Australian LEGO Missing Sets Report – March 2016
March 9, 2016
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We’re well into March and all the new sets and themes have all been released in Australia – exactly on schedule as per the Australian 2016 January – May retail catalogue. Except for Technic, which comes out in April.
If you’re like me and spend a bit too much time “window shopping” online, especially on LEGO.com you should have noticed something very odd – there are some sets listed online that you may have never seen before on store shelves.
Odd. Jay’s Brick Blog investigates further.
I decided to sit down and comb through LEGO.com to build a list of Missing LEGO Sets for the year to date and it has come to my attention that there are a total of EIGHT SEVEN LEGO sets (and an entire theme) that are missing from Australian retailers and simply cannot be accounted for at the current time.
LEGO Australia definitely has a precedent for omitting certain sets from retail releases. Remember 76022 X-Men vs the Sentinel or 76039 Ant-Man Final Battle? Those were just some of the notable sets that never made it to Australian shores.
Why? Absolutely no idea.
With the Double VIP Points promotion active from 7 – 22 March 2016, I suspect that most of you would be making an order from LEGO.com soon, if you haven’t already. Combine that with the chance to get an affordable Chicken Suit Guy via the Iconic Easter Minifigure Promotion (spend more than AU$40 online), I’m hoping this short guide will help you make some smarter purchases and highlight some of the sets that are currently only available online.
I won’t mention large exclusives like the Classic Batcave but instead, I’d like to focus on some of the smaller sets – sets so basic that you wouldn’t normally think twice about.
Let’s take a look at the Missing Sets List for March 2016.
Missing Set #1 – Creator 31044 Park Animals – AU$24.99
LEGO.com product link – http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Park-Animals-31044
The first notable omission is a charming Creator set, 31044 Park Animals, a lovely set in the same vein as 2015’s Rainforest Animals and 2014’s Furry Creatures. All the new LEGO Creator sets have been out in Australia since February, but Park Animals is the only one that you can’t buy at retail currently.
There are whispers that it may be a Target exclusive like Rainforest Animals, but LEGO Australia were unable to comment when I reached out to them for clarification.
Prediction: Target exclusive
Missing Set #2 – Juniors 10725 Lost Temple – AU$39.99
LEGO.com product link – http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Lost-Temple-10725
The next missing set was a bit of a surprise as I didn’t realise it didn’t show up with the rest of the Juniors sets till a friend of mine pointed it out. The first LEGO Ninjago Juniors set, 10725 Lost Temple is currently MIA, which is a bit of a letdown since it contains some really interesting and unique printed elements including that gorgeous Oriental doorway arch.
I didn’t reach out to LEGO Australia on the whereabouts of this set. My guess is that it’ll be a retailer exclusive of some sort BUT I also think that it might just now show up at all.
UPDATE: Downell R on Facebook has said that he saw this at Mr Toys Toyworld. I checked their website and I also found a listing there. Awesome. I didn’t see this in my local Toyworld but I’ll pop in again this weekend to check again.
Also found one listed on Toys R Us’ website. This should be a general release and show up everywhere else.
Great job people! Let’s find the rest!
Prediction: Not gonna hit Australian shelves at all.
Missing Set #3 – Nexo Knights 70324 Merlok’s Library 2.0 – AU$49.99
Update: Merlok’s Library 2.0 is a Kmart exclusive in Australia.
LEGO.com product link: http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Merlok-s-Library-2-0-70324
Despite being one of LEGO’s massive new themes this year, there are THREE Nexo Knights sets that are missing from Australia. The first of them is Merlok’s Library 2.0. This set features an exclusive character, Ava and connects with 70317 The Fortrex as well. It contains some new Nexo Powers/Shields, so it’s incredibly strange that it hasn’t shown up in Australia yet.
I reached out to LEGO Australia to find out more about the availability of this set, and if it would be a retailer exclusive but they couldn’t provide an answer.
Prediction: Retailer exclusive – Myer
Missing Set #4 – Nexo Knights 70325 Infernox Captures the Queen – AU$49.99
Update: Infernox has been spotted at Toys R Us and is now available for purchase through their website. I also assume that it’ll be in-store!
LEGO.com product link: http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Infernox-captures-the-Queen-70325
I didn’t expect so many Nexo Knights sets to be missing and you can add Infernox Captures the Queen to the list. Containing 2 Nexo Powers and an exclusive character, Queen Halbert, this mech-like rock/lava monster actually looks pretty damn cool and is probably meant to go with The King’s Mech as a pair. The King’s Mech needs something to fight off after all, and it makes sense for the King to be the one rescuing the queen.
Again, I reached out to LEGO Australia for any information about the whereabouts of this set but they weren’t able to feed me any useful information.
Prediction: Retailer exclusive – Toys R Us
Missing Set #5 – Nexo Knights 70327 The King’s Mech – AU$59.99
UPDATE: The King’s Mech has FINALLY made an appearance at Big W! Thanks to everyone for the heads up!
LEGO.com product link: http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/The-King-s-Mech-70327
The big daddy of missing Nexo Knights sets is of course The King’s Mech. This is most likely the set that will excite adult (and younger LEGO fans) the most as it’s a freaking medieval mech wielding a massive sword – what’s not to like?!
Thankfully, LEGO Australia were able to confirm that The King’s Mech is a Big W exclusive but as of the time of writing, it hasn’t shown up on Big W shelves yet. No idea when it’ll actually be released but hey, at least we know where to keep an eye out for it.
