@KiloGram said:
"I don't get it either, but "most pointless"? You forgot 40532-1 - half the count piece and complexity of some of my builds when I was 5 years old.."
Touché, that's an equally-absurd instance.

@Bricky_Dee_Williams said:
"For the third year in a row, LEGO launches a GWP that ties in with the annual modular building a month after release.

They got me with the Vintage Taxi four weeks after the Boutique Hotel (citing “supply chain issues” after getting rid of store calendars) but now it’s a pattern. Moving Van 6 weeks after the Jazz Club, Retro Food Truck a month after the Museum.

The most important lesson I’ve learned as a LEGO fan: it’s rarely worth buying on launch day."

Except 76269 but indeed if there is no GWP just wait.

I have no interest in the vehicle, but I would have been excited about a new coin tile if it wasn’t already in several other sets, _AND_ if it hadn’t replaced a fancier print with the exact same denomination.

@Bricky_Dee_Williams said:
"For the third year in a row, LEGO launches a GWP that ties in with the annual modular building a month after release.

They got me with the Vintage Taxi four weeks after the Boutique Hotel (citing “supply chain issues” after getting rid of store calendars) but now it’s a pattern. Moving Van 6 weeks after the Jazz Club, Retro Food Truck a month after the Museum.

The most important lesson I’ve learned as a LEGO fan: it’s rarely worth buying on launch day."

Have to admit it does present two LEGO purchasing opportunities...the marketing mantra of encourage buying opportunities. Though it's not like us LEGO fans will hold back...oh, we do...for GWPs and extra insider Points LOL

Is that sweat dripping from the server's face? And what's on the customer's ear?

In a word...FOMO!

Also, having missed out on GWPs a week after release...there is also that. :(

@Ephseb said:
"why would anyone buy on launch day, ever?"

Because some of the GWP are on launch day and are tied to a specific set. It's rare, but it does happen (e.g. Yoda Lightsaber with Mos Eisley Cantina. Otherwise, there's no reason at all.

I'm really hoping this one isn't exclusive to the museum since my wife gave that one to me for Christmas. Certainly don't need 2 of them!

I'm guessing it won't be exclusive though. The last 2 haven't been. It will have a high $$ threshold though. Probably $250.

@StyleCounselor: I couldn't have said it better!

This GWP doesn't look like it requires any parts that aren't freely available on Bricklink and PaB. I guess people have a point in buying Blacktron Cruisers for the exclusive torso (which looks to be reprinted in 2024 and was available for some months in the middle of this year on PaB) but this van is common through and through. Either use the partslist to order what you are missing or if it's like the Hot Rod you may also get the boxed set on Bricklink for a price on par or much less than what Lego would charge if they were selling these as usual sets.

@cflyg said:
" @ra226 said:
"Is that sweat dripping from the server's face? And what's on the customer's ear?"

Indeed it is sweat dripping down the server’s face.

The customer has a hearing aid on, as I do."

Ah, hearing aid, of course! I think the green threw me off for some reason.

No hotdog, drink or french fry costumes included , no walking hotdogs, drinks or french fries either (Snacks Sticker) :)

@KiloGram said:
" @Robot99 said:
"This has to be the most pointless use of the "18+" branding I've seen yet. A standard 300-odd piece van is probably the most generally appealing and straightforward type of build you can get, labeling it as "not necessarily for kids" (because of the "retro" in the set name I guess??) is beyond weird."

I don't get it either, but "most pointless"? You forgot 40532-1 - half the count piece and complexity of some of my builds when I was 5 years old.."
40486 is the lowest piece count for an 18+ set.

@TheOtherMike said:
"40486 is the lowest piece count for an 18+ set."
Tbf that's something with more limited appeal to kids, although there certainly isn't anything about it that should warrant walling off that audience either. The set at hand and the one mentioned above are literally just basic vehicles.

Am I the only one being seriously annoyed by the gaps above the wheel arches?

