No more straight and curve packs!

[fred67]

IF Lego would come on here...... 8 pack of straights.... 8 pack of curves.... 2 switches... and whatever flex if you will..... :)

Agreed... all our complaining about getting too many curves in the packs, and the result seems to be... no more curves at all? That's not exactly what people had in mind... how about selling them separate?

Yes, people will buy more straights... so make more straights! Is there really a problem with selling customers what they want?

Now we're out of the frying pan (straights and curves) and into the fire (straights and flex).

[JopieK]

This is the sort of thing the ambassadors should be feeding back to TLG. If you belong to a LUG, raise it with your ambassador - it's what they're for. I shall raise it with Doctor Sinister....

Believe me, they will (at least Ludo Soete from BeLUG :)).

[______]

Unfortunately I do not belong in a LUG and I don't think there are any near me. However I hope with all these LUGs giving support by next year we may have our wish.

On another note I think that LEGO certainly visits this website, Market research right?

I just don't think they really regard the train forum much as everyone seems to buy their track off Ebay or Bricklink, plus usually with their new wave train sets we get a cargo/freight train and an inter city train. So they don't really need to look at the Train Tech forums themselves.

[Dan-147]

I love LEGO and I particularly love LEGO trains but their marketing strategies have forced me to make a few changes in my hobby. For instance, the fact that the seperate LEGO train couplings and magnets are no longer available (you can only get the one-piece buffer and magnet)has led to my adoption of Kadee "O"-gauge couplers. I can't really complain as I now have remote uncoupling. And I feel that the Kadee couplers look great! All that without modification to the LEGO brick.

The disappearance of 9-volt track and the difficulty in obtaining proper packaging of RC track will probably make me adopt code 250 nickel-silver railway track. In addition to going back to powered track, this option will finally allow me to get larger radius curved track, something that has proven elusive when sticking only to LEGO products.

[AndyC]

Agreed... all our complaining about getting too many curves in the packs, and the result seems to be... no more curves at all? That's not exactly what people had in mind... how about selling them separate?

But would you really buy a pack of curves at full price from TLG when there are so many you can get on Bricklink for next to nothing? I could understand the concern if TLG had stopped producing curves, but their appearance in the current train sets suggests that isn't the case. I just think we're seeing the effects of a surplus of curves currently available, rather than some sort of grand conspiracy to replace them with flex (after all TLG could just have replaced all the track with flex if that's what they wanted)

[fred67]

But would you really buy a pack of curves at full price from TLG when there are so many you can get on Bricklink for next to nothing? I could understand the concern if TLG had stopped producing curves, but their appearance in the current train sets suggests that isn't the case. I just think we're seeing the effects of a surplus of curves currently available, rather than some sort of grand conspiracy to replace them with flex (after all TLG could just have replaced all the track with flex if that's what they wanted)

If I was standing in the LEGO store and wanted curves, I would.

But now it's a chicken or the egg scenario... if they hadn't been making us buy so many curves to get the needed straights we wouldn't have the overabundance to begin with. Moreover, being a small segment of TLG's customers, it's the parents who are expanding their kids layouts that would do most of the buying, I think.

But the bottom line is I don't want flex track either (or rather, like curves, a very small number of them), but now I have to buy that to get straights. The worst part is the new packs cost more, but still have the same amount of straights. I makes me that they did this, but only because I have a decent number of straights at the moment (and a drawer full of unused curves).

I'm sure I just don't understand the problem. I remember reading that for 9V they had a single mold that made the same number of both straight and curved pieces, and by selling them separately they ended up with this enormous amount of 9V curves that nobody wanted. I think they must have started off RC with the same mold, but now it seems like they might actually be using a mold that does straight and flex.... maybe they just really want a single mold for tracks and that's it, and they have to sell it as packs if they want to get rid of it all.

I don't know. I'd love to hear someone from TLG try to explain how this is somehow beneficial to the consumer (which is a tact most companies would take). Unfortunately, TLG is not as prone to BS as most companies, so they'd probably come right out and say the technical reason why they do this and tell us "That's just the way it is. Sorry."

[Snapshot]

Unfortunately I do not belong in a LUG and I don't think there are any near me. However I hope with all these LUGs giving support by next year we may have our wish.

On another note I think that LEGO certainly visits this website, Market research right?

I just don't think they really regard the train forum much as everyone seems to buy their track off Ebay or Bricklink, plus usually with their new wave train sets we get a cargo/freight train and an inter city train. So they don't really need to look at the Train Tech forums themselves.

Join the Brickish Association which is a (the?) national LUG for the UK. We have exhibitions and get-togethers all over the place so there should be something for you.

[andythenorth]

But would you really buy a pack of curves at full price from TLG when there are so many you can get on Bricklink for next to nothing?

Exactly. While not every parent may know about bricklink (but increasingly many do), there are 3585 RC curves currently for sale on Bricklink.

The lowest price is £0.17 sterling.

The average price in quantity is £0.59.

Lego may or may not pay attention to this maths, but right now, if they list individual curves at lego.com, they'll charge around minimum £0.70 (my guess) per piece, and here's what AFOLs will do:

- buy their curves at Bricklink.

- whine about how Lego prices are too high and Lego don't meet their needs.

Curves will continue to be available in the secondary market for some time - even if it's just from people splitting Cargo Train / Passenger Train for parts. If there's demand, the price will climb. At that point Lego might find it worth while to sell them separately (assuming they pay any attention to price in secondary market at all).

