Lego has a LAN/Influencer Problem 

He is great. And he actually values a set in multiple ways. Build wise but also and much more important, is it fun. And in particular is it fun for the group it is aimed at. Especially the smaller sets he does awesome reviews. I can't think of a better reviewer for Lego than him. And he pays for all his sets.

The day he sells out to sponsors is the day pigs fly

Jang blows the LAN channels out of the water. He's independent of Lego, and he clearly loves and knows Lego, has decades of experience with it, is a MOC builder, and uses his channels to support charity. He's not some 20-something who learned he can make a buck by getting in bed with Lego and playing the RU-vid game with manipulative thumbnails, shopping sprees, and breathless hype on behalf of Lego.

I hope he continues to be independent. His reviews are the only legitimate ones out there, bar none.

​@@YetiGxhes done sponsored videos about sets from alt brands

wht do you mean the way it's currently working? for Lego that's literally the whole point of it

When you're more honest about Lego, you have to fear getting sued. This is not even a joke they try everything to mess with you

Look up Tiago Catarino he reviews the sets and gives his honest opinion. Some times it’s not favorable to the set. He has a lot of insight since he was a Lego Designer.

I review Lego that I buy myself!

Hey everybody (insert name) here

The shopping haul videos can get really tiring, especially when it's in your face. Like yeah a bunch of us spend way too much on LEGO and anybody can take one look at just a bit of our collections and add up the cost, but there's something weird about posting every single trip you take to the LEGO Store and having the thumbnails be something like "$8,000 LEGO HUAL!" plastered over a photo of a dozen yellow bags. Like great, you spent several times more on LEGO in one day than most people make in a month if they're lucky.

What kills me is that Danibob has been selling her LAN sets on Mercari and LAN didn’t punish her like they did some other LAN members who made honest mistakes.

I'm a big process person, and unevenly applied rules really bother me. I know some LAN members are getting sets in themes that they generally "specialize" in, but they do get sets they don't really care all that much about (the Avatar sets come to mind).

Don’t take it as the gospel truth, but Bricksie mentioned in one of his videos that Lego allows them pick or pass on certain kits (Sonic, Friends, etc.) to review.

What’s fascinating about the perception of it being an ad program, it operates SO inefficiently as such. Frustratingly so if you’re on the inside and care at all.

@@MandRproductions Does it operate inefficiently? From the outside it looks like minimal expenditure for regular online product blitzes. What's different about the reality?

Out of touch yeah, like sure I'd get a free Venator and drool over the fig and go fuming like a totally insane person when a small set is brought with that fig? Most people get a Venator because they think the build is awesome, because it is a great display piece. Who pays hundreds of dollars/euros on a set just to get that fig?

⁠@@dgray3771 don’t get mad some people can afford to do that. I agree with some of the stuff he’s saying up here but if you have the money to buy it, you have the money to buy it the people that I look at get some stuff for free and already got tens and thousands of sets. I don’t know if y’all are talking about that same person but there’s no need to be so damn envious of him, when his whole damn house is full of Lego and obviously it is obvious that he loves Lego. Damn, I would hate to put my stuff up here because you all would be saying the same shit right now I believe I’m one person that probably has every single set from 1975 until to now because I’m 60 years old, but I choose not to broadcast my stuff because of theft. It would be very easy for me to be a LAN. But I have seen so many people hate because somebody is and I honestly don’t think that the guy that you all are probably talking about takes the hard about the free stuff he gets because he’s already somewhat of a damn billionaire. I don’t think he has an issue and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people that do these hauls they’re spending their money. I’m honestly happy to say that I have never filmed. None of my stuff or became an influencer. I would hate to see what the hell you all would have to say about me get over the envious bullshit. I have nothing against Lego. Everybody has a choice whether to buy or not to buy and if they choose to send people free stuff then that’s on them, you have nothing to do with it.

@@michellewhitley8668 There is no envy. I got like 5000 dollars worth of TF figures. Own almost the entire GI Joe classified line including army building the troopers. I got about 20.000 worth of Lego. Trust me it's not from a point of envy. But if I was at the store and a set was there that I want and it's the last one. And a kid was eying it with his parents wanting it too. I'd let him have it. I hate how some people are. Greedy as f. And just Scrooge incarnate. I also spread my buys if I want to get multiple of an item so I don't clear out. Give other people a chance too. Maybe it is because I grew up poor and had to work my way up in life. But Lego should be for kids first but especially fun be it a small or big set does not matter. And how collecting is treated these days it is more about how much a set is worth than if it is fun. The single Tie fighter set for example. It got so much hate why, cause it is smaller and looks more toy ish than the bigger previous one. But it is very sturdy a great kids toy and it fits neatly with most series that came out the last few years. It really is a great set. But nope haven't seen a review that isn't bashing it for that. I'm just kinda done with the reviewers. For this and plenty other reasons mentioned. And to sum it up, it's just disappointing that these people are the cornerstone of the community. People that others look at for advice. And that has nothing to do with envy.

