Alpinemaps Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 10 hours ago, Huskers1236 said: I trust that they will find an appropriate location for them. I'm still mind-boggled by the price. I know the piece count, but you can rest assured almost all of them all small pieces such as tiles and small plates. The Haunted House was brought up as a "stand-alone" piece like this. What would you rather have? The HH at $180 during retail or this at $350? Not even close to me. Maybe I missed it, has there been a designer video yet? That will give a better perspective on how big this is, but I still figure it will fit right in with the modulars even if it is a bit deeper. It's not as cool as Fire Brigade and is twice the cost. Boo. I gotta admit, you make an excellent argument against this set. I'm still buying this, but you bring up a bunch of great points. Quote
Locutus001 Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 5 hours ago, Alpinemaps said: I gotta admit, you make an excellent argument against this set. I'm still buying this, but you bring up a bunch of great points. As a matter of fact I am sure that everybody is still buying this ^.^ Especially investors will be all like: I mean honestly: 350€ as price tag is high enough to make this not as affordable as many would like it to be, the theme is highly popular (with adults (nostalgia!!!) as well as with kids! that's my firm believe) and it's very very unlikely that LEGO will remake this. Buy 10 now, sell them later for at least double price. BAM! And buy 1 for yourself ;-) Quote
Crustybeaver Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 Buy 10 now? Apart from not being currently available that's possibly the worst piece of investing advice I've seen on this forum. Quote
Locutus001 Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Crustybeaver said: Buy 10 now? Apart from not being currently available that's possibly the worst piece of investing advice I've seen on this forum. Not my fault if you can't handle hyperbolic language :-P But I'm gonna add this link for you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole Also: With 1,109 posts currently I only can assume that you are member here for quite some time now... so possibly the worst piece of investing advice would probably have been something like this: "Buy Lone Ranger Sets and Prince of Persia they'll be winners!" ^.^ Edited October 29, 2015 by Locutus001 1 Quote
Crustybeaver Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 1 hour ago, Locutus001 said: possibly the worst piece of investing advice would probably have been something like this: "Buy Lone Ranger Sets and Prince of Persia they'll be winners!" ^.^ Nobody has ever said anything that ridiculous. 1 Quote
Ed Mack Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 At a starting point of $350, it has to hit some very high numbers to make it a big time winner. I just don't see people shelling out big money for a set that is not really iconic in any way besides piece count. Ghostbusters was a cute movie, but let's face it, it is no STAR WARS or LOTR or Harry Potter and its fan base is much smaller and less enthusiastic. It's my opinion the $350 might be best spent elsewhere, unless there is a short production run of this set. 3 Quote
iahawks550 Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 I would rather buy 7 Ecto's than 1 of these. Set looks awesome, but not at that price point. At least for investing.... 2 Quote
exciter1 Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 53 minutes ago, Crustybeaver said: Nobody has ever said anything that ridiculous. Believe us, it was said, several times. Maybe not in a serious manner, but it was said. I love the HQ, but not for a deep dive investment. There are several other big sets that I didn't care for as deep dive investments either and I'm not sorry for concluding this before retirement. 1 Quote
Locutus001 Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 (edited) 1 hour ago, Crustybeaver said: Nobody has ever said anything that ridiculous. I shouldn't need to point that out, but you are being ridiculously serious here and shouldn't take anything written in this forum as 100% serious facts. I sometimes like to write in exaggerated ways as do many others on this forum, that's my point. Investing into this set is still something I am serious about though, even if the "Buy now! At least 10!" was me being exaggerating (which I though would be obvious enough for everyone). It's not me deciding who buys how many of these. Any big investor who has the money and believes in this set will end up with probably more than 1-2 though. Anybody who doesn't have that kind of money to spend won't buy 10 of these anyway. SSD has been a winner (although I still personally do not like the set that much). Even if emazers himself told you to buy 100 of these you probably wouldn't have. And buying more than you can handle would be the worst advice ever. If you believe in this set as I do, then I think there are many things speaking in favor of it. I'll be getting at least some for my personal portfolio. Many here have pointed out the Cons and Pros of this set. Seeing how many people are thrilled about this set even coming