10240 - UCS: Red Five X-wing Starfighter

[Follows Closely]

Then where is r2? Why no TH? UCS Falcon would be an obvious set to fire up the production line for. Interesting theory, but no.

[ED-209]

Also, the STAR WARS movie buzz could be feeding the Red 5's new found popularity as well.  In that case, this set can be around another year or more.  

I believe that this may be the case. And it makes sense. Now that Max Max Fury Road is out, there has been huge interest in the original two films (These films are Australia's national treasure BTW, but forget MM3 lol) and collector's models of the Interceptor have gone up in price a lot.

The new film has X wings, as we've seen in the trailers, so it could be on the way out to make way for the new design. Whether Mark Hamill will pilot the iconic Red 5 in Ep7 is yet to be seen, and that could mean that TLG will continue to churn them out.

Furthermore, Ive been seeing a pattern as to which sets are being plucked clean from the shelves in Aussie store sales, and they are the ones that are 2013 or pre-2013 sets. It's a set that has past the two-year threshold and investors are stocking up because they don't wanna miss out.

Makes you wonder how many of those 11 were sold to end-users. 

Perhaps it was a mega SW nerd that was making the Ep4 X wing hangar diorama for a LEGO show I doubt it though, it was obviously eaten up by scalpers.

Edited June 21, 2015 by mike_eldorado
Interceptor pic

[ED-209]

Sorry, but no. Lego does not operate on common sense (from a consumer perspective at least):

Common sense would have had TH retire after PS.

Common sense would have seen HH last through Halloween instead of petering out weeks prior.

Common sense would have seen R2-D2 still going strong through Episode VII release instead of bleeping out after 2.5 years.

Common sense would have released Elsa and Minecraft sets earlier during the peak holiday shopping season so Lego could reap the initial profits instead of astute QFLL's at the last minute.

Common sense would have avoided all the shenanigans with Tumbler and Research Institute last year.

 

All this is CHAOS, not common sense... and it is the way of things now until PROVEN otherwise.

 

By the way, common sense says large sets DO have to retire to make room for new ones.

 

I agree. Perhaps we read in to Legos management and decision-making process too much.

I mean look at the SAH website, it's so buggy and crap. Obviously, IT is not their forte.

There is no method to the madness, there really isn't. Expect the unexpected I guess.

[Val-E]

I don't think that lego needs to retire old sets in order to make room for new ones as much as some of you think. I read somewhere that it was their intention to keep sets alive at SAH only. It's easy enough to retool their factory to make a large run of a particular exclusive a couple of times a year and making them available online only. There are lots of newcomers to the hobby and resellers wondering if this is finally the year, that are eager to buy them.

I am sure they have had this discussion before.

If nothing ever retired then you are giving the customer an abundance of choice and the brand rep suffers as there is no longer the sensation of obtaining a rare item. Scarcity feeds demand and if this happened, Lego would be back in Megablocks territory in no time.

For me they have a triple strategy - retire playsets after 2 years or whenever sales drop and remake them a couple of years later. This seems to be more profitable than keeping the original set available as the customer perceives they are getting something new - completists will also buy the old and the new version.

Secondly, retire exclusive or UCS sets at random intervals and don´t remake them in order to maintain brand value among AFOLS and keep sales strong.

Thirdly, keep back a few niche sets only for Lego shop to promote the web.

If we were to compare Lego with Porsche it is very similar. The 911 series is CITY/SW and is always on sale and they will make as many as they can sell - they just change the lights, the engine or a few other details every few years.  The Carrera GT would be the Exclusives as it is limited edition and is a one-off that won´t be remade or even made available through normal channels.

 

 

[Grynn]

 

There is no method to the madness, there really isn't. Expect the unexpected I guess.

Madness IS the method until further notice, which, so far, seems to be an entirely successful counter to the reseller behavior patterns that started growing out of control in the previous couple of years. Expecting the unexpected is EXACTLY what TH taught us to do, and many here are taking it to the extreme in the speculation department. Lego is laughing all the way to the bank. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy 90% of it and obviously participate, silently or otherwise. I just also find it entirely amusing that the Horde is so hyper-sensitive to the slightest blip in availability of sets which make it onto the collective radar, when most will probably retire more or less "on schedule" in the end.

[Jleibman]

Anyone know the EOL for Tower Bridge?

[cladner]

Anyone know the EOL for Tower Bridge?

