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Posted

if i bought one, i would build it and display it.

Exactly the point of Lego. It's a shame that a set as beautiful as this one gets stored MISB rather than built and displayed.

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Posted

Exactly the point of Lego. It's a shame that a set as beautiful as this one gets stored MISB rather than built and displayed.

As stated many times before, rereleasing UCS sets cheapens the entire line. It's a collectors series, for collectors. While it's a shame the price on the aftermarket is so high, that's not TLG's fault. If you want the set, save your money or build your own...but don't cheapen the entire line because you didn't get to pull the trigger on a set.

I got into the game too late to collect UCS sets...at this point I'd pay a small fortune to catch up. However, I acknowledge that this is my punishment for getting in the game too late, the early adopters have UCS sets worth 3-4 times their original value, good for them. That's what happens with a collectors line.

Posted

As stated many times before, rereleasing UCS sets cheapens the entire line. It's a collectors series, for collectors. While it's a shame the price on the aftermarket is so high, that's not TLG's fault. If you want the set, save your money or build your own...but don't cheapen the entire line because you didn't get to pull the trigger on a set.

I got into the game too late to collect UCS sets...at this point I'd pay a small fortune to catch up. However, I acknowledge that this is my punishment for getting in the game too late, the early adopters have UCS sets worth 3-4 times their original value, good for them. That's what happens with a collectors line.

"Collectors" doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as "investors," and it doesn't automatically mean "collectors of rare and/or valuable things," it just means "collectors."

"Cheapening" the line isn't really a concern for people who simply want nice sets. Lots of people really don't care about how many dozens or millions of other people have copies of a particular set; it's all about simply having the set for oneself if it's a nice set, and the scarcity doesn't really enter into it. I know it's not that way for everyone, but it is for quite a few.

Posted (edited)

One could say were going off topic but as the OP I say were not. We are actually discovering some things that are quite interesting IMO. As long as we can all do it civilly and understand that some people have different points of view and we don't need to change each other, this will be a good read.

As stated many times before, rereleasing UCS sets cheapens the entire line.

I hear what your saying, it seems as though your focus is on the value. That may be because you spent a lot money on this or other sets or maybe you have a few stashed away ready to sell and make a whole pile of cash. I appreciate where your coming from but I think many of us are thinking about this just as Lego, a toy. The line will not cheapen beyond what it is actually worth, that is the beauty of Lego. It will always be worth what it is worth. Lego will always be worth x cents per piece. It doesn't need to be worth an inflated value to be good.

If a person has "invested" in a product then they MUST assume the risk of such an investment. It's not fair nor is right to change a company structure at the expense of those who are in it for the fun and enjoyment.

"Collectors" doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as "investors," and it doesn't automatically mean "collectors of rare and/or valuable things," it just means "collectors."

I agree. I'm sure when Lego created the UCS (Collectors) series they did NOT have investors in mind. They were probably thinking, "lets make a huge set. It will be expensive but those who are really into the product will buy it, lets call it a collectors set."

Edited by jasonsmith
Posted

Right. It's worth noting the UCS sets aren't limited editions in the traditional sense; they don't have set numbers or even production times, but instead are offered simply for as long as they continue to sell, like the overwhelming majority of other LEGO sets. The UCS Star Destroyer was around for a good five years or thereabouts, simply because it sold really well, and I don't think anyone would argue TLG was breaking some sort of implicit covenant with well-heeled speculator-fans by continuing to offer it.

Posted

It's a reasonably safe bet that TLG looked at all the predicted sales figures, production costs and various logistics involved with machines necessary to produce other lines and came to the conclusion that another production run simply wasn't going to generate the necessary returns to make continuing production no longer worthwhile.

As much as there are a handful of people here saying they'd definitely buy it, that's not necessarily enough to justify producing it. Not to mention that many of those people deliberately decided not to purchase it when it was available (for one reason or another) and who knows for certain whether any of them would buy it today if it hadn't been discontinued.

