Also be aware that while many LEGO superfans who comment on channels like this are big into MOCs and the creative side of LEGO, *many, many, many kids are not* and never make anything other than what is shown in the instructions. Many kids explicitly call LEGO sets "broken" if they get messed up and they never put even them back together per the instructions, much less make something else out of them. This is a phenomenon that is terribly underrated and downplayed by us big fans, and deserves to be recognized. For many kids and the parents who buy everything for them, the rebuildable & customizable traits of LEGO actually have no value -- there's a first-time build experience, and that's it. Of course that's to say nothing of the ever-increasing population of collectors (of all ages) who also never play with these toys and only build them for display!
That's a good point, but that's not Lego's fault. That value is still there, it's just that not that many people use it. But in my opinion that value should still be considered. It's a building toy that promotes and inspires creativity after all.
I'd say lego gets value in the fact that X set is compatible with every single other set ever made in one way or another. But in terms of other toy brands, Lego really needs to curve the price downwards for its lower end products. Keep high cost for massive sets not meant for kids to allow for complexity, different liscences etc
well just looking at it from a financial site of view they did have 19% pure profit last year ! think about your accoutn hopfully giving out 1-3% or ETF's good with 10% so 19% is realy a freaking good invest monneywise
Lower end products are good, it's the higher end ones that turn buyer's away. That's because Lego is using smaller pieces (thus needing more plastic) just to add more pieces for more detail. Detail is important in some lines like UCS sets, but not the showstopper for the higher sets within a wave. SO while the cost per part is about the same as before, it's the part count and size of pieces that make or break the banks for potential customers, not the lower end sets.
This is what think too. There needs to be more sub $10 sets and sets $20 and under need more to them. Whether that's figures or actions. I think the space men figure set from the Lego movie 2 was the closest to doing this in a long time. I think the ideal set of this was the old rock raiders set that had all the rock raider Minifigures in it.
In 1979 my mom got me the 76 piece, 452: Mobile Ground Tracking Station. I believe that set cost $6 retail. Adjusted for inflation that would be a $36 dollar set. The 170 piece 487: Space Cruiser was $17 in 1980, The same model $65 in adjusted value. LEGO isn't getting more expensive. Money is. LEGO is actually providing more bricks, play features, and play value than they did in the good old days.
Iâve always seen lego like the apple of toys, they expensive sure, but they make the best products so itâs worth it. Also think about it like this an action figure of anakin skywalker costs between 10-20$. You can get a whole lego starfighter for 20$ which comes with anakin and r2d2. Also when it comes to other toys if you donât like what the toy is tough luck you cant change it, but with lego that camper van can be anything you want.
Iâm thrilled that Jang is providing content like this. The overall value from kid and parent perspective is an important discussion. I had tons of Lego as a kid, but I also had a flimsy blue and white truck that occupied me for hours and hours. Iâm AFOL, I think Lego is the best toy on the market, and heck, I just love the click of brick sound. But if you gave me a budget of twenty bucks to buy a toy to occupy my 7-year-old for half a day, I donât think I would spend it on Lego.
My concern nowadays is the raise of the prices in Europe, for example the Avengers Endgame Battle set 76192 is 70 dollars in the US.... and 100 euros in France. For 527 pieces. Outrageous.
I think there's an value in being objective about what our hobby costs. Certainly we should look at what other brick makers can construct and sell for similar price-points. But part of that is being realistic about color, part variety, ABS quality and also about how much we value LEGO's philosophy as a company. Just because a lego-clone has more bricks per dollar doesn't mean it's a better value to us.
Sometimes itâs hard to justify buying a $300 LEGO set when (though theyâre not trying to compete) I could buy a brand new gaming console which will almost definately provide much more hours of entertainment. Donât get me wrong, I love LEGO and have bought and will most likely continue to buy expensive sets. But just a thought.
An interesting take on LEGO value. On a similar note, I was finally sorting out my old LEGO bricks into organised boxes for future MOCing, and I was able to tell on sight, and not even always on closer inspection, what was Mega Bloks versus actual LEGO. Something just about the immediate quality of the plastic was easy to see. That to me makes a huge difference in terms of quality. Also, I think your main point absolutely stands regarding what Kids value against AFOL value. And as I also agree - it absolutely matters only in the eye of the beholder!
You can go to the dollar store and get giant plastic items for $1. The cost of lego is in the precision molding, not the cost of the plastic. They could do a better job on pricing, but they charge more, because it is a premium product, not plastic junk from the $1 store.
Oof that hurts. And you didn't even get into the cost of the licenced stuff like Star Wars. Interesting that the non-Lego star wars toys plummeted in cost to clearance prices while Lego holds its value. I guess you could say that Lego is the Apple of toys...
Star Wars is a dead franchise only older Lego buyers are keeping it on life support apart from that kids are not interested in Star Wars hence all the original trilogy sets released and not the Disney movie garbage.
Pff. The Apple of toys. Yeh if lego bricks were designed to break after 2 years and instead of offering free replacements they offer an expensive lego "service" to maintain your bricks. Apple does not auto-equal high quality.. go watch loius rossman videos. Lego on the other hand still has the best plastic injection moulds and process in the world, so they can justify the premium price as long as they're smart in their choice of new parts.
I still have all my Lego from 30 years ago that my kids will be playing with soon. It's the only toy I still have from when I was a kid. I'd be interested to see how much Apple stuff is still going after that long. Having said that I think minifigures are ridiculously overpriced and Lego rely on them to add value that doesn't actually exist.
LEGO bricks last much longer than anything Apple sells. I still have and use bricks that I've broken off sets into new things. Even if LEGO products are somewhat expensive, there are some reasons behind it.
For me lego still has the win over most of those extra toy brands because the assembly is half the fun. And even with something like the 3d puzzles, you canât get star wars 3d puzzles, nor ninjago 3d puzzles, the amount of ipâs lego has also holds it above the rest.
I somewhat agree but the only reason there arenât any Star Wars or ninjago 3D puzzles is because lego has a much bigger budget because they are more popular. What Iâm trying to say is that 3d puzzles can still be Star Wars and ninjago but the thing holding that back is the small amount of people which actually buy the 3D puzzles
I think what this comes down to is the perception of the value. Set size keeps going down. Minifigure selection keeps going down. We're paying for more detailed models, but in turn we pay more for it. What's more important? Detail or volume? Minfigures or functions? Personally, I also think that the liscenced sets are always too expensive and won't buy them because of that. As an adult with bills I can't afford to spend that extra 20% for a Star Wars set. I'd rather stay with Ninjago and Creator, where at least my dollar goes a bit further.
I find it a bit exhausting building a very large set that has hundreds of various 1x1 pieces. I just don't need all that detail. Sets need a mix of small/medium/large pieces.
I used to rebuild my Lego all the time as a kid so I feel like it was definitely worth it's value, but I know most of my friends didn't and would just play with the finished models and not rebuild them when they 'broke' so I feel like their parents could have saved a lot by just buying other toy brands
I agree that sometimes other toys can be better, but I think it depends on what you need them for. The big toy trucks and cars? Great for little kids wanting years of play or successive generations, like families, or kidsâ classes at church.
I honestly had no problem mostly with the cost of Lego as most of the sets I buy are unlicensed meaning they cost less, and while I do buy lots of licensed, I usually get cheaper ones. My problem is the increasing cost of the minifigure such as the series going to $5, and expensive sets including less and less minifigures. 100+ dollar sets used to include 10-12+ minifigures or even non-minifigure characters. Now itâs around 5-6 characters
Yes, but that also comes from an increasing cost in quality. LEGO exited the dark eras of the '90s and early '00 where there were needlessly large parts in exotic colors. We are now having a resurgence in that where Lego is making many more molds (especially for minifigs) and it raises the cost. As for lower count of minifigs, I agree that this is an issue. However it seems likely due to part numbers being raised and thus the minifigs are an afterthought.
Itâs actually getting cheaper. A set in 1990 may have cost 50 dollars for 800 pieces but if you take inflation into account itâs more like 80 dollars.
Lego has the most leverage to swing around in the area of brick-based toys. They can almost charge what they want and people will still buy it because it's Lego. They sort of feel a bit like Games Workshop to me; the biggest fish in their sea, with their own IP's and well-known brand, so they just charge whatever they like and people just eat it up. Both companies could do with some good old competition.
I think something very important not mentioned here is that Lego holds its value on the second hand market. When a kid is ready to move on parents can recoup a large amount of their "investment" if they decide to sell. Adult collectors can sell old sets to buy new ones so they can keep building without burning through money.
