6129c04
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About 6129c04
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@Gzynek2323 Good catch, this must've been added very recently in that reddit list as there is no mention of it in the comments, at first I thought I hadn't copied the full list but at least someone would've mentioned the set in that reddit thread. Yeah 740 pieces, sports car and off-road vehicle, August release. That's what it says, hopefully excellent value again from Mercedes like with 76924.
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Right, so after thinking a bit more about the new Creator ship I am heavily leaning towards 100 $/€ as the likely price. I am going to use two very relevant examples, as it's best to counter TLG's scheming using their own examples. Two sets: 77072 and 77073 both MSRP of 100, if I do the average for the basic parameters I get the following raw content for 100 $/€: 1184 pieces, 920 g and 4.5 minifigs. 110 pieces more than the Creator ship, not a big deal but still not a great start for the ship. 4.5 very special minifigs, equivalent to these would be at least 5 regular City/Creator minifigs, or even 6 if a skeleton is added. So the range is 5 full minifigs or 6 including skeleton. The second example is 31168, which has about 300 more pieces than the ship and is also about 1100 g with 6 full minifigs. The ship would be a hard sell at the same price point while having a 300 piece deficit and also a 100-200 g deficit. In my opinion Lego is somewhat forced to use a 100 price point, otherwise the scalping would be too obvious and the fan reactions would hopefully be very negative -> and yes this can have an effect (TLG speaks money so voting with our wallets 100% works). This is the good news, that the price is likely 100, the bad news is that TLG could try and make the ship smaller, and to mask the weight deficit with a more polished look and more minifigs than the previous ship -> which would make the smaller ship appear more populated and perhaps more attractive at least in the reveal pics. What's great about math is that it shows the truth, just from these two examples above we can clearly see what is the proper content for that price, so if we get less then we know how to react towards this set and towards TLG. I would like to see this new ship return to roots and be a great toy first and foremost and also be priced like a toy, just because it's a great toy doesn't mean it's not appealing to adults, and certainly doesn't mean it can't be a good display model.
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It wouldn't be Creator with cloth, unless they use the cloth sails as tents in the alt builds, lol. I would say 5-6 minifigs including one skeleton, probably 1 pirate is female for variety. Sort of "only the captain gets to bring his girlfriend along". I wish it was comparable in weight but I doubt it, most likely lighter but better polished/sculpted as a build -> sort of a Speed Champions approach. It would be great to have something offer excellent value, but this is surely aimed at nostalgic adults while being disguised as a children's playset. 31109 is about 970g and 31132 about 1000g, so this one would be great to be 900g realistically, the problem is that the price could likely be $120 instead of the fair $100. Fingers crossed it's just a Benjamin. Yeah I think that keeping 4 is plausible but less likely, unless they ditch the skeleton and they're four fully fledged pirates. Less than 4 is almost impossible, it's hard to move a big set like this when it's unpopulated. More than 4 is more likely, that way they can hype the set through the figs (hello 31168) and mask the less value you get regarding the build (part count, part selection -> special pieces, recolors etc., weight). I don't know about the Imperial dude, maybe keep him as a prisoner, although he has to play a role in the alt builds as well. Even with swapping torsos/legs/heads between them (like in 31139) there will still be a minifig that looks distinct.
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Speed Champions 77260 Toyota Supra (Fast & Furious) 292 pieces June release Model of the iconic orange car. Most likely includes another Paul Walker minifigure. Convertible version! 77261 Ferrari 499P 329 pieces June release Le Mans livery. 77262 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn 345 pieces June release Expected to include a Ken Block driver minifigure. 77263 BMW M3 E30 – 40th Anniversary Edition 358 pieces August release ///// Summer wave or so they say.
