2010 Train Sets

[lightningtiger]

I don't think so, I still can just see them as the standard two wheeled bogies like ones used on 7897 and 7898.

In any case the cargo train and station are looking better all the time !

[Legoliner Pilot]

Also, if anyone is interested, click here to view a resolution deeplink of the LEGO Truck.

[lightningtiger]

Thanks for the link 'Legoliner Pilot', but should have that gone to the 'City 2010' topic ?

Anyway the truck looks cool and it's on the shopping list for sure.

[Jipay]

A kind word 'Gcarstensen', watermarked photos or one's not made official yet, the moderators do not like these posted.

Any way have a happy new year.

The moderators don't care if they're external links.

[Legoist]

BTW, I think that the packaging needs some improvement for the Cargo Train before it goes on sale... Highlighting the locomotive and leaving so much stuff on the background makes the set look significantly smaller than it actually is.

and

Happy they will be cheaper than I thought but sad that LEGO rips Europe off

Well, it's not all their faults, it's a combination of higher VAT, higher manufacture costs (made in EU vs made in US), higher retail profit margin (because they have to pay higher taxes again), and then yes there is also some irritating price policy by TLG. You can see that there is, because there are otherwise unreasonable price differences in S@H.

[The Green Brick Giant]

Well, it's not all their faults, it's a combination of higher VAT, higher manufacture costs (made in EU vs made in US), higher retail profit margin (because they have to pay higher taxes again), and then yes there is also some irritating price policy by TLG.

I have been trying to say that for years. Frankly Europeans have no right to complain because Europe gets several sets that the USA never sees every year.

Also the $1 to 1 Euro rate for LEGOs is dead, LEGO has been increasing the prices more in the USA each year than in Europe.

That said, what do you mean by "manufacture costs"? Last I knew nothing of LEGO was made in the USA, there is something in Mexico, and the third party shipping company in the USA, along with some LEGO Offices, but nothing else.

[Captain Zuloo]

That said, what do you mean by "manufacture costs"? Last I knew nothing of LEGO was made in the USA, there is something in Mexico, and the third party shipping company in the USA, along with some LEGO Offices, but nothing else.

If I remember correctly, Jamie Berard told me they still make LEGO in Billund as well as the USA and China.

[Legoliner Pilot]

I have been trying to say that for years. Frankly Europeans have no right to complain because Europe gets several sets that the USA never sees every year.

Also the $1 to 1 Euro rate for LEGOs is dead, LEGO has been increasing the prices more in the USA each year than in Europe.

That said, what do you mean by "manufacture costs"? Last I knew nothing of LEGO was made in the USA, there is something in Mexico, and the third party shipping company in the USA, along with some LEGO Offices, but nothing else.

So you are going to try to justify increased prices of these 2010 Train sets by saying that Europe gets a few tiny promotional sets and board games (which by the way are coming to USA shelves in a few months)? I'm sorry, but that is an extremely naive and irrelevant statement. There have been NO sets that are over 20$ that haven't been available in the US in recent years. Oh and by the way, clearly expressing that Europeans have no right to an opinion won't go over very well.

Also, it is NOT dead, perhaps if you checked some of the European SAH websites before spouting off you would know the truth. And by the way, the plural form of "Lego" is "Lego".

There is a major distribution headquarters of LEGO in Enfield, Connecticut. I heard something are manufactured there too.

Edited January 2, 2010 by Legoliner Pilot

[peterab]

Frankly Europeans have no right to complain because Europe gets several sets that the USA never sees every year.

I feel thats a pretty foolish view. I think the reason you miss out on some sets (notably the pirate and castle advent calenders) is that those sets are pretty cheaply priced in the European market given thay contain many minifigs which are expensive to manufacture, so the profit margins are lower. If they were sold in the US market, they would not be profitable if sold at the current ratio to European prices because profit margins are lower accross the whole range in the US. Suck it up. If you really want those sets they are available on Bricklink. Shipping from Europe too expensive for you? Aww didums, funny the shipping from the US to Oz is expensive too, but given your low prices it's still often cheaper to buy there and pay shipping than retail here.

There is someone who has no right to complain. Pot. Kettle. Black.

Edited January 2, 2010 by peterab

[Ricecracker]

If I remember correctly, Jamie Berard told me they still make LEGO in Billund as well as the USA and China.

While there did used to be a production facility at the Enfield headquarters, it is no more. I can confirm this as a fact, I've been there .

[Matt Dawson]

While you lot discuss other things, may I point out something?

On this site (click "Lego" then "Trains"), it carries the set nos., small description, and...release date of August 2010!

Although saying that, the site doesn't have any pictures, though it doesn't have the new station listed either...

Edited January 2, 2010 by Matt Dawson

[The Green Brick Giant]

While there did used to be a production facility at the Enfield headquarters, it is no more. I can confirm this as a fact, I've been there .

I live 20 minutes north of Enfield.

From what I can gather they are now made in Mexico.

Europeans also get weird LEGO things that are never sold in the USA. Europeans got The Good Wizard Impulse, they got two years of FREE sets with a new paper, sets that can't be found else where. They got the "board" games before the USA. People in the USA would pay more to have those sets here, LEGO should be fair and make all sets for all places. It shouldn't be hard to have a limited run of sets for LEGO S@H.

So the train sets come out in August... so that means May.

