Retiring Soon - open speculation

[c_rpg]

Slave 1 price point is not that far off from the other expensive sets like Millenium Falcon and Kylo Ren Shuttle. Sand Crawler is double the price of those, so I can understand demand being lower. I also think Ewok will go first, then Sandcrawler once the Snowspeeder or Death Star gets released.

I do hope there is enough demand for Hoth. Imagine if Ewok Village sold more than Hoth in the next months... It's cheaper and looks nicer. Let's hope lots of kids want Hoth!

[makr]

10 hours ago, cladner said:

heard from a lego employee could be about new sets or releases , promos, or upcoming surprises unrelated to retirement.

retirement soon open speculation is the open sewer pit of opinions and ideas regarding EOL of which lego employee blather is only one of many disease laden streams.

True, but there's an important common denominator: this kind of information has been notoriously useless and unreliable, therefore doesn't do much good if spread out over the whole forum. So there's that thread for people who still care about what store employees told someone.

[Loghamel]

IMO, SC will be gone by the end of year.  Wouldn't be surprised if EV is as well.  "near EOL" is relative, so I'm not sure if end of the year counts, but is soon enough for me.

[TheGallows]

was in my local lego store today, checked date code on SC, cant remember exactly but something like 08S6... def this year

[c_rpg]

I have 13S6 for my latest SC and 10S6 for EV so they are definitely still producing them. Makes sense that they would ramp up production around the 4th of May. Lots of people buying these two with the 10% discount.

[Anomander]

On 30/01/2016 at 11:41 AM, c_rpg said:

I have 13S6 for my latest SC and 10S6 for EV so they are definitely still producing them. Makes sense that they would ramp up production around the 4th of May. Lots of people buying these two with the 10% discount.

 

After the almost decade-long 10188 saga, popular flagship Star Wars playsets seem like a substantial risk to plough big money into them and expect them to follow the 2-3 year retirement pattern now. 

 

If TLG keeps the EV gravy train going like they did with DS, that dead money will generate a lot of thread pages of woe as it sucks the life out of CAGR.

 

The "anytime now..." cash-out expectation isn't quite so assured in the era of LEGO's New World First Order. 

 

Edited May 1, 2016 by Anomander
edit

[c_rpg]

1 hour ago, Anomander said:

 

After the almost decade-long 10188 saga, popular flagship Star Wars playsets seem like a substantial risk to plough big money into them and expect them to follow the 2-3 year retirement pattern now. 

 

If TLG keeps the EV gravy train going like they did with DS, that dead money will generate a lot of thread pages of woe as it sucks the life out of CAGR.

 

The "anytime now..." cash-out expectation isn't quite so assured in the era of LEGO's New World First Order. 

 

I think you are forgetting the fact that there are a boatload of new SW movies lined up. 2008-2015 had no new movies. EV and SC will have to go in order to make room if they are going to produce UCS sets based on the new movies.

[Anomander]

11 minutes ago, c_rpg said:

I think you are forgetting the fact that there are a boatload of new SW movies lined up. 2008-2015 had no new movies. EV and SC will have to go in order to make room if they are going to produce UCS sets based on the new movies.

 

I'm not forgetting that. I'm only suggesting it follows the DS because like the DS it's

1. Still a strong seller

2. Original trilogy

3. OT has enduring appeal over the new stuff so far so will contnue to sell. (I know it's a atd early to speak of FO endurance

4. While expensive, it's less expensive then the DS, and if the DS sold well for 8 years there's no reason for TLG to pull a performing product (unless to make room for new ones as you said) that may well keep selling as per DS.

5. I don't feel that UCS versions of FO vehicles will be as desired as OT UCS.

 

I'll make no such bold speculations for AoH though! 

 

 

 

[Val-E]

I take issue that EV is a strong seller. When we had data in the EU, it only shifted during promos and they reduced the price in several countries in January. Doubt it will last beyond this year.

[GiliusThunderhead]

FWIW UCS versions of TFA star destroyer and Kylo rens command shuttle are right up there on my list.  I think demand for those could outstrip a fair few OT vehicles.

Secondly at the lego store today they obviosuly had a big SW display presence,  AoH naturally, SC (first time i'd seen this fossil display at the store), TF but no EV.  Only 1 copy of S1 and SC on the shelves but after each one was taken a new one was quickly brought out of the back.  
Interestingly 5 copies of EV and when someone (not me) asked for one from the back the reply came those were the only ones they had....I'm going to put all this random, coincidental info together and add it to the current EV lifespan and conclude that the axe has already been swung by the bods at the top for EV  

Great, great set IMO but no uptick in sales will save it now.  I think AoH and upcoming DS has to be shifting production capacity from somewhere and let me not forget GBHQ and bat cave.  I know TLG didnt magic up a factory in the middle of the night.

