Subject:
|
Re: TLG investigation 1st answers
|
Newsgroups:
|
lugnet.general
|
Date:
|
Fri, 19 Feb 1999 11:53:30 GMT
|
Viewed:
|
1648 times
|
| |
|
|
Hi Jeroen-
I'm a parent. My main focus in purchasing Legos has been
to purchase sets for my son. His sets span Town, Adventurers,
Wild West, UFOs. He saves his allowance (for up to half a year)
to purchase sets on his own, or he receives them for gifts at
Christmas and his birthday.
I did win a Mindstorms last November. That got me going on building
models outright on my own. From there, I purchased
a Technic universal modeling set to augment the # of pieces.
My 7 year old son found the set, and immediately set off building
the "cat-like" model and then he ripped it apart and built
the robot model. He loves this set, much to my surprise.
But I have no plans at the moment to purchase any additional
technic sets, with the exception of the model team sets (for parts).
Like Mike Stanley- I purchased a number of 5542(?) black thunder
helicopters- but primarily for the train parts like the
yellow windows and black doors. And as a source of plates.
I have no intention of ever building the set. The same with
the Zany Brainy sale on 5571. Unfortunately, I only bought one
of these, and would love to buy more for US$69.
But in trying to build a town for my son's train set, I've been
forced to purchase older sets to get pieces that are no longer
available from Lego. These pieces cost me a severe premium.
Money that could be going to Lego is instead going to other people.
THIS IS OUR POINT, and I think you've missed it completely.
Money that could be going to Lego is going to a secondary market.
This is why I believe there is a cry for re-releasing old sets.
I don't happen to agree with the cry... because I think you could
build even BETTER sets if you had the inclination. This community
is generally turned off by the 1999 sets except for Star Wars,
and is instead pumping their money into buying old sets.
As far as the Model Team goes, I like them as a source of parts
that I can get new and at a (sometimes) reasonable price.
Here are my suggestions to the Technic group:
1.) Make minifig-scale detailed models. When I call shop-at-home,
I always buy an extra 3442 or the equivalent yellow truck just because
I like these models. I think they are the only decent town models.
I think the Model Team should also create smaller scale models.
I think the Model Team folks should concentrate on building sets
as good as the Star Wars sets are... minifig/playable sets that
look like the real mccoy.
2.) "Componentize" the model. I'm not sure that is the correct
word to use, but if you make models with fewer piece counts and
that are more affordable (<US$60), and then go and
include instructions in the smaller models so that if you purchase
multiple copies of these sets, you can build a really
cool, large model like... 5571 or 5591. (Say that you could
divide 5591 into thirds... and then provide instructions on building
each piece.
Buy three copies of the set and you can have the complete tractor
rig, trailer, and airplane). You would of course have extra pieces when
you are done building the large set.
Does that make sense? For instance, suppose 5571 were affordable, and
you
could purchase two additional ones and then you provide plans for a full
size
trailer to go along with the tractor). This gives a much lower entry
price
into the model... and a way to upgrade the model into something
bigger/better.
Does this idea make sense to you? I think addressing affordability in
the model team is my main concern.
3.) You can get in on the "collector" market
on these sets just like the Star Wars sets,
if you do cross promotions on these sets.
If you look at what Ertl builds, basically they are little advertising
models for Texaco, John Deere, Pepsi, etc. You could create a wide
variety
of GREAT models in bricks.
If I were Pepsi, I would just ask for model design approval and for no
revenue,
because I would want to have the Pepsi label in every kid's hand that I
could.
I'd even pay Lego to distribute my label. I don't know the history
of Lego and Shell, so I don't know why you no longer create Shell
gasoline
stations and tanker trucks.
4.) I built the Sixby Vision Pumper the othernight for my son, and
he loves it. Now he wants to build more vehicles and a fire station.
(but I can't afford to buy a fire station on e-bay, son. Your fire
station will have to have free-style windows and no garage doors and
it will look like *%^$, but I'm rapidly digressing into a rant).
Point 4 was to suggest that the model team designers should concentrate
on building awesome 4, 5 and 6 stud wide vehicles that hold minifigs,
on the same quality as Star War models, but on real-life prototypes)
BTW- the parts for my version of the Sixby Vision Pumper came from a
set (#735) that I purchased on e-bay for $51. If Lego still made sets
like #735, I would rather buy it from you. But you have no set that
has this selection of parts. So you didn't get my $51. I remember
seeing
the same model 735 for sale in a newsgroup unopened for $110. I bet
someone bought it at that price. The reason there are such insane
prices on e-bay for older Lego sets is... not because of collectibility
of models but because of inability to get decent parts from Lego.
I think the model team should check out this URL:
http://members.aol.com/regult/sixby.html
Six stud wide vehicles are more playable for my 7 year old son and
his friends than the four stud, low piece-count vehicles you sell in
1999 sets. I won't buy one for my son, and I won't allow him to buy
any either.
(Re-reading this, I see that point 4 is the same as point 1. sorry.)
5.) The model team should extend it's range of products from
vehicles like cars, trucks and helicopters to TRAINS.
6.) And then extend into famous architectural structures... even
if the model is just the facade.
FYI- my next Lego purchase will be on the secondary market for
a used set. I just want to let you know where my money is going...
because it could be going to you if you would address the adult
consumer.
You're going to sell a ton of Star War sets.
But to three groups: kids, Star War collectors (adults), and AFOL who
want them for parts and for models. I think you under estimate the
size of the latter two categories. You'll also see the other current
set
categories not move off the shelves of stores as long as the
Star War sets are on the shelves.
(My son is holding on to all his money for the Star War sets, and
is not purchasing any Lego sets until they show up at the store.)
I'm not sure there is a summary to this message.
I just continue to be extremely fustrated by TLG's lack of vision.
I invite you to share with this forum the marketing research that
has gone into dismissing the adult consumer market place as irrelevant.
I believe TLG has none.
I invite you to stand around the toy aisle where matchbox and hotwheels
cars are sold in the USA and see who is scoping out the selection
and making very large purchases. It's the adult enthusiast.
The adult Lego community is similar, but we have more fun because
we play with our toys rather than collect them.
Good luck with your personal quest in getting TLG to acknowledge
the adult market place. Is there a Danish equivalent to Don Quixote?
-- dave
|
|
Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | TLG investigation 1st answers
|
| Hi everybody, Thanks (again) for your overwhelming responses. I have had over 100 responses within 4 days and still counting... A lot of questions have been asked, most of them I can't answer unfortunately. All questions regarding comments to be (...) (25 years ago, 19-Feb-99, to lugnet.general)
|
164 Messages in This Thread:
(Inline display suppressed due to large size. Click Dots below to view.)
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
This Message and its Replies on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
