Blondie-Wan Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 Nice to finally see the Snowspeeder pilots get different uniforms to the X-Wing ones. And I'm very impressed with the ammount of detail put into both rebel pilots. Shame the addition of leg printing had to come one year too late - would have been nice if Gold Leader, Porkins and Luke came with it in this year's sets. Cool printings on the pilots! They look better with the leg printing for sure Don't worry, Gold Leader, Porkins, and Luke minfigs will be updated when their sets are re-released in a couple of years. Hrm. I'm not sure how I feel about finally getting leg printing on Rebel pilots now, after all this time, but I can live with it since the snowspeeder flight suit actually is different, anyway; I can use printed legs on just the speeder pilots and the non-printed ones on the X-wing and Y-wing pilots. But it's getting really frustrating to build up a force over years of collecting only to have to choose between the ones I've already gotten and the ones in new sets...
The_Chosen_1 Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 But it's getting really frustrating to build up a force over years of collecting only to have to choose between the ones I've already gotten and the ones in new sets... I agree. I had just finished purchasing an army of about 80 stormtroopers when Lego came out with the new torso in the Endor battle pack. The new printing is nice, but yeah it is frustrating to a degree.
Cyberbricker Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 I totally agree. I can already see it coming... The only change I can appreciate is the new flesh color head and the open pupils. Of course now I'm stuck with over 100 mini-figures that have a Yellow head. :p
Anio Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 Certainly, but what a curious idea to buy 100 times the same minifig...
Empire911 Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 What I hate is that no box of 2013 contains the same minifigs as an other box, so every minifig gets harder to find by making just one for a single box. If you look 10 years ago, you sometimes have one minifig in 10 boxes. More different minifigs = more minifigs to buy = more money you need to spend. I had to buy a second vitrine for my minifigs, my wall gets to small to put al those minifigs on. Just my way of looking to the new 2013 boxes, ...
Krulis Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 What I hate is that no box of 2013 contains the same minifigs as an other box, so every minifig gets harder to find by making just one for a single box. If you look 10 years ago, you sometimes have one minifig in 10 boxes. More different minifigs = more minifigs to buy = more money you need to spend. I had to buy a second vitrine for my minifigs, my wall gets to small to put al those minifigs on. Just my way of looking to the new 2013 boxes, ... Ep II clone trooper appears both in battle pack and Coruscant planet set. 501th trooper appears both in AT-RT and Z-95 Headhunter.
Brickdoctor Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 What I hate is that no box of 2013 contains the same minifigs as an other box, so every minifig gets harder to find by making just one for a single box. If you look 10 years ago, you sometimes have one minifig in 10 boxes. More different minifigs = more minifigs to buy = more money you need to spend. I had to buy a second vitrine for my minifigs, my wall gets to small to put al those minifigs on. Just my way of looking to the new 2013 boxes, ... When TLG put the same version of named characters in more than one set, people complained that they got too many duplicates; they were accumulating armies of main characters, and most people don't need more than one of a version of a main character. It's impossible for TLG to satisfy every minifig collector with their selection and distribution of minifigs throughout waves of sets, so it makes sense for them to go with the strategy that results in greater profits. The way they're doing it right now, the casual collectors can still get the main characters they want, the serious collectors get the variety of characters they want, and TLG sells more sets. I think they've got a good solution with the way they're distributing their minifigs right now.
Cyberbricker Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 Certainly, but what a curious idea to buy 100 times the same minifig... No not the same mini-figure. :p Just the old yellow one's, from back in 1999. :) 100 mini-figures of the same type , thats overkill. :p
Empire911 Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 When TLG put the same version of named characters in more than one set, people complained that they got too many duplicates; they were accumulating armies of main characters, and most people don't need more than one of a version of a main character. It's impossible for TLG to satisfy every minifig collector with their selection and distribution of minifigs throughout waves of sets, so it makes sense for them to go with the strategy that results in greater profits. The way they're doing it right now, the casual collectors can still get the main characters they want, the serious collectors get the variety of characters they want, and TLG sells more sets. I think they've got a good solution with the way they're distributing their minifigs right now. For the real collectors it is great, but as a MOC builder it is not. How can you make an army when there are only one or two minifigs of that kind in a box? It you brought 20 different boxes 5 years ago you had a big army of for example Stormtroopers. As you say it is good for LEGO, but I think not good for every LSW fan.
Cyberbricker Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 Actually, I'm just writing a letter to lego to ask them why they always change the look of mini-figures even if they already have a decent on out there. Like the clone troopers in the second BP, they made the visor smaller, but in the next wave the visor is bigger again??? Also they changed the torso of Commander Gree, just a little, but still??? The same can be said for a number of figures. I know some figures can do with an revision, but others are just fine and they like to over do it a little...
