The surprise was considerable: in 2012, LEGO launched a new range of sets known for the moment under the name of Planet Series and whose concept is sufficiently innovative for me to give you my few nocturnal reflections on this subject.
This range features mini-sets presented in attractive boxes designed for display, unlike the compact Racers sets typically found on toy store shelves, which are expected to be distributed as successive collectible mini-series. LEGO has also already introduced its blind-sealed minifigure series, sold individually, to store checkouts.
The contents are unique: a miniature vehicle, a minifigure matching the vehicle, and, most importantly, a planet made of two halves recreating the environment in which the vehicle operates. This planet is designed to hold the parts and the minifigure, similar to many other products already on the market. The set comes with a mini display stand featuring an identification sticker to emphasize its collectible, mini-UCS appeal.
The first series, revealed in September via images borrowed from a retailer's catalogue , will offer the following sets:
9674 Naboo Starfighter and Naboo
9675 Sebulba's Podracer and Tatooine
9676 TIE Interceptor and Death Star
The second series, which appeared in photos published a month later, is expected to offer the following sets:
9677 X-wing Starfighter & Yavin 4
9678 Twin-Pod Cloud Car & Bespin
9679 AT-ST & Endor
What about this new range of sets whose sale price has been announced by some at € 9.99 and which according to my sources should be much higher?
There is no doubt that these mini sets will be starter products that should allow LEGO to reach an episodic clientele not necessarily familiar with the classic products of the range. The planned packaging clearly indicates LEGO's desire to position these products in visible and accessible marketing areas in stores, and why not at supermarket checkouts, for example.
The presence of the plastic shell responds to a fashion trend, as do Ninjago spinning tops in their field and whose real purpose I still wonder about (Those who have already played with Beyblades will understand me), which consists of allowing children to carry their toy in a practical, identifiable and original container like Pokéballs for example.
This approach is undoubtedly the right one on the part of the manufacturer to attract new customers/collectors and to compete with some competing brick brands that are increasingly present in stores and that also have great licenses, notably MegaBlocks with Halo or WoW, or Cobi with the Formula 1 teams McLaren Mercedes and Renault F1 Team, marketed at more competitive prices.
In addition, the crisis and the general decline in household purchasing power do not necessarily favor the sale of larger but also more expensive sets, as customers generally fall back on more compact and less expensive products.
However, depending on how these mini-sets are marketed, which ultimately leads to a certain trivialization of LEGO toys to make them more affordable, the brand's overall image could suffer. Being placed on shelves or endcaps next to Kinder Eggs and Pokémon Go balls , or, as is sometimes the case with collectible minifigure series at newsagents and tobacconists, would not be in the best interest of the brand. In my opinion, it would be dangerous to hear the phrase " LEGO Star Wars Egg" being used by young children , thus cheapening a product, a license, and a brand.
Certainly LEGO produces high-end toys, sometimes sold at abusive prices, but to gain or at least retain market share, you have to know how to reach a clientele with a more limited budget without devaluing the product offered.
What makes LEGO a brand apart, collected all over the world, and with a thriving parallel market must not be marred by overly aggressive business practices. I still think that at LEGO, the commercial strategists have already thought about all these considerations and will know how to organize a coherent distribution of this new range.
Although... Remember the LEGO Batman toys that were distributed in McDonald's Happy Meals in 2008 during the launch of the LEGO Batman video game? These toys only had the name and a vague shape to do with LEGO: the minifigures weren't even articulated...
Obviously, I would be the first to acquire these new sets, which are an integral part of the Star Wars range and which seem to have been seriously thought out and designed by LEGO, but I would also be happy if their reduced cost allows children to discover a universe and an exciting product.
