Lyichir
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Posts posted by Lyichir
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I don't think Lego is at significantly more risk of their brand name becoming generic than they were back at the advent of clone brands like Mega Bloks. In fact, Lego has done a lot to keep such a thing from happening, and I think the brand itself is more well-known than ever, thanks in part to their media presence with brands like The Lego Movie or the Lego licensed video games. Sure, people not in the know will call Mega Bloks Lego—but they've been doing that for years, and the people who matter most (Lego's customers) are very picky about getting the real deal. Also, keep in mind that brands like Kleenex, Hoover, and even Sellotape have significant competition in the products they provide. Lego, on the other hand, dominates the building toy market to the point where their main competition isn't "clone brands" but rather large toy companies like Hasbro and Mattel.
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^You are quite talented at looking up unique parts. But I guess you went to the inventory on Brickset and saw which pieces were in the fewest sets? Still, it takes a lot of time and effort there.
I've seen the Sea Cow built in person, it is interesting to say the least. The size is impressive, but it doesn't go with anything else I'd own. As far as useful pieces, there seem to be many in rarer colors, but to get enough of them to do anything with is questionable.
I did look them up on Brickset. And not just in the inventories themselves, since sometimes the same molds in the same color have different element IDs if they've been out of production between set releases. It was more work than I anticipated, and I don't plan on doing that with such a large set again any time soon.
But in general I think the Sea Cow IS a good value, even if you intend to use it as a parts pack. Especially if you're lacking for brown hues (the same would apply to this year's Sandcrawler, which I have built on LDD but do not own) or ship parts in general (this set was my family's first pirate ship since the original Pirates theme, so of course parts like the ship hulls and new anchors were fairly new to me). Good luck using it that way if you get it, though—it's a very solid model and I don't think I'd have the heart to disassemble it!
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Wow. And there we have it, how two iconic vehicles can end up at opposite ends of the spectrum when they are turned into Lego sets. The poor old DeLorean looks bad enough on its own, but put it next to the amazing Ecto-1 and it looks absolutely terrible.
The GB set is outstanding. I can't wait to get hold of one.
Thanks for the excellent review WhiteFang.
It's funny how you and I looked at that picture and got totally opposite impressions of it. I was surprised by how well the smaller and chunkier DeLorean looked next to the Ecto-1, to the point where I did a double take to see if the DeLorean had been modded—but nope, that's the set, and they look great together.
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Which would be a better deal?
1. X-1 Ninja Charger & Destructoid
2. Ninjacopter & Thunder Raider
Are you taking figs into consideration? Because I recently learned that there apparently will be an activity book featuring the exclusive Zane figure from Destructoid for a much cheaper price. While I love the look of the X-1 Ninja Charger (and intend to get it rather than the less-impressive Kai Fighter), I own the Ninjacopter and it too is a great set, with two exclusive figs to boot. And while I also love the look of the Thunder Raider, its Techno Blade and Jay figure appear in the Battle for Ninjago City, and its Cole figure appears with an exclusive Techno Blade in the low-priced Hover Hunter. Perhaps for now you could get the Ninja Charger and the Ninjacopter, and save up for the Battle for Ninjago City and Hover Hunter later in the year?
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Other than Queasy Kitty and the sticker sheet, are there any parts in the Sea Cow that are unique to that set or otherwise really really hard to get (the cow itself doesn't count since its also in the new cargo train :)
As you mentioned, most of Queasy Kitty's parts are exclusive to this set or at least rare in other sets. The 1x2x2/3 curved slope in Silver Metallic is also currently exclusive to this set (it has four). So is the unprinted minifig head in Warm Gold (of which there is only one).
The larger two varieties of Technic panel in this set (64680 and 64682) are both relatively rare in white, appearing in one or two other sets, respectively.
