Any LEGO quality changes affecting investment potential?

[legoFan88]

As part of trying to assess risks in 'investing' in LEGO, one of my questions is about LEGO quality. Sorry for generalizing, but often the trend for retail products, including toys, is for quality to decrease over time. This is done for various reasons including monetary to maintain or improve sales. My understanding is that LEGO has changed over the years, and I wonder if these changes have made it less good from an investment standpoint. I've read in member forums on sites like brickset.com about quality concerns. Apparently LEGO bricks may be thinner now or made of a less solid material then they used to be. Apparently this may lend to improved 'clutch power', which is a positive, but which may make them less resistant to stress and more prone to cracking. Also, the same materials may not be used or available at all manufacturing countries which may affect quality consistency. Also, I've heard pieces can turn yellow over time, which may be particularly obvious in white and light colors. This (yellowing) seems to be linked to UV light exposure, but I'm not sure if color change may happen in a sealed box too, how I keep most of mine. I'm not sure if this has changed over the years. So for the most experienced among us, have you noticed a change in LEGO quality, and 'investability', over the years. Do you feel a sealed set, stored at moderate temperature and humidity, will be as good 10 years from today as it was 10 years ago? Is there a difference in investment risk between the various countries of manufacture, or between different colors, or between different themes, etc.? Any thoughts? legoFan

[stephen_rockefeller]

A friend of mine recently bought the UCS Imperial Shuttle and told me that the pieces had a yellowish tint to them and not the white color there were supposed to be. I have a sealed one for investment purposes but there is no way to know if the pieces are yellowish until I sell it to someone and they open it. I think TLG is known for their excellent quality control methods, and most people have no problem paying extra money for a quality product. In the event there is a quality control issue with LEGOs they will always bend over backwards to make it right, as the case with my buddies Imperial Shuttle which they replaced at no cost to him.