Getting hard to remain a Lego SW fan :(

bluishgrey

Anybody else finding it harder and harder to remain a Lego Star Wars fan? I've really been disappointed in the last couple of waves: ugly Clone Wars using exclusive figs to sell overpriced sets and poor redesigns. The new Falcon, Echo base, AT AT, Executor fall very short of expectations. Not to mention the prices are increasingly ridiculous... don't get me started on that $400 pile of grey brick and 1x2 grill SSD with a side helping of cheesy figs :P

They aren't making some really obvious sets that fans want: new Sandcrawler, Cantina, Jabba's Sail barge or Palace and Cloud City. These deserve to be remade

I'd just be happy with a new Tie fighter and a couple of smallish Tatooine sets with some jawas, tuskens and cantina creatures. C'mon Lego you're losing me!
Post edited by @Matthew -23/06/11 18.18 BST - Reason for Edit: Moved from 'The forum' to 'Everything else LEGO'

slinger

They lost me a couple of years ago.

SiE

Dont forget these are sets designed for kids. The kids love clone wars. The kids dont like the classic stuff as much as the clone wars because it wasnt their time. I admit I love the original classic sets but if they dont sell as well then you cant blame lego for making sets that are popular with its biggest audience. My cousins lad loves the new stuff.

Ypres

I totally agree. I forged my collection on Starwars sets back in 06-07 but now I'm collecting other sets too. Well in my case I wouldn't totally say it's because the new starwars sets are bad, but rather the other themes are delivering big time! I do see what you mean when you conplain about new starwars sets... which is why I personally find myself buying less and less of them. I did however like Clone Wars... though only because the actual TV series turned out to be a work of art. Well either way I'm finding many sets to fall under par (mostly because they only seem to care about throwing random new figures at us).

I own the original Sandcrawler and would never buy a remake. The set targets adult collectors who generally had lots of chances to pick it up around 2007. As for other starwars sets I'm finding myself amused by the new Echo Base and other Starwars display/play sets. I'm tired of over-priced ships... I own most of them by now anyway. I also unchecked the "wanted" on the SSD yesterday... I now see it for what it is.

monkey_roo

I guess I am on the fence a bit here. I am a huge star wars fan and back in 99/2000 I picked up almost all the SW Lego but then drifted off and didn't buy any untill 08/09 so I missed out on a lot of nice sets, so for me the re-issues are great, but at the same time there are quite a few sets I just don't get, 'home one', or the new 'echo base' for example. Fans aren't nuts about these and they have very limited play factors for kids (what kids do you now who stop half way through re-enacting a battle to dock with a command ship or go to a medical bay?). I think the Clone Wars stuff is great and for the most part they have their strategy right here, but I do agree the overall treatment they give the original trilogy stuff needs to be thought about a bit, I would like to see more focused sets that clearly cater for both fans like me (there was quite a large thread on this site about what sets fans wanted somewhere) and smaller entry level sets for the younger generation.

bluishgrey

I started picking up smaller sets here and there in '06, but wasn't collecting then and couldn't justify buying the larger sets like 6211 Star Destroyer or 6210 Sail Barge. I didn't really start buying a lot of SW until '09.

It's been a great theme with some fun sets. Some of my favorites: 6212 X-Wing, 7658 Y-Wing, 8017 Advanced Tie, 8038 Endor and the 10198 Tantive IV.

Love the Falcon and Destroyer Midi Scale ships - really hoping we get more of those scale sets. Some of the Clone Wars sets are great builds.

Ypres

Well my sets just sit in glass cabinets, where I try to dust them regularly so they don't get spiderwebs streaking across them. 90% of my collection is for display purposes so sets like Home One come off looking pretty nice. Sure for a little kid's play-factor the set leaves a lot to be desired... but I would've figured for the mainstream collector (here on brickset) the display types would be more popular!? LOL! Guess not.

rocao

They aren't making some really obvious sets that fans want: new Sandcrawler, Cantina, Jabba's Sail barge or Palace and Cloud City. These deserve to be remade

For me, your argument lost some merit if this is your solution for putting the theme back on track.

