Review: 75294 Bespin Duel
Posted by CapnRex101,
Star Wars movies feature countless memorable moments, including the dramatic confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader when Luke's parentage is revealed. That classic scene has appeared previously, with 10123 Cloud City and 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City.
75294 Bespin Duel shares certain features with the model from 2018, although the detail and accordant accuracy has increased significantly. Furthermore, two magnificent minifigures are included, both of whom have previously been exclusive to more expensive sets. This exclusive set should therefore prove quite interesting.
Minifigures
75222 Betrayal at Cloud City contained an impressive Luke Skywalker minifigure. The same minifigure is available here and looks splendid, featuring dark tan attire that closely resembles the onscreen character. I like the reddish brown belt around his waist and the large pockets on the torso and legs look great. This decoration seems slightly heavier than that on the minifigure from 2018.
Luke's clothing includes appealing detail but my favourite component is definitely the double-sided head, especially given the secondary expression. This bruised visage captures suitable emotion from the movie and I like the determined face too. Additionally, the dark tan hair piece features realistic texture and its colour corresponds with The Empire Strikes Back. Luke wields his father's blue lightsaber.
Darth Vader was updated for 75291 Death Star Final Duel recently and that minifigure returns here, featuring printed arms and improved torso decoration. The creases and colourful buttons compare favourably with the original character and I love Darth Vader's metallic silver shoulder armour which stands out nicely. Intricate detail continues onto the legs and arms.
This helmet was introduced during 2015 and includes excellent moulded detail. The textured mouth grille looks marvellous and removing Darth Vader's famous helmet reveals his scarred head underneath, leaving the brace around his neck behind. The kind facial expression is not particularly suitable here but was appropriate for 75291 Death Star Final Duel and its return is therefore understandable.
However, this minifigure features a cape made from stiffer fabric than its earlier counterpart. Otherwise, the design remains unaltered and the arms are accordingly decorated with some metallic silver stripes and shoulder armour which looks superb. Darth Vader is armed with an imposing red lightsaber, as usual.
The Completed Model
Having already fought through the carbon-freezing chamber and control rooms, the famous battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader concludes on a precipitous sensor balcony. This model focuses upon that sensor balcony and measures 23cm in length. The large scale has enabled its designer to include exceptional detail, demonstrating absolute accuracy when compared with the source material.
Comparing this structure with the sensor balcony from 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City reveals their considerable difference in size. Of course, the earlier rendition formed one section of an enormous set while the new design focuses exclusively upon the balcony and accuracy was evidently more significant on this occasion. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by the difference in size and detail.
The model is assembled on a black display base, depicting the cavernous reactor shaft below the sensor balcony. The base looks fantastic and I like the plaque which celebrates the fortieth anniversary of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Unfortunately, this relies upon a sticker but the design looks good, depicting a moment from this lightsaber duel in silhouette.
Furthermore, the trans-clear 2x2 bricks supporting the model are integrated neatly and offer ample reinforcement. Inverted slopes and curved slopes are combined to create an accurate shape in relation to the movie, most notably as the platform widens where hinges are needed. The railings look outstanding as well, making wonderful use of flexible tubes and microphone elements.
Trans-orange lights are positioned periodically around the railings, demonstrating continued attention to detail. The combination of light bluish grey and dark bluish grey parts looks great, most notably across the floor where the colours and textures vary. Moreover, the designer has included clips for both lightsabers on the reverse of the model, providing easy storage as Darth Vader reveals his familial relationship with Luke!
Darth Vader slices through a sensor array at the culmination of the lightsaber duel and that destroyed array is accordingly included. The black 1x1 round plates with holes, representing scorching where the lightsaber passed through, look excellent and the differing heights of the sensors are equally faithful to the source material. Additional pieces to repair this array would have been appreciated but are unnecessary in my opinion.
