Random set of the day: Ogel Drone Octopus
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 4799 Ogel Drone Octopus, released in 2002. It's one of 17 Alpha Team sets produced that year. It contains 18 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$3/£1.99.
It's owned by 846 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
41 likes
20 comments on this article
And you thought Nexo Knights was weird...
The only problem with this set is that it doesn’t have any true Alpha Team heads. Those things look like 90s comic art. The spears are nice though.
The red/black drone minifigure uniform is one of my favorites.
If you thought Lazer Sharks were deadly, well think again...
Lasers! Sharks! ...LASER SPEAR OCTOPI!
So much trans neon green. I could use the instructions as a night light.
I wholeheartedly love it. A glowing green (possibly robotic) octopus with spears, fantastic!
Black, red and trans-neon green. It's clearly M:Tron!
Looking at the instructions, this is more of a build than I thought. Neat little army builder too, a few more of the skeledrones and it would basically be a battle pack
One of the weaker Alpha Team ocean-themed sets, but still hardly a bad day at the office.
2002: For 3$, you get a Minifigure, an octopus, and a bunch of nice pieces.
2020: For 5$, you only get one Minifigure.
@LegoDavid said:
"2002: For 3$, you get a Minifigure, an octopus, and a bunch of nice pieces.
2020: For 5$, you only get one Minifigure."
And Lego nearly went bankrupt in 2003. There’s a reason they re-evaluated their business model.
@LegoDavid said:
"2002: For 3$, you get a Minifigure, an octopus, and a bunch of nice pieces.
2020: For 5$, you only get one Minifigure."
If you count in the effects of inflation, the prices check out.
@Vladtheb said:
"And Lego nearly went bankrupt in 2003. There’s a reason they re-evaluated their business model."
That isn't an excuse for how ridiculously overpriced LEGO is today.
@SirZed said:
"If you count in the effects of inflation, the prices check out."
Not exactly. Adjusted for inflation, 3$ in 2002 equals roughly 4$ today. That is still lower than the price of a Minifigure today, which is 5$.
This is great, a lot cheaper that today minifigures that's for sure but I read that being generous lead to LEGO nearly going under, time to use my PS4 and LEGO parts; might be a good time to make my Old Fishing Store now that I think about it.....
This is just crazy enough to be awesome!
Oh hey, a familiar face!
This was the first Lego octopus I had, which was neat; I remember I unexpectedly found this set in the local newsagents when visiting grandparents up in Scotland. They occasionally had older small Lego sets in that shop (I remember I found the Insectoids Mosquito Scout there, too, a couple years before), so it was always a neat find to be able to score one of them :D
On another note, I just had the thought of 'why would a skeleton need breathing apparatus?' But then I remembered that in Alpha Team, skeleton drones aren't actually skeletons but are living people who were under the effects of Ogel's mind control orbs. So I guess that makes sorta more sense?
@LegoDavid: I don't think it's fair to compare blind-bag minifigs, which almost always include several new and exclusive prints, recolors, and/or molds, to impulse sets like these, which generally have no exclusive elements whatsoever. That sort of thing often has a huge impact on price-per-piece.
In reality, sets like this are more like the early 2000s equivalent of modern polybag sets like 30362-1, 30393-1, 30409-1, 30451-1, and 30555-1, which are generally sold in checkout aisles at stores like Target or Walmart for $3.99 or $4.99 USD, and contain anywhere from 30 to 70 pieces even with one or more minifigure.
Even some of the complaints I've seen about the CMFs going up in price since Series 1 seem to disregard how much more elaborate the CMFs have gotten since then. Case in point: compare the series 1 and series 20 diver minifigures. The only thing the Series 1 diver had that the new one doesn't is his scuba tank, which was a new recolor, but not a new part design.
By comparison, the Series 20 diver has back printing, leg printing, dual-molded arms and legs, four connector pieces so she can actually attach to the stand while wearing her flippers, a plant piece, and a brand-new printed animal mold (a sea turtle). The series 1 diver didn't have any of those traits — not even any sort of accessory like a camera or harpoon to hold in his hands!
I think I had this. Or was it 4793? Maybe the latter.
Sorry, I’m not buying the whole 'well LEGO makes parts only for CMF figures' line. LEGO uses tons of those 'exclusive for CMF' parts in new sets as well, and in 'build a figure' bars at stores, so they are not exactly making new parts only for CMF. LEGO also makes make parts with colors/new prints all the time now for BaM (including new torso prints and dual molded legs), but they are still 3 for 9.99 even though many of those parts are produced in numbers to last only for a quarter of the year and to only physical LEGO stores(while only a guess I'm guessing it is not much more than what the CMF line produces every quarter) and both are made in China as well.
True, the series one diver figure was 1.99, and did not have a turtle… ok fine. Let’s compare other figures from the new line. How about the Knight in the set that really has nothing different than previous knights, but yet is 5 dollars compared to knight in previous sets. How about the hip-hop girl, Viking and the female pirate? Are parents going to see the value in a 5 dollar CMF when all they really see is a figure, whereas a poly has a figure and a build of some sort (if not two figures now)?
I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle, but I think that CMF revenue will drop like a stone once the typical parent sees one figure and LEGO wanting 5 dollars for it. It no longer is an 'impulse buy' like the CMF line originally was intended to be, especially as a 'random' figure. Heck non-LEGO stores are still selling the new DC heroes packs for 3.99 USD near me.
As for this set, it is why I like the polys or sets like the Ogel Drone octopus, you still have a chance to get a figure or certain parts that maybe would cost more as you need to find it in a pricey set. Even today you still find this value in sets like 30412 or even the xtra accessory sets of just parts.