On 12/16/2015 at 12:30 PM, Dameronian said:

This is the biggest movie and merchandise tie-in in history. And it's also just before Christmas. We will moan. We will complain. And then we will go buy all the stuff anyway. Lego knows this.

How true.

T minus 4 hours 21 minutes until I see it! I cannot wait to see all the beautiful characters, droids, vehicles, and sets that we can look forward to as future sets, I will stay away for a few days now incase I am tempted to let anything slip while posting. ciao for now!

Edited December 16, 20159 yr by Brickr

  On 12/16/2015 at 4:41 PM, x105Black said:

But this is arm printing. It is understandable that those upgrades would mean a large increase in cost in a car, but I don't see how that applies to arm printing on a small plastic minifigure.

I'll agree that it is nice to get something exclusive with a more expensive set. A minfigure is appropriate for that, but surely there's a better way than deliberately making all subsequent variants to a lesser standard.

I can understand your point of view, but my point still stands, and I completely agree with everything Robianco said. TLG are doing it not because they are lowering their standards, they are doing it because they have done their research, and to be honest, it is becoming VERY apparant that people want something exclusive with something they are paying a hefty price for, and minifigs are very hastily becoming the thing that both children and adults want. OK, they include an arm printed one in a cheap set, so now TLG have to make a completely different print altogether, which, probably wouldn't cost too much money but still, would be an added cost. Something they know they don't have to absorb if all they have to do is run the exact same print, but with the arm printing machines simply turned off in the production run, which costs absolutely nothing, and woolah! they have made an exclusive and non exclusive torso in the exact same production run simply by turning the print units off on the arms.

They are becoming clever to what works and what doesn't work, they WILL adapt to the market. I expect eventually, arm printing will become the norm, however, maybe it won't, Simply for the fact that they can extremely easily make exclusive figures in this manner whereas if every figure had arm printing, then they'd have to make a new design for each figure that is required to be exclusive.

You may think that isn't asking a lot, but TLG have very few designers working on each theme, frequently, they work across multiple themes. Not only this, but they have to get approval for the designs, modify them, approval, modify, approval etc until it gets the green light. These designers also have to create new designs for normal figs.

This all creates added cost. A cost that currently TLG have seen a way around doing.

The result?

An exclusive minifig that has just as much *detail in the printing*, minus the printing on the arm. That doesn't make it inferior in any way. Children can still play with the minifig exactly the same whether it had arm printing or not.

Not forgetting, Lego is again, first and foremost, a child's toy. They use their imagination clearly a lot more than us fussy adults do. Therefore, TLG see the cheaper sets as intended for children and so see no need to give arm printing on them.

Slave 1? That, is more aimed at adults/teenagers/extremely lucky children whose parents probably bought it so they can have it in some form or manner. Therefore, they have created the fig to our 'needs', which is more printing.

Don't want the Slave 1 but want an arm printed minifig? Buy Slave 1. Or buy it form someone that has bought Slave 1. TLG will get the money for it regardless. Where there is demand, they will supply. They know you could Bricklink it. But where has that Bricklinked one come from?

You guessed it, a Slave 1 (Or some lucky bugger who ransacked Bricks and Pieces of the supply ). They get their Slave 1 sale regardless.

And if as you also say, how much would a minifig really affect the sale, as it should be the model? You yourself are proving it... Not buying (or simply being disapproving but still buying?) a set whose main focus is to recreate a scene in a set specifically aimed at children where not even part of the focus is the arm printing.

ps Good knowledge/find on the re-used CMFs! Although that was exactly 5, with 1 used twice :P Even if there are more, the ratio of exclusive figs to non exclusive figs would be drastic, for the amount that has been released and not reused. Maybe the car thing wasn't such a good comparison, but these, are.