The community is divided about whether they like rehashes, but most would agree that if a set were reintroduced, it should be a redesign to improve upon the original. The Sandcrawler and Sail Barge were well received sets and are not in as dire need for a redesign as some other sets.

The community is also divided on whether or not they like scene sets, as there have been a number that were considered underwhelming (Home One, Ultimate Lightsaber Duel, even Cloud City). So I don't think a re-release of Mos Eisley Cantina, Jabba's Palace, and Cloud City are as obvious as you say.

So while you have some legitimate criticisms of the current sets (I'm not too impressed either), your solution just sounds like it's intended to help you acquire sets you missed:

I didn't really start buying a lot of SW until '09

Willhorner

I have to say I strongly disagree. I think they are doing very well with their current start wars sets. Not that your points are invalid, just that they add up to less that the sum of their parts in my opinion. yes the sets are expensive. but they aren't THAT much worse than normal lego, and in my mind, even at current prices the quality and replay-ability of lego sets dwarfs most other toys making the price acceptable. Add some of the special pieces and recognizable minifigs. and both kids and adults have reason to spend a little extra on these sets. I have a 5 year old and she and a number of friends play with our star wars set daily, and the home one set is one of the most used parts of the diorama, not because she pays that its docking with a command ship, but because its a set that allows her a setting in which to have the minifigs interact instead of just flying around in ships. and since its the characters of starwars that she loves, this is a huge part of her play method. as an adult i found the turbo tank to be a fantastic set, I also fount the recent slave 1 to be a great set. sure there are looser sets, but overall i don't find there are more or less good sets than in any other theme, and the characters and story of star wars make this theme a winner in my book. And my daughters :)

pantenkind

I can say as a collector who was in his dark ages during the sail barge and sandcrawler I would love reissues. I completely understand why there shouldnt be though. I will just pay the aftermarket tax and get them and they will mean that much more to me. I do have to agree about the new sets though. I missed alot of the early UCS sets so I was really looking forward to what would be next. I think that ssd is a big gray turd. I know thats just my opinion but honestly, look at it. Its big, yes, but its basically gray plates like others have mentioned. And honestly I wish lego would decide if it is a display piece or not. I cannot for a second fathom why they would include minifigs in a set unless its to scale. I mean how dumb is that? I know making that ship ti minifig scale would be impossible (but lets face it, cool as hell) so why even include them? Its a display piece plain and simple. And that stupid little compartment where you have the bridge or whatever just seems like they had some extra space and used it to justify the figs and extra price. I am looking forward to the falcon, again, because I missed the others and want one for my collection. The smaller sets are not bad its just their flagship sets are failing to hit the mark for me. Either put out new and well thought out sets or just stop and put your resources into other licenses. Thats just my opinion though...Im done ranting.

davee123

Wow, I'm amazed to look and see how much the Clone Wars sets killed my Star Wars buying habits:

1999 - 100% complete
2000 - 80% complete
2001 - 90% complete
2002 - 83% complete
2003 - 100% complete
2004 - 86% complete
2005 - 88% complete
2006 - 100% complete
2007 - 93% complete
2008 - 20% complete
2009 - 27% complete
2010 - 21% complete
2011 - 0% complete

I think it started with the fact that the Clone Wars began dominating the number of sets released, and I wasn't interested in buying any Clone Wars sets. I'd still buy the classic SW sets, just not the CW sets, and it made for a low percentage.

But now, after a few years of not bothering to even TRY buying the majority of SW sets, I find myself not even caring about the classic stuff anymore. I *was* buying re-releases and such-- I think maybe once I got into the habit of not buying "everything Star Wars", now I've switched to not caring about the stuff I probably would have otherwise purchased.

I'd probably buy more classic SW sets if they were new things we haven't seen before-- but that well is drying up pretty quickly. Rebel Transport, Ion Cannon, Rancor... maybe a Mon Cal cruiser or Medical Frigate? I dunno. I guess I'm mostly all Star-Wars'ed out as far as LEGO goes.