The larger atmospheric sensors are connected beyond the balcony and their arrangement appears accurate, featuring suitable shapes and cleverly incorporating a pitchfork to depict sensor vanes extending from underneath. The same building technique appeared in 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City. Multiple attachment points are available for Luke to hold and the red bands compare favourably with the film, although they are not shown prominently onscreen.
Overall
75294 Bespin Duel represents the perfect celebration of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and includes exceptional detail, ensuring impressive display value. The subtle shaping appears accurate to the movie and these minifigures are both brilliant, standing out against the grey sensor balcony. I hope this rendition of Darth Vader will continue to become more widely available.
Unfortunately, the availability of this set was relatively limited which is disappointing, especially given the extraordinary popularity of this scene. The recent Helmet Collection confirms LEGO's willingness to target adult fans with medium-size products and I think this set would occupy that market as well, much like 77904 Nebulon-B Frigate.
Thanks to MeganL for acquiring this set on my behalf.
140 likes
61 comments on this article
@TomKazutara said:
"the trans clear bricks are looking so fundamentally cheap"
Opposed to what?
I love how this minifig scale vignette display set situates itself squarely between the play-oriented sets and the Master Builder / UCS sets. It was a touch pricey and the exclusivity is a shame, even if mostly understandable, but I'd love to see this concept become a retail series. I've said before, I have limited display space so I have to pick and choose what sets I buy and, like the forthcoming Nebulon-B, this hits my sweet spot.
Between these sets and the Trench Run, Hoth, and Endor micro scale vignettes they've been killin it.
I haven't seen the film for some time, but are there steps going up to the end platform like in the model? This would give Luke the high ground..
Love the set though - just wish it was widely available.
Still saddened that I couldn't get my hands on this.... :(
@iamkevinwill said:
"I haven't seen the film for some time, but are there steps going up to the end platform like in the model?"
Yeah, there are steps. The model seems quite accurate.
To me this set just proves one thing: we can NOT trust LEGO's word on anything.
They lied about ending regional exclusivity for sets. They'll very likely lie about many other things.
And spare me the BS-excuse that "this was a SDCC exclusive so it's fair to release it in the US". No. This was a SDCC exclusie. SDCC was cancelled. So this set should have been either also cancelled or postponed for a worldwide release. The moment LEGO decided to limit this set to North America (Canada, US, Mexico), it became a regional exclusive. Period.
I just don't understand why a set like this was considered by Lego to not be viable for a normal retail slot, especially given the toy and collectable focus this year on the ESB 40th anniversary for lines such as the Black Series. They have done 3 cheaper Duel sets recently so this set is in a niche that they already sold sets in and is one of the most famous scenes in pop culture.
@djcbs said:
"And spare me the BS-excuse..."
Lol BS excuse / contract law.
@djcbs said:
"To me this set just proves one thing: we can NOT trust LEGO's word on anything.
They lied about ending regional exclusivity for sets. They'll very likely lie about many other things.
And spare me the BS-excuse that "this was a SDCC exclusive so it's fair to release it in the US". No. This was a SDCC exclusie. SDCC was cancelled. So this set should have been either also cancelled or postponed for a worldwide release. The moment LEGO decided to limit this set to North America (Canada, US, Mexico), it became a regional exclusive. Period."
to be fair, they couldn't have predicted the Coronavirus shutting the comic cons down when they made that promise. After this whole thing is over, then they'll probably completely stop region-specific releases.
Lol this was not a SDCC exclusive. Never was.
@CapnRex101 said:
"Darth Vader slices through a sensor array at the culmination of the lightsaber duel and that destroyed array is accordingly included. [...] Additional pieces to repair this array would have been appreciated but are unnecessary in my opinion."
I really think additional pieces should have been included as the array is intact during the entire lightsaber duel and only destroyed just before Luke's hand is cut off. For an 18+ model with this level of detail those few extra pieces should be an obvious inclusion, so that the actual duel may be appropriately displayed.
