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Ideas #006: 21108 - Ghostbusters Ecto-1


Jeff Mack

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It seems to you there is no current legoset you think will do well. Either it is "über hoarded" or there is a remake ghost hanging over it.  

I wonder why you are still in this game. If I were you I would sell all my HH's and TH's cause I would not sleep at night worrying about remakes.  

I agree. But a good set like this can afford to be hoarded and still make very nice profits.

Yes, as long as there are enough people who really want it at a premium after EOL in your country - selling it abroad where postage gets to high compared to the value of the set probably inhibits a lot of people, though. A valid reason for investing in this set must not contain the phrase "Delorean did well".

The new MF and Xwing will do fine as will 42025 cargo plane and a few others we can all think of so it´s not all bad provided you dont buy the first day of release or for full RRP - we have made those mistakes as NOOBS ourselves and it seems a lot of people are still doing so.

Edited by valenciaeric
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The new MF and Xwing will do fine as will 42025 cargo plane and a few others we can all think of so it´s not all bad provided you dont buy the first day of release or for full RRP - we have made those mistakes as NOOBS ourselves and it seems a lot of people are still doing so.

Heh heh, yeah, only in this 'game' for 3 weeks now and I can testify that my first (NOOB) purchases were at near or full MSRP. Typical example: the Ferrari F40 which I bought for full LEGO Shop price the very first day of coming out of the LEGO Dark Ages. LOL

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with paying MSRP, don't let anyone here tell you otherwise.

I meant for the examples of current sets I considered winners (Xwing, MF and cargo plane) - rereading, I didn´t express myself clearly enough. No way are any of those worth getting at full RRP, though.

ToO looks to be a winner even at full RRP - respect to those who got it cheap.

Edited by valenciaeric
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Heh heh, yeah, only in this 'game' for 3 weeks now and I can testify that my first (NOOB) purchases were at near or full MSRP. Typical example: the Ferrari F40 which I bought for full LEGO Shop price the very first day of coming out of the LEGO Dark Ages. LOL

If they are for your own personal enjoyment, absolutely! However, buying an F40 as an investment right now is hard to argue a case for as a) there is no indication of popularity or possible shelf life (outside of Lego shop EU data) b: the lego shop promos are not great at the moment c) even if it is never ever discounted anywhere the CAGR will still be worse than your competitors who buy as late as possible (see VW T1 as a case study) and you have tied up capital just when the fireworks are about to go off in terms of retiring sets. d) It´s too late to quick flip as EU shop is well stocked up.

 

Edited by valenciaeric
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Got two of these as the DeLorean...no thanks to any more.  If they made the vintage 60s Bat mobile, I couldn't help but get 8 to 10 ;) .

What other famous car would I buy 10 of?  Speed racer...maybe speed buggy...hmmm..green hornet

The list is large.  The two so far on ideas aren't among my faves...

Perhaps I am against many of these sets because of their small size.  There are better detailed die cast models whereas Lego lends itself to larger scale reproductions with working features, power functions etc etc. For instance, UCS Tumbler looks great despite having little in the way of functions.

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Perhaps I am against many of these sets because of their small size.  There are better detailed die cast models whereas Lego lends itself to larger scale reproductions with working features, power functions etc etc. For instance, UCS Tumbler looks great despite having little in the way of functions.

What impresses non-LEGO people most about the T1 and Mini Cooper I have on display is that they don't look like typical LEGO nor do they look like real models (i.e. shiny medal). I don't know how many people have said "that's made out of LEGO?" to me.

When you put it next to something that clearly looks like LEGO .. say the Detective's Office modular with it's squareness .. people are amazed. Despite me thinking the F40 design is weak, it accomplishes the same thing. At first glance people can't believe it's LEGO - I've heard at least a dozen people young and old say it at the LEGO store. Once we move our collection to a larger space, I hope to put an F40,  DeLorean and Ecto-1 on display too.

I believe the Ecto-1 falls into that category and in hindsight so does the DeLorean. That's something I use to determine value as an investment .. anyone can buy regular LEGO bricks and build stuff but does it impress the people holding the money? First impressions.

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What impresses non-LEGO people most about the T1 and Mini Cooper I have on display is that they don't look like typical LEGO nor do they look like real models (i.e. shiny medal). I don't know how many people have said "that's made out of LEGO?" to me.

When you put it next to something that clearly looks like LEGO .. say the Detective's Office modular with it's squareness .. people are amazed. Despite me thinking the F40 design is weak, it accomplishes the same thing. At first glance people can't believe it's LEGO - I've heard at least a dozen people young and old say it at the LEGO store. Once we move our collection to a larger space, I hope to put an F40,  DeLorean and Ecto-1 on display too.

I believe the Ecto-1 falls into that category and in hindsight so does the DeLorean. That's something I use to determine value as an investment .. anyone can buy regular LEGO bricks and build stuff but does it impress the people holding the money? First impressions.

And of course there are a number of people who will buy these smaller sets as gifts for others who are non Lego fans and want things that don´t take up space or cost too much. It´s just a bummer that they "waste" good licences only on these things when there is so much potential for more.....

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What impresses non-LEGO people most about the T1 and Mini Cooper I have on display is that they don't look like typical LEGO nor do they look like real models (i.e. shiny medal). I don't know how many people have said "that's made out of LEGO?" to me.

