blueandwhite

I hope that for your sake that that Walmart and Target gets a decent sized shipment as the aforementioned Borders pricing sounds ridiculous! They sound as bad as Bricklink.

One issue I have with LEGO's licencing is that they seem to jump onto the franchise bandwagon a tad too early. The Prince of Persia and Speed Racer lines are examples of this. Both movies proved to be absolute disasters. That's the risk you take when you licence a less established property. Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones were all well-established licences before LEGO stepped on board. While PoP and Speed Racer certainly had a decent fanbase before their film incarnations I suspect that neither of these properties would be well known to younger kids. Both licences could have been major hits, however there was definitely a major risk here. Personally I think that it's better to go after an established franchise rather than taking a gamble with something that is still unproven. For example, given the past success of the LOTR films I would expect the Hobbit to be a pretty safe bet if LEGO were to go in that direction. I expect that we'll continue to see licenced sets in the future (and many of the sets are truly excellent), however I'm in favour of seeing more established franchises getting the licenced treatment. On the other hand, a lot of the dud licences end up on clearance in the fall making for some real bargains. Hopefully today's kids have grown out of Harry Potter .

Variety is the spice of life. I've never been keen on massive medieval armies wearing the same heraldry. For me the introduction of two new factions with nice colours and heraldry (no royal knights cartoon lions here) is all that matters. While I still hold a fondness for the older factions, I love the introduction of these new ones as well. It makes building large armies with a diverse set of factions a real possibility. Given that regimented uniforms weren't really a thing of the middle ages, having another couple of houses to add to my kingdom is always appreciated. I do wish we had some barding for the dragon knights. It would also be nice to have the closed helm (visor) in dark pearl grey.

It's unfortunate but I don't think there will be any changes for series 2. I'm not sure that the US received a smaller share of figures per capita either. When you consider that US buyers pay considerably less for these figs, purchasing a box or two on impulse is considerably easier than it might be in Europe. Americans earn more and pay less for things than almost anybody else in the developed world so it only makes sense that these things might sell like hotcakes there. With items that are limited in availabilty great pricing can actually make them even more difficult to nab. Demand far outweighed supply in the US. Apparently that isn't the case elsewhere.

I suspect that the distain for these figures stems from the fact that many AFOLs at the time were concerned that these 4+ figures might saturate the market pushing our beloved minifig to the backburner. The 4+ figures were incompatible with existing figures as they were an entirely different size and shape. As builders, making MOCs in scale with these giants would require far more bricks as the 4+ figures are considerably larger than the average minifig. There isn't really anything wrong with the 4+ figures or any of the parts from the 4+ line, however they don't really fit that well with traditional LEGO themes. I certainly had no interest in anything 4+ at the time.

I think that the battle packs are overpriced. You can do better elsewhere if you're looking for the new figs. I would suggest getting multiple copies of the Prisoner Wagon and the Knight's Showdown instead. For $17.98 (three dollars extra) you get the same number of minifigs and a horse. Moreover, you get more accessories and extra bricks. Sure you may be able to get an extra few figs through the battle packs but the difference isn't worth the drop in quality. You still might want to consider a couple of Dragon BPs though as the Dragon Knight is only available in the King's Castle right now, but there really isn't a reason to grab the Lion battle packs.

It's pretty apparent that LEGO has figured out what many AFOLs refuse to acknowledge; most kids can't build that well. I remember the days when LEGO sets used to include photographs of alternate models. Collecting sets was as much about getting bricks as it was about getting a final model. Today sets emphasize play features. It doesn't matter which theme your interested in, building has taken a back seat to those play features. This makes perfect sense when you consider that a large percentage of the target audience never could build that well to begin with (now or in the 80s). This has very little to do with violence IMO. The 'action' elements in today's sets are tame by most standards. Today's sets are no more violent than G.I. Joe or Transformers were in the 1980s. What has changed is that kids today don't have the same attention spans simply because there are more activities to compete with their time (videogames, internet, phones, etc.). Sets need an instant 'wow' factor to woo potential buyers. There's nothing to say that these sets can't be MOCed into other things, however that is no longer the focus. No big deal really.

