I honestly think the pricing on these three sets is an experiment to see what adults are willing to spend on a product for themselves as opposed to a product for their kids. As a kid, a $90 price tag would have been insurmountable. As an adult, I can spend $90 on a whim if I so choose. But as I do not wish this trend to continue, I choose no.
I think these sets are an example of how companies don't price something based on how much it is worth, they price it for how much they think they can get from it.
The only (*AWFUL*) justification I can come up for with the price of the Trash Compactor is that Lego looked at the $60 Trench Run set (which itself is $15-20 overpriced) that was releasing alongside this, and noticed it was around a similar size. But since the Trash Compactor had minifigures, they thought they could upcharge this set $5 extra per minifig, since that is the going price for their blind bag figs anyways. As a result, we have ourselves a $90 set. It's a terrible justification for this horrendously overpriced set and it's a shame given it is of quality.
For the price we shouldve gotten: - helmets included for the stormtroopers - an opening door - a mic for C3-P0 - ATLEAST a suggestion of a diagona - and like Jang said, there should be a scared/stressed/worried face and a super happy face
Oh and some inverted tiles for the sides. IF those were all included Id be okay with the fact that its overpriced. At the end of the day I want to be satisfied with the product. If a set is overpirced but I can look at it and think “man there is nothing that I would add to it… in fact they included more than I was expecting” than im fine with it. Recently the only sets I thought that for was the MBS Mos Eisley Cantina and the 2020 PS AT-AT (haven’t gotten the UCS yet).
Someone mentioned a while ago that Lego is trying to become a luxury brand by charging premium prices. This is probably what happened here, and if people continue to rush into buying these sets on day one regardless of pricing, then it would prove that Lego is right to charge more as a for-profit business.
I think with these sets we've finally hit the point where overpricing is going to significantly effect the sales. Before we would begrudgingly buy sets we knew were slightly overpriced, but this just seems way too much.
I would have felt SLIGHTLY better about the value of this set if the minifigs in the compactor had *dirt* printed on especially on the legs etc And absolutely the c3po thing is CRAZY to me
Yes. The c3po treatment is crazy to me. Same thing with the leg as in the back to the future set. Would have been better unprinted at that point, this just looks nasty to me. And yeah, for that price these figures here should have had dirt in the design of the prints. And the outside should have been tiled.
If 3po had a dual molded silver leg I could excuse this set for $60, maybe. this set is disgustingly overpriced for the single reason that LEGO knows people will pay For the closing doors, a couple of 3747a pieces on each side in the middle can improve this without adding too much width.
My dad has been collecting lego for 20+ years and I've been "collecting" the same amount of time. We're used to really cheap prices on the second hand market (ebay in 2002 was amazing). From what I've seen around forums etc., there are a ton of adults who are very new to buying and playing with lego, and thus have no sense on what price to expect. I've seen used sets on local auctions go for higher than the same set sealed on bricklink. These people simply don't buy that much lego, they see these models, think "hey, that would look cool in the bookshelf", then buy one and don't buy any more lego for a month. Lego knows they can get away with it and it makes sense from a business perspective to set a high price if you can sell it at that price. The only thing that can be done really is to educate, tell others "no, this is too much" and compare it with other sets. Even in this video you're talking to the audience as if we already have a sense of what is decent pricing, which won't really get anywhere. A good amount of people have no lego sets at all, but see this model or some of the other dioramas, and will look into buying one. Some of them will take a little time to do research and find your videos. I think you need to talk a bit more on the subject, bring up bricklink (which is owned by TLG after all). Maybe make a separate video on lego for complete beginners?
But still, when they are shopping, they see that they could have 3x bigger set for the same price. So this is probably Legos tactics to pander to adults and exploit collectors. This is "premium stuff for adults", not a kids toy, and you need to pay more for it. But if it works and people buy it (adults don't mind the cost and collectors will complain but buy them anyway), than they will just continue like this.
I was getting close to maybe buying this, but that price is unjustifiable. Especially with Lego not putting the UCS C-3PO in this! That was such a bad call, all around!
Lego 4 months ago: releases a ucs exclusive in a $15 minifig pack ("everyone liked that") Lego now: Everyone wants us to put exclusive figs in a ucs set This isn't listening to fan backlash or whatever. It's flip flopping arguments to suit their needs whenever they make an anti consumer decision.
I've been watching your channel for a couple years and you were the reason I started collecting lego. Just letting you know I appreciate you and I appreciate how hard you stress on the prices of a lot of sets. I feel like you are reasonable with what you say. So don't feel bad. Thank you for speaking for us and families on budgets
Keep it up Jang! Love your emotion, and I share your opinion. It’s $149 in Australia, half the cost of the modular police station that is so much bigger and better
I really like the Friends central perk set as a benchmark for this type of thing- it's meaty, it's got 6 figures, and it's $60 I think it's really good for what it is Now, comparing it to this? This is smaller, has the same amount of figures, and is $30 more It just doesn't work
On the exclusive figure front... I think the main outcry was that they used the wrong characters or something, and Lego's *excuse* was they can't put exclusive figures in now... Now, being very cynical, what does that seem to say about the company, now they can use this "fan's outcry" to go back to putting exclusives on?
I remember people wanting a UCS Gunship specifically so they could get a new version of Captain Rex. So Lego decides to say "No" to exclusive figures by adding an exclusive slightly muddy Mace Windu and a random Clone Commander. I always try to be fair with company decisions but this feels like they're doing it because at the end of the day there are people that will buy it.