Other than that a great set for sure, I'd really like to see more small sets with this level of detail - just because you're an adult it doesn't mean you have unlimited money to spend nor the display space needed for all those larger and larger Lego sets.
@djcbs said:
"To me this set just proves one thing: we can NOT trust LEGO's word on anything.
They lied about ending regional exclusivity for sets. They'll very likely lie about many other things.
And spare me the BS-excuse that "this was a SDCC exclusive so it's fair to release it in the US". No. This was a SDCC exclusie. SDCC was cancelled. So this set should have been either also cancelled or postponed for a worldwide release. The moment LEGO decided to limit this set to North America (Canada, US, Mexico), it became a regional exclusive. Period."
If you want to ignore basic facts then sure, that's the case.
As I've said before, given the state of the world over the last 7 months, I think it's reasonable to cut Lego some slack here. If you look outside you might be able to tell that these aren't normal circumstances that we're dealing with.
@CM4Sci said:
"Lol this was not a SDCC exclusive. Never was. "
You're right, it was for Star Wars Celebration.
@CDM said:
" @TomKazutara said:
"the trans clear bricks are looking so fundamentally cheap"
Opposed to what?"
Older trans-clear pieces that look noticeably clearer?
They changed the transparent plastics some time ago, and newer parts appearing since then have this haze to them. In some cases, it looks clone-brand level bad.
But Lego's stance is basically "kids won't care", so it seems that's unfortunately here to stay.
@Rob42 said:
"They changed the transparent plastics some time ago, and newer parts appearing since then have this haze to them. In some cases, it looks clone-brand level bad.
But Lego's stance is basically "kids won't care", so it seems that's unfortunately here to stay. "
Thanks for this explainer. I was unaware and never noticed a difference. I'll have to look closer.
@CDM said:
" @TomKazutara said:
"the trans clear bricks are looking so fundamentally cheap"
Opposed to what?"
Opposed to what they used to look like prior to TLG's change to a different material.
Now they look like trans-"clear" bricks by Chinese knockoff manufacturers.
Once you notice it it can't be unseen.
The new material looks cheap and not like the usual LEGO quality at all, the old material was crisp and absolutely clear. Totally different look (and feel), yes the new material even feels cheap to the touch.
I found a friendly AFOL in the USA who was happy to get me this set and also the Lego DC FanDome Wonder Women set.
Sad that I'll likely never get my hands on this. Aftermarket prices are absurd.
@djcbs said:
"(...) So this set should have been (...) also cancelled (...) "
You're saying that if not everyone can have it, noöne should have it.
I'm a hardcore lefty, but that's taking socialism too far! :-D
@meclo said:
"Sad that I'll likely never get my hands on this. Aftermarket prices are absurd."
None of the pieces are exclusive so you could definitely rebuild it, the only thing you'll be missing is the sticker
@CDM said:
" @Rob42 said:
"They changed the transparent plastics some time ago, and newer parts appearing since then have this haze to them. In some cases, it looks clone-brand level bad.
But Lego's stance is basically "kids won't care", so it seems that's unfortunately here to stay. "
Thanks for this explainer. I was unaware and never noticed a difference. I'll have to look closer.
"
https://www.promobricks.de/1x2-lego-steine-trans-clear-frueher-klar-transparent-ploetzlich-milchig/70990/
It’s in German, but you can see the difference pretty clearly. Like @AustinPowers said, once you see it, you can never unsee it again...
Sad to see Lego go from "Det bedste er ikke for godt" and triple-coated ducks to this lazy "kids won't care" attitude, with inconsistent colors (often with a cheap clone-like translucency), poor light-on-dark printing and now these milky transparent pieces. AFAIK this is a general problem in business, when a company starts dominating the market their focus often shifts from improving their products to cutting costs. Ironically this is why we need the clone brands to keep Lego on their toes, but at this rate I still dread the day when Lepin and Xingbao actually offers better quality than Lego.
Comprehensive explanations have already been provided for why examples like this do not contradict LEGO's statement regarding regional exclusives.