Hello Scorpion, welcome to Eurobricks. Now, I respect your right to share your opinion, but as a dedicated purist I'm going to tell you right off the bat that calling me and others hypocrites is probably not the best way to make an introduction. Everyone has the right to enjoy the LEGO hobby as they see fit; purists and customizers alike. That being said, you can't just ask somebody to bend their philosophy towards this hobby because they don't share your beliefs. We all enjoy this hobby for different reasons. Let me make this very clear; I respect your right to enjoy this hobby, but I don't necessarily respect the techniques you use. As somebody you would probably call a purist I've always admired the many skilled builders in the fandom for their ability to work with the limited set of tools provided by LEGO. That means no cutting, gluing or customizing. Finding new and exciting building techniques to get around the shortcomings of existing bricks is what LEGO is about for me. I hold builders like Sly Owl and DNL in the highest regard for their ability to use a variety of basic bricks in the most unexpected and exciting of ways. For me their MOCs would not be nearly as exciting if they were built using knives and glue. I'm not going to condemn a builder for cutting their bricks or making decals but I'm not going to hold them in the same regard either. I'm sorry if this doesn't fit with your philosophy on building.

I guess LEGO shipped the lion's share of these figures in Europe. I imagine that it will be the same scenario for series 2 . Looks like we North Americans are going to be at each other tooth and nail for the next round as well.

I actually think the mime looks better without the printing on his arms. While I like the idea of putting printing on limbs, I don't really think that the arm printing shown in the original renders looked that good. The first photos of the Mexican were without printing on the hat as well, so I can't say I'm surprised that he doesn't have printing either. The one figure I'm a bit disappointed with is the surfer. His stubble print is way too course looking. I was expecting something a lot more subtle like the original renders suggested. Still, series 2 looks pretty solid. I definitely have a few must-haves here.

I agree. The rush for series 2 figures will be even more hectic considering how quickly series 1 disappeared. Moreover, if what was said over at Brickjournal about the Spartan is true he'll be insanely hard to find and quite expensive on Bricklink as well. If parents had a hard time finding their kids figures from series 1, I'll be surprised if they even get a glimpse of series 2 as the collectors are out in full force. Thank goodness I like series 1 a lot more than series 2. If I miss out on the next series I won't loose too much sleep over it.

Honestly, I think LEGO is simply more in tune with what the average kid wants. These extreme themes seem to be a real cash cow for LEGO. Most kids will never build anything particularly complex with their LEGO so bright flashy colours, big wheels, flick-missiles and swept-back windscreens are perfect accessories. I used to be irritated by these themes, but I've come to appreciate that they generate the much-needed revenue for LEGO to develop themes less popular with children like castle. Without the wacky colours, big wheels and crazy minifigs who always seem to be wearing headsets or microphones people like me would probably never have seen the likes of the MMV, so I'm all for LEGO producing another orange and green racecar with a dozen rocket launchers thrown on it for good measure. Power Miners has lasted several years. Pirates died after being resurrected for a single year. I think it's pretty evident that LEGO knows what they are doing. As long as we AFOLs continue to benefit from more shop@home exclusives and a few traditional product lines (like the Kingdoms line or the quickly defunct Pirates line) I'll be happy.

I'm not sure exactly what you're implying as wall panels have been pretty standard since 1984. New or old panels, these will always be '<insert that tiresome argument>' elements. The real difference is that the older panels were larger, more cumbersome and less versatile; all marks of an even more <insert that tiresome argument> element. This is the first castle we've had since the mid 90s that actually featured a proper, working gatehouse and drawbridge. It also is no slouch when it comes to pieces with 933 bricks. Honestly, none of the mainline castle sets have ever really been particularly challenging builds. That being said, it's nice to have a new castle with a proper gatehouse, stairs and towers with doors. The design itself may seem a bit tired given that almost every LEGO castle has used this template (main gatehouse, two back towers), however it is by no means a bad looking castle.