I think perhaps the most outrageous comparison is that the Lego creator expert roller coaster costs $380 USD, while you can get a Knex roller coaster that is about the same size (usually narrower but taller) for $25 USD. Not to mention the Knex ones include a motor, while the lego electronics to power the lego coaster cost more than the Knex roller coaster itself and are not included.
I've built both, the Knex one was a bit frustrating to construct. It hurt my fingers to put the Knex together, the track was very difficult to attach and the model wasn't very stable. The motorisation was good, but it was just a car that went around (no figures). The LEGO rollercoaster was more fun to build, and has more of the surrounding scenery and theming. The Knex rollercoaster has a more interesting track layout but that was at the cost of the structure's stability. The Knex instructions were much harder to follow as well with some ambiguous bits.
I believe it depends on the "target" group. My kids will probably always pick "the bigger" toy for their money. Even early on, size does matter :D On the other hand, as an adult Lego fan, I would never even consider buying the other toys yet I might be intrigued to buy a Lego set i was not originally interested in (or trick my kids into picking the LEGO set for my our mutual benefit). Lego as a toy is expensive and I discourage my kids from buying it, they have enough sets already and it is much bigger fun taking the sets apart and building their own creations. I do not know who keeps buying these endless waves of sets for their kids every year :-o If I had not introduced Lego into my family, they would probably have never been intereted in it snce most kids today prefer different stuff.
As a kid Lego was always my favorite toy, there is so much more to do with a brick RV than a plastic Hasbro RV and if you didn't like playing with the Lego brick RV anymore you can always take it apart and make it something you want. And what I feel gives Lego the most value that other brands can not compete with is not only it's in house themes like Lego city, ninjago or Lego friends but it's external branded themes like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and so many other officially branded themes. In those official and high quality sets and themes is where Lego has it's true value.
Great content Jang. A different look at things, not everything is measured by price per part racio, that's the reason why I watch and give great value to your reviews. The playability, the overall concept of the model, its presentation... Great stuff!
The value is that every Lego set adds value to every other lego set you own. Also, you won't throw out lego after a year, whereas all those other toys won't last a year before they break and go into the trash.
I think the value in Lego is that it is a compatible system of parts. I have a collection of parts from over the course of my life that I can build with, whereas if I buy a toy of the same thing the Lego set was based on that is all the toy will ever be. For instance, the Empire State Building 3D puzzle might look more accurate and be way cheaper, but the value in that set is all the Lego pieces you get plus the building experience. I love the moment in a bigger set where it goes from a mass of blocks to recognizable as what I'm building.
I was thinking about that to some degree the other day while reflecting on that big world map they just released and I realised a lot of it is buying Lego for Lego's sake, not because of what you can build with it. The value isn't in what you end up building but the inherent value of the Lego branded bricks themselves. It's a bit like having a bracelet made of 24ct gold and one made with brass, same design but much different price because the raw material itself has a different value. So in the end it's a case of working out which is more important: the finished model or the fact that we're simply buying Lego...
Jep it's definitely more of a brand thing. More like buying a apple product. Manufacturing costs of other mobile phones are the same as are the features but for some of us it's important to have a specific brand. Like the comparison lego vs playmobil it's the same material but you can't quite compare it.
The value in Lego for me is having a reliable medium to build my own stuff (minus the reddish brown parts on occasion). I couldn't tell you the last time I bought a Lego set from a store, but I do have a couple hundred BL orders. Retail Lego nowadays just doesn't intrigue me, they cut corners and increase prices and that doesn't corelate to an increase in quality/value. The new Benatar is the first set I've seen in a while that I would even consider picking up, but no Drax? Really Lego?
Yeah that no Drax included and there isnt even another on the market in a different set right now is too disappointing. I wait for stuff like that to go cheap in the pre-aftermarket
Iâve been building with Lego for years, but fairly recently I found those 3-D puzzles that you showed in your video and Iâve absolutely loved building them. The builds are almost always excellent quality and super fun to build. Recently I moved overseas and had to deconstruct all of them and put them back together. I managed to rebuild the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Statue of Liberty without use of the instructions. I also got some of the light-up version and they look great on display. Usually Iâm not a display guy, but I still really love these. Point is, these puzzles are great fun and I would totally recommend.
i feel like lego isnt just a generic toy brand for every kid. its more for the ones who enjoy putting things together. while other brands give you more play for your money, lego is fun because you put it together.
Yeah, I wouldn't compare Lego to Playmobile or any other plastic toy. The magic of Lego is: You get bored with the inial set, you still have the bricks you can use to do something else with it. With a Playmobile set you get one thing and one thing only. I can disassemble the trailer and make another car out of it. Disassembling the Monster Trucks and the Playmobile School Truck would just break them.
You'd be surprised. I'd say there are a lot of people who do similar with other toys. Just less common because reselling LEGO is so widely known in our community.
Iâve always seen lego like the apple of toys, they expensive sure, but they make the best products so itâs worth it. Also think about it like this an action figure of anakin skywalker costs between 10-20$. You can get a whole lego starfighter for 20$ which comes with anakin and r2d2. Also when it comes to other toys if you donât like what the toy is tough luck you cant change it, but with lego that camper van can be anything you want.
Apple definitely doesnât make the best products... Also theyâre kinda evil, with all their sweatshops and stuff... So probably not a good comparison
I think you see this more in plastic modelling than Lego. I used to do Lego and did the creator experts I moved into 1/35 models for 40pounds I could get a set I could finish in 2 hours for 40 pounds I got a scale model that took over half a year to do
I have a few Lego products but if Iâm being honest the price is off-putting. Letâs be clear, Lego is always quality plastic, has some amazing construction and usually has to contend with the cost of the license. That said, I have a large titanic model from Oxford bricks and an Optimus Prime from some random company I found on EBay and both are bigger and just as complex as the Lego Iron Man helmet I have and still cost less. Part of the fun for me is in the build and the price can be a barrier, especially for the collector themed Marvel stuff. My Titanic cost me ÂŁ35 and has 1000 bricks, Iron Manâs helmet has 400 pieces and costs ÂŁ50. The newer helmets cost ÂŁ60. Lego as a product is brilliant but it is expensive. I also donât stray from the instructions. I buy it, build it and display it. Once itâs built thereâs no replay value for me so if it doesnât look good as a display then I donât buy it.
I really like these more analytical type videos that deviate from your regular reviews, I would definitely consider branching out into more of this kind of content.
As someone who is personally only interested in official Lego products, this was a fascinating comparison. It definitely showed the value of non-Lego products, I can totally see many kids enjoying both Lego and non-Lego options. Thanks for a great video, Jang!
I donât adhere to brand loyalty except in the case of Lego. Their is something special about this company and how rooted it is in may of our childhoods. Having said that, anyone who wants Lego-quality but in different price brackets or themes should check out Mega Construx, Cobi, or Panlos. That runs the gamut from a US company to a Polish one to a Chinese one. The common thread between them is unique designs, high quality parts with printed parts only, and novel Minifigures.
It typically is in non-licensed themes, but stuff like Star Wars has just been driven up and up over the past decade to the point where you're paying nearly twice as much for the same number of pieces
Something I was wondering... how much did the licensing costs for Lego Star Wars go up after being sold to Disney. I don't recall seeing outrageous prices when Lucas was still at the wheel, so to speak.
I think Lego definitely needs to re-evaluate how they price their products in comparison to the quality they actually produce them with. Unfortunately, I don't have too much confidence that this will happen; because at the end of the day the fans still buy the things we see as overpriced, and Lego is a leader in the industry, and the image they've built around their brand over the decades allows them to continue charging high prices in the first place. They just don't seem to have any real incentive to improve their pricing, from my limited perspective at least.
I used to buy a lot of action figures but I gave up when I there was eleventy billion of the same characters and I just couldnât keep up anymore. I decided that I wouldnât buy things you just take out of the box and display anymore, I have to buy it for some other reason. Lego does that for me because the building process is relaxing and stress relief. So it fulfils my collecting urges while also providing some kind of therapy along the way, and not just the âshopping highâ from wasting money on something for the sake of buying it.
have you ever heard of Sembo Block?, i bought a 1400+ piece light up Cherry blossom scene from them(lights included btw(full kit) for $120. Quality is good too
I still prefer lego in my opinion it's better because it doesn't have lights and sounds and I have the enjoyment of putting it together an the quality is amazing.
