On 8/25/2023 at 5:27 PM, Lipko said:

To to sum it up: my opinion is the opposite to most of you: the set it not appealing as it's way too big. Not shelf compatible as the Titanic or the Saturn V. 

I'm sure considerations like this are relevant to TLG's strategy. If it was 50% bigger, many parents who could afford it would baulk at the size.

Just a little detail I observed:

on A frame there is a little LEGO group 2020 marking. 

On boom structural member marking year is 2021.

On counterweight part it is 2022.

It really took a while to design this set. 

 

Edited August 29, 20231 yr by Oh_Hi_Mao

There are words and company names that we must be very careful to avoid on this forum, but there's a valid context to me broaching the subject.

I got my first technic set in 1979 and have been a fan since. A loyal fan.

For the first time ever, having been priced out of buying this flagship (and i have a good salary), i'm looking at 'other' brands. I know this is a controversial subject, but the context of my length of brand loyalty surely suggests TLG have gone too far.

I wondered if i was the only one who is now looking elsewhere? Or can this not be discussed here.. which would be a shame as its genuine consequence of an obscene pricing decision. 

If i've broken a taboo then please delete and accept my apologies.

18 minutes ago, TeamThrifty said:

I wondered if i was the only one who is now looking elsewhere? Or can this not be discussed here.. which would be a shame as its genuine consequence of an obscene pricing decision.  

If i've broken a taboo then please delete and accept my apologies.

You clearly are not alone to have looked around to see how things are going elsewhere. On my side, I did it when I felt the desire do build a nice car with full-remote motorization and gearbox... Which LEGO never bothered to make.

I would say that it is not a taboo around here anymore, yet I think it should not be discussed further on this specific topic.

Btw new boom sections are available for order https://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=79766#T=A

1 hour ago, TeamThrifty said:

If i've broken a taboo then please delete and accept my apologies.

I absolutely don't think you have broken a taboo. For one, there is a more than 35 forum pages long CADA thread right here in this forum. Secondly, for heaven’s sake, all you have done is looking around for what competitors have to offer. In a capitalistic world!. People keep telling me that >competition< is the best driver in that world and makes everything better. So, when I want to buy a toaster, I don't buy the most expensive (but still relatively small) toaster on the planet - only if that one can do so much more or better than the competitors' toaster can. In the toaster industry, all critical roasting and toasting patents have since long expired - it is the same thing with the plastic pieces we are discussing here. So no, what you have done is the most natural thing in this world.

Are you alone? Certainly not. If you want to speak openly, just go to the community forum and check for folks who did, do, and will continue to do so: See with open eyes what is out there. It is entirely up to you. And when asking for $650 you know what? I'd look around A LOT.

If this cannot be discussed here, then I don't know ...

Best,
Thorsten 

I'm not looking elsewhere, I have just decided not to pay more than 400 euro for this set (new). If that never happens, I probably end up buying it second hand at an even lower price. 

1 hour ago, mortenm said:

I'm not looking elsewhere, I have just decided not to pay more than 400 euro for this set (new). If that never happens, I probably end up buying it second hand at an even lower price. 

We're now at 475 EUR and it hasn't even been a month since the release. I'm sure it'll be available around 400 EUR towards the end of the year (Black Friday, etc.)

I'm just sad that the pricing is making me look elsewhere... Cheapest i've seen is £437. It needs to be another £100 lower before i'll consider it, but i doubt that will happen.

23 hours ago, TeamThrifty said:

I wondered if i was the only one who is now looking elsewhere?

I have.  I simply no longer believe TLG produces the superior product anymore.  Superior elements, yes, but the margin is small IMO.  But the sets are actually becoming lackluster.  I recently purchased and built the CADA LaFerrari (designed by @T Lego).  IMO it is a far superior product than any of TLG's Ultimate CS hypercars.  And I say that knowing TLG elements are mildly superior.  But the color vomit, poor design, dummied-down instructions, and lackluster building methods, crappy gearboxes, etc. make the overall product inferior to CADA and other sets IMO.  I will never purchase another UCS Technic set from TLG.    That does not even consider the price.  

To the argument that TLG produces superior elements.... I agree with this.  But the ratio of superior elements to the price they ask is off.  The example I would draw from is the mattress industry here in the US (I don't know what it is like in other countries).  But there are mattress companies (Sleep Number, Tempur-pedic, etc.) that are asking $5-10,000 for a King sized mattress in the US.  Their marketing is genius.  They have professional athletes advertising them, research consortiums citing the benefits of sleep, etc.  Folks I know in my income bracket all have these beds.  I think they are crazy.  Although I can afford these types of mattresses, I sleep on a simple, yet not cheap, good-quality mattress.  But fairly run-of-the mill mattress.  I think it cost me like 5-600 bucks (USD).  Sure, I have tried out a Sleep Number or Tempur-Pedic mattress, and I think  I noticed a difference, but it was BARELY noticeable, if noticeable at all.  Certainly not anything I would pay 10-20x the amount I paid for the mattress I now have.  If I were to pay that, I would expect something 2-4x better (10-20x better would not be fair.  One, I don't think that is quantifiable, 2, I am sure the relationship is not linear).  I could not even say lying on either of those other mattresses is TWICE as comfortable, let alone 2-4x better.  I think my friends are crazy for spending that much $$ on a product that has no quantifiable evidence of being worth that much more than the competition (in their defense many of my buddies say they buy the mattress to appease their spouses.  Their argument is then.... that the mattresses are worth it.  Which I have no comeback for )  

5 hours ago, kbalage said:

We're now at 475 EUR and it hasn't even been a month since the release. I'm sure it'll be available around 400 EUR towards the end of the year (Black Friday, etc.)

