There is an interesting update from the LEGO Ambassador Network. Two LEGO Ideas sets, the #21309 LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V and the #21313 LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle is going to be re-launched, but with new set numbers, and should be available soon. Below are the details.
The #21309 LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V was originally submitted by LEGO fans Felix Stiessen and Valerie Roche in 2014, and released as an official LEGO set in 2017. It was very popular with LEGO Space fans, as well as fans of space exploration. It came with 1,969 pieces for the retail price of $120. The re-released version will have a new number, #92176.
The #21313 LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle was originally submitted to LEGO Ideas by LEGO fan Jake Sadovich in 2016, and released as an official LEGO set in 2018. It’s a smaller display set with 962 pieces featuring a LEGO-made glass bottle with a cute little ship inside. The retail price was $70. The new set number is going to be #92177.
Here is the confirmation about the re-launch from the LEGO Ideas team: “The two sets are being re-launched due to popular demand, and as they had already left the market, we could not keep the original numbers. The agreements with the fan designers remain unchanged (1% of total net sales). Also, one of the new set numbers matches a fan designer’s birthday. They were very involved in the process.”
It’s not clear how LEGO decided that these sets should come back, especially since they were retired only recently. LEGO could have just kept producing them without having to change the set number. Anyhow, this is good news for those who missed out on the sets the first time around and don’t want to pay higher prices on the secondary market. Both sets should be available before Christmas at the LEGO Ideas section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? Are you planning to get either or both of these sets? And how do you like the idea of LEGO bringing back sets that were already retired? What other sets would you like to see come back? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
Well, that’s certainly interesting. I don’t understand why they need to change the set number. Any ideas?
They need to change the set number otherwise they’ll get sued for false advertising. They advertised that the original sets were retiring.
Oh, I see. That makes sense. I was wondering about that too.
I don’t get it. Why did they stopped producing them if they are bringing them back so soon?
Covid-19 has severely disrupted Lego’s supply chain, the demand for Lego’s in general (so many people at home) and (I suspect) their creative process as well.
I think it is highly likely they’ve had to rethink just about every assumption they had in February and revisited them based on changes to all of the above..
It’s probably easier for them to remake recently retired popular sets right now than create new ones. And as far as I know, their factory in Mexico is still closed. They only have three other factories, so this must put a big strain on the whole system.
I was watching a video and it said that Lego factories are running 24/7. They hardly have time to take them down for maintenance. And that’s at normal times. I can’t imagine what kind of shuffling around they have to do to keep up with current demand and compensate for 1/4th of their production shut down.
I guess it’s rather that designing sets and boxes, quality-checking, and test-running prototypes always would take a long time.
There wouldn’t have been any time to get out new sets on such short notice even with all factories working.
I wonder if they are planning to change anything, or if they are rereleasing the sets like the originals. And will they put them in 18+ boxes? Maybe that explains why they have to change the set number.
I bought this set for myself when it first came out, but only recently built it. My wife who is also a Lego builder was very jealous – Now I can surprise her by buying her the new release for Christmas!
The sets will even have special his and her set numbers so you guys don’t mix them up. Haha!
I personally wouldn’t mind if they brought back the Star Wars Bespin 40th anniversary model that sold out in less than a day. I misunderstood that they had a very limited number and kinda had my heart set on that one. 😀 (Just wishful thinking, lol!)
I would love if they would bring back some of the sets I missed out on. The Maersk Train, the Imperial Flagship, some of the earlier Ideas sets that were released in very limited quantities, and the earlier modulars. I guess we can hope now?
I would love to see updated re-releases of some of the original modulars…. even though we don’t have the room to add them to our current set-up!
They really should bring back some of the retired sets. Okay, maybe not all the way back from teh 70s, but from the last 20 years or something. They could do a survey on which sets people want the most and then release them. That way they know what will sell and there is no risk for them.
Cool! I hope they release some of hte earlier ideas sets to. I would love to get the Mars rover.
Hmm, I already have 21109 Exo Suit and the bulk of 21306 The Beatles Yellow Submarine, and there are few others I think would be interesting enough to pay full price for.
I might be most interested in 21108 Ghostbusters Ecto-1, although to be honest, despite the flack at the movie, 75828 Ecto-1 & 2 is probably a better set, (I don’t ‘hate’ the 2016 movie, I just think they could have worked more on the script beforehand, instead of just placing their bets on ad-libbing comedians…)