What to look for in smaller sets

[nigh]

Hi guys,

So I'm trying to get into investing but since I'm not super rich and want to ease my way in, I'd rather start off buying sets that aren't at the top of the price range. Expensive sets will gain value because they're harder to find, they usually look amazing and have tons of detail and have more appeal to adults who will pay more for them. On the other hand, smaller sets are way more common and usually don't look nearly as good.

 

What should I look for in a smaller set (maybe <$50) that would make me believe they are a good investment?

 

Thanks,

nigh

[redghostx]

Exclusive minifigures, friends, superheroes or good builds.

Ex astris, scientia.

[Blackjack]

I definately think that rare, popular, or exclusive minifigures are the most important part of a successful small set.

[Sandwraith]

As the rest have stated already: the figs!

 

Good example would be 76000 Arctic Batman, 3 great figs, and the vehicle is pretty cool too. Should do well post EOL.

[seapotato]

choose something that is close to retiring as well

[nigh]

Minifigs! Got it, thanks!

[MartinP]

It is a mix of the minifigures, the set, and how close the set is to retiring. If the set falls under those three conditions, it should be a good set.

[Gondorian]

76000 Arctic Batman is my top pick for very small sets.  I have 18 of them.  All were bought between 33-50% off UK RRP.  I don't think I would have chosen it as an investment at RRP though.  It can't be far from retiring.

 

76005 Daily Bugle is my pick for medium size set.  I have 8 of them.  The minifigs in this set are pretty special and I like the building and vehicle too.  I got those between 20-30% off UK RIP.  I'm not sure how close this is to retiring.  It might stick around for another year.

[glenbart]

76000 Arctic Batman is my top pick for very small sets.  I have 18 of them.  All were bought between 33-50% off UK RRP.  I don't think I would have chosen it as an investment at RRP though.  It can't be far from retiring.

 

76005 Daily Bugle is my pick for medium size set.  I have 8 of them.  The minifigs in this set are pretty special and I like the building and vehicle too.  I got those between 20-30% off UK RIP.  I'm not sure how close this is to retiring.  It might stick around for another year.

Gone by Christmas I would think for the bugle....I think AB could be gone by the end of summer. The bugle is on my list to buy, 10 would be nice, waiting for where price at 27quid meets money in my pocket.

I think the retired Batman sets will really start to flourish when the new movie comes out.

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

Figures and value. Exclusive figures make a big deal, but having 3 figs in a 20$ set or 5 in a $40 set really helps as well. I try to just look for value. Since I part out, I kind've get an idea for the value of a set as a "sum of its pieces" that way. It definitely helps a lot.

 

Wolverine was probably the best selling 20$ set I had when parting it out and its showing that after retirement. Helms deep, Uruk Hai were both really good.

 

I think Daily Bugle is a decent one. Arctic Batman is as well. The new Captain America set will be a great one.

 

I also really like the Bat vs the Bane - its a really nice set and though it doesn't have enough figs, they are good ones.

[Doofy McGee]

I am saying this for the 1,243rd time now, but I never get tired of giving this piece of advice.    The $20 sets with 3 minifigs are gold mines.  Many of them have 2 or 3 exclusive minis, and the ones in this price range go on sale frequently.  A perfect example was 6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown.  It was a $20 set, was available for months at $16.15 on Amazon, and retired suddenly and tripled in value almost overnight.

 

A great set to pick up right now is 6862 Superman vs. Power Armor Lex.  As of right now it has 3 exclusive minifigs.  One is classic Superman, another is Wonder Woman.  These two figs will without a doubt boost the value of this set.  Plus the Lex Luthor will go up, it already has in recent months, and the set is still widely available.

 

The new 76017 with Red Skull will also be a winner, and the new Doc Ock Truck Heist 76015 will also follow suit.  Just to echo others' thoughts... definitely don't miss out on 76000 Arctic Batman vs. Mr. Freeze.  You can't go wrong with that one.  Don't wait on Power Armor Lex though!  It won't be around forever!

[BuckeyeFanDan]

Once they start getting discounted, the new Batman sets will be good ones to pick up - especially the Joker Steamroller.  Maybe we will start seeing some discounts when the late summer clearance sales start.

[LegoSteve]

 

 

A great set to pick up right now is 6862 Superman vs. Power Armor Lex.  As of right now it has 3 exclusive minifigs.  One is classic Superman, another is Wonder Woman.  These two figs will without a doubt boost the value of this set.  Plus the Lex Luthor will go up, it already has in recent months, and the set is still widely available.

 

 

*Sigh*  After hearing about folks talk about 6862 I guess I'll finally break down and grab 20.  I mean I don't doubt what people are saying about this set but this set doesn't jive w/ my "only buy exclusives" rule.

[cornstiffy]

My advice is to put the time in and research completed sales on ebay for sealed sets and mini-figures alike. There is a great deal of transparency on ebay so use that to your advantage.  This will give you a good barometer on what is worthwhile and what isnt.  Mimic the successful people on this site.  Figure out who you feel that is and shadow what they sell to get ideas.  Again asking what they sell isnt necessary for most since there is many that have links to there ebay stores.  

