @zephyr1934 is a LUG Ambassador... 

Well, former ambassador really, it has been at least 5 years. I believe I did lobby for a 3 in 1 train set, and I made lots of arguments for trains. That's where I heard of Lego's concern to keep the number of SKU's down. I would think what is the problem with having a collection of slow moving sets that only sell from S@H, but presumably they have run the numbers and figured out the necessary return per sq ft of shelf space in the warehouse. I also argued for Lego to include train parts in other sets, which they subsequently did, but I have no idea if my input had anything to do with that decision (they never really told us what they liked or did not like, in some ways we were a big focus group).

One of the biggest problems with trains is the fact that they vary so much from one continent to another, e.g., what sense did the Super Chief make in Europe or the Horizon Express in the US? I liked and bought both, but for random person off the street why would you buy a train that does not look like any trains in your country? If you dig through the EB threads I think I've argued several times that a 3 in 1 set could overcome this big problem, have a US loco, and European loco, and maybe a generic car that someone anywhere in the world might want a dozen of (yes, there are other countries than those found in Europe and America, but many other countries have designs from one of these two sources... and of course next round, pick a design from another region, these are just hypothetical examples).

[Hamster]

Why not a generic lokomotive and generic cars? It has not to be a specific model. For the customer from the street it is enough when he sees a steam lokomotive or a passanger car. The Afols then can use the parts to build their specific models.

[Bartosz]

3 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

One of the biggest problems with trains is the fact that they vary so much from one continent to another

That's true, although one got to wonder how big of a problem it is. That is - whether it really irks a casual buyer to buy something that resembles more closely something that's used across the ocean? I must admit, that myself, I've never been a fan of 60052 for example, and probably the more you go "nuts" with your train passion, the more it might be a problem, but in general...who knows?

 

37 minutes ago, Hamster said:

Why not a generic lokomotive and generic cars?

Yeah, maybe for wider audience a loco is just a loco...

[Digger of Bricks]

5 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

One of the biggest problems with trains is the fact that they vary so much from one continent to another, e.g., what sense did the Super Chief make in Europe or the Horizon Express in the US? I liked and bought both, but for random person off the street why would you buy a train that does not look like any trains in your country? If you dig through the EB threads I think I've argued several times that a 3 in 1 set could overcome this big problem, have a US loco, and European loco, and maybe a generic car that someone anywhere in the world might want a dozen of (yes, there are other countries than those found in Europe and America, but many other countries have designs from one of these two sources... and of course next round, pick a design from another region, these are just hypothetical examples).

Well, that's why I'd initially made the argument for British Steam Locomotives, particularly Tank Engines, as they'd most likely be recognized by a wider audience of kids due to the enduring global popularity of Thomas the Tank Engine. 

[Roebuck]

On 12/4/2018 at 7:49 AM, CSW652 said:

Anyone know if they will continue the creator expert line of trains (Emerald Night, Maersk, and Horizon Express) or are they finished?

Have not read the other 3 pages..

Not finised, but the problem is that cars sell better, so with a limited no of sets they usually pick a car
It is also more likely to get a creator expert train if they can combine it with a other theme, I exspect we will get a D2C Hogwarts exspress next, but probably not next year

[CSW652]

Maybe they could make the Creator train sets so you could make either a European or an American version of a car. Not sure what the third instructions would be though.

Example could be a Hopper set or a Boxcar set that would have the instructions to make either version.  Could probably do the same for passenger service.   

 

[Digger of Bricks]

I should mention, while we're on the subject of train sets with alternate builds, has anyone here forgotten about this set? 

Brickipedia - 10183 Hobby Trains

[Klaus-Dieter]

Brickset lists one of this year's Creator Expert sets as 10269 {Vehicle D2C set}. Since there's 10265 Car as an exclusive car and there for sure won't be another huge car model in the Creator Expert line in one year: Could it be that 10269 is a re-relase of 10194 Emerald Night - or much better a new train?

Btw: I like the idea of a 3 in 1 Trains set, @Digger of Bricks! I could even imagine that a Creator Expert set contains three different options to build - like you mentioned with the set 10183 (which I personally don't like since it looks too rudimentary - but there days TLG would for sure design it much more accurate).

[Eaglefan344]

16 hours ago, Klaus-Dieter said:

Brickset lists one of this year's Creator Expert sets as 10269 {Vehicle D2C set}. Since there's 10265 Car as an exclusive car and there for sure won't be another huge car model in the Creator Expert line in one year: Could it be that 10269 is a re-relase of 10194 Emerald Night - or much better a new train?

Btw: I like the idea of a 3 in 1 Trains set, @Digger of Bricks! I could even imagine that a Creator Expert set contains three different options to build - like you mentioned with the set 10183 (which I personally don't like since it looks too rudimentary - but there days TLG would for sure design it much more accurate).

It says 1023 pieces and EN was 1087 so that's a no. Hoping for a new steam engine still though.

[Redimus]

1 hour ago, Eaglefan344 said:

It says 1023 pieces and EN was 1087 so that's a no. Hoping for a new steam engine still though.

Honestly, steam locos are too complex to be a reasonable option for a widely released Lego set. Most lego steam locos are utterly rubbish, and the *VERY* *BEST* *ONE* *EVAR* is also pretty rubbish (although the recent Hogwarts Express loco is good enough to provide a good bed for upgrade). Ask anyone who does steam MoCs, even relatively simple ones, they are expensive and fiddly.

[Digger of Bricks]

On 1/7/2019 at 9:27 PM, Klaus-Dieter said:

Btw: I like the idea of a 3 in 1 Trains set, @Digger of Bricks! I could even imagine that a Creator Expert set contains three different options to build - like you mentioned with the set 10183 (which I personally don't like since it looks too rudimentary - but there days TLG would for sure design it much more accurate).

Most certainly!  Besides better building techniques, I personally would wish to also see such a set be priced a bit cheaper than its 2007 forebearer, thereby being much more accessible to a wider audience through conventional retail stores beyond brand stores and/or online.

[CSW652]

While I like the concept, the problems I see with set #10183 are the instructions for the different models aren't included in the box, to much red, and it's rather expensive to buy now.