I've enjoyed every Shy video I've watched, and I was happy he's now in the LAN. His perspective tends to be unique and I'll have to check out his new content. It's so cool he gave the set away!

Those are all really good channels (and I especially agree about Josh Builds Stuff). It's hard to watch reviews if people don't know much about the subject matter. If we ever do that, it's due to a modular building being released in another theme (Marvels) and we focus on the modular component.

Jedi Bricks takes a fresh approach to Lego videos, and worth viewing.

Check Brickcrafts. Not a reviewer but a city builder. Also Hollyonfilm buys her own lego.

In Finland you need to pay taxes of free Lego sets even if you aren't employee of TLG

If you go down that route soon you won't be able to buy your family member a Christmas gift without the government watching. Terrible idea

Those haul videos are really terrible. They pander to people's base, self-destructive instincts in order to turn a buck. Pretty shameful, really.

I like them, but agree…I had to stop as I could NOT buy that much. 😂

Hmmmm. Sounds like a certain channel I know….hahahhaa

Yes, so many of the channels are just travel vlogs of boring lan events, movie premieres, and videos looking for minifigs to sell on whatnot. It's gotten so repetitive and boring.

How about reviewers that simply take the sets, put it together but do not use the stickers with the set. How can you review the set without using the stickers that are an essential part of the set? If you review, review the whole product, price, build, fun factor & all the parts that includes stickers of the set.

I think it is completly fine to leave the price open for the viewer to decide on. It should of course be said how much the set retails for, but in the end the review should show you, what the product contains and what you can do with it. Wether or not it is worth the price is up to anyone. What good is it gonna do if someone else says "this is priced too high" or "this is priced good" when you don't know about their economic situation. Someone who makes 7k a month will have a completly different perception of what is expensive than someone who makes 2k a month. It is a very much relative thing really, I think.

@@AClassicBrick Getting "value" for what it costs is definitely a argument to make on any item. Looking at how beautiful the item is what you can do with it and how it compares to other similar products both in quality and design. Everyone knows what 1 dollar is worth or 1 euro. So comparing it that way is never bad. The biggest problem I have with price comparison is this and it is relatively simple, but rich folks hate to hear this. When you for example compare the UCS ATAT with the regular 75288 ATAT. You lose me. Because the item is under 200 bucks while the UCS is 800 ish. I got real collectors items for different brands. And would never ever compare a toy with a collectors item. It's like saying someone should buy a Ferrari instead of the matchbox version. But less extreme. It is unfair to people who can't ever afford it and to people who simply do not have space for such a huge item. Heck I got trouble fitting my stuff in my place. And I got plenty space compared to some people. If you get value for your money in terms of brick totals and how well an item is made is good enough. Fitting in items when it comes to scale. That's fair. Is it screen accurate to a degree. That's fair. But to gush over extremely pricey items and starting to compare that with a kids toy that isn't fair. And I heard it when people say "the UCS is so much better". Yeah you almost buy a car for that... It better be. But don't rub it in. Most people are lucky to get 2 or 3 battle packs. They don't have to be rubbed in that you got 50 and look how awesome it is to have this army. "You can do that too!"...No I got bills... It really is a disconnect on that part where these people who already got free stuff and on top of that infinite money to fuel their hobby. Now I sit in the middle, I got a good job. But I know plenty of people who really are tight and have to pick 1 or 2 sets a year to buy. But I feel these sharks who got infinite money are too disconnected with reality for most people. Most people cannot waste 500 bucks a month on Lego. But they don't understand.

@@AClassicBricki think this is a dangerous way of thinking. Yes someone with 7k/month more likely buys a expensive set as someone with half of that. BUT that’s not the point. Reviewers should still do research on pricing especially on comparable older or recent sets. Like for example the new UCS Jabbas Sail Barge: you could get the UCS Razor Crest for that money and the set is objectively way better. If you do your research you’d come up with a 350€ price at max for the Sail Barge. So saying this set is not worth the 500$ because of how other similar sets are priced or based on that you could get better sets for that money is a objective fact not a opinion and it’s Important for the viewers so they are able to sort this set in. Some just don’t have any idea about how LEGOs pricing across the products.