 

Know your pop culture.  Its really easy to figure out which super-heroes are more poplular than others if you know the comics.  A set with two extremely popular marvel characters like Deadpool and Wolverine becomes a no brainer.  When they put a Gambit in a set in the future that will be another hammer lock.  Realize that the Lego Movie made 100 million in its first three weeks and carve out a strategy to profit from the movies popularity.

 

If executed correctly you can roll the profits of the small stuff into bigger exclusive sets, which is where the big profits hopefully are but also takes much more time to get there.  Many members including myself I believe have this strategy.  

[TheOrcKing]

The new 76017 with Red Skull will also be a winner, and the new Doc Ock Truck Heist 76015 will also follow suit.

I agree the Captain America Vs. Hydra set has potential but weary about Doc Ock Truck Heist as Doc Ock is the only thing exclusive in that entire set aside from the windscreen for the armored van which is a so-so build. Doc Ock is awesome but good enough to pull the entire weight of the set by himself? Out of the three Spider-Man sets for this year, that is probably the best of the bunch for what you get at cost.

[king156]

hi I just ordered the lego 76005 x4 do you know when they will go EOL

[glenbart]

Figs are more of a short term thing, further down the line if the build ain't that great why buy it when you can get figs seperates. More importantly though if it is a fab build doesn't matter what the figs are. All the figs in classic space are they same in just 5 different colors.

[glenbart]

hi I just ordered the lego 76005 x4 do you know when they will go EOL

No ones know the answer to eol questions, all you call do is look at siimilar lifespans, go on Brickset and it will tell you from what dates a set was available,

[glenbart]

*Sigh*  After hearing about folks talk about 6862 I guess I'll finally break down and grab 20.  I mean I don't doubt what people are saying about this set but this set doesn't jive w/ my "only buy exclusives" rule.

Got one myself to build, this is a good set, but people are more interested in batman, avengers etc. still a goodie for a long term investment.

[miah22]

I don't have time right now to go in to deep on this loaded topic but my most basic of observations would be:

Just like in real estate = Location, Location, Location!

Lego sets for investment = Content, Content, Content!

 

I'll try and find the time to give a legitimate breakdown on my strategies when choosing the "right" sets to invest in.

[jivejong]

At least for Superheroes, you need to see what minifigs the next set of releases contains.

The Wolverine Chopper works because of Deadpool being exclusive, and Wolverine and Magneto are different from the one in the new X-Men Sentinel set.

With the new DC sets coming out in 2015, we'll need to see how identical the minfigs are. For example, the new Black Manta set coming out in 2015 will contain Aquaman, which may affect the Arctic Batman set which currently has 3 exclusive minifigs, which may be reduced to 2. BTW, I'm really looking forward to the new Justice League sets.

 

A friend and I have been looking for the next Wolverine Chopper, and I think it will be Captain America vs Hydra with 3 exclusive minifigs and being sold currently at ~$15. Other contenders are Man Bat Attack (~$16) with 2 exclusives including Nightwing, and the Riddler Chase with 3 exclusives with Flash, Riddler, and Grey Suit Batman (~26). I also like the small $12.99 penguin set with 2 exclusives. Batman seems to have a stronger following than any other super heroes, whether it's Lego or other toys and memorabilia.

Edited November 18, 2014 by jivejong

[justapilgrim]

On a side note: I got the man bat attack for my son for his birthday. The copter is pretty sweet on its own

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Brickpicker mobile app

[exciter1]

At least for Superheroes, you need to see what minifigs the next set of releases contains.

The Wolverine Chopper works because of Deadpool being exclusive, and Wolverine and Magneto are different from the one in the new X-Men Sentinel set.

With the new DC sets coming out in 2015, we'll need to see how identical the minfigs are. For example, the new Black Manta set coming out in 2015 will contain Aquaman, which may affect the Arctic Batman set which currently has 3 exclusive minifigs, which may be reduced to 2. BTW, I'm really looking forward to the new Justice League sets.

 

A friend and I have been looking for the next Wolverine Chopper, and I think it will be Captain America vs Hydra with 3 exclusive minifigs and being sold currently at ~$15. Other contenders are Man Bat Attack (~$16) with 2 exclusives including Nightwing, and the Riddler Chase with 3 exclusives with Flash, Riddler, and Grey Suit Batman (~26). I also like the small $12.99 penguin set with 2 exclusives. Batman seems to have a stronger following than any other super heroes, whether it's Lego or other toys and memorabilia.

 

The Flash will reappear in the Gorilla Grodd set next year.

[marcandre]

There's gold in small sets. Be sure to look beyond the super hero stuff. Don't sleep on the friends sets. Some of the smaller ones have done exceptionally well. 

 

Too late now but the last run of Spongebob sets are starting to blow up. These were heavily discounted last fall thru January. I got some but left plenty behind, still bitter over that. No one was talking about those last fall. 

[Ciglione]

Besides the super heroes and the exclusive figures:

 

Smaller sets which are exclusive are good. Like Mars Rover, Research Institute, Delorean (my personal opinion). Also small sets which are train related. Like railroad works in progress, trainstations, etc. At least here in Europe those turned out to be winners. Furthermore small sets that are somehow unique. Like the 3367 space shuttle. Try to find things like that.