Benny only comes in the Sea Cow and his Spaceship. Similarly MetalBeard only comes in the Sea Cow and MetalBeard's Duel, so even though he's built differently exclusive parts of his like his face and metal beard are somewhat rare (as well as the Dark Orange 1x2 "cheese grater" slope and the printed 1x1 "keyhole" tile, which are also exclusive to these two figures). Vitruvius only comes in the Sea Cow and Lord Business' Evil Lair, although a different version of him will come with the "Everything is Awesome" Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Download combo pack (only the former two include the unprinted Trans. Bright Green Moonstone). Dark Brown 1x2 bricks are apparently rare according to Brickset, which says that they have only come in the Sea Cow and the earlier Queen Anne's Revenge from the Pirates of the Caribbean theme. So are Dark Brown 1x2 plates, which according to Bricklink are only available in the Sea Cow and last year's Mirkwood Elf Army from the Hobbit theme. The minifig crowbar in Warm Gold is currently exclusive to the Sea Cow and Batman: The Riddler Chase. The Silver Metallic Technic connector with an axle hole all the way through it (part 62462) in Silver Metallic is exclusive to the Sea Cow and the Turtle Sub Undersea Chase from the Ninja Turtles theme. The new variety of 2x2 round tile (with an anti-stud in the center instead of a cross) in Dark Stone Grey is currently exclusive to the Sea Cow and a Legoland promotional set, but since that's a case of an old part which was common in that color I can't imagine that it will remain that rare. The new 1x1x3 brick in Medium Stone Grey is currently limited to the Sea Cow and Rescue Reinforcements, but again, as this is a useful new building element in a common color, I doubt it will stay that way for long. The new version of 1x12x3 arch in Medium Stone Grey is currently limited to the same two sets, but not only is that a new version of an old part which was common in that color, but for some applications you might consider it inferior. The same applies to the Reddish Brown version of that arch, which is currently exclusive to the Sea Cow.
The 1x4 tile with two studs in Dark Red is currently limited to three sets: The Sea Cow and last year's AT-TE and Spider-Man: Daily Bugle Showdown. The Reddish Brown 1x12 plate is also limited to three sets: this set, the aforementioned Ninja Turtles set, and the Maersk Line Triple-E. 30094, the square plate ringed by 3.2mm bars on all four sides, in Reddish Brown, is limited to this set, the Croc Swamp Hideout from the Legends of Chima theme, and the Goblin King Battle from the Hobbit theme. The Sand Yellow printed globe (two parts) is limited to this set, the Town Hall, and the Captain's Cabin set from the PotC theme.
The Indiana Jones coiled whip, while not particularly rare, appears for the first time since 2011's Diagon Alley in this set. The white mug is rarer, appearing for the first time since 2004 (in which it appeared in three sets).
That's the list of rare or exclusive parts I could come up with based on Brickset. Hope this helps!
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I think it might, but look at it this way: TLG comes out WAY ahead if they sell half as much at twice the price.
It's one of those marketing things... they raised the price by a buck in the second year, now again in the fourth year... when it happens, the mindset is "it's just a buck." But it adds 33% on top of whatever the profit margin was. Now it's 50%. seeing as how their average profit margin is normally around 25% (based on past earnings statements, but still just a guess - they are a private company, not publicly held, and don't have to disclose much), and assuming they split the extra profit with the retailer evenly (they don't, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt), the profit margin is then over 37%.
Sorry, I know this is boring some of you, but while I won't berate TLG for that kind of high profit, I think it's interesting to keep in mind, when most people's mindsets (according to a study I read a few years ago) suggest people think 10 to 20% is "fair" for a company to make. Personally? I understand it's a free market (and I fully support the free market), and for some non-necessity like minifigures, TLG can charge as much as they think people will pay in order to maximize their profit... but I like looking at the numbers.
My point was more that at twice the price, they might not have to sell half as many. The demand for the CMFs is high enough that even at a dollar more, I'm pretty sure they could still sell out at stores. After all, for every kid whose parents tell them they can't afford one, there's an AFOL who's willing to snap it up, and for every AFOL who decides they can no longer afford to complete a full set, there are many more opportunities for kids to get those one at a time. Also, while Lego could conceivably sell "half as much at twice the price", it would not improve their reputation with retailers if it significantly increased the amount of overstock they were left with. But given the popularity of the Minifigures line, I don't think overstock will be a problem in most stores. Rather, I think the stock those stores order will simply last for a longer part of the four month lifespan of a given series before it's replaced.
