Glued magnet sets

[Klaus-Dieter]

And, frankly, I can't get over fan-boy apologists when companies do thing that is obviously contrary to what it's customers want.

TLG can do whatever it wants... and people vote with their wallets. But people would rather support a good decision by purchasing than have to punish a bad one by not getting anything.

I completely agree with you, fred67!

Since TLG for sure knows that the majority buys magnet sets because of having the minifigs separately, the only reason why TLG nevertheless doesn't stop releasing magnet sets is possible that they in the future could say "Hey, it's not our fault. Even after 2010 we did offer magnet sets - but nearly no one bougth them. So we did stop releasing magnet sets." - but wouldn't mention that the reason why magnet sets weren't bought any more was that the included minifigs were glued to the bases. I hope that TLG won't do so. But reality shows that in politics this way is a common way.

Klaus-Dieter

[Aanchir]

I agree, there's reason to be upset, and the best thing to do if you don't like the glued magnets is don't buy them. But it's the predictions some people are making that kind of irk me.

I bet that absolute majotiy of people who bought the magnet sets til now (indepedent of which theme the included minifigs were related to), bought them because they want to have some seperate minifigs.

Wild guess? Zero evidence? Assumption that LEGO is selling magnets primarily for an audience that wants minifig packs and doesn't even care about magnets? I'm glad you're not putting any actual money on that bet!

Seriously, if the people buying the magnets were buying them for the minifigs, LEGO would just stop selling magnets and sell minifig packs instead. Especially because they've been selling minifig packs for three years.

So it's really ridiculous to assume LEGO's best option to cater to a minifig-hungry crowd is to sell magnets that happen to come with minifigs.

Most of the magnets my family has are from back in 2006 when LEGO would just put tiny magnets inside the minifig legs so they'd stick directly to the fridge. And they were minifigs my family already had in non-magnet form (specifically, four Exo-Force characters as well as some Spongebob characters-- altogether, characters who we had no interest in having extra minifigures of). Likewise, we had some magnets that were basically just 2x4 LEGO bricks with magnets glued into the underside. We bought them just because we thought LEGO magnets would be a cute thing to have on the fridge. And if we assume LEGO to have any understanding of how to market their products, then that's probably still the primary reason people buy magnets.

[escortmad79]

Wild guess? Zero evidence? Assumption that LEGO is selling magnets primarily for an audience that wants minifig packs and doesn't even care about magnets? I'm glad you're not putting any actual money on that bet!

I have 2 Indiana Jones magnet sets which I got for my birthday in January, I got these for the figures (even if they are fleshies ) not for the fact they were magnets! The worthless magnet parts are sat in the bottom of a drawer gathering dust.

I did look at other magnet sets with a view to getting the figs. Doubt I will bother getting any of the future magnet sets now they're being glued!

Lucasfilms/Hasbro (whoever) have flexed their muscles & now we all have to suffer!

[Aanchir]

I have 2 Indiana Jones magnet sets which I got for my birthday in January, I got these for the figures (even if they are fleshies ) not for the fact they were magnets! The worthless magnet parts are sat in the bottom of a drawer gathering dust.

I did look at other magnet sets with a view to getting the figs. Doubt I will bother getting any of the future magnet sets now they're being glued!

Lucasfilms/Hasbro (whoever) have flexed their muscles & now we all have to suffer!

I'm not saying that nobody buys them for the figs. But I've never seen any evidence that most people buy them for the figs, and based on what I stated about LEGO's marketing decisions it seems extremely unlikely.

It's cool to be an AFOL, but the world doesn't center around us, and we can't just make wild assumptions just because it makes sense to us. LEGO does plenty of market research, so I think they're not completely oblivious to who's buying their sets/products and why. I don't think anyone here has researched this as thoroughly as LEGO, so assuming superior knowledge is pretty much fruitless.

[JimBee]

Sorry, I made a mistake !