This has been going on for a while. Surely Lego had plenty of time to devise a(some) part(s) that would plug these holes. (an inverted cheese slope would be great)

This GWP is ok-ish, let's see what the threshold is. It will also depend on what's available on Jan 1st. Most desirable sets will only be available on Mar 1st this side of the pond. I normally do PaB but at this time of the year, the 'standard' parts department is closed.

Sounds like I'm the only Lego fan looking forward to this set. Then again, that's not because it's particularly interesting or well done, but purely because this is the only time Lego ever does vintage/classic vehicles now.

It really annoys me they only make old cars as GWPs. Why the hell can't they sell them as regular sets?

Especially, as others have said, given that this is basically just a standard City van. It's likely based off some sort of 1950s/1960s French or British van, but the majority of children wouldn't know that, and even if they did, I'd be very, very surprised if that was somehow a turn off.

What will be a turn off is the suspected high threshold to get this. Just because it's meant to go with the modular building, doesn't mean it needs to have that high a threshold just to be able to get it. The 2023 Moving Truck was an excellent set and GWP overall. But this van has very little to make people want it (as evidenced by the comments here).

@Robot99 said:
"This has to be the most pointless use of the "18+" branding I've seen yet. A standard 300-odd piece van is probably the most generally appealing and straightforward type of build you can get, labeling it as "not necessarily for kids" (because of the "retro" in the set name I guess??) is beyond weird."

It’s about the feeling “being special”.

LEGO is so proud about their premium quality that they confidently put the10 shades of light blue visibly onto the product box

@StyleCounselor:
Do you MOC? Because that’s pretty much what most of us go through every time. Otherwise, building a MOC is called “buying an aftermarket set from Brickmania or wherever”.

@HOBBES:
Funny you should mention that. When I started designing 6-wide cars, I used inverse 45° slopes, or sometimes headlight bricks with sideways cheese slopes, to fill in around fenders. Then someone in the club brought some fire trucks he’d copied from someone else’s design, and they had 1x6 plates with cheese wedges inverted to achieve the same effect. I only noticed because they design was sloppy, and the plates could slide out the side, so when I adapted this to my own work, the first thing I did was figure out how to lock them in place. Then I had a car where I needed the center two studs to be clear, so instead of a 1x6, I think I used 2x2 corner plates once or twice, then 1x2 plates, and eventually my Good Humor ice cream truck just has four inverted cheese wedges that float inside the rear pontoon fenders. I’d be ecstatic if they made an actual inverse cheese wedge with a stud on the top, but until that happens, I’ll keep inverting them myself.

The simplest form of this technique involves taking a 1x6 plate, putting a 1x4 tile in the center, and cheese wedges on the end. Then invert that assembly over another 1x4 tile. The lower tile nests between the cheese wedges, preventing the inverted assembly from sliding out. I think the version I copied added a 1x4 plate between the 1x6 plate and the tile, which prevents this interlocking design.

@Brickchap:
I was getting VW microbus vibes off it, but that’s really the only van with that sort of shape that took off in the US, and I’m by no means well-versed in European economy transportation.

I do kinda want to make one someday, but I don’t really want to mess with the 2-tone chevron paint scheme on the front. I was actually thinking of making one of the Dharma vans from the show Lost, since they have a simple horizontal break in the front.

And the high threshold seems to have been intended to prevent a rapid sell-out of popular GWPs, which hasn’t really happened in the US since 40448 sold out by noon on January 2nd.

@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor :
Do you MOC? Because that’s pretty much what most of us go through every time. Otherwise, building a MOC is called “buying an aftermarket set from Brickmania or wherever”.

