Is TLG pursuing the wrong strategy?

[jonwil]

I think that set sizes are fine but I am sick of in the VS themes PM,SP3,Agents you have a vehicle for both teams in one set instead of just having one really epic vehicle in the set for one team so you don't have to buy a $50 set if you just want one of the vehicles. Also it would be nice to have more than two factions.

That has to do with the playability aspects.

By including both the "good" and "bad" guys (the space police and the aliens in SP3, the Agents and villians in Agents, the divers and squid/etc in Atlantis, the red and green knights in Kingdoms, the miners and rock monsters in Power Miners) in the sets, the play value goes up.

Say what you will but LEGO has done focus group research and kids want sets that include both good and bad guys.

[The Green Brick Giant]

IIRC, the early 90's were the beginning of what was nearly the end for TLG. By the late 90's, they were on a downward spiral. It seems reasonably clear that what they are doing now is better for their bottom line that what they were doing then.

The early and mid 90s isn't what almost bought the company down, it was the stupidity of the late 90s and early 00s. LEGO made bad sets, it was that simple. They had $70 sets that had 100 pieces because all the pieces were huge useless jumk. The magic of LEGO left and that's what almost killed the company.

They make TON of sets now and they sell well, any the US price increases have been insane, so they have made more money.

[chris_austin]

There have been a lot of sets recently that have a couple of things I want, but don't really want the whole thing. Like, I want the taxi from the new train station, but not the station itself. And I want the crane and some of the carriages from the new cargo train, but not the track or the train itself. And I want the bus and the car and the sweeper from the city transportation set, but not the tram.

If these things were available individually, I would definitely buy them. As they are... it's a bit too extravagant to buy a set with more than twice as many pieces as I need.

I actually wish BrickLink had a way to buy and sell set components, instead of just whole sets or individual pieces. Like, selling bag two of a set with instruction manual two and all the stickers relating to model two. Has anyone looked into this? I think it would be brilliant.

It's not very common but on Bricklink and eBay, this does happen. With the Castle Market Village for example, you are able to buy the figs and accessories separately or any of the indvidual buildings.

It would be nice if there was an official way to do this but if you can wait a year to allow the set to 'get out there' and keep your eyes open then you should be able to get that taxi quite cheaply. Or just order the parts based on the instructions that you can download for free from LEGO.com. I do that soooooo often.

[Derek]

They make TON of sets now and they sell well, any the US price increases have been insane, so they have made more money.

Like the extra $5 on what are $20 sized sets (Mainly Star Wars...)

[blueandwhite]

Perhaps I'm of a different mindset, but my biggest gripe is actually the mid-sized sets. While I feel LEGO offers a great assortment of small and large sets, I find that many of the midsized sets seem fairly lackluster. A small set usually offers an affordable way of getting a minifig (or two) along with an assortment of accessories, whereas larger sets usually give you a bit of everything. Many of the midsized sets seem to be lacking all around, including very few figures and a vehicle or structure that is lackluster when compared to anything to be had at a larger price range. As a castle fan I know that I can expect a few things for the mid-range price point; a catapult and tower, both stuffed together or a horse and cart. If I'm looking for figures I can go cheap and buy the smaller sets (or battlepacks), whereas if I'm looking for a fairly interesting build I need to go to the other end of the scale. In this respect, I find that mid-level sets seem to lack the appeal that high and low-end sets have. For me, sets priced around $20-$50 US seem less desireable than their cheaper or more expensive counterparts.

I don't think LEGO is pursuing the wrong strategy per se, but I certainly would like to see a bit more effort in their mid-range offerings every now and again. Of course I'm probably in the minority on this one.

[Eilif]

The early and mid 90s isn't what almost bought the company down, it was the stupidity of the late 90s and early 00s. LEGO made bad sets, it was that simple. They had $70 sets that had 100 pieces because all the pieces were huge useless jumk. The magic of LEGO left and that's what almost killed the company.

They make TON of sets now and they sell well, any the US price increases have been insane, so they have made more money.

Gonna have to disagree with you there. Fist off, it's not "that simple" the problems that brought down LEGO were more than just the sets (though that was definitley a HUGE part of their problem.) Read the article and you'll learn about many long-running supply chain, production, and company culture issues that greatly contributed to LEGO's near-demise.

Also, I'm as annoyed by price increases as anyone, but compare the price of LEGO in 1990 and 2010, and adjust for inflation, and LEGO is actually cheaper today than it was then.

[The Green Brick Giant]

Gonna have to disagree with you there. Fist off, it's not "that simple" the problems that brought down LEGO were more than just the sets (though that was definitley a HUGE part of their problem.) Read the article and you'll learn about many long-running supply chain, production, and company culture issues that greatly contributed to LEGO's near-demise.

Also, I'm as annoyed by price increases as anyone, but compare the price of LEGO in 1990 and 2010, and adjust for inflation, and LEGO is actually cheaper today than it was then.

No, I'm sorry but you make crap and they will sell like crap. The simple thing is they made bad toys! Sure there is other issues, but that's the main one and it is that simple. I never went into a true "dark age", I stopped with LEGOs in 1997-1998 for about 18 months because LEGO sets sucked so much. The only themes I really bought between 1998 and 2002ish were Space Port and World City (very underrated theme).

LEGO no longer makes bad sets, or makes so many sets they all can't suck. LEGO quality has gone down the toilet but that's another story.

[Legononymous]

I would love to see more impulse sets having to do with castle accessories and furniture kits. Like a thrown or knights armor on a stand. Maybe a big table or kitchen accessories. A bed and bedroom furnishings. But I would also like to see more kingdom add ons. Like make modular castle rooms. A stable, great hall. Sleeping area, armory, eating hall, chapel...etc.

I really like having the castle but having kits that allows you to expand it and furnish it would be awesome.

This is the approach and stratagy I would like to see LEGO go. It would work for most themes.