Price!!!
Minx Kelly leather goddess of phobos
: I haven't seen the FAQ yet and I'm sorry if this is in there but why are Legos
: so expensive?????? My dad doesn't get paid alot so my parents can't give me
: allowance. The biggest sets I can get after saving for a few months are
: the mini sets. :-(
I don't really have an answer for you, but my nephew (who lives with me
off an on) has said the same thing to me many many times. I could give
you my easy answer and say legos are really for grownups, but that isn't
bvery helpful. i knoew it must seem frustrating to you, especially
reading about all these grownups here in r.t.l with all the cool sets.
whenever my nephew visits, he gets depressed just at seeing my
collection. well, the only thing to do really is tell all your relatives
how much you enjoy legos and hope that they start choosing legos for your
bday and holiday gifts. explain to your parents when they are in the
toybuying mood how lego encourages your motor skills, creativity and
spatial visualization. tell them how legos toys never get boring as you
can change what you build each and every time, and they are almost
indestructible. when you spend 30$ on lego, you get a lot more for your
money than when you spend 30$ on hot wheel cars, micromachines, or even
nintendo games. and if all that doesn't work, get your parents to play
legos with you for a few hours each weekend. then they will get hooked
to, and will be buying all the big sets and sharing them with you.
my nephew does extra chores around my house when he visits because he
knows i will reward him with small lego sets. maybe that might work for you.
good luck, and keep enjoying whatever legos you can get your hands on
--
*I may not be Oral Roberts, but I'm halfway there
* Minx Kelly, artist, author and poet
* with way too much time on my hands
* at minx...@mcs.com and less frequently at msm...@palace.com
* aka Da Minx, Mistress Minx, minxworks, et al
*Simons Says put your face between my breasts&make motorcycle noises
The Nephilim
>I haven't seen the FAQ yet and I'm sorry if this is in there but why are Legos
>so expensive?????? My dad doesn't get paid alot so my parents can't give me
>allowance. The biggest sets I can get after saving for a few months are
>the mini sets. :-(
>
Yes, they are expensive, and that's sad. I'd be great if every kid could
afford to get as much LEGO as he or she wanted.
But why are they expensive?
One possible reason is that, with a lot of pieces being made in Europe,
the poor exchange rate between American currancy and other currancies
makes imported toys more expensive. Similarly, Japanese electronics and
cars cost more than they would if the exchange rates between the US and
Japan were different. I can't prove that this is a factor in the high
cost, but it is a theory of mine.
Another reason is that they are extremely high quality toys, with a lot
of emphasis placed on quality and design. There's no other toy on the
market that matches LEGO's high standards of quality and innovation.
There are lots of building toys, and some that are compatible with LEGO,
but you will probably find that LEGO is the cleverest and best-made of
the toys, with the most interesting design and highest quality pieces.
The special pieces do add a lot to the cost. If you stuck with the basic
building block sets, you would find them to be cheaper. But if you're like
me, you like the specialty sets like the space sets, the pirates, or whatever,
more than you like the basic blocks. And, unfortunately, the sets with
some of the most interesting pieces, like the underwater 'Aquazone' sets,
cost a lot more per piece than even some of us adult collectors would like
to pay.
But that doesn't mean you can't have fun even on a budget. You can buy
the smallest sets to get some minifigures, and special parts, and then
buy the basic 'freestyle' sets (or even a competing, less expensive brand) to
get a lot of basic building blocks. That would be my recommendation. That
way, you can have fun building big things of your own design, while
getting some minifigures to add to your fun.
Good luck in your LEGO hobby! And don't give it up as you get older - it's
fun being an adult fan of LEGO because at least you can decide for
yourself how much money to spend on LEGO. However, it can be challenging
to convince your husband or wife to agree. <grin>
--
je...@teubner.com "132 Interlocking Pieces!"
David Karr
>I haven't seen the FAQ yet and I'm sorry if this is in there but why
>are Legos so expensive?????? My dad doesn't get paid alot so my
>parents can't give me allowance. The biggest sets I can get after
>saving for a few months are the mini sets. :-(
Ouch. This is yet another thing to which I can say, "Been there, done
that," except this time I didn't enjoy it. Talk about not getting
paid much, my father *lost* money in his first couple of years of
self-employment, and this was just when I was 9 or 10 and really
getting bitten bad by the LEGO bug.