DaveE

Yellowcastle

Rebel transport! Yes, please. :o). As for recent CW sets, the new gunship was plain superb as was the MTT. Looking back at my old Classic sets, I can't imagine how anyone thinks they stand up to the newer sets, even the clone wars ones. I'm going to part them all out. Now, don't get me wrong, the new Echo base looks pretty bad to me too. But I will definitely be grabbing the new frigate and maul ship.

Legorunner

This is the reason why I don't like the Star Wars Lego due to difficulty of keep tracking of them. So therefore I don't have any SW Lego.

If it's a must, I would have to say Millennium Falcon is the only set worth acquiring for.

Lego_Lord_Mayorca

I'm not sure. Clearly, for me, Lego SW is heading too far in the "cutesy" direction for my tastes when it comes to minifigures and even set selection and design. The big things that I've always wanted, like a Republic Gunship, Sith Infiltrator, Millennium Falcon, X-wing, and UCS Star Destroyer, I already have or will soon have. Everything else is just remakes or filler (like that Dathomir speeder or that Bounty Hunter Gunship). My Lego SW habits have always been limited due in part to a greater fascination with BIONICLE for so many years. However, now that BIONICLE has been over for a year, I didn't see a huge spike in SW collecting. I'm not saying this is "THE END!" for me and SW Lego, but the trend is starting to move towards apathy and puzzlement over what Lego is offering. Of course, across all Lego themes currently available, the shocking realization may be building in my mind as I look over them with barest interest: I'm growing up. :(

Orthobotrex

I'm not an expert on anything concerning marketing, but I do believe AFOLs do not make up the majority of the marketshare for LEGO(R), as pointed out. Of course, that doesn't mean we should be left out.

But there will still be people who would buy those new sets because they always can do so. If you are a guy on a budget, you get to be discriminating and cautious, and that weighs down on each purchase. You always ask yourself if it is worth the money!

And we would always see some fan-made creations that just blow the mind and make us wish that it was an actual set. Though there are many that do come into reality, I bet the catch will still be the price tag.

As for me, I'm just happy that I don't feel the need to collect every set there is in my favorite theme.

drdavewatford

^ Last I heard, AFOLs made up 15% of LEGO sales. Significant, then, but far from being the target demographic.

princedraven

I have to add my name to the list.
I started off only buying SW sets, almost exclusively OT, then branched into CW, realised I couldnt relate so well to the CW sets and branched out to Modular's, Trains, HP, Kingdoms, etc and now looking at things like the UCS SSD I think 'yuck' how boring and grey.
As I said in the news section:
£350 for a huge grey 3152 piece monster (with 5 minifigs) that I would have to dismantle pretty quickly as it takes a stupid amount of space.
or
£353 for Fire Brigade, Grand Emporium AND Pet Shop, 6445 pieces (over double!) (with 11 minifigs, fire dog, fog, cat, parrots and fish) and will look awesome displayed.

Could still be tempted back, but would need to be by some more interesting sets: would love an UCS play set, like an UCS Jabba Palace or UCS Cloud City or even UCS Homestead. I know the UCS are more display models, but think if TLG offered bigger scale these could be awesome. Jabba's palace which is one of my favorite settings in the star wars saga is 231 peices for christ sake (and no Rancor!?!), they could easily make (and sell IMO) a set with 2-3 thousand peices and I would buy it in a heartbeat. And dont get me started on the Cantina!

prof1515

It's not just hard to be a Lego Star Wars fan, it's hard to be a Star Wars fan. Since 1997 (actually before if you take into account the Expanded Universe crud), everything Star Wars has been crap. The Special Editions took a sh*t on the original trilogy, the prequels made a laughing stock out of the Star Wars saga, the animated stuff entrenched it as a kiddie-only subject. Toss on the Expanded Universe which actually didn't expand the universe, just proved how thin and shallow it really was by recycling the same garbage over and over again.