I sometimes struggle to understand why people buy Lego just to display. I mean. I get the idea that it's fun to build. But for the value of a (display only) piece--I'd always get something actually meant to be displayed as they tend to look a lot better. Like a high quality statue or bust. I just feel like if I wanted to display a Star Wars spaceship--that I'd want the best quality space-ship, and not some pixelated Lego version that looked like a knock-off of the original concept. However, I absolutely love Lego for moc building and the creative side of it. And while I don't always understand people who display things for the sake of displaying things -- I am appreciative that they support the company that provides a hobby I enjoy so much. So it's a win/win, live and let live situation!
I think it is a bit of a pride/satisfaction of saying "I Built this!" and displaying it. A more simplified model/statue you actually built rather than just buy and put up. PLus, you can alway take it apart and build it again if you find the build process fun.
They buy it in Lego-form because they have fond memories of Lego as one of their favourite toys as a kid. And every time they take a look at their display set, they are reminded of this and the inevitable truth, that these joyous times will never ever come back.
Me: âBrings up the real problem with LEGO and how they need to decrease prices or increase set volumeâ Also Me: âGoes out and buys $400 worth of LEGO the next dayâ
Another thing to consider is that the off brand brick built sets you've been buying on Amazon are higher priced there when compared to other places like Ali Express. They take much longer to arrive but you're saving almost 50% including the shipping costs when there are sales going on select sets. Though the way they're shipped isn't the most resilient, there's only so much that plastic bags and bubble wrap can withstand. I still haven't had any issues with broken pieces in the mail.
Lego is terrible value. But then so are Transformers, and so are Macs. People don't buy "toys" for their physical value; they buy them how it makes then feel. Look at the value attributed to minifigs.
Each set compared to a similar non lego toy, is going to loose the value contest, simply by nature of lego, but it is this nature that makes lego more valuable the more sets you have. The issue I think, arises when we stray into "display sets" that arent toys per-se. You arent meant to take them apart, so the value of the lego system gets lost.
All resale value is ruined though. If you decide to buy some lepin and save 100 dollars you think you lucked out but then you look and see that your fake lego is worth nothing but if you had bought the Lego version itâs now worth 600$
I am an autistic person, and Lego is a huge special interest of mine and it definitely does hurt that the price is so high, but I feel it is better for me personally because part of the fun is getting to build it. With the offroader vehicle comparison, there were lights and noises, but there wasn't quite the connection to it because it comes as one thing. With Lego I spend minutes to hours to days on a build and I get to know it on a deep level. I do not have many of the toys I had as a kid, but I have kept all my Legos I have collected since 2007 or so. Nonetheless, amazing video and great points.
I think Lego is more worth it once you get past the ÂŁ200 range. Then you get more pieces, often lots of minifigs in sets like the Daily Bugle, and exceptional builds. The least worth it builds are often the ÂŁ80-130 price range
And your completely right Jang,the build is the hook. When I look at my display and know how everything was put together will always out weigh a ready made disposable product.
Love how you pop the bubble on LEGO "value" by comparing the product to other toys instead of comparing only the product with itself. Definitely an interesting video!
Well I big redeeming factor of lego that not all these other toys have is the parts cam be used in other things or you can very easily mod the existing model. I see alot of value in that
Very interesting observation. One thing I'm also wondering about is the idea of value and usage over time. The non-LEGO toys certainly contains more volume of stuff for money, but if it breaks it's usually broken forever. I painfully remember throwing away some toys because they weren't fixable after accidentally breaking them. With broken LEGO pieces (at least the common bricks) they can be usually be replaced even after a set's retirement which is why I've stuck with LEGO over other toys.
This was really interesting. I also think there is value in the fact that the lego system is compatible with itself for your own creations, and just like anything else, lego is either worth it or not depending on it's value to you! Everyone will value things differently. But good points all around for sure
Gosh I love this. The honesty and lack of bias is greatly appreciated. This is honestly one of your best videos I've seen (And I've seen every single one for the past 2 years). Thank you for the presentation of clear facts and opinions!
If the value of Lego includes building fun then the scope of the discussion should be expanded to alternative brick based brands rather than no-name products. Especially in the sub 15 $/ÂŁ/Euro range where Lego is only strong because those brands are not in toy chains and big retailers. But they are coming, some even plan super stores across Europe. But the value of Lego specific will probably always be higher for AFOLs than for AFOBs because of the four little letters on the bricks rather than the brick as construction element.
yeah, thatŽs one reason why me and probably other ppl donŽt buy lego that much, though i did buy jetbug and EVO 2.0 from 2011 both costed 30⏠each sooooooo...... could constraction bring back, though at the end when constraction ended the figures were very expensive so could that be why constraction failed. idk I... GUESS... WILL... NEVER... KNOW
I agree on this for basic sets however for big licenced themes like Star Wars Harry Potter DC and marvel it makes sense because you're paying to get a model that looks like the thing from that film aswell as for the minifigure a that look like those characters it just makes a lot of sense
I love videos like this, thank you JANG for making it! I have one thing to note, and please keep in mind that I am by no means an expert on this topic- but I believe that the origin of the actual product you buy has something to do with the value it has and, by extension, the price. I would assume that at least a few of the products (other than LEGO) shown in this video were made in China, likely by underpaid and/or exploited workers, and that factor has something to do with the value a product has in my eyes. It isnât necessarily just about the physical quality of the pieces/material of the product itself, but where my money is going when I buy it. LEGO, although they do have a factory in China, also have favorites elsewhere and they keep the working conditions and standards the same no matter which country a given factory is located in (I was lucky enough to visit the factory in Denmark, and this is what I was told there, but forgive me if this is incorrect). Just thought this was worth mentioning :)
Very informative Vid (as usual) like it a lot. We tend to compare to get a grip on stuff...so do i...and this helps a lot. LEGO Discounts however make it even harder for me (other Brands usually have the prices quite Set) i for example got the "Grave Digger" for 13 Euros from amazon which i found quite a good deal to give it to my little ones as a pretty sturdy and forgiving toy. Playmobile for example as a German Brand is highly underrated if you ask me. There is also stuff to build and quality and size/amount of stuff you get is actaully insane. For 130 Euros atm you get an entire Western City/Fort/Horses/Carrage etc. that has at least 3 or 4 times the Size of the new 100 Dollar City Set with the new Streets. P.S.: The "je ne sais quoi" you talked about at the end is also what i feel. I had to laugh when you put the LEGO Truck in the bottom left Corner of the Frame because you already forshadowed what size the Hot Wheels Truck will have...but it feels "soulless" to me. Stuff to get beat up (and can take a beating) but will be thown out after a year or two and lay on the street next to the garbage bins. I always valued and kept LEGO very well and i donÂŽt know if it deserved it or it was only because i grew up with it as my (almost) sole toy. Hard to put a vlaue on stuff that has a place in your heart :(
You know, the way you go about this topic, calm, fair, objective and with a sprinkling of humour makes me wonder why so many people keep watching youtubers that just want to go savage on Lego and rant the hell out of this subject. And as you mentioned once, this is group of people is especially prominent in Germany, which is why I completely broke with my local fan community years ago. Those guys based their entire online career on Lego at one point, but instead of sensible criticism expressed because of their passion, their way of going about Lego's flaws is doing sensational rants because apparently that's what some people want to see. Because they want to believe in Lego as a greedy and fan exploiting soulless company. So just a thank you for your quality content, it kind of saves my trust in the community.
Even when I was a kid in the early 2000s this impression that lego is lesser value was obvious at a glance for both hyperfixated little me and my parents that had the misfortune of needing to buy me toys lol. Most of my broken sets were as you said, never repaired again and while I did mix and match my pieces, there was no intentional design like the first few mocs ive tried as an adult. I remember that even back then lego had to compete for my attention when other types of toys were my thing of the moment. I also was able to distinct what I did and didn't want as a lego thing because lego toys being modular was fun but some were sturdier than others. While most likely due to brand loyalty and this being before the current era of nearly identical compatibles, the act of building was also part of the Lego experience and little me knew that was special too.
Personally, while I like Lego, my go to building brand is Mega Bloks (Construx nowadays) because the Mini Figures are worlds beyond what Lego offers, yes, I know the simplified aesthetic is by choice, but MC Mini Figures are super articulated, super well detailed and while yes, Lego's QC is unmatched and the plastic quality is better, Mega Brands is not that far behind and the prices tend to be a bit lower.
