Quick look: 5009823 Fish Tank Filter & Fish Food
Posted by Huw,
It seems like ages ago that I reviewed 10366 Tropical Aquarium and now, finally, it'll be available at LEGO.com on Thursday.
The gift with purchase when you procure it between the 13th and the 19th of November will be 5009823 Fish Tank Filter & Fish Food, which arguably should have been part of the set.
Summary
5009823 Fish Tank Filter & Fish Food, 177 pieces.
A nice addition to the tank but not an essential one.
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
It's packed, or rather shoe-horned, into one of the yellow boxes that are often used for low-volume GWPs nowadays. It has 20 more pieces than most of those that use this style of box, and many of them are large, so it's a bit of a squeeze.
In fact, the filter is really quite substantial and solid, measuring 9 studs by 8 and about 9 bricks high. The transparent sides are constructed using 2x2 bricks and 1x4x3 panels.
I like the use of a curved panel to represent water flowing out of it.
The 1x4x3 brick on the front of the fish food packet is printed.
For some reason the designers have put a small fish inside the filter. From what I can tell, when fish get into filters it's usually because they are already dead or too weak to escape the intake current.
Thankfully, this little fellow is very much alive and can be rescued by removing the lid of the filter and placed back in the tank, where he'll be dwarfed by its other inhabitants.
The filter slides securely onto the frame of the tank, on the front, sides, or back, but I think it's likely to look best at the back.
It's a nice little addition to the tank, but hardly an essential one. A welcome GWP if you're an early purchaser but not too much to worry about if you miss out on it.
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52 comments on this article
I would be willing to bet the fish in the filter is a reference to Finding Nemo... which makes the fictional fish in the normal set even more odd. If this had been the tank gang and branded as Disney / Pixar, it might sell more copies.
I am not a fan of GWPs that are meant for a larger set that cannot be purchased otherwise.
It only makes me think that TLG should have included them in the set to begin with.
@Murdoch17 said:
"I would be willing to bet the fish in the filter is a reference to Finding Nemo... which makes the fictional fish in the normal set even more odd. If this had been the tank gang and branded as Disney / Pixar, it might sell more copies."
And be even more overpriced.
@Murdoch17 said:
"I would be willing to bet the fish in the filter is a reference to Finding Nemo... which makes the fictional fish in the normal set even more odd. If this had been the tank gang and branded as Disney / Pixar, it might sell more copies."
Yes it is absolutely a Finding Nemo reference.
Hard disagree on the nonessential part. This is a tank filter. The main set is a 300,- fish tank. It should have been included. This is the physical equivalent of DLC in games where they just take one part out and provide it seperately as a preorder bonus.
I mean, I'm not that interested in the set as a whole so I'm not particularly hurt by this case, but this practice is a worrying trend in terms of GWP subject matter. If it had just been the fish food I wouldn't have said anything btw. That's not part of the tank itself.
Beyond ridiculous.
Back to the pointless (and rather ugly) GWPs. Might have been OK if it was part of the Insiders Weekend with other general GWPs but, if it ends up as a lone £400 threshold GWP, it would be more off-putting than enticing!
Saw this and the TIE Fighter GWP coming a mile away. The moment Lego started pushing a new GWP every month it was over. They're not just chasing FOMO for sets that should be retail releases, they're pushing the envelope to see how much you'll fork over just to receive part of the set they decided to take out and repackage.
I'm sure there are disagreements that can be had, but Lego doesn't need to be defended. These past ten years have shown they don't care other than to squeeze out as much money as possible from the adult consumer.
GWP should have been a fish pack to add even more fish options to the tank. …This filter as a GWP is a bad move.
Absolutely ridiculous and pointless
Honestly, I think I would've appreciated it more if this GWP had called my mother fat.
@lomis said:
"I am not a fan of GWPs that are meant for a larger set that cannot be purchased otherwise.
It only makes me think that TLG should have included them in the set to begin with."
Like some other people before me said, but in a different way:
It's called 'aggressive or vicious marketing' and I don't like it either. Heck, it even makes me boycott such incomplete sets like this one, the NCC-1701-D, the UCS 'Death Slice diorama collection' and The Goonies for instance.
The LEGO Group absolutely FEEDS on buyer's FOMO while they absolutely don't need to do so to make their profits! I think it is a disgusting selling tactic and since I do not suffer from FOMO, it's definitely not working in their favor when more customers like me simply will not buy the main set either because of this... (but who am I? I know TLG couldn't care less since they already have about 150K € in LEGO sales from me -and from my parents when I was a young boy- over the past 48 years.) I'll just say, it ain't what it used to be: LEGO is still a very nice product (hence I keep buying some), but the people pulling the strings at TLG these days...? Yikes! (to put it politely)
In conclusion:
It's a nice piece as part of the original fish tank set, but I rank this as below-the-belt as a limited GWP. BAH!
