LEGO Monkie Kid 2020

[hvader]

"I actually haven’t met a single mainland Chinese who is obsessed with “Journey to the West”. Many just brush it off as “something that an old dude wrote that we have to begrudging learn in Grade 1”."

Is this person actually Chinese? I'm Chinese American and have lived in China for quite a long time. People in China love Journey to the West and it part of a lot of people's childhoods.

Edited May 16, 2020 by HarryVader

[Lyichir]

53 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

I still really don't see the value on the largest sets here, the Monkey Mech (€140 here), and Ship (€170 here).

The only set I'd consider would be the Bull Mech (€80 here) but only at a discount.

 

Don't see the value as in doesn't feel like getting your money's worth or as in just disliking those two sets' designs? Both sets are expensive (more expensive than you'd usually expect a theme to reach right out of the gate), but their piece counts are definitely up there in the range you'd expect of those sorts of prices (a little on the pricier side than Creator Expert sets but cheaper than licensed sets of that price in themes like Star Wars).

[hvader]

3 hours ago, Lyichir said:

In that way, I think that Monkie Kid's approach is well-considered since it can reflect both the ancient heritage and modern society of China, rather than just one or the other.

I second that. I love the idea of combining ancient tale with modern tech. 

Edited May 16, 2020 by HarryVader

[Corydoras]

I doubt LEGO will win over the Chinese market with this series, as the Chinese already have their own series of bricks based on "Journey to the West", and it doesn't look half bad, too:

[Lyichir]

56 minutes ago, Corydoras said:

I doubt LEGO will win over the Chinese market with this series, as the Chinese already have their own series of bricks based on "Journey to the West", and it doesn't look half bad, too:

 

"The Chinese" don't have "their own" series of bricks based on that. An individual Chinese toy company (of which no singular company has market dominance) has one. It's impossible to say whether Monkie Kid will catch on at this point, and as you say it will be in a competitive market. But Lego is entering from a competitive position, with Lego's reputation in the country growing and a lot of work put into tailoring not just sets based on Journey to the West, but an entirely new IP with an animated TV series and accompanying sets, to the Chinese market. We'll have to see how it fares, but give Lego a little more credit than assuming that they don't know there will be competition.

[Vindicare]

Do we know the designers of these sets? I’ve seen a lot comments about them being copies of Ninjago. While I don’t think that’s necessarily true, it could be possible in the sense of taking design cues from Ninjago because they were designed by the same people. 

[doclord]

59 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

"The Chinese" don't have "their own" series of bricks based on that. An individual Chinese toy company (of which no singular company has market dominance) has one. It's impossible to say whether Monkie Kid will catch on at this point, and as you say it will be in a competitive market. But Lego is entering from a competitive position, with Lego's reputation in the country growing and a lot of work put into tailoring not just sets based on Journey to the West, but an entirely new IP with an animated TV series and accompanying sets, to the Chinese market. We'll have to see how it fares, but give Lego a little more credit than assuming that they don't know there will be competition.

Considering the market research LEGO likely did before launching this line I don't think its unfounded that they thought this would be a sound business choice. The only thing they couldn't have predicted was COVID-19 and the resounding (though not the only reason for) anti-Chinese sentiment among many Westerners.

[TeriXeri]

41 minutes ago, Vindicare said:

Do we know the designers of these sets? I’ve seen a lot comments about them being copies of Ninjago. While I don’t think that’s necessarily true, it could be possible in the sense of taking design cues from Ninjago because they were designed by the same people. 

I see similarities with Nexo Knights as well, especially this Hover Horse  

 

[Vindicare]

5 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

I still really don't see the value on the largest sets here, the Monkey Mech (€140 here), and Ship (€170 here).

The only set I'd consider would be the Bull Mech (€80 here) but only at a discount.

 

Take this for what it’s worth, as the price difference likely affects your view...but I found  few sets similar in price recently ti the Monkey King Mech.

Land Bounty from Ninjago: $120(US)-1178 pieces-9 minifigs

Rocket Assembly & Transport $150-1055-8

Newbury Haunted High School $130-1474-8

When comparing those for me, the Mech at $150-1629-6 minifigs is a pretty good value. The mech looks like a pretty substantial build & size.

1 hour ago, TeriXeri said:

I see similarities with Nexo Knights as well, especially this Hover Horse  

Definitely. I saw that head straight away & thought of NK. 

[Fenghuang0296]

So, one question that I haven’t seen anyone mention yet; the trailer they revealed shows a fifth protagonist alongside the four in the sets; a guy in what looks sort of like a kilt with massive glasses. Who is he and why isn’t he in any of the sets?

[Lego David]

Though I can see this line being popular amoug Chinse kids, that harsh comment from Brickset suggests that Chinse AFOLs aren't big on this line... And as a result, they probably wouldn't buy the sets for themselves nor for their kids. 

So yeah, it seems like this line has quite a lot going against it being successful...

[Roebuck]

4 hours ago, Vindicare said:

Do we know the designers of these sets?

https://www.thebrickfan.com/lego-monkie-kid-behind-the-scenes-look/

[Fenghuang0296]

Ooh! I just noticed another detail about the Monkie Kid; the ‘delivery boy’ outfit he has in the Food Truck, Inferno Truck and polybag each also comes with an unprinted version of his headband wig. That’s convenient for customisers like me. 

[Pulp Detective]

4 hours ago, Lego David said:

Though I can see this line being popular amoug Chinse kids, that harsh comment from Brickset suggests that Chinse AFOLs aren't big on this line... And as a result, they probably wouldn't buy the sets for themselves nor for their kids. 