I think the FAQ does touch on the question of why LEGO is so
expensive, but mostly by going on and on about what incredible
precision molding goes into each little LEGO brick. It's true that
LEGO is extremely well-made: I have 30-year-old bricks that I pounded
to pieces (well, pounded the things I built until they smashed apart)
and they're still going strong. So if you look at it as a long-term
investment (in a toy that you'll be able to play with a lot, I don't
mean trying to make a profit off it) then maybe it's not such a bad
deal.
What I ended up with, and what I recommend for the biggest bang for
the fewest bucks, was mostly Basic LEGO. The best recent deals seem
to have been the big "anniversary" or "value" buckets, for which you'd
have to save up about $15 and find the set on sale. I also really
like the Basic "building chests," though I usually see price tags of
about $24, $35, or $40 on these depending on size. Still a lot of
money but you can get a lot of mileage out of sets like those---I did,
anyway. I think there may even have been a year or two when a
medium-sized Basic-style box was the only significant toy I got for a
holiday gift. At least, it was the thing that got all my attention.
(*Now* you all know why I'm a "big specialized piece hater"---we
couldn't afford them when I was a kid, and it's sour grapes. Just
kidding.)
-- David A. Karr (ka...@cs.cornell.edu)
-- LEGO site: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/Info/People/karr/lego/index.html
Dave Michelson
>I haven't seen the FAQ yet and I'm sorry if this is in there but why are Legos
>so expensive?????? My dad doesn't get paid alot so my parents can't give me
>allowance. The biggest sets I can get after saving for a few months are
>the mini sets. :-(
>
>
> -------------------
> Ryan Szekeres
> Proud member of SMI
> smi0467
> -------------------
Ryan,
Legos are expensive because it is a business and price is determined by the cost of
production and marketing factors.
Tell me about yourself - DO NOT include any personal information as you should be very
careful about revealing details. Just general details such as age.
How are you able to get computer access, etc? You say you are able to save for a few
months to by a mini-set - yet you get no allowance, this is very impressive for a young
boy!
What do your parents think of your computer and Lego activities.
****** BEFORE YOU ANSWER ANYTHING, BE SURE TO SHOW MY LETTER TO YOUR PARENTS AND GET
THEIR PERMISSION !!!!! *******
I have two boys (ages 5 & 7) of my own and they love Legos... Your note just caught my
eye.
Dave Michelson.
FireDog
> I haven't seen the FAQ yet and I'm sorry if this is in there but why are
Legos
> so expensive?????? My dad doesn't get paid alot so my parents can't give me
> allowance. The biggest sets I can get after saving for a few months are
> the mini sets. :-(
>
After having perused the wholesale catalog, there isnt a whole lot of
markup on those things...Walmart and Kmart must have a good deal with them
because many of the smaller sets seem to be pretty close to cost!
reg
--
_ _
(_`,_' )
) `\
/ ', | My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it
| `, Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.
\,_ `-/ Winnie the Pooh
swm^^^
fir...@owens.ridgecrest.ca.us
Peter L. Fuesz
>fun being an adult fan of LEGO because at least you can decide for
>yourself how much money to spend on LEGO. However, it can be challenging
>to convince your husband or wife to agree. <grin>
>
My wife doesn't share the same enthusiasm as I do about Lego (no problem, I don't
need to share, hehe) I've been married for alittle over a year, so far she's been
pretty supportive.. my first anniversary gift was the Royal Kings Castle. :).. but
I wonder how long that will last?? I wonder if one day she'll say.. "thats enough,
you don't need any more Lego." <quiver> That'll be a sad day, I'd hate to loose her.
Anyone out there a part member family?? Comments..
Peter L. Fuesz
fu...@aps.anl.gov
Argonne National Lab.
Matthew J. Verdier
> >Good luck in your LEGO hobby! And don't give it up as you get older - it's
> >fun being an adult fan of LEGO because at least you can decide for
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Anyone else notice that this is an acronym of sorts
AFOL (sounds like "A FOOL")
Sorta like Adult Children of Alcoholics
Back to your regularly schedualed programming...