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Good review. FYI, the piece you thought was new to this set isn't—it has appeared in white in loads of sets, mostly the Chima Legend Beasts and the Mixels, but even in yellow it's not necessarily new, coming in one set, 70124 Eagle Legend Beast. Still, that set only has one of them, so this set's eight are more than welcome.
This is one of the Lego Movie sets I'm not sure whether I'll get. While I'd love to have Angry Kitty and Emmet's exclusive face from this set, the lack of functionality relative to this set's size (and the fact that this set's "exclusive characters" are available in other forms in other sets) might mean I'll want to allocate my budget elsewhere.
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Transparent legs with print everywhere but the feet, and a cloth skirt.
I thought about that, but the issue there is that the backs of the legs would be transparent (not to mention you'd be able to see all the way through the feet). The next best thing would be printing with the metallic blue ink used on some of the Ninjago NRG Ninja or the stickers to the Chima Eagle Legend Beast. But I don't know how much that'd look like glass...
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Probably the miniature version of his boat from the flashback of what happened the first time he went to the tower.
Oh, that would be AWESOME. But is that really what it'll be? The description sounds more like some sort of character. I fear it may be a character who wasn't really in the movie, but I suppose we'll find out...
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Same in Italy, I got them for 1,75€ each at my usual Lego pusher
He could if there was any actual difference, but there isn't.
ANY princess is a damsel in distress, if put in the proper situation.
It doesn't depend upon the minifigure itself, but on the contest.
There's no doubt about this.
I think what Dorayaki is referring to is something actually based more on a fairytale, rather than just a traditional Castle princess who has been kidnapped. There are plenty of fairytales where the princess is more than just an object to be rescued. Perhaps this princess will come with a frog to kiss, a la the Frog Prince? Of course, the most distinctive fairytale princess I can think of is Cinderella, due to her magical ballgown and glass slippers, but I don't know whether to expect that for this fig—how exactly DO you depict glass slippers on a minifig?
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I love this set. Both design wise and as a parts pack. I'll be getting him Asap.
One thing I wonder though. Why did they use the dark brown tri connectors pieces. They now exist in black in Toxikita's Helicopter. That's really the only flaw I see with this set. That and the asymmetry.
Personally, I like the dark brown on this set. It gives the impression that the horns/spikes/whatever they are are ornamental, rather than being part of his actual body.
As for my own impressions on the set, it may be my favorite of this year's Chima constraction sets. I had already liked the look of it, but this review made me notice even more details, like his exposed ribs. And unlike CHI Mungus, the broad shoulders really work for this guy.
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In LDD they are shown studs down...
As far as I know every other brick in LDD is right side up in tool pallet.
Just to nitpick, not every brick in LDD is right-side up. Just as an example, the new Hero Factory minifig cockpit piece is displayed upside-down in the parts palette. I'm sure there are others that aren't coming to mind, but LDD is far from a reliable resource on part orientation.
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It would be interesting to know if the increase in price for the non licensed CMF's is to in part basically bundle in a $.99 "paid character DLC" for the new Online game?
The "DLC" explanation is possible.
But it's also entirely possible that they're pricing them more according to demand. While I've seen a lot of people argue that the price increase will cause a loss in sales, frankly the CMFs have been such reliable sellers that I can't imagine it'll have too much of an impact. There are few other sets that I have to worry about missing out on completely if I don't buy them as soon as they come out, but the limited supply of CMFs coupled with the high demand means that from my experience, CMF displays are often empty (or left with only a few figs) for months before a new series comes around to replenish the stock. In this sort of situation I can imagine decreasing demand through price increases would actually be beneficial overall, since it would lengthen the amount of time that the sets are widely available on shelves and discourage hardcore AFOLs from buying as many at a time. That would mean more kids would have a shot at picking them up, including new customers, widening the customer base. So in this case I think what's bad for us AFOLs (or at least inconvenient) could be better for sales of the theme and for The Lego Group in general.
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I was excited by the upcoming Trevi Fountain set, and I couldn't wait for it's release to try and build part of the model. Along the way, I discovered some of the cool building techniques that I believe will be employed in the final model, plus a sneak peek at some of the rare or interesting parts that I'm pretty confident are lurking within the set.
