LEGO LotR - general discussion

[atreyu2112]

but the thing is I still see dedicated space in these stores to other themes like TMNT and Superman all from last year and all released waaaaay before the DoS Hobbit sets. What explanation is there for having old sets like this still on shelves but all the Hobbit: DoS sets are gone without space to be re-stocked?

Must be local for you. I live in one of the most densely populated areas in the US. I have access to DOZENS of Walmarts, Targets, TRU, all within a 30 minute drive. With the exception of Star Wars, Lego City, Chima, Ninjado & Lego Movie, the aisles were clearanced of ALL other stock. They actually remain empty right now. Sure, there is an odd set here and there. TMNT has a brand new wave hitting any time now. Once it does, sets from wave 1 will be phased out. They're probably just keeping the space for the new sets.

We aren't talking about a few sets clearanced here. I understand even the best selling theme will go on clearance or sale or have some sets that tank. Heck, Amazon will usually discount new sets 20-25% within the first month or two of them being released. We are talking about a three month old wave already disappearing from most stores with no space to be re-stocked though.

Like I said before, there is no new Hobbit movie right now, there is no new LotR wave right now. But there is a sh*t load of other new Lego product hitting shelves now. Places like Target and Walmart have limited space for Lego and HAVE to stay current. Just because they don't have it on shelves doesn't mean they aren't selling it. I just checked both Target.com and Walmart.com... it's ALL there. Regular pricing too. Heck, Walmart even lists Orthanc!

I agree there is cause for concern that we might not get a third LotR wave. But lets not be hasty! No need to be so dramatic about it.

I personally think we will get a third wave and that circumstances have prevented/delayed the initial sales plan (like the shift of 2 to 3 films, film 3 moving to a December release, the Lego Movie craze). Maybe they changed what sets they originally intended to release after wave 2 sales, researched fan reaction & what fans currently want to put together a stronger wave. It can be dozens of reasons for the long wait. But we know one thing for sure... We are DEFINITELY getting more Hobbit sets, this is confirmed. And this is GOOD.

Lets wait until SDCC or even the fall catalog for more definite information for LotR. If by that time we have none, then we'll have a better idea of what to expect.

[Deathleech]

The thing is the DoS Hobbit sets aren't even four months old. They were officially released Dec 1st, 2013 and it's now March 12th, 2014. That's just under three and a half months and really it's shorter than that because they have been sold out for awhile now at most stores. ALL the Targets and Wal-Marts around me (about 7-8 of each, I live roughly 25 minutes from Chicago, the third largest city in the U.S.) have the wave completely out of stock and no spot or tags for them on shelves. This isn't just for me either, there were several other members from around the U.S. reporting the EXACT same thing. Can you tell me ANY other wave or theme that only lasted three months in Target and WM? Most last AT LEAST six months in stores before being phased out, even if they are poor sellers. Ya these stores will regularly clearance and put new sets on sale but please tell me how often they stop carrying a Lego wave after only three months?

You keep bringing up points to try and strengthen your argument, but you are missing the real reason for these things . Yes Toys R Us has wave two Hobbit sets in stock but look at their website and stores, they also have Mines of Moria and some other wave one LotR sets because they jack their prices up so much (20%+ over MSRP with MoM). The first LotR sets were released almost two years ago and have been out of production almost a year but TRU STILL has some in stock. Does that not tell you something? They obviously take forever to move their inventory due to their over pricing.

As for Target and WM online, sure they still have the DoS Hobbit sets because those are huge warehouses that have thousands of each set and send them out to every online order, they aren't an individual store that only gets a few shipments of each set. I am sure they will have them online awhile longer before they can sell through everything in their warehouse for online distribution. Once it's gone it will be gone for good though, unless they order more sets.

