How much for a humble Lego brick?
August 2018
Andy Boulcott
I love Star Wars, and I love Lego. What could possibly go wrong when buying Lego Star Wars? Well, if you consider some of my latest findings, I’m not sure how much longer I can justify purchasing it.
The prequels
My love for Lego began quite early, as a young child. My parents bought me several tubs of Duplo, which I would spend hours and hours playing with. Building tall, narrow towers as high as the ceiling, or some wacky creation that I dreamed up on the fly, I’d be occupied for good parts of the day with my constructions. Something sparked within me when playing with Duplo, and they were always my favourite toys, over and above any fad or fashion.
Like most other kids that were hooked on Duplo, as I grew older I ‘graduated’ into Lego proper. Most of the sets were bought as Christmas or Birthday presents, or by me using my own pocket money, and the majority were from the Lego City range from the mid-90s (I believe at the time it was known as Lego Town). Thinking back to when I was a youngling, my three favourite sets were:
Andy Boulcott
I love Star Wars, and I love Lego. What could possibly go wrong when buying Lego Star Wars? Well, if you consider some of my latest findings, I’m not sure how much longer I can justify purchasing it.
The prequels
My love for Lego began quite early, as a young child. My parents bought me several tubs of Duplo, which I would spend hours and hours playing with. Building tall, narrow towers as high as the ceiling, or some wacky creation that I dreamed up on the fly, I’d be occupied for good parts of the day with my constructions. Something sparked within me when playing with Duplo, and they were always my favourite toys, over and above any fad or fashion.
Like most other kids that were hooked on Duplo, as I grew older I ‘graduated’ into Lego proper. Most of the sets were bought as Christmas or Birthday presents, or by me using my own pocket money, and the majority were from the Lego City range from the mid-90s (I believe at the time it was known as Lego Town). Thinking back to when I was a youngling, my three favourite sets were:
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6483 Coastal Patrol
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6348 Surveillance Squad
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6398 Central Precinct HQ
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I played with these for hours, and cannot wait to explore my old toys in my parents’ attic in the coming weeks. These sets, along with several others, will be up there hiding somewhere in boxes!
The ‘spark’ awakens
My passion for Lego was reignited fairly recently. I used to think I was too old for Lego. It was a long and enjoyable part of my childhood, but I had convinced myself that building and playing with Lego was not ‘adulting’ and that I should spend my time doing something more sensible and productive.
Having met fellow council member Dave at work, we became close friends and I began to share his love for the collections and memorabilia associated with Star Wars. I watched Dave work hard every month, get paid, and then proceed to spend a percentage of his monthly wages on one (or several!) Star Wars related items, most being toys or products aimed at a younger demographic. It made him happy and brought a release from the daily chore of office work. I started to think “maybe I’m not too old for Lego?” And the rest is history!
So how is this Star Wars related, I hear you ask? Well, after I decided that I could still legitimately purchase Lego, and being a big Star Wars fan, I began to look at some of the Star Wars themed sets. The spark from my youth suddenly reignited, and I wanted them. I was watching the movies, and wondering if there were Lego versions of ships or scenes. Fast forward to now, and I have over 70 Lego Star Wars sets covering new and old movies in the franchise.
I still purchase Lego Star Wars regularly, and meticulously scour websites like eBay, Shpock, Gumtree and even Facebook classifieds searching for some of the older, retired sets on my wanted list. You could even say I’m a collector! But something has happened recently that has removed a little bit of the excitement for me. You could argue the spark is going out......
A disturbance in the force
“Is it just me, or is Lego really expensive these days?”
It’s a question I see a lot online, and my parents often show strange and contorted facial expressions when I tell them how much I spent on my latest Lego Star Wars purchase. But the truth is, Lego was never a budget toy compared to other brands or products. Ask yourself what other toys you take out of the attic fifteen or twenty years later and play with like you’d just bought them? I can’t think of many other things that offer the same timelessness and durability of the humble Lego brick. For me, it’s almost an investment, not just fun.
One thing that I think contributes to the increased perceived cost of Lego is the lean towards specific sets over and above the more traditional bases and tubs of bricks. A set only allows someone to build a single object or scene, whereas the tubs allow limitless creations. This could make the sets seem like they offer less value for money, but the reality is the price per brick isn’t too different (a medium often used to compare Lego pricing).
