How quickly have BrickLink Designer Program sets sold out?
Posted by CapnRex101,
There have now been three series of BrickLink Designer Program sets since the process was overhauled, with the latest round of pre-orders ending on Thursday.
Only two sets sold out this round, reaching the maximum of 30,000 units that can be produced, which has prompted some discussion about whether interest in the range is waning. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to look back and see how quickly past sets have sold out, or roughly how many were sold of those that did not reach the full 30,000.
Take a look at the numbers and some brief analysis after the break...
Series 1:
- 910029 Mountain Fortress - 2 hours 29 minutes
- 910030 Snack Shack - 13 hours 12 minutes
- 910033 Old Train Engine Shed - 30 hours 10 minutes
- 910031 General Store - approximately 78% sold
- 910032 Parisian Street - approximately 58% sold
Series 2:
- 910034 Brick Cross Train Station - 7 hours 25 minutes
- 910037 Mushroom House - 8 hours 4 minutes
- 910038 Ominous Isle - approximately 65% sold
- 910035 Logging Railway - approximately 37% sold
- 910036 The Ocean House - approximately 35% sold
Series 3:
- 910043 Forest Stronghold - 3 hours 40 minutes
- 910041 Camping Adventure - 21 hours 51 minutes
- 910039 The Art of Chocolate - approximately 98% sold
- 910040 Harbourmaster's Office - approximately 95% sold
- 910042 Lost City - approximately 27% sold
Though I can understand why some think interest in the BrickLink Designer Program is waning, partly because recent sets have not commanded the absurd secondary market prices of earlier examples, the numbers indicate otherwise. Whenever castles and trains are the running, I think they will continue to sell out quickly!
BL19006 Eight Studs originally cost $99.99, but now sells consistently for over $500.
Smaller sets have also performed well in each round, showing the demand for more affordable, but nonetheless highly detailed, designs. We can see this in the broader LEGO portfolio too, as things like the Botanical Collection and the Starship Collection have been well-received.
However, I do find that it interesting that a few sets have not sold particularly well in the second and third series. While subject matters are definitely an important factor, I think their similarities to standard LEGO sets, or lack thereof, is influential too. Taking 910035 Logging Railway as an example, the model looks great, but is apparently extremely fragile and nothing like what would be expected of a normal set.
In a similar vein, 910042 Lost City is noticeably lacking in interior detail or functions, despite its impressive exterior, which is probably not how LEGO designers would approach such a setting. I believe prospective buyers tend to favour submissions that look like they could be a traditional LEGO model.
What do you think are the factors determining which BrickLink Designer Program sets are the best performers? Let us know in the comments.
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73 comments on this article
For me the selected sets just haven't interested me. In addition, the quality of the builds are sometime weak; some parts of the sets are fragile. Finally a lot of the sets are expensive for what you get. If you're buying these sets up for investment purposes I wish you the best of luck.
It partly comes down to how the sets are picked.
If the sets were selected by number of votes, we'd have 5 huge castle sets every time. The BDP team selects sets based on a variety of sizes and themes, and which don't have a similar set in the regular LEGO lines. This means sets with far fewer votes will get selected for production.
Then there are upcoming BDP series which may have better (looking) sets which repress the sales, like the upcoming Wild West Train which is kinda similar to the Logging Train set.
The cheaper sets will usually sell out, as they're the most attainable for most people. I predict that, while the Mushroom House sold out, the Mushroom Village won't. I don't think people are looking to put together a series of similar sets through the BDP. The Castle themed sets do well because LEGO isn't creating any castles (with the exception of the 90th anniversary Lion Knights' Castle).
Just speaking for myself, but it's hard to justify punting on a multi-hundred-dollar potentially unstable or undercooked MOC, especially when they're compulsively generic and can't make full use of proper themes beyond repurposing castle faction parts. (I'm left reminded of one of the submissions in the recent voting that was trying so badly to be an Adventurers / Orient Expedition set but couldn't use the actual characters, so it was brutally handicapped against its own appeal.) For premium prices and limited runs I'm expecting a premium set with the level of polish associated with officially-designed sets.