Lego Star Wars was a good theme and still has potential but Lego has been milking it too much. They really need to stop with the revised versions of previous sets (Slave-1 and Snowspeeder, I'm talking about you) and finally give us those few sets that have been repeatedly ignored (bantha, rancor) or which could use a decent update (cloud car, cantina, Jabba's palace). Release those sets and then put an end to the theme.

Finally, they also need to cut the gimmicks. There used to be a distinct difference between System and UCS sets (even though the UCS X-Wing used the System R2, the ship itself was not minifigure or system scale). The addition of mini-figures to a few mini-figure scaled UCS sets (Falcon and Shuttle) was a nice touch but adding exclusive figures to the mix suggests that Lego knows the UCS doesn't have enough appeal on its own. The upcoming Super Star Destroyer seems to confirm that since the model isn't mini-figure scale or system scale.

Lego's designers used to produce good sets that were about building models (and rebuilding as different models) that were the result of the designers' and builders' creativity. The licensed theme sets have somewhat lost that aspect and the rising cost of these sets further limits the building potential of the sets.

So, I vote for letting the Star Wars license die. Well, I have been voting for that for a long time but, like many others in this thread have pointed out, the recent years have strengthened that position immensely.

StevenAshby

I have also really slowed down on my starwars buying as the latest sets havent interested me, i will however get some of the 2nd half 2011 sets as i missed them in the past ie the falcon. I think i must be the only person wanting the SSD and am a little confused as people want authentic classic sets and from memory this ship simply was a huge mass of grey in a dagger blade shape.

drdavewatford

Thing is, while the LEGO Star Wars franchise continues to be as lucrative as it is, LEGO will keep churning out the sets, potentially until the end of time itself...... What may change is the tendency of some of us to collect every set, however. I currently have all the sets, but my enthusiasm for keeping up to date has definitely diminished somewhat. My appetite for buying the 4th, 5th or 6th version of a particular ship is limited, as is my desire to buy LEGO versions of ships that I'm not familiar with because they appeared in one or two episodes of the Clone Wars TV series and that aren't interesting in their own right....

Another concern about the remakes is that many of them just aren't much better (if at all) than the previous version(s). Slave 1 is a case in point - the new version is IMHO not a meaningful step up from the 2 previous versions (visit :

http://www.gimmelego.blogspot.com/2010/09/deja-vu.html

if you want to read more of my musings on this topic).

I'll stay up to date until the end of 2011 and then take a view on the future. I suspect that I'll start 2012 with the intention of collecting every set, but whether I do so or not will depend to a significant extent on the quality of product. And would I care if the LEGO Star Wars theme was gracefully retired ? No, probably not.

princedraven

DrDave, does that mean you will be buying the UCS SSD?
If so will you be buying it because you want to or for 'completeness'?

drdavewatford

^ I will definitely be getting the UCS SSD; for me the UCS sets are probably my favourite aspect of the LEGO Star Wars theme, and if at some point I give up on the theme as a whole, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll still buy the UCS sets.

princedraven

Cool, do you build/display your sets, I assume not all of them unless you have the mother of all homes! If you do display them any chance of some photos?

drdavewatford

^ I build some of them, others stay MISB either because I just don't have time to build them or because they're just not that interesting but I bought them to keep my collection up to date....

Regarding pics, you can check out :
- my Flickr stream : http://www.flickr.com/photos/50821086@N08/ (hopefully that will work)
- my Blog : http://www.gimmelego.blogspot.com/
There are a number of blog entries dealing with Star Wars UCS sets including :
- http://www.gimmelego.blogspot.com/2010/09/monsters.html
- http://www.gimmelego.blogspot.com/2010/09/favourite-set-3-ultimate-collector.html
- http://www.gimmelego.blogspot.com/2010/10/its-old-code-but-it-checks-out.html
- http://www.gimmelego.blogspot.com/2011/03/lazy.html
Just have a poke around, and try clicking the "UCS" tag at the bottom of one of the above postings.

princedraven

Hey DrDave, just put 2 and 2 together!!!
(sorry for the offtopic!) Was at Westfield yesterday, and was admiring your City College.
Saw pictures before, but it looks better 'in the brick' :)
Lovely model fella, mentioned it to the guy who served me and he was saying about it being made by some guy ALL ON HIS OWN, with NO INSTRUCTIONS, so he was clearly impressed too :)
Snapped a quick pic (sorry about the quality) in case others hadnt seen it.