I think the problem with Lego pricing is related to the increased use of branding across Lego sets. I would categorise them into three areas:
The first two seem to have a broadly similar price point, while the third, licensed brands, are of course more expensive due to the cost of obtaining the licensing and branding for the box and product.
Here is where my ‘beef’ lies. What is also apparent, is that licensing costs are clearly not equal.
It’s true; all of it
Let’s compare some recent releases, taking one Lego Star Wars set and comparing it with a similarly sized set from another part of the Lego range, and see where the value lies.
Comparison 1: A set of around 2000 pieces. Harry Potter vs Star Wars
The ‘spark’ awakens
My passion for Lego was reignited fairly recently. I used to think I was too old for Lego. It was a long and enjoyable part of my childhood, but I had convinced myself that building and playing with Lego was not ‘adulting’ and that I should spend my time doing something more sensible and productive.
Having met fellow council member Dave at work, we became close friends and I began to share his love for the collections and memorabilia associated with Star Wars. I watched Dave work hard every month, get paid, and then proceed to spend a percentage of his monthly wages on one (or several!) Star Wars related items, most being toys or products aimed at a younger demographic. It made him happy and brought a release from the daily chore of office work. I started to think “maybe I’m not too old for Lego?” And the rest is history!
So how is this Star Wars related, I hear you ask? Well, after I decided that I could still legitimately purchase Lego, and being a big Star Wars fan, I began to look at some of the Star Wars themed sets. The spark from my youth suddenly reignited, and I wanted them. I was watching the movies, and wondering if there were Lego versions of ships or scenes. Fast forward to now, and I have over 70 Lego Star Wars sets covering new and old movies in the franchise.
I still purchase Lego Star Wars regularly, and meticulously scour websites like eBay, Shpock, Gumtree and even Facebook classifieds searching for some of the older, retired sets on my wanted list. You could even say I’m a collector! But something has happened recently that has removed a little bit of the excitement for me. You could argue the spark is going out......
A disturbance in the force
“Is it just me, or is Lego really expensive these days?”
It’s a question I see a lot online, and my parents often show strange and contorted facial expressions when I tell them how much I spent on my latest Lego Star Wars purchase. But the truth is, Lego was never a budget toy compared to other brands or products. Ask yourself what other toys you take out of the attic fifteen or twenty years later and play with like you’d just bought them? I can’t think of many other things that offer the same timelessness and durability of the humble Lego brick. For me, it’s almost an investment, not just fun.
One thing that I think contributes to the increased perceived cost of Lego is the lean towards specific sets over and above the more traditional bases and tubs of bricks. A set only allows someone to build a single object or scene, whereas the tubs allow limitless creations. This could make the sets seem like they offer less value for money, but the reality is the price per brick isn’t too different (a medium often used to compare Lego pricing).
I think the problem with Lego pricing is related to the increased use of branding across Lego sets. I would categorise them into three areas:
- Standard Lego (City, Architecture, Creator)
- Lego brands (Ninjago, Nexo Knights, Technic)
- Licensed brands (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, Ferrari etc)
The first two seem to have a broadly similar price point, while the third, licensed brands, are of course more expensive due to the cost of obtaining the licensing and branding for the box and product.
Here is where my ‘beef’ lies. What is also apparent, is that licensing costs are clearly not equal.
It’s true; all of it
Let’s compare some recent releases, taking one Lego Star Wars set and comparing it with a similarly sized set from another part of the Lego range, and see where the value lies.
Comparison 1: A set of around 2000 pieces. Harry Potter vs Star Wars
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Set name
Piece count No. of Minifigures RRP / MSRP Price per piece Year released |
10217: Harry Potter Diagon Alley
2025 12 £133 6.65p 2011 
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75098: Assault on Hoth (UCS)
2144 18 £230 10.73p 2016 
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Now I appreciate that Assault on Hoth is part of the Ultimate Collectors Series. And this set has 6 more minifigures. But almost £100 more for a set with a similar number of pieces is very expensive indeed, even accounting for 5 years of inflation. Given the extra minifigures and the UCS status, a generous estimate of 8p per piece would make Assault on Hoth £171.52, representing a saving of almost £60 compared to the actual Lego MSRP.
