I don't know if I'm the only one who thinks this, but it seems or gives me the feeling that LEGO is trying to make unnecessarily large sets simply to achieve the target price they want, especially I see it all over the +18 line where I think the most striking examples, overblown proportions, limited playability and compatibility... maybe the recent Hulkbuster comes to mind but that's just one example.... It doesn't make any sense except for the fact that they have a lot of parts and therefore manage to justify being expensive.
It's something I hadn't thought about too much but it seems to be a trend lately, where I also think that in many occasions they are not making the grade with the design, maybe for rushing the release of sets?
I don't know and we probably won't know, but I think it's something that LEGO should consider and start to put the brakes on, and think if it's the right thing to do, I don't think $500+ sets are going to become mainstream soon if ever, so they should pay more attention and justify the price not only for an excessive number of pieces but also for the design and overall polish of the set, which I think is leaving a lot to be desired.
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Quite an interesting thought @RevePG and honestly I think I largely agree with it, I'd love to know what you guys think @Tommy @Matheu @Paco2, not sure if you remember we talked about it a while back
I don't see it that way at all, I partly know what you mean, but I think they are simply focusing on a different audience, possibly factors like playability don't matter (as much) to them, they just want the experience of building it and displaying it, and that's it.
But I do agree with the fact that the designs in some cases can be improved, I've never thought it's right that two weeks after releasing a set some fan releases a moc with a couple of simple modifications that makes it look better, I've always thought that official LEGO sets shouldn't be improved (at least not in such an easy way), it's what we should expect from professional LEGO builders I guess...
The title is probably the most accurate thing I've read in a long time, the Hogwarts Express Collectors' Edition is a great example of making something unnecessarily big just to make it expensive and because there were already sets exactly like it lmao.
That would make sense I don't doubt, but I'm glad we agree that they have to improve the designs, even if they focus on another audience they don't have to make fools of them!
Thanks for mentioning me, on the subject, sometimes it does seem like it, recently we've had some high price range sets that didn't make much sense.... I agree very much with @Bearblock reflection, no doubt they are focusing on another audience and with that leaving aside some important factors we were used to in the sets, but even with that premise, I still think they are massifying too much and with that also "boycotting" their own releases, they put LEGO fans in the position of having to choose very carefully which set to buy and the typical "you'll buy this other set later" doesn't happen, because they just release another set that you like more and again puts you in the position of having to choose and prioritize one.
I think the recent discontinuation of Mindstorms is a great example of what can happen when you saturate with expensive releases, the sales of many sets can plummet, let's see if they learn about this and we notice a change of direction soon.
I hope they listen to you! The Mindstorms thing has been a real shame...
I'm a bit late to this but I agree with what @Tommy says, although it's also worth saying that the recent launch of the Eiffel Tower really does justice to what the Icons line should be, something new, clever and simply stunning (the tallest set in history).