"Listen to them, they're dying Artoo! Curse by metal body, I wasn't fast enough!" Such a cool set, one of my favourite moments of the OT, a fantastic action feature, a tiny vignette of the droids' part of the scene which I really appreciate, but definitely very very overpriced. It's also weird to me that they've got Chewie holding the big metal pipe instead of Han? It's not a huge deal, you can easily arrange it differently if you want, it's just a weird choice to me. But it's definitely a missed opportunity to not have a decent suggestion of the Dianoga, that eyestalk does not meet the bare minimum imo. A lot of people aren't even recognizing that's what it's intended to represent, and who can blame them! Overall though, excellent design, terrible price
The whole exclusive UCS minifigures thing is a double edged sword. On one hand I get the fact that if I pay hundreds of dollars for a set, I should get a special figure, on the other hand, it sucks for people who want certain figures but can’t get them.
The prices of these 3 amazing sets are beyond reason. I always accepted a little Star Wars tax. But no not anymore. Especially the last set $90 is ridiculous. Already stopped buying Lego Star Wars. Will keep not buying Lego Star Wars until the prices drop at least 25%. Ninjago has way better value to me.
It completely baffles me that this LEGO set has the near/same price as the MG Sazabi (The big red Mobile Suit with a green blade on Jang's background), which is one of the biggest and premium MG kits of Bandai.
Maybe printing 3 different quote tiles at high quantities jacked up the prices of all these diorama sets. 😉 About the depth, I posted in another review that closing the compactor walls gave some space to move the 3PO/R2 scene to one side. On the other side possibly add the dentention center hallway or something like that. Then at least all 3 dioramas would line up but it would require modifications, know some people don’t like doong that to sets.
I don't think the price is justifiable by any means; or by doing the carziest mental gymnastics. I guess LEGO themselves looked at the piece count (802), divided it by 10 and added an extra 10 as a mark-up for it being an 'adult-oriented' set. It still does not make sense, imo
What they should have done is make the landspeeder luke have a different face print or give the stormtrooper armor in this set some dirt marks from the garbage in the compactor, that woulf have made both sets more valuable
I can't wrap my head around it being £80, for £45 I got Kai's legacy dragon which imo looks better on display, and for £5 less I could get the huge ninjago mech. The friend's shopping mall and grand hotel are the same price. For another £10 less you could get the massive tree house set. I guess you could say its for 'collectors' and it does convey what it's supposed to well but its ultimately a box, the lightyear spaceship would look better as a display model for half the price imo
I personally like having the exclusive figures in ucs sets, i'm not gonna complain if there isn't an exclusive but it's a nice little bonus I think. I don't want a super demanded figure to be exclusive but I think a dual molded 3po in the landspeeder is acceptable. having said that for 90 dollars i'd want all of my figures to be the best possible variants
There is no reason at all to justify this imo. Prices of Lego this year have been particularly insane, and I can imagine a point not too far off where I will plain boycott them for this kind of insufferable pricing. As for the set itself: technically well done, but I don’t understand the appeal of this scene. I can think of dozens of more interesting, and iconic, star wars scenes.
Hi Jang. I just bought that set today. It’s sitting on my shelf in the box, but I saw your video. $119.99 CDN. In response to your asking for justification, it’s Star Wars. They’ll always overprice sets. Because they know we’ll buy them, just like you did. I don’t agree, but in your video you asked for opinions. Keep up your great work. Your reviews have helped me a lot in determining whether to buy a set or not. I don’t always agree, but I respect and appreciate you. Thank you! Stay Honest.
For people who don’t make MOCs, but want a similar level of detail as a display piece, there is definitely added value in the designs for these sets versus the more play-oriented ones. I’m not trying to defend it as a business decision, but I think that’s where Lego is coming from.
Always glad to see you give level headed reviews and not blindly support lego. Pricing on these display sets are crazy. Love your reviews Jang. Keep up the great stuff
For the printing Nerd: The square-edged, flush binding with glue is called Perfect Binding and the staple, "magazine style" is called Saddle-stitch binding. And I totally agree with both of your points. Big Fan!
This is, without question, the most overpriced LEGO set ever released. It's also the worst and least-detailed of the three dioramas. The Trench Run I could see being $50, so $60 is an expected stretch for this theme. The Dagobah hut feels like $60, but if you wait for a discount that's fine. But this set is the same size as the Trench Run, with significantly less detail. $50 would be pushing it, but it's nearly double that price. I get that it's because of the minifigures, but last I checked LEGO sets are building toys, not action figure multipacks. Not to mention the inanity of the two biggest draws in the set (R2 and 3PO) being sequestered around back: Y'know, the side you'll never see! Overall, I think this set is just a big blemish on an otherwise fantastic first series of Diorama Collection sets. The Jurassic Park set is definitely the best, the Trench Run is fantastically detailed, and the Dagobah set is simply gorgeous. By comparison, this set is a featureless brown box that costs double what it should.
Minfigs being worth $5 is downright evil. By that logic, battle packs ought to be $20 in addition to the cost of the pitiful build that accompanies them and no 4 minifig battle back deserves to be worth $20. As recently as 2020, Lego has released sets like Ninjago Gamer's Market which cost $30 and came with 9 great minifigs. By the $5 standard, that set should have cost $45 minimum. There is simply no excuse for minifigs to be worth $5 each and Lego should not ever try to justify that price with the minifig blind bags or raising normal set prices. Minifigs cost so much less than $5 and prints get reused all the time, how many times have sets come with the same Stormtrooper torsos Han and Luke are wearing? There is just no excuse, not excuse at all. Lego seems to have decided this price point not because of economics but rather just because they and they know people way pay it anyway.