Altogether it seems like BLDP is a pool of Castle and Trains fans trying to feed themselves with high-detail MOCs with a few modular-compatibles or Ideas houses sprinkled in. I do wonder if the actual demographics of people who vote and spend are skewed towards those specific communities instead of from a larger swath of AFOLs, because so far *no* Space sets have ever gone forward, with 910027 being the closest thing. You'll get an occasional Pirates or Western-adjacent, but the recurring finalists seem stacked towards these insular communities. Perhaps some of the sets are selling weaker because for non-diehards it's hard to get excited for them - the cons of their distribution model and design outweigh the novelty and ravenous cravings that the people inside the communities have. If you're a regular AFOL, why buy a limited-run worse-designed modular or train?
The most surprising to me is 910031 General Store. I have a theory that it would've sold out if they had actually bothered to include the horse drawn wagon and minifigs in the main image (for some reason they used the image of the store alone)
The biggest negative of these sets for me is the lack of printed instructions. Having tried to build one of these off a tablet, I have decided that, for me at least, unless the set is really something out of the ordinary, having no printed instructions results in the fun factor is significantly reduced, and I'm better off just sticking to regular sets. Especially so given how many large beautiful sets LEGO is releasing these days, like the amazing Botanical Garden just now.
It also helps when the BrickLink sets accompany other Lego sets / themes. The Lost City was what? LoR? Adventures? Indy? Castle? It just didn't fit in with most popular collections / displays
I'd be curious to know how many of the voters actually bought the set they voted for.
Personally I don't care one bit for castle sets, and don't buy train sets because I don't have the space.
This series I got the harbor thingy and the camping set because they were within my budget and looked nice. From series 2 I only got the mushroom set because again, budget, and it looked nice.
Series 4 will be a complete skip for me and from 5 I plan on buying the antique store and the mushroom village.
The lack of paper instructions aren't an issue for me though - I've been building off the PDF for years
The lack of printed instructions makes all of these a hard no for me. I built the alternate models of 10497 Galaxy Explorer using my smartphone, and it turned my favorite hobby into something of a chore.
If Mushroom House were a regular set, it would have been a Day One purchase.
From where I am in my Lego building and collecting, I have very little interest in the types of products that BDLP offers, and the kind of sets that I would happily crowdfund would be tributes, remakes, or revivals of specific in-house IP, which are off the table. Adventurers, Rock Raiders, Alpha Team, Bionicle... however, with no new prints or molds, no professional polish, and the sterile BLDP branding, it would and will continue to feel half-hearted, that I'd just be getting someone's MOC with factory fresh parts and Lego putting as much distance as they possibly can between themselves and the product that they are selling.
Looking at that Logging Railway, I can kinda see why it wasn't that successful. At first glance, I really like what I see, and as a train enthousiast this should have been a set for me. But here's the issue: As cool as that trestle looks as a display piece, it has a few downsides:
1) As mentioned, it's very fragile.
2) It takes up a lot of space to display nicely.
3) It looks like an extremely repetitive and frustrating build.
4) It takes up a lot of pieces and thus massively inflating the price of what could have been a much, much cheaper train set.
5) Maybe not so much for everyone, but the fact that it is purely a display model and you can't actually run trains over it doesn't help either.
As much as I like the look of the whole thing, in the end it would have been so much more interesting had this been just the train (and just a few straight tracks) for about half the price. I probably would have bought that, if I had the chance.
I think it's good to see that among the fastest selling sets are most of the smaller sets. I hope that will be an incentive for more of those, and less of the very expensive sets.
I think the logging railway probably would have sold out if it was just the train and wagons on their own.
The boy loves gardening and stuff and really wanted me to try for 910037, but I told him I was too slow and missed it, which he was a quite disappointed about. However, thankfully, I have a feeling Santa may have grabbed one for us just in time...(!)
To me Mountain Fortress looks like a some what more detailed rebuild of Lion Knight's Castle with a high price tag & no printed instructions so I chose to pass on it although I really liked it. The only BDP set I've actually ordered so far is Ominous Isle. I seriously considered Forest Stronghold but it sold out while I was having surgery. Between the high price tags and lack of printed instructions I usually decide these sets are way overpriced for me.
I really like most of the upcoming round but have yet to decide if I will actually try to purchase any.
I don't get them because of how expensive they are, but i'm sure they are worth it.
@karrit said:
"To me Mountain Fortress looks like a some what more detailed rebuild of Lion Knight's Castle with a high price tag & no printed instructions so I chose to pass on it although I really liked it."
The Mountain Fortress is beautiful on the exterior, but very fragile at places and I did not like the building process at all.
