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I’m just going to assume we all agree with that wall of text and say I too am disappointed it Lego.

Finally picked up a Lego 21104 Cuusoo Curiosity Rover. Opened it up and getting ready to build it. Waited far too long to buy one. Finding a new one under $300 is HARD. This one is part of the 48S3 batch (48th week of 2013).

Found on Reddit. Looks like the plaque is printed

Here is a .bsx inventory file. $25 in parts new, $16 used (IIRC). Hope I didn't make any mistakes in copying over quantities (was in a conference call). 5006744 - Ulysses Space Probe.bsx

Cool, that adds another $100 to the value of this promo

Instructions for the Ulysses: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OZFEqdlyCSv0KEfcfZribqp5Gu8e_XwQ/view

I was surprised with the amount of people complaining like it was there god given right to have one. I bet a lot of these people judging re sellers are more than likely re sellers themselves that hate the fact they missed out on one. What difference does it make re seller or not we all have an equal right to get one with the same chance. I didn't get one or the space coin but did I get annoyed and complain no because I realise that these things are in short supply and your lucky to get one. Regardless of how the Lego site works or if they say somethings limited there will still be people moaning about anything they can. Also don't understand all these people saying they will boycott Lego because of this it's just utter rubbish and empty threats, I guarantee they'll all forget about it in a week or so and be back sat at the computer on the next promo clicking like a mad man trying to get it again. People who throw there dummy out will just ultimately get Lego to stop all these promos and ruin it for everyone. Lego clearly aren't bothered or they would of changed the way they do these things. Obviously it would help to get the glitches out the website though.

Technically the Ulysses, like the coins are VIP rewards and not GWP. GWP is easier to get since you only need to spend an amount or buy a specific set to get it. VIP rewards are for people who have VIP points in their accounts. Presumably these people already bought quite a bit from LEGO stores and accumulated the points. If LEGO produce too many of these VIP only sets then they are no longer special. I do think LEGO needs to fix their S@H website to give VIPs equal chance to get the limited number of rewards.

This actually concerns me too. Perhaps lego has become too big for its own good. Hot Wheels is facing a similar backlash with their recent change to its RLC program where they no longer cap the number of membership per year. So these old members are going from ordering 2-3 cars per release to having to watch these ebay "resellers" selling what they claimed to be rightfully theirs for $200 after getting an L on these. These older members can't adapt to things selling out in seconds. Basically if you don't click checkout within the first few seconds the moment the clock hit 0, you are basically out of luck as they put you on queue once you put the car in the cart and click checkout. I remember when the first few creator car sets used to come with a miniature versions of the car such as the mini VW camper van and mini Mini Cooper. Mini Cooper was actually the set that brought me out of my dark age although by the time I made the choice to order my first set, the mini mini cooper sold out. I still bought the set for the full price but just to give you an idea, I never try to buy anything for a full price. Honestly I think none of this would've mattered if it weren't for these Covid lockdowns. Most of the Lego sets were available for 20% soon after release from the other retailers so GWP was an incentive for us who were willing to purchase the sets for full price on Day one from LEGO directly. But now, with every set selling out for months and retailers having difficulty keeping items in stock, there are no discounts to be found for most sets at least here in Canada. If you see a set on Amazon.ca for a discount, chances are it is not a lego set. At this point, Double VIP points without any GWP seems like a good deal. So if people outrage over GWP that doesn't even have a special unique piece, perhaps LEGO is thinking why even bother when even when we offer these "free gifts," people are still angry. Perhaps it is the limited nature of these GWP but then I mean how many of these free sets are they supposed to make? LEGO is a business after all. What I am afraid is that they would no longer offer these as a free item. I remember even before Covid, sets like Tumbler and Saturn V were still selling out instantly even without a specific GWP. Already LEGO is making us use our VIP points for these really limited GWPs now. Which is why I find the recent release of the new Creator Porsche set very intriguing. I've purchase most of the Creator Expert car series on day one. And I know some of you don't find this particular set good enough but I thought this set was perhaps the best creator car set aside from Mustang ever to be released. And yet I still haven't bought one because we didn't get a GWP in NA and I don't think I am the only one here. And besides Speed champions sets, these are the only sets that I actually open, build and display as I don't have too much space to display anything. And honestly for Mustang, all it took LEGO for me to buy on Day one was a Keychain and a bumper sticker. And not surprisingly, the Porsche set never sold out once. It may have gone very briefly on backorder once after almost a month of its release but never temporarily out or stock. And I don't know about you but I find car sets designed by Mike Psiaki to be the pinnacle of LEGO design. So it is interesting as to how much these exclusive GWP help with the sale of a new launch. I bet a lot. I think NASA shuttle was received really well at launch and it still hasn't sold out once and is still stocked in my local stores, one of the busiest in NA. I bet if LEGO made the same production run of GWP as the first batch of Porsche or the Shuttle, there is a high probability that these sets would've sold out, which would've still triggered those who missed out. So obviously GWP is a marketing tool but when a marketing tool don't lead to tangible sales but instead leads to animosity towards the company that is striving to provide only the best, what is the marketing team supposed to do? Maybe it was their goal to have things sell out this quickly. Or perhaps not and they will try to scrap these limited GWP specifically tied to a launch of a special set. Perhaps they smell a new opportunity. Honestly I thought they were already overstretched in terms of their selections but they weren't afraid to release VIDIYO sets. And I honestly don't think people were this mad when Batmobile GWP sold out and I think it sold out rather quickly for a really well received GWP back then. I think Yoda lightsaber was the first one of these so called limited GWP in a yellow box that really got people angry. Meanwhile, good sets still sell out without any GWP. Older members at Hot Wheels RLC are already throwing out the idea that they are willing to pay more for a car if it meant guaranteed cars for themselves. I mean there is a definite arbitrage opportunity with these limited releases or with any release at this point. Meanwhile, the LEGO Marketing team is trying many new things and most of these new ventures are turning out to be horrible ideas. So I don't trust LEGO to make a good marketing decisions. I love LEGO's design team which is why I spend a significant portion of my income in LEGO. God I hope LEGO don't increase the price of the set even more to offset the cost of a GWP or worse yet just release it as a new product. I think I am personally ok with spending VIP points for these special gifts because I don't have to buy these expensive set I am not particularly interested in just to get a yoda lightsaber. So after all this if you are still reading this, all I am trying to say is that I am ok with how LEGO is doing with these limited releases... until I can't get 'em. Then all hell break loose.

