LEGO Lone Ranger Sets: An Investment "Block"buster?

With the recent disappointment of Pirates of the Caribbean and Price of Persia LEGO themes, are we looking at another flop theme when seeing the Lone Ranger? Not to say that the POTC sets weren't well designed and put together, but the overall popularity of the fourth movie didn't have the same appeal as say the first movie. The Lone Ranger is out in theaters and with that we have seen the LEGO Lone Ranger sets out on the shelves. I personally have put together three of these sets and I am very impressed by them. In 2002, LEGO had a theme out called "Western" and it has done very well in the secondary market and overall seemed to be a very popular theme. So why hasn't The Lego Group introduced more Westernized themes? That's a great question and I'm sure someone at the wonderful Lego Group has an answer but it's definitely a riddle for me. What we do have though is The Lone Ranger.

Let's take a look at the available Lone Ranger LEGO sets:

I didn't grow up watching The Lone Ranger and I have no idea regarding anything of the show. I've never read any of the books, seen the television show or played with any of the toys. I absolutely know nothing of the character. What I do know is that the six LEGO sets released a couple of months ago are brilliant. It's the closet "Western" theme since 2002 and I personally believe it's going to have a lot of potential. But what kind of potential can we see from this? If the movie flops at the box office we may not see much movement in the sets after retirement. At least that is what we have come to know with the recent movie related sets that haven't done well. One thing that stands out about The Lone Ranger sets though is the look and feel of them. LEGO has put out plenty of Pirate related merchandise. Prince of Persia was just lame(sorry) and Indiana Jones actually did quite well in the secondary market because the sets were well designed, very interesting and had some value to them. Like Dr. Jones, I feel Tonto and the Lone Ranger are going to have some value to them as well.

I'm going to break down each and every one of these sets from the smallest to the largest and share my opinion why these are going to be some sleeper sets. Every investor is going to want to have their hands on these sets after retirement. At least that is what I'm telling myself! So, before you come take a journey with me I just want to reiterate that when making an investment choice please, please, please do your own research! Don't take the word of others, especially people like myself whom you have never met before. I'm no expert, I'll be the first to say it. I'm not a Lego investor veteran either. What I do know how to do is read numbers and see patterns and that is what I have done with every single Lego investment I have made. And folks, so far it's turning out pretty well! So sit back, put your bandana on and come take a ride with me through the wicked wild wild west!

The first set we are going to dive into is the 79106 Cavalry Builder Set. This is one of my favorites of the theme and the first one that I bought. It is also the set that has built me over fifty eBay feedback in the last two weeks just by buying the set, breaking it down and selling it individually. First though let us take a look at what's included.

• Four Mini-Figures
  • ​The Lone Ranger
  • Three Cavalry Men
• A White Horse(Silver)
• A Cannon(Works very well too!)
• A camp fire with a pot and pan
• A small fort wall with a flag
• A half dozen of weapons.

This little $13.00 set really packs a punch here! I typically sell The Lone Ranger figure for about 3 bucks plus shipping. The Cavalry Figures get me about 9 bucks plus shipping. Silver has constantly been selling for around $2.00-$2.50 and the Cannon yields $2.00. The camp fire I sold for 25 cents plus shipping, the weapons were included with the figures and the small fort wall's I haven't been able to move yet. So about $16.25 (before fees) plus I charge a flat rate of $2.98 for shipping. It costs $1.69 to ship each item and the rest helps cover the bubble mailer and time spent. The profit is very small, in-fact there really isn't much. But, I'm getting positive feedback for free! Some buyers will take a loss to earn feedback for small items, and that's not a good business practice. Don't buy your feedback, earn it and if you want to be a LEGO businessman you need to have LEGO sales!

So, we can see that this set has some good value in it even though it has an extremely high price per piece ratio. But what of the potential growth in the set? Out of this entire theme, three sets really catch my eye and those three are the ones I feel will do the best. This set, stagecoach and the train. This little pack is similar to the Star Wars battle packs. I have a feeling a year after retirement this set is going to easily double in value and hopefully continue to increase to around $26-$28 at it's peak.

The Cavalry men alone can be used to create one hell of a scene later down the road when people realize that they can start building one. Collectors are going to wish they had purchased these retail but they will be left to the secondary market. As an investor, you're going to be the one that wants to be there for them in their time of need.

Overall, I rate this set a big 10! It's the first set I have given a ten too! It has so much potential, it's already yielding profits now, eventually it will catch a discount and that will leave you with no more excuses to pick this up! When the time comes, my man-closet will be holding a small stock pile of these for sure!