@@dgray3771the review should be really detailed to justify 800€ that’s most people’s f.u.ing RENT ! If you spend the money for your rent on a LEGO set then it should really be the greatest shit ever without any flaws. This is why I really think those sponsored reviews and some fan reviews are just looking at it from a wrong angle. You should always and most forward look at it money wise. What is 800€? How much is that, what can you buy with that kind of money? Then you can start looking at the set. Hobby’s can go too far. You should ALWAYS relate it and compare to real life. If you buy a plastic model for 800€ without careful consideration you lost control

It's a shame brick building coverage is skewed so heavily towards Lego. The other brands produce some amazing stuff at better prices than Lego, so props to that RU-vidr for doing the right thing and severing ties with Lego.

@@SO-ym3zsit’s because LEGO tries everything to kill off any competition. There is a reason legos legal department is bigger than legos design and production department. They even use very dirty tricks to throw over small businesses. For example they keep delaying the court hearing for so long until the small business gets bankrupt because of the legal fees and can’t pay their lawyer anymore. Then they show up to the process and destroy the defenseless company. Did that one multiple times now. They also warned the border patrols of potential fake LEGO so they actually confiscated the containers and destroyed it. The building brick toys inside were actually not interfering with any licensing or patent LEGO had. They were planned for charity so orphan kids can have toys for Christmas. LEGO didn’t want them to have not LEGO products and the border patrol believed them. LEGO can do a lot of scummy things with their money and horde of lawyers.

Yet he can probably rest assured that he will make the money back with his video about the set, so basicly he also will have them for free probably. That is not to descredit him as a reviewer, he does great content and discusses his views on sets very well. Great stuff.

Chris clearly has a genuine love for Lego. But even if he wasn't in LAN, the fact that his family is incredibly wealthy means there's still a disconnect with the average consumer re: price.

@@trev3971 why do you feel there’s a disconnect I’m not rich and I have almost the same stuff. He has no disconnect there this man loves Lego as much as I do I’m a fanatic about it but I’m not a panel channel or anything. One thing I do do though is constantly keep in touch with Lego about everything that I buy and whether or not I’d like it and how I tell people in the store about it that I go to basically everybody here knows who I am in San Antonio in the stores, but I really do appreciate that bricks and would love to meet him one day. We have a lot in common.

@@michellewhitley8668 You're not rich but you have 8,000 Lego sets?

@@trev3971 i’m 60 I’ve been collecting since 1975. My dad was stationed over in Germany so that’s when my collection started when I was 11 years old it became such a hobby all the way up to today. I’m retired military now, so I can just about afford it, it has always relieved a lot of stress because I have PTSD, but no by far I am not rich it is just a great hobby that I have. Three rooms full.

@@trev3971 i’ve been collecting since 1975 when my dad brought us over to Germany when he was in the army. I am 60 years old now retired military and have three rooms full, so yes it’s about as much as duck bricks. I don’t collect everything but it’s enough, but no I am not rich I mean think about it collecting since 11 years old and I’m 60 now yeah you’d have a lot of sets too. Lol I don’t sell anything and don’t list anything. I am not into that at all. I buy a lot one item I had missed out on was the orange 911 Porsche I remember when it was like 200 something dollars I had to check out 900 to get it from bricks and mini figures and right there it was sealed and I opened it up and everybody freaked out like what it was sealed. The price is going to go down. I said I’m going home to build this, I keep my instructions in my boxes but I’ve never sold anything I treasure all of that stuff my nephew says when he comes to my house is Lego land. He’s a very lucky little boy because he’s gonna end up with it.

Ditto, after I got back into Lego as an adult and realized what they were doing, I unsubscribed all of them. I only follow the independent channels, like this one.

Interesting. If Lego wants to use influencers, that's fine, but I really wish the ambassador side was separate. Go back to the roots of the program!

It definitely is cost-effective for Lego, but I agree that there is an interesting culture surrounding it. I'm glad you know of people in the LAN that are sharing info!

At least he buys lego not just gets them for free. He doesnt do much reviews however those feel like specification readings and not real reviews.

That's interesting - I've heard some inside accounts of LAN, but not too many.

Thanks!

It's by design. The embargo time/date is set up to encourage people to release their videos simultaneously, which also gooses the algorithm and helps create FOMO.

