Amazon Sells 9509 2012 Star Wars Advent Calendar, Wallets Cry

[Staff]

I don't know when this happened, but Amazon has now listed the 9509 Star Wars Advent Calendar for sale for $49.99. Since it's sold and shipped by Amazon, you can bet that price is MSRP. While not as expensive as TRU's $59.99 price tag, it's 10 bucks more than last year's exclusive. Considering how poorly rated last year's calendar was, this year's looks to be slightly better. You get two exclusive holiday themed minifigs this year, Santa Maul and an R2-Snow2, some other non-exclusive army-builder figs, and a bevy of micro models. Like last year, we'll be doing a daily review of each set come December so stay tuned and when I say 'we' I mean Ken. Thanks Ken!
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Permalink: http://www.fbtb.net/2012/08/23/amazon-sells-9509-2012-star-wars-advent-calendar-wallets-cry/

[buriedbybricks]

Voluntold!

That price is pretty, well... disgusting. Assuming the usual Canadian mark-up to $60.

[Mister Ed]

Wow, I thought last years calendar didn't sell that well, considering how long it sat around, EVENTUALLY getting marked down. Guess I was wrong. I mean if last years didn't sell well, it would be INSANE to jack the price to this level for this one, right? Right?

I like the snow R2 quite a bit, actually, but not enough to REMOTELY justify that price. That price just makes me laugh.

[The_Chosen_1]

Wow....this must be some kind of sick joke, LEGO.

Over $.21 per piece?!?!

[Mofo Jones]

$50? Wow, that's an easy "wait until clearance" situation.

Also, do my eyes deceive me, or is one of their featured models on the front a TPM Flash Speeder?

[anakinisvader]

I am using the calendars that I got on clearance last year, this year. I will purchase this calendar on clearance this year to use next year. This calendar will sell but not at msrp.

[GrayMattR]

The calendar sat on WalMart clearance shelves into late February around here. I expect more of the same with this price tag. Aside from the snowman RD-D2 - which is brilliant - I wouldn't give this a second glance since every other fig is a remake. (I don't count Darth Maul since he's strictly a figment of George Lucas' marketing lobe of the brain.)

[onions]

i don't have a lot of experience with lego advent calendars, so i'm struggling to think of how lego can make them better other than providing more exclusive minifigs and/or making it cheaper. maybe they can put in some of the harder-to-get minifigs that only come in expensive sets, like oola, or queen amidala. they aren't technically new, but they aren't the same old cannon fodder like battle droid and red shirt troopers. but on the other hand if they did that, there'd be no reason to get the other sets.

brick built droids? weapons rack? energon cubes? i don't know. micro models seems to be the only viable option. if they made them bigger and beefier, and increase the piece count without increasing the price, i think that would make it seem more worth it. but as it is now, with the the increased cost, it's hard to justify.

unless you have a tradition of doing advent calendars and like the star wars ones, then you're just screwed.

[Mister Ed]

Make it cheaper would be the obvious way to improve it. I don't really have a problem with the contents, but $50 for those contents is rather ludicrous, especially given how long these sat on store shelves last year at a LOWER price.

[shoggoth666]

I passed on last years definitely passing on this one. I enjoyed the 2010 castle advent calender though.

[cas]

Well, given how last year's clogged the shelves for what seemed like months after Christmas, it's a viable option to wait on this. There is absolutely no way this one will outsell the last one (not saying it sold poorly, I don't know, perhaps it was overproduced--which may have been corrected this time 'round). $50. Huge pass. $25, $20, sure, come the post-Christmas sales.

[DarthBuilder]

I had brought this up before and how insane the TRU pricing was for this set. Figured since they were first to sell it that it was "Exclusive" pricing.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=8133

Now backed up with this price at Amazon I am at a loss. Yes this set is better than last years but still isn't worth last years $39.99 price. At $40 bucks, I waited till TRU had the 2011 advent calendars for $20 bucks and bought two.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=8082

[Bellicose]

Already picked up my City advent calendar for this year.

Wasn't the Star Wars calendar $45 last year, while the City version was $40? I seem to recall the Star Wars one costing more for some reason.

$50 is a pretty horrid price, and there's really nothing to justify the price bump.

[Bower]

You can pick up the LEGO 2012 STAR WARS ADVENT CALENDAR in September for $39.99 USD or $49.99 CAD

I found this article but I'm not sure how reliable it is. I truly hope it stays at 39.99 as this states even though it should be lower.

http://kabooooom.com/2012/02/toy-fair-2 ... offerings/

[Bill the Builer]

Like last year, you can get this in Germany for only Euro 29,99, which is pretty good. I can imagine it has to do with the fact that Advent Calendars sell like hotcakes here. No one would pay 40 or even 50 Euro for something that's so common here that more people have an Advent Calendar than they do a Christmas tree! Growing up in the States, I don't recall seeing them at all. I don't know if that's changed in the past 20 years.

[darth_fett]

Now this is how u do Micro sets! Way better than last year's paltry offerings. I'm digging Grievous' and Darth Maul's Fighters, the Gian Speeder, Vulture Droid, and a nifty R2 Unit for Stealth Hoth battle action! Plus Santa Maul is way better than Santa Yoda any day of the year. I just regret clicking on the pic and seeing all the sets in their beautiful glory, i prefer to have surprises when i open my advent calendar. Oh well, i have 4 more months for my senility to kick in again. That bongo looked hella hot too. <drool...slurp>

[DarthBuilder]

So looks like LEGO Shop@Home was updated with new items today some "Collection" deals like JabbasPalace and Desert Skiff for $144.98.

http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Star-Wa ... on-5001309

Also Sith Fury and Republic Stricker for $143.98.

http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Star-Wa ... on-5001308

Related to this thread was that LEGO has added the 2012 Advent Calander and it looks like $49.99! is the reality. A better set than last year but again......50 bucks! UGH.