The LEGO Corner

[monkey_roo]

Funny you mention Lego as a place to sink your cash. Not every set does well but there are a lot of sets out there are a lot that have done well, and for the most part there are hardly any sets that have lost money in recent times (Lone Ranger, Galaxy Squad maybe)...

Anyway, I remember reading this over Christmas, yes it is in the torygraph but hey still an amusing read - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/investing/shares/lego-a-better-investment-than-shares-and-gold/

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

What's over looked by the Lego investors are the City sets. Nope, you won't get rich buying the always repeated Fire station and Police station sets, but buy the odd ones (Coastguard, Tractors, Cargo plane, Space sets) and you will make far greater multiples on the smaller sets than you will on the franchise sets. I found this out to my amazement when clearing out my collection. Smaller City sets retired for over a year tend to go for 3 or 4 times the original purchase price if you buy right.

 

[jedisearcher]

What's over looked by the Lego investors are the City sets. Nope, you won't get rich buying the always repeated Fire station and Police station sets, but buy the odd ones (Coastguard, Tractors, Cargo plane, Space sets) and you will make far greater multiples on the smaller sets than you will on the franchise sets. I found this out to my amazement when clearing out my collection. Smaller City sets retired for over a year tend to go for 3 or 4 times the original purchase price if you buy right.

That's really interesting, when you read up on the Lego sites most people tend to ignore CITY like the plague. Some of the sets are really cool, maybe they get good returns because the big speculators just aren't interested in them. I'd have preferred if you'd said avoid at all costs because now I feel obliged to be interested :roll:

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

What's over looked by the Lego investors are the City sets. Nope, you won't get rich buying the always repeated Fire station and Police station sets, but buy the odd ones (Coastguard, Tractors, Cargo plane, Space sets) and you will make far greater multiples on the smaller sets than you will on the franchise sets. I found this out to my amazement when clearing out my collection. Smaller City sets retired for over a year tend to go for 3 or 4 times the original purchase price if you buy right.

That's really interesting, when you read up on the Lego sites most people tend to ignore CITY like the plague. Some of the sets are really cool, maybe they get good returns because the big speculators just aren't interested in them. I'd have preferred if you'd said avoid at all costs because now I feel obliged to be interested :roll:

That's exactly it. The speculators and dealers (such as I was) always went for the franchise stuff and in particular SW: guaranteed returns. I only had a dozen city sets because I had picked them up here and there is they were 50% off and I liked them. When it came to selling a couple of years later I thought I'd do well to get my money back. I got a major shock! sets that were RRP £20 and I'd picked up for £10 I was getting £40-£50 for. The Tractor, Fire plane and Museum break in flew off the shelf.

 

[MarkG]

Really must start looking at those 'not so nice' sets a bit more..... could retire in a few years.. :lol:

 

[jedisearcher]

Last day for double points. Sandcrawler on its way for me!

 

[sith-smith]

ordered the Bank!

Was tempted by the GBHQ




so ordered that too!!

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

Oh man! No fair! I've just received a Big Bang Ideas set, a little Disney set for my daughter (so got the free Olaf polybag for me but the wife has nicked the Easter chicken!!) but I neeeeeed the Sandcrawler. And absolutely must own the GBHQ! Double points.....so tempting!!!

 

[sith-smith]

Do it!!

I mean, who else are you gonna call?

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

Do it!!

I mean, who else are you gonna call?

It's not about who I call, mate, it's my wife and she'll call a good divorce lawyer 8)

 

[sith-smith]

Well, there's definitely something strange, in the neighbourhood!

Did you get anything in the end?

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

Just that Big Bang Theory Ideas set for my collection. I chickened out on the GBHQ. I'm in Florida for 3 weeks in April then Las Vegas for a week in May so I may even bring back the Sandcrawler from there in baggage. Even with the screwed up rates it's a better deal than buying over here by about £40. Wonder if I can get loyalty points over there with my UK card??

 

[monkey_roo]

^ if you mean Lego VIP points then yes, they are global.

Outside of double points there is growing speculation about the May the 4th promo figure, a first order stormtrooper is shown on the May Calendar but there was also chat about another Genral Hux figure?

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

^ if you mean Lego VIP points then yes, they are global.

Outside of double points there is growing speculation about the May the 4th promo figure, a first order stormtrooper is shown on the May Calendar but there was also chat about another Genral Hux figure?

Thanks. So for every dollar I spend on the US I get a point as opposed to over here where it's every pound I spend. So they cost less in the US and are worth more in the UK. Kind of like the vintage SW market!