Honestly mega could easily rival lego but they just donât put themselves out there enough. Lego always dominates because they have a massive wall of stuff, while mega hides in the corner lol (at least at my stores)
I think Lego went into life support mode and then into profit over anything else mode :D I mean, when I was a kid, Lego was still expensive but didn't have outrages sets that wouldn't justify the hight cost. Also no licensing. I think from a business perspective, they are doing a great job and it shows - from going under to huge profits. But it's not te Lego it used to be. I think it lost some of its soul. They also treat competition very bad and try to keep a monopoly. Which again makes sense a business trying to preserve itself. But it gets out of hand real quick. I would love to have an alternative on the market, that is just as good as Lego (quality of bricks, quality of sets). A little competition wouldn't hurt them and would benefit as the consumers a lot.
Lego spends .65 cents for every piece sold. That includes how much they spend on advertising, licensing, packaging, new moulds, etc. Less than a cent per piece. Compare that to the average price per piece ratio, 10.5 cents. Is Lego overpriced?
People: "LEGO is expensive." Bricklink: "Would you like costly shipping with that MOC?" But I gotta say, LEGO sets are more complex than they've ever been, so maybe that's driving prices too.
The video makes a few good points. I believe that ultimately, Lego is still a toy brand and for how many Lego collectors we might have around the world, the main fuel to their success are still kids. And there's no shame in that: I am a toy collector, I do genuinely love toys, old and new, I think that they may even serve a noble purpose in many occasions. And that noble purpose is to make a kid happy, to let him/her dream, sometimes even to help him/her learn something and maybe, just maybe, to make ANY kid happy. In a normal family, trying to raise two or three kids, maybe on a single salary... it would be VERY important to choose a better compromise between value and quality. In your series of examples you show Playmobil, a very reputable brand, also know for the excellent quality of their product, also known for their educational value, but whose prices have consistently been lower than Lego's for decades. As a collector, and having a good job, I can appreciate both brands, but I strongly believe that Lego should focus more on its original purpose.
When considering license, bricks, size, instructions, special pieces, minifigs, printing, stickerz, packaging... there is a lot to consider. I may not have the chance to preorder the next Hot Toys 1:16 replica of a Batmobile... yet I'm glad that I can have the option which I do own in LEGO form. For adults, it can be a great alternative to giant collectibles if they're done right. Kids can appreciate well-designed sets to be played and swooshed around for hours and reconstruct the things into another build. The personal value also adds to the monetary value, this is also a subject in video games with giant open-world titles, AAA-budget products or independent games. People find value in different things.
A few years ago I went on holiday alone for the first time, to Austria. That trip really changed my perspective on what money can buy. I had a 16-hour bus trip (twice), six-day stay at a decent camping, visited two local cities, did multiple hikes, ate and drank something at mountain huts, bought groceries, and overall had a really good holiday, for around 170 euros. Since then, I think I've spent more than 100 euros on a set only twice: the Ninjago City modulars.
lego has the added value of rebuildability and the creativity that comes with that. when i was a kid i would get a small set that took me 30 mins to put together, then i would spend hours creating my own alternate builds with the parts. such good times
I looked up the big army truck from the 2nd comparison. Turns out there's 4 different versions of it that you can buy (army, police, fire and construction). The truck is the same (albeit different colors), but the mech and the mini-builds are all different. The construction one has a mini crane, dump truck, etc. They're all $21-$25. I think the fact that there's 4 different versions adds something to the value.
I think brands like Cada should be mentioned, i own the rx-7 fd3s and the quality is as good as lego, its licenced, the box is like the ones Lego uses only for its most expensive sets out of nice sturdy cardboard and the model itself is very accurate to the real car, has an engine, interior, suspension and stearing, it features parts to tune it and can be upgraded to be remote controlled.
when I was a kid the only thing I would chose over Lego (if the two things were the same price) was Rc's on occasion. So I'm sure that despite the apparent lack of value I think there is some kind of quality that is captured in the combination of both the building experience and the genuine durability of the models you get at the end to play with. not to mention the massive potential that collecting parts can give you
Love the idea of that video. You, sir, were very kind to lego with your selection of 20 usd offbrand choices. Just today i received the Cada 488 Race Car I ordered for under 14 euros. 10 studs wide, 306 pieces including a RC motor and a 2.4ghz remote control. That is insane value.
Iâm glad you had the discussion section at the end. Thereâs absolutely a TON of nuance in purchasing and critiquing Lego that can easily go unnoticed to those unfamiliar with it.
A point you alluded to but did not explicitly say, is the intrinsic backwards compatibility within the entire product line. Many young children (mine included) dismantle their sets immediately upon completion and add them to other sets. Itâs the system, man!
I think the saving grace of Lego in comparison to other brick building toys of a similar quality is that lego mini figures and lego bricks in general are optimized for a greater level of compatibility between sets and even themes. Mega Contrux and Kreo (more emphasis on Mega Contrux over kreo) fall close behind, but acumulating a large collection of parts is more difficult. If you value detail and faith to a source material Mega Contrux is your go to. All in all, it depends on what your looking for.
Thing is all those other toys do not match each other. More LEGO You have more options You have. Which is not a thing on most of the competition. I also think LEGO can be sometimes to expensive and It sometimes is when compared to itself.
Jang, if you want to see a real LEGO kick in the teeth, search for Oxford Deluxe Titanic or Oxford Deluxe Eiffel Tower. Itâs a small company from the U.K. that makes LEGO compatible construction sets, around 1500 pieces some of them for ÂŁ40 (around 50 USD). Check it out - that REALLY shows value
My parents didn't want to assemble it for me so had to learn to follow the instructions at a young age. It resulted in me recognizing the potential and only building the models once for inspiration then taking them apart and making MOC's. At age ten I bought sets for parts and not for the model. My brother builds my nephews sets for them and I don't like it.
Also be aware that while many LEGO superfans who comment on channels like this are big into MOCs and the creative side of LEGO, *many, many, many kids are not* and never make anything other than what is shown in the instructions. Many kids explicitly call LEGO sets "broken" if they get messed up and they never put even them back together per the instructions, much less make something else out of them. This is a phenomenon that is terribly underrated and downplayed by us big fans, and deserves to be recognized. For many kids and the parents who buy everything for them, the rebuildable & customizable traits of LEGO actually have no value -- there's a first-time build experience, and that's it. Of course that's to say nothing of the ever-increasing population of collectors (of all ages) who also never play with these toys and only build them for display!
I had a friend like that, if it wasn't from the instructions, he never did it.
That's a good point, but that's not Lego's fault. That value is still there, it's just that not that many people use it. But in my opinion that value should still be considered. It's a building toy that promotes and inspires creativity after all.
I bought the caravan literaly an hour ago
Exactly my 5 year old brother doesnât like to play with his broken sets and refuses to build something else with these pieces.
Many adults buy sets and just leave them for presentaion too
I'd say lego gets value in the fact that X set is compatible with every single other set ever made in one way or another.
But in terms of other toy brands, Lego really needs to curve the price downwards for its lower end products. Keep high cost for massive sets not meant for kids to allow for complexity, different liscences etc
well just looking at it from a financial site of view they did have 19% pure profit last year ! think about your accoutn hopfully giving out 1-3% or ETF's good with 10% so 19% is realy a freaking good invest monneywise
You need to take advantage of pick a brick at the lego store, and cheap sets at Walmart and target
Lower end products are good, it's the higher end ones that turn buyer's away. That's because Lego is using smaller pieces (thus needing more plastic) just to add more pieces for more detail. Detail is important in some lines like UCS sets, but not the showstopper for the higher sets within a wave. SO while the cost per part is about the same as before, it's the part count and size of pieces that make or break the banks for potential customers, not the lower end sets.
This is what think too. There needs to be more sub $10 sets and sets $20 and under need more to them. Whether that's figures or actions. I think the space men figure set from the Lego movie 2 was the closest to doing this in a long time. I think the ideal set of this was the old rock raiders set that had all the rock raider Minifigures in it.
In 1979 my mom got me the 76 piece, 452: Mobile Ground Tracking Station. I believe that set cost $6 retail. Adjusted for inflation that would be a $36 dollar set. The 170 piece 487: Space Cruiser was $17 in 1980, The same model $65 in adjusted value. LEGO isn't getting more expensive. Money is. LEGO is actually providing more bricks, play features, and play value than they did in the good old days.
Someone needs to say it = Lego is overly EXPENSIVE
especially outside the US, even worse in countries that has no official Lego stores/shipments etc.
