gundamz

I am an AFOL who enjoys playing with LEGO. That said, I am interested in starting a collection that will hopefully at least retain its value in the event that I need or want to sell off my collection in the future. (I'm not trying to treat LEGO like a lottery ticket. I'm just trying to break even at least.) I would like some advice on how to collect/invest in LEGO. I have a few questions to start the discussion, though any advice you can give is appreciated. 1. Are there generally certain sets that tend to hold their value better? e.g. licensed sets vs. Creator sets, big sets vs. small sets, sets featuring buildings vs. sets featuring vehicles. I only buy sets from themes that I am interested in, but are there any themes that tend to hold their value better? 2. Conversely, are there generally certain sets that tend not to hold their value well? Are there any themes that tend not to hold their value well? 3. Are more expensive sets usually better for investing/collecting or no? 4. How much do the minifigures in a particular set matter? That is, if a set contains minifigures that are only available in that set, would that set be able to keep its value better? Also, does it matter whether the minifigures are well known (e.g. Darth Vader, Harry Potter, Iron Man), not as well known or not well liked (e.g. Savage Opress from Star Wars, Dolby the elf from Harry Potter), or generic (e.g. figures from Creator sets)? 5. Would the fact that a set is more of a niche item help or hurt its value, generally? (e.g. Back to the Future - perhaps a smaller number of people who might be interested in it, but those who are interested might be willing to pay more?) 6. If I open a set, build it, but keep all the pieces in good condition, will the set still be able to keep most of its value? 7. Is it better to collect a bunch of sets from the same theme (e.g. Star Wars) or get sets from various themes? Right now, I tend to do the latter, so my collection has some Stormtroopers, some Marvel Superheroes, Batman, and some Ninja Turtles.

Do you think that the Spiderman Bridge set is worth getting? I'm a big Spiderman fan, and I don't think there are many LEGO sets out there that feature a bridge. Only concern is the value as it is a more expensive set.

Very interesting!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_Castle

How tall is the Elsa figure? Is it significantly taller than minifigures?

I think we might get Guy Gardner sometime. Galactus is also likely but would probably be released in conjunction with a movie as a huge figure (probably brick built like Groot).

Does anyone know approximately how many pieces are in the BatMech (just the Mech) in the Gorilla Grodd set? I want to buy just the Mech and am wondering how much would be a reasonable price for it. If I know the # of pieces, I could do an estimate.

I think the Blackbird is the right size, though as I said, my issue with it is that it looks rather generic. But, I understand the designers has to work with what they've got. The Sentinel, IMO, doesn't look too good. First, it is missing its beanie (aka watchcap, for those who prefer that term). Yes, that is important to me. Second, it's arms and legs are too spindly. It doesn't look menacing enough. This is what Sentinel should look like: http://www.hcrealms.com/units/dofp001.jpg The minifigures are also a let down. Only 2 new minifigures (not counting figures of characters we already have but with a different design). Also, Cyclops' suit design is rather plain as it is basically just blue all over. I greatly prefer his 90s costume where he's not wearing anything on his head and where he has a distinctly yellow and blue costume. Like this: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20061127160342/marveldatabase/images/e/e2/Scott_Summers_(Earth-616)_013.jpg. I think Storm looks pretty cool though.

The issue though is that the Hulk Smash set at least comes with a big Hulk. The X-Men set doesn't really come with a big one-piece figure (the Sentinel doesn't count as it is brick-built).

Looking for your honest feedback: Do you think that the new X-Men set with a $50 MSRP and only 336 pieces is a bad deal financially? The parts/piece ratio is the worst I've seen in a long time. While the minifigures are interesting, the Sentinel seems rather lacking (e.g. the head piece looks rather dull) and the plane looks rather generic.

Thanks.

I just received a copy of LEGO Magazine for May-June 2014, and one of the pictures features a new LEGO City subtheme called Arctic (or something like that). The picture showed a LEGO dog sled with LEGO huskies. I love huskies and would like to get that set. Does anyone know what set that is (name, set number, etc.)? Thanks.

Maybe they could at least release SDCC figures as a "bonus" for buying $75 worth of stuff in a month. (e.g. Martian Manhunter)

Black Panther

I think a lot of the perceived "faults" are not actually faults but are motivated by marketing concerns. For example, the Iron Man 3 set with Iron Man fighting Mandarin in a golf cart might not be very exciting to most AFOLs. However, that set might have been marketed to children, and to a child, a $12.99 set where they can get Iron Man and a villain is pretty cool. Similarly for Spider-Man sets, which appear too kiddish to some but might very well be marketed to children.

Awesome idea!

I concur, especially as there are many interesting characters other than Spider-Man that we still don't have.

What? No MMV?

Medieval Market Village. My first big set and my favorite big set. A true classic. Though I kinda turned mine into a house for Superheroes. :)

Wonder Woman (DC Superhero)

Probably anything X-Statix.

Rocket Raccoon is awesome!

Harrison Ford: Indiana Jones, Han Solo,

I rank them: 1. Wolverine's Chopper Showdown - Excellent minifigures. Helicopter is a fun build and features some specialized parts. 2. Captain America vs. Hydra - Again, excellent minifigures. Tank looks cool and has good playability. 3. Lex Luthor vs. Superman - I like the Mecha. Superman is rather common, but Wonder Woman makes an appearance here - very good. 4. Extremis Battle - Forget the movie. War Machine is a cool looking figure. The boat, while a bit plain, features some specialized parts that are not easy to get elsewhere. Villlain guy looks lame though. 5. Arctic Batman - Unique figures. Boat is rather unique as well. Not a big fan of Aquaman, but his appearance here is cool nonetheless. 6. Batcopter - I really like Nighwing here. Batman is cool too. Copter is simplistic but functional. What I really don't like is Man-Bat. He looks like something straight out of Monster Fighers and doesn't appear to fit in that well with a Superheroes theme set (yes, I know Man Bat looks like that in the comics, but I don't think he's a popular character). 7. Cosmic Cube Escape - Solid build with interesting figures (Hawkeye is unique, Iron Man is popular) 8. Doctor Octopus - Doctor Octopus is unique and the number of pieces is good, but the truck looks so simplistic. 9. Spider-Man vs. Venom - I think this set looks rather childish especially the vehicles. I think this set could be rated higher if your target consumer is a child, but since I'm an AFOL, I give this a lower rating. 10. Black Zero Escape - Looks very boring. Superman is commonplace and can be obtained in the cheaper set with the car. General Zod looks lame. No massive vehicle to play with.

Wolverine's Chopper Showdown is the best. Captain America vs. Hydra is also pretty good.