What I meant was that TLG now has to stop selling magnet sets as minifig packs. Sorry for the confusion I caused (most for myself probably).

No problem, I'm glad to hear they won't be completely discontinued. Hopefully there's a way around that glue.

Seriously, if the people buying the magnets were buying them for the minifigs, LEGO would just stop selling magnets and sell minifig packs instead. Especially because they've been selling minifig packs for three years.

There's still Star Wars, which is one of the largest Lego themes ever. So yes, I think it's safe to say that people who buy magnets get them for the figures (at least I do).

[Lord Embo]

Alas, Hasbro must sue Lego over every little thing, even when Lego completely overshadows Hasbro.

I hate Hasbro nearly as much as Megabloks! No wait; I actually hate Hasbro more!

Since when do Hasbro have the rights to sue Lego for making minifig packs? I'm sure TLG would have had permission to do this from Lucasfilms. Hasbro weren't happy, and look what happened! No more minifig packs! 10 years(11 next year) later, Hasbro aren't happy about TLG's magnets as they are more or less minifig packs, and look what happened again! No more removeable magnets, and it's all thanks to megabloking Hasbro.

Sorry for this rant; I am just absolutely furious about this decision, and it is essentialy Hasbro's fault when you think about it.

*EDIT* 300th Post!!!

Lord Embo

Edited December 4, 2010 by Lord Embo

[Delta 38]

So now it's confirmed that every magnet pack will be glued?

Not to laugh at the expense (pun ) of others, but this is good news for me. I could easily have saved hundreds if magnets were available in stores. Now that this is confirmed for all lines, this means I can continue buying stuff without regretting spending extra money.

On the other hand, though, if battle packs were removed (possibly due to Hasbro), I would be extremely disappointed. I still want a Clone army.

[Lord Embo]

On the other hand, though, if battle packs were removed (possibly due to Hasbro), I would be extremely disappointed. I still want a Clone army.

Who wouldn't be disappointed if Battle Packs were removed?

Like I said in my previous post, I blame Hasbro for the gluing of magnet packs and really annoyed if they force TLG to stop making Star Wars battle packs. The battle packs are fun because they're a good way to get awesome minifigs cheap. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Hasbro don't stop battle packs by suing TLG.

Lord Embo

[Darth Jar Jar]

For me this is quite disappointing tough I will just deal with it

Who wouldn't be disappointed if Battle Packs were removed?

Like I said in my previous post, I blame Hasbro for the gluing of magnet packs and really annoyed if they force TLG to stop making Star Wars battle packs. The battle packs are fun because they're a good way to get awesome minifigs cheap. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Hasbro don't stop battle packs by suing TLG.

Lord Embo

Why and how would they sue TLG?

[Peppermint_M]

Well, Hasbro have the license to create Action Figures of Star Wars characters. Lego have a seperate license to create building toys based on Star Wars.

In the early 2000s, Lego created "sets" that were baseplates with a card back, with a single figure stood on it. They had to stop making these, as they were getting a little too close to Action Figure for Hasbro's liking.

The magnet packs are along a similar line. Gluing the figures to their bases making them fully magnets and not playable figures keeps Hasbro from causing a ruckus.

The battle packs seem to be safe, they come with a building set that all the figures can sit on are fully within Lego's remit and far from Hasbro and theirs.

You can try and argue that Lego figures do not count as Action Figures, but they are articulated figures, which in legal words are the same thing, and quite likely what Hasbro are given permission to make from LucasArts. (In fact, by the look of the old Star Wars figures, Lego figures have more articulation!).

So Lego have to stop making detachable magnets.

[Aanchir]

Who wouldn't be disappointed if Battle Packs were removed?

Like I said in my previous post, I blame Hasbro for the gluing of magnet packs and really annoyed if they force TLG to stop making Star Wars battle packs. The battle packs are fun because they're a good way to get awesome minifigs cheap. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Hasbro don't stop battle packs by suing TLG.