@Alia_of_AGL:
I kinda wonder if some of the Castle sales are from people trying to prove to TLG that a new Castle theme would be a runaway success. It's worth noting, however, that, back in the 80's, they probably had service packs that sold more through catalog mail orders than BDP has through online sales. "Sold out" loses a lot of its impact when you understand how small a 30k run actually is, especially spread across a worldwide market.
Interested article.
What is starting to put me off is the basic packing these sets are having when getting shipped. DPD are either throwing them around more, or the LEGO packaging areas are clumsy. With very limited sets that can't be replaced, the packaging must be made better to minimise damage when in transit. Out of the 5 sets I recently received from Series 2, 3 of them have some kind of damage, squashed corners or creases. With the Box being the only unique part to these sets it a must to have it arrived unscathed :(
No 'real' space or 'classic' space, no printed instructions, no interest.
While the castle-themed sets are all very nice, this is not a theme I regularly buy.
I also very much like all the modulars (mostly train stations) but apparently Lego decided to phase them out. Basically, this program is not for me at all, all these sets should be part of Ideas: all the design flaws corrected by a Lego designer(s), printed instructions and official Lego distribution channel. Anyway, my Lego budget hardly let me buy what I want on the regular channel...
Eight Studs (BL19006) was one of the sets that brought me back to LEGO.
These are competing with official Lego sets and other brick brands and the competition clears them every time when the prices are as high as they are.
Lack of instructions would probably kill it for me, as it also helps it stand out from a bricklinked version (even though a BL version would likely cost more).
Then there is the size of many of these, along with the sketchiness of how they will hold together, but
I'm just wondering how much this is also the economy as a whole worldwide catching up to LEGO and these obnoxiously expensive sets being pumped out and people are just running out of money for all of the expensive sets wanted?
I can see why these sell, but for me I definitely need the Lego-esque style. A lot of fan designs are massively over-egged (at least by my tastes) with too much fiddly detail and none of that less-is-more charm that Lego is so good at. I've not seen one yet that really made me want it more than a retail set.
@PurpleDave said:
""Sold out" loses a lot of its impact when you understand how small a 30k run actually is, especially spread across a worldwide market."
If you think that Brickset alone has 337,000 members, assuming we all wanted one, thats still only 1 in every 11of us could own a set.
For me it is just the pricing. I bought all the available stuff the first 2 rounds but I just can't commit to the cost of so many expensive sets especially since so many normal Lego sets are also so pricey. I do still like the selection of sets but maybe more that are <$100 would help the situation.
The prices are just too high for me to justify a purchase. The observatory set was the one where I realized I am able to beat the FOMO with this program: I was sooo close to buy it, yet I managed to not proceed with the purchase as I witnessed how it was quickly reaching the sold out limit. I just couldn't justify paying that much money for the set. Since that day I look at the Brickling Designer Program in a much different way. I don’t feel so anxious to buy and I'm totally OK with it as these sets always feel overpriced, so if I pull the trigger on one there have to be several reasons why I want to get it, not just the sense of novelty or FOMO.
Looking at the sets released, and having bought and built quite a few of them now, I think there are two paths to designing a sell-out set for BDP.
The first way is that you come up with something that caters to an existing fanbase that is underserved by mainline Lego sets (castle and trains have been the obvious ones, though I'd like to think we might get something good for space at some point, though that might just be my personal preference!). Most of the sets sold to date fit with this approach, though the challenge with this approach is that you are competing with a lot of other people doing the same thing and it's easy to be too generic. You only have to look at recent rounds to see the plethora of sets seeking to satisfy existing fan needs - particularly related to castle.
The second way is to come up with a set that offers a creatively different concept. These have been light on the ground so far. I'd put the mushroom house in this category, along with Adventure in Transylvania which I'm predicting will be a very quick sell out. This is the more difficult approach as it involves coming up with a genuinely creative concept that will appeal to a lot of people, and then executing it well.
I also think there might be a third approach, which does a bit of both - caters to an existing theme, while also being creative in a way that Lego would not or could not be. While the finalists of series six haven't been chosen yet, I put Wolf of Swamp into this category, being both a nod to castle/adventures while also being unlike any other set I've seen https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-6/2063/Wolf-of-Swamp.
Personally it's this third category that I would like to see more of, though it's tough coming up with creative concepts that really work, and then executing them well. I think we probably have to accept that for every amazing set that ticks all the boxes, we are going to get some that only tick some of them, and as a result don't sell as well.
