kibosh

where were the damaged sets coming from? I can't get the news article to open.

That is a fantastic looking brick built dish!

I haven't been to the Troy store in about a week, but the selection was lacking with several bins being empty. I left empty handed. :-( In Chicago this past weekend I was able to score the 1x1 round light gray tiles and the red gems.

Yes, but among LEGO fans who already are devoted fans. Those exclusives do nothing for the AFOL fanbase in general, nor the target audience, which is children. Do they make us buy more sets? No. If we pay $500 for one of them, does LEGO make a profit on it? No. What's the value of negative "buzz"?

Exaaaaaaaaactly........ I have bought sets I don't care for, ut it was because I wanted specific things out of it; either parts or minifigs. But this has been rare. Those SDCC exclusives just make no sense to me. They do nothing for their target audience.

Oh, really..... Do you have a link to this shop? Is it 6 or 8 wide?

Polar Express 1225

I still fail to see this as a problem. Outside of a VERY small percentage of LEGO sets, LEGO sets are mass produced. I can't think of a single retail set I was not able to find on retail shelves. Maybe they sold out in the first couple weeks of release, but they were always replenished. The only exception to this are limited run sets at the LEGO stores, and those are a different discussion. I'm talking retail like Walmart, Target, etc. Totally agree on both points here.

If an adult and a child arrive at the same store and want the same set, and there is only one copy, then yes the adult should give the child the opportunity to make the purchase. You are correct; it is the right and decent thing to do. If the adult gets to the store, and there is only one copy of a given set on the shelf, should they leave it in case a child may want it at some point? No, and they should not feel bad about it. I buy more LEGO than I can use all the time. Why? Because to me, LEGO is a luxury good. I don't need it. I like it and I want it. Therefore, I will NEVER pay more than MSRP, and usually won't buy unless there is a sale. I buy sets I know I won't get around to for quite some time because if I don't buy it now, it won't be available to me later at prices I am willing to pay. The UCS Falcon is the LEGO Holy Grail for several reasons. One, it's the biggest LEGO set ever. Two, it's arguably the most iconic thing from the most iconic movies of all time. It hits the top of the list of two rabid fanbases.

I was going to make this exact point, but you beat me to it!

Did you go to comic-con? If not, that has just as much to do with you not getting those exclusives as the high resale prices do. I just don't understand TLG's logic behind those SDCC minifigs. Who's their intended audience? SDCC is first and foremost a comic con catering to cosplayers and costume fans. Some of these people might be into LEGO, but I doubt the majority is. And I also doubt any LEGO fans go to SDCC primarily to collect these figures. Even if you did, SDCC is very expensive to attend. After paying for tickets, hotel, travel, etc., you're better off paying for the minifigs on eBay.

Totally agree. If your life is so perfect that your biggest problem is correcting the way people refer to LEGO, you are truly blessed. I wonder how many of the LEGO police use the term kleenex to refer to facial tissue... And those that flip out over the use of "legos", get over yourself. There are obnoxious elitists in every group. If you're not aware of them, you probably are one. That's how I pronounce it, too.

Snagged a Republic Gunship for 70% off at Target this morning!

I don't consider myself a LEGO investor or re-seller, but I do sell LEGO for a profit. And yes, I am a parent. I consider myself a fan of LEGO. I enjoy building with my LEGO, and I enjoy building with my kids. I am guilty of buying more LEGO than I need, but it is always with the intent that I will build with it eventually. Sometimes, I need money to buy a new LEGO set, so I sell off LEGO I haven't gotten around to yet. Sometimes, the value of a set gets so high, I can't justify NOT selling that set. LEGO for me is a 100% self funding hobby. When I see LEGO on clearance, I will generally buy it all. Do I feel bad about it? Not even a little bit. As was mentioned in this thread, everyone had the chance to buy it. I had no unfair advantage. Outside of very rare exceptions, LEGO is a mass produced toy. Even if a re-seller does buy it all, the store will eventually restock it. No child is going to go without. They may go without that day, or at that store, but they will eventually get their LEGO. Learning delayed gratification is not a bad lesson. People need to loosen up and quite worrying about little things that really don't affect them. Stop taking everything so seriously.

Awesome. I could use a cup or two of those for sure.

Whoa. Are those light gray 1x2 grill bricks? I've only ever seen white in the PaB wall.

I have kids, and I was wondering this, too. And the movie was a wake up call for me as well. I realized I was Lord Business. I wanted things built my way, and displayed my way. After seeing the movie, I realized I LIKE sharing my things with my kids and other people in general. I enjoy my LEGO more now that the Emperor is eating pizza in his throne room on the Death Star. My LEGO is a hobby. I enjoy it. I play with it. And I enjoy when others get to enjoy it with me. Too many people on this thread are way too rigid and tightly wound. Lighten up, and play well.

I would agree, form a North American perspective, LEGO has grown immensely in popularity. I substantiate this with my observations of clearance sales. 10 years ago, I could go into numerous Target stores and buy hundreds of dollars of LEGO clearanced at 70% off. Today, I'm lucky to see LEGO at 30% off. There are more collectors, and there are also the soccer moms buying up LEGO for their kids or for resale.

My store is great. They usually recognize that I'm going to be filling a few cups and offer to hold the already filled ones for me. They even tape the lids shut while I'm filling.

Deleted so as to not derail a valuable thread.

I made my point. Deleted so as to not derail a valuable thread.

I'm usually not a fan of brick-built beasts, but this is fantastic. Where did you get those eyes?

It's just like building a following on any social media channel like Facebook or Twitter. You need to have content people want to consume. The best way to do that is to find your own niche. What makes you and your Flickr different than all the others? Why should I interact with you? Same founding principle of website search engine optimization. Content is king. Give people what they want, and eventually they will come.

Good point. The small cups are certainly easier to grab parts from when you're building. Stopped by my store this afternoon. No cheese slopes other than clear. No more horses. Really not much of any interest. :-(

Why three small cups instead of 1 large and 1 small? With the new pricing, large cups are more economical.