> LINK: http://tomalphin.com...20-preview.html
I'm curious if anyone else has tried to build out a model before it's released? How close did you get?
I'm also curious to hear if you think I made any errors in my predictions. What do you think will be the most sought after piece in this set?
Sincerely,
---tom
A great likeness!
I'm not much of an Architecture builder, but I do commonly attempt to build unreleased sets on Lego Digital Designer to get a better feel for how they work. With those—often upcoming sets I'm interested in from themes like Ninjago, The Lego Movie, Legends of Chima, and other themes—doing so often gives me a better appreciation for how those sets are designed, and helps to inspire me to build my own creations. But in many of the themes I build in, I have the benefit of selecting from not just the official pics but also photos and video from events like Toy Fair (which rarely feature Architecture sets). Props to you for being able to discern so many details of this model!
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Are 75 degree slope bricks, format 2x2x3, no longer in production? Haunted House comes with similar elements, but they are 73 degree versions. Were the 75 degree bricks not good enough?
As far as I can tell, the 2x2x3 slopes in the Haunted House and later sets are essentially the same as the ones in any older sets, save for having solid studs instead of hollow studs. I don't have the Haunted House open, but I do have Gorzan's Gorilla Striker, which has the same newer mold according to both Bricklink and Brickset, and comparing it to the older version I'm not seeing any difference in angle whatsoever.
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I haven't read that anywhere and that sounds very unlikely to be true. I buy all my sets directly from LEGO, either through S@H or at my local LEGO company store using my VIP card. My local LEGO store has a large Technic collection, although it pales in comparison to their City or other theme sections. I would be very sad if I had to get my Technic through TRU or Wal-mart. I'd probably start Bricklinking everything.
Sets exclusive to Toys R Us, Target or Wal-Mart in the U.S. are almost always available through Lego directly, whether online or at a Lego brand store. The exclusivity simply means that other retailers, whether they're competing large chains or mom & pop stores, don't get the option of stocking those sets. I'm pretty sure that, at least in the past few years, Technic has been exclusive to Toys R Us.
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Thanks for your review! This is a set that is on my must-have list. Due to its colour scheme, it reminds me so much of good old classic space.
Could anyone tell me why this ship is called Benny's spaceship, spaceship, SPACESHIP! ? I haven't seen The Lego Movie. I am constantly asking myself this question.
I've tried to limit major spoilers, but what I have could still be considered a minor spoiler. Consider yourself warned...
Benny in the movie is kind of a hyperactive oddball. The only things he's interested in building are Classic Space spaceships, but he keeps getting turned down by the other main characters. When he's finally given the go-ahead to build his "special spaceship" he's so excited that, after building it, he starts excitedly yelling "SPACESHIP!" as the ship launches into action. It's a pretty iconic scene, especially for Benny as a character.
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I suspect that Benny is blue because IIRC, the blue spacemen were less common, and thus he's that much cooler.
I would think it would be more so that his outfit is closer to the typical Classic Space ship colors. It eliminates any ambiguity as to what theme he belongs to, which is useful since not all theatergoers are as knowledgeable about classic themes as we Lego fans are, so it helps to have a consistent visual language.
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Yeah, you're right. HF has fallen far from its position in 2010/11 as most popular theme. And it seems like retailers have followed naturally, especially with all the new TLM sets pretty much taking their place.
I don't think HF was the most popular theme even back then. Unless you mean the one you personally liked most?
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Lovely! I imagine this model would be a hit at conventions, especially with kids. Have you tested to make sure that the tracks are balanced (that is to say, have similar probabilities of winning)?
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I like it, but it's also a clear throwback to 4-Wheeling Pursuit, and also one of the first times that LEGO used a stand-alone female villain to be the main threat. I don't know why everyone is clamoring for her to have a new set or reviews, but it's just popular, it seems.
As some commenters here have said, the set description states that she is trying to steal the crystal to complete her superweapon, so some are hoping for a set that features said superweapon (similarly to how all the first-wave Agents sets featured Dr. Inferno's henchmen stealing things to complete the giant laser in the Volcano Base set). If there were another unannounced set, and it featured a previously-seen villain, it wouldn't surprise me if it were Toxikita—after all, while she lacks the evil overlord persona of Dr. Inferno, she IS the only new villain to have her own henchman. At this point in the year if there are any sets we haven't yet seen, they'll probably be retailer-exclusives—unless the theme continues for another wave next year, which is entirely possible given this theme's strong multimedia focus as well as its open-ended nature.
