Subject:
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Re: the latest news
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego.direct
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Date:
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Mon, 17 Apr 2000 23:23:00 GMT
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In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus writes:
> · Initially, we will offer somewhere in the neighborhood of 40
> "basic" elements (standard bricks, some tiles and plates, etc.). The
> list for the first available elements will be published in early
> May.
> · There will be a mimimum order quantity, probably around 50 or 100
> (depending on the size of the element).
If we counted an "element" as a single piece in a single color, then
the brick-only tubs alone would contain 66 different elements: 1x1,
1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 2x6, and 2x8 bricks, in black,
red, yellow, green, blue, and white.
If we list the common sizes of bricks, tiles, and plates, regardless
of color, we come up with a list of 39 "elements":
1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 2x6, and 2x8 bricks (11);
1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 2x6, and 2x8 plates (11);
4x4, 4x6, 4x8, 4x10, 4x12, 4x16, 6x6, 6x8, 6x10, 6x12, and 6x16 plates (11);
and 1x1, 1x2, 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, and 2x2 tiles (6).
This list encompasses all the bricks, plates, and tiles I personally
consider "basic." So, my conclusion is that this is a rough
description of the initial offering, and that these will at least be
available in quantity in any of the basic colors (black, red, yellow,
green, blue, and white).
An open issue is whether the "drab" colors (light grey, dark grey, and
beige/tan) will be included. The demand for light grey bricks, for
example, seems to be well over the minimum order quantity of 50 to
100, per size, but that may just make it a likely candidate for the
first of the monthly runs, until it "earns" its status as an
"evergreen."
> · It is our intent going forward to make a certain number of basic
> elements (perhaps a couple hundred or so) available year-round.
I think that the additional basic elements that are offered year-round
will be determined largely by which elements have consistent monthly
demand, or have had some threshold number sold.
> · In addition to this evergreen group, we are creating a system that
> will allow us to offer a set (perhaps an additional 50 to 100) of
> more unusual elements each month. We will publish these elements at
> the beginning of each month, and collect orders for them during the
> course of that month. At the end of the month, we will tally the
> orders for each element, run our production against demand and then
> ship to you. In order to cost-justify production (changing the
> molds, running the machines for a certain period of time), we will
> require a minimum aggregate order (i.e. from all consumers) for
> each element, or we will not be able to produce that element. The
> beauty of this system is that it potentially allows us to
> manufacture elements which we are not currently producing - which
> will give you the ability to commission purchase of elements long
> out of production (assuming we still have the molds and that you as
> a group can commit to the minimum aggregate purchase). We hope to
> begin this service late this year or early in 2001.
The two critical pieces of information for this plan are the cost per
element, and the minimum aggregate. If we assume a per-element cost of
US$0.05 (about halfway between the tub and set cost per piece), and a
minimum aggregate order of 10,000, then each production run is
cost-justified if $500 worth of the element is ordered. This seems to
me to be well in the upper range of what an individual AFOL is willing
to spend on a single piece in a single color. Meaning, that almost all
of the monthly runs will be determined by a large number of orders,
and group consensus.
Jason
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: the latest news
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| (...) The tubs don't have 2x8 bricks in any color. They don't have 2x6, 1x6, or 1x8 bricks in green. There might be other omissions I'm not remembering. (...) I would also consider the following size of bricks and plates as "basic", even though they (...) (24 years ago, 18-Apr-00, to lugnet.lego.direct)
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