Holiday gift guide: Gamer's market
Posted by Huw,
Nine minifigures for $30? No wonder two people are recommending this set, despite the misplaced apostrophe in its name.
First, Meadius:
By many people’s reckoning, 71708 Gamer's Market isn’t exactly a “good” Lego set per se. So why am I recommending this, above all the other sets released in the $25-$50 price range this year?
The answer is quite simple; the minifigures. Despite being a relatively light $30, this set includes a whopping nine minifigures. They range from good to fantastic and provide a wealth of different aesthetics thanks to the video game theming of the Prime Empire subtheme.
Before I said that this set might not exactly be considered “good”, so let me explain why. The builds of this set are all fine, but they’re hardly showstoppers. But the thing is, they really don’t need to be. Even if they were fantastic, in a $30 set with nine minifigures the draw is undoubtedly going to be nine minifigures.
For some people that makes this set a total pass, since they just don’t care about minifigures, or prefer more of an even balance. But speaking personally, ever since I was a wee lad the minifigures in a set were always one of, if not the most exciting part. I have no doubt that that’s the case for many kids out there today, and that’s why I think this is a great set for anyone who loves minifigures.
Now Bradley, aka Cocoa:
At just $30, the Gamer's Market is undeniably one of the best minifigure-centric sets released this year. From the Cyberpunk-inspired stands to the diverse range of figures, it has a little something for everyone!
Included in this set is the coveted Pink Zane; the white ninja in pink Gi, which references an early Ninjago episode popular amongst fans. Although this figure is quite exciting, it is just one of the nine figures included. Another fantastic figure is Avatar Harumi; a direct reference to Kill Bill.
Furthermore, Richie bears resemblance to Sentai warriors like Ex-Aid from Kamen Rider. I could go on about the other figures, but my case is clear. Simply put, if you're a geek, you are bound to appreciate this set! And if you're an avid minifig fan, this is a great gift to receive.
68 likes
23 comments on this article
Not sure why they could not split this up into two $15 for 5 figures, which would seem more like an accessory set, whereas you would want to build something for $30? Unlike other themes with more sought after mini-figs, if you collect Ninjago most of the larger sets feature around 5 figures anyway, so may have similar already.
Very pleased to see Brickset considers the correct placement of apostrophes so highly.
Brilliant set, and don't forget the Blue Classic Helmet :-)
Pink ninja! I’m not into Ninjago per se, but do enjoy historical/fantasy Asian themes, so picked up the pink ninja on the secondary market. I swapped out its head for a yellow one and its hands for ones that match its gi.
raven_za beat me to it, but I was going to say that a great part from this set not mentioned in the reviews is the Classic Space helmet redux in blue with an undamaged chin-strap, i.e. not Benny’s simulated broken one.
@benredstar , Could’nt agree more ;~)
A couple of months ago I saw this set here at Brickset listed under the Amazon discounts list for an unbelievable price of roughly 12 Euros!
As it was listed as a Marketplace offer I at first didn't think much of it, because from my experience these Marketplace offers often appear to good to be true. Sometimes the sellers ask astronomical prices for shipping making the discounts seem far less enticing. But for some unknown reason I clicked on the link anyway, and to my surprise not only did the price appear to be correct, but the offer also included free Prime shipping.
I thought what the heck and ordered two, fully anticipating that my order would be canceled for some reason, like it had happened with similar bargain basement offers before.
But lo and behold, the sets did indeed arrive and for the price I thought was just a trick. I think that was one of my best LEGO bargains ever.
@ambr said:
"Not sure why they could not split this up into two $15 for 5 figures, which would seem more like an accessory set, whereas you would want to build something for $30? Unlike other themes with more sought after mini-figs, if you collect Ninjago most of the larger sets feature around 5 figures anyway, so may have similar already. "
My guess is that Lego is just experimenting with price points for these primarily minifigure-focused sets. In the past they've done $20 Ninjago sets with 5 minifigures, so I think this is just a diffferent take on that. $15 for 5 minifigures would be sweet but I think Lego may value them a little too much. The only reason I think they even put 9 in one set is because most of them are either featured in other sets too or made from pre-existing parts, with the only Pink Zane, Prisoner Harumi, and Okino being exclusive. Seeing as how the CMFs go for $5 at MSRP these days, Lego probably wouldn't want to put out a set with essentially 2 extra guys compared to if you bought 5 CMFs, even if the CMFs are higher quality.