--
Matthew Verdier
Matthew....@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov
Robert B. Easterbrooks
>
>My wife doesn't share the same enthusiasm as I do about Lego (no problem, I don't
>need to share, hehe) I've been married for alittle over a year, so far she's been
>pretty supportive.. my first anniversary gift was the Royal Kings Castle. :).. but
>I wonder how long that will last?? I wonder if one day she'll say.. "thats enough,
>you don't need any more Lego." <quiver> That'll be a sad day, I'd hate to loose her.
>Anyone out there a part member family?? Comments..
>
Peter,
You can't do things like that to me! I read this comment at work, and people
around me looked to see what could possibly be so humorous.
To respond to your question, my wife wasn't a LEGO fiend when I met her, but
she knew she was in trouble when she went to Indiana for a week, I was lonely
and built a 31" Hook and Ladder (with working front and rear steering wheels
and all the accessories, lights, sirens, etc.). I would occasionally buy her
small sets to try and bring her around, and eventually I hit on some good
themes (Islanders, Town, and Paradisa, mainly). Then, I hit the jackpot with
the Sail and Fly Marina (#6543). My wife likes the many individual elements
(boats, trucks, etc.) that she can build individually. Now, she is starting
to accumulate enough pieces to build some things of her own. I even let her
use some of my pieces (after 2 years of marriage, plus dating time) if she
needs.
At various times, she has said "Enough LEGOs for now", but this is usually
only after I have received several large sets (like when I got almost
simultaneously the SuperCar (#8880) and the Air Tech Claw Rig (#8868) [very
special circumstances, and the two were unrelated :)]. However, this rarely
lasts long, as I usually get the next set I wan^H^H^Hneed when I'm ready for
it.
If this technique doesn't work to bring your wife around, may I suggest subtle
brainwashing techniques :) <really big smiley, my wife reads this group!>
--
Bob Easterbrooks Software Engineer GTECH Corporation
Linda Easterbrooks
Robert B. Easterbrooks <r...@gtech.com> wrote:
>In article <3rmb4v$c...@milo.mcs.anl.gov> fu...@aps4.anl.gov writes:
>>
>>I wonder if one day she'll say.. "thats enough, you don't need any more Lego
>
>around me looked to see what could possibly be so humorous.
>
>To respond to your question, my wife wasn't a LEGO fiend when I met her, but
>she knew she was in trouble when she went to Indiana for a week, I was lonely
>and built a 31" Hook and Ladder (with working front and rear steering wheels
HEY -- My husband did that when we were first dating ...
Oh. It's you. What are you doing, reading R.T.L at work ??
Sure, I'm reading when I should be writing cover letters so we're even :)
>and all the accessories, lights, sirens, etc.). I would occasionally buy her
>small sets to try and bring her around, and eventually I hit on some good
>themes (Islanders, Town, and Paradisa, mainly). Then, I hit the jackpot with
I gotta admit, I did love King Kahookee (or whatever his name was!)
And I've told these nice folk about my Gilligan setup!
>the Sail and Fly Marina (#6543). My wife likes the many individual elements
>(boats, trucks, etc.) that she can build individually. Now, she is starting
Patience never was my strong point. I've been watching Bob build
and rebuild and rebuild a (oops, better not say - he gets to post his
own creations/ideas/etc when he wants!). Well, anyway, this {thing} is
about 6 bricks high, and has a 4x6 plate top and bottom, so you can see it
is pretty small! I realize it was two or three times larger when he
started, but seriously... how many evenings can you work on a {thing}
that is just one part of something you'd want to build???
That's what was great about the Sail and Fly Marina - I built the marina,
it went together pretty quickly. Then I'd build a boat, and be happy
with the boat. Then I'd build a plane, and be happy with it!
>to accumulate enough pieces to build some things of her own. I even let her
>use some of my pieces (after 2 years of marriage, plus dating time) if she
>needs.
>
>At various times, she has said "Enough LEGOs for now", but this is usually
Harumph. This is usually after you have mentioned you'd like something,
and I've gotten it and stashed it, or have ordered it from S@H...
>only after I have received several large sets (like when I got almost
>simultaneously the SuperCar (#8880) and the Air Tech Claw Rig (#8868) [very
As some folks here know :) I ordered that supercar back in October for
Christmas. I was really hoping you wouldn't go get one for yourself!
