Ok, we all wanted a Smaug, and we all wanted him to be big, I am not sure if the model they had at comic con is the final version or not but I assume it is. Has anyone else noticed that he is larger than any previous dragon from Lego?

 

I was playing around with my Nephew a few months back and he has the 2013 Dragon mountain as well as one of the Dino T Rex's and I noticed that the T Rex body was a LOT bigger than the dragons. I thought, "if they wanted to make Smaug right, they need to use the T Rex body piece instead of the tiny dragon one" it looks like Smaug not only has a modified T Rex body piece but larger, flexible wings as well, something else I thought would make Smaug work.

 

Even though we never got a fell beast from Lego, or the citadel guards or the million other things that they could have done that would have been great that they didn't, at least they chose not mess up Smaug, and I am thrilled about that!

 

For another thing, these large, rare animals tend to go up in value down the road, pretty substantially sometimes as we saw with the HP horntail. 

I think I could go for thirtu of these or so, but that rrp is tough.

I am regretting not picking these up from Meijer right before Christmas. They were 25% off and also overlapped some other promos. Came out to about $82. My gut tells me these will be a very short run.

I ended up with a small stash of these from that Santas Bucks promo. I regretted not getting a few more.

I only got 2 at Meijer for that price, but I was buying so much other stuff at the time that I couldn't afford any more.  I can't see the LOTR/Hobbit theme lasting past this year and if this isn't available at many retailers I could see LEGO sitting on a pile of these and discounting them at the end.  Or they could just disappear. 

Edited March 5, 201510 yr by zskid00

I have seen these at Wal-Mart, target, tru, and lego store in my area

No you haven't.

I don't know about the US, but I have seen these at Toys r Us stores in Canada when they were first released.

Has anyone noticed if these are still around in stores? I haven't seen one since New Years around here....

Saw a few at Legoland California today.  I think I caught them at TRU last week.  Can't remember for certain.  But that's the only two places I've seen this set.

I never saw The Lonely Mountain at any store even once and currently the only set I can find anywhere which happens to be Target is Attack on Lake-town I think; maybe The Battle of Five Armies. I am content with having picked up the smallest set Witch-king Battle soon as it was released.

Interesting availability with this one. It`s still available up here, but not in every store. Lego still has it available obviously, but for who knows how long. Might be a good buy during x2 VIP. When is the next time we`ll get a dragon like this? Could be a while, the one in the Castle set 70403 is still a beast, but not nearly as much as Smaug. The new molds and design are clearly reflected in the price of the set as well. The value will be dependent on continued demand for Smaug mainly I`m thinking, and because it cost Lego quite a bit to produce, you`de think they`ll keep it around as long as possible. 

I wonder if there is any chance they reuse his mold, or some slightly modified version, when they reboot the Castle lineup down the road. I find it strange that they would produce a maxifig like that for a set that has been little more than an afterthought.

I wonder if there is any chance they reuse his mold, or some slightly modified version, when they reboot the Castle lineup down the road. I find it strange that they would produce a maxifig like that for a set that has been little more than an afterthought.

That`s my concern with it, if they product another dragon in a short while similar to this one, it`s going to hurt the value. If they do, it`ll probably go in a most top-tiered set, like a Castle (because of the cost of the mold). I can`t see the putting it in a $50 set. Still though, if there is more than one, there is little draw to this set without a unique Smaug, especially the price. Who will pay $250-$300 for this set if they can buy another dragon in a Castle set for $150 or less? 

Who will pay $250-$300 for this set if they can buy another dragon in a Castle set for $150 or less? 

 

Hobbit completionists

Hobbit completionists

True, but that eliminates everyone else who buys the set just for the awesome giant dragon, given that it`s currently the only one Lego has made of this caliber. That means it appeals to Castle fans as well, and as we all know Castle has possibly the biggest following of AFOLs in the Lego Universe, just check out a convention or photos of a convention. It`s up there with the likes of Trains and Classic Space.  

Who will pay $250-$300 for this set if they can buy another dragon in a Castle set for $150 or less? 

 

i don't think anyone would pay $250-$300 for this set if they weren't a Hobbit / LOTR fan to begin with. And I think the mold is very recognisable with Smaug and Smaug alone, any reincarnation will just be seen as a "Smaug variant" IMO.

Edited March 5, 201510 yr by jkaesler

i don't think anyone would pay $250-$300 for this set if they weren't a Hobbit / LOTR fan to begin with. And I think the mold is very recognisable with Smaug and Smaug alone, any reincarnation will just be seen as a "Smaug variant" IMO.

Fair enough, guess we`ll see. Who knows, it could be quite a while before they release another one, if they do at all, or we could see it very shortly with a reboot. I suppose educated guessing is what it`s all about, as obviously nobody knows outside TLG anyway. 