[Anomander]

1 hour ago, Val-E said:

I take issue that EV is a strong seller. When we had data in the EU, it only shifted during promos and they reduced the price in several countries in January. Doubt it will last beyond this year.

Well, that's that theory scotched. 

Power Horde: Super mega hoard activate.

[plastic passion]

10 minutes ago, Anomander said:

Well, that's that theory scotched. 

Power Horde: Super mega hoard activate.

theory scotched !

[plastic passion]

Super mega hoard activate.

 

 

[gregpj]

Super mega hoard activate.

 

 

Sadly I was thinking Power Rangers...

[Fenix_2k1]

The horde activated on ev and sc from January. It's probably the only people buying lol

[Val-E]

Nothing OOS in the EU yet and Hoth seems to have started in 7th position in daily sales. Let´s see where it´s at in a week´s time.

[tacsniper]

Anyone think sets with the box art with Stormtrooper at the top will be disappearing in the next 6 months with new sets for TFA/Rogue One starts to appear by Q4?

[fossilrock]

1 hour ago, tacsniper said:

Anyone think sets with the box art with Stormtrooper at the top will be disappearing in the next 6 months with new sets for TFA/Rogue One starts to appear by Q4?

I'd think so.  The new Rogue One packaging was shown about a month ago.  All the new upcoming Star Wars sets for that movie will have this packaging on the September 30th Force Friday event.  So, even the Kylo Ren packaging from late 2015 into the Summer Wave will be finished, although the sets will still be around for a while.  

I'd suspect the sets from 2015 with the Stormtrooper packaging will be retiring by end of the year.  So, that gives you some time to stock up.  Already, Amazon and Target are dropping their prices.  May the 4th should be good time to pick up quite a bunch of sets for investment.

 

[tacsniper]

12 minutes ago, fossilrock said:

I'd think so.  The new Rogue One packaging was shown about a month ago.  All the new upcoming Star Wars sets for that movie will have this packaging on the September 30th Force Friday event.  So, even the Kylo Ren packaging from late 2015 into the Summer Wave will be finished, although the sets will still be around for a while.  

I'd suspect the sets from 2015 with the Stormtrooper packaging will be retiring by end of the year.  So, that gives you some time to stock up.  Already, Amazon and Target are dropping their prices.  May the 4th should be good time to pick up quite a bunch of sets for investment.

Nice! Thanks for the new box art. The confirmation I need to start swooping the Stormtrooper box art sets in the next few months.

[StormBricks]

13 hours ago, c_rpg said:

I have 13S6 for my latest SC and 10S6 for EV so they are definitely still producing them. Makes sense that they would ramp up production around the 4th of May. Lots of people buying these two with the 10% discount.

Someone earlier explained these codes 13th week - S for country (wondering which country is S?) - 6 is year (So 6 is 2016?) 

I thought this was date of retirement but the post above says its 10S6 and "they are definitely still producing them". 

I appreciate if someone clarifies. Thanks!

 

[glucapg]

18 hours ago, jaisonline said:

Did you just answer your own question?

perhaps, but I'm not sure

[c_rpg]

1 hour ago, StormBricks said:

Someone earlier explained these codes 13th week - S for country (wondering which country is S?) - 6 is year (So 6 is 2016?) 

I thought this was date of retirement but the post above says its 10S6 and "they are definitely still producing them". 

I appreciate if someone clarifies. Thanks!

 

Both of these are March, so quite fresh. Which is what I meant with "they are definitely still producing them". I don't know how large the batches are, but they need to be large enough to justify starting up production. They need to change the molds on all the machines so I doubt they would only produce a 1k batch. SC and EV do not move at the pace of the cheaper sets.

I'm sure we'll see 2xS6 soon enough.

[StormBricks]

On 5/2/2016 at 11:08 AM, c_rpg said:

Both of these are March, so quite fresh. Which is what I meant with "they are definitely still producing them". I don't know how large the batches are, but they need to be large enough to justify starting up production. They need to change the molds on all the machines so I doubt they would only produce a 1k batch. SC and EV do not move at the pace of the cheaper sets.

I'm sure we'll see 2xS6 soon enough.

thanks!  Can you also tell where are these codes found?

[Furious_george]

On the seals.

[c_rpg]

26 minutes ago, StormBricks said:

thanks!  Can you also tell where are these codes found?

You mean where can you find the codes on your sets? Or where I bought the sets?

The codes you can find on the seals themselves for boxes with tape seals (one side only). On the bottom of the box for boxes with punch seals (in recessed text). For polybags it's mostly found on the part that is heat sealed.

As for where I bought the sets: Lego store.

Old date codes don't always mean that the set is no longer being made, but it is an indicator. You can also get an estimate of the size of the production run by looking at how close together the weeks are. For example if you see: 20S6,21S6,22S6,23S6, etc.. for one set, that usually means a large production run because the machines are pretty much always on and changing molds takes a long time.