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Subject: 
Re: 10123 Cloud City
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.starwars
Date: 
Mon, 11 Aug 2003 05:14:55 GMT
Viewed: 
4597 times
  
In lugnet.starwars, Rick Clark wrote:
> My understanding is that this is not so much a tradition, as it is a
> necessity. LD does not have the budget or the authority to commission new
> molds.

     Yeah, well, even with rapid-prototyping (which we know they're using), new
mold designs aren't cheap.  S@H exclusives have a much more limited consumer
base than retail releases, and anything that sells well enough through S@H to
justify making new molds is probably going to sell well enough to justify at
least being shipped as a retail exclusive, if not a general release.

> Not nearly as annoying as not releasing it at all, which is what probably
> would've happened if LD hadn't created the set. And I don't know that they've
> ever released two $100 Star Wars sets at retail at the same time.

     Millennium Falcon, UCS TIE Interceptor, and UCS X-Wing in 2000, all within
the same month, IIRC.  Okay, yeah, the X-Wing wasn't $100.  It was $150.  They
also released the DSDK ($100) in the same year, but I can't remember what month
it came out (I know it came out after the UCS sets though).  1999 also saw both
the Mos Espa Podrace ($90) and the DDK ($100).  2001 had Darth Maul ($150) and
the RBR ($200).  2002 had Yoda ($100) and the ISD ($300).  Granted, the 2001 and
2002 sets were all released exclusively to S@H when they first came out, so the
AT-AT is the first $100+ set to go straight to retail since the DSDK...which
ironically was designed to build an AT-AT as well.

> I'm pretty sure the retailers would be unwilling to stock both.

     Given how bad they've been at stocking new $5 SW action figures, I'm
surprised that they're even stocking the AT-AT.  Especially when you look at the
sheer number of new sets this year.

> On the other hand, if LD sells 10,000 units the first month, and takes
> backorders for another 10,000, you might well see it show up on some retail
> shelves (like the Santa Fe).

     That's basically what happened to the RBR.  Notice Darth Maul hasn't made
it to retail yet...



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: 10123 Cloud City
 
i don't think you guys are differentiating the releases from both LEGO Direct and TLC properly. LEGO direct items are S@H and LEGO Retail exclusive items, and i guess it goes into a trial period before retailers opt to carry them, like the RBR, (...) (23 years ago, 11-Aug-03, to lugnet.starwars)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: 10123 Cloud City
 
(...) My understanding is that this is not so much a tradition, as it is a necessity. LD does not have the budget or the authority to commission new molds. <snip> (...) Not nearly as annoying as not releasing it at all, which is what probably (...) (23 years ago, 10-Aug-03, to lugnet.starwars)

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