TheLegGodt

Welcome and eh.... You seriously melted that mini-doll?

So looking at all the comments, it would appear LEGO has made a reasonably good model of an otherwise pretty mundane Star Wars model ship. Well so be it, as I said before a Tie Fighter is such a common ship in the SW universe that it cannot be missing from any serious SW UCS collection. If I was TLG though, seeing all these comments, I would cut my losses, go ahead and make 10000 sets, sell them within the 1st day of release and make it this a much sought after set for the years to come on the secondary market, just to make it a more legendary set and show us all whose boss

I fully agree. This and the x-wing. They may not be the coolest LEGO models, but they cannot be abscent in any serious UCS collection. The Tie for sure is no sexy model and I am sure it can be done better but since most people think 200 is already too much to pay for this model imagine the reponses if they had done double-sided wings but charged 300 euros. It's easy when you're a MOCcer, must be hard when you are a commerical company that has to make tough design choices to cater to the widest audience possible... I hope so. I skipped the b-wing but I gotta have a Tie. At 150 I would buy it in a shot.

Thanks for the review, I originally dismissed it but based on your positive review I might just reconsider! You could almost be Dutch by the wayy... I have noticed you mix up d and t in words (build vs built). Many Dutch people do this ;-)

Not for me. LEGO is brick building and nothing else. I would rather that in 20 or 30 years time they are some small, obscure company catering to the needs of a niche group of loyal fans than give up on their roots (which for me is the brick).

Seems crazy to me too since these are primarily targeted at kids and they have a lot less dough to spend than we do. Hope this does not crush my hope of another Creator Expert train towards the end of this year or beginning of next.

New City cargo train in 2015: http://brickset.com/article/14188/first-images-of-this-year-s-train-set

A-Tembo still has them for: 100 and 150 for the 60051 and the 60052 resp.

I tend to agree, but again many a time predictions about the future are very often completely off the mark - either way. We shall have to wait and see. Fact is LEGO's basic product has survived (and thrived!) for roughly 60 years so far, so it is very conceivable it will for the next 60 as well. That will last me my life time, so in essence LEGO will last an eternity as far as I am concerned.

I think it is time that LEGO starts bringing out Licensed Modulars and begins with this one!

Commuting isn't much of a problem, I live near The Hague and either travel outside of rush hour or use the time in conference calls. I collect the Modulars, the Creator houses, the Winter Village and the CMFs. Beyond that it is just what I happen to fancy. I tend to focus on the LEGO exclusives. But that lot is already enough!

Welcome Eru from a fellow Dutchie and almost Amterdammer (I work there ;-) I also got back into Lego in 2010 and unfortunately (depending on point of view) really broke my bank account being such a completest! Yes I know, I REALLY have a very pompous nickname.

I am not too worried about clone brands either. They have a couple of standard bricks and then for each set very specific elements that do not seem to fit into an overall system like LEGO does. That and the quality argument. Not too mention quality of designs. As long as LEGO keeps introducing elements that always fit into their system that is fine. What would steer me away from LEGO is if they started producing sets with very specific and large bits. If they go that way, I would see LEGO as nothing less than a plastic toy that happens to need a bit of assembly first. LEGO must always stay true to its true source building blocks, that for me is exactly the point and art of LEGO. To use existing elements in new and exciting ways. Personally, I am a collector so the art is in the creativity of the design and in the way I choose to combine sets to form a display. As other people state, each to their own, we all have different ways of 'playing' with our LEGO but I think we are all connected through our love of the creativity and the art the LEGO system offers. More lines could be beneficial for maximising the reach to the tastes of the public but I am concerned that shops will start pushing back, they have other toys to sell as well! I like the fun factor of different licences (can't wait to have Doctor Who and Scooby Doo walking around my town!) but I also see the risk of failed lines (after paying high licence costs). I hope LEGO knows what they are doing and have really learned from 2000-2003. So far it looks like they do. No-one seems to be picking up on my 3d printing argument. Innovation is not only products, it can also come from new distribution forms. I think 3d printing will one day replace the need to buy actual sets in shops. But it will take a long time before quality gets even close to the manufactured quality of LEGO. Maybe 2 decades? You could say the actual process of manufacturing will add no more value. That day WILL come, and then LEGO needs to become an IP company for designs of elements and sets. But others can do that too. And they can be digitally copied/pirated. How is LEGO gonna make their money in 2 decades time? Or will they blend (nano) technology into each brick, creating SMART BRICKS. But then much more subtle (less noticeable to the naked eye) than the current POWER FUNCTIONS. And also, built into every element they have. I am talking again may a decade or 2 down the line. One more question 'for the gut': who thinks LEGO will still be produced and actively played with by Children in 20 years time? (When your kids start having kids of their own)

Like it very much, it will get my support! Maybe a good idea for the Modulars line to get a few licenced variatons just like the CMF's did for TLM and Simpsons. I mean, why not? I do have 2 points though: Would it be such a compromise to make the interior on the ground floor a bit smaller so that the official Ecto1 can fit in? It must be possible and in my opinion would increase the chance of this set ever being produced... I would like it to have a folding opening to the interior like Sergio's does. That will of course increase the piece count considerably but it won't work for me and my layout without it...