@Alia_of_AGL said:
"From where I am in my Lego building and collecting, I have very little interest in the types of products that BDLP offers, and the kind of sets that I would happily crowdfund would be tributes, remakes, or revivals of specific in-house IP, which are off the table. Adventurers, Rock Raiders, Alpha Team, Bionicle... however, with no new prints or molds, no professional polish, and the sterile BLDP branding, it would and will continue to feel half-hearted, that I'd just be getting someone's MOC with factory fresh parts and Lego putting as much distance as they possibly can between themselves and the product that they are selling."
I have just build the mushroom house and I absolutely don't get your criticism. This set at least is on par with every big official lego set I have build over the last 5 years. NPUs, beautiful and sturdy design, imaginative scenery and rewarding finish. And we'll priced too. Which BDP sets have you build that made you critique so much?
@GrizBe said:
" @PurpleDave said:
""Sold out" loses a lot of its impact when you understand how small a 30k run actually is, especially spread across a worldwide market."
If you think that Brickset alone has 337,000 members, assuming we all wanted one, thats still only 1 in every 11of us could own a set. "
Interestingly, I just checked to see what ownership Brickset has recorded for a few sets, and they came in at mid four figures. So I checked for highest overall ownership, and Brickset only records two sets that have broken 30k, being 75267 and 10243. Third place was 21108, which is pretty crazy for an Ideas set to be one of only four to break 29k.
So, an interesting thing to look at is how high the ownership is reported to be for BDP sets where the actual ownership is a known quantity. Highest there is 910033 with 1542. They all range from the low 3-figure to low 4-figure range, and that's with sets where the membership of a site like this is 100% the target market.
Mountain Fortress - 2 hours 29 minutes
Forest Stronghold - 3 hours 40 minutes
Hey, LEGO, how about you TAKE THE HINT and bring back a full-blown Castle theme?
@djcbs said:
"Mountain Fortress - 2 hours 29 minutes
Forest Stronghold - 3 hours 40 minutes
Hey, LEGO, how about you TAKE THE HINT and bring back a full-blown Castle theme?"
To be fair, this data could just as easily be interpreted as supporting their current strategy of regularly releasing large, higher-priced D2Cs targeted at AFOLs.
@thor96 said:
" @Alia_of_AGL said:
"From where I am in my Lego building and collecting, I have very little interest in the types of products that BDLP offers, and the kind of sets that I would happily crowdfund would be tributes, remakes, or revivals of specific in-house IP, which are off the table. Adventurers, Rock Raiders, Alpha Team, Bionicle... however, with no new prints or molds, no professional polish, and the sterile BLDP branding, it would and will continue to feel half-hearted, that I'd just be getting someone's MOC with factory fresh parts and Lego putting as much distance as they possibly can between themselves and the product that they are selling."
I have just build the mushroom house and I absolutely don't get your criticism. This set at least is on par with every big official lego set I have build over the last 5 years. NPUs, beautiful and sturdy design, imaginative scenery and rewarding finish. And we'll priced too. Which BDP sets have you build that made you critique so much?"
Agreed on the Mushroom House as I just built mine as well -- with the notable exception of the tall angled stalk with the fuchsia flower, which is NPU but unfortunately very fragile because the grass pieces at the end have so little clutch. The hinge made from them wants to let go if you so much as look at it wrong and I can't imagine that would have been acceptable in a mass market set. Overall a wonderful set though and I just used the extra snail reign piece as a support wire for that flower.
I think part of what determines how fast they sell out is can it be used in your Lego city?
@mooslug said:
" @thor96 said:
" @Alia_of_AGL said:
"From where I am in my Lego building and collecting, I have very little interest in the types of products that BDLP offers, and the kind of sets that I would happily crowdfund would be tributes, remakes, or revivals of specific in-house IP, which are off the table. Adventurers, Rock Raiders, Alpha Team, Bionicle... however, with no new prints or molds, no professional polish, and the sterile BLDP branding, it would and will continue to feel half-hearted, that I'd just be getting someone's MOC with factory fresh parts and Lego putting as much distance as they possibly can between themselves and the product that they are selling."
I have just build the mushroom house and I absolutely don't get your criticism. This set at least is on par with every big official lego set I have build over the last 5 years. NPUs, beautiful and sturdy design, imaginative scenery and rewarding finish. And we'll priced too. Which BDP sets have you build that made you critique so much?"