Retailers place orders for any given item. The fact that Walmart (one of the most powerful distributors in the world) carried next to none of these figures in the US suggests that Walmart may not have had a strong interest in this product. It's also a good bet that LEGO never anticipated the AFOL contingency purchasing these in such large quantities. With a limited item that can make all the difference in the world. Between AFOLs and scalpers, these have sold out incredibly fast. How many stories have we heard about an AFOL calling ahead only to find that the box (or boxes) were purchased before they could get to a given TRU? Like it or not, this is the nature of a collectable item. How is this any different than any other collectable or limited edition toy? LEGO isn't a company that has traditionally been in the collectable business so it is understandable that this happened. Still, if LEGO wants to stay the course I don't see things being very different in the future. American consumers seem to be extremely competitive so I would expect that these will continue to be snapped up at a rabbit's pace unless LEGO rethinks the approach completely. I'm still of the opinion that it will actually be worse in series 2 and 3. Just think; if series 3 isn't labeled with the barcodes many of the AFOLs who were originally barcode hunting will simply grab the box to ensure they get what they want. I don't think that LEGO intended these figures to last very long given that the release of the next wave is in August. Yes, the majority of them seem to have been sold out over a span of 3 weeks instead of 2 months, but the fact that they are introducing series 2 so hot on the heels of the first wave suggets that LEGO was somewhat aware that these would not be easy to acquire.

I'm sorry that you weren't able to find the figures you were looking for and that your kids are disappointed. Having said that, I find that your examples are fairly annecdotal. I can give just as many examples of parents passing these figures over. Certainly when I was acquiring these figures I found a number of parents walk by and scoff at the idea of selling nothing more than a figure. I suspect we can all bring up our own personal stories of how we didn't get that toy we once wanted. I think that most children who've played with LEGO can remeber sets (large and small) that they desparately wanted but never recieved. I'm just not sure that it really means that much in the grand scheme of things. Certainly your kids are disappointed, but do you really mean to tell me that because they were unable to get one figure that they will never play with LEGO again? I still don't believe that the shortages of these figures will have the slightest impact on LEGO sales (beyond the fact that they probably could have pushed a larger volume of this particular line). Honestly, parents and kids will likely still buy Power Miners, Star Wars and City sets just like they did before Christmas. Heck, given the speed at which these figures have disappeared from shelves I very much doubt that the majority of parents or children were even aware that they existed. If anything, these figures were a great success in the fact that LEGO hasn't really had a lot of excess stock that needed to be BOGOed or put on clearance. Adult collectors and scalpers have been sucking these things off the shelves like no tomorrow. Overproduce something like this and it may have the opposite effect as the collector market loses interest and children continue to focus on sets with figures aimed at a younger audience.

Perhaps I'm of a different mindset, but my biggest gripe is actually the mid-sized sets. While I feel LEGO offers a great assortment of small and large sets, I find that many of the midsized sets seem fairly lackluster. A small set usually offers an affordable way of getting a minifig (or two) along with an assortment of accessories, whereas larger sets usually give you a bit of everything. Many of the midsized sets seem to be lacking all around, including very few figures and a vehicle or structure that is lackluster when compared to anything to be had at a larger price range. As a castle fan I know that I can expect a few things for the mid-range price point; a catapult and tower, both stuffed together or a horse and cart. If I'm looking for figures I can go cheap and buy the smaller sets (or battlepacks), whereas if I'm looking for a fairly interesting build I need to go to the other end of the scale. In this respect, I find that mid-level sets seem to lack the appeal that high and low-end sets have. For me, sets priced around $20-$50 US seem less desireable than their cheaper or more expensive counterparts. I don't think LEGO is pursuing the wrong strategy per se, but I certainly would like to see a bit more effort in their mid-range offerings every now and again. Of course I'm probably in the minority on this one.

It can be done, but it has to be done carefully. The biggest problem with having a smaller collections is the desire to stretch your collection too thin in an attempt to build an oversized MOC. If your looking to mix new and old colours I find that that the best way to achieve mottling is to pick a base colour (i.e. old light grey) and mix in smaller amounts of other colours (old/new dark grey, tan, sand green, sand red, etc.). Arbitrarily mixing colours can have a nasty effect and may result in a very splotchy looking MOC. Also, when building walls try and use as many 1x2 or 2x2 bricks as possible. Longer bricks when mixed with different colours can have the effect of creating stripes which look very unnatural. Generally speaking, if you don't have a large quantity of old grey, don't make the mistake of mixing it with the new stuff if you can avoid it. While it is possible to mix new and old colours, the effect isn't always desireable or effective.

I don't think being in Denmark plays a role in things considering the figures themselves were made in China. Some people are simply a bit more fussy about these things. They are likely noticing things about their figures that you simply haven't payed close attention to. As mentioned by several others; it's not like these figures are rubbish. They just aren't quite up to LEGO's normal standards. The plastic is slightly translucent at the edges and the finish is a bit softer when compared to your standard minifig. The differences are quite minor so many fans may not notice it but it is definitely there. If you don't notice the difference, don't let it bother you. I suspect LEGO is banking on the fact that most people won't be able to see any difference between these figures and the standard minifig. In a few years I figure all figures will be like these.

