Inzane Posted January 12, 2014 Posted January 12, 2014 Well, I think I'm screwed. I walked into my local Lego store yesterday and walked out with a Grand Emporium under my arm. I've already finished building it and I think I'm HOOKED. Uh oh. Now unfortunately a couple listsing for Fire Brigade have already sold while I was pondering it over the last few days. The original MSRP here in Canada for FB was $200 CDN, and I think I won't do much bettern than ~ $300-ish (w/shipping) if I pull the trigger now. That means already having to spend ~50% over MSRP. Ouch. Thinking maybe I should just let this one pass.... dunno. Ugh. Quote
Faefrost Posted January 12, 2014 Posted January 12, 2014 If you think the GE is a bit sparse and have got the 2013 City advent calender you can fill the toy department at the top to overflowing, complete with Christmas tree and Santa handing out presents if you want! The second floor homeware can also get a fireplace, table, more glasses bottles etc and even a barbeque to sell (although I suppose it is a bit out of season if the upper floor is Christmas...) LOL I'm glad I'm not the only person who did that with the advent calender mini builds. Quote
Stefano Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 (edited) so it finally happened ... prices are rising for the Fire Brigade ? nice :D The philosophy of ''if you cant beat them, join them'' may just pay out, now rise my little prices, rise to 600 euro for one set mhuahahaha Ok im sorry for this... but i have now two Fire Brigades and one Grand Emporium in ''storage'' should i buy another GE ASAP ? hmmm... Edited January 13, 2014 by Stefano Quote
AFOLguy1970 Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 LOL I'm glad I'm not the only person who did that with the advent calender mini builds. Ha! I did this as well. The GE was assembled on Christmas Day. At the end, I placed the little boy with the remote control, the two airplanes, the tugboat, the bulldozer, and the train up there along with the boy that came with the set. The toy department certainly looks well stocked at this point. Eventually, I will probably add stuff to the housewares section and the ground floor. Well, I think I'm screwed. I walked into my local Lego store yesterday and walked out with a Grand Emporium under my arm. I've already finished building it and I think I'm HOOKED. Uh oh. I had no interest in modulars until I bought the Palace Cinema back in late September 2013 with a bit of extra money. Fire Brigade came next, because I knew its time was limited. Now, all I need from the current offering is the Town Hall. Welcome to the club! Quote
Inzane Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 I had no interest in modulars until I bought the Palace Cinema back in late September 2013 with a bit of extra money. Fire Brigade came next, because I knew its time was limited. Now, all I need from the current offering is the Town Hall. Welcome to the club! if you were in my shoes would you spend the extra ~$100 to get one that you'd otherwise missed? Quote
The Jersey Brick Guy Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 I'd pull the trigger now and get it. Some of the other modulars are going for 500-600 bucks nowadays. I am seriously thinking about getting another Grand Emporium to make it more grand. Quote
Doom2099 Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 Sorry to just jump in like this, but I never got into modulars, and was wondering where to start? It sounds like the first 3 are discontinued, and the fire station also just went off the market? Quote
polarscribe Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 (edited) Get Fire Brigade while it can still be found for reasonable prices. It's been discontinued and is out of stock with LEGO, but some retailers still have it available. Edited January 13, 2014 by polarscribe Quote
Inzane Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 but some retailers still have it available. By that do you mean some retail stores might have it in stock, selling for MSRP? (Like a Lego brand store or TRU or something?) Quote
craiggrannell Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 Those (few) toy stores that carry the modulars as a matter of course may still have some stock. There were three in the Reading branch of John Lewis last weekend, for example. (Oddly, the item is not listed on the company's website, though, but if you're British and fancy a Fire Brigade, it might be worth giving them a call. The company does also ship internationally, but I imagine that'd be colossally expensive for a modular.) I was almost tempted to grab them, store them, and then sell them, but figured I hate seeing Green Grocers and the like going for high prices, and so by leaving them, there's a chance someone'll grab a Fire Brigade for its usual 99 quid, and not a small fortune. Quote
Wodanis Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 (edited) The Grand Emporium was the first modular I bought. It was too good to pass up and I was hooked onto them, buying the Petshop, Fire Brigade, Town Hall in the span of 6 months. I recommend all of them if you can get them. They are just such nice sets to have and a lot of fun to build. Parisian Restaurant will be my next purchase. I meant to get the Cinema last year but got sidetracked by all the other sets I was buying. Just when I think I get caught up they release more...just wish I had the means to buy multiples. Edited January 13, 2014 by Wodanis Quote