Yes because they all upload their videos before the embargo date and set the same time on youtube like 3 pm for the public release.

yeah. he's an a-hole.

I will comment knowing at least 5 peoooe well in this network, many of them are not that afraid to speak their mind on something they don’t like

I would agree that at least the largest of channels are basically employees.

@@KeepOnBrickingg How often do they do this versus someone who isn't beholden to Lego? How do we know to what degree, explicitly or subconsciously, they've been influenced by the company they're promoting?

Thanks!

I think that's exactly what's going on. They could have easily caught the leakers by giving out "fake" leaks to different people (like Tyrion did in GoT) to find the leaker. It's how most spies are discovered and is quite effective at rooting them out. By "leaking" info, it builds massive hype for what's coming. Now, the pictures of sets coming out a day or 2 before an official reveal is probably not what Lego wants, but the leaked descriptions and pics coming out a couple months beforehand are almost assuredly allowed by Lego.

This seems common across different hobbies/interests on RU-vid, where the channels all ape each other in a desperate bid to please the almighty algorithm. If one video gets a lot of views, the competitors try to copy everything about it, and soon all the channels sound like idiotic clones of each other as they all scramble for a buck. Of course, with the LAN, you also have to wonder how much of the talking points are being fed to the channels directly from Lego's press kits.

@@SO-ym3zs Yeah, I’m referring to specific the talking points that are fed to them by Lego.

The problem isn't that they're popular or earn their living off their channel: it's that they often pose as objective sources of news or reviews when they need to curry favor with Lego and promote their products for their channel to function. If they're getting a bunch of free, early sets and exclusives from Lego in exchange for media coverage, the conflict of interest is obvious. In many ways, RU-vid and social media in general have changed the way people get their info for the worse. There is little to no accountability or ethical standards. Anyone can say anything, and if they do it in an entertaining way, suddenly millions are parroting the same nonesense. Influencers have taken advertising into a super-sketchy realm, where a lot of people don't even realize they're being advertised to. Of course, product placement, sponsorships, etc. are hardly a new phenomenon. But the way it happens now online is really devious.

@SO-ym3zs My faves always state what sets are given to them. Rarely is there an issue with the sets, cause we're all Lego nuts. The usual issue, ironically, is the price of the set. I agree that influencers are GREAT advertising- that's how I, a 59 y/o, got into Lego. Lego is in business to make $, and their current strategy is working. I agree their original reason behind the Ambassador program has morphed, but, again, it is working. It's up to the adults in the room (we who shell out hundreds of dollars LOL) to sort out the authenticity of the review. Look, there's a channel for everyone, Your observations and feelings about Lego's business strategy is totally valid. I respect your opinion and look fwd to your upcoming videos. Subscribed 👍

Thanks!

Yes. Lego is doing anything unique, but something seemingly every major company is doing. It does make sense in many ways: sending someone $500 of material in exchange for creating a video that will get tens of thousands of views has a logic to it.

keep on doing what you do MandR, your analysis of SW sets in particular always drills into the areas and discussion points that the hardcore fans want to hear about. The LAN reviews of those sets, in comparison feel superficial, like they are just following a template to get a review done as quick as possible.

Most I watched suggest it is a good overpriced set. A position that I can agree with. It looks great and has the details on the model down really well. If only it would be cheaper...

@@AClassicBrick it's a $350, basically. But in all honesty, some ambassadors are blindsided by the fact that lego gift those sets to them! SolidBrixStudios comes to mind… and he's had his fair share of backlash for praising overpriced trash sets lately. So, if Lego is too blatant in buying their reviews, at least common sense kicks in for most consumers. 💁🏼‍♂️

@@MrMCLvideo SolidBrix review's are pretty poor as well, they are just following a template, and he makes very little effort to discussing the features or aspects of sets that fans want in depth analysis on.

