Magnet sets may no longer be a way to get rare minifigs cheaply

 

  • Magnet sets may no longer be a way to get rare minifigs cheaply

    Posted by Huw, 20 Nov 2010 06:38. Filed under Brickset.

    Cygnet over at The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink recently bought a pack of Pharaoh's Quest magnets containing Jake Raines, a Mummy and an Anubis, which is great except for one thing: when he opened them he found, to his horror, that the legs and torsos are glued to the base!

    To be honest I've never been a big minifig magnet fan because the figs are made in China with a lower quality plastic than regular 'figs found in sets, but I know this doesn't bother others so this news will be a bit of a blow.

    Read what LEGO Customer Service said about this when he asked them: it's not good news!


    60 comments, latest one posted 30 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by Doctor Leg O'Brick in United Kingdom, 20 Nov 2010 06:48

No!! Bad news...just about to go and buy some of he star wars ones...Glueing lego brings horror to my hart.

Posted by Phantom in United Kingdom, 20 Nov 2010 07:16

i hope this also applys to star wars figs in the future, its so annoying when my friends claim they have big and rare sets with the cheap magnet sets.
The only magnet set i bought was the silver stormtrooper, and he still remains on my fridge, the way hes supposed to be.

Posted by mokey2345 in United Kingdom, 20 Nov 2010 07:24

thats a shame...looks like im not bying magnets anymore

Posted by robbiew in Hong Kong, 20 Nov 2010 08:12

This will cause a massive drop in magnet sales. Does anyone know if the new glue dissolves in boiling water?

Posted by LouiseDade in United Kingdom, 20 Nov 2010 08:22

Huw - I'm reposting this to the Brick Comic Network forum. The magnet sets have been easy ways for some of our authors to obtain the cooler licensed minifig parts for their comic characters (the plastic quality being less of an issue here) -- a case of buy the magnet set, break up the figs and reuse as new, unique, characters.

I guess if the head, hair and accessories are still unglued, then all is not completely lost.

Posted by refriedbeans in United States, 20 Nov 2010 08:26

I was just about to buy that then I saw the actual sets. :)

Posted by metalgearsolid_MGS in Singapore, 20 Nov 2010 08:47

Oh, what a shame. No more magnet sets for me then. I've not minded the poorer quality but glued to base is just a major no-no.

Posted by Morgan19 in United States, 20 Nov 2010 08:49

Lame.

Posted by kaboomlegoman in United States, 20 Nov 2010 09:37

This is terrible. I hate glued Legos. I just bought a couple pen packs and found to my horror that the minifigs have holes in them, the legs can't move, and it's cheap China plastic.

Posted by Toa Of Justice in United States, 20 Nov 2010 10:14

In my opinion, LEGO is wasting money by adding an unnecessary step to their minifig magnet production process. That money could be better spent making the minifigs in Denmark instead of China.

Posted by BobaFett2 in United States, 20 Nov 2010 10:27

That sucks. I was hoping a Batman magnet set might appear and I could get it...ugh.

Posted by wolfgang514 in United States, 20 Nov 2010 10:52

And lego is probably going to wonder why their minifigure magnet sales have dropped.

Posted by Orange Lemons in United States, 20 Nov 2010 10:54

Having only one magnet set, I'm sad about this news still. I could use that extra Anubis and mummy for any future MOCs/additional figs for the actual sets.

Posted by spency13 in United States, 20 Nov 2010 11:07

Oh no! I've never actually boughten a magnet set before, but i thought about it so i could take the rare minifigures and ditch the bases!! So much for that idea....

Posted by MatrixQuest in United States, 20 Nov 2010 11:39

I hate to hear it..I bought some of the Batman magnet sets to get green masked Robin faces to make Green Lanterns as well as sometimes you just want a monkey. I also bought a lot of the tic-tac-toe sets to get cops and robbers. It is probably due to the marketing of the figures and the licensing of them as action figures that the companies license to other companies. It is hard to fill a city with just the building sets.

