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Cloud City

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  • ReliantReliant Member Posts: 68
    Has anyone bricklinked cloud city?
  • recordmanrecordman Member Posts: 44
    A little background. I've bought and sold records for over 30 years and was known up and down the East Coast. Then got into Hot Wheels and was known nationally. When Hot Wheels got totally insane I moved into Lego ( young sons motivated that move).

    For me, there is no Lego holy grail. I say that because it seems that anyone can get any set they want at almost anytime, from any era of Lego.

    To me, there really isn't anything that expensive where only a handful of collectors can afford them. Even at $3000 for a MF. There are a ton of MFs that change hands every week.

    To me, a grail piece is extremely hard to find, very very rare, and very expensive. There are literally thousands of redlines (Hot Wheels circa '68 - '77), single cars that cost thousands of dollars each. One of the rarest, a '68 VW rear loader Beach Bomb that sold for $70,000. Check out Ebay right now with the link below. There's one at the top of the list.

    Ebay Redline Auctions

    Every collector has his/her grail piece. So it's a truly personal thing. When the true collector finally captures their grail, it usually goes into a black hole collection never to be seen again.
  • mrtonytjmrtonytj Guest Posts: 214
    ^that is why, for me, the 9kt c3po is the only real grail. It is "almost" unobtainable.. being that there are only 5 on the planet and only one of them is "considering" selling for a price that would leave 99% of collectors in the dust..

    That is my definition of a grail.
  • Thanos75Thanos75 Member Posts: 1,120
    My first collecting love is and was comic books.....Once I had completed my main goals in that hobby I had a slump...then I discovered that you could actually find and buy the real art from the comics. That opened up an entire new world for me....and if you think Lego prices are high try buying some original comic book art. My collection is now over 300 pages...ranging from $20 pages to $6000 pages. Those are a true "grail" . One of a kind ,hand made art. Now, there are Lego sets that I would love to have and build....yes Cafe Corner and Green Grocer...I'm looking at you...but if I really really want one I can make it happen. I own pages that other people consider a grail that they will never own until i'm dead...and there are pages that I have no way of owning that are a grail to me.....but most things come down to money. To some people $100 to spend on a hobby is unthinkable and to others $1,000,000 is no big deal. So I guess my point is a grail is different to everyone.
    Dantos
  • mrtonytjmrtonytj Guest Posts: 214
    Thanos75 said:

    To some people $100 to spend on a hobby is unthinkable and to others $1,000,000 is no big deal. So I guess my point is a grail is different to everyone.

    That's a great way of putting it.
  • ufjasonufjason Member Posts: 23
    I'm giving an extra vote for Cloud City, there are fewer of them out there and the price jump from retail is much higher as a percentage. A quick look at eBay shows around 7 New Cloud Cities and at least three times that in UCS Falcons. The Falcon, though more expensive, is just too plentiful in the marketplace to be difficult to find. If you look at completed listings, the Falcon is moving many more times the volume. I know Cloud City is older but you can't always compare sets of the same age. If only I could have found more Cloud Cities at Tuesday Morning for $19.99!
  • Thanos75Thanos75 Member Posts: 1,120
    I have never thought about looking for Lego at Tuesday Morning. I live 5min from one. I might check it out in the morning. I have also heard that TJ Maxx has Lego sets from time to time....hmmmm
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    For me, price has nothing to do with it. A high price just means that more people want something than there are copies of it, and it is then a commodity.

    Grails are personal. A few years back, I wanted to get hold of a copy of a book written by my great grandfather. It took me about three years to eventually track one down. I think I paid about £20 for it in the end. It is not a well known book, or a well known author. Most people couldn't care less about it. It is probably still worth £10-20. But to me, getting hold of it was priceless.
    AnseltheCat
  • GothamConstructionCoGothamConstructionCo Member Posts: 805
    @CCC, What is the title or the author? If you don't mind me asking.
    I would be interested in looking it up.
  • 1x11x1 Member Posts: 143
    His name? It's J R Hartley.
    beegeedeeandheleego76
  • mountebankmountebank Member Posts: 1,237
    edited January 2013
    ha ha ha ha. ha.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    It was a book on Etruscan history. The author is a secret, as I'm still after another of his books.

