Is It Possible To Reintroduce Old Sets?

[JesseNight]

Re-releasing old sets exactly as they were probably doesn't work indeed. It might for a small audience of AFOL with nostalgic desire for them (myself included), but not enough to make it profitable.
I've said it before and I'm saying it again, I think they hit it just right with the modern Galaxy Explorer. I definitely love the looks of the King's Castle too but its price range just isn't for everybody.

[PaleozoicBricks]

I feel lego legends was ahead of its time. Re-releasing classic sets today if they had the molds I can see being way better received. I feel most set re-released under the legends banner were too young. Its not like lego was making money off people who wanted an easier way to get older product that had ridiculous after market prices. At least these are my assumption based on Transformers G1 Commemorative line. It helped balance out the bad after market in the early 2000s from my understanding. I think its also safe to say that back then the after market for those sets most likely wasn't that bad.

[Black Falcon]

7 hours ago, Murdoch17 said:

They did as you suggest once before: LEGO Legends. It failed horribly and they swore 'never again'. Also, older sets have parts and systems (finger hinges anybody?) that no longer exist or are now considered out of system. It isn't gonna happen, sorry.

Kinda hard to belive it failed that bad as you make it seem. Though surely it was behind their expectations, and I think if they would do this today, there would be a higher demand for it than it was back then.

[Murdoch17]

1 hour ago, Black Falcon said:

Kinda hard to belive it failed that bad as you make it seem. Though surely it was behind their expectations, and I think if they would do this today, there would be a higher demand for it than it was back then.

Yes, it was that bad. I've read two books that deal with this: "A million little bricks' and The Secret life of LEGO Bricks'. The first one talks at length about how LEGO went wrong, and how they fixed it. The other one talks more about the parts and how it's impossible to do it today, among other things. I also talked to actual people who bought PALLETS of the Legends sets (and Super Chief cars, but that's another story) on deep, deep discount around 2003.

Edited Monday at 10:38 PM by Murdoch17

[MAB]

For me, the value of older sets is that they are old and vintage and have survived rather than the play value. We have seen with bricklink, people want age appropriate parts to restore their sets. They tend not to want to use modern parts to restore an old set. 

If LEGO were to re-release vintage sets instead of modern updates, I really wonder who they are for. They are not for the vintage collector and they are not for the modern kid. That leaves the nostalgic adult that remembers the sets but doesn't care about authenticity. No doubt there are reasonable numbers in that group now. But as they don't care about authenticity then design changes to use modern parts should be fine. However, I prefer what they did with GE and LKC, scaling them up to match the growth in the builder.

[Lion King]

Yeah, I reject the idea of re-releasing the vintage models. I’m in favor of remaking of modern versions of vintage sets. I have no nosgalic desire toward vintage sets. 

[Black Falcon]

22 hours ago, Murdoch17 said:

Yes, it was that bad. I've read two books that deal with this: "A million little bricks' and The Secret life of LEGO Bricks'. The first one talks at length about how LEGO went wrong, and how they fixed it. The other one talks more about the parts and how it's impossible to do it today, among other things. I also talked to actual people who bought PALLETS of the Legends sets (and Super Chief cars, but that's another story) on deep, deep discount around 2003.

With how Lego went wrong and how they fixed it you mean when Lego struggled and not legends in particular, I guess?

14 hours ago, MAB said:

For me, the value of older sets is that they are old and vintage and have survived rather than the play value. We have seen with bricklink, people want age appropriate parts to restore their sets. They tend not to want to use modern parts to restore an old set. 

If LEGO were to re-release vintage sets instead of modern updates, I really wonder who they are for. They are not for the vintage collector and they are not for the modern kid. That leaves the nostalgic adult that remembers the sets but doesn't care about authenticity. No doubt there are reasonable numbers in that group now. But as they don't care about authenticity then design changes to use modern parts should be fine. However, I prefer what they did with GE and LKC, scaling them up to match the growth in the builder.

