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Are exclusives worth it?

johnsbricksjohnsbricks Member Posts: 210
edited August 2011 in Buying & Selling Topics
hi, I've seen this exclusive lego city set but it's a bit pricey

http://www.highlifeshop.com/p-2048-lego-private-jet.aspx

There are not many unique pieces. Anyone know whether lego city sets such as these are 'collectable'/worth investing?

Thanks.

Comments

  • MinifigsMeMinifigsMe Member Posts: 2,844
    I'm really not sure, but since personally I want to get all the planes I can for my plane (but not yet LEGO) obsessed husband, I'm grateful for the link. Postage appears to be £3.00 which is fairly reasonable. I think.
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    ^^ With respect to your "such as these" qualification, it is tough because I'm not sure there are many examples similar to this: airline catalog merchandise is overpriced across the board, and as you say, there are no unique parts. Most exclusive sets usually have exclusive parts.

    So instead, let's talk just about 7696. There is a demonstrable demand since Brickset shows "93 people own" while "573 people want" the set. Personally, I'd like the set and have asked a frequent BA traveler I know to keep an eye out for me, but I haven't gone through the trouble to procure it by any other means, and I would say my collecting urge is stronger than most.

    If I was in the UK, I'd probably buy it from the mentioned site for my personal collection, but in no circumstance do I think it's as good an investment opportunity as others.
  • datkiddedatkidde Member Posts: 108
    Oh wow, I'd like one of those. Too bad I'm in the US.
  • kylejohnson11kylejohnson11 Member Posts: 508
    @datkidde I know! It would look nice in my airport :)
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,755
    As coincidence would have it, I picked this set up last week on a long-haul BA flight and plan to post some pics and a brief review of it on my blog later this week. Apologies that despite my efforts I wasn't able to procure any extra copies of the set - they only had one on board.

    I'd agree with Roland - it's a nice little set and worth picking up if you have easy access, but it's not worth losing sleep over if you can't get hold of it.
  • DuchessaDuchessa Member Posts: 287
    edited August 2011
    I really like the Lego planes. And generally they are a good investment, since exclusive items tend to sell for lots of money a couple of years after they were available. So thanks for the link - I'll probably try to get one of the private jets :)

    If anyone's interested, I have two copies of 4032 for sale: one Lego Air version and one SAS version. Link:
    http://guide.lugnet.com/set/4032
    http://www.brickset.com/detail/?set=4032-1
  • bluemoosebluemoose Member Posts: 1,716
    If anyone's interested, I have two copies of 4032 for sale: one Lego Air version and one SAS version. Link:
    http://guide.lugnet.com/set/4032
    http://www.brickset.com/detail/?set=4032-1
    Ooh, I'll take them off your hands. Ta.
    Ian

  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    I've traded a few of these with people in the US, so they seem to be in demand over there, which is normally some kind of indication of value.
  • DuchessaDuchessa Member Posts: 287
    Ian: Send me a PM, and we'll work something out! :)

  • IstokgIstokg Member Posts: 2,363
    edited August 2011
    For those of you who like LEGO history... the first Airline related LEGO set was a SAS Scandinavian Airlines small boxed set of circa 1964-68. It was nothing more than a box of little boxes of basic bricks with the LEGO rainbow logo of that era on the box top. (Pics from "Chapter 12 - LEGO Promotional Sets" of my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide.) This was an "unnumbered" set.

    Enjoy!
  • DuchessaDuchessa Member Posts: 287
    Istokg: Thanks for the information and the pictures! I have some other Lego SAS items as well. They tend to be relatively easy for me to get hold of since I live in the northern parts of Sweden, and fly SAS very frequently. But I've never seen that set before!
  • jonboy2000jonboy2000 Member Posts: 259
    7696 plane was also available on the Thomas Cook flight I recently took to Canada (not sure if it's available on European flights) priced 15 pounds.
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,755
    edited August 2011
    Pics and a brief review of the 7696 Commuter Jet set is now up on my blog if anyone's interested to know what it actually looks like...

    http://gimmelego.blogspot.com/2011/08/every-cloud.html
  • Cam_n_StuCam_n_Stu Member Posts: 368
    Please can someone that has bought this online tell me if it ships in decent packaging?
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    ^ yep, it's perfectly fine packaging.
  • Cam_n_StuCam_n_Stu Member Posts: 368
    edited August 2011
    ^ Thanks, good to know!

    ^^^ Nice review DrD, I share your dislike of the large molded parts so I can accept the chunky look but to learn that hinges are not particularly functional as well as ugly looking is rather disappointing.
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,755
    edited August 2011
    ^ Yep - the side of the plane is suppose to lift up along with the roof, but it's all so fragile that it just falls apart when you try to access the interior ! Not good....