While I understand the great frustration and share it to some extent, expanding availability outside the US would almost definitely have contravened LEGO's agreement with Star Wars Celebration, not to mention the evident impracticality of producing additional sets to satisfy the worldwide market.
@TomKazutara said:
"the trans clear bricks are looking so fundamentally cheap"
That's the first thing that jumped out at me when I saw the pics as well. It's really noticeable on Diagon Alley. Trying to see through the storefront windows is like looking through a milky haze.
@TomKazutara said:
"Okay, fair enought.
But what about : 77905 and 77904 ?"
It's the exact same explanation, just swap "[insert city here] Comic Con" for "Star Wars Celebration".
@TomKazutara said:
" @CapnRex101 said:
"Comprehensive explanations have already been provided for why examples like this do not contradict LEGO's statement regarding regional exclusives.
While I understand the great frustration and share it to some extent, expanding availability outside the US would almost definitely have contravened LEGO's agreement with Star Wars Celebration, not to mention the evident impracticality of producing additional sets to satisfy the worldwide market."
Okay, fair enought.
But what about : 77905 and 77904 ?
"
The exact same explanation applies as those were sets destined for New York Comic Con.
@CDM said:
" @TomKazutara said:
"Okay, fair enought.
But what about : 77905 and 77904 ?"
It's the exact same explanation, just swap "San Diego Comic Con" for "Star Wars Celebration".
"
Lol, beat me by a few seconds
I did like that you could build this without acquiring the box. The pieces are relatively easy to grab, although a few in more limited number of sets.
I grabbed one that morning from Target since lego was already sold out when I woke up.
Obviously with the time it took to sell out (twice over at Lego.com), they could market this on a broader scale.
I haven’t built mine yet. I likely will sometime when I have shelf space for it. But I like the smaller yet detailed scene.
Unfair to whom? You? Or to the event organizer that paid a handsome sum of money to arrange for the creation and production of the set?
I believe people's frustrations with the Lego group are more towards why this scene wasn't recreated before, more than, it is a regional exclusive or SDCC, whatever you want to call it.
Why Lego does so much original content, which I love btw, but does the same thing over and over again. Some iconic moments or locations and vehicles are left on the shelf and never see the light of day.
Another complaint is the worst price and lack of deals coming from a European company.
Those are my gripes with Lego but while this set would be awesome to get here, I think there's bigger problems to fix.
A N G E R Y
I had accidentally stayed up late the night before this released and decided to give it a shot to try and snag one. Fortunately I could, and I am so happy with this model! It's a great display piece for my dorm room desk.
Nitpicking, but a scorch mark on Vader's upper arm / shoulder would have been nice if this was to be a fully detailed set, as well as making Luke's outfit more tattered-looking, especially around the shoulders. Plus any self-respecting display has to pull Luke's right hand off.
As for the new less transparent plastic - which is apparently also more prone to scratches - I can't seem to remember it being mentioned in any Brickset review?
Bjarke Schønwandt, Quality Director at Lego, recently said:
"In the years to come we will see more changes to the materials platform in order for TLG to become more and more sustainable. The new transparent material is not 100% sustainable but we need this step in order to become sustainable."
https://www.newelementary.com/2020/09/missing-faulty-lego-consumer-perceived-quality.html
I love Vader’s new prints.
@CDM:
Probably referring to the new material they're using for transparent parts. It's about as popular as getting an elective root canal.
@iamkevinwill:
The high ground, yes. The high five, not so much.
@MrClassic:
Well, they already did the Death Star detention block, and the Millennium Falcon cockpit, and...oh, wait...
@TomKazutara:
I mean, they were intended as event exclusives. Nothing was fair about them to begin with. They'd already been produced, so there were five basic options:
1. Hold on to them for a year (or longer) and release them at a time when the Empire 40th sticker no longer makes sense.
2. Throw a wrench into their production schedule and make this a wide release that requires them to crank out more copies heading into the holiday shopping season.