Managed to secure Disneyland tickets in June and be able to go to avengers campus at California adventure

I added Buckhunter to the lineup today. If anyone is on the fence with the arcade 1 up cabinets I've found them to be good quality and easy to assemble. Apparently last summer walmart clearanced them out for super cheap.

The app has been able to live translate text for like five years. Seems like magic every time I use it. Editing to add this incredible translation:

If you read the wall; it actually says the opposite...the disappointment is in the "fanbase's" (i.e., resellers) "outrage" This is a reseller's forum, so I don't mind admitting that my only care for the Ulysses was the resell opportunity and any "disappointment" in the box is due to the perceived loss of profit. These are my selfish reasons and I would not personally criticize LEGO...because IMO, these types of resell opportunities are "gravy"

Don’t know if these will be VIP, maybe. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You forgot to quote...haha

+1 for building with gloves.....thought I was the only crazy person to do that.....

10% back on RetailMeNot on SAH. Combines well with double points right now.

I have Pac-Man Deluxe, Golden Tee Deluxe, and Star Wars setup. I ended up getting 2 Galaga, 2 Street Fighter, and 1 Final Fight for $50 each when Walmart clearanced them. The Golden Tee and Pac-Man were $130 from Marshall's. I did pay $300 for the Star Wars. I gave my friend a Galaga and he's converting my Galaga to a Retro Pi machine. I still have the other 2 Street Fighter and Final Fight sitting in my basement unopened. I thought about getting one of those Legends systems, but I'm waiting to see how my Galaga turns out. You should splurge and get a riser for your Pac-Man. I liked my Deluxe versions, because they come with custom risers.

I grew up in NJ and I think this is a great thing you put together every year. I just bought tix.

Not to push further off topic but as someone who lives abroad, I highly recommend Deepl for automated translation work. Google Translate will get the job done but in my experience, Deepl is much better at English->Other Languages as well as more familiar with nuances/modern words. I use it to compare against my own handwritten business emails. Great resource if you're dealing with foreign customers.

The top row is lego ninjago. The next line "It's 10 years of passion and growth". So the google translate is not that far off. For the Master Wu coin, on the left it's "Master Wu" on the right it's Ninja Sensei. The other coin I can't make it out clearly but I guess it's the same idea, name on left and 'title' on right. I have a confession, I've sold close to 1000 items here in Switzerland without being fully proficient in either French, German or Italian thanks to google translate. I think only 5% of customers write to me in English.

You would be surprised at how sophisticated this stuff can be. And the time people have on their hands. You could write a bot to create multiple VPN tunnels (to hide your IP address), create an account, use different addresses. You could even have them run through list of addresses so if address #3 successfully get the reward, that account isn't used again to get the reward. It only needs to work a few times to be worth it. It doesn't even have to be a someone writing it themselves. If you're a big time reseller, and you're making your living doing this, it wouldn't be much of an outlay to hire a freelancer in India to do the work.