    Nice little set, though.
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    ^ This retired piece was always perfectly suited for the task:
    http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?itemType=P&itemNo=4625&in=S&v=1&oV=Y&srt=2&srtAsc=D
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,755
    ^ Dead right - that would have been much better than the heavy-duty hinges employed in 7696.
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    ^^ That piece is retired?!? Where do you find that info?
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    That style of hinge went out with the ark! Where have you been? ;)
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    I don't think there's any official public source of information on whether an element has been retired (or production mold no longer exists), but that part showed up in sets every year from 1985 to 2004 and hasn't been seen since... so it looks like it's gone.
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    I collect but rarely find time to build. :o) That piece was a cornerstone of my youth!
  • johnsbricksjohnsbricks Member Posts: 210
    Ok, I caved in and bought it....now I'm going have to track down all the other 'exclusive' planes that are available...
  • LegogeekLegogeek Member Posts: 714
    Good for you! ;o)
    I wish it more more readily available for us US residents.
  • MinifigsMeMinifigsMe Member Posts: 2,844
    lol! I caved too. I got 2, so any US peeps wanting one for cost (plus postage) in trades, let me know. Otherwise it's going on my bricklink store.
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,755
    I'm starting to think I should have joined the BA affiiate programme - at least one purchaser followed the link from my blog !

    Can't be many left in stock now - there were 23 yesterday, but we must be down to single figures by now....
  • johnsbricksjohnsbricks Member Posts: 210
    BA must be wondering why there is a sudden flux of purchases....
  • johnsbricksjohnsbricks Member Posts: 210
    saw this one 'exclusive' plane on bricklink (the first one)

    http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?pg=1&q=7688&sz=10&searchSort=P

    and it looks like a comparable price for these airline only planes but just can't understand why that seller has 90 sets to sell....is this anyone on here?
  • sirrich69sirrich69 Member Posts: 531
    @Dr Dave 13 when I looked 5 mins ago
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,755
    If I remember rightly, the availability of 7696 Commuter Jet was posted on Brickset a while back and members cleaned out the BA online store within an hour ! Clearly the "Brickset effect" is more powerful than the "Bricksetforum effect" if there are still 13 available 3 days after this thread was started....
  • prof1515prof1515 Member Posts: 1,550
    That's because the "brickset effect" is a self-aggrandizing myth. ;-)
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    By sheer numbers of registers users alone that is true, but the Brickset article was a front page article with photo, whereas this thread is merely a title and doesn't even mention any set in particular.

    I entertained the idea of asking one of you in the UK to purchase one for me, but since I just bought about twenty copies of 3181 Passenger Plane (for cheaper than the cost of the Private Jet!) any airport I build is already going to be quite full :P

  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    edited August 2011
    ^ Did I just read that right? You bought 20 Passenger planes that retails at $36 for a total of $720 for less than 1 Private Jet which converts to about $25. So you paid just over $1 for each 3181 set !! If I didn't know you better I'd ask for pictures or it didn't happen, but since it's you, I'll just say wow, I live in the wrong country for buying LEGO.
  • MinifigsMeMinifigsMe Member Posts: 2,844
    I'm guessing he means each one was less than the private jet - which is still a pretty good deal. God damn americans and their strong dollar :P!
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    ^ well you never know with some of the deals they've been getting in Walmart and Target recently!
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,755
    Have to confess I initially interpreted @Rocao's message in the same way that @atkinsar did; the alternative explanation is however significantly more plausible !
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    edited August 2011
    ^ Heh, sorry... I actually reworded it a couple times but I guess it still was confusing. Yeah, each 3181 was cheaper than the Private Jet; they were "only" 50% off, $19USD + tax.

    My best deal from the recent clearance was 7569 x 10 for $0.54 each (95% off).
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    edited August 2011
    ^ Oh man, I don't know whether I'm being fished in now, but I'm gonna bite anyway, you got 10 Trash Compactors for a total of $5.40 !!
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,755
    ^ If it was 95% off, the RRP had to have been a little over $10, so not the Trash Compactor then....
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    edited August 2011
    Dyslexia on my part. 7569 Desert Attack ... Fixed in my original post too
  • MatthewMatthew Administrator Posts: 3,714
    Surely you don't have room for all that *hint hint* ;-)
  • MinifigsMeMinifigsMe Member Posts: 2,844
    DAMN! that's good value. I need to get some trades going with @rocao...I want the horsey! *wonders if dairy milk is a good enough bribe*
  • MatthewMatthew Administrator Posts: 3,714
    Judging by my recent trades, I wouldn't advise sending chocolate to America, I don't think there would be much left ;-)
  • Si_UKNZSi_UKNZ Member Posts: 4,179
    Chocolate and lego in the same forum. Am I dreaming?
  • georgebjonesgeorgebjones Member Posts: 224
    Anytime I think I have a problem buying too much LEGO, I just stroll on over here and see that Roland has bought 100 times more than me. BTW @Rocao - was that desert attack from the KMart sales?
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    ^ It was from Target about a month ago when they were clearing out the Prince of Persia line. 7569 was sitting at the 50% off level for a long time. There were a lot of stock, they didn't appear to be moving, and I could check on them weekly because I play basketball near the location so I opted to wait.

    Finally the day that we all hope for in clearance hunting came when I scanned it and it said "product not found". I brought it to the team leader who scanned it with his hand scanner which brought up the last price in the system of $5.49, and said it should be 90% off that price :)
  • johnsbricksjohnsbricks Member Posts: 210
    For those interested in airline exclusives, there's a seller doing 7688 for £10 on ebay. Mine arrived today. Seems like a good deal for a non store available exclusive
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