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Creator 3138x Wild Animals: Majestic Lion 839 pieces June release Probably 31386 or 31388 31383 Floral Perfume Bottle 286 pieces June release 31387 Legendary Pirate Ship 1,074 pieces June release 31389 Iconic Ferris Wheel 916 pieces June release 31390 Floral Wall Art 348 pieces June release 31391 Fashion Handbag with Storage 272 pieces June release 31392 Decorative Grand Piano 486 pieces June release ///// Supposedly these are the new sets. So the lion I would guess it's actually the 2022 tiger body plan, recolored (hopefully dark tan not tan) and with the extra pieces for the mane (hopefully some dark brown mixed in not just reddish brown). And of course gimped joints, rotation only, like 31166 and 31171 have for the front legs and also the back legs. Or else rebrickable alts would pop up like AI startups. Oh yeah price $70 because why not, the giraffe got $65 instead of the fair 55. Fingers crossed for $60 though (I mean they did 71512 at $70 so one can hope). Perfume bottle and fashion handbag yeah that's definitely what I visualise when I hear "sets targeted at children aged around 8". Jesus Christ... Part count indicates $20, hopefully the weight is alright and these are at least priced fairly for glorified part packs (similar to 31380). Iconic Ferris Wheel? 2021 called and wants its ideas back, lol. Part count is very close. 2026 year of the rehashes. Pirate Ship has less pieces than the previous one and also less than the Viking one, hopefully the weight reduction is less than the part count reduction. I would be beyond pleasantly suprised if weight is comparable to those two (about 1 kilo). Minifig count probably 5-6 including another skeleton (probably 1 pirate is female for variety). Sadly I think price is likely $120 even though fair would probably be $100 considering the part count, the expected minifig count and weight most likely under 2 lbs.
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@Lyichir I don't have a problem in general with visible studs here and there, sometimes they are used for texturing which for certain models is completely understandable and sometimes they are present because they come from underlying pieces which are partially covered, pieces which have a structural role (various SNOT pieces) and thus studs cannot be avoided unless you tile them over which in some cases creates a visible step between those tiles and the adjacent ones which are a plate lower. But in this case it is beyond obvious that a studless form could've been achieved effortlessly. And yes I'm convinced that any designer would be proud to achieve a studless model without mind-bending and possibly fragile techniques/connections. Why would someone ruin his achievement like this? Because this opens the door for criticism and negates the possibility of praise given for studless. Also the scale can be pretty easily deduced by looking at the pieces and the lines that separate them, the proportions, the notches in the curved pieces used for the headlights, the antistuds on the spoiler. Okay less obvious than gauging size using studs but what's an extra minute or so?
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@BrickMonkeyMOCs Good job! The front definitely looks better as the orange goes lower to meet the bottom edge of the fender, the color continuation is very eye pleasing. Also the effort to address the stud fest of the original. It goes to show what happens when someone passionate about the subject matter gives it a try. The Lego model is a hard sell at 25 let alone at 28. ///// On another note only now I realized that set 77255 is nuked. It has two 3023 on the front hood which are there solely for the studs, even though there are four red tiles in the set's inventory. So this is pretty much a statement that TLG is actively nuking sets to uphold their BS principle that models should not be studless else they're not "legos" anymore. I'm genuinely surprised that the designer (same guy who did 77237) basically conformed to what the greedy suits and talentless bean counters barked at him.