3. Take the limited quantities that they've already shipped to the US, ship some of them back to Europe, and release them with even more (effectively) limited quantities to a wider market.
4. Send them _ALL_ back to Europe, crack the boxes open, and feed all the parts into the regrinder to recycle the plastic into other sets.
5. Or do what they did and just dump whatever stock they had available as efficiently as they could manage, while getting on with their regular operations.
@CDM:
Do we know that anyone actually commissioned them to produce this set? I figured this was done as a loss-leader. Pay for booth space at an event that caters to the crowd you want to market to, and produce exclusive items that are bound to generate a lot of buzz to help get everyone (whether they're at the event or not) talking about your product and (hopefully) buying whatever else you sell under that theme.
@Brickbit:
Yeah, that much I can agree with. I'd love to see a whole series of sets done like this, with highly detailed, _not_ play-focused, iconic scenes from the six SW movies. AFOLs have been doing stuff like this for years, with cohesive groups of MOCs that all share a similar build style.
@fulcrumbop:
That's definitely my plan when I get around to building this. Luke's lightsaber with the hand still gripping it, sitting on the black display base.
@PurpleDave said:
" @CDM:
Do we know that anyone actually commissioned them to produce this set? I figured this was done as a loss-leader. Pay for booth space at an event that caters to the crowd you want to market to, and produce exclusive items that are bound to generate a lot of buzz to help get everyone (whether they're at the event or not) talking about your product and (hopefully) buying whatever else you sell under that theme."
I was under the impression they were produced in a special agreement with A. the license holder, B. event organizer, or C. both and they were bound by exclusivity. I don't remember where I read about it as it was a while ago. This has been a topic of discussion for ages, and intensifying after the Lego announcement regarding region specific sets. The only other reason I can think of for excluding the rest of the world market is the sets are already warehoused in the US and they don't want to ship internationally...which would be a weak excuse. Exclusivity is the only plausible explanation I can think of.
If you really wanted this scene, you should have bought 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City. It's that simple. ;)
@MrClassic said:
"As for the new less transparent plastic - which is apparently also more prone to scratches - I can't seem to remember it being mentioned in any Brickset review?
Bjarke Schønwandt, Quality Director at Lego, recently said:
"In the years to come we will see more changes to the materials platform in order for TLG to become more and more sustainable. The new transparent material is not 100% sustainable but we need this step in order to become sustainable."
https://www.newelementary.com/2020/09/missing-faulty-lego-consumer-perceived-quality.html "
The whole post you linked is really interesting. Thank you for posting this. I did a Google search earlier today and couldn't find much about it and their reasoning seems logical to me. Again, I haven't noticed this first hand so this controversy is new to me.
@CDM :
That's not how events usually work. You want to participate, you pay for booth space, and you get a booth and enough vendor badges to staff your booth. That's it. Precisely _what_ you sell (so long as it's legal) is between you and the people who shop at your booth. You certainly could just haul a bunch of regular stuff that anyone can buy from the nearest toy aisle once they leave the event (and they have done some of that in the past, usually limited to early sales of stuff that will be out later that year), but if you're competing for the wallets of people who are walking past hundreds of booths that are selling SDCC-exclusive items that can be flipped for big bucks, nobody is going to want to lug around a large set that they could just as easily order from S @H using their mobile phone.
Now, there certainly are events that put restrictions on the stuff they bring. Several years ago they made Biff and Sandy minifigs, which were tied to their partnership with NASA at the time. NASA has a not-for-profit mandate, meaning any promotional stuff you do with them can't be directly about lining your pockets. Licensing the name for sets is fine, but since they sent copies of Biff and Sandy into space, they were prohibited selling Biff and Sandy minifigs and using the space launch to market them. So they made a pile of minifigs and gave them away for free. That much was allowed under the terms of the agreement. And, to my knowledge, they've never sold either of those minifigs.