Stefano Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 if i can give you guys one tip... Buy the modulars at the lego store in March or October because you will get double points and 300 points per modular is a nice discount(15 euro in EU) on your next purchase and if you save them up for 2 years, after that they will expire, you can have a nice set basically for free :D Quote
Inzane Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 ^. Good advice, thanks. Forgot to mention, there was one little inventory error in my GE set. I was short one 1x10 white brick, and instead had an extra 1x8 tan brick. Very odd and a bit disappointing for a $200 set. Surprisely I didn't have any spare 1x10's in white so I substituted a 1x4 and 1x6 instead. Quote
sin Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 ^. Good advice, thanks. Forgot to mention, there was one little inventory error in my GE set. I was short one 1x10 white brick, and instead had an extra 1x8 tan brick. Very odd and a bit disappointing for a $200 set. Surprisely I didn't have any spare 1x10's in white so I substituted a 1x4 and 1x6 instead. You should just go on the Lego website, there is a 'missing parts' function in the customer service tab. They will send the missing piece at no charge. I was missing one of the 2 x 2 trans-clear windows in my Palace Cinema and they sent it within a week. Quote
Inzane Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 I also should mention I noticed considerable color variation on the light bley bricks when looking at the sides of the completed model. Another disappointment in a $200 set, but was Lego experiencing some quality control issues back when the GE set came out? Quote
sin Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 I also should mention I noticed considerable color variation on the light bley bricks when looking at the sides of the completed model. Another disappointment in a $200 set, but was Lego experiencing some quality control issues back when the GE set came out? I have read some posts about a change in the coloring process a while back that has had this result. From what I read there it didn't seem like they got the issue completely figured out. I have noticed some subtle variation in coloring in my buildings as well. It would be almost impossible to tell except for when you have a large wall built with many pieces of the same color. How did GE cost you $200? It was retailing for $150... Quote
Roger_Smith Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 (edited) I also should mention I noticed considerable color variation on the light bley bricks when looking at the sides of the completed model. Another disappointment in a $200 set, but was Lego experiencing some quality control issues back when the GE set came out? My GE was fine, but my Pet Shop has a very noticeable variation in the color of its light blue bricks. Edited January 14, 2014 by Roger_Smith Quote
Inzane Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 It would be almost impossible to tell except for when you have a large wall built with many pieces of the same color. Yep, and that's exactly how I noticed it. The back two flat walls of the GE. How did GE cost you $200? It was retailing for $150... I'm in Canada. I was going to make a sarcastic remark (lol) but noticed it doesn't display my country under my name for some reason. Anyway, yeah in Canada most $150 USD sets seem to retail for $200 CDN. They must be on some kind of good crack when they set Canadian prices. That or maybe you guys under-pay for your sets. (On a related note, I was delighted to see the pricing gap shrink on the new Parisian Restaurant set. $160 USD vs. $190 CDN. Especially given the higher piece count. It's not often we get to enjoy a ppp rate that low at CDN MSRP) Quote
mkeller234 Posted January 15, 2014 Posted January 15, 2014 I noticed some pretty glaring color variation in the pet shop that I just bought. It doesn't really bother me though, I actually think it makes the plain sides a little more interesting. I'm having a real dilemma choosing between the GE or FB now. Does anyone know how much longer we can expect GE to be around until it's retirement? Quote
sin Posted January 15, 2014 Posted January 15, 2014 I noticed some pretty glaring color variation in the pet shop that I just bought. It doesn't really bother me though, I actually think it makes the plain sides a little more interesting. I'm having a real dilemma choosing between the GE or FB now. Does anyone know how much longer we can expect GE to be around until it's retirement? GE will be around for a little while, perhaps even until next holiday season. FB is done now, if you want to get it and can get it at retail you should pull the trigger ASAP. Quote
Inzane Posted January 15, 2014 Posted January 15, 2014 FB is done now, if you want to get it and can get it at retail you should pull the trigger ASAP. ^ This. I just pulled the trigger on FB myself, knowingly paying a bit more than retail. But I'm in Canada and don't have easy access to any hidden leftover stock. A shop in the UK or some online retailer in the US that doesn't ship to Canada (typical) weren't realistic options for me. Quote
rollermonkey Posted March 9, 2014 Posted March 9, 2014 The manager at my local LEGO store seems to think that City Hall is the next to retire. :( Quote
rollermonkey Posted March 9, 2014 Posted March 9, 2014 It was in the same conversation that he discussed playing with the Summer wave Star Wars sets at a regional manager's meeting... (jealous) So, I'm guessing that it was mentioned there. Quote
TheLazyChicken Posted March 9, 2014 Posted March 9, 2014 I have this set it is amazing! The only thing it is missing is some more detailed floors. Overall its a great set. Quote
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