Battle on Takodana was like 60$ as of 2015 I think. If you compare it to that price and adjust for inflation it’s a decent comparison. Idk I’m just trying JANG’s challenge.
The garbage crusher scene made a huge impression on me as a kid when I saw Star Wars for the first time. Still to this day, it's probably my favourite scene.
I would pay $65 for the WHOLE set, figures included, but I would not pay $65 for just the trash compactor, without the figures. Literally when I saw these sets I thought “these should all be the same price as the cheapest one or something”
In regards to the exclusive mini-figure change, it seems more to be feeding into the narrative the Lego just doesn't like to make sets outside of the original trilogy. To stop making exclusive figures for the one prequel UCS set in a while, and then immediately backtrack due to 'fan reaction' can easily be seen as planned.
I was genuinely surprised when I first heard the pricing that this was the most expensive because to me more parts should mean more expensive (not necessarily this level but yeah) also to me figures are also just parts, why should they be considered differently
I think the printing justifies them being not just parts but apart from C3-PO and R2 no one here is unique I could take lukes head and stick it on a stormtrooper body and I have the other figures so I think exclusivity needs to be part of these collectors sets for the appeal and then add them to play sets later
@@monadoboy9639 yes printed pieces are a little more complex but at the same time minifigs in full sets are just ~10 pieces with 2-7 prints no more complex than any other so maybe a dollar per fig, collectable figures have slightly different economics as they have to be stored and have an bag and all that although I wouldn't say that extra is $4
I think the Trench Run should’ve been around $50, and around $60-70 for this and the Dagobah set. My biggest gripe is the lack of appropriate face prints. I would’ve liked the price to be cheaper, but I think I’ll still pick it up eventually.
1x1 tiles makes water look stagnant while 1x2 make it look as though it has some kind of flow. That's how my eyes see it and I assume that's how they see it
I can't justify its price but I can explain it: people will pay it. I think more people would have bought it if it were cheaper. But people will pay, therefore, price increase
Have just built mine, I think it's great! and worth the money. I have the same spare bits left over as you, which was reassuring to me - I was worried I'd missed a bit.
is there a rule of thumb for minifig pricing adjustments to retail price? like 10c/piece for the lego, is it like $5 per minifig or something crazy? minifigs is the only reason I can possibly think its so expensive vs the other two dioramas
£80 in the UK, saw it in person and it has got to be one of the most overpriced sets I’ve ever seen. I would say it’s £40 worth, £50 at an absolute push but even then I feel like I’d be overpaying
Revenue increased 27% for Lego in 2021 over 2020 thanks to the Star Wars and Harry Potter series. In my humble opinion, it's not a "get what you pay for" scenario. It's a "let's charge what we think we can get" based on the popularity of the lines and the specific scenes captured. Besides, it's 2022, I read that the licensing with Disney for the Star Wars series is expiring and needs renewed. Someones got to pay for that, just saying. Excellent review, as always. My compliments.
Lego should have wrote on that plate of these diaorama "Your wallets will be alot thinner after buying these sets" 🤣. Great review but I would rather save up to get whole Death Star if they ever make another one.
I bought the Saturn V for $120 a couple months ago. $30 more. Even if you adjusted it to $150 in 2022 money I'd still happily pay $60 more for that model over this one. This price is insulting.
I am especially disappointed in the prices of the dioramas because the sets themselves are so great. If this were $60, I would be calling it pricey, $50 I think would be fair, judging by the size and functionality. The only figure of value in this set is the R2, because we don't yet know if the back printing will make it into standard playsets. As pointed out, we are 2 days away from a better C-3PO being released, and it's in a set that gives you more bang for your buck (though still being dumbfoundingly expensive), so I put little stock in that. It is only a matter of time before the new stormtrooper uniforms make it into playsets, that is a design that is infinitely reusable for lego. Leia, Chewie, and Han and Luke's heads, are all not worth more than $5 total. I simply refuse to value the figures here over $10, and that build looks about as massive as a ~$40 set. There is no justifying this price.
14:17 I think that is the oppisite of the problem. The Gunship came with two mini figures that you can get in much cheaper sets, taking away from the exclusitivity of ucs sets. This is definitly a collector set, it might not be an ultimate collector set, but it should still follow similar rules. Putting a regular threepio, even one with arm printing, is putting an ordinary figure in a collector edition set where it does not belong.
I personally like the idea of exclusive minifigs with UCS sets, it makes them that little more special, (and that's from someone who spends very little money on Lego in general). However, they should not be for genuine improvements like this, they should be purely for alternative printing rather than something that actively makes older version feel obsolete.
outrageous, I cant afford these kinda prices, id honestly spend more on lego if the prices were fairer as id be getting value for money rather than feeling ripped off
This is one of those sets that I probably won't get but I'm glad it exists as an official LEGO set. I think the same thing applies to all of the Star Wars Diorama sets.
When I first saw the Dagobah and this set,image reveals, I thought The Dagobah one was going to be more expensive or the same price but when I looked at the price of the trash compactor.......It made the Dagobah set a steal.
They really should have had the monster in this set. That was one of the biggest parts of this scene. Even if they just had the eye that is above the water.
