The new fan-designed set from LEGO Factory, 10200 Custom Car Garage, is now available from the LEGO Shop online:
At $69.99, the set comes with three cars, three four minifigs, and a garage with a working forklift. I’m quite happy to see the Naboo pilot torso in this set. Does this mean it’ll be available from online Pick-a-Brick? Hmm…
there are 4 mini-figures? :P
I’ve never been much interested in hot rods, but with all the cool parts (and techniques) in this set, it looks like I’ll be throwing down 70 bucks soon.
Was this a MisterZumbi design?
@johnnie: I can count. Really! :oops:
@Mainman: No, not a MisterZumbi design. Still digging up who all was involved. I’ll keep ya posted.
Joe Meno was one of two American designers, along with one German fan, I believe.
Thatone guy has a Star Wars piece for a body
I really like the set. As always it’s limited by part and technique availability but I dig it.
But with $70US vs $150AU I won’t be buying it. TLG are being stupid setting such massively disparate market dependent prices (close to double for us) on S@H exclusives where people can compare. I very rarely whinge about price differences but I will summarise this one as “totally taking the piss”.
I agree with Timbort.
The fact is, for more than a year now, I buy laygoz at second hand market (BL, flea market) at 95%.
From a european point of view, with such a low US dollar rate, the prices differences between markets are insane. Ok, not 100% TLC faults (they are victims of euro/dollar exchange) but the fact is the difference is insane, whatever the causes are.
@SixStudS-Please excuse my n00bishness, but what does TLC stand for?
Yes, this set set has a great number of useful pieces and interesting techniques, but the set itself (the cars really) are utter garbage.
I might look into it, though, just for the pieces.
@Fisch – TLC stands for The Lego Company and TLG stands for The Lego Group. One or the other is official but I always forget which one Lego actually prefers…. :oops:
Nowadays “TLG” is preferred over “TLC”
@Josh – Oh, I see. Thank you.
Well, take a look at this photo of mine…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brickapolis/2831452035/
US shop.lego.com: $70 = €49, dutch shop.lego.com: €109,99 = $157, so we pay more than double for it in the Netherlands :(
Euro/Aussie AFOLs: have the price differences reached the point where it would be cheaper to have the set shipped from the US?
If so, it seems like there are some opportunities for international cooperation here (i.e. you ship me this overpriced set from the US, and I’ll ship you this set that’s only available in Europe). Perhaps one of the more savvy AFOLs could set up some sort of need/want list to match up buyers in different parts of the world?
It’s usually cheaper to ship most sets from the US (it’s often cheaper to pay a BL surcharge shipping) and with a 100% surcharge like here it’s even better value. Your exchange concept has one fatal flaw, though. It relies on the disparities being two way whereas they are almost exclusively (castle advent being a rare exception) one way.
Yeah, I guess there aren’t enough non-US sets to make that work. I just thought that could be a way to get sets without a BrickLink markup.
But, if you guys can buy sets from BL and still beat your local retail price, I hope you’re doing that. Maybe that will send a signal to TLC that you’re tired of being screwed.
This looks awesome. Lego doesn’t really a) get the price point issue and b) doesn’t get the internet. Joe and the rest did a fantastic job with the parts limit with this project. It’s a frustrating at times, I know… Why LEGO can’t make price per part on par with other exclusives and such I don’t understand. Lego also doesn’t seem to get that LDD could be improved and fired up to be a really nice tool for folks to build with and be all Web 2.0 with…. *sigh*
Sometimes I think Lego sets up for unsuccess in these things. My hope is that this set is not that way!
Actually there are at least 5 Europe only sets, The Advent Castle Calendar, The Impulse Wizard, a roof bulk box, new doors bulk box, and new windows bulk box.
That guy in the brown and grey car has a body from the LEGO Agents sets.