Comparison 2: A set of around 1000 pieces. Jurassic World vs Star Wars
Comparison 2: A set of around 1000 pieces. Jurassic World vs Star Wars
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Set name
Piece count No. of Minifigures RRP / MSRP Price per piece Year released |
75919: Indominus Rex Breakout
1156 4 £100 8.65p 2015 
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7965: Millennium Falcon
1254 6 £133 10.61p 2011 
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Ah, the Falcon. That legendary ship so iconic of the Star Wars movies. As much as I love the Falcon (and I really do love it, having convinced my fiancée that it was worth dropping £650 on the recent UCS one), I can’t help thinking the comparison above again smacks of a bit of a rip-off. 98 more pieces and 2 minifigures cost you £33 more than the Jurassic World set. And there is also the 4-year gap in release dates, not in favour of the Star Wars set. Accounting for the slow rise in prices, the Falcon would be more like £140 if released in 2015.
Comparison 3: A 2018 flagship set
Comparison 3: A 2018 flagship set
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Set name
Piece count No. of Minifigures RRP / MSRP Price per piece Year released |
71043: Hogwarts Castle
6020 4 + 27 microfigures £350 5.81p 2018 
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75222: Betrayal at Cloud City
2812 18 £300 10.67p 2018 
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I suppose this is the comparison that prompted me to write this entire piece. I saw the online hurrah about the Cloud City set being released, and I must admit I liked the look of it. I navigated straight to the Lego store online to read more about it, and I nearly dropped my phone when I saw it was £300. It wouldn’t be so bad had they not recently announced the Hogwarts Castle set priced at £350, with over double the amount of pieces in the box for just £50 more. Side by side, the Cloud City set looks like an absolute rip off.
I just think it’s unacceptable, and it is a trend I am noticing more and more.
The hate is swelling in you now
Lots of examples exist of where models have been re-designed and re-released, and I can’t think of a single one that is even close to equal value when compared to the previous version.
Take the new X-Wing Starfighter (set number 75218, MSRP £89.99). I understand it’s been slightly redesigned, but it also happens to be a full £20 more than Poe’s X-Wing from 2015 (set number 75102, MSRP £69.99).
I just think it’s unacceptable, and it is a trend I am noticing more and more.
The hate is swelling in you now
Lots of examples exist of where models have been re-designed and re-released, and I can’t think of a single one that is even close to equal value when compared to the previous version.
Take the new X-Wing Starfighter (set number 75218, MSRP £89.99). I understand it’s been slightly redesigned, but it also happens to be a full £20 more than Poe’s X-Wing from 2015 (set number 75102, MSRP £69.99).
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How about the new 2018 Imperial Landing Craft (set number 75221). I know it’s a slightly different ship design, but the construction is really basic compared to the Tydirium set from 2015 (set number 75094) and the new one has a total of 301 fewer pieces. But the price? Both have an MSRP of £79.99.
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A Jedi craves not these things
So there you have it. Some new Lego Star Wars sets that I absolutely will not be buying. Not because I don’t want them, but because they are just not good value for money at all. In fact, I’d only be inclined to get them if they were offered at a substantial discount/reduction off the MSRP, and even then I would consider spending my money on an older set from eBay instead.
So what is the cause of this? I’ve not delved deep enough to compare excessive numbers of Lego sets, but it does seem like Lego Star Wars is either increasing in price or reducing in size for the same price. Clearly, fans of Lego Star Wars have always paid a premium over other franchised sets, but my comparisons of the X-Wing and Imperial craft above prove that there is a noticeable increase in price compared to similar sets released just 2 or 3 years ago.
Is this down to Lego inflating the cost of the bricks? Judging by the 2018 Hogwarts Castle release, they are not, and we can rule out fluctuations in exchange rates because the £/$/€ MSRP have all risen by similar percentages. Maybe it is Star Wars or Disney themselves being greedy and demanding a bigger cut of the sales of the sets, which is passed on to the consumer? This seems more likely, but I guess we will never know.
Either way, fans deserve better than this. It’s no secret that The Last Jedi was a divisive film, and this split of opinion had a huge impact on Star Wars branded toys and merchandise. The “Boycott Solo” movement didn’t help things (wrongfully in my opinion, Solo was an awesome film) and I have noticed multiple Solo branded products already in bargain sections in UK stores. Based only on anecdotal evidence and some wider reading into the subject, I would assume that sales of Lego Star Wars are down, so maybe the hike in prices is also to cover the predicted losses made on the most recently released sets?
Do you think Lego are risking sales by continuing to increase their pricing? Do you think Lego Star Wars is becoming too expensive to justify buying it? How much more would prices need to rise before you stop buying Lego Star Wars and say ‘enough is enough’?
Let us know your views on twitter @TheJedi_Council