I completely agree
Especially in Turkey. 1 dolar equals to 8 turkish money
We need to stop buying it then (but they so pretty we wont)
Even in the us they can sometimes be pretty expensive
Iâve always seen lego like the apple of toys, they expensive sure, but they make the best products so itâs worth it. Also think about it like this an action figure of anakin skywalker costs between 10-20$. You can get a whole lego starfighter for 20$ which comes with anakin and r2d2. Also when it comes to other toys if you donât like what the toy is tough luck you cant change it, but with lego that camper van can be anything you want.
Iâm thrilled that Jang is providing content like this. The overall value from kid and parent perspective is an important discussion. I had tons of Lego as a kid, but I also had a flimsy blue and white truck that occupied me for hours and hours. Iâm AFOL, I think Lego is the best toy on the market, and heck, I just love the click of brick sound. But if you gave me a budget of twenty bucks to buy a toy to occupy my 7-year-old for half a day, I donât think I would spend it on Lego.
Iâd like to see more of these different types of videos on this channel, this was very interesting
My concern nowadays is the raise of the prices in Europe, for example the Avengers Endgame Battle set 76192 is 70 dollars in the US.... and 100 euros in France. For 527 pieces. Outrageous.
Also, almost every $20 set is 30 euros here in the Netherlands (I don't know what it's like in other European countries).
Try and buy your kid Paw Patrol stuff, now that is outrageous... :-|
It's weird when you realise France is closer to Denmark than the US. Yet everywhere else in the world gets smacked with ridiculous prices
Thatâs very expensive because I got a 300 piece set for only $200 AUD which shouldnât too expensive in your currency
And here in Spain sets can be like 40⏠more expensive than in Germany. I'm not even joking
Me up till the conclusion: "So it's treason then...."
Hello There!
Fancy seeing you here
Whenâs your next video ? đ
I think there's an value in being objective about what our hobby costs. Certainly we should look at what other brick makers can construct and sell for similar price-points. But part of that is being realistic about color, part variety, ABS quality and also about how much we value LEGO's philosophy as a company. Just because a lego-clone has more bricks per dollar doesn't mean it's a better value to us.
My childhood brickfilm animator commenting on my childhood lego builder. The ultimate cross over
Sometimes itâs hard to justify buying a $300 LEGO set when (though theyâre not trying to compete) I could buy a brand new gaming console which will almost definately provide much more hours of entertainment. Donât get me wrong, I love LEGO and have bought and will most likely continue to buy expensive sets. But just a thought.
Nothing could beat the experience of putting more than 100 pink/purple frogs onto the Bonsai Tree set that my daughter and I just finished đ
You could go on and try one of Sembo's Sakura / Japanese blossoming Cherry Tree sets.
An interesting take on LEGO value.
On a similar note, I was finally sorting out my old LEGO bricks into organised boxes for future MOCing, and I was able to tell on sight, and not even always on closer inspection, what was Mega Bloks versus actual LEGO. Something just about the immediate quality of the plastic was easy to see. That to me makes a huge difference in terms of quality.
Also, I think your main point absolutely stands regarding what Kids value against AFOL value. And as I also agree - it absolutely matters only in the eye of the beholder!
You can go to the dollar store and get giant plastic items for $1. The cost of lego is in the precision molding, not the cost of the plastic. They could do a better job on pricing, but they charge more, because it is a premium product, not plastic junk from the $1 store.
Oof that hurts. And you didn't even get into the cost of the licenced stuff like Star Wars. Interesting that the non-Lego star wars toys plummeted in cost to clearance prices while Lego holds its value.
I guess you could say that Lego is the Apple of toys...
Star Wars is a dead franchise only older Lego buyers are keeping it on life support apart from that kids are not interested in Star Wars hence all the original trilogy sets released and not the Disney movie garbage.
That is actually a really good way of putting it
Pff. The Apple of toys. Yeh if lego bricks were designed to break after 2 years and instead of offering free replacements they offer an expensive lego "service" to maintain your bricks.
Apple does not auto-equal high quality.. go watch loius rossman videos. Lego on the other hand still has the best plastic injection moulds and process in the world, so they can justify the premium price as long as they're smart in their choice of new parts.
I still have all my Lego from 30 years ago that my kids will be playing with soon. It's the only toy I still have from when I was a kid. I'd be interested to see how much Apple stuff is still going after that long. Having said that I think minifigures are ridiculously overpriced and Lego rely on them to add value that doesn't actually exist.
LEGO bricks last much longer than anything Apple sells. I still have and use bricks that I've broken off sets into new things. Even if LEGO products are somewhat expensive, there are some reasons behind it.
For me lego still has the win over most of those extra toy brands because the assembly is half the fun. And even with something like the 3d puzzles, you canât get star wars 3d puzzles, nor ninjago 3d puzzles, the amount of ipâs lego has also holds it above the rest.
you can actually get star wars 3d puzzles, I have a millennium falcon one.
But there are star wars 3D puzzles tho, my cousin has a pretty sizeable 3D puzzle millennium falcon
There are definitely Star Wars 3D puzzles.
I somewhat agree but the only reason there arenât any Star Wars or ninjago 3D puzzles is because lego has a much bigger budget because they are more popular. What Iâm trying to say is that 3d puzzles can still be Star Wars and ninjago but the thing holding that back is the small amount of people which actually buy the 3D puzzles
I think what this comes down to is the perception of the value. Set size keeps going down. Minifigure selection keeps going down. We're paying for more detailed models, but in turn we pay more for it. What's more important? Detail or volume? Minfigures or functions? Personally, I also think that the liscenced sets are always too expensive and won't buy them because of that. As an adult with bills I can't afford to spend that extra 20% for a Star Wars set. I'd rather stay with Ninjago and Creator, where at least my dollar goes a bit further.
I find it a bit exhausting building a very large set that has hundreds of various 1x1 pieces. I just don't need all that detail. Sets need a mix of small/medium/large pieces.
I used to rebuild my Lego all the time as a kid so I feel like it was definitely worth it's value, but I know most of my friends didn't and would just play with the finished models and not rebuild them when they 'broke' so I feel like their parents could have saved a lot by just buying other toy brands
Honesty.. That's why I've always enjoyed Jang's content because he's always stating the facts.
I agree that sometimes other toys can be better, but I think it depends on what you need them for. The big toy trucks and cars? Great for little kids wanting years of play or successive generations, like families, or kidsâ classes at church.
I honestly had no problem mostly with the cost of Lego as most of the sets I buy are unlicensed meaning they cost less, and while I do buy lots of licensed, I usually get cheaper ones.
My problem is the increasing cost of the minifigure such as the series going to $5, and expensive sets including less and less minifigures. 100+ dollar sets used to include 10-12+ minifigures or even non-minifigure characters. Now itâs around 5-6 characters
Unlicensed sets don't cost any less, if anything they cost more. The prices of city sets this year was absurd
I have a lot of older sets from the 80s and 90s, so I can use those to supplement the lack of minifigures in newer sets.
True
Yes, but that also comes from an increasing cost in quality. LEGO exited the dark eras of the '90s and early '00 where there were needlessly large parts in exotic colors. We are now having a resurgence in that where Lego is making many more molds (especially for minifigs) and it raises the cost.
As for lower count of minifigs, I agree that this is an issue. However it seems likely due to part numbers being raised and thus the minifigs are an afterthought.
Sadly inflation exists. Lego canât keep the same prices forever or theyâll go bankrupt
I think Lego is getting too expensive now, I havenât bought much over the last year or two because it just isnât worth it
Itâs actually getting cheaper. A set in 1990 may have cost 50 dollars for 800 pieces but if you take inflation into account itâs more like 80 dollars.
Lego is a bit like art, the value is very much in the eye of the beholder.
Well said
Spoken well!
It Is art. There is even a lego art gallery in London
Lego has the most leverage to swing around in the area of brick-based toys. They can almost charge what they want and people will still buy it because it's Lego. They sort of feel a bit like Games Workshop to me; the biggest fish in their sea, with their own IP's and well-known brand, so they just charge whatever they like and people just eat it up. Both companies could do with some good old competition.
If I remember correctly, Lego fired about a thousand employees a few years back.
Games Workshop is the worst. Their prices are (usually) outrageous, yet people gobble it up.
Games Workshop is a very apt comparison.
I think some sets can be too expensive for what they are.
A lot of them are Iâve seen some sets that I canât believe were released for the price they were set at
I think something very important not mentioned here is that Lego holds its value on the second hand market. When a kid is ready to move on parents can recoup a large amount of their "investment" if they decide to sell. Adult collectors can sell old sets to buy new ones so they can keep building without burning through money.
