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iragm

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Everything posted by iragm

  1. iragm
    Why on earth would anyone buy from Bricklink instead of directly from Lego? Lego offers free shipping, VIP points, free returns, and a guarantee that the set is complete. It would be fascinating to know how many units Lego has sold so far, but only they know that, sadly. They have certainly moved thousands of units, not hundreds, but something like this is pretty expensive to produce from design to production to logistics to marketing. It wouldn't surprise me if this could sell 100k units and still not be profitable. I sold a good number of minifigures on eBay, getting $250+ while still keeping the figures I like (the queen, peasant, and handmaid) seems like a pretty solid deal to me and I have no shortage of old school crusaders and forestmen to populate the castle with. But, it's kind of a pain to sell stuff and most of the people who are buying this have a ton of disposable income, so it's probably not worth their time.
  2. iragm
    This brick, for building chateau roofs, is $2.41 average on bricklink: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3685&name=Slope 75 2 x 2 x 3 Double Convex&category=[Slope]#T=P&C=11 But it's only $0.40 on PAB: https://www.lego.com/en-us/pick-and-build/pick-a-brick?query=3685&page=1 The capstone piece is not available on PAB in black, and it has a stupidly high price on bricklink: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3688&name=Slope 75 2 x 2 x 2 Quadruple Convex - Blocked Open Stud or Hollow Stud&category=[Slope]#T=P&C=11 As an aside (and to brag), I have 3 of the 2x2x2 quad convex bricks obtained from bulk ebay lots -- I just look for bulk lots that look like they contain 6074. You can usually get a 10 pound box for about $80-100 USD shipped.
  3. iragm
    Fortunately, they are available on PAB for a reasonable price. I just picked up a bunch a few months ago. It's the 2x2 quadruple convex roof piece that's expensive and not available in black on PAB. And the price has gotten a lot worse over the last year as castle popularity increases. 7946 shows a way to build roofs without it, but, sadly, it's just not quite the same look.
  4. iragm
    I posted this on its own thread, but I created an updated Guarded Inn. I made the instructions for my updated version free on rebrickable and built it using very common parts to try to keep the cost down. I consider the original one of the best sets of all time and I tried to capture a small bit of its magic.
  5. iragm
    Despite the fact that the redesigned PAB doesn't have the selection of the old one, I am actually a big fan of the site. You can easily give people links to buy stuff. Here's a link for the black falcon parts: https://www.lego.com/en-us/pick-and-build/pick-a-brick?query=6335666%2C+6335192%2C+6335631&page=1&includeOutOfStock=true And here's a link to all the minifigures in 10305: https://www.lego.com/en-us/pick-and-build/pick-a-brick?query=&page=1&includeOutOfStock=true&filters.i0.key=variants.attributes.appearsIn&filters.i0.ranges.i0.from="10305%3A"&filters.i0.ranges.i0.to="10305%3A9999"&filters.i1.key=variants.attributes.categoryId&filters.i1.values.i0=7 Now, it gets really good if you have some tech savvy: the system just uses GraphQL for queries, so you can interact with the site programmatically with simple POST requests. I have a script set up that pings PAB every few minutes looking for stuff I want to come back in stock, and then it sends me an email alert when they're available. Despite everyone complaining about how falcons will never be available, they are available on PAB now in the US. I expect they will sell out in a day or less, they don't usually last long. The PAB system is far from perfect, but really the main issues boil down to: Stuff I want isn't in stock -- I can't blame Lego for prioritizing putting sets on shelves, and I imagine stuff will be back in stock eventually The site isn't quite a feature rich as it should be (stuff like out of stock notifications, or importing a BL wanted list), but because the API is available, you can make that happen if you put a bit of effort in. One last thing I'll leave here is this Chrome extension that helps you source parts from PAB or Bricklink, whichever is cheaper: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/brickhunter/plhoblcmafoglbnhekjmegkknhifedne
  6. iragm
    Honestly, PAB is pretty fantastic for army building. I picked up a ton of black falcons for about $2 each, and I was even able to give them black legs to make them look more old school. I'd like to see more small castle sets, but all I really want is for the figures from this set to be available on PAB.