@HOBBES :
Funny you should mention that. When I started designing 6-wide cars, I used inverse 45° slopes, or sometimes headlight bricks with sideways cheese slopes, to fill in around fenders. Then someone in the club brought some fire trucks he’d copied from someone else’s design, and they had 1x6 plates with cheese wedges inverted to achieve the same effect. I only noticed because they design was sloppy, and the plates could slide out the side, so when I adapted this to my own work, the first thing I did was figure out how to lock them in place. Then I had a car where I needed the center two studs to be clear, so instead of a 1x6, I think I used 2x2 corner plates once or twice, then 1x2 plates, and eventually my Good Humor ice cream truck just has four inverted cheese wedges that float inside the rear pontoon fenders. I’d be ecstatic if they made an actual inverse cheese wedge with a stud on the top, but until that happens, I’ll keep inverting them myself.

The simplest form of this technique involves taking a 1x6 plate, putting a 1x4 tile in the center, and cheese wedges on the end. Then invert that assembly over another 1x4 tile. The lower tile nests between the cheese wedges, preventing the inverted assembly from sliding out. I think the version I copied added a 1x4 plate between the 1x6 plate and the tile, which prevents this interlocking design."

That is an interesting technique - thanks for that - I'll try to use it in the future. For my most recent moc, there would not be enough space to do that (there would be no plates in the front to keep all the parts in place).
For this very reason, we also need more inverted tiles (of all shapes: 1x1, 1x2, 1x3 ,1x4, L-shaped, etc)

Potentially the two 1x4 tiles could be replaced with 2 (or 4) 1x1 with holes and 2 (or 4) 1x1 nipple part (tile, round, 1x1 with bar and pin holder 20482). This setup might be slightly thicker (i.e 1 stud thick as opposed to 2 plates thick) (a 1x1 tile with hole would allow the 2 plates thickness) - in some cases that might be easier to have 1 stud thickness.

@HOBBES:
As long as the fender covers at least part of the side, you can swap the 1x6 plate for a pair of 1x2 plates, and the 1x4 tiles for two pairs of 1x1 tiles. It leaves a 2-stud gap in the middle, but you absolutely need to make sure it’s trapped from sliding out. If that’s going to be an issue, that’s what I may have used 2x2 corner plates for, creating a bit of a hook to lock into the body. Floating cheese wedges are too complex to explain with text, but they can work as long as you have them trapped on all six sides. I actually did that on the back end of Ferris Bueller’s Fauxrari, but the back end of that cheats the dimensions just a tiny bit, which means I’ve had to rebuild it a few times (and remind myself which way the cheese wedges need to be oriented to fit).

@jkb said:
"LEGO is so proud about their premium quality that they confidently put the10 shades of light blue visibly onto the product box"

I mean, I'd rather they're actually upfront about color variations so that people can decide if it's an understandable consequence of the scale of Lego's manufacturing processes, or if it's something worth throwing a fit and wailing "only the best is..." over and over again.

@Ephseb said:
"why would anyone buy on launch day, ever?"

Because it's fun to go to the store early, wait in line with other people excited about LEGO, and get a great set as soon as possible!
Last year, I went for 10497. I took the day off work, got the set, took it to my favorite county park, and built it on a picnic table on a lovely summer day.

@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor :
Do you MOC? Because that’s pretty much what most of us go through every time. Otherwise, building a MOC is called “buying an aftermarket set from Brickmania or wherever”.
"

Of course. I MOD, MOC, MOF, and MOM. Yet, I don't MOC with the same determination for parts as completing a 'set'.

When I MOC, I have lots of parts out (usually of certain colors), and when I reach for connectors or greebling, it doesn't matter to me what I have. I use what is on hand. To me, that is the joy of it.

Completing the restoration of old sets, (to me) requires the acquisition of all the parts. A much different, and often tiresome, and expensive task.

@StyleCounselor:
When I MOC, it's usually something I've already designed using MLCad, and frequently there are pieces that are very critical to making the design work.

@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor :
When I MOC, it's usually something I've already designed using MLCad, and frequently there are pieces that are very critical to making the design work."

Yeah, I'm not there, yet.