Phoenix RISING
Banned
My son loves both. Legos for limited screen time.
Lego to cut 1,400 jobs and 'reset company' after sales drop
- Thread starter entremet
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My son loves both. Legos for limited screen time.
Some in this thread would be so disgusted they'd buy a Ford or Chevy instead; "look at the savings! It still has seats! It still has an engine! It's the same!"
As someone who grew up relatively poor in the 80s, LEGO was never cheap 'back then'. That's BS, like a lot of the stuff being thrown around in this thread. The first down year in more than a decade and the nonsense analysis is flying. It could be the beginning of a trend, it could just be the downside of a peak, I don't know, but their relatively high prices have been a consistent through both good and bad. In any case, LEGO hate may be GAF's lamest hate 
Killer Queen
Banned
Bring back bionicle you heathens
That is the biggest, Lego store exclusive set from the Ninjago Movie and one of their biggest sets ever made. That is the furthest thing you can get from a "basic city building set". It's not even part of the City line, it's one of the few high end sets they are producing right now.
You have plenty of basic building sets available in the $50 range. Click on Creator sets at your same link.
Glanced at the wall to the left and saw a bunch of $200 sets, which is still too much for something that will probably take a few hours to put together. Like someone in this thread said earlier, LEGOs are too high of a cost to entertainment ratio when compared to something like videogames. I have a lot of disposable income and I still think the prices they are asking for LEGO sets are too much for anyone that isn't a hardcore LEGO collector. I'm not arguing that the LEGOs don't cost that much to make. I am saying that as a consumer with only a casual interest, the price was too high for me.
TheSecondSpitter
Member
Cherrypicking a random set doesn't prove anything.
Walter White Walker
Member
I sometimes feel like I'm personally keeping the company afloat given how crazy my son is about Lego.
CadetMahoney
Member
I would too.
FinalFanXtreme
Member
I go into TRU ready to buy a set. I'm always looking for a high piece count because I enjoy building bigger sets. Then I see the price and get turned off. Honestly reducing the price I'd own way more sets than I do. I own probably 50 sets in total but most are small count.
BackLogJoe
Member
They'd make a killing if you could subscribe monthly to sets. I'd jump on that Falcon if they split it up and sent you sections monthly.
First, how is that basic?
Second, the set costs $300 for 4867 parts, that's a price-per-part of $0.06 which is on the lower end of Lego sets.
Thirdly, that's the highest of the high end, you'd be hard pressed to find any toy or model manufacturer with high-end products that aren't around that price range.
LordOfLore
Banned
But they put out such carefully curated original and educational products.
The Ideas line has given us many amazing sets such as this one that just came out after being proposed by the community last year:
I have both of them hehe.
You have got to be trolling.
In your initial post you claimed it was a "basic" City set. Then you post a link to the halo set for the new film, which is anything but basic.
LEGO sells a whole line of models, from basic to expensive. To claim the high end stuff is "typical" is laughable.
I can easily find $30 sets that make great gifts for kids. Just as I can find the super detailed, complex sets for a few hundred. They are not mutually exclusive.
But they put out such carefully curated original and educational products.
OH NO! LEGO listened to fans and mass produced fan designed sets based on popularity. THE WORLD IS ENDING!!!
If you're going to complain about a LEGO set design, maybe complain about one that was designed by LEGO?
There's just under 5000 pieces in that set. Basic, nah.
They sell sets at all price ranges, 200 dollar sets are not the majority.
69.99
https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Park-Street-Townhouse-31065
49.99
https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Corner-Deli-31050
39.99
https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Modular-Modern-Home-31068
29.99
And so people are clear this is what you were calling a "basic city building"
Why dont you start doing some leg work to prove your point instead of waving off facts being put in front of you?
Chiaroscuro
Member
So having more options to build and more complex buildings decreases / limits your imagination? I feel quite the opposite. So.... old man yelling at a cloud yes (and I am 45).
However I can also understand the appeal to create something with limit types of pieces and yes it can boost your creativity. But having more options does not mean that you cannot do that.
