LEGO LotR - general discussion

[Gremer]

You are mixing the argument here now though.... a guy said he does not want to purchase LARGE sets because he wants variety in parts and as parts I assume he means mostly on Bricks 8as he is a MOCer ...

And quite honestly noone forces you to save 500 or even 1000$ but if you want to have Death Star you have to save 400$.... now its up to you do you want it or not..... same goes for modulars/orthanc etc.

There are already hundreds of small fig/brick packs/sets but only handful of Castle era display worthy sets (Joust, MMV, MVR, Orthanc, potentially helm's Deep etc.)

I'm not mixing anything. I gave my own reasons for why I would prefer to have a smaller scale Minas Tirith.

No, no one is. I can either get more figures from smal sets and miss out on exclusives, or vice versa. Either way, I'm losing some figures I want.

And? I'd prefer to get a set I have room to display.

[Alcarin]

I'm not mixing anything. I gave my own reasons for why I would prefer to have a smaller scale Minas Tirith.

No, no one is. I can either get more figures from smal sets and miss out on exclusives, or vice versa. Either way, I'm losing some figures I want.

And? I'd prefer to get a set I have room to display.

Yes you are BUT that was not my point of the argument:

My point was:

A MOCer can always MOC what they like and build what they ''want'' (limited only by the budget, time and creativity) while the guy who only displays ''official'' sets has another factor limiting him (which I know is his/my own fault) and from such point of view there is nothing logical about wanting smaller sets since MOCer can buy parts while the non-MOCer can only buy sets that are display worthy.

thats all.

And you can always bricklink exclusive figs... sure youd pay more per fig ratio but still alot alot less than 400$ .....

[Robert_88]

If such logic would be thought by TLG we would only get 9.99, 12.99 and 14.99 sets :) ''everyone'' could afford those....

I think the Modular Buldings are a good example for this. Why do we get e.g. five buildings for 150 € and not one big town for 750 €? Because not everyone wants the whole city. If you want the whole city it doesn't make a difference but TLG benefits from this strategy because some people might only want the Grand Emporium for example.

On the other hand the set should feel "complete". Nobody wants to buy three separate floors from a Modular Building and kids love big sets/boxes (at least I did and still do).

Just my two cents...

@ Minas Tirith: I absolutely agree with you. If TLG wants to make the whole city it needs to be HUGE.

[Gremer]

Yes you are BUT that was not my point of the argument:

And you can always bricklink exclusive figs... sure youd pay more per fig ratio but still alot alot less than 400$ .....

Then why did you argue with me, if my point has nothing to do with your argument?

If the price of a set was $500+, then I would estimate the average price of an exclusive figure from that set to be $15+. I would not spend that much just for one figure, much less more figures from that set.

[ZCerberus]

If a MOCer wants parts check how much cost all parts (excluding figs + weapons) on bricklink and how much is the retail of a set. it is cheaper in 99% of the time. And that is also what the person was talking about he wants variety of parts(bricks) and those are pretty much always cheaper bought separately.

This is NOT true. I think it tends to be MORE expensive to buy the bricks AND figures off Bricklink to complete a set. Try to get all the parts for Market Street or the Millennium Falcon and tell me what it costs. Heck, go average price for something small like the recent Forest Ambush set and see if you can get all the parts for less on Bricklink.

in such comparisons you cannot really argue with discounts in mind.... not everyone in the world gets same discounts.....

Why can't I? Because it crushes your argument? The point was people CAN find deals on the smaller sets and they can buy them in retail stores while you usually can't get the same discounts and you certainly CAN'T buy giant exclusives at retail shops.

Let's say Eowyn is going to be in a set. She can be either in a $50 set, or a $500 set. I can promise you right now, he will be MUCH cheaper on Bricklink if she is in the $50 set. Again, for figure collectors, the less expensive and according to you "worse" set will be better for them.

It's great that you are still on the $900 Minas Tirith set or nothing train, but other people don't need to be along for the ride to have valid reasons for wanting something else.

I think this is becoming a flame war. Let's agree to disagree and not peep back and forth anymore on this point.

[kevkipo]

If we get some Gondor Soldiers...

