1 January 2022 release day was bad, and not a great start to the year.

January 3, 2022 | 15

The 1st of January is usually one of the most exciting dates on the LEGO Fan’s calendar, as a whole bunch of new sets usually get launched, with heavy hitters such as the new modular 10297 Boutique Hotel becoming available.

It’s a fun time, as eager fans get to order all the shiny new sets they’ve had their eyes on, but this year, 1 January didn’t go as smoothly as expected.

LEGO.com surprise delays

Here in Australia, just after the stroke of midnight, many fans rudely discovered that quite a large number of LEGO sets that were originally advertised as “Coming Soon on 1 January 2022” had their releases pushed out further, some with Back Order Status, and the other coming soon.

The new release dates are also all over the shop, with sets like the Clone Trooper Commander Station having indefinite “Coming Soon” status, Ahsoka Tano Brickheadz is “Coming Soon” in the US, but is back ordered till 3 February 2022 in Australia, the Iron Man Figure is pushed out till 10 January 2022, and most devastatingly, it looks like LEGO Minifigures Series 22 is now delayed to February in Australia.

The Ahsoka Tano Brickheadz are available in the UK, in-store and online… so (???)

In short, a very confusing mess, and it’s extra frustrating because most of these sets were advertised as being available on 1 January – and I imagine many, like me had to adjust (or even abandon) their New Year LEGO purchases due to so many things being out of stock.

I can’t imagine why this couldn’t have been communicated much earlier, even a few days prior if LEGO Australia were aware of such delays, before pulling the rug on fans who stayed up till midnight to order.

Missing 1 January 2022 launch sets in-store

I’ve also heard similar stories on the ground in Australia. Holly, who is based in Sydney had an equally underwhelming trip to the LEGO Certified Store, where the situation was even more dire, with no Sonic The Hedgehog on shelves (apparently releasing on the 11th of January?), Ahsoka Tano Brickheadz or even Battle Packs.

Oh and no Monkie Kid or LEGO Mario as well. Worryingly, Monkie Kid isn’t even showing up on the LCS Coming Soon section, so who knows if they’ll actually be available in physical stores. 🤷

In the USA, it seemed like the situation was much better in-store, save for a few missing Star Wars sets.

United Kingdom LEGO Price Increases

In the UK and Europe, the 1st of January also signalled some price adjustments, with some sets going up in price, and some sets going down, in an effort to harmonise prices around Western Europe.

Painfully, the Assembly Square’s price in the UK has increased by 27%.

Brickset has a great roundup of some of the major pricing changes in Europe.

Oh and bad news for LEGO MOC builders as Pick a Brick prices also looked to have increased in the UK, with large cups costing £14.99 and small £7.99, up from £11.99 and £6.99 respectively. A 25% increase for Large Cups!

Build a Minifigure station prices are also £5.99 for three, up from £4.99 previously – a 20% increase.

Inflation, or Brexit-related, this isn’t great news for UK LEGO fans, who are already dealing with soaring cost of living and other essentials.

All in all, a very messy and frustrating experience for LEGO fans looking to get their hands on new LEGO sets. There were other minor disappointments, such as the lack of a tantalising gift with purchase (GWP), and some minor confusion about whether the new LEGO Retail Store set would be offered, thanks to ambiguous information from LEGO.

This all comes down to poor communication from LEGO, compounded by most countries being on holiday from Christmas till New Year, and the world still reeling from Supply Chain and logistics challenges, which may have contributed to some sets being delayed from appearing on shelves or online.

I was ready to make a few big purchases, and even had plans on visiting a LEGO Store on launch day to pick up Sonic (my review copy has been delayed, and hasn’t shipped yet), but caught a cold (not Covid… I think) and had to bail on my plans, so I’m thankful I didn’t travel a long way for a set that wasn’t available in-store anyway.

I even had a writeup planned on the 10 sets you need to order in January 2022… but given the delays, half the items on the list wouldn’t have been able to be ordered, so that’s put on ice instead.

Anyway, that’s been my experience and observation of what went down on 1 January 2022!

How was your 1 January 2022 LEGO shopping experience? Did you order what you wanted, or did you have to slightly alter plans like me?

To catch up on some recent articles, be sure to check out:

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