And quickly back to SW. I like your UCS Venator Star Destroyer, very nice. Cant quite put my finger on what it is that appeals but is a lot nicer than the official kit (IMO).

drdavewatford

Cheers, @princedraven - glad you liked my College MOC and managed to catch it before it finishes it's run in the store (I'll probably be picking it up in 1-2 weeks time).

Regarding the Venator, I can't take credit for that one I'm afraid - I bought a set of instructions and all the parts from someone on eBay. Cracking model, though - I agree it's much better than the LEGO version, although to be fair the official set is a playset rather than a display model. I wrote about the process of buying and building the Venator a couple of weeks back on the blog and there are a bunch more pics including build pics if you want to see more.

FYI there will be a large display of official and unofficial UCS Star Wars models as part of a bigger display by the Brickish Association at the National Space Centre in Leicester on 16th and 17th July. The Venator will be on display there. Expect to see a few more plugs for the display on Brickset and the forums as we get nearer to the date !!

bluishgrey

Regarding rocao's earlier comments, I don't think simply 'rehashing' sets I missed is the solution. There are a few sets I missed I would like to have, but I don't feel like they're worth the going price on places like Ebay and Bricklink. I would prefer to see them re-released by Lego, hopefully with improvements.

The Sailbarge and Sandcrawler were good sets and if I purchased them when they were new, I might not have any interest in seeing them re-released. I think they could be tweaked enough to justify a redo. But if they weren't, at the very least, a new Jabba with some printing on him would be a nice improvement. It would also be nice to get a set with some Jawas. I don't think the original Cantina set or Jabba's palace realized their full potential. IMO, they would definitely benefit from a well done redo. A nice sized Cantina with the band and the other creatures is something I've been waiting on for long time.

There are a lot of sets I missed however, that I have no desire to see remade and probably wouldn't buy them if they were. Personally, I don't really want a new Cloud City, but I have seen a lot of comments on other sites from people that do. I would prefer to see smaller individual sets that represent different scenes from CC; like a well designed Carbon Freezing Chamber.

The way I see it, I don't think they can continue to make PT or OT sets without some level of rehash. We can only hope that if they are going to continue to re-release previous sets, that they will be improved. If not then maybe it's time to call it quits. As far as prices - I don't mind shelling out for sets that I feel are worth it. It's just lately it feels like they have been producing some very mediocre stuff and asking a premium for it.

Yellowcastle

We'll all be completely hooked again the moment they release a Tattoine battlepack with Jawas and Tusken raiders. :o)

Agent_Debris

For me the sets have always been a bit hit or miss, Ive always loved Star Wars so when Lego started to produce the sets it was almost like a dream come true, so as much as I love to collect them I have only picked up a few over the years the last being the UCS Imperial Shuttle which though quite pricey is a very nice set indeed as is the new Slave1 though will agree it is not much different from the last one. As for the new Echo Base set it dose not offer much interest to me as a AFOL but would imagine if I was a child it would be high on my list. I do like the UCS SSD but at £350 it is very pricey so you would really have to want it.
Personally I hope Lego keep the licence for a few years yet and overall it has been a great line and probably brought a lot of us older Lego fans out of our dark ages!

drdavewatford

We'll all be completely hooked again the moment they release a Tattoine battlepack with Jawas and Tusken raiders. :o)

Too right - I wouldn't be able to resist a few of those however much of a "LEGO Star Wars" downer I might be on !

pantboy

FYI there will be a large display of official and unofficial UCS Star Wars models as part of a bigger display by the Brickish Association at the National Space Centre in Leicester on 16th and 17th July. The Venator will be on display there. Expect to see a few more plugs for the display on Brickset and the forums as we get nearer to the date !!