Then im like Bilbo running out of Bag End

But then im not running out of Bag End but to the local Toy store instead :P

[Alcarin]

This is NOT true. I think it tends to be MORE expensive to buy the bricks AND figures off Bricklink to complete a set. Try to get all the parts for Market Street or the Millennium Falcon and tell me what it costs. Heck, go average price for something small like the recent Forest Ambush set and see if you can get all the parts for less on Bricklink.

look i wont argue this anymore..... go back and read what the guy to whom I responded wrote.... he said about him wanting more diverse bricks from 10x 20$ sets instead of ''all black'' from 200$ Orthanc....

Why can't I? Because it crushes your argument? The point was people CAN find deals on the smaller sets and they can buy them in retail stores while you usually can't get the same discounts and you certainly CAN'T buy giant exclusives at retail shops.

Because its random..... I found a fig for 0.25$ on Bricklink also.... No offical LEGO fig ever cost as little..... see what I did? I also found a Planet Series 4 Snowspeeder at 90% off at a closing toy shop..... but that doesnt mean everyone finds the fig (from Bricklink) or a set (from local Toy shop) as cheap as I did....

Let's say Eowyn is going to be in a set. She can be either in a $50 set, or a $500 set. I can promise you right now, he will be MUCH cheaper on Bricklink if she is in the $50 set. Again, for figure collectors, the less expensive and according to you "worse" set will be better for them.

Ofcourse.... But if you want a beautiful set to display(and you are not a MOCer which alot of people are not) Eowyn on the Pelennor Fields or in the Golden hall in Edoras, you would prefer if she comes in a nice 150$ or even 200$ set.... because it will have more detail etc. than a 50$ set....

For a fig collector it would be the best if every fig is sold separately on LEGO.com....

It's great that you are still on the $900 Minas Tirith set or nothing train, but other people don't need to be along for the ride to have valid reasons for wanting something else.

This had nothing to do about that really... minas Tirith was set as an example... and to be true it was a 1000$ not 900$ train :P

Agreed....

Did anyone find what is that missing number between polybags supposed to be? no news huh?

[Gremer]

What are the rumors on the Minas Tirith/Witch King/Osgiliath sets from a few months ago? Have they been proven false, or are they still rumored?

I haven't been on in quite a few months, so I'm not up to date with the news surrounding them.

[Deathleech]

Look at Uruk-hai Army- I know it is no longer in production- but it had 1 Eomer, average BL price, 7.91, 1 Rohan soldier Average price 8.39, 1 Uruk with hair average price 3.81, 1 Uruk without armor average price 5.20 and 2 Uruks with armor avg price 5.78. Price of all the figures- $36.78, that price does not including shipping or accessories or bricks and maybe it takes a few WEEKS to get your bricks, or even worse, they never send your bricks at all or they get lost in the mail. I bought a ton of Uruk-hai Army on clearance at Walmart for 15.00 - 21.00 depending on location. Even at the 21.00 mark, I would have had to spend almost double on Bricklink to get the same figures in just one set, and again, I didn't get the extra bricks or accessories if I had Bricklinked.

I totally agree with you but just want to point out that the average price on BL isn't a great way to look at prices. There are people that put figures up for double, triple, quadruple or even more what the lowest price is knowing full well they probably won't sell the figures (or not for a very, VERY long time). If you look at the minimum, which anyone who is sane would pay, the prices are more like $4 for Eomer, 5 for the Rohan soldier, 2x armored Uruk-hai are $4 each, UH with just helm is 3, and UH with hair is $2.50. That's $22.50 for all the minifigures. Obviously if that's all you care about that is the way to go. If you want the bricks too, buying the Uruk-hai Set is a MUCH better deal (8 bucks for a few hundred bricks, all the weapons which are another few dollars alone, and a horse? YES PLEASE!). Sure you can find the sets on clearance but it's really a crap shot. I never see any of the LotR or Hobbit sets on clearance around me because they all sell out and are never re-stocked for MONTHS before they would go on clearance. Most of the time the Targets and Wal-marts around me don't even have most of the LotR/Hobbit sets out even when they are newrt and marked at full MSRP.

Obviously buying the official Lego sets is a cheaper overall route to go most the time. The only time it's not is when you ONLY want the minifigures, or you ONLY want certain ones. For instance if I only want more Uruk-hai and no more Rohan Soldiers or Eomer's that drives the price down from 22.50 to 13.50, less than half the retail price of Uruk-hai Army. Of course you could also buy the set for $30, sell Eomer, the Rohan soldier, and all the bricks and probably have it cost you even less but that';s a fair bit of work.