    J R Hartley - "his" book is now of course easy to get hold of. And I don't think he looked that hard - all the shops he visited in the ad were in Cecil Court.
  • OldfanOldfan Member Posts: 706
    ufjason said:

    I'm giving an extra vote for Cloud City, there are fewer of them out there and the price jump from retail is much higher as a percentage. A quick look at eBay shows around 7 New Cloud Cities and at least three times that in UCS Falcons. The Falcon, though more expensive, is just too plentiful in the marketplace to be difficult to find. If you look at completed listings, the Falcon is moving many more times the volume. I know Cloud City is older but you can't always compare sets of the same age. If only I could have found more Cloud Cities at Tuesday Morning for $19.99!

    Careful: many of those UCS MF listings on ebay are scams...but yes, with the greater age of #10123 and the fact that so many Cloud City sets have been parted out for the minifig profits, the numbers of complete sets for sale are smaller right now.
  • ZacheranoZacherano Member Posts: 59
    Certainly minifigures are part of what makes Cloud City such an incredible model, but that's only part of it. What a beauty in design and piece selection!

    If you are going to rant on about the minifigures, nonetheless, there are few other sets with such an exclusive sort of selection - perhaps the best of any Star Wars set.

    Come to think of it, what really speaks to me in the Star Wars line for minifig selection is Palpatine's Arrest! Why has there been hardly any discussion of that set for having the best minifig selection of any Star Wars model, basically since Cloud City?!? Palpatine's Arrest is the only set with all four lightsaber colors and five of the figs are completely exclusive. All are Jedi/Sith and all have elaborate designs, many with back prints and double sided heads.

    Even Cloud City can't measure up to that. As a matter of fact, Boba Fett of Cloud City may be one of Lego's greatest experiments, but the new Boba Fett of Desert Skiff is not only more accurate, but more beautiful. Lando, however, I don't think can be beat in Cloud City; neither can Luke nor Leia.

    Thoughts?
  • y2joshy2josh Member Posts: 1,996
    ^The aftermarket for PT sets just isn't there, though I suppose it may be here in a few years when the majority of those movies' fans start hitting their late twenties, though they'd almost have to be coming out of their dark ages at the same time.

    Palpatine's Arrest and Cloud City do have two things in common, though. They're both way over-priced (at retail), and both are terrible, terrible sets.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    ^ I think that is a good point. People with money (us oldies) hardly even recognise PT as part of Star Wars. The SW we grew up with was the OT. I have the odd PT figure, but don't really collect them. Maybe there will be a good market for PT sets in 5-10 years time. But no doubt most will have been remade by then, and it is a long time to store sets with the hope of an increase.
  • NgclarkIVNgclarkIV Member Posts: 19
    @y2josh - I agree with CCC that you do make a valid point on PT vs OT sets but why so negative about other people's interests in sets? Sure you're not a fan of Palpatine's Arrest and Cloud City but why say that they are "terrible, terrible sets." Explain. I do not understand except for the part that you're a PT hater.

    I would also like to know what you'd consider a good Star Wars set that is not UCS.
  • RomanticWarriorRomanticWarrior Member Posts: 248
    Reliant said:

    Has anyone bricklinked cloud city?

    I don't know, but what really makes the price shoot up is the minifigs. Most of the pieces are pretty common...
    ..except the 'Light Gray Brick, Round Corner 16 x 16'

    The set contains four of them and the cheapest available on bricklink right now is $25.00 each! So, you probably wouldn't be getting anywhere trying to piece it together.
  • pvp3020pvp3020 Member Posts: 198
    @Reliant: Yes I Bricklinked Cloud City a couple of years ago. I got hold of almost all the parts no problem, for a reasonable price. The only (very) expensive bricks were the light grey 16x16 curved bricks. I paid $50 for a set of 4 from the US, as opposed to £25 each in the UK!