For SDCC, the various items (DC and Marvel minifigs, plus sets for DC, Marvel, SW, and Mario) almost certainly were shipped to San Diego in advance of the event being cancelled. Bespin was a one-off set, which was released to the public the same weekend that the event was originally supposed to take place. SDCC had already pass before the first pieces (DC minifig and set) were even revealed to the public, much less made available. From DC Fandome on, my suspicion has been that everything they sent for SDCC got shoved into storage either when they arrived prior to the event, or as soon as the event was officially cancelled, and that before they could start shipping those items they had to locate them, pull them out of storage, prepare them for shipment, and send them from San Diego to wherever the closest fulfillment center happened to be (hence why Wonder Woman shipments were delayed until October but Bespin started shipping the next day). That second mass shipment already reduced whatever profit margin they had on these sets. Shipping small batches of them overseas would probably put them in the red on these, and doesn't make sense from a business standpoint*. Fulfilling international orders directly from a US warehouse would absolutely cost them more money than chucking the whole pile in the trash, unless they imposed international shipping fees (at which point there would be complaints about how _that_ isn't fair).
*So, the tricky thing in all of this is the Wonder Woman set. It's still available to buy on Walmart's website, last I heard. It was even sold to limited markets in Europe, unlike Bespin. I remember checking LEGO.com a week after it listed and it still hadn't gone out of Available status, where Bespin hit Backorder status within half a day of going live. So, here's the real question: Did their backup contracts with Target and Walmart impact the difference in availability? Target got Benny and Sweet Mayhem Brickheadz, which were Red Card exclusives and sold out in a flash. Walmart got Emmet and Wyldstyle Brickheadz, which were available to any and all buyers, and lasted a lot longer. I believe I read that the Walmart sets were produced in significantly greater quantities (something like 2-4x as many as the Target sets). When these events fell through, and they contracted with Target and Walmart to help them unload this orphaned stock, did Target take different terms than Walmart? Did Walmart ask for their set to go back into production, while Target put a hard limit on whatever was already boxed up? We'll probably never get a clear answer on this, but it's worth considering that any contractual restrictions were the result of these events being cancelled, and that the limited availability may be something they agreed to rather than choosing to impose.
Most of this is just spitballing. Other than the logistics of making sure all the SDCC product was in San Diego well in advance, or the additional expense of redistributing stock around the entire world, any claims about why they could only do this the way they did, or why they could just crank out as many copies as the market can absorb, range from educated guess to WAG. Nobody has any hard information based on what I've read, but I think I've presented at least a few plausibly logical reasons why things may have played out in exactly this manner.
@MrClassic said:
" @CapnRex101 said:
"Darth Vader slices through a sensor array at the culmination of the lightsaber duel and that destroyed array is accordingly included. [...] Additional pieces to repair this array would have been appreciated but are unnecessary in my opinion."
I really think additional pieces should have been included as the array is intact during the entire lightsaber duel and only destroyed just before Luke's hand is cut off."
Whaaat?! Luke’s hand gets cut off? Spoiler alert!
Next you’re going to tell me that Darth Vader is Luke’s father or something crazy like that!
@Zander:
Pfft! I'm pretty sure I saw a clip where Luke says Vader betrayed and murdered his father, so that doesn't sound any more likely than Luke playing tonsil hockey with his own sister.
I think the main reason for all the anger (that includes mine as well) is WHAT they picked as the source material for the exclusive set(s).
Just like with the Nebulon-B, these exclusives were based on some really popular things/scenes within the SW universe. Stuff that would have sold like hotcakes just as regular sets.
Why on Earth does TLG choose such source material for highly limited exclusives? Why not choose something that is rare or obscure to begin with and make that an exclusive?
That would have two positive effects.
Firstly, it would leave sets like the Nebulon-B or this scene, which I don't need to remind anyone is one of the most if not the most pivotal scene in the entire SW saga, for regular sale via the general consumer catalog or at least as a LEGO store/Shop at home exclusive.
