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Final Nail in the coffin for Monster Fighters?

501501 Member Posts: 13
in Collecting
The entire Monster Fighters theme has been removed from [email protected]. All of the sets other than the Haunted House are now listed as "Retired product". The Haunted House itself is currently "Sold Out". I was really hoping for some more from this theme.
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Comments

  • mathewmathew Member Posts: 2,099
    edited September 2014
    Considering that it never received a second wave it's not surprising. My guess is that it was more popular with the AFOL crowd and not the general public.
    bobabricksbluemodern
  • binaryeyebinaryeye Member Posts: 1,831
    Except for Haunted House, the entire line was being clearanced by retailers this time last year. According to the info here at Brickset, everything except the Haunted House and the Hearse was gone from [email protected] by the end of last year. Haunted House stuck around until now because it was an exclusive.

    It was obvious this line wasn't coming back when Galaxy Squad was released.
    dougts
  • 501501 Member Posts: 13
    While it definitely came as no surprise its still sad to see such a great theme end.
    augen
  • EddieDoesntMindEddieDoesntMind Member Posts: 329
    edited September 2014
    Weird that was taken down, but Dino is still up.
  • piratemania7piratemania7 Member Posts: 2,146
    By virtue of the entire theme sub selection being removed/taken down I think the HH may in fact have passed to another world...

    From a technology perspective I dont know how easy or difficult it is to program the web page to "come back" if the set is yet again available in the warehouse, I mean, say they find a pallet of 25 HH, would it be worth it for them to renew the web page for MF just for this?

    They could update the labeling of course and remove MF and tag it simply as Hard to Find or Exclusive, but at the end of the day I think we have seen our time with HH.

    I also don't think TLG did this intentionally or not, I dont think they would be expected to throttle back in say April and "hold onto" stock until September/October, that would just seem too risky to me. I think this set had its natural course and thats that. If this was June and HH was gone I dont think we would be having this same discussion.
  • prevereprevere Member Posts: 2,923
    It so deserved a second wave...
    LegoboymargotLego_Star
  • CircleKCircleK Member Posts: 1,055
    binaryeye said:

    Except for Haunted House, the entire line was being clearanced by retailers this time last year. According to the info here at Brickset, everything except the Haunted House and the Hearse was gone from [email protected] by the end of last year. Haunted House stuck around until now because it was an exclusive.

    It was obvious this line wasn't coming back when Galaxy Squad was released.

    Yep. After it disappeared from [email protected] last year it did get a limited stay of execution though. The entire theme became a TRU exclusive around December of last year. There were several discussions about it on this forum at the time. It was really odd.

    I bought the castle at that time bc it sold out in my area long before the other sets were marked down. It was a great theme though and seemed to be really popular with the kids in my neck of woods. Some of my favorite figs came from that theme. There was so much potential there... I was shocked it didn't get a 2nd wave.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    There was also a discussion at the time about witch (!) characters could be done. I don't think there were enough to warrant another wavewave. It would be a shame to ruin a decent one and done theme by stretching it too long.
    Aanchir
  • oldtodd33oldtodd33 Member Posts: 2,696
    Lego running out of Haunted House right before Halloween is a nice bonus for the resellers though.
  • TinKnockerHimesTinKnockerHimes Member Posts: 76
    It was a very good theme, but glad it didnt catch on, couldnt afford another theme to buy each year...
  • DedgeckoDedgecko Member Posts: 798
    I'm sad I missed out on these. They seemed like a lot of fun.
  • yys4uyys4u Member Posts: 1,093
    I wish they would do with monster fighters what they do with the Holiday themed sets. Every year release one decent sized monster fighters set to coincide with Halloween, and maybe reveal 1 new monster and reuse some old ones or a variant of old ones. That way they wouldn't run out of monster ideas quickly.
    spiceminddougtstamamahmT_LarsRenegade007cjhchuckpbluemodernbricktuarybluemoose
  • koozkooz Member Posts: 158
    @yys4u, yep, been saying that since last Halloween when all we got was a lousy pumpkin. It would be great to get a new "haunted" location or monster every year.
    yys4utamamahm
  • juggles7juggles7 Member Posts: 451
    CCC said:

    There was also a discussion at the time about witch (!) characters could be done. I don't think there were enough to warrant another wavewave. It would be a shame to ruin a decent one and done theme by stretching it too long.

    You mean like Chima? Dumb retailers like WalMart keep stocking each new wave, seemingly blind to the other Chima sets clogging up their clearance aisle.

  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    I specifically stocked up on Monster Fighters, that way we have a new set every year to open... at least for a while. The Zombies, train, lab and Castle await us. That gives us 5 years of new sets, since I have a different Halloween set in mind for this year.