  7. iragm
    I wasn't too keen on it until I inventoried it, and realized I could build it for $70 worth of extra parts, so I did. It's incredible, arguably the best build I've ever done. The back side is underwhelming, but the detailing on the front side is better even than 10305. The use of dark tan and dark blueish gray really help it feel more textured and life-like, and all the trees provide a lot more visual interest than the gray walls of 10305. I'm not saying it's perfect -- the minifigures are awful (I didn't buy them, I have it displayed with a few old school forestmen instead) and there's a few parts that aren't quite well enough attached. But it really is an amazing build. This is because there is (was) a purchase limit of 1. Most people are buying the set direct from Lego, and most folks are excited about the new figures, so they want to keep them. The only folks reselling the minifigures are those who want to make MOCs or bring the price of the castle down by selling off parts of it. If Lego sells out, you can bet the bricklink volume of 10305 will spike. By comparison, as others have said, the black falcons have been on PAB for a while, allowing resellers to purchase stockpiles of them. They're now out of stock on PAB, so people have to turn to bricklink for army building.
  8. iragm
    I was expecting this to sell out. It did not, and just 2 weeks after its launch, the limit has already been increased. Additionally, the general sentiment in reddit threads (not a bad proxy for how the AFOL community feels) is that this castle is too expensive. This thread and Eurobricks in general is an echo chamber and I try to keep a larger perspective, especially when I'm hoping to pick up a couple additional copies at some point in the future. I can wait a year or two for that, though. I am disappointed that this set didn't sell out, that would be a clearer indication to Lego that there's huge demand for this sort of thing. This set is nearly perfect, and is exactly -- I mean exactly -- what I've been wanting since 1993, when crusaders were discontinued. The designers were definitely listening to their fans on this set. One thing is for sure -- this set will perform spectacularly on eBay and Bricklink after its discontinued. It checks all the "high value" boxes - AFOL-targeted, flagship set, nostalgia appeal, and exclusive minifigures. So I need to pick up additional copies before the set is discontinued. Obviously I'm speculating on this, and I have no way of knowing how many copies TLG produced. It's possible that they over-estimated the demand for this, but even if that's the case, it means this set is under-performing expectations. I'd love to know how both this set and Barracuda Bay did -- clearly that set did well enough that TLG moved forward with this, even if it was discontinued after less than 2 years.
  9. iragm
    Limit in the USA raised to 2 per customer. I'm guessing this isn't selling as well as Lego had hoped. I know I am holding off purchasing a second one until there's a pretty decent sale. 20% off would do.
  10. iragm
    What's the exact wording from support? Nearly all non-licensed parts have shown up there at some point or other. Was it that they weren't currently available (we know...) or that they would never be available? If never, that certainly changes the value of the figures considerably.
  11. iragm
    I would love to get an answer to this. I have about 20 of the red guys and on around half of them, the red is closer to dark brown. On one of the bright red ones (one I have had since childhood), the red is a bit worn away and there's white underneath. I wonder if there was supposed to be a coat of primer that was missed on the dark red ones? I know nothing about printing, just curious why so many of my forestmen are like this.
  12. iragm
    I agree with this and I like it, but we do rely on Lego to produce castle-compatible parts (doors, windows, hinges and gray bricks) and -- critically! -- minifigures. I have been out of the hobby since the mid 90s, and I can't believe how few good castle minifigures I missed. I'm waiting for a "peasant with goat" CMF or at least for the forestmen to show up on PAB.
  13. iragm
    I sold my Black Falcon flags and shields - $30 a flag and $5 a shield was too much for me to pass up. I have replaced them with translucent vinyl stickers that I had professionally printed. I know someone will ask, so here's an SVG that should have the correct scaling, just save as, export it as a PDF, and print it (I used carstickers).
  14. iragm
    The original is a 4/10 "I'll pass" set. Yours is a 10/10 "instant buy" set - the lack of dark gray, improved texturing on the walls, and addition of sand green bricks really improves the look of the model. The gambrel roof on the half timber barracks looks so much better than the original model, too. I'd be interested in seeing what a few dark green leaf pieces creating vines growing on one of the towers would do. I am not really a fan of the use of bricks in the daub sections (although I know the blacksmith shop uses that to add texture, it just looks wrong) but the mix of sand bricks and 1x2 jumpers to add texture is extremely nice. I like the yellow overall, it definitely improves the charm of the set.