[templesweeper]

I can only speak from personal experience, as both a relatively new AFOL and investor.  I recently bought and built the UCS TIE Fighter, and my immediate thought afterward was, "I need an X-Wing to balance this thing off."  So I bought one back on May the 4th.  In general, I think that the hype surrounding Star Wars leading up to The Force Awakens is going to be like nothing we've ever seen before.  This is a sequel to a 1983 movie that three generations of movie-goers and collectors have been waiting for.  I think the next sets will sell well, but I think a lot of new collectors, who missed out on some of the OT sets will be willing to pay a pretty penny to get some of the older UCS sets.  I know there is a new X-Wing set coming out in the fall (Poe Dameron's) but the new X-Wings are a slightly different model, and it won't be a UCS set.  I thin the R5 is a good set, overall, but like many have stated before the biggest drawback is that stupid windshield sticker.  I even knew about how difficult it was to apply going into it, and I still couldn't get it quite right and it looks like junk.  Also, how there was no Luke figure included in the set is an oversight on par with the guy who thought an unprotected ventilation shaft on the first Death Star was a good idea.  Other than that, I think it's a great set.  

[GhostDad]

I can only speak from personal experience, as both a relatively new AFOL and investor.  I recently bought and built the UCS TIE Fighter, and my immediate thought afterward was, "I need an X-Wing to balance this thing off."  So I bought one back on May the 4th.  In general, I think that the hype surrounding Star Wars leading up to The Force Awakens is going to be like nothing we've ever seen before.  This is a sequel to a 1983 movie that three generations of movie-goers and collectors have been waiting for.  I think the next sets will sell well, but I think a lot of new collectors, who missed out on some of the OT sets will be willing to pay a pretty penny to get some of the older UCS sets.  I know there is a new X-Wing set coming out in the fall (Poe Dameron's) but the new X-Wings are a slightly different model, and it won't be a UCS set.  I thin the R5 is a good set, overall, but like many have stated before the biggest drawback is that stupid windshield sticker.  I even knew about how difficult it was to apply going into it, and I still couldn't get it quite right and it looks like junk.  Also, how there was no Luke figure included in the set is an oversight on par with the guy who thought an unprotected ventilation shaft on the first Death Star was a good idea.  Other than that, I think it's a great set.  

Very, very well said.  Even X-wing playsets have printed cockpits.  The stickers are all over inside the cockpit too, and combined with $200 for 1500 pieces, I think lego went a bridge too far in price gouging on this one.  Compared with the new Slave I, it just doesn't hold up well.  I would have preferred 6212 at retail vs. 10240 at retail; I'd get all the minifigs I could want, a lot fewer stickers, and a great looking X-wing that I could fly around, all for 1/4 the price.  I'm curious to see if the new shuttle, which is the largest non-UCS version ever at 1000 pieces, will dent the UCS shuttle's returns.  If so, the same could happen with 10240 when the new X-wing comes out.

I like your closing line about the unprotected DS ventilation shaft.  In the engineer's defense, it was ray-shielded against laser fire.  Also, he probably saved the Empire a few credits in construction costs.  On the other hand...

 

 

Edited June 21, 2015 by GhostDad

[Val-E]

Oos again in Europe after only 3 days but more on the way.....

[thoroakenfelder]

Why does everyone bring up the upcoming Episode 7 X-Wing when talking about how this set or any of the Original Trilogy X-Wings might perform? It's a different design from the classic X-Wing, not just a different lego build or a different color. I wasn't here when it came out, but did the Rebels TIE Advance detract from the Darth Vader's TIE. It's a different model of a different ship based on the same design idea. Did the 8039 take away from the 10030 or the 75055 from the 10221?

[jaisonline]

Why does everyone bring up the upcoming Episode 7 X-Wing when talking about how this set or any of the Original Trilogy X-Wings might perform? It's a different design from the classic X-Wing, not just a different lego build or a different color. I wasn't here when it came out, but did the Rebels TIE Advance detract from the Darth Vader's TIE. It's a different model of a different ship based on the same design idea. Did the 8039 take away from the 10030 or the 75055 from the 10221?

True. I just think when ep 7 is released there are SW fans who want to own an advanced (UCS) Lego X-Wing and won't care about the color or design diffs. They will just want an X- Wing.

[Vader888]

So, I ordered a bunch of 10240 sets from Walmart last month.  What I noticed was that each set had different dates on each side.  For example, one side had 5R5 and the other 8R5.  Whats odd is that the side with 8R5 tape is covering a previously no date tape which appeared to be broken.

Has anyone seen this before?  I don't believe these were tampered with before because there is an actual 8R5 tape attached, and the box that housed the two sets were originally from Lego and never opened.  Is it possible that Lego had to open them again because something was missed, and taped it back up with the new date?

I did open one of these sets and assembled it, nothing was missing and it was perfect.

Curious to hear if anyone else has seen this before.  Thanks!

[zskid00]

I have a couple like that that came directly from Shop at Home earlier this year I believe.

[jay4e]

So, I ordered a bunch of 10240 sets from Walmart last month.  What I noticed was that each set had different dates on each side.  For example, one side had 5R5 and the other 8R5.  Whats odd is that the side with 8R5 tape is covering a previously no date tape which appeared to be broken.