 

That said, if it isn`t already clear, if someone wants the Smaug buy it in now or in the near future, Lonely Mountain looks like it will have a shortened release judging my the already limited availability. 

I continually ask myself why anyone in their right mind would pay 2-3 times for any box full of plastic.  It makes no sense and there is no reasoning no matter the theme.  As long as the consumer feels motivated by a perceived value on said boxes full of plastic bricks then someone needs to sell to them.  This is a really neat set, we built it for Christmas and overall I think it is a great set, it displays well as well as very playable.  I just with it clocked in a bit lower in price point.  I can pay retail for exclusives but it kils me on regular sets.  I just saw two at my local TRU, but need a bogo or something to pull the trigger.  You guys are lucky to get them at $82.00.

My TRU has about a dozen on the shelf, and my plan is to use rewards and coupons to reach my target. My target buy-in price is $100 or less. None of my Meijers have any left, and I never saw them at any of my Targets or Walmarts. I've bought 5 so far, built one, flipped one, holding 3 for now - my average cost so far has been $85 but that was heavily influenced by the 4 I got from Meijer with the Santa Bucks and 25% off.

 

I still think the de facto exclusivity of this set makes it a long term winner. I'm not going to buy 30, but then I don't buy 30 of anything...and I would be upset with myself if I don't have at least 10 when it EOL's. I do hope to see an online sale sometime before the end of the year, but who knows.

I feel that there are quite a few golden gems in the Hobbit and LOTR series that are worth investing in, and this is one of them.   Some probably had negative thoughts about other lines like Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean, but now that those lines are retired, quite a few of the iconic sets from those series are at least double what they went for retail.  Not many people liked the Crystal Skull, but the Crystal Temple now goes for double over what it retailed.  The Black Pearl?  Those were at one point found on discount, but good luck getting one for under 240.  The Queen Anne's Revenge is another set that is now almost triple, and it retailed at a similar price point as the Lonely Mountain.  Regardless if some didn't like the Hobbit films, there are others out there that did and found them entertaining and a good diversion.  The Lonely Mountain is one of 3 hobbit sets i'd say is worth it's price, even at MSRP, that is if you are an investor with patience.  If not, then this set is not for you.

I want Smaug badly, to add to my Halloween Town. I can't see myself spending as much as it costs for this set though.

So, yeah. If there's a cheaper but good dragon, I'll be buying that instead.

Don't get me wrong this is an awesome set.

This was advertised heavily around Christmas on all the kids TV channels (Disney, Nick), but I haven't seen it in a retail store. It's almost more exclusive than the exclusives--without the Hard to Find tag.

Hobbit completionists

 

 

Haven't Hobbit completionists left pretty much every Hobbit/LOTR LEGO set on the shelves until they've reached discount/clearance levels?  

 

LOTR/Hobbit line is a weird line. Pops up during an increase in speculation/reselling.  Some sets are heavily hyped.  Most sit on the shelves.  If they weren't flying off during this era of speculation.....then I'm not sure it's a winner.

I have been to many Targets and Walmarts, and none of them carry them.  I have only seen them at Toyrus and Lego stores.  This might be a sleeper hit in the future.  I am also waiting for a better discount to buy it at Toyrus. 

I wonder who dropped the ball on this scenario here for the final wave of Hobbit sets; LEGO or the retailers? For LEGO to put effort into these between the designs, box art, and more importantly Smaug, it seems wrong not to have them more available for the average consumer to actually find them. On the other hand most retailers may not have been willing to shell out the dough for more 'benchwarming builds' that would inevitably see deep discounts same as all the prior offerings have. I can admit this wave is the weakest with Smaug being the true highlight but it does come across like "why bother?" with how things look at the moment.

 

I want Smaug badly, to add to my Halloween Town. I can't see myself spending as much as it costs for this set though.

So, yeah. If there's a cheaper but good dragon, I'll be buying that instead.

Don't get me wrong this is an awesome set.

Don't feel bad because I am the same way. Smaug is awesome, the set is great, the price though is "whoa mama" but that is only my opinion. If it were possible to purchase this at a discount I might but not retail.

No you haven't.

 

Lol, ok.

I wonder who dropped the ball on this scenario here for the final wave of Hobbit sets; LEGO or the retailers? For LEGO to put effort into these between the designs, box art, and more importantly Smaug, it seems wrong not to have them more available for the average consumer to actually find them. On the other hand most retailers may not have been willing to shell out the dough for more 'benchwarming builds' that would inevitably see deep discounts same as all the prior offerings have. I can admit this wave is the weakest with Smaug being the true highlight but it does come across like "why bother?" with how things look at the moment.

 

Don't feel bad because I am the same way. Smaug is awesome, the set is great, the price though is "whoa mama" but that is only my opinion. If it were possible to purchase this at a discount I might but not retail.

Same here. I really like this set. But even if the price point was $99, I would still balk.