My Case Against Artificial Rarity

[MAB]

On 7/13/2018 at 9:40 AM, Gomek said:

So then someone at Lego realized that this was a pretty big mistake. They now have a mascot and no physical minifigure to sell. Horrible wasted opportunity and they reverse they the decision and start selling them in the store. Now I'm not going to condemn that second decision because that's what I'm talking about, and I eventually had a nice collecting experience swapping for said figure.

 

3

This is purely speculation. You do not know this. For all you know, there could have been the idea to have the Lester polybag all along, but they were not able to produce enough to start selling at the opening, or maybe they wanted to keep it exclusive for a while for the people that attended the opening.

 

On 7/13/2018 at 9:40 AM, Gomek said:

But what about the collectors who paid $3000 dollars for a minifigure that's now worth $6. You can certainly say "You shouldn't be paying $3000 for a minifigure" but I take the approach of 'there is just absolutely no reason for a global company to be doing things like that in the first place'. What is the point of creating a $3000 minifigure? Just don't do it.

3

That $3000 one is not worth $6. It is still worth more than $6 (but not $3000). The packaging differentiates it from the polybag one, and some people are willing to pay a premium for the packaging still. It happened with some comic con figures too - Bilbo, Azog, Bard -  they all came out in regular sets but the ones in the special packaging hold value over those that do not have the packaging.

And LEGO didn't create a $3000 figure. They created a giveaway. The market created the $3000 figure.

 

[MAB]

On 7/13/2018 at 3:32 PM, Gomek said:

For me Lego is still a toy that, to your point, should be interchanged, customized, built and played with. The idea of creating ridiculously priced small sets and minifigures runs completely contrary to this idea.

 

2

Take a look at this thread. It has been going six years now. This is exactly what many people do. They create their own versions of characters using existing, and for the most part common, parts. I doubt there is a character that people have not come up with a reasonable version, especially one that LEGO has done as an exclusive.

 

You want a "The Collector"? Make one, there are loads of ways of doing it. Some of them pre-date the official LEGO version. You can then play with The Collector. Does it change how you play with it if it turns out that someone else has a different (and "official") version with different printing on the parts that is an exclusive giveaway that they keep in the protective packaging?

[Gomek]

 

7 hours ago, MAB said:

This is purely speculation. You do not know this. For all you know, there could have been the idea to have the Lester polybag all along, but they were not able to produce enough to start selling at the opening, or maybe they wanted to keep it exclusive for a while for the people that attended the opening.

 Totally agree that I have no idea what the plan was; But any promotion for this figure at the time of the give away absolutely made it seem like they were not going to be made again. Absolutely no hint it was a preview figure. Obviously multiple people laid out over $1000 believing the same thing. With the Azog I think it wasn't clear either, but I think most people (thankfully) had the good sense to realize they didn't make a custom mold for convention exclusive.

BTW, just to be clear, I don't have any issue with exclusive packaging or preview figures.

7 hours ago, MAB said:

And LEGO didn't create a $3000 figure. They created a giveaway. The market created the $3000 figure. 

The market is a constant (or at least won't swing wildly in a short amount of time), the real variable is the amount. Lego controls the amount, no one controls the market (despite what advertisers will have you believe). No better example of this is the price of the Lester figure. Demand never changed, but Lego's move from 275 to unlimited changed the value of the figure from $3000 down to $6. That's a Lego move, not a change in the demand.

Similarly the market for a Daredevil figure is what it is. If Lego produces 300,000 Daredevil figures they are a $6 figure. If they make 3,000 it's a $300 figure. If they make 300 it's a $1,000 figure. This is not a change in the market. 

(edit: after considering this some more, I would be remiss to imply the market does not change. The original SW Cloud City set would be a good example of a set that was produced to market demand. Now you could argue that it was not on the market for long, but at the time it was freely available. Overtime the market changed and the set became more sought after, and the prices steadily rose. But then again, this is not a case of artificial rarity.)