    I have to agree that the set isn't great, although my son loved it. But it's full of useful parts so not a total loss.

    BTW I didn't bother with the minifigs which kept the cost down!
    Titus
  • y2joshy2josh Member Posts: 1,996
    NgclarkIV said:

    @y2josh - I agree with CCC that you do make a valid point on PT vs OT sets but why so negative about other people's interests in sets? Sure you're not a fan of Palpatine's Arrest and Cloud City but why say that they are "terrible, terrible sets." Explain. I do not understand except for the part that you're a PT hater.

    I would also like to know what you'd consider a good Star Wars set that is not UCS.

    I neither "hate" the Prequel trilogy nor am being negative about other people's interests in sets, and I believe you'll find that the general consensus amongst LEGO SW fans is that Cloud City is one of the worst OT sets (possibly to be topped by the upcoming Khetanna).

    As to why I personally dislike Cloud City and Palpatine's Arrest, minifigs aside, they are simply poor sets all around from the standpoint of execution. Generally speaking, with the exception of 10188 and perhaps the modular Jabba's Palace sets, TLG doesn't seem very interested in even making an attempt to put as much detail into the handful of 'location' sets they offer versus the typically excellent ships they put out.

    But with Cloud City in particular, the main hall is okay and the carbon freezing chamber was neat for the time, but the maintenance catwalk really needed to be at least slightly elevated, and the landing platform is one of the laziest designs I've personally ever seen.

    This is not to say other people can't like or chase after these sets, but only why I personally don't care for them.
  • ReliantReliant Member Posts: 68
    RomanticWarrior said:

    Reliant said:

    Has anyone bricklinked cloud city?

    I don't know, but what really makes the price shoot up is the minifigs. Most of the pieces are pretty common...
    ..except the 'Light Gray Brick, Round Corner 16 x 16'

    The set contains four of them and the cheapest available on bricklink right now is $25.00 each! So, you probably wouldn't be getting anywhere trying to piece it together.
    Dang would probably have to figure a way around that.
    pvp3020 said:

    @Reliant: Yes I Bricklinked Cloud City a couple of years ago. I got hold of almost all the parts no problem, for a reasonable price. The only (very) expensive bricks were the light grey 16x16 curved bricks. I paid $50 for a set of 4 from the US, as opposed to £25 each in the UK!

    I have to agree that the set isn't great, although my son loved it. But it's full of useful parts so not a total loss.

    BTW I didn't bother with the minifigs which kept the cost down!

    Cool! What were you looking at cost wise with out the 4 curved pices. I agree with the play value. I think my son would like this set as a pit stop place along the way to the death star :)

    Titus
  • pvp3020pvp3020 Member Posts: 198
    ^ Difficult to say as I was BL'ing several other large models at the same time. Looking back through the orders I think it was probably around £70-£80. I did sub a couple of expensive/difficult to find parts.
  • TwoRiderTwoRider Member Posts: 27
    If Cloud City was remade in the style of the DS playset, I would dump the 2003 version in a heartbeat. I thought CC and Ultimate Lightsaber Duel were cool sets when I first got them, but over the years I've come to realize just how poorly they were executed. And I absolutely loathe the light-up lightsabers.
  • monkey_roomonkey_roo Member Posts: 1,411
    ^ big call there.
    I would say if a new cloud city was made similar to the current DS (I hope they do) it will have no impact on the older cloud city price. Essential they will be totally different models with different figures (or version of figures) so to collectors and completist there is no change. I would need to verify the figures but I don't think there has been much change in the 2003 Jabbas palace sets since the new version came out as an example.
    The only way I see a new set impacting the older is if it is a straight re-release or an updated version that is so close to the first that lego are almost selling both at the same time
  • LegofanscottLegofanscott Member Posts: 622
    It amazes me how much people are willing to pay for sets such as cloud city, UCS sets yes but a playset? :\
  • hoyatableshoyatables Member Posts: 873
    So if they were to do an "ultimate" DS-style Cloud City what would it look like? I'm thinking a long flat one or two-level circle roughly shaped like the city in the movie and hopefully elevated (though that would be structurally challenging) with the following features/locations:

