@rople said:
"Well there goes my plans to buy the Tallneck for now."

I was planning on getting either 21331 or 76247 with 76242, but alas... there goes my chance on 40581...

So this means pick a brick won't count too, right? I was planning on using it but might have to switch up my order a bit

Does "Classic" include things like the botanical collection and other 18+ sets?

No interest in this one, unless there's something interesting alongside.
Same week last year the Vintage Taxi (£200 threshold) was available in parallel with another £85 threshold GWP. So come on Lego, there's a pizzeria in need of a delivery truck!

@HidesFromSun said:
"So this means pick a brick won't count too, right? I was planning on using it but might have to switch up my order a bit "

Standard pick-a-brick hasnt counted towards a GWP in a while (maybe never did?), so even if this had more typical restrictions it probably still wouldnt have counted.

And of course all the parts on "best-seller" (which often does count for GWPs) are 10x more expensive (if not more) compared to bricklink so there's no reason to ever buy from that to begin with, cheaper to just buy the GWP itself from bricklink.

Guess I might have to get the Viking Creator set. I don’t know though I might want to wait for something more interesting than a system built Toa.

This will be available in store right? Or just lego.com

@bionicle212 said:
"This will be available in store right? Or just lego.com "

In stores and online, correct.

Ugghhh I was waiting for the Bionicle GWP so I could order the new CNY parade set >:(

And I already ordered set 80036 last week, so I guess I'll have to get some creator sets? At least the pirate ship looks cool..

@DoonsterBuildsLego said:
" @magmafrost said:
" And of course all the parts on "best-seller" (which often does count for GWPs) are 10x more expensive (if not more) compared to bricklink so there's no reason to ever buy from that to begin with, cheaper to just buy the GWP itself from bricklink."

That's a sweeping generalization. I'm looking to put together an order of parts and all of the ones I'm interested in, bestseller or not, are cheaper on PaB than BrickLink.

I don't think PaB has ever qualified for GWP thresholds."

It's how I got my blacktron GWP.

@PurpleDave said:
" @HidesFromSun :
Historically, PAB, online or in store, only counts towards unrestricted spends. As soon as they mention themes, they get shut out.

@Gatanui :
Creator Expert is a bit nebulous at the moment. Officially, it no longer exists, as no new sets are being released with CE branding, but there’s still a Shop By Theme category on LEGO.com. When I called the local store a few days ago, the assistant manager specifically named “Creator 3-in-1” and “Classic”. The latter is all of the bulk brick sets, and has its own Shop By Theme category.

@Anonym :
The Vintage Car was the winner of an Ideas contest that was specifically intended to result in the winner being turned into a GWP, like the sailboat and USS Cardboard. So, are you saying people should dumb down their GWP contest submissions?

@ToaMatoro :
It was never stated that this would be available with no theme restrictions. There just wasn’t any mention of them in a previous article. I read it, noted the potential significance, and immediately called my local store to confirm. I then posted a reply to that article listing all the affected themes.

@magmafrost :
Before they merged, PAB/B&P officially didn’t count towards GWPs or free shipping (enforcement of this was spotty). Post-merge, PAB counts towards both, but they added the handling charge for small orders to discourage abuse of the system."

huh, I guess it would have been wise to investigate and not just run with what I heard. That's on me I suppose. Still disappointing nonetheless. I really didn't have any sets from the affected themes in mind. I was so excited for this one... sad day

Ah well. Luckily still eyeing 41729 Friends plus random small City/Monkie Kid sets.

@mr_Fikou:
I was actually planning to pick up a second Viking ship to build the mead hall, the 3-in-1 octopus to build the manta ray, and Sad Tahu for the Sad Tahu.

As someone who normally defends Lego, this is an unbelievable self-goal. I have a number of Icons sets I was planning to pull the trigger on earlier than “ideal” just for this GWP, but with those not qualifying, I doubt I’ll get them before mid-Spring. There’s just no reason to have this price threshold combined with themes that haven’t had expensive sets come out this year, or that are more storyline based for interest.

Generally, out of the qualifying themes, only the Monkie Kid sets are worth buying directly from LEGO, since the other themes are mostly heaviliy discounted elsewhere.
So I'll just wait for the remaining Bionicle GWP to become available later.

