Lego Mike

Note: I'm not really being entirely serious here. In a recent "my thoughts" video about upcoming Lego Jurassic Park sets, a YouTuber digressed into a stream of consciousness about the numbers Lego uses in its sets (and to a lesser extent, its set numbers). He pointed out that the Dinosaur Missions Stegosaurus Discovery set (76965) has 420 parts and was somewhat dismayed by the idea that Lego intentionally included that number of parts as a drug reference. He then went out of his way to argue in his own comments section with the few people who disagreed. As I recall, this YouTuber also once commented on a set having 69 parts or something along those lines. I think numbers are just numbers, and if anyone in the buying public has an immature worldview they can go ahead and snicker all they like if the part count is 420, 69, or whatever. I don't think it's realistic for Lego to adjust such things to accommodate the hand-wringing minority that projects their interpretations onto children -- "Won't someone think of the children?!" But I wanted to ask the rest of you, regardless of your social or political philosophies, &c., or your age, and so on, what you think of this "issue." Is it a valid concern or much ado about nothing?

Lego channels on YouTube are dead. Among the top channels from the last 10+ years, one has given up to focus on films (understandable), one has grown so shrill that he tightly constricts his media sphere to immunize himself the criticism that no doubt is half made-up and half living in his head rent-free year-long, so while he desperately tries to sound chill and above it all, he's really just trying to be on the supply side of drama without getting any on himself, and one, who screams "Peter Pan syndrome," has long since stopped really caring about Star Wars Lego and finally gotten his audience of 13-year-olds to focus on his real passion: his vanity.

All real Lego here. From time to time, I have purchased the stray Oxford Blocks set, as they make interesting Korea-themed stuff, but I always kept them carefully and strictly quarantined. ;) There's a Chinese company making huge World Heritage Site sets, too, but I got rid of that stuff last year. And alas, no, almost no Pirates stuff here. I'm more of a Classic Space fan myself. I may have a few pirate minifigures, but that's all. Thanks for the price perspective!

Right. That's what I'm leaning toward. I measured what I have to sell, and the bulk of it is 31kg, not counting the used sets that I didn't part out. I also took a look at some of the BrickLink sellers I usually buy from to see if they might have any sets to trade for in addition to a considerably reduced price for the parts. I'm not looking to make a profit or a big score, so as long as I feel like I'm happy with the exchange, all's good. I'm going to donate any money I get, though, so more is better than less. Obviously. Any suggestion for what a suitable price might be? There are many variables, of course, but just a rough guess. I've never had to think of buying/selling Lego by the kilogram. Ha ha.

That's what I was thinking, though I'm not sure how to price something of that volume. I'll have to take another look and give it some thought. 헬로! As I recall, the parts I have are mostly from Lego City, the Lego movies (The Lego Movie 1 & 2, Ninjago, and Batman), Marvel and Classic. Basically, a lot of stuff from 2015-2020. The sets I built and didn't sort out are modular buildings, Creator Expert, Speed Champions, BrickHeadz, some Star Wars (a lot of Microfighters), and so on. It's almost too much to evaluate as a whole, hence my problem. :)

It's not a bad idea, but I've already sorted the zillions of parts by type, and I also never keep the boxes. I can't imagine how much time it would take to go fishing for the parts for what is likely over 150 sets, at least. I'm thinking more of a single sale of the whole lot.

I love Lego, but I've got too much here, and at this stage of life, I'm just not into having large accumulations of stuff -- except books! I don't have a precise number, but I've got about 200,000+ parts and a few dozen sets I've built and taken apart. It's all stored away in plastic bins, carefully sorted by part type, etc., and it's just not doing me any good. So it's gotta go. There are several things I'm keeping, as I do still love Lego. I just don't love having all this stuff I'm never going to use. I was never much for MOCs, anyway. But how in the world would I go about selling that volume of Lego? I don't want to open a BrickLink store; I'm a professor and writer, so I need MORE time, not less. Everything's ready to be hauled out, I just don't know how to find someone to do the hauling (after paying for it). I live in South Korea, too, and there's not a large secondary market. If push comes to shove, I will put it out with the recycling. Again, I love this stuff, but there's no point keeping things around merely for the sake of possessing them. That's just not my style. Most of this stuff, I should never have bought in the first place! :D

Got it. Thanks! I knew the duck torso was familiar, but I've had no interest in Stuntz, so that's how I missed it.

I recently found two torsos at Lego Stores (in the BAM section), but I'm not sure how to find them on Bricklink. I'm curious about where else they may appear or if they're exclusive BAM parts. They both seem familiar, but I don't recall from where or when. The first has a bare chest (slight pecs) on the front and a stylized rubber duck image on the back. The second is a white torso with dark blue arms in a baseball tee design with a Vitruvian Man-inspired Lego minifig on the front. On the back is printing of the shirt sleeves along the shoulders. I got several of both because they're really fun, but I can't figure out their origin.