I mean you have to be logical about this and not let emotions and blind hope get in the way. Sure there is a lot of Lego product on shelves right now, but look at past Middle-Earth waves. The first LotR wave was in Target and WM stores for over six months. The first Hobbit wave was too. The second LotR was slightly shorter but still was there several months. Now we have the second Hobbit wave and it's not even in stores for three months? After a less than stellar wave two LotR? Only four sets in a wave and most barely even given any attention? Does it not seem obvious what happened? I am all for being optimistic and was the first to defend the line when we got poor sales reports after the first LotR wave was released. When virtually every WM and Target, two of the largest retailers in America stop stocking a wave after a mere three months (when they usually have them for 5-6 months minimum) that should tell you something though...

Edited March 13, 2014 by Deathleech

[Sir_Basil_Ashton]

LEGO popularity is at an all time high right now, thanks in part to The LEGO Movie. Add to that the fact that there are a lot of successful themes. The way I see it, (this goes specifically for retailers like Target & Walmart) stores have to make sure that they have the hot/popular themes that are selling at the right time. There's no room for them to carry every theme on their shelves for an extended period of time. With this in mind, I can see sets/themes going on clearance more often if they're not selling.

I know the discussion right now is what trends people are seeing at their local retailers. To get a better snapshot, I would say everyone should see and report what's going on at their local/closest LEGO Store. Unless LEGO Stores are pulling LotR and Hobbit sets off their shelves, I don't believe there's much reason to panic.

[atreyu2112]

I mean you have to be logical about this and not let emotions and blind hope get in the way.

No emotions here. I get what you are saying and I even AGREE with some of it, but I don't think it's as dire or dramatic as you make it sound. I've been a LotR fan a LONG time. I went through the Toybiz cancellation of Epic Trilogy waves 3 & 4 (character list was released for these 2 waves), the cancellation of Art Asylum Mini Mates wave 3 (finalized figures and new packaging shown), the cancellation of Gentle Giant's Animated Maquette line (at least 2 more sculpts were confirmed completed), the cancellation of AOME... I'm no stranger to getting screwed when it comes to collecting LotR.

Lego seems to play by their own rules and can afford to do what they want, unlike Toybiz, Art Asylum, Gentle Giant, Play Along, etc... Great examples of this are the countless odd sets they just put out for seemingly no reason other than they're ultra cool, like The Simpson's, Back To The Future, Ghost Busters, heck, even Orthanc!

Lego knows there is still a demand for some key LotR sets. The Balrog, The Witch King & his Fell Beast, Gondor/Minas Tirith stuff, Eowyn & Faramir, Treebeard, Sauron himself... All of these will sell. We know this, they know this. I have a strong feeling we will see a few more sets before all is said & done. That's all I'm saying. No foolish hope here...

[bachamn]

... the cancellation of Art Asylum Mini Mates wave 3...

Ugh, until now I had no idea they even made LotR Minimates. After seeing what they did after purchasing the Battle Beasts name, that's painful. Why does DST have to tarnish everything I love with their ugly minifigs? :(

Edited March 13, 2014 by bachamn

[Faefrost]

No emotions here. I get what you are saying and I even AGREE with some of it, but I don't think it's as dire or dramatic as you make it sound. I've been a LotR fan a LONG time. I went through the Toybiz cancellation of Epic Trilogy waves 3 & 4 (character list was released for these 2 waves), the cancellation of Art Asylum Mini Mates wave 3 (finalized figures and new packaging shown), the cancellation of Gentle Giant's Animated Maquette line (at least 2 more sculpts were confirmed completed), the cancellation of AOME... I'm no stranger to getting screwed when it comes to collecting LotR.

Lego seems to play by their own rules and can afford to do what they want, unlike Toybiz, Art Asylum, Gentle Giant, Play Along, etc... Great examples of this are the countless odd sets they just put out for seemingly no reason other than they're ultra cool, like The Simpson's, Back To The Future, Ghost Busters, heck, even Orthanc!

