LarryBoy

No, it's just people's wishlists for what an Episode 1 wave should include or sets that we haven't seen from LEGO before. There's no rumours or news about a possible Phantom Menace wave.

The global pandemic is affecting multi-billion dollar corporations and your typical mom & pop shop alike. In fact, an international company like LEGO is far more dependent on a myriad of factors complicated by a global supply chain and distribution network which is under unprecedented stress due to the current crisis - something your small and local business is far less affected by. Being sympathetic to their situation doesn't mean to excuse them of any wrongdoing or not suggest that they could have done better, but rather it means to be understanding of the increased complexities that they are under as a company and how those challenges ultimately affect us as the consumer. Making money is the reason they decided to sell what sets they had in a limited release which was the only window available to them at the time, rather than an unforeseen and unplanned global launch of a product in an already strained supply chain. You're exactly right, demand is the main issue here. LEGO just does not have the means to meet the demand - at least not right now. 2021 may represent a change in direction for them as to how they handle future launches like this. LEGO certainly don't want to use up the good faith they've generated by alienating a huge percentage of their fanbase with regional exclusives and mismanaged product launches. Like I said already, SDCC and Star Wars Celebration 2021 will be the big indicator in regards to LEGO's policy moving forward. Until then, we just need to wait and see.

I don't think you realize the amount of work that goes into the global production and distribution of a LEGO set. It typically takes months for LEGO to bring a set to market after they've finalized it, licensed sets having more complications that make this period even longer. If SDCC or Star Wars Celebration were to be cancelled any other year, it would be challenging enough for LEGO to switch to a global distribution model for the event exclusive, but to do so in the midst of a worldwide pandemic creates a situation where it's not feasible for LEGO to do so. They've already shown with the latest wave over the summer just how difficult it is to release their standard lineup; with multiple theme's waves being delayed by more than a month in North America because of the stresses their supply chain is under. All of this - and a lot more - is why I suggested people should be more sympathetic towards LEGO's CURRENT situation and that they're doing the best they can under the extremely strenuous and unprecedented circumstances. If this was any other year, I'd say that people would have more justification in being upset with LEGO. Going forward, 2021 could be a different story as to how LEGO decides to handle an event exclusive for something like SDCC or Star Wars Celebration. It takes months for them to plan a set even for a limited event like that, but now with the recent experience and fan backlash from this summer's cancelled event exclusives I wonder how this will factor into LEGO's approach moving forward. It might be that they won't design sets for the events to begin with or that they'll be prepared for a global product launch from the get-go.

Nearly every major retailer or business entity with a presence at San Diego Comic-Con offers some form of exclusive merchandise for those in attendance - this is the norm for nearly every major convention, universal or fandom-exclusive. Holding LEGO solely responsible for their decision to participate in this practice and create exclusive items is a sentiment that seems to be echoed on these forums a lot, when it's the standard practice for these companies to do so. It creates a sense of importance and generates extra hype and engagement for people that attend these events, and shouldn't be seen as anti-consumer when it's there to actually engage with the community and give people attending these conventions something more to get excited about. The fact that LEGO is releasing sets like the Nebulon-B and Bespin Duel for a limited run on the wider market is something that should be celebrated, because it makes it far easier for more people to have access to these sets than they otherwise would have. They don't have the inventory, the production, or the distribution set up for a global release of a product like this when unforeseen events forced them to come up with an alternative release, and it's unfair to pressure them to do so for what was supposed to be a much more limited product anyways. Regional exclusives are unfair - I won't argue that - but people need to be more understanding of the situation caused by the current pandemic and that LEGO is doing the best it can reasonably be expected to do when it comes to releasing sets like these. It takes an inordinate amount of time, planning, resources, and coordination for the global release of any LEGO set; and that's not something that LEGO can just pull out of thin air when plans fall through for a convention exclusive. And besides, the idea of a convention exclusive is, as the name suggests, something that is meant to be unique to the event and provide fans and collectors with a prized piece of merchandise that you can't find anywhere else - they shouldn't be things being remade for a wider audience in the years after because that defeats their purpose.

Yeah, I’ve got one of the Obi-Wan polybags from that promo. I just didn’t remember LEGO selling any Star Wars minifigures on their own, promo or otherwise. They were always packaged as a GWP or an exclusive for Star Wars Celebration or some other event. That was my thinking anyways, but it’s interesting to know that they’ve sold these polybags on their own in the past. I did have that Hasbro agreement and CMF wishlist/rumour in mind when I asked about this too. Because I had assumed this kind of thing would be in violation of Hasbro’s exclusivity on Star Wars “action figures” but I know there was a lot of talk about whether that exclusivity deal had expired recently and not been renewed. So fingers crossed we see more of this kind of thing in the future, if LEGO is able to do so. And at least it’s an easy and cheap way for anyone still looking to complete their 20th anniversary collection.

Long time lurker here, so first of all hello everyone. About that Obi-Wan 20th Anniversary figure on sale; is this the first time TLG has ever had a Star Wars minifigure on sale and not as part of a special event or exclusive? Because on TLG's own website, they specifically say that they're unable to sell licensed minifigures as standalone products outside of a set - with Star Wars listed as an example. Yet, the listing for the Obi-Wan figure is titled "Obi-Wan Kenobi™ minifigure" So am I missing something here or has LEGO officially started selling Star Wars minifigures now?