But honestly, the point is really that these ultra limited runs really don't benefit the larger community. If you're a high roller and find a lot of value in having something that other people can't have, then yes, it does work in your favor. But if you just enjoy Lego and enjoy collecting, then artificial rarity is really not helping. 

7 hours ago, MAB said:

That $3000 one is not worth $6.

Fair point. I can't find any prices for the limited edition one but I have a hard time believe it's any more that 2% of that $3000.

 

Edited July 16, 2018 by Gomek

[Gomek]

8 hours ago, MAB said:

Take a look at this thread. It has been going six years now. This is exactly what many people do. They create their own versions of characters using existing, and for the most part common, parts. I doubt there is a character that people have not come up with a reasonable version, especially one that LEGO has done as an exclusive.

You want a "The Collector"? Make one, there are loads of ways of doing it. Some of them pre-date the official LEGO version. You can then play with The Collector. Does it change how you play with it if it turns out that someone else has a different (and "official") version with different printing on the parts that is an exclusive giveaway that they keep in the protective packaging?

That's great. I have a ton of purist customs and pad printed customs myself. I would also agree some are much nicer than the official versions.

Are you telling me though that I shouldn't want a nicely designed Lego figure? I'm not really going to argue much about that. I'm sure every AFOL has been through that discussion at one time or another. I did however (as a kid) have a kind of sad Captain Kirk Mego doll that was painted like Green Lantern. That doll might poke a hole in the imagination is just as good idea, lol. (sad might have been an understatement)

All in all, it's not really about justifying what should, and should not, be a part of someone's collection. That's a highly personalized decision with a lot of factors. I still whole heatedly believe that artificially rare exclusives do not serve the collectors market (at least vast majority of it).

Edited July 16, 2018 by Gomek

[x105Black]

8 hours ago, MAB said:

Take a look at this thread. It has been going six years now. This is exactly what many people do. They create their own versions of characters using existing, and for the most part common, parts. I doubt there is a character that people have not come up with a reasonable version, especially one that LEGO has done as an exclusive.

...

You want a "The Collector"? Make one, there are loads of ways of doing it. Some of them pre-date the official LEGO version. You can then play with The Collector. Does it change how you play with it if it turns out that someone else has a different (and "official") version with different printing on the parts that is an exclusive giveaway that they keep in the protective packaging?

None of those Collector minifigures in that thread are in any way close to the official version.  I would then have a watered down facsimile of the Collector in my collection.

In my opinion, they should have released a Collector with an exclusive SDCC print or packaging at the Comic Con, and had the actual Collector that they released appear in sets.  That would have been better for everyone.  Those who went to the Comic Con would have an exclusive special figure, and fans would have an official version of a particular character.

[MAB]

If you made a custom Collector and LEGO hadn't done an official comic con one, is it any different to if you made a Collector and LEGO did a comic con one? In one case Lego doesn't do one, in the other market forces make it so the one they do is very expensive and might as well not exist.

If LEGO decided that The Collector does not fit into one of their sets, then there will not be a general release. If it bothers people that someone else might get an exclusive limited edition of a character that LEGO is not going to put on general release, then the only alternative is to not have exclusives. That then impacts on LEGO at the comic con as they have no exclusives that will get people talking and creating a buzz online.

[Robianco]

Phoenix Customs did a Collector that was far more accurate and better than the Lego one. It cost $30. The SDCC one looked like a purist custom compared to it.

I think Lego should have released a Collector figure by now into the wild though. When Shazam gets released I think that figure will get a release... Bizarro has had a micro fighters version (Something at least)... Dark Knight Batman and Green Lantern have had regular Lego versions done now. Green Arrow now has two Lego versions. 

That still leaves a few figures that we've had nothing of... Alternative versions of figures are one thing but having others that are completely unique is another.

[Gomek]

5 hours ago, Robianco said:

Phoenix Customs did a Collector that was far more accurate and better than the Lego one. It cost $30. The SDCC one looked like a purist custom compared to it.

Thanks for the tip on Phoenix customs, I hadn't heard of them before.