[ZCerberus]

This had nothing to do about that really... minas Tirith was set as an example... and to be true it was a 1000$ not 900$ train :P

I'm glad you DO have a sense of humor in there somewhere!

No idea on the missing poly numbers.

I totally agree with you but just want to point out that the average price on BL isn't a great way to look at prices.

Then you don't totally agree with me, do you... but yes, the average might not be the best evaluator. Then again, cheapest might not be either. If I wanted 5 orcs and the cheapest place only had 1, then add 2.50 per figure to get them at all the different places. Maybe the "in quantity" price is a more fair evaluator for figure prices.

[Sir_Basil_Ashton]

There are quite a bit of deals to find on Bricklink. If you have a lot of time and patience, you can find some minifigs for very reasonable prices.

Due to a family move and settling in at a new job location, I missed out on quite a bit of the 1st wave of LotR. I'm hoping the LotR theme continues. So many possibilities.

[Deathleech]

Then you don't totally agree with me, do you... but yes, the average might not be the best evaluator. Then again, cheapest might not be either. If I wanted 5 orcs and the cheapest place only had 1, then add 2.50 per figure to get them at all the different places. Maybe the "in quantity" price is a more fair evaluator for figure prices.

I meant I agree that buying the full set is usually more beneficial and cost efficient than buying the figures separately on BL. The only time it's not is when you have absolutely no use for the bricks and some or most of the figs in a set. It's true that many of the cheapest only have 1 minifigure so you often have to spend a little more if you want to buy multiples. For instance the cheapest Uruk-hai with full armor is $3.38, but there is only 1 available. If I want 10 I need to get them from the guy with the right quantity which is going to cost me $4.25 a pop. It's more expensive but beats buying the cheapest from several sellers and then paying $2 in shipping to each. For the Uruk-hai with armor though, even the average price is 5.70, almost a buck and a quarter more than the cheapest seller that has a large quantity available.

[MKJoshA]

For example I dont really MOC ..... sure i did a few ''vignettes'' but none of my MOCs surpassed 200 pieces... I have alot of LEGO displayed though (MMV, MVR, Helm's Deep) and pretty much all I add to those beautiful sets are

I think not being an MOCer is why we are having this disagreement. It's true that there many different ways to look what is desirable in a Lego set.

a MOCer can use different figs as substitutes and figs do not represent the 100%.... in 99.9% (yes its a made up number but lets look around) a MOCer focus is the build itself..... figs supplement the build to a degree.

Totally not true. But ZCerberus already defended that point so I'll leave it at that.

You are mixing the argument here now though.... a guy said he does not want to purchase LARGE sets because he wants variety in parts and as parts I assume he means mostly on Bricks 8as he is a MOCer ...

And quite honestly noone forces you to save 500 or even 1000$ but if you want to have Death Star you have to save 400$.... now its up to you do you want it or not..... same goes for modulars/orthanc etc.

There are already hundreds of small fig/brick packs/sets but only handful of Castle era display worthy sets (Joust, MMV, MVR, Orthanc, potentially helm's Deep etc.)

This "guy" actually consider both bricks and minifigures when I decide what sets to buy. Take Forest Ambush for example. I bought 2 of them because I got 8 minifigures and some great castle parts for under $25. Now, if that set only had 2 minifigure a piece it would not have had as much appeal to me. I do MOC, and I do like variety in bricks for that reason, but I also like large quantities of bricks to build larger MOCs. Take Minas of Moria for example. Tons of bricks without too much variety, but they are great for building castle MOCs. I ended buying 1 and selling all the minifigures just so I could get the bricks at a cheaper price-per-piece ratio.

Anything else I could say would be a repeat of what I've already said or that has already been said so I'll just leave it where ZCerberus left it. Agreeing to disagree.

[Alcarin]

I meant I agree that buying the full set is usually more beneficial and cost efficient than buying the figures separately on BL. The only time it's not is when you have absolutely no use for the bricks and some or most of the figs in a set. It's true that many of the cheapest only have 1 minifigure so you often have to spend a little more if you want to buy multiples. For instance the cheapest Uruk-hai with full armor is $3.38, but there is only 1 available. If I want 10 I need to get them from the guy with the right quantity which is going to cost me $4.25 a pop. It's more expensive but beats buying the cheapest from several sellers and then paying $2 in shipping to each. For the Uruk-hai with armor though, even the average price is 5.70, almost a buck and a quarter more than the cheapest seller that has a large quantity available.

