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Subject: 
Re: I have an idea... (regards the range of sets we get)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.loc.au
Date: 
Sat, 15 Apr 2000 15:31:08 GMT
Viewed: 
680 times
  
In lugnet.loc.au, Paul Baulch writes:

Heh, tell me about it, I was only going to spend $95 on Lego today and I
spent $180. Found two Exploriens bases cheap, being a space builder who
likes domes I found it too hard to resist.

Yep I like Exploriens too for the bits. Lots of white plates etc. and trans-
blue canopies get me thinking craters and moonbases. Must be a childhood
following the Apollo missions, you can still get second-hand National
Geographics with articles about such.

Hmm, as someone said (I think it was Peter Callaway), 80% of very expensive
is still fairly expensive. I think Target occasionally does 25% off, I
usually save up for that and buy a big batch. Did that with the 2000 SW sets
a couple of months ago.

The Target sale was half-price SW 1999 'merchandise'. Peter.C and I were
just perusing the shelves and he noticed the regular price/new price label
on I think it was the X-Wing,then another on the Naboo and then we went and
scanned the others because there was no label and yep all half-price !!!
Sadly this was over by the morning and it was only non-Lego SW on sale.
Target don't really carry the biggest sets (like FNF) and don't always have
many Basic brick sets. But I have seen Exploriens sets and Divers within the
last month in Targets.

What train was it? Last Monday I found an International Jetport at Stawell
Toyworld, something I was both surprised and thrilled to find, as I'd never
had either of the airport sets in my collection (I'm trying to get a good
Town set of every "type", mainly for the future when I have kids).

It was the 4551 train. TW Armidale also had some other older sets like
Belville and the Divers set that has the skeleton on the seafloor, which
I haven't seen elsewhere. As well he gave me 15% off my purchases, a nice
gesture, and related the sad story of his sons' large technic collection
that was destroyed in a house fire. Also before Xmas he had been clearing
out a storeroom and found some Pirates which pleased some Xmas shoppers.
Stawell is one place I didn't go to, I almost did, if you want the full
list of towns I went to ,I will give it to you.

I think that metro Melbourne's range of sets are generally better actually.
You just have to look in the right places, mostly Toyworld, Toy Kingdom and
independents (if you want older sets rather than clearance items). The ones
that do the best business seem to have more of the older stock moved to
them.

Yeah I had all the addresses,I just made up the itinerary as I was going,
it was during that week of really hot temperatures.


That's pretty much the story in Melb. It's a shame to see how many small toy
shops have folded in the last couple of years. I was talking to a store
owner, he said they stopped stocking Lego because Lego stuffed them around,
trying to make them sell at below cost, compete with the "big stores", stuff
like that. He didn't go into detail but it was clear that they felt they
weren't benefiting from the relationship.
The really bizarre thing he said was that Lego sold direct to the public
from a shop somwhere in the city (Melb), "somewhere near Myer", he said.
This was news to me! He was adamant, however, as was a lady customer who was
listening to our conversation. They insisted that such a store existed. Has
anyone else heard such a thing? The phone books make no mention of it.

Maybe it's behind one of those swivelling 'castle' doors on an abandoned
shopfront. Pick the wrong door and you get a 'surprise'.
Here's another toy-storey for you. One toy store owner told me that when the
three year limit for sets come up, the sets left get destroyed/shredded ?
He said LA wouldn't drop the wholesale price even if the above was to happen.
An urban myth ? Peter.C related the destruction of the leftover stock from
the service outlet closure in Birkenhead Point in Sydney. I had actually
lived within walking distance of Birkenhead for most of my life, yet I was
deep in my dark ages for the store's lifetime plus more.

I finally found a couple of 7171's today, the only reason they were still
there is because they'd been opened :-( The one I bought was missing a
piece, but that was ok because I only wanted it for the other parts. It's
very strange that there should be such a difference between states though.
What is it that the New South Welsh dislike about the pod race set? We
Victorians think it's grouse, apparently. I certainly do. I'd probably buy a
couple more at some point, especially if they discount them even further.