I am pretty sure if they would bring out legends Sets now, they would sell way better than they did back then. However it is very unlikely they would do that now since as already stated they won´t bring retired parts back for this and are already bringing back sets with more or less modernisations. 

[Lyichir]

2 hours ago, Black Falcon said:

With how Lego went wrong and how they fixed it you mean when Lego struggled and not legends in particular, I guess?

I am pretty sure if they would bring out legends Sets now, they would sell way better than they did back then. However it is very unlikely they would do that now since as already stated they won´t bring retired parts back for this and are already bringing back sets with more or less modernisations. 

They didn't bring retired parts back for Legends, either, which was the part of the issue—the demand for rereleases of the old sets, which would inherently always be less authentic than the original sets, and would have to compete with both more advanced modern sets and with the authentic originals on the aftermarket... that's a heck of a lot of limitations to overcome. Probably even more limitations today, when the sets that were old in the early 2000s are now even older, with even more retired parts and fewer adult fans who actually remember them from when they were kids.

Lego has definitely still managed to capitalize on nostalgia in more strategic ways, with updated redesigns like the Galaxy Explorer and Eldorado Fortress or spiritual successors like the Lion Knights' Castle, which can activate those same sorts of nostalgic memories while also being more modern, polished designs with broader appeal. I'm not convinced at all that straight rereleases would be able have that kind of appeal, any more than they did the last time Lego gave it a shot.

[SpacePolice89]

They should bring back the vintage minifigure collection packs. It would be so nice to get brand new classic minifigs.

[danth]

I remember the Legends sets got ZERO hype, fanfare, ads, any push from Lego. If you weren't on Lego forums, you would have no idea about them. And I think you could only get them at Toys R Us. Oh and did I mention black & white boxes for some of them? Their failure was essentially due to sabotage by Lego.

[icm]

As I recall, the Lego Legends sets actually got quite a lot of coverage in the Shop at Home catalogs that came in the mail.

[Black Falcon]

13 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Lego has definitely still managed to capitalize on nostalgia in more strategic ways, with updated redesigns like the Galaxy Explorer and Eldorado Fortress or spiritual successors like the Lion Knights' Castle, which can activate those same sorts of nostalgic memories while also being more modern, polished designs with broader appeal. I'm not convinced at all that straight rereleases would be able have that kind of appeal, any more than they did the last time Lego gave it a shot.

There are way more afols today though, and also a higher demand for retro sets in general IMO. And if we are looking at the prices you have to pay for used sets in good condition - and actually for both the legends and the original version of the sets, which many are not willing to pay. The question would be in the end though, if they would do them nowadays, how many differences would be to the original ones. If we look back on last years Mysterio-GWP I would say the differences for that one were to big, and it would have benefit if they would have made more modernized version instead IMO.

9 hours ago, SpacePolice89 said:

They should bring back the vintage minifigure collection packs. It would be so nice to get brand new classic minifigs.

Honestly, for me that would maybe work with some minifigures (such as classic space or older castle minifigures) but I wouldn´t be interested in most of them and actually not in any of the ones displayed. 

[SpacePolice89]

29 minutes ago, Black Falcon said:

Honestly, for me that would maybe work with some minifigures (such as classic space or older castle minifigures) but I wouldn´t be interested in most of them and actually not in any of the ones displayed.

That was the only picture I had available. I prefer the one with the Imperial Soldier and the Classic Space astronaut although the forestwoman and the white ninja are very cool minifigs. The possibilities are endless because most of the work is printing the details on the minifigs so a wide variety of minifigs could be produced.

[Aanchir]

1 hour ago, icm said:

As I recall, the Lego Legends sets actually got quite a lot of coverage in the Shop at Home catalogs that came in the mail.

Yeah, I wasn't on any forums until 2006 or so, but I definitely knew about the LEGO Legends sets from the Shop at Home catalogs and from LEGO.com (as well as other exclusives from that time like the Blacksmith Shop). Basically the same ways that LEGO promoted other direct-to-consumer sets like Medieval Market Village, Imperial Flagship, and Star Wars UCS sets back before social media marketing was a thing.