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@Yoggington I don't want to derail the thread so apologies beforehand, but I will say the following: [spoiler]Yes inflation is a thing and no one is immune, not even TLG. However as years go by it is increasingly easier for them to manufacture their sewer pipe toxic waste plastic, even at the same quality. The labor costs, paying the designers and such is increasingly cheaper because of the increasingly larger backlog of sets -> which constitute a pool of knowledge and potential inspiration for future sets, especially ones with recycled ideas (the dino in 31379 was "designed" in basically one afternoon by modifying the one in 31058, the portion of the set which actually required some effort was the nest). The whole designer cost is something that will soon be irrelevant given that AI will take their place, make no mistake it will happen eventually. The new parts added yearly make the design process easier than before when designers had to struggle to work with sticks and stones basically. The implied cost of designing new parts is not that significant as TLG now steals from the Chinese knock-off brand which have had some cool parts for years before TLG copied them. If this cost (and also the cost of new molds) would be a thing Chinese brands wouldn't be able to sell sets at much lower price. Also "new" parts which represent the halving or doubling of an existing piece (like going from 37352 to 7126 or from 50950 to 24309) have no special engineering requirements as everything is already accounted for in the original design. So they just halve it or double it without some special additional testing as there is no need for it. It's not easy identifying inflation creeping up in sets, as it should be a gentle downward trend, where year after year you get progressively less for the same price. But when it's an obscene abrupt price hike that is in no way because of inflation. In 2020 the 8-wide SC line debuted at price parity: 20 $/€ for single cars. In 2021 the single cars (except 76902) were increased to 25 €, that's not inflation, 25% after one year? And still same price for US? It's just EU market scalping. Only in 2023 the US price was raised to achieve the new price parity at 25. Then in 2024 another increase at 27. Because they could. And now in 2026 a new threshold at 28 in order to spread out the costs of their unsolicited "Hollywood Champions" sets. Another example both from 2024, 60431 for 35 $/30 € and 71811 for 50 $/€. If that isn't an IQ test I don't know what is. 71774 from 2022 vs 71822 from 2024 -> reverse inflation pretty much. Also if inflation were that bad for TLG how are they able to keep things at the same ratio (price to content) after 10 years or so? 31376 & 31377 are comparable to 31029 and 31030. 31160 & 31173 are comparable to 31031 & 31032. 31146 & 31147 are comparable to 31019 & 31021. 60448 & 60486 are comparable to 60053 & 60054. I could go on and on. 31163 from 2025 has a very good price to content ratio at 25, 31382 from 2026 has a worse price to content ratio at 30 because it has less pieces and slightly less mass than 31163, so even at 25 it would score slightly worse. Does this make sense? Inflation was present in 2025 relative to previous years so why would TLG be generous with 31163 only to be stingy with 31382 a year later??? It seems that big sets, like Ninjago dragons and mechs are getting more expensive than before, admittedly these sets even if cheaper by about 10-15-20 $/€ would still realistically be out of the reach of most children so while some are disguised as playsets they're likely aimed at adults who have more money. So the question now is are these sets getting more expensive because of inflation or because TLG is scalping adult fans? The SC line is clearly not aimed at children, in this case TLG is constantly pushing prices higher because if an adult has 25 to spare for a toy car he surely has 28 as well. 71846 is 20% higher in price compared to 71834 and 71821 (all three have comparable content, except minifig count) simply because it's the most "adult" oriented one. They are using the adult angle to dupe people like never before, look at 21588, it says 10+ on the box, ahahah what, for that pile of trash? It's mostly classic bricks, plates and a lot of tiles built studs on top and only after that some segments connected sideways, can we compare that to the sideways built stripes on the 31129 tiger which was 9+? Or the acrobatic build for 77237 also 9+? That pile of garbage is really 7+ and overpriced in the EU. The US price is closer to the correct one which should've been 35 for both markets. TLG got bigger than ever starting with 2020, it's because of adult fans, they are the reason for higher prices not inflation, the sets aimed at kids are spared most of the time, if adults would drop Lego, then prices would drop as well. Their post-2020 profits are at a completely different level than before. The best Lego sets we would get are if TLG got another close call with bankruptcy, only when they will be forced to put in real effort to keep the business running that's when they will give 100% because their existence would depend on it, that's when we would see microscopic sprue/mold marks, outstanding color consistency and jaw dropping designs made from the heart. But that is behind us, what lies ahead is single-use bio-degradable printed plastic, AI-generated derivative designs and premium prices because "big brand tax". What we need to always remember is that TLG is always selling at a profit, maybe sometimes just big instead of huge, but even the set with the best price to content ratio is sold for a big profit. So my verdict remains, even if TLG is not immune to inflation, most price increases are not because of it, but because of the deeper pockets of adult fans.