I hope the May 4th promotion is a good one. They've been declining over the years. First time I got involved was in 2012. They were selling the Obi-Wan Starfighter (weakest of the UCS by a long shot) for half price. And ou got a TC-14 minifigure, a Tie Fighter polybag plus an R2-D2 "limited" poster. The best thing was they ran out of Tie Fighter Polybags so started giving away 2 X TC-14s instead. As they were going for around £20 you got your order almost free.

Compared to the 5% off that they to offer now those days seem like a lifetime ago.

 

[sith-smith]

My two lego sets arrived this morning.

The GBHQ is freaking huge!! 8)

 

[jedisearcher]

My two lego sets arrived this morning.

The GBHQ is freaking huge!! 8)

Sandcrawler arrived this morning as well. Another giant box!

 

[sith-smith]

Yep.

The death star box was just ridiculous!!

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

Result! Having chickened out of buying the Sandcrawler the other day I've just bought one from Toys R Us through eBay.

With the help of code CUK20 (valid until 2200 today, 31/03/16) I saved £50 and got it for £200 delivered. Chuffed to bits.

 

[sith-smith]

Nicely done!

I must build some lego soon!

 

[jedisearcher]

Result! Having chickened out of buying the Sandcrawler the other day I've just bought one from Toys R Us through eBay.

With the help of code CUK20 (valid until 2200 today, 31/03/16) I saved £50 and got it for £200 delivered. Chuffed to bits.

Nice price!

 

[Spookedhippie]

Well as most of you know I've had to sell up most of my stuff to pay for my wedding so haven't got much free cash to spend. What I have been able to get today though has blown me away, and it didn't cost me a penny. I picked this up today

 

[user 5830]

Wow! nice pick-up, getting it for free though :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[sith-smith]

Nice piece!

Even better that it was free!! 8) :shock:

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

The May 4th promotion has started at Lego today. Not much on offer with only 10% being taken from a range of SW sets, a free Forst Order Stormtrooper polybag and the latest in the SW Lego movie style posters (TFA) one being offered.

I've ordered another Sand Crawler as its down to £225. Take off the extra 5% cash back courtesy of Quidco and the 5% in loyalty point and the freebies that makes it around £185ish delivered. You won't beat that and, rest assured, this must be retired soon and when it does it'll help pay for your next Lego purchase.

 

[sith-smith]

You think that will go for crazy money once retired?

 

[monkey_roo]

It may be universally hated by AFOL's but I still liked it enough to pick up the new Assult on Hoth set today. Not sure when I will get to build it though.

 

[sith-smith]

Had it not been all the previous versions, it would be a reasonably good set.

However the biggest problem for me is that it's not really one big base unlike the death star or ewoks village. That would have been much better

 

[monkey_roo]

Yeah, it is a bit of a rehash and that will hurt it. I think if you are new to Lego Star Wars then this is a great way to get a good spread of Hoth elements, but without the AT-AT and only 2 snow troopers it isn't much of an Assult.

The ion cannot and generator are new and we haven't had any base doors since 2007 (Hoth Rebel Base 7666) and even then that was a limited relelease, and in all honesty the new doors are much better, so it isn't too bad, the Wampa cave element is daft, especially stacked against the bigger set from 2010 (Hoth Wampa Cave 8089) but even that wasn't a massive cave element.

One of the big issues is the lack of any base interior, Hoth Echo Base 7879 from 2011 was a bit of a mess so fans were already demanding a better effort but to not bother at all is a bit of an issue.

I'm lucky enough to have all the above sets so I will be putting them all together which I am hoping will make for something worth displaying.

This will almost certainly tank given the reception it has gotten so there is a good chance this will be discounted at some point in the next 12 months and if that is by more than 20% then it becomes a good purchase.

 

[sith-smith]

It is impressive how they managed to misjudge that set.

 

[monkey_roo]

Yeah, but this isn't an isolated thing, which is more worrying.

The batcave before it was a bit of a misstep, this years exclusive was a pointless trooper. Prices are going up yet quality is down. There is even a bit of discontent among the AFOL community with the way Lego are starting to act, maybe becoming a touch elitist in there approach, certainly not the open friendly company from a few years back.

I many ways I see shades of Hasbro coming on, roll back 10 years ago and Hasbro were churning out over priced under quality stuff and trying to fob most of it off as exclusives because in the years before that had gone well and suddenly it wasn't. When a firm that can do no wrong forgets that's only a phrase....

Anyway, I built the Assult on Hoth set today, certainly isn't an UCS but as a system play set it works quite well, my 5 year old loves it.