Edited December 16, 20159 yr by Fuppylodders

  On 12/16/2015 at 7:40 PM, Junior Shark said:

Yeah, that's always a danger nowadays. The way I see it, with what's been going on recently, there's a certain degree of risk anytime you step outside of your home. Hospital, movie theater, you name it. Can't let that stop you from livin' life though, right? Might as well jsut go and see Star Wars.

Might be easy for me to talk as a european, but thats kinda silly right? Googling tells me that there was one in 2012 (12 casualties) and one in 2015 (3 casualties inc shooter), to me it seems like one of those "you are more likely to die in a car accident on your way to the cinema" kind of things, i mean, in 2012 the USA had 33K5 traffic deaths, so for 2012-15 we are talking roughly 133K traffic deaths Vs 14 (not including the shooter here, for obvious reasons) in cinema shootings

Nevermind, stay on target ;)

Edited December 16, 20159 yr by legosamsonite

  On 12/16/2015 at 7:50 PM, vectormatic said:

Might be easy for me to talk as a european, but thats kinda silly right? Googling tells me that there was one in 2012 (12 casualties) and one in 2015 (3 casualties inc shooter), to me it seems like one of those "you are more likely to die in a car accident on your way to the cinema" kind of things, i mean, in 2012 the USA had 33K5 traffic deaths, so for 2012-15 we are talking roughly 133K traffic deaths Vs 14 (not including the shooter here, for obvious reasons) in cinema shootings

Yeah. And you're right about it being easy as a European! I mean, I live in Colorado, which has without a doubt been the state with the most prolific shootings (Columbine, Aurora theater, Planned Parenthood, etc.). So of all people, I think I may be justified in fear! However, I just have a personal philosophy of not letting fear get in the way of life, y'know? Not to marginalize those 12 peoples' lives. So yes, kinda silly when you look at the facts, but certainly justifiable.

Also, this morbid talk does not really belong here. Change of subject, anyone?

Edited December 16, 20159 yr by Junior Shark

HEY All this talk that is not about LEGO needs to stop right now. No more.

  On 12/16/2015 at 8:17 PM, Junior Shark said:

Also, this morbid talk does not really belong here. Change of subject, anyone?

Minimodding also doesn't belong here. If you know something is off-topic and even state as much, then you shouldn't have continued the discussion yourself. Use the report button and carry on.

  On 12/16/2015 at 1:36 AM, x105Black said:

Also, even CMFs have these features, and they aren't in exclusive sets. I feel that LEGO should be utilizing their technology to make the best product they can, in every set. When they don't, they are selling us, and themselves, short.

So you're saying that anything that is not the very best of their capabilities is not good? Its more expensive for them to make every single minifigure to the same high standards as CMF's and UCS set minifigs. If they did do that, the prices would go up and people would complain, especially the ones who don't care about arm printing. The reason CMF's are so detailed are because that is the whole focus of the line- to give you minifigures that are not just your less detailed side characters that come in every set.

I saw it this morning, awesome movie, but after the first 30 minutes I thought I should buy the TFA sets :-D

Can't wait for the summer sets as well, there is still ample opportunity for new sets!

  On 12/16/2015 at 5:24 AM, benderisgreat said:

60$ for battle on Takodana? 400 something piece set is 60$! That's ridiculous overpricing on Lego and Disneys part. I mean it's even worse than TIE Fighter costing 70$ with 500 pieces. And it seems that only TFA sets are getting ridiculous prices , while OT and PT sets have more appropriate prices aroun 10 cents per piece . I just hope it won't become new 'thing' for Lego to overprice sets based on new movies.

My guess is Lego might have had the Star Wars license, but they did not have the Force Awakens license. This explains the higher prices on the new movie sets.

^nah

Lego just has ups and downs in prices and what they can get. legos original themes got lots of 'overpriced' sets aswell.

  On 12/16/2015 at 7:27 PM, ChiefPie said:

My family won't go to movie theaters because of shootings that's been happening. Otherwise I would love to go see it!