Those sales are real, and I can recall seeing them, albeit not among Lego. I had no interest in Lego back then. But it's totally true, stopping by a retailer and seeing in the clearance aisle something that is priced to just go. It's a cheap thrill! I can remember, though, seeing small sets and polybags in check-out lines or at discount retailers, especially in the early 2000s when everything Lego touched was just a little...poop. Ha ha.

There are definitely few discounts; Lego isn't "priced to move," as they say, like in American and European markets. If something goes on the shelf at 49,990 KRW, it stays there no matter what. Just the other day I saw a Galaxy Squad set (dusty, discolored, battered box and all) at a toy shop, and it still had its original price. (Though I guess now that original price would look like a discount!) Sometimes major retailers will have a quick sale to make room for new sets, but it's 20-30% off for a week or so, then the prices go right back up and the unwanted sets sit there for months longer. Eventually they get shunted to smaller local retailers -- who keep the original prices, leave the sets on the shelf for years, and... Well, so on and so on. Anyway, just interesting (and frustrating) to notice how various regions approach the sale of Lego. Drives me nuts when friends in the US stop by Target and randomly find $45 sets reduced to $5 just to get rid of them. Yikes!

@Murdoch17 Ah-ha, thanks for the information. Given the prices set here in South Korea, which are already ridiculously marked up, it starts to feel like the walls are closing in around AFOLs. Ha ha. It's gotten to the point that fans need to either buy something right away, to avoid the price jumping up later, or pass on appealing sets altogether. Either way, again, with the prices, it's getting to the point where it seems that Lego just doesn't deserve my money. But again, I'll spare everyone the rant. ;)

I live in South Korea now, and I noticed the other day that previous Speed Champion sets, which were priced at 29,900 KRW ($22 USD) on release, are now being sold for 34,900 ($26 USD). I don't think I've ever seen that before. This season's Speed Champions wave is priced at 34,900 per set, so Lego has retroactively bumped up the price for previous waves to match. I'll spare everyone the rant. But has anyone else seen this kind of price adjustment?

Thanks, everyone!

There are far more Lego-centric YouTube channels these days than ever before. But that said, I don't really want to spend a ton of free time keeping up with so many new videos. I just want some up-to-date news and insightful reviews, and that's about it. So which do you recommend? I had been watching Jang and just2good for many years, but they just don't appeal to me anymore. I can see why tons of people like them. But Jang's all about the Patreon/Twitch streaming thing and "Let me tell you what I think about these photos I just saw," his review videos are repetitive (after watching him for five or six years), and, well... He seems to nag and be annoyed with his viewers most of the time. I dunno. Rarely a video passes without him making some back-handed remark about what he imagines viewers might be thinking or saying in the comments. It's weird 'cause he used to seem so affable. And just2good doesn't seem to be putting the work and planning into videos like he used to. I like his enthusiasm for Lego, and he seems super-positive, but the videos aren't really interesting. (Again, I'm just saying why I'm looking for new channels. If they still make your socks roll up and down, cool.) Are there any notably engaging, insightful, innovative YouTube channels I should check out? TIA!

Still can't decide between Vladivostok and Hanoi, but I'll take notes if I choose the latter!

I emerged from my dark ages during a trip to Hanoi in 2016, more or less. I kept seeing a lot of shops specializing in Lego (like, on every block in the Old Quarter), so I finally went into one just to escape the heat of late summer in Vietnam. I saw a big Classic box (I don't recall which) and was amused. It was the first time I had thought about Lego since I was about 11, 27 years ago now, and was delighted by all the colors and shapes that seemed so new to me. I didn't buy anything then, nor when I returned to Hanoi later that same year, but I was smitten. Anyway, I'm thinking about going back for a third trip. And shopping for Lego isn't my main reason for going (that would be THE FOOD and the odd statues of Lenin everywhere), but you know I'm going to spend an inordinate amount of time looking at and thinking about Lego. Does anyone know, generally speaking, what kind of prices Lego sets are in Vietnam? Like, in South Korea there's a reliable 30-50% markup over US prices, and a little less in Japan. Things are so cheap in Vietnam, and I recall seeing tons of dusty old sets piled up everywhere, so I'm hoping to scope some old stuff for a song. *FIngers crossed*

A few things for anyone who happens to be in Korea (which is apparently just...me): 1. Sets are appearing here and there, and I've seen the most so far at small shops in Chilseong Market in Daegu, including Lego Movie 2, City, Creator, Superheroes (Captain Marvel, Batman, and Spider-Man), etc. God bless small shops that ignore street dates. 2. Overwatch sets were released in Korea today (Sat., Dec. 29), but apparently they will at least for now be exclusive to E-Mart and Toy Kingdom retailers. Unfortunately, this means you won't likely see them for a discount at traditional markets. Boooooo! I stopped by the Daegu Lego Store this morning and they had no word whether they would get the sets or not. (Lego Stores are not directly operated by TLG in Korea, so they exist in a weird murky middle ground in some ways.) But they gave me a free Santa minifigure and green sombrero '그냥.' 3. The 2019 Golden Pig Lunar New Year set (40186) will be available Friday, Jan. 4 at Lego Stores nationwide -- free with a purchase of 50,000 won or more:

I just wanted to make a thread dedicated to Lego in Korea. I'm an American AFOL, and I'd like to find some more expat or locals to connect with. Anyway, first up, two of the three Chinese New Year sets have been posted on lego.co.kr with prices in KRW and a few newer (?) images of the sets, minifigs, &c. The release date is set for January 1. No word on if they're D2C or not. 80101: 구정 정야 만찬 (New Year's Eve Dinner): 616 pieces, 6 minifigs, 89,900원 Can't wait to get those food tiles...! 80102: 용춤 (Dragon Dance): 622 pieces, 5 minifigs, 79,900원 Anyone else notice the light orange heart-shaped tiles on the dragon's back? Prices in USD are about $80 for the dinner set and $71 for the dragon dance. No word yet on the boat race set.

I've seen Lego losing shelf space to this brand and others here in South Korea for about two years now. Like, seriously, large retailers have taken about half of the space that used to be full of Lego. Now it's other stuff like Beyblade and what the heck ever it is. Why? PRICE. PRICE PRICE PRICE PRICE PRICE. If Lego wants to continue being a "boutique brand" (which it is, despite or because of being the largest toy company in the world), it's going to have to accept smaller companies offering cheaper alternatives. Sorry, Lego, but you can't seriously expect to keep this style of toy to yourself. I mean, is Hershey going around the world, suing everyone for making candy bars? Is Coca-Cola suing everyone for making cola? It wasn't really even uniquely a Lego idea to begin with, was it? Be honest. I very rarely buy non-Lego block sets. Some licensed, original sets by Oxford are fun on a purely visual level. 99.9% of the time, I'm true blue for Lego. But liking a company doesn't mean you can't be honest about it, and it really looks like Lego's trying to throw their weight around here. I think consumers have a right to cheaper alternatives in a fair market, and I don't think Lego has any right to expect exclusivity in its brick system after 60 years. The questions to me, then, are whether a non-Lego brick company is blatantly stealing set concepts and visual properties and whether we might expect a new company to start getting their act together and producing some seriously good sets. For the former, most companies, especially from China and Korea, are still cloning things wholesale. But for the latter, ironically, some companies in China and Korea are making some legitimately nice stuff. Bottom line: Seems to me that Lego's not used to sharing the playground, so its instinct is to bully the other kids off the court.

Yeah, I'm hoping the designer video will provide some insight regarding some of the choices they made. It seems a bit much to serve up detailed, thoughtfully designed sets like PR, DD, DO, and BB, then scale back with this set. It just feels...empty. And that boggles me because it has hundreds more pieces than most of the others! And I said it before, but it really does look like a Lepin knock-off or a Creator set on steroids. There are good parts and bad, but overall it's just...meh? I don't have $250 (Korean price) for 2,500+ pieces of...meh. Though in all fairness, I didn't think much of the BB till I saw it on sale at Costco and grabbed it up on a whim. Building it at home and seeing it on my desk just now, I really do admire the design and period style of it. Reminds me of early 20th century buildings in the downtown part of my hometown (Charleston, WV). I even like the laundromat!

Off the cuff... Meh? Looks like a competent MOC bootlegged by Lepin...bootlegged by Lego. Just looks okay. First impression, I wouldn't say no, because I do like the time and focus it takes to build a Modular building. But I live in South Korea and the price on lego.co.kr is 279,900 won -- $250 USD! For a Modular building, that's ridiculous. Pros: TBD, though I do like the bunny. Cons: Though I'm a big fan of both Dark Orange and Sand Blue, together they're not the most dynamic visual. The first floor looks out of sorts, and the interiors are cramped. A lot of the same details we've seen from other sets. Again, just first impressions. I wasn't a big fan of the Brick Bank at first, either.

Ah ha... That makes suspiciously good sense. Thanks! Actually, I think I still have an outdated version of both programs. Should've updated them to begin with.

I'm still really just fumbling my way around with Stud.io and LDD, so I wanted to ask: Is there a way to group/lock parts of a project together so they can be moved, deleted, etc. as a sub-unit? I'm thinking of PowerPoint and how certain layers and elements can be grouped and manipulated without affecting the rest of the slide. Like, if I'm working on a modular building, is it possible to lock the roof assembly together so it can be pulled off en masse? Or a wall, a sofa, etc.?

Woooo. I heard through the grapevine that they'll be in South Korea too -- though it's hardly "Chinese" New Year -- so I'll keep an eye open. Stuff shows up weeks and weeks before the street date, so...cool. Something colorful to look forward to.