As far as the secondary market goes, I doubt TLG are that bothered what the effect on the resale value is (pretty much every company on Earth would much rather that second hand goods simply didn't exist). However what they are undoubtedly aware of is there are a large number of sets out their destined for resale and, if it were re-released, sellers might end up slashing prices to get rid of what now appears worthless stock and negatively affect sales of the re-released version.

Now in ten to fifteen years time they might well find a reason to do a new UCS falcon release using newer techniques and pieces, but I wouldn't necessarily bet on it.

Posted

There are a few things limiting Lego from simply re-releasing this beast of a set, the primary of those reasons is simply that Lego does not want to use one of its spots in the release schedule on a set that was discontinued 1.5 years ago, and also that some molds might be retired or used for different color parts.

What I see realistically happening is that we will wait a few years more, probably until after the current 7965 Millennium Falcon is discontinued before doing some kind of a re-release. There are only so many ships that will sell well in UCS form, so soon enough I predict that we start seeing new takes on a few ships, the first one probably being a UCS X-Wing, as the original was released 11 years ago, and the Millennium Falcon is on the same shortlist.

Lego does realize the value of the UCS Falcon, that's why they made such a big deal about giving out one during this years May the Fourth sales, and they realize that they could probably sell another one in a few years. One thing that has happened since the Falcon went out of production is an explosion in the number of AFOLs out there, a year ago Eurobricks had 10000 members, now it has 20000, and many of those new members would love to own a falcon too. The fact that new UCS MFs now go for almost $2000 is probably not lost on Lego either, it's very indicative of there being an extreme demand for the set. I certainly don't think Lego cares whether a set loses some of its value in the aftermarket, they do not see any of those money anyways. Collectors and investors wouldn't get so pissed off they'd stop buying either, I think most of them would rather buy more Falcons in the hope that the re-release would increase in value as much as the first one did.

Lego has never done an outright re-release of a UCS set, but they have done releases of similar sets before, as in the release of the 10019 RBR and the 10198 Tantive IV as well as the two Death Star sets, where both sets are massive exclusives but with a slightly different focus. Why could it not be the case for the Falcon to get another set with slightly more interior, as appears to be the new standard when comparing it to the new Super Star Destroyer. Lego did do an almost brick for brick re-release with the 10152 and 10155, not Star Wars for sure, but it goes to show they do re-release their exclusives, even their licensed ones.

All in all I'm constantly pondering whether I should take the leap and either save up for an aftermarket Falcon or build one from parts, but I think I have settled myself down with the idea that there will be some sort of a re-release at some point over the rainbow, and the $1000-$2000 an MF would cost me is much better spent on buying all the lovely new sets lego comes out with.

Posted (edited)

they should at least realize there is a demand for the "missing" parts on bricklink, and sell those specific parts in bulk to bricklink sellers, or something. at least make it easier for people to piece together the old UCS sets.

edit: wow, this is my first post?

anyway i have the UCS falcon, so I can't complain. I wanted the UCS ISD but I started collecting right after it was gone. Now I'd like to build one, but I missed it by like 2 months! I remember them being in stock and then the next day they were sold out. I had no idea what I was missing out on at the time.

Edited by b4p
Posted

All in all I'm constantly pondering whether I should take the leap and either save up for an aftermarket Falcon or build one from parts...

The extra dollars I spent building the set from parts vs buying it at the once retail price was justified to me because it was a lot of fun. Great post BTW.

Posted

Hi

how do you start getting all the parts for the MF? Do you put all the parts manually into your Bricklinks Wishlist? Is there an easier way than this?

As i wrote before, i would like to get the building feeling, i dot not care on 100% correct colors. Espeially the non visible parts could be black/white or so. My ideas is do build it and to have fun without spending too much money for the correct colors.

Dino

Posted (edited)

Hi

how do you start getting all the parts for the MF?

Hello

Here is what I did, I know some others did it differently...