(On the other hand... I guess I might not mind having one myself :) !!!)
>special circumstances, and the two were unrelated :)]. However, this rarely
>lasts long, as I usually get the next set I wan^H^H^Hneed when I'm ready for
>it.
>
>If this technique doesn't work to bring your wife around, may I suggest subtle
>brainwashing techniques :) <really big smiley, my wife reads this group!>
Last night I had this dream. I dreamt that I rented a trailer and drove
to the LEGO plant. I walked up to Susan Williams and she asked what I'd
like. I bought enough LEGO to fill the truck. I brought it home and
give it all to my husband. Anyone do dream analysis??? :)
>--
>Bob Easterbrooks Software Engineer GTECH Corporation
-Linda-
--
Linda M. Easterbrooks Easter...@ids.net
Raymond Suke Flournoy
FireDog <fir...@owens.ridgecrest.ca.us> wrote:
>
>After having perused the wholesale catalog, there isnt a whole lot of
>markup on those things...Walmart and Kmart must have a good deal with them
>because many of the smaller sets seem to be pretty close to cost!
Really? Someone posted recently that they had a wholesale catalog,
and the markup was approximately 100% (i.e. the wholesale was
half-price). Could it be that you are looking at the retail catalog
(It's Hard to Imagine Childhood Without It) which someone recently
mistakenly identified as wholesale here?
--Raymond Flournoy
======================================================================
flou...@cs.stanford.edu "For reasons I cannot explain
Computer Science Dept. There's some part of me wants to see
Stanford University, CA Graceland" -- P. Simon
FireDog
(Raymond Suke Flournoy) wrote:
> In article <firedog-1206...@annex002.ridgecrest.ca.us>,
> FireDog <fir...@owens.ridgecrest.ca.us> wrote:
> >
> >After having perused the wholesale catalog, there isnt a whole lot of
> >markup on those things...Walmart and Kmart must have a good deal with them
> >because many of the smaller sets seem to be pretty close to cost!
>
> Really? Someone posted recently that they had a wholesale catalog,
> and the markup was approximately 100% (i.e. the wholesale was
> half-price). Could it be that you are looking at the retail catalog
> (It's Hard to Imagine Childhood Without It) which someone recently
> mistakenly identified as wholesale here?
>
Lets see....The metroliner sells wholesale for 86.79 and sugg retail for
139.99. some of the people boxes sell for wholesale 4.02 and retail
6.49....thats pretty standard through out.
Reg
Skuter911
really good excuse to buy us (me?) Lego!
While my wife and I were dating, my son-to-be and I accumulated quite a
large Lego set up. For a wedding gift my wife bought me both the
Metroliner and the Freight Runner!
Now we have our first house together and my new son and I have
commandeered a room in the basement for our Lego room. I even have got my
wife to agree to help me put together said train sets which are still
unassembled.
What a wonderful woman!
Please reply to sku...@tcgcs.com NOT skut...@aol.com. Thanks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------
Scott Eveland
All-round public safety dude.
Hastings, NE
sku...@tcgcs.com
But using skut...@aol.com because tcg's usenet is just
plain screwed up!
Standard useless disclaimer applies.....
Peter L. Fuesz
>If this technique doesn't work to bring your wife around, may I suggest subtle
>brainwashing techniques :) <really big smiley, my wife reads this group!>
Thanks for your comments Bob, actually she's coming around quite nicely, just
the other day I asked her to help me put some Castle sets together, I spread all
the mini figure parts out (heads, torsos, legs, helmets, weapons...) and asked her
to assemble them (a test, hehe) She sat down and gleefully helped (plus), but
put a dragonmaster helmet on a forestman!!! (minus) Oh well, she's trying. BTW,
I did leave the forestme^H^H^Hdeamon the way she made'em.
Peter L. Fuesz
fu...@aps.anl.gov
I can't remember if I replyed yet, but thanks a zillion for the catalog.. it
brings back lots of memories. <singing> Yesterday... was such an easy set to build..
Tony Kilaras
>Sure, Legos are some of the highest quality toys out there and they are
worth a
>hell of a lot... but:
>It costs 10 to 20 cents per piece on the average set!!! Technic sets are
>considerably worse!!