It was ravaged even with the three internal boxes ? All mine have been in good
condition, as are the ones currently sitting on the shelves. It's great for
parts and colours, you have probably seen all the parts for sale on ebay.
At almost 900 parts it's a good deal even at $94.90 . I feel it may come down
further, I'll keep you posted. All the SW sets will probably be worth a mint
in 10 years. The 7171 retailed here for either $227 or $187 which I think is
pushing it for a lot of parents. Even for SW heads there is competing
merchandise from non-Lego companies. I think they should have had a flip-top
lid on the box to display the three internal boxes, one for birthday,one for
Xmas and one for a present maybe, like a giant value-pack !

Do NSW Toyworlds have a glut of the UFO set 6975? The store owners must hate
them down here, can't get rid of 'em. If only the store owners had better
taste in Lego and used it to size their orders, they'd have done sooo much
better..... did they really think those sets were all going to move? Maybe
all they need to do is looks at pictures of the sets before they order them.

Do they ever have a glut of them. On my travels the shelves were post-Xmas
but fully stocked with flying saucers. I have even seen them for full retail.
Those ones will still be there when aliens formally visit us. It's a set like
this that will turn toystores off Lego. Funnily enough I haven't seen them in
Target/Big W/K-Mart.

Incidentally, if anyone sees 6580 land jets for <$20 I'd like to know.

I had to check what this was, I have seen it, do you want me to get it if I
see it again ?

Shuttle Launch Pad, Royal Knight's Castle, Blacktron Renegade,
Launch-n-Load Seaport, Airport Shuttle, Imperial Trading Post, Skull's Eye
Schooner.....
;-)

Seriously though, I'm also currently interested in red roof tile packs
(633).

I've seen the white brick,the red brick and even one black brick but not one
tile pack at all. They should do a great big roof tile box like the 4229 size.
They give us bricks for buildings and cars and road plates to drive on yet
no roof tiles in quantity, they must think we're doing models of Darwin circa
Xmas 1975 (post-cyclone for o'seas readers) and how many more times will I
mention Xm... in this post ?

I'm a fan of the "take only what you really
want" approach to Lego collecting.

Very ecologically sound last statement ;^)

Heh, I'm only human, I have trouble adhering to that rule sometimes.
Sometimes I also change my mind about a set a while after I've bought it.
I did buy a couple of Dragon Masters sets which I ended up having second
thoughts about keeping. Reply and we can talk trade if you like. Do you
still have the monorail pack?

I still have the mono-supp,in the vain hope I can win one off ebay. I was
the high bidder the other week only it didn't meet the reserve. Those
Italians ! They must be making a mint from all the finds in toy stores there.
I even saw an official Lego store-display helicopter for auction from there !
I'll let you know if I give up hope.

Any out of state AFOL's are welcome at any Legoz event (we can probably
arrange a place to stay for visitors)

It's a pity it's not around Easter time, that way interstate visitors can
take advantage of the holiday period when they travel. Well, yeah I mean
me... :-)

We have just timed them every 2 months from the start of Feb.,maybe next year
we should time it to accommodate travellers.

regards,
pete.w



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: I have an idea... (regards the range of sets we get)
 
Peter White wrote in message ... (...) TRU have also had half price non-Lego SW merchandise here in Melb for a while, sadly most of it isn't really that desirable - although I enjoyed the movie somewhat, I felt that a lot of the designs weren't (...) (24 years ago, 17-Apr-00, to lugnet.loc.au)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: I have an idea... (regards the range of sets we get)
 
Peter White wrote in message ... (...) Heh, tell me about it, I was only going to spend $95 on Lego today and I spent $180. Found two Exploriens bases cheap, being a space builder who likes domes I found it too hard to resist. (...) Hmm, as someone (...) (24 years ago, 16-Apr-00, to lugnet.loc.au)  

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