If you are one of the many LEGO VIP fans who haven’t had their hands yet on the biggest LEGO set ever made, chances are, the odds of getting it now directly from LEGO or any LEGO brand store is as close to zero – perhaps not until October 1, that is. Since its official VIP launch last Thursday, the LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75192), even if we’re not half way yet during its VIP release period, is nowhere to be found. And we’re talking not just about on a particular LEGO store or location, but on a worldwide scale including at shop.LEGO.com.
As Rebelscum and Brick Fanatics reports, LEGO Star Wars fans who don’t have the privilege nor the opportunity to participate in LEGO’s exclusive in-store VIP launches such as those in UK’s LEGO Stores in Leicester Square and Brighton, are now struggling, and understandably frustrated, at the seeming lack of preparation and stocks of the Falcon.
A quick browse over at the Falcon’s product page at shop.LEGO.com reveals some criticisms about its unavailability rather than its undoubtedly cool features. The criticisms and rants that LEGO received seems to be focused on the fact that not all VIP members were able to receive automated notifications about the set’s release. It gave the impression that after all the marketing hype surrounding the biggest LEGO set ever made, TLG was unable to sufficiently deliver, stock-wise. Others were frustrated about the apparent confusion caused by varying time zones, and the lack of details on when and how set 75192 will be released to VIP members. Such shortcomings, for some VIP members, are close to unforgivable.
Now, it makes one wonder if LEGO at this point, can really handle the exceptionally high demand for the Falcon (yeah, I was also one of those skeptics who thought that not so many AFOLs will be that willing to shell out $800 on a single, LEGO set – as it turns out, I’m gravely mistaken), especially when it launches to the general public on October 1. Some of the most avid LEGO fans may even be forced to rely on aftermarket platforms such as eBay. But giving your hard-earned cash to some unscrupulous brick scalper, who will charge a ridiculously inflated price, is simply unacceptable by my standards. Here are a few samples from eBay – just be sure not to cringe in disdain.
Now that the LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75192) is out of stock, fans are left thinking if the Falcon will also suffer the same fate as that of another insufficiently stocked set, which is the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309). In fairness to LEGO, we know that the company is doing everything it can to ensure that the majority of fans will not end up frustrated. They were kind enough to ensure everyone that more sets are on its way.
On Thursday, September 14, the LEGO Group gave its VIP members an opportunity to purchase the LEGO® Star Wars™ Millennium Falcon™. We are thrilled by the positive response to the set, which is the largest we’ve ever released so far. We can assure all our fans around the world, that we are doing everything we can to make more sets available and keep our LEGO builders happy.
By the look of things, it will be wise for LEGO to pay attention to its customers and learn from this week’s VIP release. It will be better, as Rebelscum suggests, if LEGO can provide a sort of Information Page outlining several things that LEGO fans and buyers can expect once the Falcon becomes available to the general public come October 1. LEGO may also opt to be transparent with regards to the amount of sets that will be made available per LEGO store, and reinforcing its shop@home site to ensure that it can handle the massive queries and simultaneous purchases once the highly anticipated Add To Bag button becomes available worldwide.
As a last note, my thoughts outlined in this post are not in any way reflective of the Falcon’s superb and grandiose design, nor do I intend to malign such a magnificent Star Wars UCS set. I have to admit that I myself am green with envy for those who were able to take home this set. But as they say in marketing spheres, the product is only as good as how it is served, and it will be better for LEGO if it will learn from the Falcon’s VIP release before it is launched again in October 1.
Now, we just have to wait…
This is from a company that recently announced that their profits dropped this year and that staff would have to be made redundant as a result of this financial ‘bombshell’.
Hindsight is a precise tool so I am not going to suggest that I knew that this set would be popular, I just know I was willing to spend £650 to get one.
Which ever executives masterminded this launch and the shambolic launch of other SW products on the 1st September should be the first to be scrutinised as to the redundancy of their role in The Lego Group.
So much fuss made about keeping this ‘big reveal’ a secret from fans when it would have been far more lucrative to announce this several months ago and begin taking advance orders prior to release. This may still have left as many fans disappointed that not all of these orders could be fulfilled. However it would have provided valuable information regarding the demand that this set created and thus production of more sets could have begun sooner. This surely would be a guaranteed income stream for this product for The Group.
From what I have seen, this set contains no spoilers that Disney might have objected to. Maybe the inclusion of creatures from the new film could have been a sticking point. In my opinion their inclusion is hardly noteworthy and could have been left out for the sake of ensuring that the company minimised its 2017 financial shortfall.
Less emphasis on keeping fans in the dark, more emphasis on making money is the lesson that The Lego Group had still failed to grasp.
Yeah, I have to agree that you are right in many points there. It seems that the stockpile of UCS Falcons is simply not enough to keep up with the hype that LEGO created prior to its launch. If not properly handled by TLG, then this income opportunity may likewise be a wasted one. We just have to wait by October 1st to see if LEGO will be better prepared by then.
The salesman at the different [LEGO] stores told me that there will be NO stock by October 1st, but “maybe” by the end of November… I consider selling all my LEGO collection and stop purchasing other LEGO sets. I already sold half my collection to be able to offer the Falcon…
https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/?domainredir=service.lego.com
Please view the Falcon post under the help topics at the bottom. The post indicates there will be no stock on Oct. 1.
Thanks for pointing this out. It looks like Brick Fanatics is right all along, and the indefinite delay for stocks to be replenshed is indeed confirmed by LEGO. I guess we just have to prepare ourselves for the long wait.
I wonder if stocks of this has anything or everything to do with the size of the box. Can LEGO Stores really fit more than 10 of these enormous boxes in their backrooms?
For a start it would have been wise for Lego to put a limit of one per order worldwide, but here is Aus the limit on the day was 3. I was lucky enough to get one, but if everyone who could actually place an order successfully got 3, that’s a bunch of disappointed people who miss out as a result.
If you click on the contact us button, there’s a separate message that:
“If you’re calling about the new LEGO® Millennium Falcon set, we’re sorry, this set’s been so popular that it’s completely sold out.”
https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/?domainredir=service.lego.com