Secondly, it would be a chance for those lucky enough to manage to obtain one of these exclusives to get a representation of some truly special content that would never have the chance to be made available for a wide release. Say some rare character, vehicle or scene that might only be of interest to the most die-hard fans (which from my experience are those that visit such events in the first place).
@CDM said:
"Unfair to whom? You? Or to the event organizer that paid a handsome sum of money to arrange for the creation and production of the set?"
Yes, unfair to me, and the rest of the world who will never be able to get this
This is just the latest release in the popular LEGO Scalpers theme. There used to be a better way; the Santa Fe Super Chief was released as both a limited edition set and as a consumer product. It makes sense for events to be able to have limited edition products created to enhance their appeal, but it doesn't have to be whole sets. Printed tiles, specialised packaging etc. all appeal to collectors. Choosing to go down this path would assuage much of the negative feeling towards the company when releases such as this one are announced.
I think a lot of the issue isn’t necessarily that are event exclusives, but more what specifically the event exclusive is...
Let’s be honest, if they produce 100 of a set, the set could be terrible- but a lot of us on here would still be desperate for it, simply because it is a collectible, and we love Lego, and we love Star Wars- and that makes it cool for us!
So you’d think, because of this, surely Lego should make such a set a (relatively) niche piece- because they aren’t selling more based on popularity, as they would sell them all anyway (or give them away or however it works at events, I wouldn’t know)- either way, the point is that the product gets to the intended market.
The issue we have here in my mind, is that Lego has for some reason chosen one of the most iconic movie scenes of all time, that is quoted (albeit incorrectly) so often that those who haven’t seen Star Wars know the scene; in other words, a scene that virtually every adult, and many child Lego Star Wars fans would absolutely love to have in Lego form... this is the scene that they chose to base a niche product on? That seems to be the issue in my mind- there’s more upset here because this is clearly such a great marketable set, probably more of a must buy that virtually any other set released in the past few waves (discounting UCS or MBS sets), so we all want it!
Why Lego? Why would you do that! Surely an exclusive in such limited quantities should be niche enough that you excite the nerd fans, but not upset the common folk? Of course some would still be frustrated, but it wouldn’t be quite as bad!
If you want to build the set, you can. No part here is exclusive except for the sticker. You can’t complain about exclusivity when nothing here is exclusive
@bananaworld said:
"
@djcbs said:
"(...) So this set should have been (...) also cancelled (...) "
You're saying that if not everyone can have it, noöne should have it.
I'm a hardcore lefty, but that's taking socialism too far! :-D
"
Though I’m sure I would disagree with you on a lot of things. I appreciate that comment.
@fakespacesquid said:
"If you want to build the set, you can. No part here is exclusive except for the sticker. You can’t complain about exclusivity when nothing here is exclusive"
That's not the point. The customers shouldn't have to go to the trouble of piecing together such a set bit by bit. It's tiresome, it's no fun, plus it is far more expensive in general, as you tend to need several orders, each with their own fees, postage and packing costs, etc.
Going by your suggestion, no one would need to buy any LEGO set anymore. "Simply" buy the pieces on Bricklink or B&P, eh?
@fakespacesquid said:
"If you want to build the set, you can. No part here is exclusive except for the sticker. You can’t complain about exclusivity when nothing here is exclusive"
However, Luke's torso and head have previously only been available in the massive 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City, the pitchfork only in that and the equally massive 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg!, and Darth Vader's torso only in the fairly large 75291 Death Star Final Duel.
Luke is currently available from around €16 on Bricklink, Vader from €34. While the prices should drop thanks to this set, these minifigs will probably remain rather expensive until they appear in further sets.
"I hope this rendition of Darth Vader will continue to become more widely available."
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Knowing LEGO, we shouldn't dream too much about that. It's sold out, we'll never see that set ever again.
I’ve never been bothered about not getting SDCC exclusives before, but REALLY wanted this one.
WIERDLY... it was cheaper on eBay than on BrickLink!