Thanks for the comment and for watching! I agree with your point that many of them have a pulse on what fans think. That's one reason why I made sure to note that it's very possible that Lego just doesn't listen when that feedback is passed along. However, it's also possible, due to the incentive structure of the LAN, that influencers won't be completely honest. You also make a good point that we should watch the content we enjoy. While this video was more of a thought piece, we have plenty of other videos where we build various things (small and large) and have fun. I have noticed, interestingly, that many people gravitate toward opinion-based content, and we have plenty of opinions, it's worth making this kind of content. I don't think it's hurtful to point any of that out, or even not seeing the point of the video! You did it respectfully and took time to type out your comment, which indicates you care about this at least a little bit. I absolutely don't wish Lego would give us as much attention as others. If there's a spot in the video where I did that, let me know. Honestly, I've never applied to be a part of LAN, nor do I have any intention of doing so (we're not that big or significant). My argument boiled down to three problems, the first two have nothing to do with us as a channel (influencers disconnected from the product; information problems). I intentionally deflected the third problem from being about one specific channel because I don't want it to be about us. However, knowing other people who run small channels, it affects us all (and there are hundreds of us). That's why I advocate for people to watch and subscribe to small channels in general (and specifically said, "It doesn't need to be ours."). As far as I know, at no point did I say it wasn't fair. I actually think it is fair! Influencers have spent years (if not decade) honing their craft and developing their brand. They've earned it, both in terms of time and in terms of Lego granting them that benefit through the application process. Indeed, I intentionally kept the critique focused on Lego as a company and not the influencers themselves.

🙄

It's very clear which ones are just in it for the cash.

@@trev3971 just in it for the cash what are you saying you talking about people that do Lego for investment not me at all thank God I’ll never forget going into bricks of mini figures and buying a couple of items that were costly because I don’t have them and I open them up right in front of everybody and people were freaking out. I can’t believe you opened up that sealed set. I said why not I’m gonna build it and that’s what I do. I build everything I get, I couldn’t imagine buying a set and keeping it sealed. I’m not gonna sell it and wouldn’t chance selling it at all I guess those people are a different breed of folks to me. Lego is a toy an expensive one and expensive hobby for me but I love it. I also love to see my nephew’s eyes later when he goes into the room and sees what I’ve done.

Since price is one of the most talked-about and hated aspects of Lego, any reviewer ought to buy every set at retail like the rest of us so they can comment honestly about value. They shouldn't be getting anything free or discounted from Lego in exchange for publicity.

@@SO-ym3zs Going that far doesn't make sense, either. All companies provide products for press demos, including things that are MUCH more expensive that an entire year's worth of Lego releases. If there wasn't some sort of promotional discount, no one would bother and Lego would just pay to make promo videos.

@@trev3971 And that would be better. Get rid of the ethically sketchy blurred lines betweeen influencers and Lego. Let Lego, a very rich company that can afford it, pay for all their own promotion directly. And the RU-vid channels we're talking about are not the press in any traditional sense. They are individuals entering into a business relationship with Lego for their own ends. They aren't employees of, say, a magazine or newspaper or television network or corporate website, bound by journalistic ethical standards and company policies designed to check abuses. They aren't paid by a press outlet and receiving their press review copies from an editor. They are receiving direct economic benefits from Lego in exchange for coverage, and there is no oversight or standards and practices to bind them. And beyond that, a practice being common doesn't make it right or acceptable or advisable.

LANs don’t get everything for free you know they do buy some of their own stuff. Like the guy said earlier, I think it’s a jealousy thing.

@@michellewhitley8668 it might be bit jealousy yeah. But the whole point of LAN is reviewing products with no bias aka able to replicate average consumer experience. And for their incentive of well produced video and labour, they should get a discount for the sets. Once your put your own dime into buying things, you focus on things that you actually like and wanna review kinda like jangbricks Instead of this content machine of one guy reviewing jabba sailbarge, nightmare before Christmas, baradur, the deku tree lego sets within span of few months that cross 2000$ mark. One thing I really hated about solidbricks guy, was he was justifing selling of lightsaber gwp on after market for 100$ to recoup the price of sailbarge. Something that jangbricks pointed out.

That's an interesting idea!

That could definitely be the case: Lego hears from them, but other motives (such as profit) come out on top.

Thank you 🤗

Yeah, that's a common observation we've seen. If Lego wants to reduce the cost of instructions, just add more pieces per step, especially in the 18+ sets.

Those sets from the 1980s and 1990s were fantastic...at least when I was a kid. Now, I tend to like the modern pieces and options for cool builds they introduce.

I do the same: I ignore/ditch RU-vid channels that are clearly promoting products. A big problem with the LAN channels is that they usually don't include the "Paid Promotion" disclaimer at the beginning of their videos like you might find on other influencer channels, even though they're clearly, in a sense, getting paid by Lego with things that have monetary value to the influencer.

That's fair. I don't have a problem with influencers existing, or getting free Lego. It really is about Lego not using them as ambassadors (as far as I can tell, which has its flaws). But it definitely can lead to problems - or at least side effects - for other channels that aren't in the program.