    - landing platform large enough to hold Slave I (depending on scale may warrant a mii Slave I
    - dining room
    - carbon freeze chamber
    - duel room (both the room where the glass breaks and the gantry over the shaft/pit)
    - opening exhaust shaft and weather vane on bottom for Luke to hang onto (hopefully connected to the shaft mentioned above)
    - conveyor belt room with ugnaughts
    - corridors
    - torture chamber
    - bed room (opt and only if needed to balance out space - would rather have more detail in larger rooms and connecting corridors)

    To elevate, they might have to do two levels and make it a little boxier than the actual city but that is okay.

    If they went modular, they could do a top level with the landing platform, dining room, conveyor belt room and torture chamber and then a bottom level with the carbon freeze chamber, duel room,and gantry.

    Minifigs: Lando, Bespin Leia, Bespin Luke, Han (no jacket, and with carbon freeze), Chewie with "backpack threepio", R2, Vader, 2 Bespin guards, Lobot, 2 stormies, Boba Fett, 2 ugnaughts

    And with it, release new cloud car with pilot
  • monkey_roomonkey_roo Member Posts: 1,411
    I think something similar to the current DS would work well, cylindrical with a jut for the landing pad rather than spherical line the DS, multiple levels would be good.
  • prof1515prof1515 Member Posts: 1,550
    Corridors are wasted space and I doubt Lego would bother and the bed room is equally unnecessary. The torture chamber would also be nixed for obvious reasons. The exhaust shaft would be another empty space with little to no play potential and next to impossible to create since it's below the model. Realistically, Cloud City as it exists now with some refinements and possibly the addition of the "junk pile" room is probably the best that can be both realistically hoped for and achieved.
  • ZacheranoZacherano Member Posts: 59
    @hoyatables and everyone else:

    I do like the idea of a DS-style Cloud City, especially this...
    hoyatables said:


    - duel room (both the room where the glass breaks and the gantry over the shaft/pit)
    - opening exhaust shaft and weather vane on bottom for Luke to hang onto (hopefully connected to the shaft mentioned above)
    - conveyor belt room with ugnaughts

    I could not have said it better myself! There are certain awesome aspects of Cloud City that Lego has hardly considered in much detail. I would love to see a Lego Ugnaught. These also permeate the entire SW chronology, including SWTOR. Those engineers are crafty and devious. I would enjoy building this and adding them to MOCs.
    Titus
  • y2joshy2josh Member Posts: 1,996
    prof1515 said:

    Corridors are wasted space and I doubt Lego would bother and the bed room is equally unnecessary. The torture chamber would also be nixed for obvious reasons. The exhaust shaft would be another empty space with little to no play potential and next to impossible to create since it's below the model. Realistically, Cloud City as it exists now with some refinements and possibly the addition of the "junk pile" room is probably the best that can be both realistically hoped for and achieved.

    I agree with almost all of this except for the exhaust shaft (and maybe we're talking about two different things here), but the maintenance catwalk NEEDS to be suspended over something, so I think the exhaust shaft should still exist, though not, obviously, to the extent it was represented in the movie. This is why, to me, a two story structure makes more sense, even though you wouldn't even be able to come close to achieving anything that came close to resembling the layout of the "real" structure (this didn't stop them with the Death Star, so not a big concern).
  • mathewmathew Member Posts: 2,099
    Maybe something like the SSD where you have a really detailed microbuild exterior that opens up to reveal a minifig scale diorama of the carbonite chamber and lightsaber duel.
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    I'm with @y2josh - Cloud City was atrocious. I had many an opportunity to get it but passed every time. At least Home One and Echo Base had nice figs.
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    ^ troll! :P
    y2josh
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    :o)
  • mrtonytjmrtonytj Guest Posts: 214
    mathew said:

    Maybe something like the SSD where you have a really detailed microbuild exterior that opens up to reveal a minifig scale diorama of the carbonite chamber and lightsaber duel.