Lord Embo

Battle packs won't disappear no matter what because they're still building toys. There's a very obvious building component for all the vehicles and so forth in the battle packs. And so there's no way Hasbro could convince anyone that they're "action figure packs", even if (in the case of battle packs) people do tend to buy them for the minifigs.

While there's no evidence that the majority of consumers buys magnet packs for the minifigs, the fact remains that unlike the battle packs, there is no building component. So it may be that they're neither action figures nor building toys, but LEGO no longer has a strongly-defensible position unless it makes the figures impossible to use separately from the magnets.

Well, Hasbro have the license to create Action Figures of Star Wars characters. Lego have a seperate license to create building toys based on Star Wars.

In the early 2000s, Lego created "sets" that were baseplates with a card back, with a single figure stood on it. They had to stop making these, as they were getting a little too close to Action Figure for Hasbro's liking.

This is interesting! I always assumed that LEGO had just stopped with those "minifig packs" because they weren't selling well. Guess I ought to pay more attention to the LEGO Star Wars community.

[Peppermint_M]

Eh, I only knew from some random information on the internet. Wikipedia I think...

I was trying to find out what happened to the Rock Raiders ones.

[Tyrant]

So now it's confirmed that every magnet pack will be glued?

Not to laugh at the expense (pun ) of others, but this is good news for me. I could easily have saved hundreds if magnets were available in stores. Now that this is confirmed for all lines, this means I can continue buying stuff without regretting spending extra money.

On the other hand, though, if battle packs were removed (possibly due to Hasbro), I would be extremely disappointed. I still want a Clone army.

I don't get what you're saying here. Are you glad that you don't have a cheap option to get the figures? Did you regret buying expensive sets when all you wanted was the figures? In which case, why didn't you just buy the magnets? If you only want the figures, why not buy the magnets? Why celebrate their discontinuation? If you want the sets the figures come in, why feel bad that you could the figures for a cheaper price? If I understand correctly what you are saying it makes no sense. If I want the actual sets, I buy the sets. The fact the figures are available elsewhere doesn't help me get the sets so it doesn't matter. If I only want the figures I buy the magnets instead of sets I don't want (or have room for in some cases). I just don't understand how having fewer options is a good thing for us as consumers.

[Scorpio]

I've been trying to keep myself up to date on the arguments but has anyone argued that maybe Lego could just discontinue Star Wars and other licensed magnet sets and only sell their own magnets unglued? This seems to be win win for Lego and Hasbro. Lego can still produce Star Wars minifigs and sell them in sets and battle packs. Their own sets can have magnets, have them unglued and keep most people happy.

[Aanchir]

I've been trying to keep myself up to date on the arguments but has anyone argued that maybe Lego could just discontinue Star Wars and other licensed magnet sets and only sell their own magnets unglued? This seems to be win win for Lego and Hasbro. Lego can still produce Star Wars minifigs and sell them in sets and battle packs. Their own sets can have magnets, have them unglued and keep most people happy.

The problem with that argument is that Star Wars magnets seem to sell really well (given how long LEGO's kept them around). To stop making them would mean to miss out on all that potential profit. Perhaps the people who bought magnet packs for the minifigs are going to be disappointed this way, but it's better than just telling the people who bought them for the magnets that "We can't please this other crowd, so we're no longer making Star Wars magnets at all".

In any event, your suggestion is a possible option for LEGO if, and only if, the Star Wars magnets stop selling after this change. And I highly doubt that will be the case unless it's true that most buyers buy the magnet packs just for the minifigs. Until there's real evidence of that, there's no reason to expect the magnets to stop selling.

[meyerc13]

I just can't believe that many people were buying these for magnets. My son has suddenly shown an interest in Star Wars LEGO. I was at a LEGO store last month and contemplated the magnet sets but paying $15 for three minifigs seemed expensive when I could buy a set like 8092 for $25 and get 5 minifigs and a vehicle! I gave the magnet set a lot of consideration, but the sets they had weren't that intriguing so I decided to buy something else instead

Now, had these been three magnets for $15 that weren't usable as minifigs... well I wouldn't have had to give that any thought because there's no way I'm paying $5 for a minifig magnet when real minifigs sell for less than that.