>When legos are made by the millions, and they are only plastic that has
been
>carefully shaped, the price we pay for legos is a rip off!! We may feel
that we
>have gotten our money's worth, (because they are great toys) but someone
in the
>great lego empire between me and the factory is making a pile of profit!
>
>BTW, anyone know how to make lego style compatable blocks from a resin-
based
>plastic??? - I sense a marketing opportunity!
Then how do you explain the fact that TYCO's attempt at Lego cloning was a
failure? TYCo is a big company. If they couldn't do it, I doubt one of us
can.
Ethan Bernard
worth a hell of a lot... but:
It costs 10 to 20 cents per piece on the average set!!! Technic sets
are considerably worse!!
When legos are made by the millions, and they are only plastic that has
been carefully shaped, the price we pay for legos is a rip off!!
We may feel that we have gotten our money's worth, (because they are
great toys) but someone in the great lego empire between me and the
factory is making a pile of profit!
BTW, anyone know how to make lego style compatable blocks from a resin-
based plastic??? - I sense a marketing opportunity!
"Behind every engineer is a set of legos"
Ethan Bernard
Eber...@mind.net
Karim Nassar
> BTW, anyone know how to make lego style compatable blocks from a resin-
> based plastic??? - I sense a marketing opportunity!
>
I have potential access to the resources neccessary for a
"micro-manufacture" of polymer resins, and as I posted earlier, had been
thinking of applying it to the creation of custom lego pieces, but as
Jeff explained, using real Lego as the prototyping elements for a mold is
a patent violation. The alternative: machining prototype element out of
raw plastic or aluminum and then running a mold is simply too
time/resource intensive for me to undertake, being a working student.
If you like, though, I can send you some of the information and proccess
brochures(sp) detailing Silicon Mold prototyping. This is great for
small scale & small volume (micro-manufacture) production, but isn't so
good for huge production runs.
--karim
------------------------------------------------------------
Karim Nassar k...@ivy.cnidr.org The Phoenix
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/k/knassar/pnest/nest.html
------------------------------------------------------------
Designer, Author, Craftsman, Programmer, Hopeless Romantic
Polyglot, Possessor of Useless Knowledge and Seeker of Same
------------------------------------------------------------
"If you're feeling lonely, I can send you back home with
a single kiss," said the snake, drawing closer.
"Oh, I understand you very well," said the Little Prince,
"but why do you speak in riddles?"
"I solve them all," said the snake.
------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Pilcher
>Then how do you explain the fact that TYCO's attempt at Lego cloning was a
>failure? TYCo is a big company. If they couldn't do it, I doubt one of us
>can.
Jodi and I found a box at TRU which looked very much like a castle LEGO
set only wasn't LEGO. Said it was LEGO and TYCO compatible and I had
never heard of the name before (wasn't megablocks or anything common).
I talked Jodi out of buying it, but I've forgotten the brand name already
so I can't even ask the group about it. *sigh* was another 4 letter word
toy system.... *bleh* Well, it wasn't LEGO anyway. Therefore it is
insignificant.
--
-Eric: ra...@PEAK.ORG, gt7...@prism.gatech.edu | #include STD_DISCLAIMER
--------------------------------------------------+--------------------------
"IRC... is the hang out of the Internet's version | telnet mud.PEAK.ORG 4000
of whores, thugs, and vandals." - J. Downs | http://www.PEAK.ORG/~mud
Brian Ward
|Jodi and I found a box at TRU which looked very much like a castle LEGO
|set only wasn't LEGO. Said it was LEGO and TYCO compatible and I had
|never heard of the name before (wasn't megablocks or anything common).
|
|I talked Jodi out of buying it, but I've forgotten the brand name already
|so I can't even ask the group about it. *sigh* was another 4 letter word
|toy system....
I've seen some clone called "play o.k." in some sleazier joints in Vienna.
The model I've seen the most is a huge pirate ship, though. "Play OK" != "Play
well;" I wonder what those guys were thinking, though..
Jodi Faulkner
>Jodi and I found a box at TRU which looked very much like a castle LEGO
>set only wasn't LEGO. Said it was LEGO and TYCO compatible and I had
>never heard of the name before (wasn't megablocks or anything common).