Not particularly attractive on its own, and should have been part of the set to begin with.
As suggested above, it would have been better if the GWP had been something like a fish pack or some other stuff to further decorate the aquarium.
WOW
The fish in the filter is a nice addition. As someone who has kept aquariums much of my life--I know how common that is.
But this should have come with the set, especially given the price.
@Crux said:
"Honestly, I think I would've appreciated it more if this GWP had called my mother fat."
The TIE Fighter GWP for the Death Star tried that with me. I gave it the ol' wax on, wax off.
I was sure this was a joke!
Whole thing feels gross to me. Ik it’s supposed to be a joke but I’m having a hard time laughing at something that brings back bad memories of dead animals.
Disregarding the bonus fish, the filter itself feels out of place on such a deliberately fantastical and unrealistic aquarium. If we’re going to bring equipment into the question then where’s the heater? Thermometer? Air stone? Lights?
'It should have been part of the set' is becoming the new sheep like complaint about GWPs. This GWP is rubbish, but obviously no need to have been included in the main set. No comments on the main set have said 'If only it had a filter'
If a 4th wheel is a GWP for the forthcoming Speed Champions DeLorean then maybe....
@sjr60 said:
"'It should have been part of the set' is becoming the new sheep like complaint about GWPs. This GWP is rubbish, but obviously no need to have been included in the main set. No comments on the main set have said 'If only it had a filter'
If a 4th wheel is a GWP for the forthcoming Speed Champions DeLorean then maybe...."
If anything, this is the exact opposite, a GWP that's incomplete without the retail set.
@sjr60 said:
"'It should have been part of the set' is becoming the new sheep like complaint about GWPs. This GWP is rubbish, but obviously no need to have been included in the main set. No comments on the main set have said 'If only it had a filter'
If a 4th wheel is a GWP for the forthcoming Speed Champions DeLorean then maybe...."
Agreed. Nobody is missing out on anything if they don't buy the fish tank early. Many fishkeepers try to hide the filter the best they can, it is not exactly something you want to see.
I wonder if they will have over-produced this and need to give them away later in the year, either with the set or possibly even with anything just to try to get rid of them. It is not a bad parts pack if you want black and trans blue parts, and I might even get the fish tile to make into a real fish food pot. But as a set, it has to be one of the most boring add-ons ever. But then the big set is horrible ayway, a nice interior that looks awful due to the bad fish and the black frame and blue backdrop around it.
@Murdoch17 said:
"I would be willing to bet the fish in the filter is a reference to Finding Nemo... which makes the fictional fish in the normal set even more odd. If this had been the tank gang and branded as Disney / Pixar, it might sell more copies."
Wow, how did I not think of this before? Yeah, the tank from Finding Nemo would have been way cooler.
The filter has glass but the aquarium doesn't. Hmmm....
As an aquarium enthusiast, I love the look of this filter and the 10366 set itself.
@Bengh_Zeran said:
"It's called 'aggressive or vicious marketing' and I don't like it either. Heck, it even makes me boycott such incomplete sets like this one, the NCC-1701-D, the UCS 'Death Slice diorama collection' and The Goonies for instance."
I don't understand how the Star Trek and the Goonies set are "incomplete". The shuttle isn't the same scale as the Enterprise, and the attic doesn't connect to the main build of the Goonies set. They complement the main sets well without being essential to them, which I think is perfect for GWPs.
The only GWP that really should've been part of the main set is the TIE Fighter IMO, but since that debacle it seems people are falling over themselves to condemn every new GWP as "bad DLC".
This is the one I've been waiting all year for.......
@Murdoch17 said:
"I would be willing to bet the fish in the filter is a reference to Finding Nemo... which makes the fictional fish in the normal set even more odd. If this had been the tank gang and branded as Disney / Pixar, it might sell more copies."
Sharkbait! Hoo ha ha!
This is incredible I wasn't going to buy the fish tank but now I have to
I feel turned on it’s side, it could almost become Tron: Legacy scenery (minus the fish).
As it stands I find this peak weirdness for GWPs
They reward the more disposable incomes some of whom ironically don’t even need a deal.
@EtudeTheBadger said:
" @Crux said:
"Honestly, I think I would've appreciated it more if this GWP had called my mother fat."
