10305 Lion Knights' Castle 90th anniversary set

[MAB]

5 hours ago, karrit said:

It the past sets many larger sets that were offered you at a discount were not offered on sale for us.  Sorry I can't recall specific examples to name.  The deals vary by region every time and some big ticket items never get discounted for us.  I'm shocked at some of what I've set listed as supposedly going to be on sale for us in the US this time.  I'll believe it when I actually see the deals posted at LEGO.com on Friday.

I think this is a case of the grass is always greener on the other side (for everyone).

[Roebuck]

55 minutes ago, BrickSP said:

It will be interesting to see what regions get what sets on sale on Friday and if the rumours are to be believed that Lion Knights Castle is North America only

Just simply by watching Lego youtubers videos regarding sales it's obvious the US gets a lot more discounted sets than the U.K

Lego is saying nothing so it could be the same offers everywhere, but only the NA has leaked. It say on the page biggest BF sale ever so we will see what that is about soon.. When we get reports from Australia it is easier to compare it with the leaked NA info

[karrit]

1 hour ago, MAB said:

I think this is a case of the grass is always greener on the other side (for everyone).

Sorry I may have misspoke by saying Europe gets better deals. Having looked at the Black Friday comments for the past two years it looks like Australia was the region with the discounts on some of the big sets that the rest of us didn't get.  I can forgive that a bit because I know their prices are crazy higher than the rest of us.  Just annoys me a bit when these list come out and they don't specify which region and imply that the discounts and/or GWP's should be worldwide.  

On the other hand many of the Amazon deals reported by some in other countries similarly rarely are offered to us and whenever someone reports a great Zaavi deal it isn't available here either.  For much of the year we are lucky to get the 20% off deals at most on occasion from other retailers.  Bigger discounts mostly only occur during clearances or around Black Friday.  And don't forget that your prices include VAT.  Our taxes are added on after the fact and depending on where range anywhere from 0 to over 10% in some areas.  And I do realize that British prices when converted to US Dollars are a bit higher to begin with.  But in general Euro to US dollars usually should be fairly similar.

I also understand that LEGO likes to discount based upon region to promote sales on sets that aren't selling well in some regions verses the regions that are getting better sales numbers but as an international company the discount disparities by region are annoying to all of us.

Even here in the US deals that are reported at other retailers often times vary from region to region as well as from store to store in the same town/city.  About 1/2 the sets people have been finding in their Costco warehouse stores have never been seen in any Costco in my region and I've even looked in several diffferent states when traveling.

I hope the deals that have been rumored for us do end up being available to everyone around the world because it would be nice if it were fairer to everyone.

[Westbrick]

If there’s a 25% discount on the castle in the UK I’d definitely be tempted to get another, depending on what else is included in the sale here. Out of interest, are we expecting what will be in the sale in other regions to leak ahead of Friday? A 2nd castle would be nice, but I want to have a chance to think through priorities!

[Black Falcon]

Comparing the Insider deals Europe didn´t had the best deals - but in the end it always depends on personal preferences, what sets you are looking for. Anyways we neither got 3 or 4 times VIP points on some sets and neither did we get an Black Friday/Insiders Livestream. And if the Galaxy Explorer and Lion Knights Castle are only discounted in the US it will be very hard to beat those offers IMO. But we will have to see what deals in each region we are really getting.

[karrit]

The Galaxy Explorer Black Friday deal through LEGO this year pales in comparison to the deals Walmart ran on it last year.  They mostly sold it for $75 from day one and several times offered it for just $50.  I snagged a second copy one of the times it was $50 & someone mentioned using the special online ordering for pick-up $10 off coupon so I got it for just $40 + tax.  They started selling it for full rrp once the holidays were well over.  Often times their good deals are online only so you have to place the order & either have it shipped or go to a store to pick it up.  Same with Target, they sometimes have great offers online but not in store on most sets.  The Lion Knights Castle deal is the first time it's been offered on discount for us plus it's exclusive to LEGO so that's always a factor. 

