>>7293252>>7295658The base-plate alone doesn't mean it's a good value. Rock Island Refuge is 1249g of plastic and Destiny's Bounty is 2974g of plastic. It's more than twice the product in weight. And it's much more expensive to cast, sort and package lots of small pieces.
Which is why in the past, Lego used large base-plates and panels as a cost cutting measure. We're in the golden age of Lego where production has been streamlined to make this possible.
I own the Rock Island Refuge set and I think it's beautiful, and I do like the addition of base-plates in certain sets. Although, anyone would be foolish to say that right now Lego isn't offering the best value it ever has.
When you take into consideration the number of molds, accuracy and level of printing, parts per dollar ratio, number of product releases, number of colors, tech such as power functions, etc it's no comparison. And if a certain part is more prone to breaking under stress, everything is given a lifetime warranty so long as the mold is still in production and Lego has stock.
I mostly collect vintage sets because of the nostalgia, but in terms of making a building toy, Lego has perfected the art.