The second set up is 79107 The Comanche Camp. I have actually participated in building this set but we do not own it. I will say right off the bat that the tent doesn't securely stay down that well, at least it didn't for us. Here is what is included with this nifty set though:

• Three Mini-Figures
  • ​Tonto(Really cool head piece with the bird on top)
  • The Lone Ranger
  • Red Knee(Another very unique head piece)
• Tent
• Campfire with fish
• Few Weapons
• A Canoe and Row

This is another set that has the potential to be broken down and re-sold. Quite a few of these pieces are already selling on eBay and yielding some fine results. By the looks of it a couple bucks profit could be made and potentially 7 feedback opportunities. It's worth it to add free shipping and 1 day handling time In order to get the 20% off discount. This will save you quite a bit of money down the line when you want to off-load that pallet of $100.00 Helms Deep sets you just stocked up on. So keep that in mind!

The set is pretty neat and definitely fits the age group. The Indian theme is really cool and have a couple of tents in your collection would be nice so as a collector I could see why someone would want to own this set. To me, this set is priced a little high, not to say $20.00 is high but I feel like we all will have the chance to grab this in the $15-$17.00 range soon enough. So be patient! Patience is the key with all Lego investments, remember that!

As far as overall growth of this set I don't see it doing as well as some of the others, but I do see it performing well enough to invest in. When the price drops, grab a handful of these and sit on them until the appropriate time. I'll grab at least ten and won't feel bad doing so!

Next up we have 78108 Stagecoach Escape. This set is very cool and it was also the one that I personally wanted to get the most out of the theme. It's the first time I have seen a Lego stagecoach and it's very cool once built too! I think the fact that the is the only (could be an older stagecoach from the western theme) recent Stagecoach set out that it will hold value just on that. It's built well and holds together, I thought the wheels would come off easily; however, it's the exact opposite. I can barely get the wheels off! Included in this set:

• Five Mini-Figures
  • ​Lone Ranger(which can be found in 3 other sets)
  • Tonto(which can also be found in 3 other sets)
  • Red Harrington(A unique figure to this set! Very cool design with one white leg and one red)
  • Jesus(A unique figure to this set! Has a brown cowboy hat and red bandana)
  • Barrett(A unique figure to this set as well! Has a cool chest piece)
• Two Black Horses
• Some accessories, including a letter and a wheel handle to turn the chest open and a silver bar

Overall, this set has a lot of potential. With three unique figures, a really well built stagecoach and the perfect addition to the The Lone Ranger Theme I think we will see some good profits here. When it comes to thinking of a westernized world the first few things that come to mind are cowboys, Indians, horses and stagecoaches. This is an iconic piece and will help drive prices up. Who wouldn't want a stagecoach in their collection?

79109 Colby City Showdown is next on our list. I haven't seen this set built in person yet so all of my evaluations are from the help of Google. Included in this set we get two buildings a small wagon and five mini-figures. The two buildings are a Bank and a Sheriff's station. Overall the buildings are very cool and would be a excellent addition to any Lego city constructed. On top of the Sheriff's building the wall folds down and a cannon can shoot off little pieces. I love these cannons, they are a lot of fun. The bank isn't quite as detailed on the outside as the Sheriff's station but there is a lot to offer from the inside. A small vault with Lego money bricks is a nice touch. Inside the Sheriff's station we get a small cell that opens and closes. Here's whats included in this 587 piece set:

• 5 Mini-figures
  • ​The Lone Ranger(which is available in the four sets)
  • Tonto(whom is available in three sets)
  • Dan Reid(which is a unique figure included only In this set)
  • Frank(another unique figure that's included only in this set)
  • Ray(yet another unique figure included in this set...whom happens to wear a cool bowler hat)
• Some of the accessories include: a brown box, cannon, ladder, green money bricks, dynamite,barrel, a small key, a plump brown sack, handcuffs, a small bush and a bottle.

This set definitely offers quite a bit of little things that really help make it a nice set overall. I don't personally own this set but I think beyond the three that I do own this will be my fourth. Also, I think this has quite a bit of potential for future growth. Buildings usually do very well and especially when the set includes multiple buildings. This set In particular includes two pretty cool looking designs that have some function and overall curb appeal to them! Add in the three mini-figures and you are looking at a real winner here!