1. Go to Bricklink and click on the "Wanted" tab.

2. Then click on the "Part Set" tab that opens below the upper tabs.

3. Put in the set number, in this case 10179 obviously.

4. Type in the new wanted list name if you wish.

5. Select the condition that you want your parts, New or Used in the box next to "Wanted In:"

6. Decide if you want to be notifed. It drove me crazy so I unchecked it.

7. Check the set min desired qty box. This will set the quantity of each piece req in your list.

8. Submit

It will go to a screen where it shows you all the parts. This is where you can change things but you can always do it later as well. At the very bottom of that screen you will see two different pin connectors. One will be checked, un-check it and check the other one. You want the connector with the slots because the other one is impossible to find. The one with slots was included in the official set from Lego so it's not a big deal. What ever is checked will be deleted.

Hit "Verify Items" at the bottom once you have picked your connector.

Then at the bottom of the next screen hit "Upload Items".

You will have a new wanted list called whatever you called it with all the Falcon parts needed.

Do not spend a lot of money on 1 single type of part without checking with Lego. Using Lego as a parts supplier is a MUST when building this set. They have all the very hard to find items that cost too much money on BL.

Edited by jasonsmith
Posted (edited)

Hi

how do you start getting all the parts for the MF? Do you put all the parts manually into your Bricklinks Wishlist? Is there an easier way than this?

The easiest way to part out a set is to follow these steps:

1. Log into your Bricklink account

2. Click on the "Wanted" tab in the main menu bar

3. Click on "Part Set" within the "Wanted" tab

Once you get this far, simply enter the number of the set that you want to piece together. Other options are available as well (eg. whether you prefer 'New' of 'Used' parts, how you want to be notified, etc.).

As a side note to a comment that was mentioned above, several of the pieces are quite hard to come by and are better off purchased directly from Lego.

Also, the exclusive pieces that Lego no longer produces (ie. the radar dish) are quickly increasing in price. Those who are even thinking of parting out this set might want to pick those pieces up first before prices skyrocket even more.

EDIT: Beat me to it, Jason! :wink:

That's a great explanation.

Edited by The_Chosen_1
Posted (edited)

thanks for the steps. you think i'd have any luck doing this with a UCS ISD (10030)?

the reason i'm asking is because of the color issues...

Edited by b4p
Posted

Hi

thank you, i really have to thank both of you!

As i am also an administrator of a very big forum (11.000 members, 1.3m posts) i am still wondering how great and helpful a community can be. It is a real plesure to be here.

Lets see how cheap i can get the MF :)

I guess knowing which bricks of the MF are visible or not could be found by reading the manual carefully?

Dino

Posted

Glad to be of help.

Yes, I looked at the manual quite a bit just to see where everything went and how it fit. There is so much that can't be seen and if you want to use off colors and used parts there's plenty of opportunity to save some money and still make it look good. If you plan on modifying the inside to show some interior I would definitely do it that way.

Posted

Exactly what I did on my MF - all these bley technic bricks can be replaced with any other color (I took black instead), saving a lot on the total cost. There are only two tiny spots where these technic pieces shines through (on the front, inside the mandibles), so if you want a proper look, pick the correct pieces for just that spot.

Posted

Hi

how do you order directly at Lego? I guess therefore is bricklink because Lego do not sell single parts? Or do you have to pretent that you have that set but a "few" parts are lost?

Dino

Posted

Hi

how do you order directly at Lego? I guess therefore is bricklink because Lego do not sell single parts? Or do you have to pretent that you have that set but a "few" parts are lost?

Dino

Lego has a service phone number where you can make these orders, and you can order larger number of parts if you need, of course you will have to pay for them. This is an excellent source for those parts Lego is still producing, but are very expensive on Bricklink due to high demand and low supply.

The only limitation is that they do not sell licensed parts, so no MF radar dishes, stickers or manuals.

Posted

I ordered those 1x16 Dark Bluish Grey Technic beams direct from Lego. If you want to be 100% accurate with those pieces, that's the way to go.

Unfortunately this is what I did as well. I would not be able to deal with the bricks being different colors. Even though practically all of them are not visible, I would know haha. I ordered the dark bluish gray and the yellow technic corner bricks from Lego replacement parts program. I am waiting for them to come; they are the final pieces that I need for the Millednium Falcon!!