About taking the sets apart and rebuilding them: there are some sets that encourages this type of play, like the Creator line, where every set have 3 different builds to assemble right out the box, and even more models available online.
balladofwindfishes
Member
Mighty Dinosaurs 3 in 1 (15 dollars, but I got mine for 12), this is one of the best sets I've put together, and is super cheap.
Lego has tons of really nice sets under 20 dollars. Not every set is a 200 dollar mega city or 800 dollar collectable Millenium Falcon.
Yeah, kids put together Lego and just place it on the cupboard to stare at.
It's like playmobile and Hasbro. Once they have taken it out of the box, the fun is over, done.
Yes, to us adult fans who usually only display sets, it can be expensive (but no more expensive then collector toys or statues), but kids, the real audience here, get a ton of milage out of them.
I do think they are more segmented than they used to be. The basic sets (fire station, police station, buckets of bricks etc) are for kids and encourage breaking down and rebuilding new things.
The larger sets are arguably more for collectors and as display pieces, and so naturally will only appeal to a smaller number of people. You can still break them down and use the parts for your own sets, but perhaps youre less likely to?
Breaking down and rebuilding your own custom things is the whole draw for most LEGO sets (showpiece sets aside).
That's also why you can still buy large tubs of generic bricks. Just build what you want.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
I do think the licensed sets are stupid expensive - especially Disney (and ESPECIALLY Star Wars), but I don't understand the arguments against their existence.
If Lego stopped making them, sure, some kids would make their own from their existing kit, but most would buy other Star Wars toys instead. So despite not exactly encouraging rebuilding, the alternative is that they probably just don't buy Lego.
If Lego stopped making them, sure, some kids would make their own from their existing kit, but most would buy other Star Wars toys instead. So despite not exactly encouraging rebuilding, the alternative is that they probably just don't buy Lego.
Boogalogist
Member
Mighty Dinosaurs 3 in 1 (15 dollars, but I got mine for 12), this is one of the best sets I've put together, and is super cheap.
Lego has tons of really nice sets under 20 dollars. Not every set is a 200 dollar mega city or 800 dollar collectable Millenium Falcon.
This dinosaur set is amazing. My Dad got me my one and only Lego set 30 years ago. I passed it down to my nephews when they were growing up. And now it has passed back to my kids. Compared to long ago, Lego certainly have sets at a lot of price range now.
Isn't GAF strong on IP protection? Why are there people openly recommending Lepin? Don't they mostly just copy Lego's products wholesale? Isn't that full on piracy?
BlackRainbowFT
Member
Like a million people before me already said... if they lowered their prices, I'd buy more.
After 15+ Lego-less years, I bought my first set about 2-3 years ago.
In total I got: 3 Star Wars UCS sets, 2 big-ass Simpsons sets, 4 complete minifigs series and the first series of Brickheadz...
For Christmas I'm going to get the UCS snowspeeder but man do I want that damn' Millenium Falcon...
So yes, I'd be willing to buy way more, were they 30% cheaper.
(If that had been the case, I'm sure I would have bought the Architecture series)
After 15+ Lego-less years, I bought my first set about 2-3 years ago.
In total I got: 3 Star Wars UCS sets, 2 big-ass Simpsons sets, 4 complete minifigs series and the first series of Brickheadz...
For Christmas I'm going to get the UCS snowspeeder but man do I want that damn' Millenium Falcon...
So yes, I'd be willing to buy way more, were they 30% cheaper.
(If that had been the case, I'm sure I would have bought the Architecture series)
Oh, wow. You just saw one of the most exclusive and biggest Lego sets, mostly aimed at collector's and adult fans , and decided Lego was too expensive? You even picked one of the best price-to-part ratio sets currently available. It's what they call a direct-to-customers set, a showpiece. Didn't you notice the big 16+ age recommendation on the box.
This set has close to 5000 pieces, so what you get for it is even cheap compared to some other sets (the 200 dollar collector's Snowspieder only has a third of those pieces...)