Here in the states we will not see such prices for quite some time, if at all (or at least not until the very end of its production run).  The argument for waiting until Lego products lower in price really does not hold water for us.  Not to mention, part of the fun and therefore value of a set (only part.... keep your pants on critics ) is to get it, build it, improve it, while it is popular.  THe Zetros set is finally a more affordable price here in the states... but it is such old news now it has taken a lot of the fun out of it to try and build, modify, etc.... 

 

 

@nerdsforprez Very considered and well argued point. The mattress analogy tracks across many aspects of life, which i follow everywhere else! 95% of the product for 10% of the cost, its common pattern (adjust the %'s accordingly..).

I still feel brand loyalty for TLG, but the frustration at the pricing model feels as though they're treating afol's as cash cows, not loyal customers. And that that annoys me.

Interesting your experience with CADA, good to know which is a decent alternative...

One final thought... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66658909 ...Profits dropping for TLG. Screwing customers is not the answer!

 

 

On 8/3/2023 at 10:18 AM, Mr Jos said:

But it seems they are looking for a new Technic set designer since 1st of Aug, so if you think you can do better than all "bad looking" recent sets, what are you waiting for; Technic Product Designer - Careers - LEGO.com

no longer since the link does not work

43 minutes ago, Timorzelorzworz said:

no longer since the link does not work

Obviously you weren't quick enough and they found who they were looking for. 

 

Looks better.

It looks different to be sure, but I like the yellow better.

Does anyone noticed that in the final model, pins are sticking out unsecured? This happens in the undercarriage as well at the superstructure. The model works perfect honestly, but with the design of 42146 we got the most unfinished model ever released by Lego and thats a pure shame. Yes, TLG wants 680 bucks from you for a design that is not finished nor was tested in build correctly. Thank you Lego. Every owner of this set should contact TLG and demand for sending missing parts that were cancelded in the final build to make the most expensive set the most worse. Or in other words, the Crane works really good, but its the most terrible design ever made which gives you always the feeling that something is missing here for that amount of money.

 

Edited October 2, 20231 yr by Timorzelorzworz

14 hours ago, Timorzelorzworz said:

Does anyone noticed that in the final model, pins are sticking out unsecured? This happens in the undercarriage as well at the superstructure. The model works perfect honestly, but with the design of 42146 we got the most unfinished model ever released by Lego and thats a pure shame. Yes, TLG wants 680 bucks from you for a design that is not finished nor was tested in build correctly. Thank you Lego. Every owner of this set should contact TLG and demand for sending missing parts that were cancelded in the final build to make the most expensive set the most worse. Or in other words, the Crane works really good, but its the most terrible design ever made which gives you always the feeling that something is missing here for that amount of money.

 

To be honest, I did not notice it until you pointed it out. I wonder what - if anything was going to mount there?

36 minutes ago, Lego Tom said:

if anything was going to mount there?

yes the dbg tapared panels was mounted like on the opposite, but due the motors this pins are not needed and forgotten. There are more such places in the upperstructure. For a 680€ premium product with a lots of quality control, this design is far away from what people can excpect from a Lego design team. To be honest, its the most dissappointment in Technic lineup. I will write a deeper design review for this set later.

1 hour ago, Timorzelorzworz said:

yes the dbg tapared panels was mounted like on the opposite, but due the motors this pins are not needed and forgotten. There are more such places in the upperstructure. For a 680€ premium product with a lots of quality control, this design is far away from what people can excpect from a Lego design team. To be honest, its the most dissappointment in Technic lineup. I will write a deeper design review for this set later.

It's funny that they never caught it and (unless someone at TLG is reading this post) are still shipping that way today and may continue until it's retired. Totally unrelated, but the Cadillac car assembly plant once had a car come down the assembly line that was a four door on one side and a two door on the other, meaning the car had 3 doors. That car never made it off the company grounds except in a railroad scrap car. So any company can make a mistake but a poor one fails to correct it.

5 minutes ago, Lego Tom said:

the Cadillac car assembly plant once had a car come down the assembly line that was a four door on one side and a two door on the other, meaning the car had 3 doors.

A version of the current Fiat 500 is exactly like that, but in that case it's intentional.

1 hour ago, AVCampos said:

A version of the current Fiat 500 is exactly like that, but in that case it's intentional.

As did the Hyundai Veloster!

Is that specific assembly repeated in the instructions? That could be the reason they left it, to simplify instructions.

1 hour ago, Zerobricks said:

Is that specific assembly repeated in the instructions? That could be the reason they left it, to simplify instructions.

Or it could be due to the fact that the design of this 🐕 had to be hastily revised.

This does not justify to want 680€ for a unfinished model with design flaws.