This last Sunday I visited my local LEGO Store in Southwest Ohio. I was hoping to pick up one of the exclusive LEGO Kingdoms battle packs, specifically for the dragon faction.
Both Kingdom's battle packs were present and retailing for around $15 USD. I almost pulled the trigger, but then I noticed that one of the plumes was out of the great helms, making a 'plink-plink' noise when it contacted other parts of the figures. I don't want to cry "Chinese plastic", but it was enough of a concern for me to place it back on the shelf. If this is not a personal concern or issue, they are quite nice and you get a good variety of armor and accessories.
All of the LEGO Toy Story 3 sets were in attendance, as well as some of the early releases from unlicensed themes such as Atlantis, World Racers, Space Police III, and of course Kingdoms. Wave two of the LEGO board games were also there, not seen at other retail outlets previously.
In LEGO Star Wars news, the infamous Admiral Ackbar magnet set was there, including the overpack sticker to correct the spelling errors.
As I was checking out I chatted up the cashier, mainly inquiring about the Collectible Minifigures due out soon. The cashier confirmed that, in fact, you can only buy five packs at a time at the store. It would seem there are concerns that some may buy them all up for the secondary market. No confirmation as to if the figures will be behind the counter as well.
I continue to be disappointed in the LEGO Store experience as an AFOL. Although I recognize that I'm not the target demographic, I find it somewhat surprising that other retailers, like Toys R Us, actually have the product before them and sometimes at a lower price point. Yes, key chains, magnet sets, and some product are truly unique to the bricks and mortar store, but will that drive repeat business? Now that the VIP program applies to LEGO Shop @ Home purchases in the US, I may stop driving the 45 minutes to get to my local store.
Both Kingdom's battle packs were present and retailing for around $15 USD. I almost pulled the trigger, but then I noticed that one of the plumes was out of the great helms, making a 'plink-plink' noise when it contacted other parts of the figures. I don't want to cry "Chinese plastic", but it was enough of a concern for me to place it back on the shelf. If this is not a personal concern or issue, they are quite nice and you get a good variety of armor and accessories.
All of the LEGO Toy Story 3 sets were in attendance, as well as some of the early releases from unlicensed themes such as Atlantis, World Racers, Space Police III, and of course Kingdoms. Wave two of the LEGO board games were also there, not seen at other retail outlets previously.
In LEGO Star Wars news, the infamous Admiral Ackbar magnet set was there, including the overpack sticker to correct the spelling errors.
As I was checking out I chatted up the cashier, mainly inquiring about the Collectible Minifigures due out soon. The cashier confirmed that, in fact, you can only buy five packs at a time at the store. It would seem there are concerns that some may buy them all up for the secondary market. No confirmation as to if the figures will be behind the counter as well.
I continue to be disappointed in the LEGO Store experience as an AFOL. Although I recognize that I'm not the target demographic, I find it somewhat surprising that other retailers, like Toys R Us, actually have the product before them and sometimes at a lower price point. Yes, key chains, magnet sets, and some product are truly unique to the bricks and mortar store, but will that drive repeat business? Now that the VIP program applies to LEGO Shop @ Home purchases in the US, I may stop driving the 45 minutes to get to my local store.