Next up on our list is 79110 Silver Mine Shootout. With 644 pieces this little set is a decent size. I recently saw it put together at my local Lego Store. Retails for $69.99 which makes it about 10 cents a piece. Not too shabby. From what I could tell the overall look of this was pretty neat. The tan, brown and grey blocks really help construct the mine. The rail in the middle is pretty cool and the water entrance on the left hand side was a very nice touch! Here's what's included:

• Five Mini-figures
  • ​Chief Big Bear(A unique figure to this set, looks really neat. Absolutely love the headpiece with the hair coming down in the front.)
  • Butch Cavendish(Awesome looking mini-figure that is unique to this set. Slick black hat with a neat design of a suit on the mid section and legs. Has long hair as well.)
  • Kyle(Also appears only in this set, has a red bandana attached and a brown hat.)
  • The Lone Ranger(In a new outfit. He is wearing his Mine Outfit which makes it unique as well!)
  • Tonto(Also in a new outfit, the mine one. Unique as well)
• Accessories included are: longhorn skull, a "Keep out" sign, small barrel, window shutters, a piece that resembles water falling, a ladder, a dozen weapons and a neat pulley system

As previously explained this little mine is a pretty good size, much bigger than I had imagined when I first saw pictures of it. There is a lot to do and a lot going on at the same time. I feel that this was a really good design on Lego's part. This could easily be complimented with some of the other sets especially the Colby City Showdown. With five unique mini-figures the worth of this set could really grow into something worthwhile. My advice is keep a close eye on this one and if it dips below 30% try and scoop up as many as possible. If this scene becomes a crucial part of the movie it may change the overall value of the set as well.

The last set we will be looking at is one of the more important ones. The set I feel will likely have the most potential and the best growth. That is 79111 Constitution Train Chase. This set provides us with one awesome looking train and a good amount of track to let it ride on. We also get quite a few mini-figures and accessories. I feel its priced right because it's a train. The price per piece ratio is a little high compared to some of the other sets at 14 cents each. But if you aren't absolutely sure which Lone Ranger set to invest in, pick this one! Here's why:

• 7 Mini Figures
  • ​The Lone Ranger(found in other sets)
  • Tonto(found in other sets)
  • Rebecca Reid(unique to this set)
  • Danny Reid (unique to this set)
  • Butch Cavendish(Has a different outfit making it unique)
  • Latham Cole(Unique to this set)
  • Captain Fuller(Unique to this set)
• 16 Curved Tracks
• 4 Straight Track
• One hell of a train
• A Gatling Gun!
• Horse, Barrel, a handful of accessories and weapons. Do yourself a favor and pick this up!

This is probably the first Gatling Lego gun I have seen! That alone may drive some extra worth into this. Some of the other weapons include a rifle, sword, slingshot and revolvers. There are lots of little pieces that really help make this set what it is. The locomotive though is very authentic looking, very detailed and can easily be displayed. I absolutely love it and we purchased this to own. I don't foresee this dropping in price much unless you can catch it on some kind of sale. My advice is you can't go wrong with this piece. Pick up a dozen, hell two dozen and you will double your money back easily. Trains never fail in the Lego world, people love Lego trains plain and simple. Do some research and deep dive into the locomotive sets and you will find this out yourself. What makes this train so unique is the age that it represents. It's very much detailed and presentable, I have had many of my friends ask me about it. We currently have it displayed in my office. Don't waste anytime, pick this up now!

So, we have taken a close look at each and every set in The Lone Ranger minus the small polybags which haven't been discussed. The overall consensus that I have found is that this theme has some true potential. The movie really needs to succeed though and help win the audience and children over to go buy these sets. Some of the sets will sell regardless like the Locomotive one and the Cavalry Builder set. But others will truly rely on the movie for their sales. I'm not sure how the film will do and I'm not convinced of the idea yet but I will say The Lego Group has produced six wonderful sets that are all very detailed and very well put together. Whoever thought these up were geniuses. My kid loves them, I love them, and everyone overall loves them. While the theme may be a hit or miss the sets included are golden. They can hold up on their own and that alone show profits in my eyes. Give it some time, see how the audience rates the movie and then start planning out your investment strategy. My advice, grab a lot of the train chases and Cavalry Builder sets and a handful of the Stagecoaches and you won't go wrong.

I hope you enjoyed our little trip through the Lone Ranger theme taking us back to the Wild Wild West. I also hope that what I have provided above will help you make the right decision when the time comes. What we have here is a very unique theme with a lot of "first timer" sets and pieces. There are some iconic pieces that will really be wanted later on in life, especially that Stagecoach. Not to mention, every army needs some cannons and you can never have too many Gatling Guns! Hi Ho Silver-O I hope you enjoyed the show!