Thank you for the emphasis on the price, it needs to be called out so it doesn’t happen again if they really are “listening to the fans” as they claim.
when a set has a well bound instruction booklet I look up the digital version so I don't have to bend the pages or anything. Also I would argue that the inclusion of C3PO and R2D2 wasn't entirely necessary, and they were probably thrown in to add the tiniest crumb of reason for that price tag. $60 without the droids would have been a decent price in my opinion
I got this set and I love this set and I have it on a bookshelf and it makes me happy when I look at it. To me, it’s perfect. This is a rare RARE time where I spent more than I should have on a set and I’m not happy about the pricing, but to me for a set to feature the near full cast of characters in an iconic scene diorama, I was willing to make an exception. That being said, I’m not buying the other ones. They do not meet the bar for me to forgive the price.
In Australia it is over $140 and I totally agree with you it's over the top! Lego is really playing us on this set, They know we will buy if for no other reason than to complete the series. They are really starting to drive people over to the dark side with that other lot from you know where Crazy Crazy Crazy and nasty
The price is crazy. I still cannot believe this is real life. I showed my mom the picture on shop at home and let her guess the price. She said 30 €. 😂
Look, a LEGO designer was tasked with constructing a set that was to always be 65$. They came up with the trash compactor function in minifigure scale and probably realized it was not 65$ value so they made exclusive 3PO and R2 to help offset this.
“It’s super cool! Better than it looked in the pictures, better than I could ever ask for and it looks really good! That’s cool. That’s something special.” And 5 iconic Star Wars characters. Well, that’s an argument for the price wouldn’t you say? You’re right about the expressions, though. All of them have faces that say “Really? We’re gonna die in a trash compactor?”
We weren’t complaining about there not being exclusive figures we were complaining about how the OT UCS sets get high quality figures that match the scene but with the first prequel UCS set in years we got a clone commander in the role of a pilot so people were upset about the obvious favoritism towards OT sets especially this year which is the 20th anniversary of attack of the clones yet we have yet to see any prequel sets outside of the republic fighter tank set
Maybe *maybe*, Lego is experimenting with fashion like price : super high margins so retailers can both have a lot of profit from early adopters + the ability to make big sales for the other folks ?
Also, as iconic these scenes are we’ve seen them repeat them before. Has Lego forgotten that the prequels had cool moments too? Like for example when Qui Gon Jin and padawan Kenobi fought off the Droidikas at those blast doors inside that Trade Federation ship? Or Obi Wan Kenobi and padawan Anakin v Count Dooku in that hanger bay? My last example of this era they could return to would be a remake of Palpatines arrest with Mace Windu. Regardless of varying opinions, Lego has a bunch of content they can experiment with besides the reliable classic trilogy of movies. I mean what about the Mandalorian too? Name any scene that you enjoyed and Lego surely would listen. Aside from that recent set with Luke v Dark Troopers.
About the $90 -- there's a lot of things happening at once. I would maybe compare Lego to the streaming subscriptions that have been constantly upping their prices (Netflix, Disney, Hulu, HBO), testing how far ppl will continue to pay. Also, I think the supply chain problems have probably been very costly for them so they're raising prices. And that's without factoring in inflation and energy price surges. Definitely not a fan of the prices, but I'm willing to wait for this one to go on sale.
3 cool sets, 3 awful prices. No way of justifying them. Thanks for the great reviews as always Jang
Agreed, no justification other that LEGO is gready...
I honestly think the pricing on these three sets is an experiment to see what adults are willing to spend on a product for themselves as opposed to a product for their kids. As a kid, a $90 price tag would have been insurmountable. As an adult, I can spend $90 on a whim if I so choose. But as I do not wish this trend to continue, I choose no.
I do not want to encourage LEGO to keep prioritizing overpriced licensed sets over reasonably-priced original sets.
I think these sets are an example of how companies don't price something based on how much it is worth, they price it for how much they think they can get from it.
The only (*AWFUL*) justification I can come up for with the price of the Trash Compactor is that Lego looked at the $60 Trench Run set (which itself is $15-20 overpriced) that was releasing alongside this, and noticed it was around a similar size. But since the Trash Compactor had minifigures, they thought they could upcharge this set $5 extra per minifig, since that is the going price for their blind bag figs anyways. As a result, we have ourselves a $90 set.
It's a terrible justification for this horrendously overpriced set and it's a shame given it is of quality.
For the price we shouldve gotten:
- helmets included for the stormtroopers
- an opening door
- a mic for C3-P0
- ATLEAST a suggestion of a diagona
- and like Jang said, there should be a scared/stressed/worried face and a super happy face
Oh and some inverted tiles for the sides.
IF those were all included Id be okay with the fact that its overpriced. At the end of the day I want to be satisfied with the product. If a set is overpirced but I can look at it and think “man there is nothing that I would add to it… in fact they included more than I was expecting” than im fine with it. Recently the only sets I thought that for was the MBS Mos Eisley Cantina and the 2020 PS AT-AT (haven’t gotten the UCS yet).
The figs should also have dirty/mud brown printing
Someone mentioned a while ago that Lego is trying to become a luxury brand by charging premium prices. This is probably what happened here, and if people continue to rush into buying these sets on day one regardless of pricing, then it would prove that Lego is right to charge more as a for-profit business.
I think with these sets we've finally hit the point where overpricing is going to significantly effect the sales. Before we would begrudgingly buy sets we knew were slightly overpriced, but this just seems way too much.
