Can Chima Speedorz go the same way as Ninjago Spinners?

[TheOrcKing]

Considering that the next (second) wave of "Speedorz" is coming out around March, this may be a good enough time as any to discuss the investment possiblities of the first wave before they are completely sold out or at the least become very difficult to find.

The first starter set, 70113 "Chi Battles", was sold out at Wal-Mart and I only saw one left on the rack at Target.

And both retailers had just a few left of set 70100 "Ring of Fire" with Razar.

For anyone that followed NINJAGO, doesn't this sound awful familiar?

You won't get anything on current value for these now if you look them up in the price guide, and I think if you wait around to, it will be too late. Yes, many of you have already stated your distaste for the theme itself. However, whether you like these or not, there could be some serious money to be made if you are in this game just for that.

I'm just saying, look at how things went with NINJAGO. CHIMA can easily go the same way and it may be a good idea to start on the ground floor so to speak. If history repeats itself, and it usually & continually does, then you could probably buy the first or second starter set for $20, wait til Christmas or maybe even earlier than that, and possibly sell it for twice as much!

No, I do not have any hard facts or inside information or some magic eightball.

I am just going by what has happened to predict what may happen.

Questions? Comments? Insults?

[Teeird]

Insults? Well, if you insist... Nah, you may be on to something here Orky, I wanna hear the other guy's input.

[Neogaki]

I don't have much faith in chima. Just my gut feeling. Ninjago was, so to say, a rip off of Beyblade Lego style. Time will tell.

[Clummie]

I don't have much faith in chima. Just my gut feeling. Ninjago was, so to say, a rip off of Beyblade Lego style.

Time will tell.

True and Chima even more so. The first thing my kid said when he tried it out at a TRU testing was, "Hey this is like Beyblade." He liked it but said he liked his Beyblades better. My kids liked Ninjago because well it's ninja's which are just cool and the cartoon is cool. I have seen a lot of kids stop at the display in Target and Walmart then either getting a set or asking if they could. I think it will be initially hot especially as Ninjago is phased out but time will tell if it's a longer lasting thing.

[mediahackers]

The Speedorz are excellent - my youngest plays with them all the time and they are relatively good value for money vs the hours that kids get out of them. The sets are well made and imaginative - my hunch is yes they are going to go the same way as Ninjago.

[TheOrcKing]

When I first spotted the NINJAGO spinners, I too was reminded of Beyblade, and felt like they were the LEGO equivalent. Before both of those, I remember the Spin fighters from the 1990's, and even before those were the original Battling Tops from around the time my parents were kids.

Honestly, the select NINJAGO spinners I have were just for the minifigures. Maybe for some of the weapons as well. They are entertaining for a while, but I do have a lot more fun with the Speedorz. Always had a blast with those rip-cord kind of toys from when I was a kid.

With NINJAGO taking a backset this year it will give CHIMA room to flourish, but all bets are off when NINJAGO returns for next year. And if CHIMA is still around then, it will be an all out battle royale between the two themes. There is a good chance that the fresh start & return of NINJAGO could knock down CHIMA into the dirt, making CHIMA a short term investment. Or perhaps the competition between the two could benefit investors.

Any kind of prediction this early in the game can only be pure speculation, of course.

Time will indeed tell.

[Ed Mack]

While I might be in the minority around here, I think Chima will be in the same league as Ninjago. The Speedorz are just as cool as the spinners IMO and are different enough to make kids want to collect every Speedorz as well. After seeing the new Target display for Chima, I came away very impressed. I have started adding these to my Brickfolio when I see a deal.

[legomyeggos]

If you order anything from lego website they throw this 70113 "Chi Battles" in the box for free.  I have like 6 of them.  Can't even flip them for $10...

[Fcbarcelona101]

If you order anything from lego website they throw this 70113 "Chi Battles" in the box for free.  I have like 6 of them.  Can't even flip them for $10...

Completely right, those things are impossible to sell for a "decent" price. I have three myself that I would love to get rid of, but don't want to give away for $5 either.

[pickleboy]

When does the show start again?  That's when the prices will start to go up. 

[Quacs]

When does the show start again?  That's when the prices will start to go up. 

 

Sometime in July, according to Cartoon Network.  Smart to start the show in July to get kids hooked right before school starts...

