Rereleases and the Completionist

TheSingingLegoman

With, the rerelease of the Millennium Falcon as well as the just announced Taj Mahal, I've been starting to wonder this. 

If you're a collector and a completionist would you still go and buy the original even if the market prices are insane. Or, would you just by the parts that didn't come with the new model such as the old instructions and box.

Im a UCS completionist and Im planning on buying the new Falcon, but I don't have the original as well, which tears me, because I feel like I should get the original at some point, but the expense is terribly high.

What are your thoughts?

TheSingingLegoman

Same goes for the new Death Star, though I have the original version...

SumoLego

As I am definitely a completionist, whether something is a re-release doesn't really bother me.  It just needs to have all of the correct pedigree.

(Which is why when certain sets are described as UCS, but are not actually UCS sets really drives me nuts.  The TIE Fighter Collection is not a UCS set, despite what a vaguely worded promotional marketing poster may indicate.)

Possession of the collected item is what creates the satisfaction of having 'everything', not what the item actually is.  (Atleast that's how it works for me.)

As a recovering Buzz Lightyear collector, every piece in the collection was literally the same thing.  Sometimes there was variation in the mold and design, sometimes not.  But if it was in different packaging, I had to possess it.  

Folks collect Hess Trucks, and I really don't see much variation in their yearly offering.

It secretly bothers me that I don't have a First Edition UCS MF, because I want that silly Certificate of Authenticity.  But I was in a pseudo-Dark Ages at the time and didn't notice mine was the pedestrian version.  

To answer the question - yes!  You must possess all versions (including re-releases), to have a complete collection.

akunthita

SumoLego said:

To answer the question - yes!  You must possess all versions (including re-releases), to have a complete collection.

You, completionist people, scare me. :D

CCC

TheSingingLegoman said:

If you're a collector and a completionist would you still go and buy the original even if the market prices are insane.

I agree with sumolego here, the answer to this must be yes. If the completist collector didn't have the original then they are not a completist, by definition.

RogerKirk

Re-releases are new technically new sets - new numbers, new packaging. So for completion, you need them.

SumoLego

CCC said:
I agree with sumolego here, the answer to this must be yes. If the completist collector didn't have the original then they are not a completist, by definition.

I take solace in being technically correct, by definition.

pharmjod

akunthita said:

You, completionist people, scare me. :D

They amuse me. The freedom that comes from not caring if you have everything is glorious. 

LusiferSam

To me a rerelease is a set that is identical or nearly identical to a previously released set. The Taj Mahal would be an example of a rereleased set. Sets based on the same source material are either new or updated in my opinion. The new UCS Millennium Falcon is clearly substantially different from the old UCS Millennium Falcon. As such it is not a rerelease. The Death Star is sort of in that in between spot. It’s similar enough it could be a rerelease, but also different enough to be an update. Personally I consider to be an update.

Now I agree with everyone else that to be complete that means everything. All versions and all set numbers whether it's a rerelease, an updated version or identical version of the set.

For my own personal collection I don’t feel the need to have everything to be complete. I see no point in my owning US and European versions of some 70s and early 80s sets. Their identical in all but set number. The same thing with poly bags from the 90s. There’s several sets that are identical other than their number and where they were released. Updated sets I am largely happy to consider adding to my collection. But they do actually need to be updates and not merely a rerelease.

Paperballpark

I'm kind-of a completionist. I collect the Modulars, and the Winter Village sets, and I have to have the sets which came out since I got back into Lego.

So for the Modulars, that handily discounts Cafe Corner, Market Street and Green Grocer (although I have BL'd the latter). It also discounts the original Winter Train, although I don't actually class that as truly a part of the Winter Village range anyway.

Yes, I do have both Toy Shops, although only the original is built.

Istokg

If you must have both the old as well as the new.... wait at least a year for the people who own the old one, and really want to sell it, to come down in price.  The old versions at the current prices don't yet reflect the reality that there's a new version out there.  That seems to take some time to work itself out.  

MaffyD

If the plastic is the same, I don't need two of them. Actually, even if the design of the brick is a little bit different/updated, I still don't need two of them (or more than the set needs, if it's more than two).

Printed bricks are exceptions.

SumoLego

pharmjod said:

akunthita said:

You, completionist people, scare me. :D

They amuse me. The freedom that comes from not caring if you have everything is glorious. 

More glorious - possessing a complete collection!

pharmjod

Whatever helps you get a good nights rest =)

CCC

A complete bed.

pharmjod

CCC said:

A complete bed.

Perfect!

FowlerBricks

I am not a completionist. My budget doesn't allow that. I only buy what truly interests me (unless it's an on-sale set. Then I'll buy it even if it wasn't on my want list)

Fauch

funny that people would call the UCS MF a "re-release". how many re-release have 2500 more pieces than the original?
maybe #10212 is a re-release of #7166 ?

meandonlyme

Wouldn't a true completitionist also want all the variants of a same set?

SumoLego

meandonlyme said:

Wouldn't a true completitionist also want all the variants of a same set?

Maybe - but you can draw the line at 'officially' released sets.  One is getting into the obtuse if one is running down box variants, or other types of variation.  (For instance - Tower Bridge boxes.)

There are seven variations of a certain Star Wars keychain.  (Same stock number, etc.)  Possessing one of them would suffice for a complete set.  (Although, I do have all of the variations, so I'm not sure if I could identify my collection as more complete!)

donutboy

It astounds me that anyone can have a complete collection of anything Lego related, considering the price of this stuff.
** Although, I've just realized, I've got a complete collection of Lone Ranger polybags.
COME ON

Fireheart

I am a completionist.. and maybe thats why the Taj Mahal re-release has niggled me.. I know I’m going to get it, but it also annoys me that the sets will be exactly the same (I have the original as well), and because of this I shouldn’t get it..

It also annoys me even more that LEGO know there are AFOL’s out there that are going to do this.. I can see the LEGO directors sitting in the board room laughing at the easy money they will make off us.. 

Farmer_John

It's just a matter of time before the Cafe Corner and Green Grocer are re-released...among others. I guess TLG just ran out of ideas. Either that or they laid off their creative people during their recent RIF.

If they re-release the modular Fire Station, I'm going to have to quit visiting this website. I just can't bear to go through another 5 years of speculation on when it will re-retire.

Pumpkin_3CK5

I thought you meant every set from a certain theme /line. For me, I consider a theme complete, minus having to have all the polybags and other con exclusives that are extremely hard to find.  I guess it just depends on how your ocd works.

But, as previously said, technically as a completist, you gotta get all of 'em!