Ben 10 discussion thread

[prateek]

Umm... One word: No. We already have Bionicle so why this? Bionicle is a good theme but this is a waste of a perfectly good license. I was expecting figs and actual sets. I would like Grandpa's RV as a set

[ILikePi]

Eighteen dollars for less than 20 pieces? That's more than what Duplo sets cost.

I thought that this line was going to turn out well, but it doesn't see like it.

Kids may like it (and they do look pretty good), but it still is overpriced and not a "construction" set, which is what LEGO is supposed to be.

EDIT:

...this is a waste of a perfectly good license. I was expecting figs and actual sets. I would like Grandpa's RV as a set

Yes, I would too, but Grandpa's RV doesn't exist in Ben 10: Alien Force.

But we could have at least gotten Kevin's car, and minifigures like Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and some DNAliens.

Edited October 10, 2009 by ILikePi

[Lord Admiral]

Umm... One word: No. We already have Bionicle so why this? Bionicle is a good theme but this is a waste of a perfectly good license. I was expecting figs and actual sets. I would like Grandpa's RV as a set

I find it difficult to consider Bionicle proper Lego. I mean, they're made by the same company and everything, but I deny that they're actually Lego. This stuff is even worse. Why not just start making action figures and forget the piece counts. Put 'em under a different brand name, call it a day. (Simple marketing test: If a product can't stand on its own without an existing brand behind it, then it's probably not going to stand for very long attached to a name brand. A name can only jump-start popularity. That which has no substance, well, has no substance.)

I was hoping for some sets as well. But I was pretty sure from the moment they announced the license that this was the kind of stuff they'd do. The only reason why I'm not actually upset is because this was reasonably within my expectations. But hey, you know what they say; aim low, and you won't ever be disappointed.

I'm still hoping for real sets to come out of the license though. I'd pick up an RV. If we could have Sponge Bob sets, Ben 10 sets isn't much farther.

[Gus 263]

Thanks for the images!

I'm really surprised. They have very few pieces. Although I see in those "<insert that tiresome argument>" pieces a potential for Bionicle MOCing. In my point of view, this theme will bring more innovations than Bionicle. The pieces also look like more interesting than the pieces from the 2010 Bionicle sets. Then I think I'll be getting one or two. They have at least a good articulation, something we will not get with Bionicle Stars.

[Piranha]

There is only one word to describe this travesty

Galidor

*flashback*

[Derek]

Ew. I think I just threw up in my mouth again.

Humongousaur 8517 must have the worst piece-to-price ratio ever, not to mention the name. 14 pieces for $18! No thanks!!!

Thanks for the pictures, The good thing to come out of this is that I know I have money to devote to other themes...

[Oky]

Well, for what they are, they're alright I guess. those new crystal pieces on Cromastone will be usefull for System MOCs. In fact, I'm surprised they didn't use these in the new Power Miners sets.

But even though I am one of the few people who is actually trying to like this theme, I wont be buying any of these, probably not even on sale.

Umm... One word: No. We already have Bionicle so why this?

Umm... One word: Money. It has the Ben 10 label on it, so kids are much more likely to buy these than Bionicle. Also, these have a larger emphasis on mix and matching the parts to create your own aliens, something I haven't seen Bionicle do in a while.

Oh, and I wouldn't trust those prices, guys. Many of the Amazon prices released today don't sound very realistic. I would expect these to be more around $15.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Oky Wan Kenobi

[Brickus]

These are awful, definitely the worst sets LEGO has ever made, I mean they aren't even LEGO.

[Luke McAwesome]

Ugh.

Just ugh.

These are sickening, honestly. I realize that they got this license and priced it that high just for money, but this is ridiculous. That's less than one piece per dollar.

I can gurrantee one thing, I am not getting any of these, regardless of the price. I don't care if they were only a $1, they just aren't "LEGO" to me. It's kind of sad that they didn't learn their lesson from the ill-fated Galidor theme.

...

*sigh*

[Brickthing]

I find it difficult to consider Bionicle proper Lego. I mean, they're made by the same company and everything, but I deny that they're actually Lego. This stuff is even worse. Why not just start making action figures and forget the piece counts. Put 'em under a different brand name, call it a day. (Simple marketing test: If a product can't stand on its own without an existing brand behind it, then it's probably not going to stand for very long attached to a name brand. A name can only jump-start popularity. That which has no substance, well, has no substance.)

BIONICLE is a different system of pieces yes, but like SYSTEM, TECHNIC and DUPLO it's a sub-system of LEGO, so BIONICLE is just as LEGO as SYSTEM. Besides, it spawned from TECHNIC and still retains huge compatibility with SYSTEM, which is why pieces that originated in BIONICLE sets are seem in a very large percentage of LEGO sets nowadays.

In that repect, the Ben 10 system is definitely LEGO, and thankfully it's at least reasonably compatible with BIONICLE as well as coming with some neat spikes similar to Viking horns and spikes. So Ben 10 is definitely not as detached as Galidor was.

I didn't notice the price tag before, which is quite an annoyance when I think of what it'll be in NZD, but I was looking at the Ben 10 Alien Force characters (some card game I think) in the shops today and these LEGO versions look exactly like the real things with a clearly LEGO style applied, which I give a thumbs up to the designers for.

[Lordofdragonss]

Sad that they are so expensive.... But I will buy Big Chill- For Chracter, For wings and for claws!

[mikey]

I don't really follow the Ben10 License, but I was vaguely aware of the format they had planned for it. It is unfortunate that they choose this format for me, I was thinking maybe I might see some intresting pieces that I might use, but it is not to be.

It still means that they hold zero appeal to me. I won't be getting any. I think it's a nice idea and I hope it does well, it's just not "my" Lego. No harm in that.