it was the brickish association display at national space centre in 2010 that got me back into lego in a big way, i was blown away by some of the displays, unfortunately i can't go this year though as it is the same weekend as my youngest sons birthday :(

as for lego star wars, i am a big fan of the original trilogy sets but i have never been into the clone wars stuff, that was until i started playing star wars 3 - the clone wars on the Wii, i can now feel a spending spree coming on.

brickbuster

Im with Slinger, back in the late '90s when the first Trillogy sets came out it was just amazing I picked up some of the sets like the Xwing and a few years later picked up some others cheap through Ebay but since the minifig phenomenon and Clone Wars They lost me. I track down better value sets.

bkpr

Speaking of better value* sets, my UCS Star Destroyer arrived today. It's unpacked and I'm gobsmacked — have no idea where to start. I've separated the technic pins out, and now it's time for a beer :S

I'm one of those 'there are only three Star Wars films' people, so you can guess where I stand on the Star Wars sets :)

* not sure if it's 'better' value at $1500 new. Mine was a partial original model completed by the eBay seller, so it's not 'proper', but it cost me a lot less than $1500.

Legoboy

^ You are going to love it. I remember when I first opened mine up 3 years ago, "What do I do now?" :o)

war44lock

I would like to see a Mon Calamari cruiser at some stage, either UCS (Awesome) or even done like the big Star Destroyer playset. Even better would be a Nebulon B Frigate. As a UCS model I could see the frigate looking very cool and interesting. They need to do something fresh and there are options for ships they havn't done yet. As far as I'm concerned things like Bounty Hunter Assault ship and T-6 Jedi Shuttle, don't exist.

SiE

The T-6 Jedi Shuttle is in the cartoon series quite often. The last series had about 5-6 episodes were it was present.

prof1515

I would like to see a Mon Calamari cruiser at some stage...

Home One isn't that far back so I doubt TLG will be returning though it would give them another excuse to crack out the Mon Calamari head mold. Of course, if that was a motivating factor, you think we'd have seen another set with Bib Fortuna by now.

war44lock

I don't mean a scene set like Home One I'd like to see a complete cruiser in some form or another. Its sometimes very hard to try to understand what does motivate them really, Home One was after all a fans choice winner so that gives them a good hint as to what might be wanted by buyers. I would have thought that was the point in asking the fans.

Willhorner

In response to the SSD being a big grey slab of brick.. what exactly did we expect? its a giant grey wedge. im not saying complexity wise it couldn't be better, but there are allot of complaints about it being flat and grey and well... in the movie its flat and grey.... and awesome.

princedraven

in the movie its flat and grey.... and awesome.

I get that and am a massive fan of the movies, but dont honestly think that something massive, flat and grey translates into a particularly appealing LEGO set. Especially with a £350 price tag. I kinda really want to want it, just dont, at all :(

pantenkind

^ well said...There are alot of things in different movies people like but would make a terrible lego set. This is a great case of just because you can does not mean you should.

Willhorner

^ Actually I totally agree. My point was simply, how else could a lego SSD turn out but large flat and grey. If you don't like it because of the lego model implementation that's fair enough (and there's allot not to love), but as its one of the sets asked for frequently on wish lists, and now substantially complained about, it leaves me asking, what were you expecting? (the figurative you not actually you)

bkpr

I guess everyone has their favourite ships from Star Wars — mine is the Imperial Star Destroyer (which I built yesterday). The SSD has great meaning and weight in Star Wars, but it doesn't appear that often, and as such it's not as iconic as the ISD. Much of the SSD action takes place inside and you don't get to see it flying about all that much.

The SSD is good to have as a collector piece, but I can't see it enticing too many people to plonk down a bunch of cash for it. To each their own I guess.

I'm almost tempted to say if it were even bigger, maybe getting close to 2 meters, it might *feel* more special; the centrepiece of any Lego Star Wars collection.

Legoboy

I'm almost tempted to say if it were even bigger, maybe getting close to 2 meters, it might *feel* more special; the centrepiece of any Lego Star Wars collection.

You must have an enormous house. :o)

bkpr

Heh. Didn't think of that.