ARTICLE: All That Hype

[WesternOutlaw]

All That Hype

An AFOL Article by TheBrickster

The Affliction

Do you consider yourself an adult fan of LEGO (AFOL)? If so, does the thought of a new LEGO set or theme give you a ‘warm fuzzy’? Do you find yourself combing LEGO community web sites in search of any grainy picture or information that might hint of a new set? If so, you are probably not an exception among fans of the LEGO hobby. The thought of a new Star Wars, City, Train, or (insert any of your favorite LEGO themes), and especially a new exclusive truly sends LEGO fans in an excited frenzy that quickly spreads through blogs and front page news. AFOL then begin a relentless pursuit to acquire preliminary or ‘sneak-peak’ images of that new set that they can share with the LEGO community.

While many suffer from this usual phenomenon, one cannot help ask the question, ‘Why all the hype”? Will most new sets not be on every department or store shelf at a store near you? Will the set be limited in production or only available for less than one year? Will the set be numbered or contain an exclusive collectible brick by LEGO? While the obvious answer to these questions in most cases is ‘no’, many AFOL sometimes get so wrapped up in the hype, they miss the enjoyment that comes with a slower of more methodological approach to purchasing the new LEGO set.

Some AFOL run out to the toy store in search of new LEGO sets, simply because they want to be the first to own them. Others are compelled to rip open the contents of a new set and begin taking numerous pictures of the pieces to post or blog on a web site. Some are simply addicted to ABS. If you suffer from any of these LEGO fan afflictions, you may want to think about what you’re missing.

Take Time to Enjoy a Review

As someone who often waits for sets to be available for greater than one year before purchasing, it is interesting to read the numerous reviews of a newer set. Eurobricks is a community LEGO site that always has early set reviews. Through its Reviewers Academy and broad number of fans of a diverse variety of themes, one can always count on Eurobricks’ members to share early set reviews. While the pictures say 1,000 words, it’s also nice to read a quality narrative with critical thoughts on any particular set or new theme. This is especially true when contemplating buying a new set to complete a theme collection, or if the set is a pricey one that may not be as enjoyable compared to the picture on its box.

Quest for the Retired Set

Getting your hands on a new set is certainly fun, but looking for a retired set can be even more enjoyable. Thumbing through a book like the LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary and discovering a non-purchased set that is near retirement or no longer on toy store shelves creates an entirely different challenge. Searching second hand toy stores and the web for these sets; and finding them, can create an immense feeling of accomplishment. Sometimes the ‘hunt’ can be far more enjoyable than the ‘find’.

Fun In Research

Another enjoyable facet of collecting LEGO is the research after a set or theme has been available for a while. As more set reviews are posted to the web, articles begin ‘popping up’ on Wiki sites and blogs. It’s fun to read these critical thoughts and analysis before purchasing a new set or theme. After your purchase, these articles are not nearly as interesting or stimulating to the LEGO senses.

Sales Sales Sales

From an economic perspective, purchasing new sets when first available does not create an opportunity to take advantage of discounted or clearance prices. Brand new LEGO sets are seldom on sale, and never on clearance. As a general strategy; if you like a new theme, you might try purchasing the smaller sets first waiting a few months for the larger sets. The higher the price, the better the opportunity for your local toy shop to discount it. Be careful with exclusives though, as LEGO has been known to discontinue these sets prior to the usual two year availability. Many angry LEGO fans discovered this with the Winter Toy Shop during the Christmas season of 2009. In fact, exclusives are in a category of their own as most are not even available in local toy shops. Other sets can go on sale or clearance through the LEGO Shop at Home (SAH) website, but be careful, when LEGO SAH discounts a set; it is quick to be sold out.

Other Considerations

Stop and ask yourself, 'What will you do with the new set'? Will it simply be added to a stack of mint in sealed LEGO boxes on the top of your closet, or do you really want to build it? Where do plan to place the set after the build? Is there room on your train and town diorama for the new set, or how about your already full bookshelves? Do you plan to 'piece-out' the set or are your tubs filled to the hilt? Can your budget accomodate one more purchase this month, or maybe it might be better to wait until you pay off your credit card or collect on that IOU? If the answers to any of these questions indicate that it may be better to buy the set in a few more months, you may realize that you didn't really want it to begin with (as you look upon a stack of unopened Racer sets).