Brickdoctor Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 For the real collectors it is great, but as a MOC builder it is not. How can you make an army when there are only one or two minifigs of that kind in a box? It you brought 20 different boxes 5 years ago you had a big army of for example Stormtroopers. As you say it is good for LEGO, but I think not good for every LSW fan. Bricklink. Actually, I should slightly correct my previous statement: I like what they're doing now with the regular sets, but I agree with you where Battle Packs are concerned. I think that over the years, TLG's interpretation of the Battle Pack has changed from "build an army to battle with" to "be able to play out a battle with only one set". I don't like this, and it's one of the reasons that I haven't bought multiple BPs in four years. On the other hand, I think it's probably popular with parents who don't want to spend a lot on LEGO, and they're probably the ones doing the purchasing for the target audience, so... I don't like it, but I understand it.
Spider-Man Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) I think that over the years, TLG's interpretation of the Battle Pack has changed from "build an army to battle with" to "be able to play out a battle with only one set". I don't like this, and it's one of the reasons that I haven't bought multiple BPs in four years. I agree with you 100%. I remember when they had only one side of the battle in a battle pack, which was great! I think I bought 4 or 5 of the clone battle pack that came with 4 clones and a little walker. The fact that LEGO has now put both factions in the same pack really leads me to believe that they have changed their interpretation as you stated. Edited October 24, 2012 by Spider-Man
Brickadeer Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) I agree with you 100%. I remember when they had only one side of the battle in a battle pack, which was great! I think I bought 4 or 5 of the clone battle pack that came with 4 clones and a little walker. The fact that LEGO has now put both factions in the same pack really leads me to believe that they have changed their interpretation as you stated. I do not fully agree. 7913 had four clones, so the issue of different factions in one battle pack doesn't exist here. Nevertheless, it was a bad battle pack, simply because the figures that posed the majority (bomb squad troopers) had the lowest potential for army building. The potential of army building of 8083 and 8084 was also comparatively low because of the composition of the minifigures (2 troopers, 1 commander, 1 pilot), not because they contained different factions. So to me, with 8083 and 8084, the potential of the battle packs was cut down to 50 %. With 75000, it is cut down to 25 %. With 4 minifigs in a battle pack, the relation can't get worse. Edited October 24, 2012 by Brickadeer
Spider-Man Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 Set 8014 was the one I was talking about. I thought this set was great. The walker was usable and you got three plain clones in it? I really don't see how this was a bad battle pack? But nonetheless it was certainly better than a lot of battle packs we have gotten since then!
Brickadeer Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) Set 8014 was the one I was talking about. I thought this set was great. The walker was usable and you got three plain clones in it? I really don't see how this was a bad battle pack? But nonetheless it was certainly better than a lot of battle packs we have gotten since then! I know that you were talking about 8014. To me, it is still the best battle pack that was ever made. I didn't argue about 8014. Rather, I said that the battle packs got worse (= lowered potential for army building) before Lego introduced different factions in a battle pack. Edited October 24, 2012 by Brickadeer
Nom Carver Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 TLC is a company intended to make money (obviously) so if you could get exclusive figures on any set, exclusive sets would cease to be so tempting, and there is no need to be obssesed with an homogeneous army, from a distance they all look the same, if you build your army all over again you would be playing their game
Sir_Basil_Ashton Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) To me, 7655 and 8014 are the best BPs to date. Perfect for army building. Too bad the year 8014 was released was the year LEGO was introduced into my home. I am excited about 75000. I don't care that the clones are different, neither do my kids. My son's ready to have some epic battles. Edited October 24, 2012 by Sir_Basil_Ashton
Angry_Raphael Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 I like the new clones might have to get a whole legion of them!!
Spider-Man Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 I didn't argue about 8014. Rather, I said that the battle packs got worse (= lowered potential for army building) before Lego introduced different factions in a battle pack. Ya for sure! I can definitely agree with you on that
Thego Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) Different Rebel Pilot printing doesn't bother me. Rebel pilots aren't like Clones, who dress identically. They all wear their uniforms differently and with modifications anyway. It's actually NICE to have variation in prints with these figures. Edited October 24, 2012 by Thego
TheBrickDaddy Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 I'm going to assume he knew that, based on that he said only one was "truly new". In TLC's eyes, any new printing means new a minifig. They've done this with at least a dozen minifigs, especially recently. Honestly we've had what, five new Hans in as many years?