I agree with @Black Falcon that personal preferences are also a big factor on whether or not one considers any particular deal to be good or not.  The 3x & 4x points did nothing for me because the sets they were offered on were either something I already own or else not a set I would buy anyway.  I remember a number of years back when each day during Black Friday weekend the offers changed and the deals were really good.  But it was also frustrating if you were trying to meet GWP thresholds & bought something that went on sale the next day.

[jodawill]

Well, I had decided not to buy another one, and I ordered some PAB parts I need to get the little castle promo. But then it went on back order, which means budgeting for the set is a problem for future me.  So I placed another order to get 10305.

In my defense, it does come with two GWPs that I can sell to recoup some of the cost, especially since the Majisto set is so horrible.  Maybe someday I'll sell the minifigures too because I already have way more of them than I'll ever need, but it will probably be hard to do as long as they're on PAB.

I'm excited to build this one again. Of all the "nostalgia" sets we've gotten over the past year and a half, this is the one they really knocked out of the park. It's so satisfying to play with once it's built, especially because of the way it folds up.

[Westbrick]

So, it wasn’t in the uk sale anyway. No 2nd castle for me! Actually very disappointed in the UK sale - not a single set I wanted in it, not even ones I might be interested in if the price was right. 

[Roebuck]

8 minutes ago, Westbrick said:

So, it wasn’t in the uk sale anyway. No 2nd castle for me! Actually very disappointed in the UK sale - not a single set I wanted in it, not even ones I might be interested in if the price was right. 

It was only a decent sale in NA, the rest of the world just got crappy shelf-warmers that collect dust. Hope most people did not order anything from the sale so they learn that we will not buy anything with a Lego logo on for whatever they demand

 I saved a lot of money at least, so now looking even more forward to LEGO® Icons 10332 Medieval Town Square 

[eldiano]

Well 10305 is on back order, if you are on the fence better jump on it now on the US website 🤣

[RichardGoring]

I caved and got a second on sale. Poor form by LEGO that it's only the US. Does that suggest is not been selling well in the US, or that they just feel more compelled to entice purchases in the US?

[Ixen Darastrix]

It was out of stock in australian store before black friday sale even went live, i do not think it would have been discounted, but cannot be mad when tehy dont have any anyway (out of stock, not even back orderable)

[Black Falcon]

Yeah, letting personal preferences aside. US clearly got the best deals. Lion Knights Castle, City of Lanterns, UCS Razor Crest, Chinese New Year sets and other Exclusives while Australia and Europe didn´t got good offers. Just a huge disappointement. The only good thing about it is that I saved a lot money, since with the US offers I might have bough quite a lot...

[Ixen Darastrix]

2 minutes ago, Black Falcon said:

The only good thing about it is that I saved a lot money, since with the US offers I might have bough quite a lot...

Wish i could say the same, been cleaning up my wish list with sales from other retailers, still would have been nice to get another castle on the cheap, but oh well, my bank account is happier

[Artanis I]

1 hour ago, Ixen Darastrix said:

It was out of stock in australian store before black friday sale even went live, i do not think it would have been discounted, but cannot be mad when tehy dont have any anyway (out of stock, not even back orderable)

Everything I want is always out of stock when there's a promotion. Ever since we got our own separate warehouse. Before that, (when it came from Denmark,) the free postage threshold was higher, and it took a week longer for your order to arrive, but at least most sets were purchasable at any time. I wanted the Viking Village. Can't even back-order it!

[Follows Closely]

I ordered another simply because the sale price of $300 minus the two GWP and the VIP bonus; the set cost is mid to low 200s. I should have purchased 10 of them.