>
>I talked Jodi out of buying it, but I've forgotten the brand name already
>so I can't even ask the group about it. *sigh* was another 4 letter word
>insignificant.
Coko or something of the sort. Looked kinda like the siege tower and other
related stuff.. greys and blacks mostly. Was on clearance for $8, but
he didnt like it cause it wasnt lego *sigh* Oh well, we dont need to polute
our lego, but I was just in need of a fix. Bought a little rebel roadster
instead though :)
Jodi
--
*************************************************************************
Jodi Lynn Faulkner kit...@peak.org
Head of Mortal PR at KallistiMud mud.peak.org 4000
*************************************************************************
Tony Kilaras
>I talked Jodi out of buying it, but I've forgotten the brand name already
so I
>can't even ask the group about it. *sigh* was another 4 letter word toy
>system.... *bleh* Well, it wasn't LEGO anyway. Therefore it is
>insignificant.
Was it Qubo? Made in Italy? I bought some of them once in a store that was
going under. They're not too bad...
Javier Ramos
to compete with playmobil (also the name) not to Lego.
-Javier
Brian Ward
|I have seen that play o.k. too, but it seems designed
|to compete with playmobil (also the name) not to Lego.
But "Lego" is supposed to sound like Danish for "play well," and the last
time I checked, Playmobil didn't have studs on them, like this thing did. I
really wonder what the idea is behind the "play o.k." name.
David Karr
>In rec.toys.lego Ethan Bernard <eber...@mind.net> said:
>
>that we
>>have gotten our money's worth, (because they are great toys) but someone
>in the
>>great lego empire between me and the factory is making a pile of profit!
I'm sure they are.
>Then how do you explain the fact that TYCO's attempt at Lego cloning was a
>failure? TYCo is a big company. If they couldn't do it, I doubt one of us
>can.
Was it a failure? My impression was that Tyco was trying for it's
own market niche to avoid direct competition with LEGO.
I suspect that creating all those really high-quality plastic bits is
not cheap, and that it would be hard to undercut LEGO's price by much.
Maybe there's an opportunity for someone to fund a LEGO hobby by
selling 10,000 2x4 gray bricks to someone who can't get them from LEGO
itself, but I don't think there's a huge pool of profit waiting there.
Minx Kelly Lego Goddess of Phobos
: Tony Kilaras <kil...@nyc.pipeline.com> wrote:
: >Then how do you explain the fact that TYCO's attempt at Lego cloning was a
: >failure? TYCo is a big company. If they couldn't do it, I doubt one of us
: >can.
: Was it a failure? My impression was that Tyco was trying for it's
: own market niche to avoid direct competition with LEGO.
Well, i called tyco for some xeroxes of old set directions and spoke with
the woman. they stopped producing them, she said but they are in the
process of selling off the rights to their designs and molds etc. she
said they are in effect selling off that production line to some other
company.
--
*************************************************************************
* Give me my boots or I cannot walk,Give me my books or I cannot talk *
* Give me my toys, for my inner child knows not the cruelty of boredom *
* Give me my dreams and my flights of fancy, give me my kisses and hugs *
* Give me the freedom to be who I chose, to go where I will, *
* to say what I dare and to think for myself. *
*Don't lie to yourself and say you love me if you cannot do these things*
* Minx...@xnet.com*Minx...@mcs.com*Msm...@palace.com *
*************************************************************************
Tony Kilaras
>Was it a failure? My impression was that Tyco was trying for it's own
market
>niche to avoid direct competition with LEGO.
anmore, so I consider it a failure.
Denny Lynn
>Jodi and I found a box at TRU which looked very much like a castle
>LEGO
>>set only wasn't LEGO. Said it was LEGO and TYCO compatible and I
>had
>>never heard of the name before (wasn't megablocks or anything
>common).
These sets are indeed COKO (also has the name Larami on the box-this is
what I have always thought of them as & had to go get the box to check).