Hmmm.... so I will need to delay the purchase of the two missing Avatar sets from last year a bit

The level of entitlement in this comment section is appalling. As @MCLegoBoy mentioned, go do yourself a favor and check out the designers interview on BZPower. So many hoops he had to jump through to make this incredible homage a reality. The restrictions were inevitable, and I have a suspicion future GWPs will follow suit. This GWP will perform well despite the extremely vocal minority claiming heresy. I will be at my Lego store Friday to pick it up!

I would also like to point out that the limited selection of themes may not be because of poor performances relative to other themes —rather, the respective themes see a much shorter life cycle than, say, Star Wars. City is one of the best performing themes in TLGs entire portfolio, but it has more sets released every 3-6 months than all else. Some City waves outnumber other sub-themes entire annual lineup. A recession would put pressure on emptying warehouse/store/shelf space of these themes, as opposed to Star Wars or Icons which TLG has an easier time convincing customers to purchase years after release.

@Jesse_S_T said:
"The level of entitlement in this comment section is appalling. As @MCLegoBoy mentioned, go do yourself a favor and check out the designers interview on BZPower. So many hoops he had to jump through to make this incredible homage a reality. The restrictions were inevitable, and I have a suspicion future GWPs will follow suit. This GWP will perform well despite the extremely vocal minority claiming heresy. I will be at my Lego store Friday to pick it up!

I would also like to point out that the limited selection of themes may not be because of poor performances relative to other themes —rather, the respective themes see a much shorter life cycle than, say, Star Wars. City is one of the best performing themes in TLGs entire portfolio, but it has more sets released every 3-6 months than all else. Some City waves outnumber other sub-themes entire annual lineup. A recession would put pressure on emptying warehouse/store/shelf space of these themes, as opposed to Star Wars or Icons which TLG has an easier time convincing customers to purchase years after release."

As this thread deals with the themes required to acquire the GWP, rather than the quality of the GWP itself (there is another thread for that), the designer's video isn't relevant.

Since when did reasonable expectation become "entitlement"? I have no interest in this GWP but agree that the selection of themes included in the promotion do not make a great deal of sense. This happened with a few GWPs last year and is not a situation I would like to become more common.

If they release so many City sets they struggle to sell them before they retire then clearly they should extend their shelf-life or release fewer sets per wave.

I...don't understand?

You have a set that's been specifically designed to appeal to people who are nostalgic for a set or a game from 22 years ago, i.e. they're adults now - and so you restrict it to exclusively themes targeted at kids?!!

None of these themes (with the possible exception of Monkie Kid) are able to use particularly interesting or complex building techniques, and almost all of them tend to result in simple, repetitive models that anyone who's been a Lego fan for a while (i.e. the entire target audience of this GWP) will already have several similar examples of! So...why restrict it to them?

At least open it up to something that's going to provide an interesting build or an interesting result - Technic, Ideas, Icons, something, anything more than this lot!

@Doctor_Hugh said:

"As this thread deals with the themes required to acquire the GWP, rather than the quality of the GWP itself (there is another thread for that), the designer's video isn't relevant.

Since when did reasonable expectation become "entitlement"? I have no interest in this GWP but agree that the selection of themes included in the promotion do not make a great deal of sense. This happened with a few GWPs last year and is not a situation I would like to become more common.

If they release so many City sets they struggle to sell them before they retire then clearly they should extend their shelf-life or release fewer sets per wave."

Reasonable expectation became entitlement when TLG started offering larger and licensed GWPs ten years ago with few restrictions or on launches of products that, frankly, never needed a GWP to promote sales. AFOLs are somehow offended that the promotions meant to promote sales are being used to… promote sales… In this situation, Lego is trying to promote sales of specific themes.

As for your last remark, it is evidently clear the surplus is related to the current recession. TLG plans themes years ahead of time so there was no chance to pull the plug on 2023 launches, hence the current push to empty their inventory of product that likely takes the most room with shorter life cycles. I’m sure TLG is re-evaluating their volumes and ranges for future releases, but we will not see the result for a few years.