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wow...ok, so in keeping with rufie's desire...let's be robotic from now on, oops robots go on another theme...in any case, anyone know what might be next after the Trevi Fountain, I know for a while there, TLG was producing more than one architecture set per year. I am not sure we can count Marina Bay cause lots of folks got it in late 2013, even though some sites say it is 2014. It seems TLG has just let this line die a bit.
One question for some admins though, why are you so tough on posts for Architecture and I see a ton of back and forth in TLM posts, and others? Do you not have anything better to do other than to troll all the threads and come down on posters? It seems a bit childish really. Can we just have CopMike do the admin on the special Lego Themes...he is pretty cool.
Architecture is one of the most common subjects built in Lego, so this topic would quickly become overrun if everyone posted whatever neat MOCs they found in the theme discussion topic (especially minifig-scale MOCs like this that are hardly like the sets in the Architecture theme at all). I can see why the mods would want to keep the topic focused on the theme this topic pertains to. And as a regular in the Lego Movie sets topic, I think the mods do the same thing there, such as redirecting discussion of the movie itself to the Culture and Multimedia subforum. Just my two cents.
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As a related question to the topic starter's, does anyone know a good rendering program that works on Mac? Neither POVray nor LDD2POVray work on my laptop, and I'd like to be able to polish some of my LDD models with custom decorations as well as higher-quality rendering. It's not an issue of power or rendering time for me; I just need something that works at all!
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The Batman Assault on Wayne Manor set has hit 10k, so first of the new review period. It looks like the Invisible Hand will be there within 2-3 days as well. Both fantastic huge detailed set proposals. It will be interesting to see how they fair in review? My gut instinct is neither will pass just from shear size and restrictions with pre existing licenses. But you never know. If those don't kill them in review then the edge goes to the Batman set. That fold out modular to play set mechanism is brilliant. The Invisible Hand will be badly impacted in review by how poorly the Malevolence did on the shelves. Further compounded by its own time from creation to 10k, which reinforces a soft market for the big Separatist ships.
The Assault on Wayne Manor proposal is great and I wish it luck in review. It's actually inspired me to come up with my own idea for a Super Heroes proposal. Here's a question that's been on my mind for some time—could a proposal that falls under an existing Lego license be different enough from past or current sets in a licensed theme to pass review? I ask because certain types of models are different enough from typical licensed fare that they might never become sets, if not through Ideas. For instance, the bulk of Super Heroes sets focus on comics-based Batman models or sets based on current movies. Which are all well and good, but I'm considering creating a project based on one of the super hero brands of my childhood—specifically, a Titans Tower project based on the Teen Titans cartoon. Lego and DC are unlikely to make a set from a ten-year-old cartoon otherwise, so do you think a set based on a show like that (which probably has a big enough audience to reach 10,000 supports, and even has a spinoff on TV today) could find success on Ideas?
Review: 70816 Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!
in Special LEGO Themes
Posted
I don't think it's realistic to expect a set that hews to every convention of the original Classic Space sets. Most notably because a set like that would probably struggle to sell to adult fans, let alone to today's kids. I do have an appreciation for older sets but with the caveat that they were working with what they had at the time, and in a modern set I would expect a lot more.
This set may not be "true Classic Space" by the definitions set by hardcore spacers and that's okay. It's essentially a remix of the CS theme in the same vein as the other zany sets in the Lego Movie theme. And it does a good job of paying tribute to the sets of old (with parts like the geometric yellow windscreens, multidirectional thrusters, ribbed engines, and brick-built robots as well as the many decorations that call to mind those in the original sets) while providing the kinds of action features and unique characters that kids and adult fans of modern themes expect.
I can't wait to own this set and in the same vein I'm eager to see what the Cuusoo/Ideas Exo-Suit looks like as a finalized set. But expecting either to be a set that looked like it would fit in perfectly with sets from more than 20 years ago would be setting myself up for disappointment.