[/spoiler] @Hive The large panel pieces are indicative of the cash grab intention and also sabotaging the part selection when it comes to alt builds. Also not a single masonry brick. The brick-built horses are nicely done and true to Creator spirit. They do look surprisingly good for what they are but obviously most people would've preferred molded horses -> they had no issue putting them in set 31175. The thing is people most likely have whatever structures/buildings from past sets, but they need more people and animals to populate those structures in order to create a more lively playset or a better looking/more organic display piece. And that is what TLG is furiously gatekeeping, the elements needed to give life to the sea of gray walls. At least for Spaceballs they have the overpriced battlepacks which are a way to get minifigs, droids and guns. -
@Yoggington The inflation argument is a common trap. Unfortunately for TLG there is no such thing as "adjusting for inflation" regarding their products. I can give examples until I wear out my keyboard of sets releasing in 2026 for various price brackets and from various themes which are 100% comparable in content to sets released a few or more years prior, be it 5 or 10 or something in between. When TLG does obvious price hikes it's not for inflation adjustment it's for IQ tests (to see if the consumers identify or not the increase relative to content and react negatively to the product's price by not buying early or at all), secondary market manipulation (now that they own Bricklink and get a cut of the profit) and most obviously greed (which is of course pathological in the case of a megacorp like this). I mean the mold/sprue marks on pieces are at best the same size as 30-35 years ago, but honestly they are generally worse. Talk about progress, they haven't managed to keep them the same size let alone decreasing them. Then it's the color inconsistency, clutch power all over the place (some types of pieces have mild grip from the first connection while other types have absolutely brutal grip and make creaking noises), misaligned prints etc. TLG can't claim increased costs because of inflation when they're cutting corners left and right. One great example is the despickable hike they've done with 31109 first released at an absolutely fair 100 $/€ then a few years later turning into $120 and €130 for no other reason than greed. They saw the adult consumers were all over it so they knew the money was there thus decided to charge extra (just because they could) even though the set was cheaper to produce than initially, because what parts were initially special or less common now were absolutely ordinary.
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What do you mean, it's 70.
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@carlo.fadel Skinny polybag is skinny. The first four (2019-2023) polybags were substantial. Less and less content for the same price or similar content for higher price this is the M.O. nowadays for SC apparently. ///// On another note I watched some reviews for 77254 and 77257 (four reviews for each: RacingBrick, KeepOnBricking, let's build! and BensBricks). The concern is that the headlight printing is quite poor. For 77257 the vertical alignment is really bad, in all four reviews the samples have the left headlight lower than the right one. Clearly lower the only one that is acceptable is the sample KeepOnBricking had. The printing on the curved piece on the door is really bad, it's too far from the edges, the double sided printed 6801 pieces in 77239 were much better in this regard. Poor design choice period, instead of that printed 15068, an orange 11477 and a black 11477 should have been used instead. The argument that there is a slight upward curve which could not have been achieved with two 11477s is complete nonsense, that detail is insignificant there are other more important aspects of the car which should have priority: the accuracy of the proportions, the number of exposed studs, the sturdiness etc. With 77254 the vertical alignment seems a bit better than on 77257, here the right headlight is always a bit lower, the only sample that looked spot on was let's build!'s sample. One more problem with 77254 is the horizontal alignment as well, as the headlight is supossed to be positioned right above the notch in the 6929/6930 piece. So not easy getting a specimen that has printing like in let's build!'s example. I don't know if the print quality will increase as the months pass, hopefully it will, maybe it's a coincidence but when I got the 76920 Mustang three months after launch one print for the rear headlights was pretty bad. So early buyers beware! If however this is normal variance then it's a gamble even after more than six months, it will be pretty hard to get a proper specimen.
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@Dolor See Tiago's mega review: The Airport Fire Engine is the first set where stickers start to appear. The other two are the Coast Guard Rescue Boat and Airport with Airplane. Indeed tons of prints and minimal stickers for City.
