Lego....

[The Kraken Wakes]

After putting it off for so long ive finally started in the slippery slope back collecting Lego - particularly Star Wars stuff... Picked up a few things on ebay recently - the updated Y-wing and updated Slave 1 and also some of the Stormtrooper and Rebel troop builder sets...

Seems to be a bery hot toy this Christmas as a lot of sets - particularly the Endor set seems to have sold out everywhere and the Hoth ones are getting scarce...

Also went to Brickstock on Saturday in Nottingham but was pretty disappointing from a Lego point of view or maybe I was too early...

[Ross SC]

i think i can get pretty cool fake army lego..... looks pretty cool! tanks, jeeps etc.
they used to have nazi logos but now have red stars!

[The Kraken Wakes]

i think i can get pretty cool fake army lego..... looks pretty cool! tanks, jeeps etc.
they used to have nazi logos but now have red stars!

Saw a lot of that type of stuff while I was in Skegness.

I think its only a matter of time before im building replica AF / Red Shadow stuff in Lego plus I can adapt my waterslide transfers to lego torsos. Am bored now so messing around designing a Red Jackal one...

When I collected before there was a guy on ebay made custom minifigs by using real Kenner SW heads on minifig bodies - just wondering if SteveDs Shadow heads would look too big on a minifig body?? Maybe not considering how large the minifig Stormtrooper heads are...

[Ross SC]

was gonna go the lego/af route myself, but to be honest ive lost all my drive.
really got into the spooktacular custom, so might concentrate on 1/6 stuff, joes + other unrelated & leave off af stuff from now on. got a lot of nice messages on joecustoms lately & felt quite appreciated!
thought about doing some AF in 1/6 but found it too hard to find stuff....... & the only sas stuff i found was dark navy blue & looked like sh*t!

[slippy]

This is almost too heartbreaking to recount, but I'll do it anyway:

During my time working at LEGO UK in the marketing department, there was actual talk (100% serious) about having an official product line of GI JOE toys.... admittedly not the Action Force we know and love, but still, I was excited. Can you imagine?!!

That was also around the time they got the Lucas Film licence but it took them years to get the Indy stuff sorted out around the recent film. I always remember me screwing up the non disclosure agreement for staff when the Star Wars announcement was under wraps. As a true geek, I told all my housemates the minute I walked in through the door! Them were the days...


Steve

[humby248]

Slippy. I don't know if you can tell me but does Lucas tell them to make some of the items rare? This seems to be the case with all the Star Wars toys.

[The Kraken Wakes]

Slippy. I don't know if you can tell me but does Lucas tell them to make some of the items rare? This seems to be the case with all the Star Wars toys.

Lego are having a really good time right now as ive seen today where everywhere is selling out of Star Wars lego, esp the original trilogy stuff...

They do play games with minifigs and in what sets they are available in. Met the uk head of marketing a while ago and they are very canny about what minifigs go in which sets early on in their release...

They were stopped from seling Star Wars minifig packs like the three packs from the first releases after Hasbro complained they were infringing their license but they ve recently been selling what are essentially figure packs like the army builder sets of Rebel Commandos and Stormtroopers that come with small ships.

[Dave Tree]

Slippy. I don't know if you can tell me but does Lucas tell them to make some of the items rare? This seems to be the case with all the Star Wars toys.

Lego have had an amazing 2009, so much so that since August, they have rejected all new trade account applications until January 2010 simply because they do not have enough product to fulfill existing retail customers. Any other toy company would bite your arm off for new business.

With respect to the Star wars mini figures, as The Kraken Wakes mentioned, it all stems down to the fact that Lego's Star Wars license is for 'Construction Toys' only. The 'Action Figure' license is Hasbro's. In 2000 Lego produced some mini fig only packs and all hell broke loose as they were deemed to step outside the licensing agreement. Lego now get round this in two ways, mini budget sets that feature some small vehicle and fridge magnet figures. Lego clearly are loading these sets with the figures to cash in as no other Lego set at these price points have never included so many mini figs.

The distribution of what figures go with what product is so to capture the 'must haves' and get people to buy the range, rather than just £9.99. Some sets are way over priced for what you get compared to other Lego kits, but will sell on the strength of the mini figure alone, Darth Maul is a good example of that.

January's troop builder sets are Hoth Snowtroopers and Hoth Rebels/ Pilots and look to be a sure fire winner. Other new licenses next year include Toy Story and Prince of Persia.

Anyone making Memorabilia next weekend, I'll have plenty of Lego there. the stuff rocks.

Dave.

[Chopper]

Its interesting you say that, Dave. my son got a clone trooper speeder bike from Santa and it came with 4 troopers. I thought it a little odd fore such a small vehicle.

He's scored heaps of Power Miners and Mars Mission sets over the last year or two. I still have all my old Space Lego which my Daughter has and between the three of us we have a fair bit. I don't collect, but I do still play with the stuff Hell, its impossible not to.

[SteveD]

Mmmmmmmmmm - Lego!!!!