I would have felt SLIGHTLY better about the value of this set if the minifigs in the compactor had *dirt* printed on especially on the legs etc
And absolutely the c3po thing is CRAZY to me
The set is ridiculous priced for 90....
I actually laughed out loud when i read it. When i first saw pics i just assumed it was going to be like 50
Yes. The c3po treatment is crazy to me. Same thing with the leg as in the back to the future set. Would have been better unprinted at that point, this just looks nasty to me.
And yeah, for that price these figures here should have had dirt in the design of the prints.
And the outside should have been tiled.
The irony is when this set retires it'll go for triple the original price...
If 3po had a dual molded silver leg I could excuse this set for $60, maybe. this set is disgustingly overpriced for the single reason that LEGO knows people will pay
For the closing doors, a couple of 3747a pieces on each side in the middle can improve this without adding too much width.
From a cynical point of view, it's very easy to understand - 'the mugs will buy anything with a STAR WARS label on it'.
This. No need to do as if we didn't understand Lego's intentions here. This is the only reason. Money. More. Money.
My dad has been collecting lego for 20+ years and I've been "collecting" the same amount of time. We're used to really cheap prices on the second hand market (ebay in 2002 was amazing). From what I've seen around forums etc., there are a ton of adults who are very new to buying and playing with lego, and thus have no sense on what price to expect. I've seen used sets on local auctions go for higher than the same set sealed on bricklink. These people simply don't buy that much lego, they see these models, think "hey, that would look cool in the bookshelf", then buy one and don't buy any more lego for a month. Lego knows they can get away with it and it makes sense from a business perspective to set a high price if you can sell it at that price.
The only thing that can be done really is to educate, tell others "no, this is too much" and compare it with other sets. Even in this video you're talking to the audience as if we already have a sense of what is decent pricing, which won't really get anywhere.
A good amount of people have no lego sets at all, but see this model or some of the other dioramas, and will look into buying one. Some of them will take a little time to do research and find your videos. I think you need to talk a bit more on the subject, bring up bricklink (which is owned by TLG after all). Maybe make a separate video on lego for complete beginners?
But still, when they are shopping, they see that they could have 3x bigger set for the same price. So this is probably Legos tactics to pander to adults and exploit collectors. This is "premium stuff for adults", not a kids toy, and you need to pay more for it.
But if it works and people buy it (adults don't mind the cost and collectors will complain but buy them anyway), than they will just continue like this.
All 3 of the sets should be around $60 in my opinion. Maybe I could understand $70, because Star Wars is always expensive. But no more than that.
I was getting close to maybe buying this, but that price is unjustifiable. Especially with Lego not putting the UCS C-3PO in this! That was such a bad call, all around!
Lego 4 months ago: releases a ucs exclusive in a $15 minifig pack ("everyone liked that")
Lego now: Everyone wants us to put exclusive figs in a ucs set
This isn't listening to fan backlash or whatever. It's flip flopping arguments to suit their needs whenever they make an anti consumer decision.
I've been watching your channel for a couple years and you were the reason I started collecting lego. Just letting you know I appreciate you and I appreciate how hard you stress on the prices of a lot of sets. I feel like you are reasonable with what you say. So don't feel bad. Thank you for speaking for us and families on budgets
Keep it up Jang! Love your emotion, and I share your opinion. It’s $149 in Australia, half the cost of the modular police station that is so much bigger and better
I really like the Friends central perk set as a benchmark for this type of thing- it's meaty, it's got 6 figures, and it's $60
I think it's really good for what it is
Now, comparing it to this?
This is smaller, has the same amount of figures, and is $30 more
It just doesn't work
It's $149.99 in Australia...$90 USD comes to $125 AUD after conversion. So, I have no idea how these prices are being decided. Taxes?...more taxes?!?!
On the exclusive figure front... I think the main outcry was that they used the wrong characters or something, and Lego's *excuse* was they can't put exclusive figures in now...
Now, being very cynical, what does that seem to say about the company, now they can use this "fan's outcry" to go back to putting exclusives on?
I remember people wanting a UCS Gunship specifically so they could get a new version of Captain Rex. So Lego decides to say "No" to exclusive figures by adding an exclusive slightly muddy Mace Windu and a random Clone Commander.
I always try to be fair with company decisions but this feels like they're doing it because at the end of the day there are people that will buy it.
Plot twist: Jang have been showing us his single wonky R2D2 head, swapping it over and over, all these years.
So funny! I just spat Tim tam out all over the bed!
But he shows other droids heads and all of them are wonky. Like the mud R2 from the previous set.
"Listen to them, they're dying Artoo! Curse by metal body, I wasn't fast enough!"
Such a cool set, one of my favourite moments of the OT, a fantastic action feature, a tiny vignette of the droids' part of the scene which I really appreciate,
but definitely very very overpriced.
It's also weird to me that they've got Chewie holding the big metal pipe instead of Han? It's not a huge deal, you can easily arrange it differently if you want, it's just a weird choice to me.
But it's definitely a missed opportunity to not have a decent suggestion of the Dianoga, that eyestalk does not meet the bare minimum imo. A lot of people aren't even recognizing that's what it's intended to represent, and who can blame them!
Overall though, excellent design, terrible price
The whole exclusive UCS minifigures thing is a double edged sword. On one hand I get the fact that if I pay hundreds of dollars for a set, I should get a special figure, on the other hand, it sucks for people who want certain figures but can’t get them.