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Heh generous is a word almost incompatible with TLG in any context, yes in this case it refers to the amount of Batmobiles... I have/had my eye on 76332, it's closer in size to SC cars compared to 76181 which was almost like an SUV, obviously the looks are inferior to 76181 but still it looks respectable. But that price... OMG the same price as 76181 and a lot less content, ouch! This would need a clearance level discount to be worth it for me. And the worst part is that the others, 76331 and 76333, have even less content for the same price, the worst offender being 76331 which is measly af. Including extra minifigs would've definitely helped these two, like Superman for 76331 and Robin for 76333. I mean ok, 20th anniversary and 20 $/€ would've probably been too generous, but then maybe 25 (amirite), wasn't Bruce Wayne a philanthropist and all that? Yeah... obligatory middle finger to TLG as always, they always ruin nice sets with bad prices.
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RacingBrick to the rescue! Big win! Facepalm, my bad! 24299 and 24307 shaped tiles not 26601. Yeah RacingBrick also mentions them, but the budget argument has no place here, recolors are not an economic burden like the effort of designing a new element and the cost of making a new mould. Like wtf the Friends sets have a ton of pieces in the new color Light Coral. Comparatively 77256 has more mass, a ton of prints and two minifigs for the same price. It's purely done so they can milk people afterwards when some will buy the black tiles from Overpay-A-Brick. ^This right here! I built the Porsche 77239 yesterday, and those orange shadows in front of the headlight to represent indents are missing on the Ferrari. Definitely the narrow portions of the headlight would've benefitted from dark red shadows. Without the shadows the headlights don't look real they look like stickered two dimensional headlights on a real car. ///// On another note I'm also considering 77256. Mostly as a parts pack, it also has many prints, having two minifigs increases the value and overall I get more than with a "regular" SC car for the same price. It's pretty obvious that the price increase for the regular cars this year was done in order for the "Hollywood Champions" sets to achieve price parity with them, but you clearly get more with set 77256. Which in turn puts the regular cars in a bad light and makes their current price ridiculous. Compare whichever 28 $/€ SC car from this year with 76181 which was 30 $/€, significantly more mass, two minifigs and licensed to the gills, there is no contest. 25 $/€ is the correct price for a SC car of THIS format (meaning toothpick F1s should be 23), in spite of the mental gymnastics about the cost of new parts and other blah blah blah copium. Hopefully Mattel and Power Block take the gloves off and give TLG a reality check.
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At first glance it would seem you paid 2/3 of the EU catalog price which sounds pretty good generally speaking but when considering the unjustified increase in price compared to 31120 you actually paid 90% of full price (€100) because that is the correct price for 31168. Sad but true. 6 minifigs vs 3 minifigs + 1 skeleton let's say would offset the smaller mass of 31168. Then the extra instruction pages (which are correlated with the more fleshed out C-model) translate into a bit more time spent building -> time which does tie in with what is generally referred as "the build experience". ^This would somewhat offset the crappier inventory/part selection, 31168 does have less color, the two grays + black + white are more abundant here than in 31120. So taking everything into account, in the best case scenario, 31168 would be on par with 31120, they do trade blows in various aspects, therefore the asking price should be at best EQUAL. But TLG's plan/scam worked, they pushed the minifig propaganda to create hype for a set which really does not look like it carries 4 years worth of progress and new parts over the older 31120. Also, instead of the verticality of 31120, they opted for stretching out the set horizontally in order to mask the mass deficit, and instead make it look like it occupies more space horizontally. Finishing off with a 20% price hike they made sure discounts are partially compensated for, therefore ensuring people would get less value than before. Not just less value for the actual set but less potential value for alt builds -> the bane of TLG, they made sure 31168 will be worse for alt builds compared to 31120, meaning people spend less time with the set and feel less satisfied about it in this regard. And we all know that less satisfaction is directly correlated with constant buying of other sets, always hoping for that dopamine rush king. Numbers don't lie, vote with your wallets guys, if you really must have it, wait for crazy discounts, that's what I do, sometimes it does mean waiting more than a year but it's the only way they'll get the message apart from not buying and switching brands.