out makes me (personally!) think that this will be a winner. Facts against this set as investment: 1. It's expensive and if it backfires it backfires heavily. (so don't buy too many if you cannot afford it or invest in other sets that might be more promising --> modulars/star wars as these have proven themselves to behave relatively (RELATIVELY!) stable thus far) Yes I agree the Ecto-1 is more iconic, cheaper, saver, and probably more people want it because of the price and size 2. The franchise isn't as big as Star Wars or other movie franchises and the fanbase is probably way smaller. Thus kids also probably won't grow up to adults that absolutely want THIS set if they can have others... why? because it's "ONLY" been two fairly good movies (for that time) that many here find ridiculous though (it's comedy... they are meant to be that way!) and several animated TV-Shows and Games... Can't beat SW for sure but it's comparable to BTTF 3. The Set itself isn't that overwhelming for the price. (Which is something we do not know yet as we only have seen the exterior thus far!) Facts in favor for this set as investment: 1. It's expensive! Less people will buy it in big quantity. If it really does appreciate the steps it will take might be pretty big ones (like SSD for example, being a set that is in the same price range) Real collectors and fans won't care too much about it. And yes there are Ghostbuster fans and collectors and there will be Ghostbuster fans and collectors in the future (at least I'm pretty sure of that even though I cannot prove it). 2. The franchise isn't half-bad and almost everybody knows the catchy song :-P But seriously: The Franchise isn't half-bad! I can imagine somebody coming up with GB in the future again (as they have done in the past... more so than with BTTF by the way!). 3. The Set is pretty accurate when it comes to the design of the exterior. It includes really great minifigures! (I guess you can possible sell them for around 100). I'm betting they will include a fantastic interior with many nice details and hopefully even some printed pieces. But I'm sure that for the price and piece count the interior must have a lot of nice details and an overall satisfying design. If the interior is dull: DO NOT INVEST in this set PERIOD! So all in all I'm pretty sure that compared to the Helicarrier this Set will be better suited for my tastes. What's the Helicarrier? Some random not so important battle station mostly known from the Avengers franchise. You can't even add it to your LEGO town. It's mostly just a standalone piece. 4. GBHQ is a standalone piece you can nicely display (and it will be a guaranteed eye-catcher). At the same time you can include it to your LEGO town. So it is appealing to both: Serious LEGO collectors and other Ghostbuster-Fans as well as LEGO AFOL that like to build their towns. Probably it will even have enough potential to be desireable for AFOL hat create MOCs. 5. Not only the price point but also the two totally different perceptions and evaluations of this set will (probably and hopefully) make it less hoarded. Last but not least: If you seriously take any advice from any random stranger on the internet without questioning it you should not only reconsider your investment strategy. (Only to make this absolutely clear: This is not aimed at anyone in particular!) Edited October 29, 2015 by Locutus001 2 Quote
Crustybeaver Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 I read the first two lines and gave up. I was never taking you literally, I'm just having some banter. Sheesh! Quote
stackables Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 350+tax is too much. Will also be passing on this. I loved Ghostbusters too. Factor in how much this will cost to ship and all the fees that go along with selling it, the set will have to increase quite a bit. Quote
Locutus001 Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 6 minutes ago, Crustybeaver said: I read the first two lines and gave up. I was never taking you literally, I'm just having some banter. Sheesh! Accepted. Quote
exciter1 Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 16 minutes ago, Locutus001 said: So all in all I'm pretty sure that compared to the Helicarrier this Set will be better suited for my tastes. What's the Helicarrier? Some random not so important battle station mostly known from the Avengers franchise. You can't even add it to your LEGO town. It's mostly just a standalone piece. Well, ask the kids, they say "It's the freakin' Helicarrier". I think they know what it is. Quote
jerryherb Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 20 hours ago, Huskers1236 said: I trust that they will find an appropriate location for them. I'm still mind-boggled by the price. I know the piece count, but you can rest assured almost all of them all small pieces such as tiles and small plates. The Haunted House was brought up as a "stand-alone" piece like this. What would you rather have? The HH at $180 during retail or this at $350? Not even close to me. Maybe I missed it, has there been a designer video yet? That will give a better perspective on how big this is, but I still figure it will fit right in with the modulars even if it is a bit deeper. It's not as cool as Fire Brigade and is twice the cost. Boo. solution: sell excess ectos with the fire brigades and buy fire houses :) Quote
