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In lugnet.general, Kevin Johnston writes:
> The aqua-Alpha-Team sets are interesting, and show some creative spark, but
> they are just a variation on last year's AT theme. (Which is fine in and of
> itself.)
They do show some spark, but not quite enough. I have some interest in the
squid vehicle, which uses some very un-lego-like elements, but I still like
it because it has style up the wazoo.
But after the whole Ogel's Control Center "recalled/not recalled" scandal, I
feel that they are going to be overly careful with this theme whereas I
think the theme calls for a little wildness in terms of design instead.
This subtheme is supposed to epitomize action and adventure -- how are they
going to manage that with so much concern over offending people after 911?
> So what I'm seeing is fewer and fewer original Lego theme concepts with each
> passing year, bordering on almost none for 2002-- and that bums me out.
Right. Huge mistake. But I guess those marketing geniuses in Billund must
have their reasons...
> Anyone remember how much excited discussion a new catalog would get every >October? This year,it was hardly a blip...
I do. The problem is that TLC has sold out already. If not to another
company, then to licensing -- as you have pointed out. If one doesn't care
about the licensed property, as I tend to not, then everything TLC releases
gets fit into some category of expensive parts pack. That's not necessarily
bad when the sets are priced at $0.10-0.15 USD an element, when it gets
higher in price they can generally count me out until a sale of least BOGO
50% somewhere. Overall price is a factor also (see below). Many people over
time have pointed out the wisdom of creating more product that can be seen
as an impulse purchase from the perspective of the average buyer. I see it
all the time at the toy shops where a parent tells the kid they have $20 to
spend, the kid goes for the Lego aisle and finds nothing of value or
interest in that price range.
> What happened to System? It's gone. And I don't mean the logo, which has
> been gone for years-- I mean the *IDEA* of System. It hardly exists
> anymore. That sucks.
Right. BIG problem here. HUGE. Almost insurmountable.
> Last year there was all this talk about Lego "getting back to its roots."
> Is the 2002 catalog a result of that? Not that I see-- in fact there's MORE
> dependence on risky fads, whether they are licenses or in-house. Is this
> change still coming? Could be, changes like that take a long time. But
> 2002 is not it, that I can see.
This is a privately held company. Change doesn't have to take SO long.
Someone needs to go in and kick some behind. That's it. They could go back
to basics immediately based on older designs that most kids of today have
never seen. They don't need too many people to redesign the packaging for
sets and themes already created.
I have no sympathy for this argument of it taking time. Time is precisely
what TLC may not have. Look around -- in the current climate of economic
implosion do you think people care to waste money on products they can't
enjoy in the manner to which they have become accustomed? During an economic
boom people may spend frivolously on stuff they may not even want, not so
now. Price too is a factor. Look at some of those sculpture kits -- great
ideas at the wrong price. Maybe at $50 I'd buy the Statue of Liberty set,
but not at $200 USD. That's $0.07 a brick for basic bricks in a new color!
With the buckets they can manage something similar for something under a
penny a brick, right? I'll pay for the design work -- but not to the tune
of $170 USD. Thanks, but no thanks!
> I'm not trying to start another "mini-figures forever" flame. Maybe the
> mini-figure's era has passed.
Bite your tongue! That's "System" right there.
> P.S. Lego, I LOVE many of your recent products, like the Sopwith Camel,
> sculptures, and I hope you pursuer more higher-end licensed items like the
> Blockade Runner.
I disagree strongly here. While I spend more on this plastic junk most
months than the price demanded by a single Blockade Runner set. I have to
think twice about spending so much cash on one item in one shot like that.
I'll probably pick stuff up I want from that set on the aftermarket, and I
am probably not alone -- SW stuff leaves me cold, so what I am saying is
that I may be unwilling to blow $200 USD on a parts pack. This would mean
that TLC is counting on some kind of "trickle-up" theory of economics.
Anyway, why can't they build a castle with this much thought and equivalent
brick count? Such a set might actually interest me if they could keep the
price down, esp. if it was basic bricks in large part...
And where they REALLY need to get some understanding of where the consumer
is at in terms of price and interest is in bulk bricks. Here TLC need do
nothing more than provide the elements, but they seem unable to get this
part right. 2 x 4 bricks @ 50 for $6.99 USD is around $0.14 a brick -- are
they high? If they aren't, then the higher-ups need to wonder why perfectly
sober people cannot figure out how to sell bricks in bulk. I think at such
prices that people only buy from S@H when they somehow have no other option.
Brickbay anyone?
-- Hop-Frog
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