I purchased two of these sets from lionel playworld (remember them?) when
they were having a going out of business sale. The price was 29.99 but
they were having a two for one sale so I bought two for 29.99. Here's a
brief rundown on the set:(BTW I don't think this is the same set you saw
but I am certain it's the same company as I am holding the box)
Coko-castle building play set (Larami item #7720-0)
733 pieces (per set)-not bad at the .03ish cents per piece I paid
(remember 2 for 29.99)
instruction book-pretty lame-took photos of building model then outlined
new pieces added-would have been a good idea IF quality was better
set design-pretty bad-would have been better if sets didn't alternate
black & grey on every row-looks like the guy who painted the zebras also
painted these castles
lot's of alternative ideas on back of box-some ideas worth stealing &
improving otherwise not impressive
mini-figs-are a horrible quality-I use these in jails ect (I hate to lock
up legos-but I don't mind using inferior mini-figs as prisoners) otherwise
I don't use them-these also come w/ silly stickers to put on torsos-I
didn't-knees bend bad idea fig falls over when standing
horses-legs move, lego mini-figs can not ride them, horses are passable in
background scenes-I have a herd of wild horses-also, horses can be posed
ie a rearing stallion looks pretty neat from a distance-also fighting
horses on top of BURPS
up close pretty lame
roof pieces-red & blue slants - I like having blue roof pieces-quality not
as good as lego (what is) I get frustrated with these so when I build
roofs out of these I leave them alone
wall peices-copied idea from lego -but no overhang for plate support also
no notches (you can stack one on top of another w/o using 2 1x1 bricks)
these are kinda neat as you get a bunch of them
Lots of grey bricks-some stick ok others don't-use them for large designs
but need to make sure lego parts are holding key areas together or models
can be broken easily
baseplates-lots of green 1/2 size (5"x10") w/ each set-these are really
handy
trees & flowers-trees kinda like lego "cypress trees" (personally I don't
think those look anything like a cypress tree-where are the knees) lighter
green color and texture adds realism to forest. Flowers BIG
flowers-something like you might find in a 3+ set
1x1 pieces w/ hole on side-lots of these but they're red? I have gotten
used to using these in red instead of grey & black-does not have little
shelf on bottom-anyone using Matt V's gargole idea w/ parrots can do so
w/o maiming their parrots using these
1x1 plate w/ grabby thing-also in red-lots of these to-break easier than
legos but handy
also a few in grey
1x1 rounds in black & grey-good only as cannon balls-do not stick together
at all-I hate these as I always manage to find one mixed in w/ my lego
rounds when I'm building
flags-red, yellow & blue-different shapes than legos rectangular but w/o
long tatters & triangle-you're supposed to put stickers on these but then
they look dumb
sheilds-big sheilds but not kite sheilds(I think most of ya'll are calling
kite sheilds teardrops or something) again stickers for designs this is
the only place I used the stickers
"wooden" door & cart wheels-door looks strange-hinged at bottom-wheels
look real but don't turn very well
brown helmets-also black-don't fit lego figs but a nice addition to an
armour shop's inventory
weapons-these are great-I don't understand everyone's excitement about
chrome daggers I have had them for years:brown cross bows-pretty i
Eric Pilcher
[...talking about a COKO set...]
>mini-figs-are a horrible quality-I use these in jails ect (I hate to lock
>up legos-but I don't mind using inferior mini-figs as prisoners)
*laugh* This has got to be the first I have heard of mini-fig racism.
The superior LEGO minifigs heard up all the "inferior" mini-figs and
cart them off in chains to concentration camps, dungeons, and jails
making LEGOLand society a safer and better place.
Get that COKO riffraff off of our streets! Limp legged scum!
Peter Murray
minx...@MCS.COM (Minx Kelly Lego Goddess of Phobos) wrote:
>Well, i called tyco for some xeroxes of old set directions and spoke with
>the woman. they stopped producing them, she said but they are in the
>process of selling off the rights to their designs and molds etc. she
>said they are in effect selling off that production line to some other
>company.
I bought a semi-clone space set locally. It has the name "ATCO" on it,
and has half-height bases - since that's what Tyco apparently had, I
wondered if they'd bought the stuff from Tyco.
--
.Peter Murray pe...@table76.demon.co.uk
Tick: We find the vegetable villain who did this to me, and get the antidote!
Arthur: There's an antidote?
Tick: Villains always have antidotes! They're funny that way!
-- [The Tick vs El Seed]