I also called Lego and the have the instruction manual available for purchase. Its $53. I am debating if I want to spend all that extra cash on the instruction manual. Its very tempting not to!

Posted

Lego has a service phone number where you can make these orders, and you can order larger number of parts if you need, of course you will have to pay for them. This is an excellent source for those parts Lego is still producing, but are very expensive on Bricklink due to high demand and low supply.

The only limitation is that they do not sell licensed parts, so no MF radar dishes, stickers or manuals.

Unfortunately they don't allow Australians to buy replacement parts from them, only Pick a Brick.

Looks like outrageous Bricklink pricing is my only option :cry_sad:

Posted

Late to the economics lesson!

it seems as though your focus is on the value. That may be because you spent a lot money on this or other sets or maybe you have a few stashed away ready to sell and make a whole pile of cash. I appreciate where your coming from but I think many of us are thinking about this just as Lego, a toy. The line will not cheapen beyond what it is actually worth, that is the beauty of Lego. It will always be worth what it is worth. Lego will always be worth x cents per piece. It doesn't need to be worth an inflated value to be good.

But UCS sets are not 'just a toy', they were never designed for children and laymen, thus they were never designed around the limitations of playability/price/marketability to appear to a mass audience. UCS sets were designed purely for the niche, collector AFOL demographic, and because of that, TLG is not entitled to please everyone with the pricing or length of the run. This is like any other collector's item whether it be collectible games, prints, cars etc, it's not a bag of plastic or a 'toy' in the same way the Mona Lisa isn't just dried paint on canvas. It's the exclusive, limited and expensive nature of the product that increases desirability and appreciation in their customers.

And if you think this is bad, what about rare antiques which are auctioned to the highest bidder? Or collectible sneakers and film prints that are produced in such limited runs that they have more customers willing to pay for them than they have items, which induces scalping? The UCS Falcon was on shelves for a very long time, it was listed on the Lego website for just as long and even its cancellation was met with news on boards such as EB, warning fans to pick one up if they haven't done so yet. IMO TLG has been more than fair and thus has no obligation to fulfilling everyones' wants. It's just how the cookie crumbles.

If a person has "invested" in a product then they MUST assume the risk of such an investment. It's not fair nor is right to change a company structure at the expense of those who are in it for the fun and enjoyment.

I agree. I'm sure when Lego created the UCS (Collectors) series they did NOT have investors in mind. They were probably thinking, "lets make a huge set. It will be expensive but those who are really into the product will buy it, lets call it a collectors set."

Again, it's not an issue of money. Yes, TLG could very easily re-release the UCS again and make a lot of money but they won't. Why? Because more than many other companies, they value the relationship they have with the AFOL community, and are intimately aware of its grey-market industry. Doing such a thing is short-sighted and implausible because it's completely unprecedented and secondly, it does cheapen the product and the company. If TLG re-released this set, it would utterly destroy the goodwill they've cultivated with fans, and nuke the value of their products. While you might wonder how this can possibly screw them over (since they're not making any more from a second hand sale), how could Lego possibly justify the cost of subsequent collector's sets, when the people willing to pay the UCS profit margin only do so because we trust Lego's word?

TLDR: The fact is, it boils down to supply and demand. I was fortunate enough to pick one up for $750 AUD when it was available and even knowing how much they're worth now, would not have picked up a second because I'm not in it for financial gain. At the same, there are plenty of sets I kick myself for not buying, but acknowledge that it was my failure to act. It's the nature of the game, if you wanted the UCS, it was readily available, and even at full RRP it'll likely be cheaper than how much the BLers are trying to piece together (without the headache/heartache).

Posted

Well said, unfortunatly for me I was in a period often referred to as the dark ages and hence had no idea that such a set existed (or any other new lego sets for that matter). So now I am contemplating ways of how to amass close to 2k for a set that I could of quite easily been able to afford when it was available from TLG. I have no issue with TLG not re-releasing it again, I have a few ucs sets that I bought many years ago and I now see these sets on ebay going for twice as much as I paid (and thats for used sets). So I count myself lucky that I made the choice to buy those sets when I did because as you said that's how the cookie crumbles!

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