Edited December 5, 2010 by meyerc13

[Aanchir]

I just can't believe that many people were buying these for magnets. My son has suddenly shown an interest in Star Wars LEGO. I was at a LEGO store last month and contemplated the magnet sets but paying $15 for three minifigs seemed expensive when I could buy a set like 8092 for $25 and get 5 minifigs and a vehicle! I gave the magnet set a lot of consideration, but the sets they had weren't that intriguing so I decided to buy something else instead

Now, had these been three magnets for $15 that weren't usable as minifigs... well I wouldn't have had to give that any thought because there's no way I'm paying $5 for a minifig magnet when real minifigs sell for less than that.

But that's exactly the point-- the magnets drive the price (and production cost) of the magnet packs up. If the majority of people were only buying them for the minifigs, LEGO would stop including magnets completely and attract considerably more business from minifig collectors. I can't fathom a reason they'd pay more to produce something that fewer people were interested in.

[papa jedi]

But that's exactly the point-- the magnets drive the price (and production cost) of the magnet packs up. If the majority of people were only buying them for the minifigs, LEGO would stop including magnets completely and attract considerably more business from minifig collectors. I can't fathom a reason they'd pay more to produce something that fewer people were interested in.

Because they dont have the rights to release the figs by themselves.

It was a loophole to release star wars figs.

The overwhelming majority of People are only buying these magnet sets for the figs.

Id say about 5 percent end up on the fridge.

Lego should have dropped the star wars magnet sets altogether,instead of ruining all of the non license themes with glue.

This is the death of large magnet set sales.

[Lord Embo]

The overwhelming majority of People are only buying these magnet sets for the figs.

Id say about 5 percent end up on the fridge.

Lego should have dropped the star wars magnet sets altogether,instead of ruining all of the non license themes with glue.

1)I'd say about 99% of people who bought the magnet sets just wanted the minifigs.

2)I'd say less than 1% probably end up on the fridge.

3)I second that. Since they're going to glue the figs to the magnets, hardly anyone(if anyone) will buy them anymore and anyone who does will just put them on the fridge to gradually gather dust. Seems like a waste of money to me.

Lord Embo

[Aanchir]

Because they dont have the rights to release the figs by themselves.

It was a loophole to release star wars figs.

The overwhelming majority of People are only buying these magnet sets for the figs.

Id say about 5 percent end up on the fridge.

Lego should have dropped the star wars magnet sets altogether,instead of ruining all of the non license themes with glue.

This is the death of large magnet set sales.

Again, source? Complete guesswork with no evidence doesn't really cut it for me. Anyone can make up statistics off the top of their head. I could say that 98 percent of magnets end up on the fridge and I'd have just as much evidence as you have for your "statistic".

Also, if what you say is true (it was from the start just an excuse to sell Star Wars figs), then they would have stopped selling Star Wars magnet packs altogether. After all, why keep selling the magnet packs if the sole reason for selling them is no longer valid? The fact that they didn't end the magnet packs altogether indicates that, as far as LEGO is concerned, there is a significant market for magnets whether or not they have removable figs. And I trust LEGO's market research much more than I trust fan conjecture.

People need to mellow out a bit and cut down on the delusions of grandeur. If you really know more than a multinational corporation about their own sales, perhaps you'd be better off taking charge of the company and making their decisions for them than whining about them not catering to your every whim. Just sayin'.

[Lord Embo]

What makes you so sure that he doesn't work for TLG? It is a possibility after all.