[dvw2]

My backorder has unexpectedly resolved! I can't believe how excited I am about this. Add in a few BL orders to restore the missing parts of my old Castle figures (plus some extras), and I'll have quite the healthy contingent to populate the new castle. Of all the sets Lego has put out since I came back into it in 2015, 10305 is the only one that would have triggered clear regret had I missed out. The 80s castle line meant a lot to me (and my wife too, apparently!), and I can't wait to dive into the box. Once I figure out where the heck I'm going to put the castle itself, obviously!

[GeoBrick]

You're going to enjoy building the set, I.m sure. 

[CallMeCarbiz]

On 12/5/2023 at 1:10 PM, dvw2 said:

My backorder has unexpectedly resolved! I can't believe how excited I am about this. Add in a few BL orders to restore the missing parts of my old Castle figures (plus some extras), and I'll have quite the healthy contingent to populate the new castle. Of all the sets Lego has put out since I came back into it in 2015, 10305 is the only one that would have triggered clear regret had I missed out. The 80s castle line meant a lot to me (and my wife too, apparently!), and I can't wait to dive into the box. Once I figure out where the heck I'm going to put the castle itself, obviously!

My Black Friday castle also was shipped well before the 60 days they stated it would. The funny thing was that I added a PaB order so I would get the GWPs. The castle and the GWPs arrived today, but the PaB order is still in the warehouse. 

Now my wife has stolen the castle and will be giving it to me for Christmas. I don't know if I should be excited that I get the castle ~30 days before I thought I would, or disappointed that I won't be getting something else for Christmas?

[GeoBrick]

6 hours ago, CallMeCarbiz said:

Now my wife has stolen the castle and will be giving it to me for Christmas. I don't know if I should be excited that I get the castle ~30 days before I thought I would, or disappointed that I won't be getting something else for Christmas?

She's going to give you the castle for Christmas 2024?! Oh, the horror!!

[CallMeCarbiz]

53 minutes ago, GeoBrick said:

She's going to give you the castle for Christmas 2024?! Oh, the horror!!

lol, no, it will be a Christmas 2023 gift. What I meant to say is that I don't think that she has bought me my main Christmas gift yet this year, and she will claim this is that large gift. She likes to buy me things that are useful, like a 6-in-1 air fryer or something that is more typically associated with what one would give a middle aged adult. 

[Rjbricks]

6 hours ago, CallMeCarbiz said:

lol, no, it will be a Christmas 2023 gift. What I meant to say is that I don't think that she has bought me my main Christmas gift yet this year, and she will claim this is that large gift. She likes to buy me things that are useful, like a 6-in-1 air fryer or something that is more typically associated with what one would give a middle aged adult. 

I have something similar. Yet curiously, if I suggest something functional for her present, it gets shot down…

[woodford86]

So its been a while now, does anyone have a favorite Rebrickable expansion for the castle? I'd like to build one and then build a landscape around the whole thing. Leaning towards this one - I like the tall tower that keeps with the mostly stone castle aesthetic.

[dvw2]

15 hours ago, CallMeCarbiz said:

lol, no, it will be a Christmas 2023 gift. What I meant to say is that I don't think that she has bought me my main Christmas gift yet this year, and she will claim this is that large gift. She likes to buy me things that are useful, like a 6-in-1 air fryer or something that is more typically associated with what one would give a middle aged adult. 

It’s definitely my “big gift,” and I’m thrilled! I think she is too, to be honest. I’m still stunned that she didn’t blink at it. Of course, she doesn’t know she’ll be unwrapping Hocus Pocus, so all will be joy and mirth here.

Meanwhile, my restoration projects continue apace… Now reassembling 10305 Lion Knights Castle from scraps and placing Bricklink orders. The story is my Black Falcons have returned from exile (ala “bin of storage” and further afield) and seek to reclaim their former home, which fell into disrepair in their absence.

Or something like that.

Edited December 9, 2023 by dvw2
Added image links instead of uploads

[RichardGoring]

My Black Friday order was also back ordered, but arrived earlier this week. Interestingly, it had the 'do not put in shelves before' dickey on it, suffering it was part of the very original production. I wonder why it was backordered then?