EVEN MORE WIERDLY... it was cheaper to buy one in the USA and have it shipped here, than buy any of the ones on eBay already IN the UK !!!
@560heliport said:
"If you really wanted this scene, you should have bought 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City. It's that simple. ;)"
Because they are the same price of course,
@N1majneb said:
" @560heliport said:
"If you really wanted this scene, you should have bought 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City. It's that simple. ;)"
Because they are the same price of course,"
I guess you missed the sarcasm implied by the winky face!
@AustinPowers said:
" @fakespacesquid said:
"If you want to build the set, you can. No part here is exclusive except for the sticker. You can’t complain about exclusivity when nothing here is exclusive"
That's not the point. The customers shouldn't have to go to the trouble of piecing together such a set bit by bit. It's tiresome, it's no fun, plus it is far more expensive in general, as you tend to need several orders, each with their own fees, postage and packing costs, etc.
Going by your suggestion, no one would need to buy any LEGO set anymore. "Simply" buy the pieces on Bricklink or B&P, eh?"
Thats a weak argument - this is an exclusive paid for by an external entity, they are completely different to the sets that Lego cover the development costs for
@AustinPowers:
I mean, I can't disagree with that, but it's not like this is a new trend. The velour bag Christmas ornaments started out with a train engine in 2014 that was exclusive to an invite-only, in-store Black Friday event. The SW Microfighters launched with _three_ items that were exclusive to SDCC, NYCC and SW Celebration. Brickheadz got its official start with SDCC 2-packs, and repeated the offense a year later. DC Superheroes literally started with two SDCC minifigs. The Wonder Woman set is now the third DCS set that recreates an iconic comic book cover (I don't know specifically which cover the 2019 SDCC Batman set is based on, but having matched up Action Comics 1 and Wonder Woman 6, I 100% believe that's another comic cover).
@jsutton:
They actually used to do that with SDCC. The first SDCC-exclusive set was in 2008. They released a Clone Wars set that basically bundled 7654-1, 7670-1, and five loose Clone Troopers. Then there was an Indiana Jones SDCC-exclusive set that paired the Brickmaster IJ Jeep with a unique terrain base that was really just parts taken from the Raiders boulder temple (so if you _really_ wanted to build it, you could just get the Jeep polybag and build the terrain from loose parts). They followed these up with minifig packs that basically just put common minifigs in fancy event-exclusive packaging (one Batman pack, and six SW packs). And then in 2009 they made their first true exclusive design when they released a mini Republic Dropship w/ AT-TE. Two years later they went back to the non-exclusive exclusive with a specially-packed SW Advent Calendar.
@antsbull:
Do you have proof of a contract to that effect, or are you just making a wild assumption?
Those face prints looks so cheap quality wise. Shame on LEGO, that's really subpar. They were probably older heads printed at 2017/18/19. In 2020 the quality started to improve again, but they're still not quite at their 2013/14 glory days.
Just another in the long line of U.S.-centric exclusives that annoy everyone else in the world.
It's been happening with so many toy lines this year (Lego, Star Wars, Transformers) that collectors should not be surprised any more.
It's just feeding the scalpers market and to be honest if you buy from them you're part of the problem. Some people are trying to sell this for £300!
Perhaps the best way to go about the exclusives is to just have different packaging, nicer designs and exclusive artwork and then release the set as a regular version at least 12 months later for everyone.
The obsessive collectors can go for the 'I have to have this now' factor and try for the exclusive one and the rest can just get the normal one just a while later.
There's no reason at all to deny fans good sets other than causing this sort of aggravation which is not good for business.
Yeah, I was disappointed not to get this too but just not surprised any more. Lego seem to be taking their moves from the Hasbro play book.
Bespin Luke in Lego Star Wars magazine, don't know if it's just in Germany though?
https://www.promobricks.de/bespin-luke-skywalker-lego-star-wars/110506/
It's still available on Lego.com, but is "Sold Out"