I think this is a pretty fair observation. While we have certainly heard a number of AFOLs crying foul, I'm not convinced that the average parent or child cares one way or the other. If a parent can't buy these figures, I'm sure a Star Wars battle pack or a few impulse sets are every bit as good. In the same vein, I suspect that most children would prefer to have many of the mainline figures. I just don't see cheerleaders, forestmen and nurses being as exciting for kids when they could have Star Wars, Space Police and Atlantis mini figures instead. As I see it, these collectables probably only really matter to us AFOLs and a smaller group of dedicated collectors. Those who were left out in the cold are understandably making noise. Series 2 should bring even more excitement as people desparately go for one figure: The Spartan. If you think that getting cheerleaders and zombies was hard, trying to get this guy will be all-out war! I managed to score 16 cheerleaders and forestmen from series 1. I don't expect to be so lucky when it comes to the Spartan in series 2.

99%? Looking at my own experience I think you may be somewhat off in your assessment. I'm an AFOL yet I'm unknown as such to any Walmart or TRU clerks. With 3 different TRU and 5+ different Walmarts within a half an hour of my home I can't say that I would expect the clerks to recognize me. I don't belong to my local lug and outside of a few forums nobody knows of my existence. Not every AFOL is actively involved in a lug or openly seeking other AFOLs in the community at large. Just because you haven't bumped into somebody doesn't preclude them from being a dedicated LEGO fan. Judging by the LUGs you've mentioned it looks like you live in California near San Francisco, one of the most populated areas in the US. Surely you can't believe that you have bumped into every AFOL in an area that has a population of almost 1 million people in the city core alone. I live in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and I'm sure that there are 100s of AFOLs who are neither a member of RTL or involved in any other lug. How can you be so sure that there aren't people like me in the San Francisco area? Being an AFOL doesn't necessarily mean that you belong to a LUG or actively advertise your hobby to the world.

How do you know the total number of AFOLs are actually in your area? While it is certainly reasonable to surmise that some of those boxes ended up in the hands of resellers/scalpers, it's certainly possible that other buyers were AFOLs that you simply do not know or know of.

Believe what you will but Eurobricks' resident insider Grogall isn't known for being wrong. If he says that series 1 production stopped in March and that shop@home will not be restocked I wouldn't be quick to so quick to question it. Remember, LEGO was intent on producing a collector's product and like anything aimed at collectors shortages are to be expected. Let's not forget, Grogall also mentioned that series 2 production was halted in May before series 1 hit the shelves so the hunt for series 2 may be just as stressful. I wish you the best luck in competing series 1 though.

Indeed... Honestly, I'm certainly irritated by this shift in quality. Still, I don't feel that the collectable figures are truly rubbish or anything. My real concern is that this trend towards cheaper plastics will only get worse as time goes by. The fact that many fans, both young and old really haven't paid any mind to this change suggests to me that at some point in the future all mini figures will be of this quality or lower. It is certainly annoying watching the price of LEGO climb while the quality of the product seems to drop. It still hasn't turned me off the newer stuff completely but I am growing more concerned as LEGO is seemingly ignoring their motto of 'only the best is good enough' for a greater profit margin. Sooner or later, new LEGO may not be good enough for some fans.

I don't think that this has anything to do with how much LEGO actually cares for the AFOL community. I'm having a hard time imagining any company opening a forum where the consumer base is free to completely rip the product. TLG certainly is aware of our complaints (we do have ambassadors who act as liasons for the AFOL community afterall) when it comes to their products. Still, I'm not sure if it's good business to allow a few disgruntled adults to point out product flaws that would otherwise go largely unnoticed by the majority of children. The LEGO boards are really nothing more than a marketing tool so it seems silly to open them up to a few rabble rousers.

I've considered that, however the KKII armour and printing looks far too space-like for my tastes. The vibrant colours along with the odd geometric patterns just don't work for me. The visors are also extremely futuristic looking and while I can try and work them into my castle environments I think Norro's solution is the best. Avoid using these guys at all costs. The green guy (Rascus?) had a nice torso print in the first year, but beyond that most of the KKII figs were pretty hideous. My suggestion: try and trade them with some space fans for something useful.