You know the Ninjago line this is from has sets in all price ranges right? Like you literally can get a 10 dollar set? And you can have a lot of vehicles and mechs in the 30 to 60 dollar range in that line? And that other lines are even cheaper, like the Creator Line, which is everything people say Lego isn't anymore? (Creative, non-licensed and generally with great price-to-part ratio's)
You should've walked in and have a look. And then you should've realised that Lego Shops are even the most expensive way to get regular sets, as regular toy stores or amazon sell them at competitive prices. (Brand stores are for a big part marketing, and I guess most people who buy there get the sets you can only get trough them, like the one you posted)
Now this is something LEGO has to be concerned about. The explosion in popularity over the last decade has resulted in retailers giving LEGO a massive shelf presence. I walk into my local TRU, and 1/10th of the entire store is devoted to LEGO, with additional space in the "Star Wars" and "Disney Princess" parts of the store. I don't think this is sustainable, and I'm concerned it could lead to brand burnout.
Second, and LEGO collectors are well aware of this, is LEGO takes up space at home. Eventually things reach a critical volume where you have to either sell or donate some of your existing sets, in order to justify and find space to display your new ones. Parents with kids that are huge LEGO fans are also feeling this, as LEGO takes over the kids rooms, and starts to creep into the rest of the household.
There are always going to be young children who are new to LEGO, and can form some part of a market base for the company, but the everlasting nature of the product also means that LEGO bricks and sets can be handed down from older siblings that have moved on to other interests, and even between generations as parents and grandparents bequeath their collections to the younger generations.
That set comes out to just over 6 cents per piece of Lego. If you don't want to spend $300 then that is absolutely fine, to be honest I wouldn't buy it either, but somehow being miffed by the existence of this set is fucking bizarre.
LEGO Creator anyone? There were 3 of them - the generic one first, Knights' Kingdom and Harry Potter. They were just too early. Wouldn't mind them continuing making those, but that's a problem with LEGO games today IMO - they are all made from the same Traveller's Tales template, while back in the day they dabbled in all kinds of genres.
Chiaroscuro
Member
It is like complaining that a $200 collectors Barbie doll exists. Oh no the girls are doomed, like dozens of $10-$20 dolls do not exist anymore.
Chiaroscuro
Member
Lego does not make videogames, they licensed them out. The quality of the output not their fault, but Warner Bros/Traveller's Tale.
TheSecondSpitter
Member
He who asserts shall prove
Queen Vulpix
Member
I do really enjoy legos and had tons of them when I was little. I remember having the big Harry Potter castle, Hogwarts express and other sets. Due to my low income I've only bought a single set in the past decade plus, Rapunzel's Creativity Tower, and did find it really cute. Would like to get a few of the other Disney Princess Lego sets and the Minecraft sets one day though.
He did. You assert that his proof is cherry picking, so why not prove that it is?
How would you say real price per piece is trending in this graph?
https://flowingdata.com/2013/02/07/analysis-of-lego-brick-prices-over-the-years/
Skel1ingt0n
I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
I can't help but feel so many commenting on these things just skipped over being kids.
Do you know how many sets I actually put together as a kid? Sure, it was fun from time to time - but you get WAY more mileage as a child just using your imagination.
Four or five sets didn't mean I was going to play with Lego four or five times. No, I could play with those for two years straight. I still - at 28 years old - have a medium size rubbermaid container filled with a cornucopia or random-ass pieces, and I know when I have kids, they'll love that. Lego last forever, work forever, and integrate with new sets... forever.
Do you know how many sets I actually put together as a kid? Sure, it was fun from time to time - but you get WAY more mileage as a child just using your imagination.
Four or five sets didn't mean I was going to play with Lego four or five times. No, I could play with those for two years straight. I still - at 28 years old - have a medium size rubbermaid container filled with a cornucopia or random-ass pieces, and I know when I have kids, they'll love that. Lego last forever, work forever, and integrate with new sets... forever.