Posted by Matthew in United Kingdom, 20 Nov 2010 12:42

WHAT ?!?! Does anyone know if the HP ones are glued? If not I'd better order loads off S@H!

Posted by refriedbeans in United States, 20 Nov 2010 13:09

Heres what I will do Im going to the Lego Store Tomorrow Ill buy it and tell you guys if I can remove them.

Posted by collectormom in United States, 20 Nov 2010 15:26

@LegoCoastGuard: we got the 2 HP magnet sets and no they aren't glued

Posted by Master Ian in United States, 20 Nov 2010 16:13

What the heck, that is so stupid! The only reason I buy the magnets is for the minifigures. I never even use the magnet pieces.

Posted by starfire2 in United States, 20 Nov 2010 16:22

Me too! I like the magnet sets because it is a cheaper way of getting figures without the huge cost of some sets.
I wonder if there is a way to remove the glued body from the magnet?

Posted by Doctor Leg O'Brick in United Kingdom, 20 Nov 2010 16:32

@starfire2, maybe you could pour hot, burning oil all over the figure? Or dump a ton of toxic waste on top of the figure... Bit to dangous? Toxic waste to hard to get? You could take it of the cargo trains that pass my house with it on...or just use the nail clipers.

Posted by TheLEGOmaniac in Denmark, 20 Nov 2010 16:44

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!

Posted by knuclear200x in United States, 20 Nov 2010 18:03

I'm gonna need some Acetone, soap and warm water. Also despite the bad news, this doesn't sound that bad. I never cared for those 15$ magnet sets. With 15$ you can get a minifig or 2, and a brick set. Lego can do a lot worse. I just hope they dont

Posted by Uno Brick in United States, 20 Nov 2010 18:04

I agree with Huw, the magnet sets, considering their low quality, was never my sort of thing, regardless of how rare the figs are. I'm not sure this was the best idea though, because they still proved useful for many others, like Idade mentioned.

Out of curiosity though, as it wasn't mentioned, does anyone know if the map tiles are removable from the bases?

Posted by Berrybrick in United States, 20 Nov 2010 18:47

The customer service seems very ill-informed. I have asked them about a set that couldn't have been of the shelf for more than two months and they had no record of it! Anyways, maybe this could lead to more (non Star Wars) battle packs.

Posted by Orange Lemons in United States, 20 Nov 2010 18:52

^That would be a great alternative while being able to get some actual pieces from a set, I now see an opportunity!

Posted by Berrybrick in United States, 20 Nov 2010 19:01

^Thanks. I actually ment like the knights battle pack, but now that I think about it we could have a Space Police Officer Pack with a little turret and speeder.

Posted by AETerry in United States, 20 Nov 2010 19:50

I saw some of the Minifigures for resale at Brick Con that had been part of Key Chains and from off Magnets... I didn't like what I had seen for quality and since I've never bought any magnet sets before, this news doesn't really bother me... I still buy the sets from Lego that interest me and that I want.

Now as to Space Police... heck yeah... I'd love to see a Space Police Battle Pack... or Minifigure Collection.

Posted by legoDad42 in United States, 20 Nov 2010 21:54

Ah..that suck on the Pharoah's Quest. I was gonna' get all the kits and pick up the magnet sets for extra figs.
I loved getting a Star Wars magnet set with Darth Maul w/Anakin and a Naboo pilot for like $10.00. It was a great bagain. What we all gotta' do is complain to customer service that us collector's won't purchase the magnets glued.
I can understand the key chains but no way for the magnet sets.

Posted by cara in United States, 20 Nov 2010 22:19

I think the point is that they don't want collectors to purchase the the manget sets anyway, they want you to purchase their expensive high end sets.

The magnet sets were a really great way to give my kids those figures. The kids don't care about platic quality. They just want enough unique figures to be able to make up stories and scenes with and sorry lego but unless I pay hundreds of dollars (for 2-3 high end sets) they just don't get enough people to play with.

Posted by Seagull in United States, 20 Nov 2010 22:24

That blows. :(
Does Brickset have a Facebook page?