I think perhaps the most outrageous comparison is that the Lego creator expert roller coaster costs $380 USD, while you can get a Knex roller coaster that is about the same size (usually narrower but taller) for $25 USD. Not to mention the Knex ones include a motor, while the lego electronics to power the lego coaster cost more than the Knex roller coaster itself and are not included.
I've built both, the Knex one was a bit frustrating to construct. It hurt my fingers to put the Knex together, the track was very difficult to attach and the model wasn't very stable. The motorisation was good, but it was just a car that went around (no figures). The LEGO rollercoaster was more fun to build, and has more of the surrounding scenery and theming. The Knex rollercoaster has a more interesting track layout but that was at the cost of the structure's stability. The Knex instructions were much harder to follow as well with some ambiguous bits.
I believe it depends on the "target" group. My kids will probably always pick "the bigger" toy for their money. Even early on, size does matter :D On the other hand, as an adult Lego fan, I would never even consider buying the other toys yet I might be intrigued to buy a Lego set i was not originally interested in (or trick my kids into picking the LEGO set for my our mutual benefit). Lego as a toy is expensive and I discourage my kids from buying it, they have enough sets already and it is much bigger fun taking the sets apart and building their own creations. I do not know who keeps buying these endless waves of sets for their kids every year :-o If I had not introduced Lego into my family, they would probably have never been intereted in it snce most kids today prefer different stuff.
As a kid Lego was always my favorite toy, there is so much more to do with a brick RV than a plastic Hasbro RV and if you didn't like playing with the Lego brick RV anymore you can always take it apart and make it something you want. And what I feel gives Lego the most value that other brands can not compete with is not only it's in house themes like Lego city, ninjago or Lego friends but it's external branded themes like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and so many other officially branded themes. In those official and high quality sets and themes is where Lego has it's true value.
Great content Jang. A different look at things, not everything is measured by price per part racio, that's the reason why I watch and give great value to your reviews. The playability, the overall concept of the model, its presentation... Great stuff!
Lego is expensive, but I think its true value is in that most sets are compatible with each other.
The value is that every Lego set adds value to every other lego set you own. Also, you won't throw out lego after a year, whereas all those other toys won't last a year before they break and go into the trash.
@@alansacks9815 in that case you can compare it to other brands that sell brick-based set, where LEGO also doesn't look very good.
A good comparison is the large Lego Technic vehicles compared to the non Lego brands. Lego $380 non Lego $150, that's a big difference
I think the value in Lego is that it is a compatible system of parts. I have a collection of parts from over the course of my life that I can build with, whereas if I buy a toy of the same thing the Lego set was based on that is all the toy will ever be. For instance, the Empire State Building 3D puzzle might look more accurate and be way cheaper, but the value in that set is all the Lego pieces you get plus the building experience. I love the moment in a bigger set where it goes from a mass of blocks to recognizable as what I'm building.
I was thinking about that to some degree the other day while reflecting on that big world map they just released and I realised a lot of it is buying Lego for Lego's sake, not because of what you can build with it. The value isn't in what you end up building but the inherent value of the Lego branded bricks themselves. It's a bit like having a bracelet made of 24ct gold and one made with brass, same design but much different price because the raw material itself has a different value. So in the end it's a case of working out which is more important: the finished model or the fact that we're simply buying Lego...
The raw material of Lego is very cheap. I think you are buying the brand, not the material.
Jep it's definitely more of a brand thing. More like buying a apple product. Manufacturing costs of other mobile phones are the same as are the features but for some of us it's important to have a specific brand. Like the comparison lego vs playmobil it's the same material but you can't quite compare it.
Great video Jang! Seriously, one of the best sort of video essays Iâve seen from you.
The value in Lego for me is having a reliable medium to build my own stuff (minus the reddish brown parts on occasion). I couldn't tell you the last time I bought a Lego set from a store, but I do have a couple hundred BL orders. Retail Lego nowadays just doesn't intrigue me, they cut corners and increase prices and that doesn't corelate to an increase in quality/value. The new Benatar is the first set I've seen in a while that I would even consider picking up, but no Drax? Really Lego?
Yeah that no Drax included and there isnt even another on the market in a different set right now is too disappointing. I wait for stuff like that to go cheap in the pre-aftermarket
I'll still buy it because it's pretty cool and I can make other things with it
Wdym guys, Drax is there, you just can't see himđ
Drax is there heâs just standing really still.
Iâve been building with Lego for years, but fairly recently I found those 3-D puzzles that you showed in your video and Iâve absolutely loved building them. The builds are almost always excellent quality and super fun to build. Recently I moved overseas and had to deconstruct all of them and put them back together. I managed to rebuild the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Statue of Liberty without use of the instructions. I also got some of the light-up version and they look great on display. Usually Iâm not a display guy, but I still really love these. Point is, these puzzles are great fun and I would totally recommend.
i feel like lego isnt just a generic toy brand for every kid. its more for the ones who enjoy putting things together. while other brands give you more play for your money, lego is fun because you put it together.
Yeah, I wouldn't compare Lego to Playmobile or any other plastic toy. The magic of Lego is: You get bored with the inial set, you still have the bricks you can use to do something else with it. With a Playmobile set you get one thing and one thing only. I can disassemble the trailer and make another car out of it. Disassembling the Monster Trucks and the Playmobile School Truck would just break them.
I love every time you quote the Star Wars Prequels
The crazy thing is a lot of Lego fans buy Lego and never build them. Instead, they are kept MISB.
I personally would never call those fans, but rather "people who hoard toys to resell". There's lots of those in other hobbies too.
You'd be surprised. I'd say there are a lot of people who do similar with other toys. Just less common because reselling LEGO is so widely known in our community.
Yes because they increase in value
Iâve always seen lego like the apple of toys, they expensive sure, but they make the best products so itâs worth it. Also think about it like this an action figure of anakin skywalker costs between 10-20$. You can get a whole lego starfighter for 20$ which comes with anakin and r2d2. Also when it comes to other toys if you donât like what the toy is tough luck you cant change it, but with lego that camper van can be anything you want.
Apple definitely doesnât make the best products... Also theyâre kinda evil, with all their sweatshops and stuff... So probably not a good comparison
I think you see this more in plastic modelling than Lego. I used to do Lego and did the creator experts I moved into 1/35 models for 40pounds I could get a set I could finish in 2 hours for 40 pounds I got a scale model that took over half a year to do
I have a few Lego products but if Iâm being honest the price is off-putting. Letâs be clear, Lego is always quality plastic, has some amazing construction and usually has to contend with the cost of the license. That said, I have a large titanic model from Oxford bricks and an Optimus Prime from some random company I found on EBay and both are bigger and just as complex as the Lego Iron Man helmet I have and still cost less.
Part of the fun for me is in the build and the price can be a barrier, especially for the collector themed Marvel stuff. My Titanic cost me ÂŁ35 and has 1000 bricks, Iron Manâs helmet has 400 pieces and costs ÂŁ50. The newer helmets cost ÂŁ60. Lego as a product is brilliant but it is expensive.
I also donât stray from the instructions. I buy it, build it and display it. Once itâs built thereâs no replay value for me so if it doesnât look good as a display then I donât buy it.
I really like these more analytical type videos that deviate from your regular reviews, I would definitely consider branching out into more of this kind of content.
As someone who is personally only interested in official Lego products, this was a fascinating comparison. It definitely showed the value of non-Lego products, I can totally see many kids enjoying both Lego and non-Lego options. Thanks for a great video, Jang!
I donât adhere to brand loyalty except in the case of Lego. Their is something special about this company and how rooted it is in may of our childhoods.
Having said that, anyone who wants Lego-quality but in different price brackets or themes should check out Mega Construx, Cobi, or Panlos. That runs the gamut from a US company to a Polish one to a Chinese one. The common thread between them is unique designs, high quality parts with printed parts only, and novel Minifigures.
It typically is in non-licensed themes, but stuff like Star Wars has just been driven up and up over the past decade to the point where you're paying nearly twice as much for the same number of pieces
Star Wars is also relatively more expensive than any other licensed theme, for some reason.
Something I was wondering... how much did the licensing costs for Lego Star Wars go up after being sold to Disney. I don't recall seeing outrageous prices when Lucas was still at the wheel, so to speak.
@@BennyLlama39 yeah a double licence did some damage
I think Lego definitely needs to re-evaluate how they price their products in comparison to the quality they actually produce them with. Unfortunately, I don't have too much confidence that this will happen; because at the end of the day the fans still buy the things we see as overpriced, and Lego is a leader in the industry, and the image they've built around their brand over the decades allows them to continue charging high prices in the first place. They just don't seem to have any real incentive to improve their pricing, from my limited perspective at least.