[LowestFormOfWit]

Honestly I don't think Chima has anywhere near the cool factor of Ninjago. Chima just seems to be a lot of animal minifigs stuffed into vehicles. The great thing about Ninjago is that the minifigures are strong on their own. They are individualized and carry a ton of character even when they're off the spinner, and are tied to very iconic pearl gold weapons and accessories. The Chima minifigures by comparison just blend into one another when they're off the Speedorz. They need more personality and more unique variations with different silhouettes.

 

The Speedorz specifically are, I don't know, Beyblade-ish. I think the lack of silly things like rip cords are what made people like the simple and heavy Ninjago spinners (not to mention they have so many awesome MOC applications where as a Speedor has little to none).

 

I could just be the negative nancy here, but that's my two cents. I guess we'll see when the show starts if we have another Ninjago-type on our hands.

[Quacs]

Honestly I don't think Chima has anywhere near the cool factor of Ninjago. Chima just seems to be a lot of animal minifigs stuffed into vehicles. The great thing about Ninjago is that the minifigures are strong on their own. They are individualized and carry a ton of character even when they're off the spinner, and are tied to very iconic pearl gold weapons and accessories. The Chima minifigures by comparison just blend into one another when they're off the Speedorz. They need more personality and more unique variations with different silhouettes.

 

The Speedorz specifically are, I don't know, Beyblade-ish. I think the lack of silly things like rip cords are what made people like the simple and heavy Ninjago spinners (not to mention they have so many awesome MOC applications where as a Speedor has little to none).

 

I could just be the negative nancy here, but that's my two cents. I guess we'll see when the show starts if we have another Ninjago-type on our hands.

 

Not to downplay your instincts, but you're also not the target market for Chima.  Lego is targeting the younger end of their pre-teen market segment with this theme, and I think these anthropomorphized animals hit a sweet spot for kids 5-9 years old.  I think a big mistake many investors are making is that they're looking at Chima through the eyes of a 12-15 year old (admittedly a much more vivid frame of reference) instead of through the eyes of a 5-9 year old.  My son is now 5, and he and his friends love Chima - that's all they play with when neighborhood and school friends come over to play (yes, they even love the give away Speedorz - shocking!).  While I may be overly optimistic with Chima given how quickly my son and his friends have taken to the theme, it doesn't dismiss the fact that there's a lot of latent potential in this line.  The animals of Chima will be fighting with swords, drop kicking enemies, and involved in intricate plot lines just like Kai, Zane, Jay and Cole.  And a dragon is just a glorified fire breathing animal anyway...

 

To your point, the Speedorz may NOT be the best place to invest money but there's still time to let the TV show grease the wheels of the theme's popularity.  I urge everyone not to throw the baby out with the bathwater quite yet.

[LowestFormOfWit]

Not to downplay your instincts, but you're also not the target market for Chima.

 

This is really the core of my argument. Most 5 year olds just love LEGO period.

 

Ninjago is such a strong line that it enchanted demographics well outside its target. Tons of children, teens, nerds, AFOLs, etc, have a sweet spot for some aspect of the Ninjago line, be it the Asian aesthetic and architecture, Ninjas, Elemental powers, Dragons, Skeletons, Snakes, etc, which is really why I think Ninjago does as well as it does.

 

I myself still feel compelled to complete my collection of the Ninja minifigs, and my Destiny's Bounty sits suspended from my ceiling proudly.

 

Will Chima attract that kind of audience outside its target demographic? That to me is really what makes a line strong sales and investment wise. I'd love to be proven wrong on this one, but I'm sticking to my guns, errr...katanas on this one.

[Quacs]

This is really the core of my argument. Most 5 year olds just love LEGO period.

 

Ninjago is such a strong line that it enchanted demographics well outside its target. Tons of children, teens, nerds, AFOLs, etc, have a sweet spot for some aspect of the Ninjago line, be it the Asian aesthetic and architecture, Ninjas, Elemental powers, Dragons, Skeletons, Snakes, etc, which is really why I think Ninjago does as well as it does.

 

I myself still feel compelled to complete my collection of the Ninja minifigs, and my Destiny's Bounty sits suspended from my ceiling proudly.

 

Will Chima attract that kind of audience outside its target demographic? That to me is really what makes a line strong sales and investment wise. I'd love to be proven wrong on this one, but I'm sticking to my guns, errr...katanas on this one.