BattleMonkey
Member
These still seem all very expensive for such little sets. If I was a parent, I would buy a lego set once in a while at most, not a regular purchase. For the price of one small lego set you can buy a whole lot of other toys, bunch of action figures and vehicle sets for example of popular toy lines. While other toys have kept fairly standard pricing, LEGO prices just keep going up and have become way to inflated. Most families can't afford to be buying sets that often.
And the problem also is that once a kid has several sets, they have the blocks they need to be imaginative enough, why spend another 30-70$ on more small sets when the kid is going to mostly build random stuff with it instead of following directions? I've rarely seen a child build the actual sets as they are presented, they just build random stuff with the blocks. Because of this licensed sets loose worth for parents, as the people who really care about building the licensed sets are the adult collectors.
Right. After asking for evidence and getting it you are asserting he's cherry picking. Prove it.
How much do you think action figures are nowadays? Have you seen the prices on Transformers? How long does it hold their attention and how often do they come back to it? Even years later, buying a new set and it all works with the old just making more options.
And the false narrative of inflation has already been debunked a page back.
If this lowers prices, I'm all for it. I usually shop for deals. I used Lego bricks when I was young and living in England. Didn't use them again for a long time. 20 years later, they became a therapy tool for my traumatic brain injury.
I learn different ways to sort pieces; color, size, studs, shapes. Also helps learning how to follow instructions. This has been a huge asset to my recovery. It was suggested by a neuropsych therapist that I see.
A normal set that takes someone 15-30 mins to build, can take me 4+ hours. Expert builds that someone can complete in a few hours, can take me weeks to build. I am completing the sets though, and it helps tremendously.
I learn different ways to sort pieces; color, size, studs, shapes. Also helps learning how to follow instructions. This has been a huge asset to my recovery. It was suggested by a neuropsych therapist that I see.
A normal set that takes someone 15-30 mins to build, can take me 4+ hours. Expert builds that someone can complete in a few hours, can take me weeks to build. I am completing the sets though, and it helps tremendously.
I'm sorry to hear about your injury but that's great that Legos have helped. I'm with you and a lot of people in this thread, the prices are too steep imo. I understand them being expensive when they're paying J.K. Rowling a cut to use her IP but why do their non-IP sets cost so much...I haven't bought Legos in years despite growing up with them and loving them.
Yeah, it's hard to budget for them in my case. My wife will work extra hours to help offset the cost and work with our budget. That's why I try and wait for a good deal. Like Poe's XWing fighter. $80! I was able to get it at a discount at my local wal mart for $15 lol. Those are the deals I wait for.
entremet
Member
As someone who grew up relatively poor in the 80s, LEGO was never cheap 'back then'. That's BS, like a lot of the stuff being thrown around in this thread. The first down year in more than a decade and the nonsense analysis is flying. It could be the beginning of a trend, it could just be the downside of a peak, I don't know, but their relatively high prices have been a consistent through both good and bad. In any case, LEGO hate may be GAF's lamest hate
I think a lot of it is also Halo Effect. Lego is seen as a rather premium brand in the toy world. If you google Lego is expensive, you get tons of articles and comments from around the internet.
A good example was the recent Dimension line. It was priced far ahead of Toys to Life stuff at the time. So the contrasts make it look even more expensive.
sssstententen
Member
Modern lego's aren't even for kids and they know it. I have a few brickheads in the office and they go to conventions, buy luxury sets, and throw tens of thousands into the toys. Its a brand for middle aged geeks who can afford to buy super crazy sets and who show them off/etc, or hobbyists who make custom sets.
Of course oarents probably still buy lego's for their kids, but if they really wanna market this stuff as a childrens toy again, they should probably split the lines. Inexpensive, cheaper, slightly lower quality kids legos, with tons of cool sets at affordable prices, and then the luxury adult lines at current prices.
Of course oarents probably still buy lego's for their kids, but if they really wanna market this stuff as a childrens toy again, they should probably split the lines. Inexpensive, cheaper, slightly lower quality kids legos, with tons of cool sets at affordable prices, and then the luxury adult lines at current prices.
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