I used to buy a lot of action figures but I gave up when I there was eleventy billion of the same characters and I just couldnât keep up anymore. I decided that I wouldnât buy things you just take out of the box and display anymore, I have to buy it for some other reason. Lego does that for me because the building process is relaxing and stress relief. So it fulfils my collecting urges while also providing some kind of therapy along the way, and not just the âshopping highâ from wasting money on something for the sake of buying it.
have you ever heard of Sembo Block?, i bought a 1400+ piece light up Cherry blossom scene from them(lights included btw(full kit) for $120. Quality is good too
Wait, lego is overpriced, never would have guessed
However, the other brands have $0 value on the aftermarket.
Yeah, but most Lego sets don't have resell value either!
My words my words
Hot wheels has some for its rare or licenced vehicles
I still prefer lego in my opinion it's better because it doesn't have lights and sounds and I have the enjoyment of putting it together an the quality is amazing.
I sometimes struggle to understand why people buy Lego just to display. I mean. I get the idea that it's fun to build. But for the value of a (display only) piece--I'd always get something actually meant to be displayed as they tend to look a lot better. Like a high quality statue or bust. I just feel like if I wanted to display a Star Wars spaceship--that I'd want the best quality space-ship, and not some pixelated Lego version that looked like a knock-off of the original concept.
However, I absolutely love Lego for moc building and the creative side of it. And while I don't always understand people who display things for the sake of displaying things -- I am appreciative that they support the company that provides a hobby I enjoy so much. So it's a win/win, live and let live situation!
I think it is a bit of a pride/satisfaction of saying "I Built this!" and displaying it. A more simplified model/statue you actually built rather than just buy and put up. PLus, you can alway take it apart and build it again if you find the build process fun.
They buy it in Lego-form because they have fond memories of Lego as one of their favourite toys as a kid. And every time they take a look at their display set, they are reminded of this and the inevitable truth, that these joyous times will never ever come back.
*we've all got to admit the knockoff lego "mini" bugatti chiron looks lowkey dope. very nicely designed, i will definitely buy it.*
Here from the old URC days, brings me joy to still see your high quality content, and the success that followed!
Me: âBrings up the real problem with LEGO and how they need to decrease prices or increase set volumeâ
Also Me: âGoes out and buys $400 worth of LEGO the next dayâ
Another thing to consider is that the off brand brick built sets you've been buying on Amazon are higher priced there when compared to other places like Ali Express. They take much longer to arrive but you're saving almost 50% including the shipping costs when there are sales going on select sets. Though the way they're shipped isn't the most resilient, there's only so much that plastic bags and bubble wrap can withstand. I still haven't had any issues with broken pieces in the mail.
Lego is terrible value. But then so are Transformers, and so are Macs. People don't buy "toys" for their physical value; they buy them how it makes then feel. Look at the value attributed to minifigs.
Each set compared to a similar non lego toy, is going to loose the value contest, simply by nature of lego, but it is this nature that makes lego more valuable the more sets you have. The issue I think, arises when we stray into "display sets" that arent toys per-se. You arent meant to take them apart, so the value of the lego system gets lost.
All resale value is ruined though. If you decide to buy some lepin and save 100 dollars you think you lucked out but then you look and see that your fake lego is worth nothing but if you had bought the Lego version itâs now worth 600$
Yeah but you can still break it up and rebuild the same model to reexperience the build again
@@ZaibatsuHeavyIndustries exactly
I hope Lego continues in the direction of art and display that they've been moving toward in the last few years especially.
I am an autistic person, and Lego is a huge special interest of mine and it definitely does hurt that the price is so high, but I feel it is better for me personally because part of the fun is getting to build it. With the offroader vehicle comparison, there were lights and noises, but there wasn't quite the connection to it because it comes as one thing. With Lego I spend minutes to hours to days on a build and I get to know it on a deep level. I do not have many of the toys I had as a kid, but I have kept all my Legos I have collected since 2007 or so. Nonetheless, amazing video and great points.
I think Lego is more worth it once you get past the ÂŁ200 range. Then you get more pieces, often lots of minifigs in sets like the Daily Bugle, and exceptional builds. The least worth it builds are often the ÂŁ80-130 price range
And your completely right Jang,the build is the hook. When I look at my display and know how everything was put together will always out weigh a ready made disposable product.
Love how you pop the bubble on LEGO "value" by comparing the product to other toys instead of comparing only the product with itself. Definitely an interesting video!
In my opinion Iâve always preferred buying Legos for the building process but I do agree that Legos are pretty expensive from time to time
Well I big redeeming factor of lego that not all these other toys have is the parts cam be used in other things or you can very easily mod the existing model. I see alot of value in that
Very interesting observation.
One thing I'm also wondering about is the idea of value and usage over time. The non-LEGO toys certainly contains more volume of stuff for money, but if it breaks it's usually broken forever. I painfully remember throwing away some toys because they weren't fixable after accidentally breaking them. With broken LEGO pieces (at least the common bricks) they can be usually be replaced even after a set's retirement which is why I've stuck with LEGO over other toys.
This was really interesting. I also think there is value in the fact that the lego system is compatible with itself for your own creations, and just like anything else, lego is either worth it or not depending on it's value to you! Everyone will value things differently. But good points all around for sure
Gosh I love this. The honesty and lack of bias is greatly appreciated. This is honestly one of your best videos I've seen (And I've seen every single one for the past 2 years). Thank you for the presentation of clear facts and opinions!
If the value of Lego includes building fun then the scope of the discussion should be expanded to alternative brick based brands rather than no-name products. Especially in the sub 15 $/ÂŁ/Euro range where Lego is only strong because those brands are not in toy chains and big retailers. But they are coming, some even plan super stores across Europe. But the value of Lego specific will probably always be higher for AFOLs than for AFOBs because of the four little letters on the bricks rather than the brick as construction element.
Itâs very very expensive these days especially for licensing
yeah, thatŽs one reason why me and probably other ppl donŽt buy lego that much, though i did buy jetbug and EVO 2.0 from 2011 both costed 30⏠each sooooooo...... could constraction bring back, though at the end when constraction ended the figures were very expensive so could that be why constraction failed.
idk
I... GUESS... WILL... NEVER... KNOW
Awesome vid as usual, Jang! My jaw legitimately dropped when you put that huge Hot Wheels monster truck on screen :P
I agree on this for basic sets however for big licenced themes like Star Wars Harry Potter DC and marvel it makes sense because you're paying to get a model that looks like the thing from that film aswell as for the minifigure a that look like those characters it just makes a lot of sense
This was a good wake up call, thanks Jang
I love videos like this, thank you JANG for making it! I have one thing to note, and please keep in mind that I am by no means an expert on this topic- but I believe that the origin of the actual product you buy has something to do with the value it has and, by extension, the price. I would assume that at least a few of the products (other than LEGO) shown in this video were made in China, likely by underpaid and/or exploited workers, and that factor has something to do with the value a product has in my eyes. It isnât necessarily just about the physical quality of the pieces/material of the product itself, but where my money is going when I buy it. LEGO, although they do have a factory in China, also have favorites elsewhere and they keep the working conditions and standards the same no matter which country a given factory is located in (I was lucky enough to visit the factory in Denmark, and this is what I was told there, but forgive me if this is incorrect). Just thought this was worth mentioning :)
Very informative Vid (as usual) like it a lot.
We tend to compare to get a grip on stuff...so do i...and this helps a lot.
LEGO Discounts however make it even harder for me (other Brands usually have the prices quite Set) i for example got the "Grave Digger" for 13 Euros from amazon which i found quite a good deal to give it to my little ones as a pretty sturdy and forgiving toy.
Playmobile for example as a German Brand is highly underrated if you ask me. There is also stuff to build and quality and size/amount of stuff you get is actaully insane. For 130 Euros atm you get an entire Western City/Fort/Horses/Carrage etc. that has at least 3 or 4 times the Size of the new 100 Dollar City Set with the new Streets.
P.S.: The "je ne sais quoi" you talked about at the end is also what i feel. I had to laugh when you put the LEGO Truck in the bottom left Corner of the Frame because you already forshadowed what size the Hot Wheels Truck will have...but it feels "soulless" to me. Stuff to get beat up (and can take a beating) but will be thown out after a year or two and lay on the street next to the garbage bins. I always valued and kept LEGO very well and i donÂŽt know if it deserved it or it was only because i grew up with it as my (almost) sole toy. Hard to put a vlaue on stuff that has a place in your heart :(
You know, the way you go about this topic, calm, fair, objective and with a sprinkling of humour makes me wonder why so many people keep watching youtubers that just want to go savage on Lego and rant the hell out of this subject. And as you mentioned once, this is group of people is especially prominent in Germany, which is why I completely broke with my local fan community years ago.