Alas, I will continue my quixotic journey to convert the masses with one less believer. 

 

[LowestFormOfWit]

Hey, like I said, I -want- it to do well. It's never a bad thing if another line does well investment wise. I just haven't seen the potential translated to the actual LEGO sets yet.

 

I was in a grocery store the other day reading one of the little Chima books while my daughter was reading a Tangled book, and got a lot of background info on the Chima universe.

 

Apparently there are Rhino and Bear people.

 

Bear people.

 

Bears.

 

I will go broke if they come out with Bear-people sets. I will take over my house with a Bear-minifig army.

[TheOrcKing]

I do have hope for Chima but agree Ninjago had and still has an easier road for itself on the simple fact the theme has ninjas! I mean who doesn't like ninjas?! Come on. And as much as Chima is trying to be, it isn't Thundercats. If it was instead of what it is, then we would have an immediate winner.

 

The four main characters of Ninjago were teens but they were kinda cool and had some funny moments making it like a Lego version of Power Rangers except without being overly dramatic. Plus they were likeable. With Chima, I'm not sure how exactly I feel about the characters. I feel 'indifferent' about all of them honestly. I don't like any one of them but at the same time I don't not like any. The minifigures and builds themselves are great but the show doesn't quite seem up to the same level as them.

 

Chima is one of those times where the toys are great but the animated series is not (for what little has been shown). The characters feel underdeveloped following an unsteady and predictable plot. Of course I am not the target audience but even then I think at that age I would be bored from the show and just play with the sets.

[Fcbarcelona101]

Just built one of the free ones I got from LEGO with my little cousin. They are pretty cool things, just not something I would buy for myself.

[Quacs]

I was in TRU with my son the other day, and I think part of the issue with Speedorz not moving is their price point. At $15/each on the low end, you can get one of two construction sets (Razcal's Glider and Crawley's Claw Ripper) for the same or less money than the Speedorz. I think Lego sold a lot of Spinners because they were a good option for parents who didn't want to spend the "big" money of a construction set. Don't get me wrong - I think there's still hope for these, but I really think TLG did Speedorz a disservice setting the price point at $15.

[TheOrcKing]

I was in TRU with my son the other day, and I think part of the issue with Speedorz not moving is their price point. At $15/each on the low end, you can get one of two construction sets (Razcal's Glider and Crawley's Claw Ripper) for the same or less money than the Speedorz. I think Lego sold a lot of Spinners because they were a good option for parents who didn't want to spend the "big" money of a construction set. Don't get me wrong - I think there's still hope for these, but I really think TLG did Speedorz a disservice setting the price point at $15.

I agree. Granted the Speedorz feature more than the Spinners since they include a bag of parts to build some scenery (to smash ) but feel as though I would get more from a box set about the same price or a little bit more or even collectively than I would get from just one Speedorz. It's like you are paying $5 just for the Speedor itself in a way. I still like them though; just wish they were maybe priced the same as a Spinner.

[stephen_rockefeller]

I have 15 freebies from S@H now.....thought about selling them in lots of 5 or just individually, but I think I'm just gonna hold onto them for a while and see what happens.

[willy431]

Please note most the speedorz or on sale and at retirement on lego online.  They were buy 2 get one 1 in store.  I loaded up.  My son and his friends are crazy for this show show and these speedorz!

[LowestFormOfWit]

I'll stick to my spinners.

 

They are infinitely more awesome for uses in MOCs, aside form their amazing centrifugal spinjago powers.

 

>Case in point by yours truly.

 

>And Again.

 

>And Again!

 

>One more time!

 

Try to do that with a Speedor.

[emazers]

Even with the Big $119.99 set coming out soon, I am not buying it, Ninjago all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheOrcKing]

I'll stick to my spinners.

 

They are infinitely more awesome for uses in MOCs, aside form their amazing centrifugal spinjago powers.

 

>Case in point by yours truly.

 

>And Again.

 

>And Again!

 

>One more time!

 

Try to do that with a Speedor.

Is that a challenge? Ha ha. I thought those were some pretty cool builds, and I'm in the same league of not seeing much for MOC potential....yet.  The part holding the wheel is limited to say the least but that cover piece holds some interesting applications in my mind.