Has anyone seen this before?  I don't believe these were tampered with before because there is an actual 8R5 tape attached, and the box that housed the two sets were originally from Lego and never opened.  Is it possible that Lego had to open them again because something was missed, and taped it back up with the new date?

I did open one of these sets and assembled it, nothing was missing and it was perfect.

Curious to hear if anyone else has seen this before.  Thanks!

I have not heard of it on the R5 specifically, but it sounds like a factory repackage.  Lego will cut the seals and place new ones over it, when they need to repackage something at the factory.  Wouldnt hurt to check the box weights, but they are likely fine.

[Vader888]

I have not heard of it on the R5 specifically, but it sounds like a factory repackage.  Lego will cut the seals and place new ones over it, when they need to repackage something at the factory.  Wouldnt hurt to check the box weights, but they are likely fine.

I have a couple like that that came directly from Shop at Home earlier this year I believe.

That's what I'm guessing.  Had these been at a B&M store, then I would be suspicious.  I picked up 10 from Walmart.ca online and each set of 2 were in the factory lego box.  Thanks for sharing your same experience.

[El Guapo]

Very, very well said.  Even X-wing playsets have printed cockpits.  The stickers are all over inside the cockpit too, and combined with $200 for 1500 pieces, I think lego went a bridge too far in price gouging on this one.  Compared with the new Slave I, it just doesn't hold up well.  I would have preferred 6212 at retail vs. 10240 at retail; I'd get all the minifigs I could want, a lot fewer stickers, and a great looking X-wing that I could fly around, all for 1/4 the price.  I'm curious to see if the new shuttle, which is the largest non-UCS version ever at 1000 pieces, will dent the UCS shuttle's returns.  If so, the same could happen with 10240 when the new X-wing comes out.

I like your closing line about the unprotected DS ventilation shaft.  In the engineer's defense, it was ray-shielded against laser fire.  Also, he probably saved the Empire a few credits in construction costs.  On the other hand...

 

 

Not to mention,  that ventilation shaft was too small...even for a targeting computer.  And don't give me anything about womprats and T-16's either.

Here is how I imagine this set gains popularity: 1) Dad takes 6 year old child to see the new movie. 2) Child LOVES movie, so Dad and child visit Lego Store for some sets.  3) Kid is focused on Kylo Ren ship or something new, but the Dad is thinking "Holy s****, look at these Legos!  If only they had a really cool X-wing or somthing".  4) That's where I come in.

 

[fossilrock]

Not to mention,  that ventilation shaft was too small...even for a targeting computer.  And don't give me anything about womprats and T-16's either.

Here is how I imagine this set gains popularity: 1) Dad takes 6 year old child to see the new movie. 2) Child LOVES movie, so Dad and child visit Lego Store for some sets.  3) Kid is focused on Kylo Ren ship or something new, but the Dad is thinking "Holy s****, look at these Legos!  If only they had a really cool X-wing or somthing".  4) That's where I come in.

 

Yeah, you and about 10,000 others prepping to dump these at Christmas. 

[zskid00]

Yeah, you and about 10,000 others prepping to dump these at Christmas. 

Have you seen the number of LEGO sold listings daily on eBay in November/December?  If these are gone sometime in 3Q or early 4Q then there will be plenty of buyers lined up.  I'm definitely holding more for 2016 though.

[ravenb99]

Came back in at B&M and has actually stayed in stock, more than the few that have been sprinkling in

good deal with WS promo still available

 

[Darth_Raichu]

Not to mention,  that ventilation shaft was too small...even for a targeting computer.  And don't give me anything about womprats and T-16's either.

Here is how I imagine this set gains popularity: 1) Dad takes 6 year old child to see the new movie. 2) Child LOVES movie, so Dad and child visit Lego Store for some sets.  3) Kid is focused on Kylo Ren ship or something new, but the Dad is thinking "Holy s****, look at these Legos!  If only they had a really cool X-wing or somthing".  4) That's where I come in.

 

5) "Let's go to the parking lot"

6) Hotcakes!!

[El Guapo]

5) "Let's go to the parking lot"

6) Hotcakes!!

Good point...I need to do more lurking in the parking lot.

[templesweeper]

My biggest complaint about the Red Five is the dumb stand and how it tilts way too far back.  It's like I can hear some lego designer saying to the lead designer, "Sir, it's quite possible that this R5 set is not entirely stable."  The lead designer says, "Not entirely stable?  I'm glad you're here to tell us these things."  But then does nothing about it. 

[mmaluso]

Are these types of sets ever discounted or should i just buy it full price and take the free winter soldier and vip points? Shipping is now 30 days out.

[exciter1]

Are these types of sets ever discounted or should i just buy it full price and take the free winter soldier and vip points? Shipping is now 30 days out.

This might be your last chance, buy now.  Rarely discounted, if ever.