Wow, I don't mean to be insensitive but this is absolutely unbelievable. If you adopt that kind of view towards danger then how can you possibly live out your life? The chances of dying on a highway or in a car are astronomically higher than in a theatre. For your sake Inhope you get to see it in a theatre.

EDIT: Edited for 'minimodding'.

  On 12/16/2015 at 11:39 PM, pcsguy88 said:

My guess is Lego might have had the Star Wars license, but they did not have the Force Awakens license. This explains the higher prices on the new movie sets.

How could you have a Star Wars license separate from a Force Awakens license? It's very non sequitur if you ask me.

Edited December 17, 20159 yr by Junior Shark

Saw the movie last night. Some (SPOILER) thoughts on the new sets.

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Battle on Takonata

Very well designed little set. Lego did a fantastic job at capturing the entrance of Maz's castle in a smaller scale. Maz looks wonderfly accurate to how she appeared on screen and was very likable. Although Kylo Ren doesn't have much presence at the castle itself its nice to get an unmasked variant since we see a lot of him without it in the second half of the film. Finn and the Stormtroopers fit in perfectly with the scene from the movie. While its a shame we didn't get any of the stranger characters that populate the castle (Bazine and the Crimson Corsair both end up having a bit more to do than I expected) there's still room for future expansions down the road with the bar, treasure dungeon and statue of Maz.

Resistance Troop Transporter

Only appears in two scenes but I was impressed how close the model is to the real thing. The front opens up just like the set does. The Resistance troopers are fitting and while Ackbar doesn't appear with the ship in the film, he does get a few lines later at the base so its good to get a new version of him. The scene is also Leia's big return after 30 years so I can't think of a better set to include this version of her. For those who didn't like the colours of her uniform - the minifigure does appear more accurate to the movie than the behind the scenes photo.

Resistance Battle Pack

I honestly don't remember seeing the speeder at all in the movie. Maybe someone might be able to spot it in the background somewhere, but I'm going to assume this was just an original Lego creation that they sometimes do for the battlepacks. The Resistance soldiers only show up at Maz's Castle and the Resistance Base and were a mix of the helmeted ones here and the regular ones from the First Order Transport set.

First Order Battle Pack

The turret looks quite accurate to the ones on Starkiller Base although much more scaled down. While I did see the Heavy Gunner Stormtrooper, First Order Crewman and Technician, they didn't really stand out enough to warrent army building them. I think they probably should've saved them for the larger sets and kept the battlepack focused on the traditional Stormtroopers.

X-Wing Microfighter

I can't remember if the generic pilot from Poe's X-Wing is supposed to be based on anyone, but the one in the microfighter is definitely Snap Wexley. He gets a few moments in the movie during the mission briefing, attacking Starkiller Base and surviving the battle so I'm glad they released him.

As for last year's sets all of them got plenty of screentime except for the Snowspeeder which is so obscure you won't even notice it unless you're going out of your way to look. The minifigures are all well designed, but Captain Phasma was woefully underused. For all that hype about her character (and being the first-but-not-really-first female villain in the movies) she had an even less impactful role than Zam Wesell did in AOTC.

  On 12/16/2015 at 7:03 PM, Slurpifier said:

I've seen the two TFA microfighters in the stores, going to pick them up as a Christmas present for someone tomorrow.

Is that someone you? :laugh:

  On 12/16/2015 at 12:57 AM, Mymaker123 said:

I swear to God if I see one more American complain about high set prices despite the fact that they get sets cheaper than THE UK, ALL OF EUROPE AND AUSTRALIA when translated to USD (BP Prices are basically around $17 when exchanged)...

STOP. COMPLAINING. WE HAVE IT MUCH, MUCH WORSE. £49.99 IS THE UK PRICE OF TAKODONA AND THAT IS EQUAL TO $75.21!

Im an American and i hate seeing tlg price me out of sets because i will only pay for something that i see value in. So yeah 60 USD is to much for Takodona. 75.21 usd is insane. This is a set that will be left on the shelf. Just to make that clear. 60 USD is too much for Takodona

... How ... Are ... These ... Rumors ...