When you put it next to something that clearly looks like LEGO .. say the Detective's Office modular with it's squareness .. people are amazed. Despite me thinking the F40 design is weak, it accomplishes the same thing. At first glance people can't believe it's LEGO - I've heard at least a dozen people young and old say it at the LEGO store. Once we move our collection to a larger space, I hope to put an F40,  DeLorean and Ecto-1 on display too.

I believe the Ecto-1 falls into that category and in hindsight so does the DeLorean. That's something I use to determine value as an investment .. anyone can buy regular LEGO bricks and build stuff but does it impress the people holding the money? First impressions.

All good points. And I know many here for whatever reason are hostile to the F40 set but it is a really good model which had HUGE exposure and exclamations of lust and desire on automotive fora, blogs, sites and assorted petrolhead communities, including those I frequent. Yes, the Mini and VW van may be iconic but this is a Ferrari F40. Last car released under Enzo's leadership and still the archetype of proper old-fashioned no holds barred, no-compromise to performance,  no nanny electronics to stop you from oversteering in to a light pole super car. The model looks much better than you think when built - as does the real thing, I have been lucky enough to see 2-3. Definitely would have one in my fantasy garage before I would consider ANY later super car. 

 

Back to the Ecto-1, I am both surprised to hear how well this is selling and, at the same time, see the appeal even if I wouldn't build one. Maybe I should get more.

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Ferraris real and Lego do nothing for me personally. 

However I can see the investment potential of the F40. But will not buy any for a while. As with the Mini, only bought one to build. 

If the Ecto follows the Deloran timeline, we have about 6 months. And it's relatively easy to store. Plus its a nice build. :)

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There was a big restock yesterday taking us to highest levels for a few months. I´d still rather invest in 1 F40 or Mini than 2 Ecto´s  for the same money - Ecto sales are good but not great and Ferrari is a much stronger brand, in Europe, at least. Of course, production lives may be radically different between them. This may favour the Ecto in the short term but it means that resellers are obliged to get it sooner as they know it won´t be round for long - hence the masse hoarding taking place. With the other 2 people should have learnt their lesson from T1 and have not ramped up their buying yet.

What do people see as the post EOL ceiling price for this set?

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Secondary market prices seem to have "hurdles." I think Ecto will approach $100 USD fairly quickly, but three figures is a hurdle. I wouldn't be surprised if it stagnates there for a while, clears out stock, and then rises. Plenty of resellers will cash out at $99 or less, especially if it holds there for some time. I could see $200 in 3-5 years, depending on what TLG does.

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Secondary market prices seem to have "hurdles." I think Ecto will approach $100 USD fairly quickly, but three figures is a hurdle. I wouldn't be surprised if it stagnates there for a while, clears out stock, and then rises. Plenty of resellers will cash out at $99 or less, especially if it holds there for some time. I could see $200 in 3-5 years, depending on what TLG does.

And the intangible of how good will the new movie be? The BTTF sequels weren't earth shattering but they are good movies and everyone pretty much knows that is it. We've been waiting a loooong time for a G3 and this could spur interest or kill it altogether.

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And the intangible of how good will the new movie be? The BTTF sequels weren't earth shattering but they are good movies and everyone pretty much knows that is it. We've been waiting a loooong time for a G3 and this could spur interest or kill it altogether.

I guess it will help boost interest and people can sell during the pre release hype phase but I wonder how big the GB franchise fan base really is compared to BTTF. Here, BTTF definitely has more of a following and Michael J Fox is still a household name and the car was a central element to the plot.

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My expectation is it will be 100 euro six months after EOL.

There are discounts to be found on this one but they are scarce and you have to be creative. Also all depends on your geographic position. This is a really important factor in lego investing. For buying as well as selling.

Personally BttF is my favourite. Ecto-1 comes second for an inch. It will not let me down.

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I guess it will help boost interest and people can sell during the pre release hype phase but I wonder how big the GB franchise fan base really is compared to BTTF. Here, BTTF definitely has more of a following and Michael J Fox is still a household name and the car was a central element to the plot.

Like I said.. The potential of a positive or negative impact from the new movie is intangible.

intangible

/ɪnˈtændʒɪbəl/
adjective
1. incapable of being perceived by touch; impalpable
2. imprecise or unclear to the mind: intangible ideas
3. (of property or a business asset) saleable though not possessing intrinsic productive value
noun
4. something that is intangible
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Perhaps I am against many of these sets because of their small size.  There are better detailed die cast models whereas Lego lends itself to larger scale reproductions with working features, power functions etc etc. For instance, UCS Tumbler looks great despite having little in the way of functions.

I second this. I'm a car fan, and you can't beat 1:18 scale die cast models by good companies such as Autoart. hence iI don't buy lego model cars

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 guess it will help boost interest and people can sell during the pre release hype phase but I wonder how big the GB franchise fan base really is compared to BTTF. Here, BTTF definitely has more of a following and Michael J Fox is still a household name and the car was a central element to the plot.

I can't imagine MJF having a greater following than Bill Murray.  That guy is adored and still actively working. 

 

Ecto 1 is almost just as iconic as the Delorean.

 

Doesnt matter what the new GB movie is like, people will be rewatching the 1984 original. That will help sales (hopefully the set will be eol by then).

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