Try the BluRay Experience

This article will most likely not result in a change to your LEGO purchasing practice, but hopefully, it does provide some alternatives and other considerations to the overwhelming need to go out and purchase that brand new set. The thought of waiting a little longer to get the same set either through availability or by desire can be compared to an analogy of a new movie release. While some love to wait in line at a busy cinema to experience the thrill of a new movie premiere, others might prefer to rent or purchase the same movie on BluRay months later for a quieter, more subtle experience after all that hype.

-TheBrickster

[ILikePi]

Great article Brickster! It really covers all the things that AFOLs and TFOLs alike experience.

I personally tend to wait around 3 months to half a year or more after a set comes out before purchasing it, mostly when a new wave is expected to arrive soon and sales start racking in. I did that with the Droid Tri-Fighter, which went on sale for $17, normally $25. I saved $8 that way just because I was patient.

Today I found Lotso's Dump Truck at Walmart today for $14.37. It only came out two weeks ago, and is normally priced at $20. I bought it because I wanted the minifigs and knew that I was going to have "lotso" () fun with it. Also, I had been checking the values of the minifigs from that set on BrickLink prior to my purchase, and found out that the minifigs total to about $15 on BrickLink, so I knew that I could sell it in the future and get at least 100% of my money if I ever wanted to.

In 2009, I bought many sets without waiting for them to go on sale. However, I've gotten smarter now, and usually I only buy the sets that I know I really want, and I buy almost only when there are sales. I'm still behind on buying some sets, like Echo Base, but I'm waiting for it to go on sale again before buying it because I missed out when it was on sale for $20 (normally $25) on Walmart.com a few weeks ago.

I also agree that hunting for old sets is a fun experience, but I just don't have the time to commit to that. However, last year, I did find Temple of the Crystal Skull at Target for 50% off (MSRP $80)! That was only because I decided to price check the set on one of the scanners; the label on the box said it was $64, and I wouldn't have even thought of buying it at that price. Now I bring that set out to play with whenever a new episode of Mythbusters shows on Wednesday, so I definitely don't regret buying the set.

Edited May 15, 2010 by ILikePi

[JimBee]

Thanks for the (one of many) article, Brickster! Your articles are often inspiring- and this is no exception. As a TFOL, I often wonder what to do with my Lego. I'm not very good at MOCing, mostly because I either don't want to piece out my valuable sets or because I'm not organized, and usually give up before I find that one piece I need. Yet, I still enjoy building official Lego sets, and (less than a year or so ago) occasionally review them.

Still, I often wonder what the point of spending the money on that huge set was for. The Lego Star Wars MTT set (2007 version) is a great example. I bought it for full price about six to eight months after it's release. I enjoyed the long build, and the set's play features... but it just sits on my shelf, possibly just to look impressive. I don't want to take it apart out of fear of losing the parts and/ or simply not wanting it missing from my display, but I rarely do anything with it. And another problem is, I'm not likely to make much money off of it, in the rare case that I decide to sell it. There are no rare pieces in the set that I can think of, and the now common minifigures would'nt be worth selling them. And I don't think anyone would rather have a used, slightly de-pieced set than a MISB one without being a price not worth selling.

Hmm, decisions, decisions. "Why am I spending money on this set that I'll likely never get much use out of? I already have plenty of Lego that I hardly use creatively. And what if I grow out of Lego for a long time, or permanently?", I ask myself. Thanks for the brain food, Brickster.

[Cutty]

I experienced many of the points made in that article.

Especially that part about sales, which are becoming more and more usual in my vicinity. Frankly, I try avoiding a purchase at full price at all cost (does that even make sense? ;-) ). Safe for those 1,99€ Minifig-bags and the new Kingdom line's impulses I haven't paid full price in about two years or so!

Hunting down THAT elusive out-of-production set is also one of my experiences. Right now, on german eBay, the crazy-sellers charge fortunes for two year-old sets and crazy-buyes bid ABOVE AND BEYOND to get them... Amazon's not better! It's even reached Lego store-employees' ears, so they know about "collector's-prices" as well!

Not a good sign for the community all in all, if you ask me!

Edited May 15, 2010 by Cutty

[tiggerkiddo]

Posting to say I love the article, good job! Hope you keep up the good work!

As for me, I generally am in the wait it out crowd. Unless it's a smaller/cheaper set like under 20, then I'm a bit more eager to get it as soon as it releases. I have an ever growing list of sets I would love to purchase but with a limited budget for it, I have to pace myself. I usually don't get annoyed by missing out on an exclusive because I'll generally luck out eventually and get it, just like I've lucked on deals on Lego sets on ebay or finding them at the flea market or thrift stores, haha.