You have just described me to a certain degree. I DO collect them. In fact , I buy half or 1/3 of a whole box to avoid the feeling the bags thing. I have this fantastic room in the house that is almost like a shrine to lego where I have 16 shelves with all the CMFs neatly displayed and I bet a lot of joy glancing around the room and looking at them. I have some fantastic sets on display that provided immense fun to build follwing the instructions to the letter. And a town layout with many sets (sometimes a MOD) combined with my own MOCced scenery. I will probably love reliving my childhood, building stuff with my hands and browsing my collection for as long as I live. And I would be very upset if TLG screws up and goes bust. And for me, that will not be because a clone brand comes along, even if they do happen to produce that baseplate in the right colour green (I would probably also buy them but not the rest). No, what would put me off is if they stopped making such wonderful sets like the Taj Mahal or the Paris Restaurant. Or if the customer service went downhill and they became shrewd and mean. I want them to stay a premium brand and make as much money as they possibly can, as long as that also leads to aftracting the best designers with the greatest ideas and providing excellent customer care. But I do worry they will stray off course, bite off more than they can chew and lose focus. Although, whose to say that would not feed innovation just as it did in 2003... One more thing on clone brands: in my opinion Minecraft could be seen as a clone brand (at the generic level) and I think it is a good survival strategy of LEGO to embrace it by creating a new line rather than dismissing it. I am just saying, I think the real threat to Lego from a competitive point of view has yet to reveal itself. The current competitors are just clones indeed, they are not game changers. What if Microsoft were to combine Minecraft on Xbox with Windows 10 designer capabilities, sophisticated programmable bricks and - oh yeah - also throw in some real plastic bricks as well as a sort of commodity. The money would be in the designs, the platform and the community. Nah, that would never happen...

But lets not make this another discussion about clone brands vs lego. What about other risks and threats?

Fair points Sweetiepie. Personally I have not checked out clone brands. I am still way too slavishly loyal to Lego. Another risk we have not mentioned yet is 3d printing. It may be a decade (or 2?) down the road before the price/quality ratio is healthy but I am very curious how Lego is thinking about is topic and how they think it will affect their business model. Would love to sit in one of their strategy meetings.

I've noticed that in the last 48 hours the VERY hard to find Ideas set 21110 Research Institute is available again at S&H. Great news for those who missed out last summer when it sold out practically over night. As far as I am aware it has not been available (except for lucky finds at lego stores) for the last few months. I presume this means that LEGO did produce a re-run just like they did with the Exo Suit? Or am I just badly informed? Anyone know that for sure and whether we are seeing a shift in LEGO policy where they do make re-runs of sets that sell-out very quickly (here's looking at you, 41999 or the NASA curiosity rover).

It could be the same 10000 voting 8 different times for similar sets...

Am i the only one who doesn't know what this is?

I think the idea of a fan-based contrest is a good idea. Besides that: I would like to see a new innovation as well as another exclusive set like the 41999. The latter though offered upfront for order so that they know how many to produce. After that it's off the shelves again (in fact, maybe it never really js on the shelves). Regarding the innovation, Technic has been rehashing the same old ideas for a long time now - apparently, 40 years. Perhaps a new object can be found for recreating in Technic... Think of complicated strucutres like bridges. Or Trains (I know creator does them, but then Creator does super cars as well). Or another fair ground attraction. Or a zeppelin? Or a special license. Or sets that would appeal more to girls. Technic Friends anyone? Like working kitchen appliances. If they must rehash, I would like to see a better integration with regular LEGO to make modes like a super car look different. I avoid the wording 'to look better' cos I guess that is a matter of taste. But the same way the Star Wars theme uses Technic (e.gl the Shuttle or Slave) I would like to see Technic use LEGO. For example, think how awesome the Tumbler would have been if it actually could ride and open the doors with power functions.

That's funny: I'm a big plastic fan ;-) Welcome!

Come on. This is Capitalism. It has its good and bad sides. I don't like the system always, bit then I lean towards having a too idealistic view on things. I am often told I am too nice. The thing is, I have yet to find a system that works better. So let TLG make tons of profit, it's the clearest sign that we love what the are doing!

Thanks for mentioning this. I checked my VIP point balance after my order on the 5th of January which should have earned double VIP points. But... I only received single points . Some of the sets I ordered were backordered, but not all. But the purchase date recorded is the date they were dispatched which is not 5 Jan. I have contacted customer service anout this. I will let you know what their response is. Has anyone else ever noticed this go wrong?

Like them too, will certainly be on my list but I think they won't be released until June... As long as it isn't sold-out it can't hurt to have to wait, right? Can't blame TLG for wanting to earn (even more!) money