Agreed on the Mushroom House as I just built mine as well -- with the notable exception of the tall angled stalk with the fuchsia flower, which is NPU but unfortunately very fragile because the grass pieces at the end have so little clutch. The hinge made from them wants to let go if you so much as look at it wrong and I can't imagine that would have been acceptable in a mass market set. Overall a wonderful set though and I just used the extra snail reign piece as a support wire for that flower."
Agreed. There’s at least one or more flaws in each BDP. The cement mixer in the Construction Site - what’s up with that. Literally will fall apart if you try and use it as intended.
@johleth said:
"I think the logging railway probably would have sold out if it was just the train and wagons on their own."
The trestle bridge is what stopped me from buying it. In my opinion, it inflated the piece count and the price but added nothing to set. You couldn't even combine it with an existing train track display.
I bought all of these except Ocean House and Parisian St. I have many of the progenitors as well (except, notably, the Kakapo and Safe which were lost into the ether of Lego shipping).
The determinate for spending my cash are:
1. Is it a really attractive design?
2. Does it represent good value for the money with size, scale, and PPP?
3. Does it align with themes or displays that I currently have?
When there are dozens of LEGO sets that fetch for hundreds of dollars a year, people need to save money for sets they REALLY want.
BrickLink sets, no matter how well-designed, are novelties. Expensive novelties. I don’t think they’re a high priority for many AFOLS.
I agree with almost every complaint on here. I still find it exciting to mark my calendar and buy something with the clock ticking, though. It feels like an event, and the delayed gratification makes it better - it's just really nice to get a parcel you had forgotten all about. I get the same enjoyment from the occasional Kickstarter board game.
@lordofthedreams9 said:
" @karrit said:
"To me Mountain Fortress looks like a some what more detailed rebuild of Lion Knight's Castle with a high price tag & no printed instructions so I chose to pass on it although I really liked it."
The Mountain Fortress is beautiful on the exterior, but very fragile at places and I did not like the building process at all."
I found the Mountain Fortress to be a really enjoyable build. The base is fragile, I agree, making it difficult to move, as I found out to my cost when I had to rebuild a bit after moving to my Lego room as I don't have space to build as well as display in there.
But it's a gorgeous set and very different from 10305 in many ways.
I voted for the Train Shed, Brick Cross Station and brought both, I brought Mountain Fortress, Castle in the Forest, Construction Site, Stargate Station on eBay, all for about £400 each.
I brought the Harbour Master, and the Forest Stronghold.
I really enjoyed building each bricklink set I have. In many ways the detail and construction is superior to Lego sets. They have become my favourite sets out of my collection.
I plan on getting the Merchant Boat and the Seaside Market in series 4, and the Adventure in Transylvania in series 5.
I find the lack of paper instructions a problem, and until Brick Cross I downloaded them on my laptop. I'm building Brick Cross with the Lego Builder app which is much better than I realised. Still I would prefer booklet instructions.
But I wouldn't pass on a set that I liked because of that. The price is worth it when the alternative is on eBay is expensive.
DPD have treated all of my parcels really well. One even asked on a parts order this week if it was supposed to rattle, they were quite concerned. Another is a fellow afol.
My favourite is the Train Shed. I adore that set and I was really glad bricklink picked it up when the Ideas review passed on it.
That's what I appreciate about it. Some sets that Lego would pass on, Bricklink picks up and it's well worth owning them.
The mushroom house was a fantastic build, except for that flower stalk. That’s the only time I could tell it was a fan build. It’s extremely fragile and was annoying to put together.
@Vamntastic said:
" @johleth said:
"I think the logging railway probably would have sold out if it was just the train and wagons on their own."
The trestle bridge is what stopped me from buying it. In my opinion, it inflated the piece count and the price but added nothing to set. You couldn't even combine it with an existing train track display."
Supposedly, the trestle can easily be made in a straight fashion instead of curved, apparently without modifying anything structural. Straight track can then be applied instead. (I wish they would have communicated that while ordering was open, though.)
Why don't I get them? Simple, they're too expensive and I need a roof over my head to house all that LEGO.
Not to throw shade at some of the good ones though.
I have three:
910002-1 Studgate Train Station
910033-1 Old Train Engine Shed
910034-1 Brick Cross Train Station
However, I will likely not buy more - I need printed instructions. Studgate is wondrous, though. Very pretty. But takes a massive amount of space - 48x48 studs. However, trains can run through it, which helps.
I did not want to miss out on Brick Cross Train Station, though the station is not as nice as the very original Ideas model.