The prices of these 3 amazing sets are beyond reason. I always accepted a little Star Wars tax. But no not anymore. Especially the last set $90 is ridiculous. Already stopped buying Lego Star Wars. Will keep not buying Lego Star Wars until the prices drop at least 25%. Ninjago has way better value to me.
It completely baffles me that this LEGO set has the near/same price as the MG Sazabi (The big red Mobile Suit with a green blade on Jang's background), which is one of the biggest and premium MG kits of Bandai.
This is a great build with great figures but seriously 90 dollars is a bit too much. Id probably buy it if it was like 70 tho
I don’t know why I like this the best out of all three, maybe the fact it has a moving feature. I wish they all had a manoeuvring feature.
Maybe printing 3 different quote tiles at high quantities jacked up the prices of all these diorama sets. 😉
About the depth, I posted in another review that closing the compactor walls gave some space to move the 3PO/R2 scene to one side. On the other side possibly add the dentention center hallway or something like that. Then at least all 3 dioramas would line up but it would require modifications, know some people don’t like doong that to sets.
I don't think the price is justifiable by any means; or by doing the carziest mental gymnastics. I guess LEGO themselves looked at the piece count (802), divided it by 10 and added an extra 10 as a mark-up for it being an 'adult-oriented' set. It still does not make sense, imo
What they should have done is make the landspeeder luke have a different face print or give the stormtrooper armor in this set some dirt marks from the garbage in the compactor, that woulf have made both sets more valuable
I can't wrap my head around it being £80, for £45 I got Kai's legacy dragon which imo looks better on display, and for £5 less I could get the huge ninjago mech. The friend's shopping mall and grand hotel are the same price. For another £10 less you could get the massive tree house set. I guess you could say its for 'collectors' and it does convey what it's supposed to well but its ultimately a box, the lightyear spaceship would look better as a display model for half the price imo
I like the back bit with the droids. Didn’t expect that!
I think this is such a good set. The fact that it is interactive, re creating the famous scene in the film is fantastic. Love the review 😀😀
LEGO seems to be in a frantic battle to create the next “most overpriced” LEGO Star Wars set ever.
Great job, you're the only Lego RUclipsr being honest about the prices getting more and more ridiculous.
I personally like having the exclusive figures in ucs sets, i'm not gonna complain if there isn't an exclusive but it's a nice little bonus I think. I don't want a super demanded figure to be exclusive but I think a dual molded 3po in the landspeeder is acceptable. having said that for 90 dollars i'd want all of my figures to be the best possible variants
There is no reason at all to justify this imo. Prices of Lego this year have been particularly insane, and I can imagine a point not too far off where I will plain boycott them for this kind of insufferable pricing.
As for the set itself: technically well done, but I don’t understand the appeal of this scene. I can think of dozens of more interesting, and iconic, star wars scenes.
Hi Jang. I just bought that set today. It’s sitting on my shelf in the box, but I saw your video. $119.99 CDN. In response to your asking for justification, it’s Star Wars. They’ll always overprice sets. Because they know we’ll buy them, just like you did. I don’t agree, but in your video you asked for opinions. Keep up your great work. Your reviews have helped me a lot in determining whether to buy a set or not. I don’t always agree, but I respect and appreciate you. Thank you! Stay Honest.
For people who don’t make MOCs, but want a similar level of detail as a display piece, there is definitely added value in the designs for these sets versus the more play-oriented ones. I’m not trying to defend it as a business decision, but I think that’s where Lego is coming from.
Always glad to see you give level headed reviews and not blindly support lego. Pricing on these display sets are crazy. Love your reviews Jang. Keep up the great stuff
Ridiculous price point. Imagine what prices will be if/when they make their pieces all out of plant material!
For the printing Nerd: The square-edged, flush binding with glue is called Perfect Binding and the staple, "magazine style" is called Saddle-stitch binding. And I totally agree with both of your points. Big Fan!
This is, without question, the most overpriced LEGO set ever released. It's also the worst and least-detailed of the three dioramas.
The Trench Run I could see being $50, so $60 is an expected stretch for this theme. The Dagobah hut feels like $60, but if you wait for a discount that's fine.
But this set is the same size as the Trench Run, with significantly less detail. $50 would be pushing it, but it's nearly double that price. I get that it's because of the minifigures, but last I checked LEGO sets are building toys, not action figure multipacks. Not to mention the inanity of the two biggest draws in the set (R2 and 3PO) being sequestered around back: Y'know, the side you'll never see!
Overall, I think this set is just a big blemish on an otherwise fantastic first series of Diorama Collection sets. The Jurassic Park set is definitely the best, the Trench Run is fantastically detailed, and the Dagobah set is simply gorgeous. By comparison, this set is a featureless brown box that costs double what it should.
Minfigs being worth $5 is downright evil. By that logic, battle packs ought to be $20 in addition to the cost of the pitiful build that accompanies them and no 4 minifig battle back deserves to be worth $20. As recently as 2020, Lego has released sets like Ninjago Gamer's Market which cost $30 and came with 9 great minifigs. By the $5 standard, that set should have cost $45 minimum.
There is simply no excuse for minifigs to be worth $5 each and Lego should not ever try to justify that price with the minifig blind bags or raising normal set prices. Minifigs cost so much less than $5 and prints get reused all the time, how many times have sets come with the same Stormtrooper torsos Han and Luke are wearing? There is just no excuse, not excuse at all. Lego seems to have decided this price point not because of economics but rather just because they and they know people way pay it anyway.