The TIE Fighter GWP for the Death Star tried that with me. I gave it the ol' wax on, wax off."
I just stepped easily to the side, and let his ungainly charge end in a heap on the floor.
I couldn't supress a superior chuckle. I'm not proud of that.
I am confused by people's reactions to GWPs. When they are really nice as stand-alone models there is frustration over not being able to buy these separately. When they are a wonderful or "necessary" addition to the main set, it seems unfair to those who can't buy the set right away. Now, when the GWP is not appealing as an independent model, people think it is undesirable. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think this is the perfect GWP. It is not necessary to complete the main model; it serves no purpose as a stand-alone model; it adds something to the set; and if you don't get it when you purchase the set later, you don't feel cheated. Hence, it is just a bonus gift.
@Schmopiesdad said:
"I am confused by people's reactions to GWPs. When they are really nice as stand-alone models there is frustration over not being able to buy these separately. When they are a wonderful or "necessary" addition to the main set, it seems unfair to those who can't buy the set right away. Now, when the GWP is not appealing as an independent model, people think it is undesirable. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think this is the perfect GWP. It is not necessary to complete the main model; it serves no purpose as a stand-alone model; it adds something to the set; and if you don't get it when you purchase the set later, you don't feel cheated. Hence, it is just a bonus gift. "
Nice analysis. You probably shouldn't bother. There's plenty about Lego Inc. to frustrate people. Fans who fixate about GWPs need a therapy couch.
One thing I don't understand is that they can do exclusive printing in short-production GWP's, but somehow its too expensive for premium sets.
Anyway, this thing is pretty funny I guess. At least you don't miss out on much if you dont get it
@BrickmanNL said:
"One thing I don't understand is that they can do exclusive printing in short-production GWP's, but somehow its too expensive for premium sets.
Anyway, this thing is pretty funny I guess. At least you don't miss out on much if you dont get it"
It's probably *because* the set has a short production run that they can afford to print the piece. That way, the storage slot allocated to the printed piece will be freed up pretty quickly.
What no1 appears to have pointed out yet is that if you DON’T receive this GWP by purchasing the Fish Tank in the first week at full price, then you can easily Bricklink all of the parts (except for the printed fish-food tile) yourself, after you’ve purchased the Fish Tank on 20-30% discount (hopefully more) sometime later!
Nearly all of the parts look pretty common and cheaply purchased, to my eye.
@Schmopiesdad said:
"I am confused by people's reactions to GWPs. When they are really nice as stand-alone models there is frustration over not being able to buy these separately. When they are a wonderful or "necessary" addition to the main set, it seems unfair to those who can't buy the set right away. Now, when the GWP is not appealing as an independent model, people think it is undesirable. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think this is the perfect GWP. It is not necessary to complete the main model; it serves no purpose as a stand-alone model; it adds something to the set; and if you don't get it when you purchase the set later, you don't feel cheated. Hence, it is just a bonus gift. "
This is a great point, and you are 100% correct!
It’s a pity that common sense is so uncommon, including amongst AFOL’s and Brickset users
:(
A solution for LEGO in regards to the GWP concerns:
Don’t retire the GWP sets, until the parent set is retired. …However, only make it a ‘Free’ inclusion within a limited time after the parent set has launched. …After that window of time has ended, the GWP set will take on a price that is commensurate to the piece count of the GWP set. - This way you can reward early buyers, but not truly leave anyone unable to experience the sets in their best possible iteration: with the GWP. It’ll just cost a little more.
…GWP is a cool concept in theory, and don’t want to see it go away. It just needs to be modernized a bit. …Leave truly exclusive items to the conventions and employee sets.
@Schmopiesdad said:
"I am confused by people's reactions to GWPs. When they are really nice as stand-alone models there is frustration over not being able to buy these separately. When they are a wonderful or "necessary" addition to the main set, it seems unfair to those who can't buy the set right away. Now, when the GWP is not appealing as an independent model, people think it is undesirable. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think this is the perfect GWP. It is not necessary to complete the main model; it serves no purpose as a stand-alone model; it adds something to the set; and if you don't get it when you purchase the set later, you don't feel cheated. Hence, it is just a bonus gift. "
To be fair, there probably aren’t all that many people who hold all of those opinions at once, or indeed all the time (I felt sorry about the Star Trek shuttlecraft just because unlike most GWPs it seemed like it would have sold very well independently and at an accessible price point, but normally I don’t care), but I completely get what you mean. Someone always has a problem with them regardless - and an additional one is that whenever they release a big set that doesn’t have its own GWP there are complaints about that absence, too!