Interesting article topic.
I own 910033 Old Train Engine Shed, which I also voted for and is a very satisfying build (except perhaps for the loose sloping roof of the wooden annex)
I also have 910034 Brick Cross Train Station, which I also voted for but haven't build yet.
From the old BDP I have 910016 Sheriff's Safe, which I find very well designed, even with the Technic half-pin mix-up of the door lock.
But even though I really like all these, I do also think the biggest downside is the lack of physical building instructions. I don't really like the Builder app instructions and much prefer paper ones. For me building Lego is a way to relax and get away from a screen, so I don't want to need yet another screen to build.
Despite this I did vote for and ordered The Art of Chocolate, just because it looks that great. For me, the pros (looks great, very original and CHOCOLATE!) clearly outweigh the cons (lack of paper instructions and hefty price).
@Vamntastic said:
" @johleth said:
"I think the logging railway probably would have sold out if it was just the train and wagons on their own."
The trestle bridge is what stopped me from buying it. In my opinion, it inflated the piece count and the price but added nothing to set. You couldn't even combine it with an existing train track display."
I suspect the fact that there's another steam train coming in round 4 didn't help it's case either. I know personally, while I liked the novelty of the trestle bridge for displaying the train, I like the Wild West Train as a whole, more, so I passed on the Logging Railway in hopes of getting that one instead.
I am still waiting on the Mushroom House, which is showing as ‘back ordered’ for me. Hopefully Australia & NZ will get their shipments soon.
Build stability is one of the things that makes me apprehensive about ordering these sets, especially at the prices some of them go for, and I appreciate many designers build only digitally so may not get an appreciation of this until after sets are made. A couple of second series sets had poor build stability flagged by pre-release reviews and it possibly affected their sales. Lego seems to have tried to address this - I think interviews with designers of subsequent sets seem to suggest this. They also seem to be trying for around 2,500 pieces, so aiming for a line that is more widely affordable than just 3,900 - 4,000 piece sets tend to be.
I suspect castle sets will continue to sell out quickly, whether to castle fans or to speculators who want to sell to castle fans, probably doesn’t make much difference in the overall scheme of things. As someone who still remembers how thrilled I was to get 375 for my 4th birthday and then some of the 80’s castles as an older kid, castle holds a special place in my heart, but if I miss out, I miss out. I didn’t have them all back in the day either (and still don’t - prices for some of those sets are insane).
The big BLDP sets are expensive enough bought directly, let alone when someone else has purchased & added their cut.
I would have bought the train in an instant if it was a train instead of some massive wooden structure (however flimsy it is) with a bit of train on top.. so maybe at half price.
Bricklink sets are something I look forward to ever since the very first series with the Lowenstein Castle. Not all are up to official Lego set's standard of stability and build experience but some are right up there. And it is just another avenue to give fans something different that the Lego Group won't mass produce.
If you compare the cost of these BrickLink sets to buying MOC instructions and ordering all the parts yourself, it is still significantly cheaper and comes in one box. I am just glad these products are on offer. They are not for everyone but then the Lego Group annual product offering is so vast that there is almost always something for everyone.
@CoreySinny said:
"The mushroom house was a fantastic build, except for that flower stalk. That’s the only time I could tell it was a fan build. It’s extremely fragile and was annoying to put together."
In my copy of this set the stalk pieces have very good clutch and this long flower is sturdy and it nestles cleverly between the building and the small mushroom.
I was discussing with a buddy of mine, who's really into classic Space, and who built a lot of very cool MOCs on the theme, why it didn't do too well in the BDP series. And so, at some point I found out that designers have to use only current parts in the stud.io software, which makes it seriously harder than I imagined. For example, the very limited amount of trans-yellow parts in production (no satisfying cockpit windows atm), or even simply the blue parts.
When my friend looked into it, he was a bit frustrated and felt very limited to come up with anything.
In the meantime, there's all the parts you could need to build Castle stuff - tons of various grey & tan parts available, tons of plants, etc.
So I think the limitation of usable parts for the program probably plays a part in the selection we can vote for.
I would have loved the Forest Stronghold.
It’s beautiful, had a dozen lovely minifigures, and is not something LEGO offers in their usual catalogue.
However, the cost was astronomical for this - and almost all large, regular LEGO sets these days - even non-licensed ones, such as the new Botannical Gardens!