Lego knows there is still a demand for some key LotR sets. The Balrog, The Witch King & his Fell Beast, Gondor/Minas Tirith stuff, Eowyn & Faramir, Treebeard, Sauron himself... All of these will sell. We know this, they know this. I have a strong feeling we will see a few more sets before all is said & done. That's all I'm saying. No foolish hope here...

Unfortunately you kind of highlight the root problem with the theme. LotR just does not ever seem to be able to find traction as a longer term Merchandise line. Outside of a short period around a given movie really all it sells well is books. (Which it sells incredibly well.) I don't think there has ever been a LotR toy or merchandise line that has ever made it all the way to its planned finale. They all seem to get cut off early as sales between first and second waves drop off. I hope Lego can Buck that trend, but right now it isn't looking great.

[agentsmith]

source * www.thebrickfan.com , well the latest rumor is that the set will be : ! oh and spoilers !

The Mirror of Galadriel – Includes Frodo in a plain shirt and Galadriel. There is a small mirror and a statue. – $12.99

* my suggestions : a corrupted galadriel minifigure instead of probablly a sticker

Amon Hen Ambush – Includes 2 Uruk Hai, Boromir, and what he believes is Merry. Small set of steps and the palantir tower. – $25.99

* my suggestion - make an alternative build for an "ent " , u have vegetation , u have stones ( ents throw stones ) , good play value for

children ( i think ) , the things that are hard to come by are the joints and the eyes , just taking them off bricklink and adding

shipping will raise the price considerablly

The Defence of Osgiliath – Includes 2 Orcs, a Gondor Knight, and maybe a Ranger. Small orc boat and ruins. – $40.00

* my suggestion - gondor knight ( with shield pls ) and ranger ( with second face half covered like in the movie ) minifigs are a must

Witch King Showdown – Includes the Witch King, Theoden, a Rider of Rohan (Eowyn), a white horse, and a Nazgul. Also includes a Fellbeast and small grassy area. – $60.00

* my suggestion - Eowyin has a different helm then the standard rohan soldier , and the fellbeast ( for me as a person who keeps the sets on display i would preffer a brick-built version rather then a big mold )

The Battle of Minas Tirith – Includes Gandalf, 2 Gondor Knights, maybe 4 Orcs, a troll, and possibly Pippen. Set has 1 large gate at ground level, 2 smaller levels with a small house and the citadel. Also includes an orc catapult outside the city. – $120.00

* my suggestion - instead of 4 orcs , maybe 1 of them could be a gondor keep guard ( the ones that protect the white tree ) , and instead of "a catapult " make " Grond " the

battering ram in the shape of a wolf's head , and the troll ( armored version )

[BrickBob Studpants]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this list already has haunted this forum several times We have no reason whatsoever to believe it to be true

[SSchmidt]

"When virtually every WM and Target, two of the largest retailers in America stop stocking a wave after a mere three months "

There is absolutely no truth to this at all on a global level.

Every retailer in my local area within a 55 mile range (11 Walmarts, 1 Target, 4 K-Marts), all have the wave two Hobbit sets and also have the wave two LOTR sets. They have been there since they have come out, they have sold them off the shelves, then they have put more up.

Not being optimistic either, stating the facts.

I feel quite confident we will get another 3rd LotR wave. But so I don't kill myself from all the negativity I've read in the process, I am going to stop reading this thread and will be back when they are announced so we can speculate again.

Edited March 16, 2014 by SSchmidt

[Moon_Knight]

It's quite comical that we're still getting lists of the supposedly leaked future LOTR sets.

[Godless-Mimicry]

I think many posters seem to be forgetting that there is a world outside the US. So I certainly wouldn't put the stock of a few stores in a few US cities to exactly speak for the world over.

[TheBear]

It's quite amusing that the source for the above list is a post on another site that links to a post earlier in this thread as it's source

[The Awesomnator]

source * www.thebrickfan.com , well the latest rumor is that the set will be : ! oh and spoilers !