    Shpadoinkle
  • KiwiLegoMeisterKiwiLegoMeister Member Posts: 212
    Kinda glad I used some toyshop vouchers I had to buy my 2nd and 3rd haunted Houses. Awaiting a reincarnation as a super sized haunted house ....
    cheshirecat
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    I like the way we get MF style figures in the CMF series. We have had loads - vampire, monster, werewolf, bat, Jekyll / Hyde, mummy, witch, zombie, crazy scientist. Hopefully they will continue drip feeding them that way.

    Although apart from Bride of Frankenstein and Phantom of the Opera, I cannot think of much else that fits into classic / "soft" / camp Horror that we are missing. Maybe a Fly type character, or cat people but I'm not sure the latter would be recognizable as a horror character. I cannot see them moving away from cute style characters to anything more modern due to it being less kid friendly.
  • cheshirecatcheshirecat Member Posts: 5,331
    Glad I grabbed a HH at the last big discount, been sitting in the study waiting to be built mid october for a while now. Can't wait.
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    I'd love to see a classic bandaged face invisible man added to the CMFs as a soft horror character. Most of the other monster type characters id like to see would fit more in a fantasy line than a monster fighters type line. Centaurs, satyrs, etc which would be more mythology than horror so if they were used in the monster fighters line they wouldn't be the best representation of the creatures.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    edited September 2014
    ^^ I forgot to add, possibly a hunchback, although that would need a special neck/back attachment, a bit like a rucksack. Although here there may be political correctness issues about making slightly comical characters with deformities.
  • XefanXefan Member Posts: 1,148
    Monster fighters was a theme that my girlfriend loved, I think it was a fine example of a gender neutral theme that everyone could love.

    The haunted house was the first big set we got coming out of our dark ages a few years ago, and monster fighters was the first full theme we bagged. I have it displayed in a display cabinet in the living room (with the Ghostbuster car pulled up in front of it :)). It's definitely one of my favourite sets and I did buy a second HH earlier this year just because I loved it so much, I'm not really sure what I'll do with it because I don't resell, but mostly I figured if nothing else I'll stick it safely sealed away in the attic to dig it out in a decade or so and build it then :)

    I agree it's a shame to see it go but I can't see why it wouldn't come back in a few years as a core theme like castles, pirates, and so on?
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    I can't see it as a core theme, but I can see it getting repeated in a different guise, in the same way that Monster Fighters seems to be a remake of some of the old Studio sets (e.g #1380 : Werewolf Ambush, #1381 : Vampire's Crypt & #1382 : Scary Laboratory)

    pharmjodprevere
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Or, of course, if Lego ever picks up the license to Scooby Doo. After all, that is where the original inspiration for the theme came from.
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    ^Would all the monsters then need Chima style head pieces for unmasking? and would every set have a sound brick that said "I'd have got away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

    I may be assuming that Scooby Doo is still the same today as it's always been.
    RomanticWarriorAanchirricecakedougtsprevere
  • RomanticWarriorRomanticWarrior Member Posts: 248
    Sad to see Monster Fighters end but I think it was a good example of why some themes should be 'one (wave) and done.' I feel like a second wave would have been stretching it thin and not have been as interesting as the wave we got.
    TXLegoguyT_Lars
  • prevereprevere Member Posts: 2,923
    Maybe they'll consider a one-off playset like HH in the future that can be a generic Creator set, like a Witch's Castle or something like that.
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    ^ I could only wish, but I don't see it happening. :-(
    HH was one of the first sets I saw that I felt I absolutely had to have for me.
    T_Lars
  • T_LarsT_Lars Member Posts: 104
    So sad. I would have to say that HH is probably my all time favorite set. To me it has the perfect combination of detail and functionality. The clamshell design is simply brilliant at displaying the well detailed interior as opposed to modular designs were only one floor can be viewed at a time. Sand green was the perfect color option for that Munsters-esque campy vibe that the designers were obviously going for. I don't often get multiples of sets, but I did end up getting two of them and right now I wish that I had a third. This was the type of set that I dreamed TLG would produce when I was a kid, but I had to settle for police stations and pizzerias instead. This really does seem like the set that has something for everyone, as lots of people who didn't care for the Monster Fighters theme in general really appreciate it. Hopefully the trend of producing AFOL targeted sets within KFOL themes continues into the future.
    Buzzsaw
  • drlmiles1drlmiles1 Member Posts: 194
    HH is "out of stock, expected ship date 21 October" at [email protected](UK). I ordered one yesterday, and it now has the order status "backordered". If anyone in the UK wants one, it's possibly the last chance to get one...
  • cheshirecatcheshirecat Member Posts: 5,331
    Plenty left in UK stores apparently. If anyone particularly wants one and doesn't have a store near by let me know.
  • weaselkingweaselking Member Posts: 61
    CCC said:

    ...I cannot think of much else that fits into classic / "soft" / camp Horror that we are missing.