It's one thing to say LEGO marketed the LEGO Legends sets badly — after all, they did a LOT of things badly in the early 2000s! And marketing to adults was something they were particularly inexperienced with at that time. But it feels a little overblown to call it sabotage.

I mean, Star Wars UCS sets from 2001 also came in black and white boxes (though 10019 Rebel Blockade Runner got re-issued the following year in a colored box, just like new LEGO Legends and Star Wars UCS sets got from 2002 onward). Same with with 3723 LEGO Mini-Figure and 3724 LEGO Dragon. All those sets were also limited in availability, and primarily available from the LEGO website, stores, and catalogs. So did LEGO sabotage those as well? Because to me, that all just seems like a symptom of their direct to consumer division's growing pains.

[Black Falcon]

2 hours ago, SpacePolice89 said:

That was the only picture I had available. I prefer the one with the Imperial Soldier and the Classic Space astronaut although the forestwoman and the white ninja are very cool minifigs. The possibilities are endless because most of the work is printing the details on the minifigs so a wide variety of minifigs could be produced.

The one you posted is actually the one that is the least appealing. Though the main issue for me would still be that it does depend a lot on which minifigs would be included. I have no interest at all in city figures, so themed sets would be the best. Like one including Classic Space minifigures in several colours, another different Castle minifigures, and one with pirate, adventure etc. 

Though I don´t think it is likely Lego would do such sets now, since they would need 5 printed torsos each, then maybe some printed faces or even hair pieces that are already retired. And with bringing back older minifigures in an updated way already it seems even less likely they would do something like that.

[Artanis I]

When TLG post this video today:

just about ANYTHING is possible... even though yesterday I would've said 0% chance of anything similar soon. Maybe something of Classic resemblance is actually in the works?

[SpacePolice89]

7 hours ago, Black Falcon said:

so themed sets would be the best. Like one including Classic Space minifigures in several colours, another different Castle minifigures, and one with pirate, adventure etc. 

That would be the perfect solution. I also believe it's quite unlikely to happen but who knows? The Lego Group moves in mysterious ways.

1 hour ago, Artanis I said:

ust about ANYTHING is possible... even though yesterday I would've said 0% chance of anything similar soon. Maybe something of Classic resemblance is actually in the works?

Too early to tell but I hope the video means that new Space sets are on the horizon.

[danth]

16 hours ago, Artanis I said:

When TLG post this video today:

just about ANYTHING is possible... even though yesterday I would've said 0% chance of anything similar soon. Maybe something of Classic resemblance is actually in the works?

DUDE. YES. OMG.

What rogue employee posted that and how will they be punished?

[Classic_Spaceman]

Copying here what I posted in the 2024 Space Sets thread: 

9 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

All true. That said, the fact that LEGO made and released the video makes me think that they intend to keep Space around; if not, then the video both advertises long-retired sets to children and trolls AFOL Space fans. Little Easter eggs in promotional videos are one thing, but this is very pointed (the kids even say "Bring back LEGO Space!" at the end!). 

This definitely feels like a tease towards more Space content in the future, and since most of the sets from 2HY are accounted for at this point (and none of them are traditional Space), could we be getting a proper Space theme in 2025? 🤔
 

[danth]

47 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Copying here what I posted in the 2024 Space Sets thread: 

This definitely feels like a tease towards more Space content in the future, and since most of the sets from 2HY are accounted for at this point (and none of them are traditional Space), could we be getting a proper Space theme in 2025? 🤔
 

They've been teasing like crazy forever with Classic Space astronauts. Target had the plushies, a notepad, gift bag/gift wrap, and tee shirts. There were also a couple jigsaw puzzles. There have been more Classic Space merch items released than Classic Space sets! It all seems to be leading up to nothing.

[Artanis I]

All of that stuff could've been just to placate the rumbling nostalgiers, but that posted video is either hinting something, or is plain trolling

[Lion King]

I won’t take that video as “hint” seriously