10237 - Tower of Orthanc

[legogregors]

It should be available again on Amazon soon.  Target is just matching Amazon's current 3rd party price.

Thanks, so Target is harvesting the lowest Amazon 3rd party price shipping with Prime to set this?  Not an actual sign of anything.

[exciter1]

Thanks, so Target is harvesting the lowest Amazon 3rd party price shipping with Prime to set this?  Not an actual sign of anything.

 

Correct, this appears to be the consensus on some of their pricing on the big sets.  Not an imminent sign of EOL or anything, since Haunted House and Town Hall appeared to hold onto their MSRP prices until they disappeared.

[GhostDad]

And there's the question.  If a price-matching algo does this, why not do it for all sets only offered by marketplace sellers at amazon?

[belljohn]

Correct, this appears to be the consensus on some of their pricing on the big sets.  Not an imminent sign of EOL or anything, since Haunted House and Town Hall appeared to hold onto their MSRP prices until they disappeared.

 

I am not convinced that Target price matches Amazon.  I think they raise their prices when their regular supply of key sets gets disrupted.  This only seems to come into play on exclusives and a few other odd sets like Exo and Emma's Horse Trailer.  It happens mainly when they are out of set for awhile and then get it back.  Like the DS they probably thought they weren't getting more and raised the price to $550, and now they have their normal supply returning and price went back down.  I think almost every exclusive except the most recent have had price spikes on Target including Pet Shop and Simpson's House.

 

With a ToO price at $250, I guess they expect their supply to be constrained and inconsistent for the foreseeable future.

 

Their are way too many inconstancies to draw any clear conclusion one way or the other.

[jgschmieg3]

My guess is it will behave similar to HH relative to the monster fighter theme, which would put retirement somewhere in Q3-Q4 2015.

Everytime I read your posts, I can't help but hear Tony Soprano saying it.

[GhostDad]

DA retired the same year as other HP sets of the last series (okay, technically a few days into the following year).  HH lasted longer, but you can't depend on that.  I think the real question is whether ToO can outperform other LotR sets the way HH did MF.  My guess is yes, perhaps even by as much.  If it retires this year, it will have had a very short life for an exclusive.

[ravenb99]

These just got a big local restock after not being in stock for a month or so.

[dubzero]

I am not convinced that Target price matches Amazon. I think they raise their prices when their regular supply of key sets gets disrupted. This only seems to come into play on exclusives and a few other odd sets like Exo and Emma's Horse Trailer. It happens mainly when they are out of set for awhile and then get it back. Like the DS they probably thought they weren't getting more and raised the price to $550, and now they have their normal supply returning and price went back down. I think almost every exclusive except the most recent have had price spikes on Target including Pet Shop and Simpson's House.

With a ToO price at $250, I guess they expect their supply to be constrained and inconsistent for the foreseeable future.

Their are way too many inconstancies to draw any clear conclusion one way or the other.

I'm not sure how Target gets away with that seeing as how most retailers have to adhere to strict price ceilings in their agreements with the manufacturers.

Odd, indeed.

[tonysbricks]

Everytime I read your posts, I can't help but hear Tony Soprano saying it.

 

It TLG doesn't retire it, I will.

[Young_Gun21]

When this set retires Im not expecting a huge jump but it will definitely be a steady gainer. I wouldn't be surprised to see it at $450 in 2017

[meowsmeowsmeows]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but I received my Tower from Lego shop at home that's been on backorder since last month.  The seal code was 44R4.  Some that I purchased from Target last month had a code of 36R4 I believe.  So, not surprisingly, this is a new batch coming from Lego.

[Young_Gun21]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but I received my Tower from Lego shop at home that's been on backorder since last month. The seal code was 44R4. Some that I purchased from Target last month had a code of 36R4 I believe. So, not surprisingly, this is a new batch coming from Lego.

Yes, someone talked with a CS rep and they have stock to supposedly last until June. When the horde goes after it in April/May it will OOS earlier.

[GhostDad]

Seems doubtful that 44R4 will last until next June.  Someone else mentioned this previously, but it might not make sense from a licensing standpoint to have a single LotR set in production in 2015.  If the rest of the LotR line follows the first wave's pattern, it will be gone by year end.

[BrickU]

Got an Email this morning from Amazon......  by order has been delayed 30 days.  Should have had delivery today.  

[dryto]

in stock online TRU

[meowsmeowsmeows]

Tower of Orthanc is now OOS, ships in 30 days at Lego shop at home.  That new batch didn't last too long.

[ravenb99]

Nope not long at all,  the signs are there.  Full store restock locally but once those are gone should dry up pretty good.

[BuckeyeFanDan]

I finally picked one of these up at a LEGO store this weekend.  Seal code is 44R4.  If anyone really wants this set, get it sooner rather than later.  It's getting difficult to locate at MSRP.  LEGO Shop at Home is still OOS, will ship in 30 days.  A LEGO store is probably the best option right now.

Edited November 17, 2014 by BuckeyeFanDan

[Spanky]

So far I've passed on this set.  Could someone who thinks it is a winner explain the case for it (other than "all big exclusives are winners").  I personally feel my money is better invested in TH, HH, R2 but don't want to completely miss the boat if this set goes gangbusters.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

So far I've passed on this set.  Could someone who thinks it is a winner explain the case for it (other than "all big exclusives are winners").  I personally feel my money is better invested in TH, HH, R2 but don't want to completely miss the boat if this set goes gangbusters.

 

I think this is the best set out of the entire LOTR theme and looks fantastic once built.  If in any doubt, buy one if you can afford to.  Like a lot of the others, it'll go quickly once the panic starts.

[zskid00]

Well you can't lose money on this set.  I would buy a couple just in case it takes off even if you aren't sold on it.  LOTR has not been a stellar performer but this is absolutely the set to have from the theme.  I think this will be the one fans gravitate towards when the line is done.  I don't know that it will outperform the TH, HH, or R2 but I expect it to appreciate nicely.

[tractorboy]

It's the one must-have set for LOTR fans. A very impressive display piece too, which may even have appeal to non-Lego buying LOTR fans.

Definitely worth having one or two stashed away at least. And it won't be massively hoarded.

[Dkc]

So far I've passed on this set.  Could someone who thinks it is a winner explain the case for it (other than "all big exclusives are winners").  I personally feel my money is better invested in TH, HH, R2 but don't want to completely miss the boat if this set goes gangbusters.

I agree with the other posters who stated that this is the best LOTR Lego set to have.  If you have the resource, I believe this set is definitely a winner.

 

However, the original question/statement is "is my money BETTER invested in TH, HH, R2?"  I believe the premise is that money/space is limited, so should one invest the resource that can go to TH/HH/R2 towards ToO?  In my opinion, the answer is still yes, not that I believe the ToO is necessarily going to do better, but diversification is a good principle of investment, and since I believe the ToO is a winner, than I want to include it in my inventory.

[Thumper]

It's a big black blob, a boring build for the most part, doesn't look like much of anything until you're right up next to it & the figs are really quite lackluster, it's so small room by room there's very little playability... so of course it's gonna do really well!   The ones I hate always do the best roi.

 

if nothing else at least the Ent is excellent!

[mudcatsfan]

If you can find Unexpected Gatherings at clearance (which many have over the last 4-5 months) i like 4 of them vs one of these easily.

 

even taking into account selling 4 sets vs one, etc.