And yeah, this nails it for a GWP associated with a big set, I think. Fine if you like it, fine to miss it, just a cute extra.
Of course, I thought the TIE Fighter with the Death Star matched that description, too…
The ones with unique minifigures are the most FOMOish, which I guess could be argued to be a bigger problem, but then that applies just as much to most big expensive sets that not everyone can afford. I don’t really think it makes that big a difference whether I can’t afford the shiny with the unique minifigs within a week’s sale period or a year’s, either way they’re not mine.
@Hiratha said:
"I felt sorry about the Star Trek shuttlecraft just because unlike most GWPs it seemed like it would have sold very well independently and at an accessible price point."
I think most GWP would sell well independently if they were sold at an accessible price point. They tend to be independent little sets that display well by themselves (obviously not the case with the filter). Whereas the Star Trek one, would people really want that by itself, given that there are no other similar sized Star Trek sets that you can buy to go with it? Selling one set like that on its own is likely to lead to even more complaints about why there are no other small sets to go with it, that LEGO are stupid for not giving the people what they want and that they are trying to force people to buy big sets by getting them hooked with a small retail set but not doing other small sets.
@quincy said:
"A solution for LEGO in regards to the GWP concerns:
GWP is a cool concept in theory, and don’t want to see it go away. It just needs to be modernized a bit. …Leave truly exclusive items to the conventions and employee sets. "
Then people will complain about exclusivity. People will complain if the GWP compliments the set. People will complain if the GWP doesn’t compliment the set. If it’s necessary or unnecessary it doesn’t matter, The LEGO Group can’t win.
@MandoEli37 said:
"I was sure this was a joke!"
Me Too! Some Late April Fool
@chrisaw said:
" @quincy said:
"A solution for LEGO in regards to the GWP concerns:
GWP is a cool concept in theory, and don’t want to see it go away. It just needs to be modernized a bit. …Leave truly exclusive items to the conventions and employee sets. "
Then people will complain about exclusivity. People will complain if the GWP compliments the set. People will complain if the GWP doesn’t compliment the set. If it’s necessary or unnecessary it doesn’t matter, The LEGO Group can’t win.
"
Also they tried doing the nothing exclusive as a gift in the past. Rivendell got a Brickheadz as a timed GWP that you could buy separately. There was really no incentive to buy Rivendell early just to get an extra free BH worth about 3% of the purchase price.
@Schmopiesdad said:
"I am confused by people's reactions to GWPs. When they are really nice as stand-alone models there is frustration over not being able to buy these separately. When they are a wonderful or "necessary" addition to the main set, it seems unfair to those who can't buy the set right away. Now, when the GWP is not appealing as an independent model, people think it is undesirable. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think this is the perfect GWP. It is not necessary to complete the main model; it serves no purpose as a stand-alone model; it adds something to the set; and if you don't get it when you purchase the set later, you don't feel cheated. Hence, it is just a bonus gift. "
I don’t feel any GWPs are necessary unless like someone described the GWP is available without time limit. It is the whole practice of exclusivity that I don’t like.
But Lego don’t think of it like we do, it’s a multi-channelled, massively profitable, nostalgia sparking brand that embraces community, diversity and green energy solutions (while flooding the world in plastic).
Why would they market such FOMO as if it’s a great and exciting part of the hobby?
-Because they’re not hobbyists or collectors or kids. Reading articles on Lego’s success I soon felt the distance between their world and ours. Their idea of high performance is not necessarily successful for all our hobbies.
I don’t like it but it is ‘what they do’. They’re just too massive to honour past mottos and too insistently positive to acknowledge all quality and value issues.
@CamberbrickGreen said:
"Why would they market such FOMO as if it’s a great and exciting part of the hobby?
-Because they’re not hobbyists or collectors or kids. Reading articles on Lego’s success I soon felt the distance between their world and ours. Their idea of high performance is not necessarily successful for all our hobbies.
"
Is it LEGO that markets the FOMO? In the case of Star Trek (or the fish tank) you get a perfectly good big set (same with the fish tank if you like it) if you buy the big set. If you don't have the free set, you don't really miss out on anything, but collectors may hype up the idea of not being complete because you don't have the GWP.
I often don't think of such things as gifts, but as an "early adopter bonus". So if you are one of the first people to buy the set and choose to buy it direct, you get a bonus related but not essential set. Whereas if you wait, then you will get the opportunity of some other bonus in its place, such as a bigger discount when purchasing elsewhere, more Insiders points, or the choice of a different GWP when buying direct at another time. It is then up to the consumer to decide which bonus is best for them.
