Lego USA & Europe Limited Sets

[moschino]

In 2008 when I started searching and buying Lego from eBay I noticed there are some sets I never saw before.

I live in Europe and I always had Europe sets and catalogues.

The first set discovered that I never knew before was 5958 Mummy's Tomb as I've always been an Adventures fan and I wanted to complete my series.

Initially I thought I just missed this set or I simply don't remember it, but after I attempted to complete many more series I discovered many more sets that I never heard of.

Thanks to Brickset, I could verify all series and see all released sets, but after I checked my catalogues collection, I saw they weren't published there.

There are lots of sets released only in US and promoted only in US catalogues.

A good example is this wonderful gem 6071, and this is a quote from lego.wikia:

This set did not appear in European catalogues and was not released in Germany.

I don't know why specify only Germany, because actually this set wasn't released in all Europe.

I verified a catalogue from US, and indeed this set was published.

This is quite intriguing, because since Lego is a brand made in Europe, theoretically should have its highest point of release in its own yard which would be Europe. But ironically, Europe lacks a lot, and USA was in the middle of the spotlight being privileged with a lot more attention than natives.

Very interesting is the fact that 6071 released only in USA, on the box says pieces were made in Denmark and Switzerland.

Why Europe creates something only for USA and not for Europe too?

This is available for many sets released in 90s, probably from all series.

[LEGO Historian]

TLG does NOT do anything with any "rhyme or reason"... that's why I always call it "LEGO Mayhem".

For example... here's a cut/paste from my LEGO DVD/download... (I had to scrunch it together to fit on 1 page)... the chapter on large LEGO sets of the 1980s... why something was sold in a particular location is a mystery only to TLG...

[Mr Bill]

During my Navy career I used to pick up sets in other countries that weren't avaiable in the US... However, since the early-to-mid 1990s -- with the exception of some exclusives -- most sets are now available across all markets and catalogs are pretty much the same aside from regional/language text contained there-in. Of course, there are the occasional Lego decision to NOT market a set in a region (such as the Series 4 SW planet sets that are not going to be available in the US of A)...

--Mr Bill

[Hive]

Most of the cool promo bags aren't available in Europe unless you buy them for big cash through expensive importers. It bugs me endlessly.

[kermit]

There are even some polybag sets in the sun newspapers in England that we dont see in the states.

[Tariq j]

There are even some polybag sets in the sun newspapers in England that we dont see in the states.

That's true, but (correct me if I'm wrong) Europe don't have comic cons and we don't get promos like the Indiana jones transformation chamber :cry: but I suppose that's fair in my opinion different places will get different things the US get the comic con and promos, Europe get things like the daily mail poly bags and SW board game and planet sets.

[antp]

A good example is this wonderful gem 6071, and this is a quote from lego.wikia:

That set solves a childhood mystery: in the idea book #260 on page 35 (see via http://www.brickfactory.info/theme/index.html) they use a baseplate that I couldn't find in any set of that time in the catalog. It is the baseplate of 6071 it seems...

Edited October 5, 2013 by antp