This is back in stock

I generally agree. I think the big picture thing for me (a fan of LEGO and HP) is after seeing these images I am "excited" and that bolds well for the series and overall for HP reselling. Old or new, when consumers are excited about a brand...everything sells.

Ha that’s not me but from a YouTube unboxing video in german. I won’t build this set selling one and putting one in the vault. I have used gloves especially with black elements that show smudges easily like the piano.

The Disney Castle is back in stock! Shop now at LEGO.com. The Modular Collection Corner Garage is back in stock! Shop now at LEGO.com. The Modular Collection Bookshop is back in stock! Shop now at LEGO.com. The Fiat 500 is back in stock! Shop now at LEGO.com. LEGO® Technic™ Land Rover Defender is back in stock! Shop now at LEGO.com. Old Trafford is back in stock! Shop now at LEGO.com. The 1989 Batmobile™ is back in stock! Shop now at LEGO.com.

That's the version I wish it was...with the gold pieces instead of yellow.

Correct.

Lots of excellent sets in this wave. I just wish that the family still had some LEGO enthusiasm left in them.

All sets have been revealed, https://www.stonewars.de/news/vorstellung-harry-potter-sommer-2021/ The good news is that none of the gold figures is in a 400 bucks set. The chess set is close to the movie material but for some reason I feel a little underwhelmed.

And he was in a conference call. What is your excuse? lol Nice job guys! Thank you for your hard work.

you beat me, I had 8 parts left

I agree, this was my experience as well. In fact, my laptop never was able to load the VIP page until well after the Ulysses was sold out. I don't want to see LEGO cancelling their promos (GWP / VIP) but their execution of launching said sets needs to be cleaned up. Sadly, because so many are complaining of missing out on the Ulysses, I fear LEGO is only hearing "this set is too scarce," not "your website prohibited me from even having a chance to get a Ulysses". I think the best idea I have heard is doing a VIP pre-order. Have the pre-ordering open for 24 to 48 hours and then close it. Produce a run to meet the pre-orders and they're done. That would eliminate the run on the server and allow VIPs to get something special. LEGO avoids having to store all the extra sets. Granted we all end up waiting a month or two to receive the set but is that really that horrible?

Yep. That is why I haven’t opened the bags yet. likely will bricklink a set.

When I was still pretty noobish I have 50 of these in my TRU cart. Wussed out & only got 10. I never would have kept them this long but still 😭

Looks like the display stand is a printed piece! Can someone confirm?

Part-out value is $36. I just picked up a 9392 from EBay for $26 shipped to get the 2 expensive parts ($11 each on BL with only 3 US sellers). Rest of the parts should be easy. Granted, no box, no manual and no "I have the original set" feeling. Can't put a value on those.

Thanks, I got 10% on Desktop limit $500 purchase. ETA: This most likely will not work on Pre/Backorders was going to grab a Piano

Not a stock but Doge coin is on the move the past few days and still climbing. It's up to $0.329. My buy in was at $0.044 Up @ 660+%. Too bad I had only put in $175.

think the soccer gwp or one of the other sets had two numbers for it and they were figuring out how to handle it in brickset or one of the other sites articles were written about it. think it varied based on region but was the same.

well, that's good at least. The yellow pieces don't look great though.

You'll have to give a report on the park, in the appropriate thread, after you guys go.

Yep, I started my own script but I did not have time to research to make it as good as I wanted. And I am too cheap to pay for someone to do it for me

For one, the VIP website was "under maintenance", ie down for the first 10 minutes after the advertised time. Two, when the site was back, I had to login via phone to even see the option to claim the code after several minutes refreshing the site on my PC My scripting is not good enough for bots, but wouldn't the bots be limited to the number of accounts and the points in each VIP account?

Google Translate tells me it says: Lego Ninjago 10 years of love and growth

I like the Faux and chess sets.

One battery, no plaster 🤣 but there is a 21103 One of the harry potter night buses is in there. Minifigures are mixed in through the lot. Looks like a collection from a couple of kids, not just one. Sets from late 90s to mid teens

15% off the Ideas Tree House at Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/LEGO-Ideas-Tree-House-21318/835634790

I'm a big fan of the Warrior Mech and kinda like the Demon Bull King. Warrior Mech has been on and off backorder on Lego, and stays well over retail on Ebay.

Yawn. Maybe good, maybe not...I haven't bought a single one and don't see that changing. There are much better sets to spend money on.