And I just can’t justify this when I’m living paycheque to paycheque, and I’m already drowning in LEGO!
Further, I couldn’t stay up for the release night, and they were all sold out within a few hours!
Plus, the lack of printed instructions is a significant negative, as many have pointed out!
I have 2: Mushroom house and... another Mushroom house. The second mushroom house is a gift.
I participated for the first time in Series 6. I watched some of the previous webinars and it provided a lot of clarity on the BDP process. One thing many people do not realize is the palette that designers are to use for each series. It is released 6-10 weeks before submissions are due. It is given to Bricklink from LEGO. It is a list of parts (including minifigure torsos) that will be in production for the next 2 years; meaning they will still be available when these sets actually ship to customers. These are non-IP. Last round there were only Lion Knight and Wolf Pack torsos for medieval and only one pirate torso. It’s rather revealing as to what LEGO is coming up with next. So if there is not a certain theme currently in production, then those parts will not be available. It actually shows just how creative some people are “using what is available” to come up with new ideas.
I think 30k is the sweet spot for number of sets. 3 rounds so far have revealed that the only theme that sells out immediately is castle. Sets under $100 sell out in the first 24 hours because people want to “participate” in BDP and that price threshold is accessible. The rest of the sets seem to have sold well and anyone who is “on the fence” seems to have plenty of time in the 30 day window to make a decision. 1 set out of 5 not “selling well” seems to validate that Bricklink is trying to provide a range of options for fans and not just selecting sets or themes that would immediately sell out. Any set that sells over 50% is still more than the original 10k limited run. Which means scalpers are having more trouble on the secondary market, which is a good thing I think. My only issue so far with the program is how many repeat winners there have been (many other designers have had excellent designs that deserve to be finalists).
I like the BDP sets, but there's only so much room and so much money. I bought two of the Mushroom House to sell on later, seeing how good the previous releases' sets have gone.
I normally build trains (and train layout buildings) but neither the logging railway or engine shed suit my area or needs. I'm too young for the peak castle and space theme eras so I don't have any nostalgia vein for LEGO to tap me for. The other sets - while good - are mostly display pieces, which I have no shelf space for, or don't appeal. So why buy something I can't use?
the rest of the set that weren't "sold" are going to be available on Lego shop? Or they only produce the quantity sold?
@thor96 said:
" @CoreySinny said:
"The mushroom house was a fantastic build, except for that flower stalk. That’s the only time I could tell it was a fan build. It’s extremely fragile and was annoying to put together."
In my copy of this set the stalk pieces have very good clutch and this long flower is sturdy and it nestles cleverly between the building and the small mushroom."
The stalk (candlestick) pieces are fine and yes they are supported well by the model — on mine at least the clutch issue is with the grass stem piece (15279) used as a hinge at the end of the stalk.
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=15279T=C
@ALEXDTI said:
"the rest of the set that weren't "sold" are going to be available on Lego shop? Or they only produce the quantity sold?"
They produce only the amount sold with no extras. I've heard stories if someone's gets lost in the mail, they are out of luck.
@kay2046:
The flip side to that argument is that, if I'm going to spend that much on building a MOC, it's going to be one that I designed myself.
@Ogima:
Oh, make no mistake about it, there was no mix-up with the Technic pin in Sheriff's Safe. The original design used an illegal technique. BDP rules prohibit their use, so an alternate option had to be used in the official instructions in order to get the set released. Problem is, the alternate solution didn't actually work. Funny thing is, the designer had a fancy graphic posted almost immediately after copies started arriving, showing that the original illegal technique would allow the safe to function properly. The speed at which this was posted makes it pretty clear this was the plan all along.
With no involvement from LEGO to ensure robustness or tweak construction, and a complete lack of printed instructions, these should be considerably cheaper than standard sets, yet the complete opposite is true. Fortunately, I'm not constrained by the price but the horror stories I hear of sets arriving damaged, with no chance of a replacement, and no printed instructions has meant I've never order any of them, and I can't see that changing. If they are meant to be aimed at adult collectors then they need to prioritise what is important to collectors.
I can't afford the regular Lego sets I want much less the premium price for Bricklink sets. I may get some parts from used Lego store bulk bins and reverse engineer a few of them...
@MGDawson said:
"So why buy something I can't use?"
As you admit yourself, "to sell on later" – presumably intending to make a profit.
