>>9518144Sets like these are what almost bankrupted Lego. The baseplates were all outsourced to another company, all of the chrome bits costed a fortune to produce, they were overproducing molds past their capabilities and packaging was extremely ornate and expensive with pieces in trays and opening box flaps. They are definitely neat, but between 98-03 Lego was hemorrhaging money and going bankrupt.
Right now we have more pieces, colors, set releases, etc than ever and Lego is producing record profits and is the most successful toy company in the world.
Something had to give and ultimately market demands shaped Lego into what it is today. I do agree though, there is something innately special about old sets that isn't present in new releases. The overall style and quality just isn't the same. There's something incredibly charming and beautiful about that set. But if you had that side by side with the $200 AT-AT or Elsa's Castle, most kids would pick the new release.