[MAH4546]

1) Prices in the United States do not include tax, prices in Europe does. So, depending where you live in the U.S., you add between 0% (in Oregon) and 11% to the price.

2) The United States has cheaper distribution costs. I don't get why people can't get this through their skull. When distribution costs are low, the product can be sold at a lower price. It's really that simple. If Europe had cheaper distribution costs, then prices would be lower in Europe. But Europe doesn't have cheap distrubiton costs. It is expensive to distribute things in Europe! It doesn't have the mass economics of scale, and it has a larger number of outlets to distribute to, whereareas in the United States a total of five companies - Target, Wal Mart, K-Mart, Toys "R" Us and Amazon - account for over 90% of LEGO distribution! This makes it insanely cheap to distribute the product.

Edited January 2, 2010 by MAH4546

[Teddy]

1) Prices in the United States do not include tax, prices in Europe does. So, depending where you live in the U.S., you add between 0% (in Oregon) and 11% to the price.

2) The United States has cheaper distribution costs. I don't get why people can't get this through their skull. When distribution costs are low, the product can be sold at a lower price. It's really that simple. If Europe had cheaper distribution costs, then prices would be lower in Europe. But Europe doesn't have cheap distrubiton costs. It is expensive to distribute things in Europe! It doesn't have the mass economics of scale, and it has a larger number of outlets to distribute to, whereareas in the United States a total of five companies - Target, Wal Mart, K-Mart, Toys "R" Us and Amazon - account for over 90% of LEGO distribution! This makes it insanely cheap to distribute the product.

I think lower taxes and lower labour cost accounts for the price difference alone. EU Store chains generally need to pay their employees much much more in most parts of Europe than their USA counter parts need to. In the Netherlands for example a ToysRus store employee makes approximately a factor of almost four times more than his USA counter part in gross income per hour. This is because minimum wage in the USA is much much lower than in most parts of Europe and labour costst in most parts of Europe are regulated via labour union deals which do not exist in the USA. I do not want to go in to any political debate to what is better: higher wages for store employees or cheaper products for consumers. But that is were the EU and USA system differs.

So price difference is: taxes and labour costs.

Kind regards,

Teddy

[Piranha]

On this site (click "Lego" then "Trains"), it carries the set nos., small description, and...release date of August 2010!

Very interesting, August for USA? Or will it be sooner?

Important things after the leaked pics are release days and price

About the price speculation, I thought the $120 and $150 prices posted earlier were real?

Could the poster (MAH4546) please shed some light on this?

[The Green Brick Giant]

About the price speculation, I thought the $120 and $150 prices posted earlier were real?

There are no real prices until the sets come out. Ben 10 sets were officially at $17.99 and now they are $14.99 when they were released. We will see the prices at the Toy Fairs coming up within the next 6 weeks.

[Legoliner Pilot]

There are no real prices until the sets come out. Ben 10 sets were officially at $17.99 and now they are $14.99 when they were released. We will see the prices at the Toy Fairs coming up within the next 6 weeks.

That is because those prices are from Amazon.

[peterab]

Europeans also get weird LEGO things that are never sold in the USA. Europeans got The Good Wizard Impulse, they got two years of FREE sets with a new paper, sets that can't be found else where. They got the "board" games before the USA. People in the USA would pay more to have those sets here, LEGO should be fair and make all sets for all places. It shouldn't be hard to have a limited run of sets for LEGO S@H.

Impulse sets have a low profit margin, combined with the lower profit margin for TLG in the US, like the advent calenders they would not be profitable, therefore they are not available. This is probably is why no third party pays for the promotinal items in the US, and promotional items are not widely available anywhere. The board games were an experimental line, so they tried them out in Germany which is the market they were most likely to succeed in.

If Lego were really to be fair they'd have a universal base price which included their manufacturing costs and profit. Then each region would add shipping/distribution costs, licencing fees, exchange fees and taxes. Since we have had an addmision from Lego that they are keeping the price artificially low in the US at the moment, your prices would probably rise accross the board.

If you are really willing to pay more for those sets, you can. Bricklink them. Complaining about it when your prices are so much lower than the rest of the world looks really selfish.

[Legoliner Pilot]

If you are really willing to pay more for those sets, you can. Bricklink them. Complaining about it when your prices are so much lower than the rest of the world looks really selfish.

And ignorant.

[WesternOutlaw]

Come on guys. We can express our views/opinions without insulting one another. Let's keep the topics fun and nice.

[Captain Zuloo]

Back on topic, do we know if the train sets come with the cord to recharge the battery? It would seem silly not to as it would make the train useless, but do we know for sure?

[Legoliner Pilot]

That is like asking if a toy car comes with wheels.

[Captain Zuloo]

That is like asking if a toy car comes with wheels.

[peterab]

Back on topic, do we know if the train sets come with the cord to recharge the battery? It would seem silly not to as it would make the train useless, but do we know for sure?

As far as I know we have only concluded the PF contents from the preliminary box pictures, so it's unclear if the recharging transformer is included. I cant imagine it wouldn't be though.

[Matt Dawson]

As far as I know we have only concluded the PF contents from the preliminary box pictures, so it's unclear if the recharging transformer is included. I cant imagine it wouldn't be though.

There's no picture on the front of the box (so far...) but then again it's hardly going to be the main concern compared with the other PF elements. You don't always get a mobile charger with every new phone, do you?