Posted by starfire2 in United States, 20 Nov 2010 22:58

I can confirm this. I was at the Arrowhead Lego store and bought the magnet set. On the back it says "LEGO elements are glued together". And in fact they are glued at the legs. When I get home I am going to try to seperate them when I get home and I will let you know how it goes. They did have ALL of the new Pharaoh's Quest Legos and the new city police and log cabin, but sadly no series 3 mini's.

Posted by Mr. Football in United States, 20 Nov 2010 23:35

Let Lego know what you think of this new move. They are one of the few companies that care what their customers think, so be loud and clear and let them know.

Posted by starfire2 in United States, 21 Nov 2010 01:38

Ok so I got them off of the magnet bases. I dipped a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and rubbed it on the back of the legs just above where they touch the magnet base. I waited 15 minutes then used a knife to pry them off. No damage to the figures but it does leave super glue residue despite using more rubbing alcohol. So these would not be resellable. But that is okay with me. I just wanted them for my personal collection. BTW I don't think this is cheap Chinese plastic. According to the package they are created with components made in Denmark, Hungary and China. I do strongly advise anyone wanting to buy magnet sets in the future to read the back of the package to make sure it does not say " Lego elements are glued together".

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 21 Nov 2010 04:08

@seagull, yes, it's linked to in the home page menu.

Posted by sadowsk1 in United States, 21 Nov 2010 09:12

I have the the Lego Star Wars set #6209 Slave I with Boba Fett. I also have the Boba Fett magnet set. Is the quality the same between these? I haven't opened up the magnet set...

Posted by Berrybrick in United States, 21 Nov 2010 09:42

AETerry-I was just using Space Police as an example. It was the first modern non-lisence theme I thought of that a battle pack might be possible. Honestly, I think the theme is gone.

Posted by Orange Lemons in United States, 21 Nov 2010 11:21

@starfire2: Did you try soaking them overnight/throughout the day in rubbing alcohol?

Hoping they stop gluing these after getting complaints.

Posted by Berrybrick in United States, 21 Nov 2010 11:24

Anyone remember how the chess figures were going to be glued, but after recieving complaints about that rumor, they never were?

Posted by starfire2 in United States, 21 Nov 2010 11:41

@orange lemons: no I didn't because my hubby told me if I tried that it could remove the painted on parts or damage the plastic. Since it was for my own personal collection I didn't care too much. You could try using a straight razor and scraping it off but that could damage the plastic as well.

Posted by Kobacca in United States, 21 Nov 2010 15:55

Oh LEGO...no no no....first cheap plastic and now this? Where are your heads guys? Fix all this and we'll fix the rest. (with our money)

Posted by Timothywking in United States, 21 Nov 2010 20:11

Pharohs Quest isnt out yet how did he buy PHAROHS QUEST 2011 magnets?

Posted by starfire2 in United States, 21 Nov 2010 21:08

They are out at the Lego stores. They have all New Pharaoh's Quest and new city police sets. I bought a few Pharaoh's sets last night.

Posted by bsmarthen in United States, 22 Nov 2010 07:53

That sucks! Il be done with them . Heading to a lego store in Philly this weekend will see what they say.

Posted by mission_zed in United Kingdom, 22 Nov 2010 09:37

Can anyone confirm whether the new Harry Potter magnet sets are glued ? Or any set, aside from Pharoah's quest ?

Posted by AFOSL in United Kingdom, 22 Nov 2010 10:09

I'm not a minifigure collector per se, but I do like them and will often buy a set because the minifigures look so good, like in last year's Endor set or Greedo from the Cantina set. If I read correctly somewhere, the Lego Star Wars line took a 40% dip in profits, possibly as a result of minifigures being sold separately. This in turn, might be part of what has driven up the cost of Star Wars sets. If glueing the figures to their bases helps bring actual set prices down, I'm all for it. This year's set prices have been ridiculously high.

Posted by yakop in United States, 22 Nov 2010 11:50

I noticed today that on the back of the new magnet sets, it is stated that they are glued. That is a good way to know if they are before you buy them.