[Rick]

Some nice thoughts there TheBrickster. Although I quickly tend to forget about the "Do I really...?", "Should I...?", and so forth once new sets come out that interest me. I just have to have them.

The contrast with when I was a kid. Rushing to the toy store to get the LEGO catalog as soon as it was out. Hours and hours of browing through it again and again. Waiting for birthdays or saving up for a certain set...

[Peppermint_M]

I get what you mean about "the hunt" Zoids are hard to find in the UK and thus seeking out and finding them is thrilling (more so than building them). However at times I have held back from buying a set only to miss it and regret the loss. So these days I use the advanced images and early reviews to cement in my mind exactly what I'd buy. Take for example last year when the first Kingdoms and World Racers images came through, I was very excited for both themes and felt quite certain I would be purchasing all of said themes, then over the months I have warmed greatly to World Racers and I will be quite likely to buy many sets, but I have cooled off towards Kingdoms, so much so that I will probably only get a few of the smaller sets and the Advent Calander.

When I was a kid, Lego sets were few and far between, I would pour over the Argos catalogue and enjoy looking at the sets when the supermarkets stocked some, but really getting sets was more what I could afford when we were on holiday and could find at the time (one day I had my heart set on a rather cool set, alas funds could not stretch and still I seek it for a reasonable price). I suppose the past few years I was "making up" for all the times I couldn't afford/ couldn't find and now I am left with a monster pile of doomful unsorted Lego (it torments me so). I am proud to say that compatible bricks and Lego are seperated however.

I guess I like the hype as it helps me to decide more than do I need it (little voice says yes. All the time.) can I afford it (well, I call it a slush fund for a reason) and do I have room for it (sure, I'll just... It will fit really!). Parts and figures are considerations before I even think about purchasing a set.

I am only guilty of having unopen sets if it is A: A gift for my brother and he is yet to deserve it/just had one. B: A set I bought for Mum to build or C: A two manual City set that I promised Mum could help build. They rarely stay unopen for long. I guess I am not purchasing in the same volumes as many other members.

Great Article though, thought provoking to say the least

[prateek]

Nice article, and I get the point, but I don't ever buy a set ASAP anyways, because I never get the chance to

[Erdbeereis]

Awesome article Brickster!

One thing I have found just about myself, is that I'm much better about not buying a set that won't have lasting benefits for me. For example, I buy much less Star Wars than I used to, because SW has so many parts (especially the Technic) that I really don't use much for MOCs. So, I try now to mainly buy sets that I know I'll be able to re-use for MOCs, or ones that I know have some minifigs or parts that will likely not be too common in the future, thus making them worthwhile.

[Clone OPatra]

Nice article Brickster, although I follow very little of your advice in my usual practices, and I don't really plan on changing that.

I thought I'd throw in 'my way' as others have done:

The hype is always fun, and at ToyFair time especially I get all excited about new sets that look 'simply awesome' and I 'couldn't possibly' pass up. Why do I put those in quotes? Well, usually once the sets actually come out I think more critically about it, and don't end up getting all those 'awesome' sets.

One thing that I've learned never to do is to wait for sales. Some people, as I suppose you do, make it a practice, but sales to me are always just surprises with no assurance that they're actually coming. I have never waited out on something and ended up picking it up on sale; I have only seen something on sale, and decided to get it. I'm usually a sucker for sales too; TRU had a few crushed boxes of the King's Battle Chariot when it first came out, so I bought one.

Also, I like buying from a store more than ordering online to not pay shipping. The only sales then that I can count on are TRU BOGO 50% off sales, which are not even so great given TRU's general mark-ups.

Usually, if I decide I want a certain set, I wait a few weeks after its release so that it hits Target or TRU if the markup isn't too bad, and then I buy it at full price. I don't buy so many sets anyway, so I am very rarely unhappy with this method.

[CP5670]

Good advice. I almost never buy anything on release, and often wait several months until I find a good deal on the set somewhere or if it's about to get discontinued. My set backlog (things I've bought but have not opened) is huge and I never have any shortage of sets to build.

If I'm thinking of buying a set (that is, say, over $30), I always read any reviews of it carefully, both on EB and on Brickset. I also look over any photos and try to determine what kinds of quality problems are present in the set. In general, I only buy the sets that I really think are exceptional today, and pass on most of the "pretty good" ones. That being said, I will be buying a lot more stuff this summer than I have done for the last few years. There are simply a lot of good sets this year.