Bilbo Baggins Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 Does anybody knows why TLG changed the box art? Sorry, if it has been asked.
North Lego Star Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 Does anybody knows why TLG changed the box art? Sorry, if it has been asked. Well, it seems that every year now, Lego changes the box art. In this case, I believe it was changed to from Darth Maul to Yoda due to the release of Episode II and Episode III in 3D. By the way, when do we typically get the summer wave rumors? I'm really excited about that wave since it should contain a decent anount of Episode II sets as well as Episode VI sets and at least one Clone Wars set( I highly doubt we see more than one Clone Wars set next wave just due to the fact that we got 4 pretty good ones in the winter wave.)
Rogue Angel Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 Lego is definitely trying to make more money off battlepacks. I would think that the Mandalorian and Assassin Droid BPs were very poor sellers for TLG (The assassin droid BP in particular has got to be the worst BP Ever! Absolutely no mass-purchase appeal, since almost no AFOL is going to amass an army of assassin droids) and they have learned their lesson. By combining opposing forces into one BP, they can market figures that aren't quite as appealing. I would say that TLG would have a much harder time selling 4 Endor troopers than it does 2 Endors, a Scout and a Stormie. I also think the TOR BP for next year is far more appealing as a single BP. This of course is resulting in my having to purchase 16 Endor BPs instead of 8 BPs in order to get my 32 Endor Troopers. I found the Stormie BP, the Hoth Rebel BP and the Hoth BP to all be tolerable since they included 2 or 3 of the figure you wanted, with the remaining figures being decently useful within their faction. The BP I feel is worthless is the Clone Trooper BP from 2011. 2 Bomb Squad Troopers? What a useless figure to supply 2 of! I would question even one of these being in a battle pack. I would say that the move to opposing forces in BPs makes sense for TLG, even though it means having to shell out a bit more for figs. I would rather pay a little more than not get the figure in a BP at all.
Brickadeer Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 Lego is definitely trying to make more money off battlepacks. I would think that the Mandalorian and Assassin Droid BPs were very poor sellers for TLG (The assassin droid BP in particular has got to be the worst BP Ever! Absolutely no mass-purchase appeal, since almost no AFOL is going to amass an army of assassin droids) and they have learned their lesson. By combining opposing forces into one BP, they can market figures that aren't quite as appealing. I would say that TLG would have a much harder time selling 4 Endor troopers than it does 2 Endors, a Scout and a Stormie. I also think the TOR BP for next year is far more appealing as a single BP. This of course is resulting in my having to purchase 16 Endor BPs instead of 8 BPs in order to get my 32 Endor Troopers. I found the Stormie BP, the Hoth Rebel BP and the Hoth BP to all be tolerable since they included 2 or 3 of the figure you wanted, with the remaining figures being decently useful within their faction. The BP I feel is worthless is the Clone Trooper BP from 2011. 2 Bomb Squad Troopers? What a useless figure to supply 2 of! I would question even one of these being in a battle pack. I would say that the move to opposing forces in BPs makes sense for TLG, even though it means having to shell out a bit more for figs. I would rather pay a little more than not get the figure in a BP at all. My concern is not that Lego tries to open the market for new customers. My concern is that occasionally, Lego does so at the expense of existing customers. That is the case when army building potential of a set is not realized (e. g. 7913 and 9489). A look at Bricklink indicates that the supply of Endor troopers and Scout troopers is relatively high, while the supply of Stormtroopers from the same battle pack is relatively low. I think that this fact indicates that on the average, the Stormtrooper is the most wanted figure of 9489. So to me, the big question is how the decision not to include two Stormtroopers (either by replacing the Scout trooper or by giving up the "rule of four" (minifigs per battle pack)) affects the sales of this set: does attract more customers than it deters? Since the strategy to open the market by combining two factions per battle pack seems to aim at the more casual buyer, I think it's practically impossible to evaluate the consequences of this decision. To some degree, Lego seems to be on blind flight. The issue with 7913 is that it contains two bomb squad troopers. Complaining about this fact doesn't help to understand why Lego included two of them. I do not believe that cost-wise, a bomb squad trooper is cheaper in production than a plain trooper or a different trooper, so the question is why they included two of them. The only answer I can see is that they look nicely coloured and somehow neat. So again, the question is: does Lego's decision attract more customers than it deters? And the same logic can be applied to 75000. The conclusion I have to draw so far is that customers who may intend to buy multiple sets (“army builders”) are not taken into account at all. I cannot judge, however, whether or not this is a smart strategy. To summarize, I do not claim to fully understand the market of battle packs. But I consider the possibility that Lego does neither.
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