The Mirror of Galadriel – Includes Frodo in a plain shirt and Galadriel. There is a small mirror and a statue. – $12.99

* my suggestions : a corrupted galadriel minifigure instead of probablly a sticker

Amon Hen Ambush – Includes 2 Uruk Hai, Boromir, and what he believes is Merry. Small set of steps and the palantir tower. – $25.99

* my suggestion - make an alternative build for an "ent " , u have vegetation , u have stones ( ents throw stones ) , good play value for

children ( i think ) , the things that are hard to come by are the joints

and the eyes , just taking them off bricklink and addinf shipping will raise the price considerablly

The Defence of Osgiliath – Includes 2

Orcs, a Gondor Knight, and maybe a Ranger. Small orc boat and ruins. – $40.00

* my suggestion - gondor knight ( with shield

pls ) and ranger ( with second face half covered like in the movie ) minifigs are a must

Witch King Showdown – Includes the

Witch King, Theoden, a Rider of Rohan (Eowyn), a white horse, and a Nazgul. Also

includes a Fellbeast and small grassy area. – $60.00

* my suggestion - Eowyin has a different helm

then the standard rohan soldier , and the fellbeast ( for me as a person who keeps the

sets on display i would preffer a brick-built version rather then a big mold )

The Battle of Minas Tirith – Includes

Gandalf, 2 Gondor Knights, maybe 4 Orcs, a troll and possibly Pippen. Set has 1 large gate at ground level, 2 smaller levels with a small house

and the citadel. Also includes an orc catapult outside the city. – $120.00

* my suggestion - instead of 4 orcs , maybe 1

of them could be a gondor keep guard ( the ones that protect the white tree ) , and instead of

"a catapult " make " Grond " the battering ram in the shape of a wolf's head , and the troll ( armored version )

Oh no, not again!

[Legoman123]

It's such a shame this list is fake. There are so many potentially great sets on this list. (I knew it was fake before it was put on yesterday)

Edited March 16, 2014 by Legoman123

[egg roller]

It's quite amusing that the source for the above list is a post on another site that links to a post earlier in this thread as it's source

That's hilarious! Thank you for that

[Brickadiergerard]

That's hilarious! Thank you for that

And every time I see the list, I still can't stop thinking how great those sets would be. But we've been round this block plenty of times already.

[Deathleech]

There is absolutely no truth to this at all on a global level.

Every retailer in my local area within a 55 mile range (11 Walmarts, 1 Target, 4 K-Marts), all have the wave two Hobbit sets and also have the wave two LOTR sets. They have been there since they have come out, they have sold them off the shelves, then they have put more up.

I'm just basing it on pretty much every response I got to my question a few pages back. Only you and atreyu2112 seem to be seeing anything different. Since we don't have any sales numbers, and probably never will, the next best thing we can get are reports from members around the world. I would love to hear from more people so we can get a better idea of how the DoS Hobbit sets are doing in different areas.

I think many posters seem to be forgetting that there is a world outside the US. So I certainly wouldn't put the stock of a few stores in a few US cities to exactly speak for the world over.

That is true, and the LotR/Hobbit themes do seem to be more popular in other countries than here in the U.S. The U.S. accounts for a huge chunk of Lego sales though, so if I theme does poor here it has to go above and beyond in other countries to even attempt to compensate.

And every time I see the list, I still can't stop thinking how great those sets would be. But we've been round this block plenty of times already.

With Galadrial coming in the next Hobbit wave, and Amon Hen not really offering anything new at all in terms of minifigures, I could do without both of those sets. I would rather see an Oliphant, Balrog, and/or some new minifigures instead. I also would prefer to get a "proper" Gondor Soldier army builder set at the $30 price tag and with more minifigures.

[bachamn]

It's quite amusing that the source for the above list is a post on another site that links to a post earlier in this thread as it's source

[csc166]

I just got the rancor pit and it makes me think they could make a molded balrog. A brick built one would be nice, but molded would be more practical for Lego I believe

[deskp]

I just got the rancor pit and it makes me think they could make a molded balrog. A brick built one would be nice, but molded would be more practical for Lego I believe

no balrog at all please.

but a molded balrog makes little sense, casue another moria set wouldnt have anything good to build. and mlded figs needs decent builds along with them.