These are my thoughts, I to hope it does well and generates a nice profit for Lego. At the end of the day I have plenty of New Lego Sets to spend money on in 2010!

[Raphy]

Oh, no. Oh, please, no.

Lego, what is happening to you?

[yellost]

Oh, no. Oh, please, no.

Lego, what is happening to you?

Well, I can think of a good reason that makes it look way better : cheap design in which they didn't put that much money, but with a lot of income potential because of the Ben 10 license which is sure to sell among regular kids --> huge income for little effort --> that much more money to put in designing fantastic sets like the Imperial Flagship and other S@H exclusive !!! So I'd say go for it TLG!

besides, it also makes an open door for the kids who buy them to step into a larger world LEGO when they get bored by the limited possibilities of just those sets

[The Rancor]

Thanks for all the extra pictures - now I can see how good (or bad) the sets look. I can't say I'll want these sets, BUT... it doesn't mean that kids won't, because they like action figures. You can't compare this theme to Bionicle to be honest. Bionicle is interchangeable and has new weapons every year to use in Bionicle MOCs - there are always at least two Bionicle of the same colour to combine - not much combinability here.

[andy0002]

hmmm... i must say i am a big fan of ben10, and it would seem that most of u on this forum are ben10 haters. i think spider monkey looks the best, and looks most like the cartoon character, the rest look like someone designed them off the top of their head, without looking at the actual cartoon. i was REALLY hoping these would be minifigs, and if they had done that, id probably buy almost all the sets. for the fact i was looking for a minifig scale character that would go nicely with my collection of figs from licensed products i think ill HAVE to buy humongosaur. i kind of like the spidermonkey guy, and would look kind of funny hanging from the drapes of my room, or the rope thing that hangs from the ceiling fan.

overall i think this would fail, but if they each came with a ben figure, that would be cool.

[The Rancor]

I expect Brainstorm, Alien X, Goop and Echo Echo might appear in a later wave, but some of them are very unusual shapes.

[God Iron]

They might be 1% Acceptable if they even resembled the actual characters.

Awful for even a Ben10 fan.

[Omicron]

I like them.

-Omi

[BearHeart]

Garbage... I was hoping for some decent piece pack or something, this doesn't even look like LEGO.

[Dunjohn]

I think it's best to just not think of these as Lego. And I don't mean that in a bad way; I just mean that, when they arrive in my local shop, I'd expect to see them in the action figure aisle rather than in the Lego aisle. They already stack the Lego board games over with the other board games.

So, they're customisable action figures that happen to be compatible with Lego. The box design doesn't even emphasize Lego much. Like I said earlier, the piece count won't matter to the target audience.

[Wout]

Thanks for all the extra pictures - now I can see how good (or bad) the sets look. I can't say I'll want these sets, BUT... it doesn't mean that kids won't, because they like action figures. You can't compare this theme to Bionicle to be honest. Bionicle is interchangeable and has new weapons every year to use in Bionicle MOCs - there are always at least two Bionicle of the same colour to combine - not much combinability here.

When you look at the last picture you see a bigger combination of the set and another set, so I think the 6 sets are paired with eachother to make a bigger beast.

Not that I like this sets, but you could combine them.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Wout

[Oky]

Man, with every new negative comment I'm getting more and more inclined to actually buy one of these just to prove to people that these are nothing like Galidor.

If I should decide to do so, I would probably get Big Chill, not only because he's my favorite character, but also because he is the one that is best for reusable parts. I will wait for a sale though.

for the fact i was looking for a minifig scale character that would go nicely with my collection of figs from licensed products i think ill HAVE to buy humongosaur.

Hehe, you're right, I never thought of it that way. Humongosaur actually is minifig scale - sort of. I might get him too in order to make some minifig scale Ben 10 mocs if I can get him cheap.

Nice to see another Ben 10 fan around here. But please use some punctuation and capitalization, andy0002.

[voltio]

I don't oppose the Ben 10 sets seen so far because they aren't System, I oppose them because I predict they will not be profitable for Lego. If I thought Ben 10 could increase profitability like Bionicle, Duplo, or other non-System themes, I would support it. But, like Galidor, Ben 10 sets could clog clearance aisles for years. Here's why.

Even though Ben 10 is a more successful TV series than Galidor ever was, the Galidor and Ben 10 figures have disturbing similarities. This is the product description for "Ooni," an alien from the Galidor line:

" Ooni, Powerful creature from a dangerous realm!

The dreaded Ooni is just one of the many creatures that lurk in the realms of the Outer Dimension. His claws, mandibles, and stinging tail make him a fearsome threat to anyone he encounters. Make Ooni a part of your Galidor adventures, or use parts of him to make new, strange creatures of your own!

Ages 4+. 29 pieces."

From the low piece count to the opportunity to build your own action figure, this Galidor description sounds just like one for Humungosaur or one of the other Ben 10 figures. Galidor offered kids the chance to recombine specialized "monster" pieces into new action figures, and kids were not impressed. Will the "Ben 10" name make the same concept work 7 years later and at a higher price point? I doubt it, since a hot license alone cannot make a product succeed.

See all the Galidor products here: http://www.lego.com/galidor/default.asp

[Peppermint_M]

The buzz around Ben 10 means they will shift some of these, especialy if they hype the "create your own alien" thing. I know a whole pile of small boys in the target demographic would possibly want them. Some of the parts look useful to Bionicle fans and I certainly think I will be bricklink-ing for some of the elements in those sets.

It looks like a gamble on Lego's part, but Ben 10 is hot property, the name sells a toy that is essentialy a method of encapsulating cheap plastic figures in agar jelly... It should sell alien action figures that you can swap sround, if only for a year or so.