The leg of the c3po could have been dualmolded, and the figure in ucs landspeeder would still be exclusive, because it has side leg print
I love the random droid leg on the left side of the model.
Battle on Takodana was like 60$ as of 2015 I think. If you compare it to that price and adjust for inflation it’s a decent comparison. Idk I’m just trying JANG’s challenge.
Star Wars is pure fantasy and should be enjoyed in this regard. Much like the Steamboat Willy set, the door does not open.
If this same set was under the Ninjago brand, it would cost at most $50. Possibly as low as $35.
I waited for the grevous star fighter to go on sale for 55 which felt more fair. Probably worth doing the same for theses.
The garbage crusher scene made a huge impression on me as a kid when I saw Star Wars for the first time.
Still to this day, it's probably my favourite scene.
I would pay $65 for the WHOLE set, figures included, but I would not pay $65 for just the trash compactor, without the figures. Literally when I saw these sets I thought “these should all be the same price as the cheapest one or something”
" One thing's for sure. Our wallets gonna be a lot thinner. "
In regards to the exclusive mini-figure change, it seems more to be feeding into the narrative the Lego just doesn't like to make sets outside of the original trilogy. To stop making exclusive figures for the one prequel UCS set in a while, and then immediately backtrack due to 'fan reaction' can easily be seen as planned.
They priced me out years ago. My love for Lego lives through your channel
I was genuinely surprised when I first heard the pricing that this was the most expensive because to me more parts should mean more expensive (not necessarily this level but yeah) also to me figures are also just parts, why should they be considered differently
All the different printings on figures justify them being somewhat more expensive. Other than that they are just 9-10 pcs of plastic+accessories.
I think the printing justifies them being not just parts but apart from C3-PO and R2 no one here is unique I could take lukes head and stick it on a stormtrooper body and I have the other figures so I think exclusivity needs to be part of these collectors sets for the appeal and then add them to play sets later
@@monadoboy9639 yes printed pieces are a little more complex but at the same time minifigs in full sets are just ~10 pieces with 2-7 prints no more complex than any other so maybe a dollar per fig, collectable figures have slightly different economics as they have to be stored and have an bag and all that although I wouldn't say that extra is $4
I think the Trench Run should’ve been around $50, and around $60-70 for this and the Dagobah set.
My biggest gripe is the lack of appropriate face prints. I would’ve liked the price to be cheaper, but I think I’ll still pick it up eventually.
1x1 tiles makes water look stagnant while 1x2 make it look as though it has some kind of flow. That's how my eyes see it and I assume that's how they see it
I waited until I finally saw it on clearance for $40. There's no way this is worth $90, and I'm happy that a lot of people thought the same.
I can't justify its price but I can explain it: people will pay it. I think more people would have bought it if it were cheaper. But people will pay, therefore, price increase
Have just built mine, I think it's great! and worth the money. I have the same spare bits left over as you, which was reassuring to me - I was worried I'd missed a bit.
is there a rule of thumb for minifig pricing adjustments to retail price? like 10c/piece for the lego, is it like $5 per minifig or something crazy? minifigs is the only reason I can possibly think its so expensive vs the other two dioramas
£80 in the UK, saw it in person and it has got to be one of the most overpriced sets I’ve ever seen. I would say it’s £40 worth, £50 at an absolute push but even then I feel like I’d be overpaying
Heck, I feel like writing to Lego about this and the UCS exclusive figures thing, just… WOW this is so freaking ridiculous!
Revenue increased 27% for Lego in 2021 over 2020 thanks to the Star Wars and Harry Potter series. In my humble opinion, it's not a "get what you pay for" scenario. It's a "let's charge what we think we can get" based on the popularity of the lines and the specific scenes captured. Besides, it's 2022, I read that the licensing with Disney for the Star Wars series is expiring and needs renewed. Someones got to pay for that, just saying.
Excellent review, as always. My compliments.
Lego should have wrote on that plate of these diaorama "Your wallets will be alot thinner after buying these sets" 🤣. Great review but I would rather save up to get whole Death Star if they ever make another one.
I bought the Saturn V for $120 a couple months ago. $30 more. Even if you adjusted it to $150 in 2022 money I'd still happily pay $60 more for that model over this one. This price is insulting.
The pricing section at the end of this video is truly cinema.
I am especially disappointed in the prices of the dioramas because the sets themselves are so great. If this were $60, I would be calling it pricey, $50 I think would be fair, judging by the size and functionality. The only figure of value in this set is the R2, because we don't yet know if the back printing will make it into standard playsets. As pointed out, we are 2 days away from a better C-3PO being released, and it's in a set that gives you more bang for your buck (though still being dumbfoundingly expensive), so I put little stock in that. It is only a matter of time before the new stormtrooper uniforms make it into playsets, that is a design that is infinitely reusable for lego. Leia, Chewie, and Han and Luke's heads, are all not worth more than $5 total. I simply refuse to value the figures here over $10, and that build looks about as massive as a ~$40 set. There is no justifying this price.
14:17 I think that is the oppisite of the problem. The Gunship came with two mini figures that you can get in much cheaper sets, taking away from the exclusitivity of ucs sets. This is definitly a collector set, it might not be an ultimate collector set, but it should still follow similar rules. Putting a regular threepio, even one with arm printing, is putting an ordinary figure in a collector edition set where it does not belong.