Missing Set #6 – City 60131 Crooks Island – AU$49.99
Update: Crooks Island is a Target Australia exclusive.
LEGO.com product link: http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Crooks-Island-60131
Now LEGO City wouldn’t normally be a theme that I’d expect sets to go missing but there are THREE sets that I’ve not been able to locate. First is Crooks Island, a medium-sized set featuring the hideout of LEGO City criminals.
In case you didn’t know, City is LEGO’s best-selling theme so it utterly perplexes me that they would not roll out the entire theme to Australia.
Prediction: Retailer exclusive – possibly Target
Missing Set #7 – City 60111 Fire Utility Truck – AU$49.99
LEGO.com product link: http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Fire-Utility-Truck-60111
This set actually looks pretty cool. It features a small fire engine, with a retractable crane to put out a satellite dish that has caught fire. It looks interactive, fun and frankly looks really refreshing. I can see this set being popular, and I have no idea why this set isn’t out in Australia yet, despite City 2016 sets being on shelves since February.
Prediction: Retailer exclusive – possibly Big W
Missing Set #8 – City 60112 Fire Engine – AU$69.99
Update: Fire Engine is a Toys R Us Australia exclusive.
LEGO.com product link: http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Fire-Engine-60112
This massive Fire Engine also joins this curious list of missing LEGO sets and I cannot imagine why. It’s a full-sized fire engine, with a massive crane/ladder putting out a burning building. It looks like a pretty useful vehicle that could easily fit in to LEGO City layouts as we haven’t had a proper-sized long Fire Engine since 2000.
Prediction: Retailer exclusive – possibly Toys R US
Missing Set #9 – the entire freakin’ wave of new Speed Champions sets
LEGO.com product link: http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Speed-Champions-ByTheme
So this one riles me up, because I’m quite a fan of the Speed Champions theme. I’m not a huge car guy, but I can definitely see the appeal, especially with adult collectors who want to own brick-built versions of their favourite iconic sports cars.
Here’s what Australian Speed Champions fans are missing out on. Thankfully, you can order them all from LEGO.com who will ship to Australia. Because logic.
- 75876 Porsche 919 Hybrid and 917K Pit Lane
- 75875 Ford F-150 Raptor & Ford Model A Hot Rod
- 75874 Chevrolet Camaro Drag Race
- 75870 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
- 75871 Ford Mustang GT
- 75872 Audi R18 e-tron quattro
- 75873 Audi R8 LMS ultra
The second wave of Speed Champions is super exciting with the debut of new car manufacturers such as Ford, Audi and Chevrolet. If you’re an Australian Speed Champions fan, I can only imagine how disappointed you’d feel that the release dates for these sets are up in the air, especially since these are available in other countries.
As it stands, there is no confirmed release date for all the 2016 Speed Champions sets. I reached out to LEGO Australia earlier in the year to enquire about Speed Champions as it was suspiciously missing from the January – May 2016 retail calendar but was once again given no indication that it’s even coming here.
Prediction: Second-half of 2016 release
Some other interesting sets to consider
If you’re making a LEGO.com order, and are trying to add sets to your cart to hit the magic $200 free shipping threshold, here are some smaller sets that you could also consider:
The seasonal set is an especially great buy since they’re only available for a limited time. The new 2016 Wedding Favour set might not be for you if you’re not getting married, but it’s an interesting novelty set nonetheless.
I wouldn’t rush with Angry Birds, simply because they’re due to be released in stores in late March/early April.
So yeah, a bit frustrating as an Australian LEGO fan that so many sets are currently missing from retail shelves, with some even running the risk of not showing up at all for whatever reasons.
It’s equally frustrating that none of this information on set availability/retailer exclusivity is ever communicated by LEGO Australia, which simply doesn’t help. In an age where everybody’s first instinct is to turn to the internet to make purchase decisions, I’m utterly perplexed that Australian LEGO bloggers and new sites (not that there are many of us to begin with) are not being used to disseminate useful information like retailer exclusive availability, or even when a set isn’t coming out so fans can just buy them online.
I get so many emails and Facebook messages to my page all the time from people asking about these sets and I try my very best to get an answer from LEGO Australia, because I hate letting you guys down and genuinely want to help wherever possible.
Way back in 2014, I remember being quite ticked off to discover that the X-Men vs The Sentinel set wasn’t even coming to Australia as I’m a huge super heroes fan and was patiently waiting for it. With the Ant-Man Final Battle and the mini-recall due to structural instability, I sort of understand but I don’t remember anything being wrong with the X-Men set. I’m lucky because I’m in a semi-privileged position in that I have a (rough) channel of communication with LEGO Australia if I ever need to find out, but what about regular LEGO fans that don’t?
I do concede that there might be stuff happening behind the scenes that might make it challenging for the LEGO Australia rep I deal with to furnish me with answers and to her credit, she’s often been fantastic with fielding my emails even though I may not always get a solid answer.
All I’m saying is that, some more communication and proactive seeding of local product information and availability would be great, as it benefits the entire Australian LEGO fanbase and community having these information at our fingertips.
Hope someone from LEGO Australia is reading this!
Let me know in the comments what you think of these missing sets. Would love to know if you were surprised that so many sets are missing or what you think in general about this entire issue. If I’ve made a mistake with any of these missing sets, or if you’ve spotted them on shelves anywhere, please let me know as well so I can make necessary corrections!
