After a shock drop that took LEGO Star Wars fans by total surprise earlier today when shopDisney.com suddenly listed the set, the debate has moved on from arguing about the limited numbers and localized distribution of exclusives to the poor communication over this set.
Just like when the iris wipe closed in on the thrusters of the receding Rebel medical frigate it marked the end of the fifth installment, LEGO Star Wars fans believed that the one-day sale of 77904 Nebulon-B Frigate was the set’s swansong and those that weren’t able to procure this set from the LEGO brand store on Amazon.com, directly from LEGO.com itself or the small number of LEGO Discovery Centers in the USA that stocked it, turned to the secondary market where prices were five times its original price.
Having it now turn up – like an unannounced end credits scene – did have the benefit that hoarders and scalpers weren’t pre-prepared, and the limitation of one per guest (which presumably means address and not order) prevented those lucky enough to spot the pop-up stock listing that started at 4 am on November 30th and was sold out by 815 am – lasting a good few hours longer than the Amazon and LEGO listings.
ShopDisney also allowed non-US customers to place orders, something that LEGO hadn’t done in either of their events.
All-in-all this did more to get it in the hands of real collectors than the telegraphed drops Amazon and online Shop@Home did – perhaps LEGO should take note?
What are your thoughts – did you get lucky and spot today’s listing? Or did you miss out again, further adding to your saltiness? Let us know below.
Just when the pain was fading Lego decides to rub salt in the wounds and reopen the case with a giant middle finger to as many global customers as possible. They have regional websites and VIP’s with registered customer interests.