Having to buy flex to buy straights - well that's another issue

Edited January 7, 2011 by andythenorth

[______]

Join the Brickish Association which is a (the?) national LUG for the UK. We have exhibitions and get-togethers all over the place so there should be something for you.

Thanks that seems great!

[broomhandle]

I say we start a poll, and if anybody has a connection to LEGO, we can submit our numbers to them.

the problem is track.... we all have cool trains, but no track makes them not as fun.

my vote is:

8 pack straight, 8 pack curve, left,right switch pack and a small pack of flex

does this idea sound good at all to anybody? Lets make LEGO hear us!!!!!!!

[______]

I say we start a poll, and if anybody has a connection to LEGO, we can submit our numbers to them.

the problem is track.... we all have cool trains, but no track makes them not as fun.

my vote is:

8 pack straight, 8 pack curve, left,right switch pack and a small pack of flex

does this idea sound good at all to anybody? Lets make LEGO hear us!!!!!!!

I would love a poll or a thread where we all put our names on and a Moderator sends the report to Lego. However I think LEGO will either sell straight and curve packs or remain with straight and flexi.

[stacker9000]

I say we start a poll, and if anybody has a connection to LEGO, we can submit our numbers to them.

the problem is track.... we all have cool trains, but no track makes them not as fun.

my vote is:

8 pack straight, 8 pack curve, left,right switch pack and a small pack of flex

does this idea sound good at all to anybody? Lets make LEGO hear us!!!!!!!

I like the idea of 8 per pack,but I think they should replace the curve track that comes with the switches, with the flexi-track, instead of trying to package and sell flexi-track on its own,and the buyer wouldn't get buried in track pieces they don't need or want.

Edited January 11, 2011 by stacker9000

[broomhandle]

I like the idea of 8 per pack,but I think they should replace the curve track that comes with the switches, with the flexi-track, instead of trying to package and sell flexi-track on its own,and the buyer wouldn't get buried in track pieces they don't need or want.

well, thats why you have each piece in their own packs. I feel the switches should be by themselves. as well as flex by its self. i think flex is great in places, just not a replacement for a straight or curve.

so, how do we go about making a poll? and reporting it to lego? even if they continue to do what they are doing, at least we can try!

[Cinderbike]

I say we start a poll, and if anybody has a connection to LEGO, we can submit our numbers to them.

the problem is track.... we all have cool trains, but no track makes them not as fun.

my vote is:

8 pack straight, 8 pack curve, left,right switch pack and a small pack of flex

does this idea sound good at all to anybody? Lets make LEGO hear us!!!!!!!

Sounds awesome.

[peterab]

so, how do we go about making a poll? and reporting it to lego? even if they continue to do what they are doing, at least we can try!

This is exactly what the ambassadors are for. If you feel strongly enough about it start a thread in the ambassadors forum. I'm pretty sure this has been brought up before though and the result is the straight and flex pack.

[AndyC]

I like the idea of 8 per pack,but I think they should replace the curve track that comes with the switches, with the flexi-track, instead of trying to package and sell flexi-track on its own,and the buyer wouldn't get buried in track pieces they don't need or want.

The problem with that, to take TLG's point of view for a moment, is that I suspect retailers would be reluctant to stock that many different variations of track expansion packages. Especially the seperate flex and curve packs which would seem to be competing with each other. If the retailers won't stock it, then it'll only be available from Lego stores or S@H, in which case it might just be easier to include the various pieces in the PaB selection and be done with it.

[mpec82]

The problem with that, to take TLG's point of view for a moment, is that I suspect retailers would be reluctant to stock that many different variations of track expansion packages. Especially the seperate flex and curve packs which would seem to be competing with each other. If the retailers won't stock it, then it'll only be available from Lego stores or S@H, in which case it might just be easier to include the various pieces in the PaB selection and be done with it.

I'm for this too. But they should give us the possibility to buy tracks on PAB.

[MojoLego]

I'm for this too. But they should give us the possibility to buy tracks on PAB.

Agreed. Retailers don't want this stuff and there is no perfect box assortment. Track belongs in pick-a-brick with, and this is key, one-click order options for parents ("Buy an oval").

[broomhandle]

so how do we make a new thread with a counter? or like a poll?

and are we taking a tally for the 8c, 8s, 2switch and small flex pack?

[richthelegodude]

I feel quite sad 9V track and train system has gone, but I think only offering flexi track and straight track pieces (all I can find on the lego site) is a huge mistake. Surely packs of straight track, curves and flexi are the obvious choice to keep everyone happy.

I quite fancy the cargo train, but I will then have plastic track which is not really going to work with my 9V locos

[andythenorth]

The problem with that, to take TLG's point of view for a moment, is that I suspect retailers would be reluctant to stock that many different variations of track expansion packages.

It's a good argument, but in the UK retailers don't stock the track pack anyway. Availability is limited to a very small number of internet retailers.

[mpec82]

It's a good argument, but in the UK retailers don't stock the track pack anyway. Availability is limited to a very small number of internet retailers.

Here in Italy (at least here in Trieste) too.

[peterab]

so how do we make a new thread with a counter? or like a poll?

and are we taking a tally for the 8c, 8s, 2switch and small flex pack?

Polls can only be made by a moderator.

[broomhandle]

can we get a moderator to start a poll of what packs of track lego should sell? and we can all voice what we think here, and start a new thread with the results. from there. show LEG0 or at least have the results!

[Duq]

Set 2734:

Set 2735:

Dear Lego,

If you can sell straight and curved track separately for Duplo trains, then why not for City trains?