As for hunting for old sets, that was my main way of getting Lego up until 2007 or so, through ebay and Bricklink. I've cut down on it in recent years, both because I have now acquired most of the classic sets I always wanted as well as the fact that I haven't gotten around to building half of them.

[mikey]

a great article, and certainly food for thought. for sure there is a certain excitement about buying the new releases as soon as possible, i could not resist the lure of Prince of Persia. as soon as i could order i did, and was not dissapointed in the least. some of the best money i spent on Lego.

but i also like the search, or wait, for the discount. nothing is more satisfieing than to get 33% off especially if the store sell at MSRP, of course a bigger discount equals more satisfaction. if i see a really good discount then i sometimes buy sets that im not particulary interested in, but usually i can find at least one set that i want.

Like CP5670, i tend to have a few unopened sets around through lack of time, to build or sort them. they are good to avoid the impulse buy of a full priced set, i say to myself i do not need to buy that yet, i have enough sets at home to build. so my that crave to build something from instructions can be satisfied through them.

[WesternOutlaw]

Thank you all for the comments and feedback. It really is interesting to read others' thoughts on this subject. I love new sets as well, and enjoy picking them up when they're new. I waited to buy the PoP Battle of Alamut set finding it 20% off at my local TRU. Great find! Unfortunately, I did buy the Toy Story Western Train at full price (because I really wanted the set). This week, it's on sale at TRU. In terms of waiting for sales, it is a chance and depends on how well you like the set.

This article isn't focussed on waiting to take advantage of a sale price or a discounted set; but rather, I wanted to provide some thought on other aspects that one can enjoy while waiting. It seems that a discounted price is the number one advantage, but I honestly find the set reviews and research a fun and enjoyable thing to do before buying a set. Sometimes, simply buying a set because it's new or to finish/complete a theme takes all the fun out. This is especially true if you just add it to your stack of MISB. It's much more enjoyable to buy a set that you really want.

[ZO6]

Sometimes, simply buying a set because it's new or to finish/complete a theme takes all the fun out. This is especially true if you just add it to your stack of MISB. It's much more enjoyable to buy a set that you really want.

I have always found it a bit odd that some would go out of their way to collect sets that they honestly don't really like, just so that they can get one minifigure, or so that they can work towards completing a theme.

Perhaps it's because Lego is an expensive hobby, and I simply don't have the cash to pick up all the sets I'd like to, but I always buy the set that I know I'll be the most satisfied with. I simply can't afford to go buying all the sets in a theme for completion sake, first because it's expensive, and second because it's very rare that all the sets in a theme are genuinely worth owning.

Also, if the sets that are currently available don't really interest me, I don't go out buying them just to satisfy my spending needs, or to say that I own a set from *insert name* theme. Instead, I look to the past dozens of years in which I would have missed out on loads on truly amazing products, and I pursue some of those classics that I really desire. For example, just recently when the Atlantis theme first became available - none of the sets really seemed like 'must haves'. So instead of jumping aboard simply to have the latest, I went for a set that I'd been craving since 1998 (Pharaoh's Forbidden Ruins).

Anyways, I don't want to rant any further, as everyone has their own preferences in their collection of Lego.

Thanks for the read Brickster, I always enjoy your thought provoking articles.

[Big Cam]

Really enjoyable article, it touched the heart since it's true.

I am confused by your last paragraph though, you never once mention blu-ray, adn I'm confused how that ties in.

[happymark]

Great article!

I think I have another problem. I cannot resist if a set is on sale..

I bought a loot island set from walmart for half price. but never opened. and still have many sets I bought from fleat market/garage sale which I do not have time to sort/rebuild.

maybe I should start to sale some of them..?

[WesternOutlaw]

I am confused by your last paragraph though, you never once mention blu-ray, adn I'm confused how that ties in.

Some like to go out as soon as they hear a new set is available, joining the hype on the Internet. They may review the set, take pictures, write an article, or discuss their find on various blogs/community forums. I compare this to going out and seeing a new movie the day it's released.

On the other hand, others choose to wait a few months to make their LEGO purchase, reading reviews and other on-line information about the new set first. These would be like those that purchase the BluRay or movie later after all the hype is over. The experience is different (not quite as exciting).

Does this help explain my analogy?