Posted by starfire2 in United States, 22 Nov 2010 12:03

The Pharoah's quest magnets are the FIRST and ONLY current magnet set to be glued!

Posted by max&joey in United States, 22 Nov 2010 14:48

Buy tons of them that you know are glued together, take them home and open one package. Then return them all to the place you purchased them and ask what the heck is up. Maybe they will get the hint. If you live near a Lego store tell the employees how much you do not like this. I get the feeling it will make its way up the chain of command.

Posted by starfire2 in United States, 22 Nov 2010 17:34

Well I wrote an email to customer service about them gluing the bodies to the magnet bases. Their response is " due to new liscensing agreements all magnet sets will be glued". They went on to say if I am unhappy with my purchase to return it to the store on exchange for something else or a full refund. Very disappointing. That means future Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. will probably be glued. Again I suggest that anyone buying the magnet sets looks on the back before buying.

Posted by BooMakuta! in United States, 22 Nov 2010 19:42

No! No! No! What if Lego decides to remake the CURRENT magnet sets? Like they did with the battle packs (price gets higher, higher, higher...)? NO! What about all the people who WANT rare minifigures? Lego, come on! This has happened before, but this is ridiculous! Glued to the bases! That's ridiculous! There are so many rare minifigs! Barriss Offee! Kit Fisto! Captain Jag! Admiral Ackbar! Chancellor Palpatine! Really? Gluing the legs? That's crazy!

Posted by nadnerb112 in United States, 22 Nov 2010 21:26

What are they gonna do next? Glue the actual sets?

Posted by Yeow in United States, 23 Nov 2010 05:10

Glue is such an ironic thing to use on a Lego. It makes me mad when I see glue on the display sets, much less in magnet sets.

Posted by Seagull in United States, 23 Nov 2010 09:49

Now we need LEGO to start with a Star Wars collectible minifig series!!! :O

Posted by gjamesaustin2000 in United States, 23 Nov 2010 13:17

No! I've wanted those minis for so long and now...nothing!!

Posted by BooMakuta! in United States, 24 Nov 2010 08:59

HEY LEGO...if you're reading this, I have a bunch of stuff NOT to use on Legos!

1. Glue
2. Pieces that need to be cut
3. Stickers

Really? Glue? That's just WRONG. Lego is supposed to be something you can take apart and rebuild! This is like MEGA BLOKS or something.

Posted by schvatts in United States, 24 Nov 2010 10:58

AFOSL-"the Lego Star Wars line took a 40% dip in profits, possibly as a result of minifigures being sold"

Hey the 40 % dip is more likely do to the fact that Lego is re-releasing sets they just stopped production on 3-4 years earlier. (arc-170, tri-fighter, and the Slave I) Sure the new release are great and us collectors and a few people who did not get them the first time will buy them, but not may kids will care cause they have the old one to them it is the same. Trust me that is what my kids and their friends think. That said if AFOLs are only a small part of Lego's profit then of course sales will dip..... Oh, and the economy sucks right now so why buy remakes with the little extra cash you have?

Gluing IS just wrong! Don't make make magnets or anything else anymore if you are going to glue them! It is insulting to us buyers and embarrassing for you as building block company.

Sorry I feel better know having vented.

Posted by Kobacca in United States, 25 Nov 2010 08:47

Well for all we know, the LEGO Star Wars line may have taken such a dip because the sets are so dang expensive. Now most people think twice about buying a set because of the exorbitant pricing. But indeed, unglue-em or get rid of em LEGO, you know what we REALLY wanted the magnets for (and it wasn't to put them on our fridge).

Posted by CharlieTheFunEngine in Australia, 25 Nov 2010 18:31

Oh man. It's LEGO. It's supposed to come apart. That's the basic principle of it all.

Posted by Redbullgivesuwind in United Kingdom, 27 Nov 2010 04:38

thats stupid when i phoned up to order some parts after my dog chewed up some of my sets i was told by the woman on the phone that the only way i could replace the figures was to look at the magnet sets to see if i could replace them that way

Commenting has ended on this article.