Why are people complaining about the apostrophe in this one? Is there any conclusive evidence that more than one gamer goes to that market? Or that it's meant in any other way than "the Gamer's choice of market"?
yesterday I built mine
^^ Does it belong to a gamer, or someone called Gamer? Or do multiple gamers visit it?
I don't know the context/story, but it looks misplaced to me.
This is a great set, and as soon as I saw it I was going to get one....... but like 90% of my purchases...... when its cheaper... It was £30 in the uk, which annoyingly is a lot more expensive than $30, almost $40 in fact but I did get one recently, and built straight away, for £21.50 ish with Amazon matching an Argos offer.
@Huw said:
"^^ Does it belong to a gamer, or someone called Gamer? Or do multiple gamers visit it?
I don't know the context/story, but it looks misplaced to me."
I don’t know the story either but at least two of the minifigures have weapons with hilts shaped like gaming controllers, suggesting more than one gamer. Unless each gamer has his own market (unlikely), it should be Gamers’.
The figures, accessories, and extras (more accessories) plus, I got mine on sale.
It was not a difficult decision.
I don't collect much Ninjago, but I appreciate the longevity of the theme and what LEGO has been able to do with an in-house IP. This set was a perfect way to grab some incredible figs and a range of recent parts (6x6 teal tile, yeah!)
The apostropheis correct. It's the market where a gamer might shop. Alone. Becasue they live in their mother's basement, alone. :-)
At least in the US, there's a long tradition of using a singular possessive for place names like this - eg, Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.
I haven’t got any Ninjago since the movie sets were out (which were all beautiful), but cool set nonetheless.
@unclghost said:
"At least in the US, there's a long tradition of using a singular possessive for place names like this - eg, Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. "
I'm not convinced it's a tradition and it seems more likely that people weren't properly educated on apostrophes back then.
Why is this set great for gifts? Simple: Ninjago is a theme where kids are often more interested in the minifigs than the overall build.
My daughter saved up for this set because she wanted Pink Zane. It ended up being a fun little build, with a nice piece selection and some clever gimmicks like the health bars. With a few additional pieces/small plates my daughter turned it into a nice display stand for her Ninjago collection.
This makes me want to buy it even more...but I'm still waiting for a discount.
@Meadius said:
" @ambr said:
"Not sure why they could not split this up into two $15 for 5 figures, which would seem more like an accessory set, whereas you would want to build something for $30? Unlike other themes with more sought after mini-figs, if you collect Ninjago most of the larger sets feature around 5 figures anyway, so may have similar already. "
My guess is that Lego is just experimenting with price points for these primarily minifigure-focused sets. In the past they've done $20 Ninjago sets with 5 minifigures, so I think this is just a diffferent take on that. $15 for 5 minifigures would be sweet but I think Lego may value them a little too much. The only reason I think they even put 9 in one set is because most of them are either featured in other sets too or made from pre-existing parts, with the only Pink Zane, Prisoner Harumi, and Okino being exclusive. Seeing as how the CMFs go for $5 at MSRP these days, Lego probably wouldn't want to put out a set with essentially 2 extra guys compared to if you bought 5 CMFs, even if the CMFs are higher quality."
That pre-existing parts thing is probably my biggest beef with this set-no respect for Nya and Cole. I also would have preferred a second Digi Nya here, as opposed to our FIFTH Digi Jay.
I was planning on getting this despite not having any interest in Ninjago. I ultimately ended up getting Okino, pink Zane and the Kill Bill outfit separately. I can still appreciate the set though.
The hats in this set are notable too: the classic space helmet without a crack, the dark tan cowboy hat, the sailor hat... very nice.
@PDelahanty said:
" @unclghost said:
"At least in the US, there's a long tradition of using a singular possessive for place names like this - eg, Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. "
I'm not convinced it's a tradition and it seems more likely that people weren't properly educated on apostrophes back then."
But if it was plural, it'd be Fishermen. So it's a perfect example to show why the apostrophe is not misplaced: it's a completely different meaning not meant to be plural!
To my mind it's the market of The Gamer. 'The Gamer' acts as a singular signifier for the plural. We see this esp. in marketing in constructions like 'Ronco Controller Max Plus: The Choice of The Gamer'. Without looking too closely into it, I'd guess it's considered synecdoche.
Also, being Ninjago, I like to imagine it being a market set up by a wise old gamer known simply as The Gamer :)
Either way, it's not necessarily wrong it's simply 'potentially wrong'. That's a vital distinction in the realm of prescriptive linguistics ;)