cladner Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 (edited) Price is a little bit overpriced if you consider this a modular and the price per brick of the town hall - should be about $320 but then factor in the movie and licensed theme, and it will end up being the largest minifigure scale modular type building with 9 minifigures and knock Tower Bridge out of the #3 all time biggest set by piece count right behind 10179 another giganto movie based set (though i'm not saying GB is anywhere near SW) , seems like $349 is ok but still a big bite to swallow for some investors. i'm treating this like any other modular building and will be having to figure out a way to go double digits deep. I'm looking forward to some shots/videos seeing the interior and how it comes apart/goes together. Jan 1 release date - easy to speculate this upps the ante for an unexpected early modular retirement. Edited October 29, 2015 by cladner Quote
gregpj Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 At a Canadian price of $399.99 it's hefty, but far below (15% less) the current exchange rate price of $350 US = $460 CDN. We'll put that in the win column for the snowbusters up north! It seems that not only is LEGO's IT dept a little slow, the people in charge of pricing are a little slow too. Quote
jerryherb Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 7 minutes ago, gregpj said: At a Canadian price of $399.99 it's hefty, but far below (15% less) the current exchange rate price of $350 US = $460 CDN. We'll put that in the win column for the snowbusters up north! It seems that not only is LEGO's IT dept a little slow, the people in charge of pricing are a little slow too. well, they dont adjust the prices based on current currency exchange rates, just based on the market i suppose Quote
KShine Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 12 minutes ago, gregpj said: At a Canadian price of $399.99 it's hefty, but far below (15% less) the current exchange rate price of $350 US = $460 CDN. We'll put that in the win column for the snowbusters up north! It seems that not only is LEGO's IT dept a little slow, the people in charge of pricing are a little slow too. 3 Quote
gregpj Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 3 minutes ago, jerryherb said: well, they dont adjust the prices based on current currency exchange rates, just based on the market i suppose That must have an influence because some of the pricing doesn't make any sense. Just a sampling: - T1 was priced at an exchange rate 1.083 when the rate was 1.025. - Helicarrier used 1.14 when the rate was 1.25 - SSD used 1.25 when the rate was 1.042 It doesn't make sense to me. Quote
Val-E Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 Lego use a combination of pin the tail on the donkey and those magic acts where the blind magician throws knives at his assistant to set regional prices. 1 Quote
BearCrash Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 8 minutes ago, gregpj said: That must have an influence because some of the pricing doesn't make any sense. Just a sampling: - T1 was priced at an exchange rate 1.083 when the rate was 1.025. - Helicarrier used 1.14 when the rate was 1.25 - SSD used 1.25 when the rate was 1.042 It doesn't make sense to me. If that doesn't make sense to you, how about HQ costing €350 in Germany (including 19% sales tax) and €400 in Belgium and The Netherlands (including 21% sales tax)... 1 Quote
pickleboy Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 4 minutes ago, BearCrash said: If that doesn't make sense to you, how about HQ costing €350 in Germany (including 19% sales tax) and €400 in Belgium and The Netherlands (including 21% sales tax)... Ouch on those sales taxes... Quote
Val-E Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 There will come a time when VAT represents more than half the cost of an item as it is the eaisest way for governments to quickly get income and it is difficult to avoid paying it on consumer goods. to think that it is a relatively new tax too. Quote
gregpj Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 4 minutes ago, BearCrash said: If that doesn't make sense to you, how about HQ costing €350 in Germany (including 19% sales tax) and €400 in Belgium and The Netherlands (including 21% sales tax)... Doesn't make sense to me either... I understand there are always the "hidden" fees but it should not be that big of a difference. The pre-tax German price is only 6% higher than the Canadian price and about 8% higher than the US price so not too bad, but yeah the big differences across the EU is baffling. The price difference will affect the market... I see this selling OK in NA but not so well across the pond. I agree somewhat with Ed that Ghostbusters isn't as iconic as the other movies, but it has a cult following and let's face it, there are so many people who shell out big $$ for LEGO that there is a market for the big sets. Kids get the small ones, adults get this big ones. :) 1 Quote
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