It is not so important now, as so many review sets are given away and the sponsored reviews published in advance of the release, but early adopters also used to take a bit of a risk in that the set might not live up to expectation just based on the box art. So the early adopter bonus gives a little extra to someone willing to take that risk. That risk is not really an issue now since there are so many reviews out before release, but of course there is still a slight risk in that sponsored reviews tend to be slightly more positive than not sponsored ones.
@CCC said:
" @CamberbrickGreen said:
"Why would they market such FOMO as if it’s a great and exciting part of the hobby?
-Because they’re not hobbyists or collectors or kids. Reading articles on Lego’s success I soon felt the distance between their world and ours. Their idea of high performance is not necessarily successful for all our hobbies.
"
Is it LEGO that markets the FOMO? In the case of Star Trek (or the fish tank) you get a perfectly good big set (same with the fish tank if you like it) if you buy the big set. If you don't have the free set, you don't really miss out on anything, but collectors may hype up the idea of not being complete because you don't have the GWP.
I often don't think of such things as gifts, but as an "early adopter bonus". So if you are one of the first people to buy the set and choose to buy it direct, you get a bonus related but not essential set. Whereas if you wait, then you will get the opportunity of some other bonus in its place, such as a bigger discount when purchasing elsewhere, more Insiders points, or the choice of a different GWP when buying direct at another time. It is then up to the consumer to decide which bonus is best for them.
It is not so important now, as so many review sets are given away and the sponsored reviews published in advance of the release, but early adopters also used to take a bit of a risk in that the set might not live up to expectation just based on the box art. So the early adopter bonus gives a little extra to someone willing to take that risk. That risk is not really an issue now since there are so many reviews out before release, but of course there is still a slight risk in that sponsored reviews tend to be slightly more positive than not sponsored ones."
Correction: tapping in to fan FOMO! Too true.
I love GWPs. I just don’t like it when it feels like they were originally part of a set only to then later be pulled out. The Tie Fighter feels that way. The Fel Beast, Lifeboat, and Shuttle not so much. Originally, I felt the filter was more Tie Fighter. But once someone brought up the missing heater, thermometer, air stone, etc, it feels less like it was pulled out. If anything, it deepens my feeling that the aquarium really should have been more modular in design. I could totally see buying a more affordable aquarium and then getting to customize it how I see fit with a whole plethora of offerings.
With regards to making GWPs unique, I’m a big supporter. If I’m buying Day 1 at RRP, I don’t want a generic battle droid transport or a free Brickheadz otherwise already available. I want something special. The downside is that I then feel reticent to actually open the gift set, lol.
@yellowcastle said:"If I’m buying Day 1 at RRP, I don’t want a generic battle droid transport or a free Brickheadz otherwise already available."
I wouldn't mind getting a set that I would otherwise have to buy at RRP for free, if it was from the same IP as what I was already buying. And Brickheadz are, as far as I know Brickheadz are only available directly from Lego, not counting the secondary market.
I’m really baffled by anyone who thinks this is a necessary inclusion for the main set. It depicts two things that the main set doesn’t—glass and water. As such, it looks quite out of place when connected to the main set. I have no intention of buying the fish tank myself, but even if I did buy it day one and received this promo, I don’t think I would choose to display it with the filter attached for that reason alone.
Furthermore, I always assumed LEGO was using these yellow boxes with instruction manuals as the front cover because they could be produced more quickly and did not need to be planned out so far ahead, which leads me to believe GWPs that use the yellow boxes were absolutely designed after the set, and perhaps even after LEGO had gotten an idea of how highly anticipated the set was.
Trashy and morbid.
@SpaceCadet said:
"I’m really baffled by anyone who thinks this is a necessary inclusion for the main set. It depicts two things that the main set doesn’t—glass and water. As such, it looks quite out of place when connected to the main set. I have no intention of buying the fish tank myself, but even if I did buy it day one and received this promo, I don’t think I would choose to display it with the filter attached for that reason alone.
Furthermore, I always assumed LEGO was using these yellow boxes with instruction manuals as the front cover because they could be produced more quickly and did not need to be planned out so far ahead, which leads me to believe GWPs that use the yellow boxes were absolutely designed after the set, and perhaps even after LEGO had gotten an idea of how highly anticipated the set was."
All very reasonable points.
Nice tanks you got here, Colonel
Shame if something were to happen to them!
Looks like I'm too late!
This set should come with a roll of plastic so you can recreate that scene from Lethal Weapon 2.