[Seaber]

Well, it could have the Bridge of Khazad-Dum, the collapsing stars, the Dwarrowdelf and more Goblins of course.

A Balrog isn't one of my top priorities, but why would you not want one?

[Deathleech]

Well, it could have the Bridge of Khazad-Dum, the collapsing stars, the Dwarrowdelf and more Goblins of course.

A Balrog isn't one of my top priorities, but why would you not want one?

I agree. While it may not be the most visually stunning set, it still wouldn't look terrible. A nice bridge and stairs would at least be different than all the gray walls we keep getting, and there would be tons of cool, movie accurate play features like the collapsing stairs and bridge. The Balrog itself could really look cool and have a whipping arm action that I imagine most kids would love. I think a brick built Balrog like Shelob would be best. The minifigure selection would really be the only thing lacking in this set since it would all be rehashes, but Lego could still make them appealing by giving the Moria Orcs their cool, distinct helms and maybe giving us another chance to get Boromir.

[Godless-Mimicry]

I agree. While it may not be the most visually stunning set, it still wouldn't look terrible. A nice bridge and stairs would at least be different than all the gray walls we keep getting, and there would be tons of cool, movie accurate play features like the collapsing stairs and bridge. The Balrog itself could really look cool and have a whipping arm action that I imagine most kids would love. I think a brick built Balrog like Shelob would be best. The minifigure selection would really be the only thing lacking in this set since it would all be rehashes, but Lego could still make them appealing by giving the Moria Orcs their cool, distinct helms and maybe giving us another chance to get Boromir.

Let's be honest though; they would probably use it as an excuse to give us another Gandalf the Grey

Though seriously, another cool build for with the Balrog, which would ironically include Gandalf, is the peak Zirakzigil and the ruins there. Maybe not iconic but it would look cool IMO.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Godless-Mimicry

[Prominence]

I'm just basing it on pretty much every response I got to my question a few pages back. Only you and atreyu2112 seem to be seeing anything different. Since we don't have any sales numbers, and probably never will, the next best thing we can get are reports from members around the world. I would love to hear from more people so we can get a better idea of how the DoS Hobbit sets are doing in different areas.

That is true, and the LotR/Hobbit themes do seem to be more popular in other countries than here in the U.S. The U.S. accounts for a huge chunk of Lego sales though, so if I theme does poor here it has to go above and beyond in other countries to even attempt to compensate.

With Galadrial coming in the next Hobbit wave, and Amon Hen not really offering anything new at all in terms of minifigures, I could do without both of those sets. I would rather see an Oliphant, Balrog, and/or some new minifigures instead. I also would prefer to get a "proper" Gondor Soldier army builder set at the $30 price tag and with more minifigures.

The shelves over here are always stocked with LotR and Hobbit sets. I'm not sure that's a good thing, because the prices are disgustingly high and I perfectly understand why no one but the most die hard fans would buy them.

[atreyu2112]

I think a brick built Balrog like Shelob would be best. The minifigure selection would really be the only thing lacking in this set since it would all be rehashes, but Lego could still make them appealing by giving the Moria Orcs their cool, distinct helms and maybe giving us another chance to get Boromir.

Agreed. They could do 2 Moria Orc Archers, and battle damaged/dirty Gandalf (with a new hairpiece like Thorins, and GLAMDRING), Boromir & Frodo.

Let's be honest though; they would probably use it as an excuse to give us another Gandalf the Grey

Though seriously, another cool build for with the Balrog, which would ironically include Gandalf, is the peak Zirakzigil and the ruins there. Maybe not iconic but it would look cool IMO.

I actually thought of this too. The peak ruins could double as an add-on for Osgiath as well, if they release that.