@Jesse_S_T:
One of the primary reasons for GWPs seems to be to offer increased value at MSRP, so they can compete with retail chains that offer discounted prices.

This article says purchases of $95. I thought it was $100? Which is correct???

pass

@PurpleDave said:
" @Jesse_S_T:
One of the primary reasons for GWPs seems to be to offer increased value at MSRP, so they can compete with retail chains that offer discounted prices."

I don’t really see this as a valid reason. Lego is the supplier of all Lego. All retail sales means revenue for TLG regardless of which retailer. Their margins aren’t as high, but ultimately they still make money. Retailers discount Lego to compete with other retailers, not their own supplier.

GWPs weren’t even unique to Lego stores; Toys’RUs frequently had them with different themes. The goal of promotions is to promote the sale of more Lego.

@ChocolateCrisps said:
"I...don't understand?

You have a set that's been specifically designed to appeal to people who are nostalgic for a set or a game from 22 years ago, i.e. they're adults now - and so you restrict it to exclusively themes targeted at kids?!!

None of these themes (with the possible exception of Monkie Kid) are able to use particularly interesting or complex building techniques, and almost all of them tend to result in simple, repetitive models that anyone who's been a Lego fan for a while (i.e. the entire target audience of this GWP) will already have several similar examples of! So...why restrict it to them?

At least open it up to something that's going to provide an interesting build or an interesting result - Technic, Ideas, Icons, something, anything more than this lot!"

I'm guessing that you haven't built a Ninjago or Friends set in a while. Ninjago uses all sorts of interesting techniques and varies them from year to year. Last year Friends gave a clinic on how to build a modular.

@Jesse_S_T:
LEGO Brand Retail has employees and bills that need to be paid, and that money only comes from direct sales. If a LEGO Store doesn't perform, it will get shut down. TLG's profit margin on direct sales is also considerably higher than it is for sales through other retailers. There's just one problem. Their own customers are their competitors.

It's fairly common for retailers to want assurances that, if they invest a lot of money into carrying a product line, the manufacturer isn't going to open up a store across the street and undercut them on price (which, as the manufacturer, they're capable of doing while still realizing a profit). So TLG agrees to not sell anything below MSRP except for clearance of end-of-life products, and maybe a few limited sales each year. Their retail partners make no such promises, and some of them frequently do this on most sets. So, if you can get the sets a bit cheaper at some other retail chain, what keeps customers buying direct from LEGO Stores?

Three things help retain business. One is true exclusives, like the yellow-box stuff and PAB/BAM selections that you just can't get anywhere else but LEGOLAND, LEGO Stores, and LEGO.com. Another is the VIP Rewards program, which can be used to reduce the cost of buying sets without directly reducing prices on individual sets (or, which now also offers exclusive items that can be "purchased" with loyalty points). And the third is that they frequently offer GWPs that aren't sold at retail (a few polybags here and there being the main exception to this rule).

@PurpleDave said:
" @Jesse_S_T:
It's fairly common for retailers to want assurances that, if they invest a lot of money into carrying a product line, the manufacturer isn't going to open up a store across the street and undercut them on price (which, as the manufacturer, they're capable of doing while still realizing a profit). So TLG agrees to not sell anything below MSRP except for clearance of end-of-life products, and maybe a few limited sales each year. Their retail partners make no such promises, and some of them frequently do this on most sets. So, if you can get the sets a bit cheaper at some other retail chain, what keeps customers buying direct from LEGO Stores?"

There are only ~100 Lego Stores in the US. Compare that to over 3,500 Walmarts alone in the US. Lego does not compete with retailers. They are the supplier and benefit regardless. Unequivocally a majority of their sales come from Walmart, Amazon, Target, etc. This has been a fact for decades.

Disclaimer: I've been a BIONICLE fan since my parents bought me the Costco three-pack of Toa for Christmas 2002, but this just ain't it. Bionicle is its elements.

@Jesse_S_T:
You're right. It has been a fact for decades. And the non-compete status of their relationship is the reason why it remains that way. If they started to undercut Walmart, what do you think would happen? The most likely result is Walmart stops stocking LEGO sets, and finds something else to fill those shelves.

None of these are themes I want to spend any money on right now. I guess that makes this decision easier.