Those guys based their entire online career on Lego at one point, but instead of sensible criticism expressed because of their passion, their way of going about Lego's flaws is doing sensational rants because apparently that's what some people want to see. Because they want to believe in Lego as a greedy and fan exploiting soulless company.
So just a thank you for your quality content, it kind of saves my trust in the community.
Even when I was a kid in the early 2000s this impression that lego is lesser value was obvious at a glance for both hyperfixated little me and my parents that had the misfortune of needing to buy me toys lol. Most of my broken sets were as you said, never repaired again and while I did mix and match my pieces, there was no intentional design like the first few mocs ive tried as an adult.
I remember that even back then lego had to compete for my attention when other types of toys were my thing of the moment. I also was able to distinct what I did and didn't want as a lego thing because lego toys being modular was fun but some were sturdier than others. While most likely due to brand loyalty and this being before the current era of nearly identical compatibles, the act of building was also part of the Lego experience and little me knew that was special too.
Personally, while I like Lego, my go to building brand is Mega Bloks (Construx nowadays) because the Mini Figures are worlds beyond what Lego offers, yes, I know the simplified aesthetic is by choice, but MC Mini Figures are super articulated, super well detailed and while yes, Lego's QC is unmatched and the plastic quality is better, Mega Brands is not that far behind and the prices tend to be a bit lower.
Honestly mega could easily rival lego but they just donât put themselves out there enough. Lego always dominates because they have a massive wall of stuff, while mega hides in the corner lol (at least at my stores)
I think Lego went into life support mode and then into profit over anything else mode :D I mean, when I was a kid, Lego was still expensive but didn't have outrages sets that wouldn't justify the hight cost. Also no licensing. I think from a business perspective, they are doing a great job and it shows - from going under to huge profits. But it's not te Lego it used to be. I think it lost some of its soul. They also treat competition very bad and try to keep a monopoly. Which again makes sense a business trying to preserve itself. But it gets out of hand real quick. I would love to have an alternative on the market, that is just as good as Lego (quality of bricks, quality of sets). A little competition wouldn't hurt them and would benefit as the consumers a lot.
Lego spends .65 cents for every piece sold. That includes how much they spend on advertising, licensing, packaging, new moulds, etc. Less than a cent per piece. Compare that to the average price per piece ratio, 10.5 cents. Is Lego overpriced?
Source? Are you also including distribution, wages, maintenance, etc?
Source?
People: "LEGO is expensive."
Bricklink: "Would you like costly shipping with that MOC?"
But I gotta say, LEGO sets are more complex than they've ever been, so maybe that's driving prices too.
No, other brands are even complexer, with more pieces, printed pieces and so one, and they are not so expensive.
I appreciate your closing thoughts on the matter and was the general direction I wanted to go with a comment, but you've already said it.
The video makes a few good points. I believe that ultimately, Lego is still a toy brand and for how many Lego collectors we might have around the world, the main fuel to their success are still kids. And there's no shame in that: I am a toy collector, I do genuinely love toys, old and new, I think that they may even serve a noble purpose in many occasions. And that noble purpose is to make a kid happy, to let him/her dream, sometimes even to help him/her learn something and maybe, just maybe, to make ANY kid happy. In a normal family, trying to raise two or three kids, maybe on a single salary... it would be VERY important to choose a better compromise between value and quality. In your series of examples you show Playmobil, a very reputable brand, also know for the excellent quality of their product, also known for their educational value, but whose prices have consistently been lower than Lego's for decades. As a collector, and having a good job, I can appreciate both brands, but I strongly believe that Lego should focus more on its original purpose.
Sadly lego is overpriced and doest give you as much but still better.
> overpriced, doesn't give you much
> still better
pick one
Not overpriced you buy cheap you get cheap
When considering license, bricks, size, instructions, special pieces, minifigs, printing, stickerz, packaging... there is a lot to consider.
I may not have the chance to preorder the next Hot Toys 1:16 replica of a Batmobile... yet I'm glad that I can have the option which I do own in LEGO form. For adults, it can be a great alternative to giant collectibles if they're done right. Kids can appreciate well-designed sets to be played and swooshed around for hours and reconstruct the things into another build.
The personal value also adds to the monetary value, this is also a subject in video games with giant open-world titles, AAA-budget products or independent games. People find value in different things.
A few years ago I went on holiday alone for the first time, to Austria. That trip really changed my perspective on what money can buy. I had a 16-hour bus trip (twice), six-day stay at a decent camping, visited two local cities, did multiple hikes, ate and drank something at mountain huts, bought groceries, and overall had a really good holiday, for around 170 euros.
Since then, I think I've spent more than 100 euros on a set only twice: the Ninjago City modulars.
lego has the added value of rebuildability and the creativity that comes with that. when i was a kid i would get a small set that took me 30 mins to put together, then i would spend hours creating my own alternate builds with the parts. such good times
One of the best Lego channels! Just recently discovered it, and now watching the videos.
I like this different type of vid
I looked up the big army truck from the 2nd comparison. Turns out there's 4 different versions of it that you can buy (army, police, fire and construction). The truck is the same (albeit different colors), but the mech and the mini-builds are all different. The construction one has a mini crane, dump truck, etc. They're all $21-$25. I think the fact that there's 4 different versions adds something to the value.
Ot has been some time since I bought a Lego set from a store, I usually by Lego from thrift stores and yard sales.
I think brands like Cada should be mentioned, i own the rx-7 fd3s and the quality is as good as lego, its licenced, the box is like the ones Lego uses only for its most expensive sets out of nice sturdy cardboard and the model itself is very accurate to the real car, has an engine, interior, suspension and stearing, it features parts to tune it and can be upgraded to be remote controlled.
Cada's in this video!
Sorry, didnt recognize it, dont have the best memory when it comes to the sets.
Also just noticed the timestamps
Lets not forget the undisputed "charming" side of Lego minifig sets. Unrivaled.
I found this very interesting, very thought provoking! I used to build 3D puzzles and feel it can be just as rewarding as LEGO sets.
when I was a kid the only thing I would chose over Lego (if the two things were the same price) was Rc's on occasion. So I'm sure that despite the apparent lack of value I think there is some kind of quality that is captured in the combination of both the building experience and the genuine durability of the models you get at the end to play with. not to mention the massive potential that collecting parts can give you
Love the idea of that video. You, sir, were very kind to lego with your selection of 20 usd offbrand choices. Just today i received the Cada 488 Race Car I ordered for under 14 euros. 10 studs wide, 306 pieces including a RC motor and a 2.4ghz remote control. That is insane value.
Iâm glad you had the discussion section at the end. Thereâs absolutely a TON of nuance in purchasing and critiquing Lego that can easily go unnoticed to those unfamiliar with it.
A point you alluded to but did not explicitly say, is the intrinsic backwards compatibility within the entire product line. Many young children (mine included) dismantle their sets immediately upon completion and add them to other sets. Itâs the system, man!
I think the saving grace of Lego in comparison to other brick building toys of a similar quality is that lego mini figures and lego bricks in general are optimized for a greater level of compatibility between sets and even themes. Mega Contrux and Kreo (more emphasis on Mega Contrux over kreo) fall close behind, but acumulating a large collection of parts is more difficult. If you value detail and faith to a source material Mega Contrux is your go to. All in all, it depends on what your looking for.
Thing is all those other toys do not match each other. More LEGO You have more options You have. Which is not a thing on most of the competition.
I also think LEGO can be sometimes to expensive and It sometimes is when compared to itself.
Jang, if you want to see a real LEGO kick in the teeth, search for Oxford Deluxe Titanic or Oxford Deluxe Eiffel Tower. Itâs a small company from the U.K. that makes LEGO compatible construction sets, around 1500 pieces some of them for ÂŁ40 (around 50 USD). Check it out - that REALLY shows value
My parents didn't want to assemble it for me so had to learn to follow the instructions at a young age. It resulted in me recognizing the potential and only building the models once for inspiration then taking them apart and making MOC's. At age ten I bought sets for parts and not for the model. My brother builds my nephews sets for them and I don't like it.
Enjoyed this video. Reminded me of the old comparison videos you, like LEGO Space sets compared to Playmobile Space sets.