I personally like the idea of exclusive minifigs with UCS sets, it makes them that little more special, (and that's from someone who spends very little money on Lego in general). However, they should not be for genuine improvements like this, they should be purely for alternative printing rather than something that actively makes older version feel obsolete.
Exactly. Imo the dual molded leg c3po should become the standard figure if for a new hope sets that have that figure.
outrageous, I cant afford these kinda prices, id honestly spend more on lego if the prices were fairer as id be getting value for money rather than feeling ripped off
This is one of those sets that I probably won't get but I'm glad it exists as an official LEGO set. I think the same thing applies to all of the Star Wars Diorama sets.
When I first saw the Dagobah and this set,image reveals, I thought The Dagobah one was going to be more expensive or the same price but when I looked at the price of the trash compactor.......It made the Dagobah set a steal.
90 euros here in the Netherlands, which equals 95 dollars... Absolutely crazy. Thanks for the review.
Jang almost went Joker mode when he said "I try not to get rage-y" lol
Perfect conclue about the faces, Jang!
Would of been a nice addition of the Dianoga eye which disappeared when sides moved?? but Nine Zero!! wowzers.
They really should have had the monster in this set. That was one of the biggest parts of this scene. Even if they just had the eye that is above the water.
Thank you for the emphasis on the price, it needs to be called out so it doesn’t happen again if they really are “listening to the fans” as they claim.
when a set has a well bound instruction booklet I look up the digital version so I don't have to bend the pages or anything.
Also I would argue that the inclusion of C3PO and R2D2 wasn't entirely necessary, and they were probably thrown in to add the tiniest crumb of reason for that price tag. $60 without the droids would have been a decent price in my opinion
I could literally feel Jang's frustration and completely agree.
I got this set and I love this set and I have it on a bookshelf and it makes me happy when I look at it. To me, it’s perfect.
This is a rare RARE time where I spent more than I should have on a set and I’m not happy about the pricing, but to me for a set to feature the near full cast of characters in an iconic scene diorama, I was willing to make an exception.
That being said, I’m not buying the other ones. They do not meet the bar for me to forgive the price.
Back in 2010 I got the battle of endor set for $100. Its crazy how the price of LEGO has skyrocketed.
would have been very tempted to get this if 3P0 had the dual molded leg and the trio had new more expressive face prints
In Australia it is over $140 and I totally agree with you it's over the top! Lego is really playing us on this set, They know we will buy if for no other reason than to complete the series. They are really starting to drive people over to the dark side with that other lot from you know where Crazy Crazy Crazy and nasty
I would love to see a GNAJbricks remix of the ending where hes praising the amazing value of the set
Looks great, works great, figures great, price grates.
These prices are gonna send Jang into his Joker arc
I love the review and totally feel your pain. It’s pure lunacy
Nuts. Harry Potter has a few of these inexplicably expensive offerings too.
The price is crazy. I still cannot believe this is real life.
I showed my mom the picture on shop at home and let her guess the price. She said 30 €. 😂
LEGO could have add two additional "hydraulic" elements attached from both sides when diorama is closed. Also sliding up door would be a nice touch.
Look, a LEGO designer was tasked with constructing a set that was to always be 65$.
They came up with the trash compactor function in minifigure scale and probably realized it was not 65$ value so they made exclusive 3PO and R2 to help offset this.
“It’s super cool! Better than it looked in the pictures, better than I could ever ask for and it looks really good! That’s cool. That’s something special.” And 5 iconic Star Wars characters. Well, that’s an argument for the price wouldn’t you say? You’re right about the expressions, though. All of them have faces that say “Really? We’re gonna die in a trash compactor?”
We weren’t complaining about there not being exclusive figures we were complaining about how the OT UCS sets get high quality figures that match the scene but with the first prequel UCS set in years we got a clone commander in the role of a pilot so people were upset about the obvious favoritism towards OT sets especially this year which is the 20th anniversary of attack of the clones yet we have yet to see any prequel sets outside of the republic fighter tank set
Maybe *maybe*, Lego is experimenting with fashion like price : super high margins so retailers can both have a lot of profit from early adopters + the ability to make big sales for the other folks ?
Leia's face works, it's when she's eating crow for getting them stuck while Han complains about the smell.
Also, as iconic these scenes are we’ve seen them repeat them before. Has Lego forgotten that the prequels had cool moments too? Like for example when Qui Gon Jin and padawan Kenobi fought off the Droidikas at those blast doors inside that Trade Federation ship? Or Obi Wan Kenobi and padawan Anakin v Count Dooku in that hanger bay? My last example of this era they could return to would be a remake of Palpatines arrest with Mace Windu. Regardless of varying opinions, Lego has a bunch of content they can experiment with besides the reliable classic trilogy of movies. I mean what about the Mandalorian too? Name any scene that you enjoyed and Lego surely would listen. Aside from that recent set with Luke v Dark Troopers.
Looks way better than I would have expected with two really nice features: the compacting walls and the hidden droids. But $90? Noooo, thank you.
About the $90 -- there's a lot of things happening at once. I would maybe compare Lego to the streaming subscriptions that have been constantly upping their prices (Netflix, Disney, Hulu, HBO), testing how far ppl will continue to pay. Also, I think the supply chain problems have probably been very costly for them so they're raising prices. And that's without factoring in inflation and energy price surges. Definitely not a fan of the prices, but I'm willing to wait for this one to go on sale.