So yeah, it seems like this line has quite a lot going against it being successful...

I highly doubt every Chinese AFOL feels that way.What I think is going to hurt this theme are the prices and the availability of those sets,from what I understand normal retailers don't sell those sets.

[Harkonen]

4 hours ago, Lego David said:

Though I can see this line being popular amoug Chinse kids, that harsh comment from Brickset suggests that Chinse AFOLs aren't big on this line... And as a result, they probably wouldn't buy the sets for themselves nor for their kids. 

So yeah, it seems like this line has quite a lot going against it being successful...

That's just like one individual dude,he might even be a troll as a lot of racism started to grow against China. I think the theme will be a success in China. 

11 minutes ago, LOTR34 said:

I highly doubt every Chinese AFOL feels that way.What I think is going to hurt this theme are the prices and the availability of those sets,from what I understand normal retailers don't sell those sets.

This. I really don't understand why the sets are so expensive in the rest of the wolrd. I wonder if this is more like a test to see how much are people willing to pay...

[Lucarex]

34 minutes ago, Harkonen said:

 I wonder if this is more like a test to see how much are people willing to pay...

Nothing like a global pandemic-induced economic crisis to flunk that test. 

[Pulp Detective]

36 minutes ago, Harkonen said:

This. I really don't understand why the sets are so expensive in the rest of the wolrd. I wonder if this is more like a test to see how much are people willing to pay...

I wouldn't mind those prices if there were cheaper sets to compensate for the expensive ones,the thing is that there is only one relative cheap set and it costs 35 euro.That's also why I hesitate to call this theme "big bang" since those themes have a vast array of sets and prices which makes them more accessible.

4 minutes ago, Lucarex said:

Nothing like a global pandemic-induced economic crisis to flunk that test. 

I'm rather suprised at how Lego didn't delay this theme with everything that is happening.Not to mention with the economic crisis people won't be racing to buy those expensive sets.

[Robert8]

7 minutes ago, LOTR34 said:

I'm rather suprised at how Lego didn't delay this theme with everything that is happening.Not to mention with the economic crisis people won't be racing to buy those expensive sets.

Coronavirus outbreak + High prices + Similarity to Ninjago/Nexo Knights

It all sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it? 

[Pulp Detective]

19 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

Coronavirus outbreak + High prices + Similarity to Ninjago/Nexo Knights

It all sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it? 

It really does  It also doesn't help that MK will be competing against Ninjago,atleast if Ninjago was no more MK would be the only vehicle/mecha heavy action theme in the market but that's not the case.Not to mention that Ninjago is more cheaper.

[MAB]

6 hours ago, Lego David said:

Though I can see this line being popular amoug Chinse kids, that harsh comment from Brickset suggests that Chinse AFOLs aren't big on this line... And as a result, they probably wouldn't buy the sets for themselves nor for their kids. 

So yeah, it seems like this line has quite a lot going against it being successful...

So one person in China says they don't like it and so it will flop?

I would have preferred they did it in a more traditional manner (like Nexo vs Castle), but I imagine sales for that would have been even lower. 

 

[TeriXeri]

9 hours ago, Vindicare said:

When comparing those for me, the Mech at $150-1629-6 minifigs is a pretty good value. The mech looks like a pretty substantial build & size.

True, but right now I'm personally leaning toward the Fire-Stone Mech 968 pieces €70 (+ potential discounts) , so around half price or less compared to the Monkey King mech set.

Of course it's smaller, but I'm almost liking the other Ninjago sets this summer so it'll go better with that theme, would be the first time collecting Ninjago for me as well.

Price to part ratio on the Monkey King Mech isn't the real issue, moreso that it's exclusive to LEGO so no expected discounts (for now).

Maybe I'll eventually pick up the White Horse bike set.

Edited May 17, 2020 by TeriXeri

[Mizyaz]

I think the main problem is that Chinese people don't have the money. Minimum wage there is like 350$. I won't be surprised if it sells better in Europe or US. 

I live in Turkey and the minimum wage is similar here. I know people won't buy these sets. No way. They will probably see 40% discounts before the end of summer like overwatch sets did. And that's mostly because of the prices and not about the sets themselves. 

They might think that the cultural elements might attract some customers but they are more like an insult to the Chinese culture. 

I wouldn't like to see ancient stories of my ancestors to be represented by mechas and teen boys with American accessories. 

If they didn't call it monkie kid and not say thay it's inspired by jttw then it would sell much much better. 

 

[Pulp Detective]

4 minutes ago, Mizyaz said:

They might think that the cultural elements might attract some customers but they are more like an insult to the Chinese culture. 

I wouldn't like to see ancient stories of my ancestors to be represented by mechas and teen boys with American accessories. 

 

I think it varies from person to person.My family is from Russia and I wouldn't mind Lego making a set with a mecha version of Baba Yaga's chicken feet house.

[Corydoras]

13 hours ago, Lyichir said:

"The Chinese" don't have "their own" series of bricks based on that. An individual Chinese toy company (of which no singular company has market dominance) has one. It's impossible to say whether Monkie Kid will catch on at this point, and as you say it will be in a competitive market. But Lego is entering from a competitive position, with Lego's reputation in the country growing and a lot of work put into tailoring not just sets based on Journey to the West, but an entirely new IP with an animated TV series and accompanying sets, to the Chinese market. We'll have to see how it fares, but give Lego a little more credit than assuming that they don't know there will be competition.

Actually, now that I've searched more thoroughly, there seems to be several such series from different Chinese companies, including some brickheadz-style buildable figures.

[doclord]

Feels like a lot of people want this line to fail.