Exactly....

i already have Helm's Deep + 2x Wall extension which for me is enough..... but i do want as many uruk-hais as possible.... and its cheaper to only buy uruks from BL than it is to buy the set..... i get far more uruks from BL for retail price of the set.

Anyway on to the topic.

It seems this will be a dead topic for a while now. It is 99.9% sure no sets are LOTR this year so we can go lurk in the dark and pray to Middle Earth Manwe or ask Tulkas to ''beat'' up TLG and get them to sense the need for LOTR :P

[kabel]

You might as well start mocing tough. Might save you some emotional pain!

[Alcarin]

You might as well start mocing tough. Might save you some emotional pain!

I'd go bankrupt !!!

I really dont have many pieces... Around 2.000 and majority of those are foilage, reddish brown pieces to make trees and barrels, containers of all sort, weapons, and fig accessories....

unless I open all of my MISB sets sitting in my closet which is mainly LOTR .... which I dont want to :P

Ill just keep buying Uruks for my army lol

[Blazej_Holen]

I think not being an MOCer is why we are having this disagreement. It's true that there many different ways to look what is desirable in a Lego set.

Totally not true. But ZCerberus already defended that point so I'll leave it at that.

True is in the middle of those two arguments guys. If you want to do some proper moc with a scene you need to get proper figs, but you can also create them, its only on your imagination and fantasy, and yes it depends on the current MOC theme :)

[Trunkbass]

It seems this will be a dead topic for a while now. It is 99.9% sure no sets are LOTR this year so we can go lurk in the dark and pray to Middle Earth Manwe or ask Tulkas to ''beat'' up TLG and get them to sense the need for LOTR :P

Why is this so sure? Ok, we know we'll get TABA sets in oktober 2014. But - assuming that this is still part of a summer wave - this leaves room for another wave in december 2014.

Do you think there will be two TABA waves this yea, one in oktober and one in decemberr? Or just the one in oktober?

I'm still hoping for a LOTR wave in december that fits the probable LOTR tie-in of the last Hobbit movie.

[Alcarin]

Why is this so sure? Ok, we know we'll get TABA sets in oktober 2014. But - assuming that this is still part of a summer wave - this leaves room for another wave in december 2014.

Do you think there will be two TABA waves this yea, one in oktober and one in decemberr? Or just the one in oktober?

I'm still hoping for a LOTR wave in december that fits the probable LOTR tie-in of the last Hobbit movie.

Well dont the shops etc. get their catalogs for the whole year 2014 ???? If so then there is 0 chance for LOTR in 2014.....

[Robert_88]

But they will get the catalogues for the next winter wave this summer. We might not get LotR sets this year but we will know if we will get new sets.

Is it likely that we will get information about them at the Toy Fair etc.? I'm not talking about details but if they will continue with LotR.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Robert_88

[BrickBob Studpants]

@Robert_88: Nope, unless some attendee asks a LEGO rep there but they usually don't know more about future sets than we do (in some cases, even less ). We might get to "see" the TABA- sets if we're lucky, but that'd be it As far as I know, TLG has never officially declared the discontinuation of a theme (and I don't think a Toy Fair would be the best place to do so ).

[Alcarin]

But they will get the catalogues for the next winter wave this summer. We might not get LotR sets this year but we will know if we will get new sets.

Is it likely that we will get information about them at the Toy Fair etc.? I'm not talking about details but if they will continue with LotR.

Ok now you got me confused... I thought for year 2014 catalog covers everything up to January 2015.....

So anything that might be released in December is covered inside that catalog.... or is it only up till October?

[deskp]

Ok now you got me confused... I thought for year 2014 catalog covers everything up to January 2015.....

So anything that might be released in December is covered inside that catalog.... or is it only up till October?

i think december is part of the next year in lego terms. we never got hobbit pictures in the catalogue at the satrt of the year before.

[Alcarin]

i think december is part of the next year in lego terms. we never got hobbit pictures in the catalogue at the satrt of the year before.

Yeah pictures yes, but I thought retailers could ''pre-order'' quantities for everything being released in calender year.... To get pictures in catalogs for customers for next year is only logical because they are available for the majority or all 1st half of the next year if they are released at December....

Would be illogical to put them in July-Dec catalog ....

[BrickBob Studpants]

@deskp: I agree, if the previous Hobbit sets were in the Summer catalogue we would have at least gotten the set numbers and prices in December/January along with the information concerning the other sets and that certainly wasn't the case