First and foremost, I am not interested in the themes that are popular in BLDP, that is Castles and Trains, and the sets that make it to production are too expensive. Second, I refuse to get into a FOMO race to secure a limited run unofficial set. If Lego believed these sets were worth selling, they would release an official, full run set.
@Alia_of_AGL said:
"...Altogether it seems like BLDP is a pool of Castle and Trains fans trying to feed themselves with high-detail MOCs with a few modular-compatibles or Ideas houses sprinkled in. I do wonder if the actual demographics of people who vote and spend are skewed towards those specific communities instead of from a larger swath of AFOLs, because so far *no* Space sets have ever gone forward, with 910027 being the closest thing. You'll get an occasional Pirates or Western-adjacent, but the recurring finalists seem stacked towards these insular communities..."
I think it is also dependent on the parts that are available for the BDP program. When new castle torsos are available, it makes sense that a large number of castle-themed sets will be put forward. If space-themed torsos became available then I suspect we would see a large number of space submissions.
But while space is a major theme of official LEGO sets (City, Friends etc) I guess they are unlikely to release them for the BDP.
The lack of proper QC and testing is what puts me off them. I own the fishing boat, and colleagues of mine have built some of the others with similar comments. Few of them feel like they've ever gone through the process of being built with the instructions by people who don't know the set, which doesn't make for a very pleasant build experience.
That said, the finished models are normally very attractive.
@Doctor_Hugh said:
"With no involvement from LEGO to ensure robustness or tweak construction, and a complete lack of printed instructions, these should be considerably cheaper than standard sets, yet the complete opposite is true. Fortunately, I'm not constrained by the price but the horror stories I hear of sets arriving damaged, with no chance of a replacement, and no printed instructions has meant I've never order any of them, and I can't see that changing. If they are meant to be aimed at adult collectors then they need to prioritise what is important to collectors."
What’s important? The bricks inside.
Struggle to believe that anyone is really concerned about anything else unless than plan to resell.
The lack of paper instructions have been a huge pain for me. I tried building it once, but really affected the building experience.
One would think this would show LEGO at the very least that people want castle sets and they would continue to remake some of the old / make new Castles sets .... and that we don't want just the cubes to make a castle out of them. We want that specific type of Castle theme.
Quality and them being what we want. Not only the bricks Inside.
If adults just wanted that, they would order 100x 2x2s, 100 4x2s and so on, and make whatever they want. We want quality product, for a price that fits that quality, new pieces, new prints, and it does seem that it's very important for a lot of people to have a paper instruction.
It was never about the sets per se, more about the aftermarket sales on eBay.
I have a couple of sets in different price categories. The quality of the builds is getting worse and worse and designs are becoming less unique. imo Bricklink should be more selective and organize less series in 1 year.
It all seems like its for the money (designer and lego) and for the loads of bricks (buyer).
Seriously: some sets are really Lego unworthy.
Nice analysis and agree with the thoughts at the end!
Most Castle and Train seem to go out really well, but quite a noticeable exception with the logging railway.
It seems rather obvious and TLG could make some changes to the quantities if they really wanted.
Forest stronghold looks really awesome, so actually, I'm a bit surprised it sold out slower than the Mountian fortress. Is the difference really just the scalpers?
"For premium prices and limited runs I'm expecting a premium set with the level of polish associated with officially-designed sets."
Hit the nail on the head for me. For the few BDP sets I've bought (and they were not cheap), I've found the builds to be lacking when compared to sets released by Lego. But I've also run out of space and have become very selective about what I buy. If a set doesn't fit into my main line (City and trains) then I'm pretty much not going to buy it.
I have yet to build any of the Bricklink sets. I own a few, but they are still sealed. Ultimately easily sourced parts I may just build them separately and leave it sealed for resale value (Even though I will never resell it...). But then again, I'm not really into building other people's MOCs. I like looking at ideas on Rebrickable and there are a lot of talented builders out there. And that includes these builders that get picked for these sets, but I have a hard time justifying the cost for someone else's MOC. I want to design my own stuff and I know I'm not talented enough or even "hungry" enough to get IDEAS or Bricklink to market my MOC to sell. But kudos to the builders that do. They can reap the benefits.
With that said, I vote for a lot of the choices that I like, but just because I vote for it doesn't mean I'll buy it if it got chosen. So I guess difficult to gauge interest.
They lost me when they started focusing almost entirely on buildings. The fishtank set was really neat (but a bit iffy, mechanically), and the sheriff's safe is great, but the new waves have nothing to interest me at all.