  15. iragm
    Thanks! It's only the Ungarded Inn when the guards have gotten into the ale again...
  16. iragm
    First MOC in 20 years. I wanted to update the classic 6067 Guarded Inn to fit the style of 10305. Pics say it all: I've made the instructions available for free on Rebrickable, here: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-119072/irabricks/iras-guarded-inn/ Hopefully someone uses these, I spent far longer than I would like to admit making them. Feedback is welcome and appreciated.
  17. iragm
    Great news - you'll be able to sell those minifigs for at least half the cost of the castle, as long as you sell them before they are available on PAB. I can certainly see why people wouldn't like this castle, but to me, it's nearly perfect. Certainly the best castle in 30 years.
  18. iragm
    From that same article, he "was retired". It was almost certainly not his decision to leave. There were certainly some top-down decisions that were made around that time which hurt both castle and pirates.
  19. iragm
    It's a rehash of 6080 without the iconic figures... Every castle made between up until 6086 offered some kind of improvement over the last - the use of gray and castle walls in 6080, corner bricks and the Tudors wall piece in 6074, a deliberately asymmetrical layout and raised baseplate in 6081, the use of black in 6085 and (finally) putting every great feature together in 6086. Lego castle design really suffered after they fired Daniel August Krentz in 1999, although Dragon Masters and Royal Knights were already a big step down from the earlier stuff.
  20. iragm
    The idea book 260 has a good number of excellent concepts that were never fully explored. There's a hollow tree with a barrel in it that is one of my favorite forestmen builds, as well as a little forest "city" - forge, water wheel, hitching post and grindstone built on the 6071 base plate. And a bunch more, without instructions. I suspect one of the reasons that forestmen are so well loved by adults is that they offered us an insight into civilian life under the crusader's rule - but usually with an interesting twist or some fun play features: see sets like the crusader's cart that allowed the forestmen to be smuggled into castles. There's still plenty of room for stand-alone sets like a lord's manor with a secret bookshelf for the forestmen to escape through, a windmill with a compartment in the top to allow the forestmen to keep an eye out for crusader patrols, or a forest dock/market like the imperial trading post with cranes for them to swing between and treasure to steal. It all depends on the execution.
  21. iragm
    You cannot purchase part 30987 (tall 2x2 quarter round) in black. It's on PAB in several other colors including reddish brown, so I imagine black is coming eventually. It'll also cost you quite a bit more to buy most parts from PAB than Bricklink, double VIP points is only 10% off, which is nothing to get too excited about.
  22. iragm
    Silver metalic flat silver, you can see for yourself since some inventory is on PAB. Nothing new yet, sadly. I just set up a script to monitor it for changes and I'll post here if anything new turns up. https://www.lego.com/en-us/pick-and-build/pick-a-brick?query=&page=1&includeOutOfStock=true&filters.i0.key=variants.attributes.appearsIn&filters.i0.ranges.i0.from="10305%3A"&filters.i0.ranges.i0.to="10305%3A9999"&filters.i1.key=variants.attributes.categoryId&filters.i1.values.i0=6
  23. iragm
    One problem is that as soon as Lego gives a clear indication that popular minifigs will be re-released, the value of all vintage minifigs drops immediately to Lego's price, and they lose any value they have as collector's items. (I kinda see this as a good thing.) The other issue is volume - a lot of vintage figures command a high price due to their scarcity. Figures like the bluecoat/redcoat admiral or the forestwoman have a 6 month average volume of under ~25 sales. Lego can't possibly make money from that, they'd need to move thousands of figures (at least) to break even. There just isn't enough demand for that.
  24. iragm
    I suspect they have - there's a new design of the torso that is less likely to crack under the arms. There's also front and back printing on most torsos, as well as leg printing and dual-molded legs. All of these things cost money, even if it's only in the initial design process. But you're right, Lego is probably looking at the secondary market prices for a lot of figures and trying to get a slice of that.
  25. iragm
    Looks like around $25 for the king and $6 for the queen, plus shipping. (Gotta check both the figure and the set it comes in, looks like both have pretty good volume recently) For that kind of money, I can grab a 10 pound box of unsorted bricks which I would have much more fun with than 2 minifigures.
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