If you can't afford the set: get off the internet and make more money.

TLG isn't going to listen to a small handful of ppl complaining about lowering the price by $15. Do you know why? Because you aren't the target market for that set...

  On 12/17/2015 at 1:59 AM, dljbae said:

... How ... Are ... These ... Rumors ...

If you can't afford the set: get off the internet and make more money.

TLG isn't going to listen to a small handful of ppl complaining about lowering the price by $15. Do you know why? Because you aren't the target market for that set...

Not everyone can make more money....

  On 12/17/2015 at 1:59 AM, dljbae said:

TLG isn't going to listen to a small handful of ppl complaining about lowering the price by $15. Do you know why? Because you aren't the target market for that set...

Speaking from personal experience, I was unable to get the very sets when I was younger. The most substantial set would have been around $25.

Now, I don't know how many kids today are able to get the really large sets; but most of the time they're purchasing the smaller sets. Rarely do I ever see a kid getting a relatively large set, such as the Transporter, or Kylo's shuttle.

Maybe it's different in your area, but Lego is certainly not a cheap hobby. No matter one's financial state.

Of course, the whole complaints are merely wishful thinking that won't come into fruition, but we can certainly dream.

Edited December 17, 20159 yr by TheAmazingDarkKnight

Wow it's been basically confirmed we are getting a Snoke polybag and everyone is too busy complaining about the cost of Lego. Seriously??

  On 12/17/2015 at 3:47 AM, Mahtion said:

Wow it's been basically confirmed we are getting a Snoke polybag and everyone is too busy complaining about the cost of Lego. Seriously??

Isn't snoke a supreme leader and not a general though?

  On 12/17/2015 at 3:47 AM, Mahtion said:

Wow it's been basically confirmed we are getting a Snoke polybag and everyone is too busy complaining about the cost of Lego. Seriously??

Not "basically confirmed" at all. Someone said they "have an idea" of who it is.

  On 12/17/2015 at 4:03 AM, ChiefPie said:

Isn't snoke a supreme leader and not a general though?

Uh..what does that have to do with anything?

Apparently "Snoke" is mentioned by other characters in the movie. I have not seen it yet but I see two ways around this... Lego includes him in a summer set / May the 4th polybag or we don't see him until episode 8 /9 sets. Can't wait to see the movie tomorrow night and hopefully we get a whole summer set of TFA sets with tons of new characters and variations!

  On 12/17/2015 at 4:11 AM, Ultron said:

Not "basically confirmed" at all. Someone said they "have an idea" of who it is.

Uh..what does that have to do with anything?

+1

  On 12/17/2015 at 4:26 AM, Hero Bricks said:

Apparently "Snoke" is mentioned by other characters in the movie. I have not seen it yet but I see two ways around this... Lego includes him in a summer set / May the 4th polybag or we don't see him until episode 8 /9 sets. Can't wait to see the movie tomorrow night and hopefully we get a whole summer set of TFA sets with tons of new characters and variations!

I saw the movie yesterday. Snoke is mentioned AND is seen, but

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only as a hologram (which is HUGE). It is unknown if this is his real size. He could be as little as Yoda or as tall as Godzilla. Also, his hologram is only seen in a gigantic room which would make a very dull LEGO set.

  On 12/17/2015 at 2:02 AM, Kman860 said:

Not everyone can make more money....

Well, in that case...

I need the new c3po and storm trooper polybag. Retails for 3.99-5.99? I'll take one each and pay $20 shipped to me. Profit to someone who can't make more money, and I get two new figures. The previously mentioned $15 overpriced set now is "only" $10 overpriced... Find two more people on the board and the you've made up the mark up in one trip to tru.

The amazing dark knight ; what you are saying is true and I as well couldn't afford $100+ sets as a kid. And I'm glad. Isn't it good and motivational for kids to learn to work hard for things they really want?

Anyways back on topic...