    I think that would probably be the best way to satisfy everyone.
  • cardgeniuscardgenius Member Posts: 153
    I wouldnt consider it THE Holy Grail for Star Wars Legos but its a definite must have for any Lego Star Wars collection. Same with the UCS Millennium Falcon.

    I think this set is just as plain as some of the others like it, Hoth Echo Base, Home One, Battle of Endor, Palpatines Arrest ect. You basically buy it for the Minifigures.
  • ZacheranoZacherano Member Posts: 59
    @cardgenius and all

    I understand and agree with your overall sentiments, but I have to disagree with your examples. You cannot compare those first three to Palpatine's Arrest and Cloud City. I agree with y2josh that CC and PA are not first-rate sets, though each has definite merits (and I love the color scheme of PA, as well as the rarity of simply having Lego produce a SW set that is not a vehicle).

    The other three, however, are superior OT models that are worth more than their minifigs. Home One and Battle of Endor are certainly some of Lego's best models, period. Feel free to argue with me, but they are first rate playsets with great piece selections, far beyond the figs, which are, of course, excellent as well.

    If you speak of the 2013 Echo Base, I have to admit that I am far from impressed - this does seem much like a glorified, larger battle pack. Regardless, Lego's designers possess the skill to make some phenomenal venue-oriented sets. If only SW had architecture of the kind that Lego could more easily replicate with beauty, like Gotham City's Arkham Asylum.... Perhaps Lego might draw on EU for SW fans like me, but that might alienate TLG's primary audiences.
  • OldfanOldfan Member Posts: 706
    ^I think that the SW universe has some excellent architectural examples that would look great rendered as sets, but the brick count could be so high that no one save the ultra-fans could buy them. DS #10188 is the best example of what seems to be minimally acceptable to the AFOL crowd; almost any SW building/area from CC to Ewok Village to Theed Palace (yes, and even Palpatine's/Chancellor's office/Senate complex) encompass huge areas similar in scale to the DS that, to render completely, would be at least 3k-4k pieces. While I know that most of us on these forums would buy multiple 10xxx-series buildings every year if they were offered (can you image a "SW Modular Building" series?), the general public buys a lot more $100 sets than $400 sets.

    LEGO has always had diorama-style buildings throughout all themes, especially space/fantasy themes (who really believes that #6970 is a complete space base "as built"?), and they count on the imaginations of the kids (young and old) to fill in the blanks during use. Master MOCers can create the most realistic buildings with 10k+ brick counts that are completely faithful to the SW movies' scenery, but I think we all know that those scale sets will never be available for purchase from LEGO.

    SW ships are much easier to faithfully replicate in the brick for sub-$100 price points, so we'll always have very realistic ships and vignette-style building sets for the theme. And that's fine with me!
    pvancil27
  • pvancil27pvancil27 Member Posts: 588
    Well said Oldfan. The sets like CC/PA/Battle of Endor were about as nice as they could be for reasonable piece counts and their production date. Yea the Endor Bunker should have been bigger but it was nicely done for what it was.
  • jasorjasor Member Posts: 839
    I BL'd CC, sans the round corners, and that set has heart. It's not a shining star in looks completely...but it does have fun elements in all three diaramas. I just wanted to see what the build was...and it took me back to Lego builds how they used to be. It was pretty enjoyable. I dont know that the set would be a "holy grail," but it DEFINITELY had playability.

    PA suffers from design for playability as well.
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