Lord Embo

[escortmad79]

If the problem was down to the figs being assembled "action figures" putting Hasbro's noses out of joint while Lego could make Star Wars sets under a different licence of construction toys, why don't TLG simply box them unassembled in a box with the figs, magnetic bases & a few accessories? Wouldn't doing it this way make them construction toys rather than "action figures"?

Gluing of the magnets WILL cost TLG dearly

Edited December 5, 2010 by escortmad79

[Aanchir]

What makes you so sure that he doesn't work for TLG? It is a possibility after all.

Lord Embo

If he worked for TLG he could provide evidence for his statistic, and for why TLG has chosen to act in direct conflict with that statistic by marketing a product to people who have no interest in it. And my point still stands-- if he knows what he's talking about, then he should be the one making the decisions. And if not, well there you go.

If he does have evidence, and simply chose not to the first time for whatever reason, it will be my mistake.

If the problem was down to the figs being assembled "action figures" putting Hasbro's noses out of joint while Lego could make Star Wars sets under a different licence of construction toys, why don't TLG simply box them unassembled in a box with the figs, magnetic bases & a few accessories? Wouldn't doing it this way make them construction toys rather than "action figures"?

Gluing of the magnets WILL cost TLG dearly

That depends. Does being "buildable" stop something from being an action figure? BIONICLE, Galidor, Knights' Kingdom, Hero Factory, etc. are considered "constraction" themes by LEGO-- that is to say, constructable action figures. They are still building toys, but they're action figures at the same time. Both Hasbro and LEGO could claim the right to produce such a toy, and TLG might not want to take the risk of fighting Hasbro over it.

We'll see how the magnet packs fare on the market, but I doubt they could "cost TLG dearly" even if sales plummeted. If I'm correct, TLG gets most of its profit from actual sets, and invests very little in extended-line trinkets like magnet packs. So the gluing could have an impact on TLG's profits-- but not one that brings them to suffer.

[papa jedi]

Again, source? Complete guesswork with no evidence doesn't really cut it for me. Anyone can make up statistics off the top of their head. I could say that 98 percent of magnets end up on the fridge and I'd have just as much evidence as you have for your "statistic".

Also, if what you say is true (it was from the start just an excuse to sell Star Wars figs), then they would have stopped selling Star Wars magnet packs altogether. After all, why keep selling the magnet packs if the sole reason for selling them is no longer valid? The fact that they didn't end the magnet packs altogether indicates that, as far as LEGO is concerned, there is a significant market for magnets whether or not they have removable figs. And I trust LEGO's market research much more than I trust fan conjecture.

People need to mellow out a bit and cut down on the delusions of grandeur. If you really know more than a multinational corporation about their own sales, perhaps you'd be better off taking charge of the company and making their decisions for them than whining about them not catering to your every whim. Just sayin'.

Wow!delusions of grandeur Lol,look whos talking.

If i take charge of the company I will be sure to send you a glue free magnet set so you can see what one looks like Just sayin'.

Edited December 6, 2010 by papa jedi

[Aanchir]

Wow!delusions of grandeur Lol,look whos talking.

If i take charge of the company I will be sure to send you a glue free magnet set so you can see what one looks like Just sayin'.

I know what they look like. I don't really care for them-- I've never really made much use of the magnet sets, glued or not, and I have to agree that glued magnets are less appealing to me than unglued ones. But I don't act as if I have a better strategy for TLG's success than the people who actually work there.

Moreover, I wasn't talking about you specifically, so there's no reason to take it so personally and lash back at me in such an immature way. AFOLs in general sometimes assume that their own personal preferences are shared by all LEGO fans, and that's not always the case. Even AFOL preferences differ a great deal-- some people do in fact claim that only kids can appreciate "action themes", BIONICLE, or whatever else they don't personally see the point in. But AFOLs are about as diverse a group as LEGO fans in general-- the age distinction is the only way AFOLs are totally distinct from the majority of LEGO fans.

I hope we can reach an understanding on this and have a civil discussion rather than a flame war. I think it would keep this site a lot more enjoyable for everyone.