    I agree. I thought MF was a good one-time theme, like the Dino from 2012. You get them all with relative ease and you're done. Too many releases and you quickly move from innovative to "sheesh, another werewolf" sort of thing.
    Aanchir
  • DadDad Member Posts: 816
    cheshirecat said:

    Plenty left in UK stores apparently. If anyone particularly wants one and doesn't have a store near by let me know.

    I think they're running thin. Leeds don't even stock them and I think Manchester and Liverpool have less than 5. Can't speak for other stores.



  • AanchirAanchir Member Posts: 3,037
    weaselking said:

    CCC said:

    ...I cannot think of much else that fits into classic / "soft" / camp Horror that we are missing.

    I agree. I thought MF was a good one-time theme, like the Dino from 2012. You get them all with relative ease and you're done. Too many releases and you quickly move from innovative to "sheesh, another werewolf" sort of thing.
    Yes, I agree. It's possible that the theme could have lasted longer if it hadn't exhausted many of the most iconic monsters in its first wave. I've seen plenty of suggestions that could conceivably fit the theme, like a witch, a headless horseman, a ghost pirate, an evil robot, or a ghost knight. But without being balanced out by movie monsters as iconic as zombies, vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein's monster, these sorts of suggestions would not make for a year of sets that could truly measure up to the first.
  • jnorlundjnorlund Member Posts: 32
    yys4u said:

    I wish they would do with monster fighters what they do with the Holiday themed sets. Every year release one decent sized monster fighters set to coincide with Halloween, and maybe reveal 1 new monster and reuse some old ones or a variant of old ones. That way they wouldn't run out of monster ideas quickly.

    This is a good idea. Seems to me Halloween is a pretty popular holiday and could sustain one mid level set per year besides polybags, etc.
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,789
    CCC said:

    Or, of course, if Lego ever picks up the license to Scooby Doo. After all, that is where the original inspiration for the theme came from.

    Uhh, Pretty sure the old B&W movies about the monsters, and fighting them, occurred well before Scooby Doo. Especially when most of the 'monsters' in Scooby doo were creepy old guys looking to scam someone out of something.
  • dougtsdougts Member Posts: 4,110
    edited September 2014
    And they would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids!
    cheshirecat
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    madforLEGO said:

    CCC said:

    Or, of course, if Lego ever picks up the license to Scooby Doo. After all, that is where the original inspiration for the theme came from.

    Uhh, Pretty sure the old B&W movies about the monsters, and fighting them, occurred well before Scooby Doo. Especially when most of the 'monsters' in Scooby doo were creepy old guys looking to scam someone out of something.
    Yes, there were movies before Scooby Doo, but they were not the inspiration for Monster Fighters. Scooby Doo was...

    image
    LegoManiaccpharmjodprevereTechnicNickJessyDooDah
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    ^Damn, Ghost boar would have been cool, guess that it might have been too similar to having the LOTR Pirates ship at the same time though...plus those villagers would have been a nice addition. I wonder if we might get something like them for a CMF at some point.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    The villagers are fairly similar to the peasants in existing castle / kingdoms sets. I have a few that I used zombie heads on, they look good around HH. I'm glad they moved Medusa to CMF, as she doesn't really fit (being Greek mythology). The one I'd like to get is the evil spirit. She could still fit in the CMF line.
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    I know that the villagers are similar to those in some of the older lines, but seeing as there weren't any in the most recent castle line it'd make a nice addition to a CMF. A headless horseman is the only additional character I'd have really liked in a Monster Fighter's set, I can't see it working in A CMF, the horse would be a bit of a giveaway
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Not if it is a horseless headless horseman :-)
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    ^Might as well be a Horseless Headman in that case....try designing that TLG!
  • DedgeckoDedgecko Member Posts: 798
    A proper ghost ship would be rad!
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    I kind of hope that with Pirates coming out next year we might get some ghost pirates as part a CMF line
  • natro220natro220 Member Posts: 545
    Shib said:

    ^Damn, Ghost boar would have been cool, guess that it might have been too similar to having the LOTR Pirates ship at the same time though...plus those villagers would have been a nice addition. I wonder if we might get something like them for a CMF at some point.

    I kept looking for a ghost "boar"...thinking Yeah, a ghost piggy would be really cool! Then I realized you meant boat, I'm sure you can imagine my disappointment...
    BumblepantsShibnkx1RomanticWarriorbluemoose
  • BumblepantsBumblepants Member Posts: 7,634
    ^haha me too
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    That's it I am turning auto correct off on my iPad. I swear it changes words that are correct.
    natro220
  • cheshirecatcheshirecat Member Posts: 5,331
    Me three.
  • HokieJoe99HokieJoe99 Member Posts: 351
    Tell me more about this ghost boar.
  • Pitfall69Pitfall69 Member Posts: 11,454
    ^It is like the Sea Cow, except with Zombie Pirates on "boar"d.
    oldtodd33kor
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