To be honest, I've had similar thoughts about the Fender guitar and other adult oriented sets. Why get a Lego version of something that does less than the real thing, especially when you can sometimes get the real thing cheaper?

It's nice to provide this kind of perspective, I know personally I often get lost in the prices of Lego. It's interesting to think of, especially when Lego is making a direct representation of a thing, how much you could get the actual thing for, and the kind of value you can get out of it. I personally would value the ability to play games on an Atari in this case over the near 5 times the cost for the Lego set, which will end up sitting on a shelf and get the occasional "oh cool" from passersby.

The problem with this set is simply: Why should I pay significantly more for a lego version display piece when I can just get a real one that may actually work? I'm not faulting the set designer but i think the concept is flawed. The NES had a cool gimmick being the TV. Piano was a baby version, Typewriter was at least a unique design. This... Idk.

My take on these Lego recreations is they're cute, they're neat, you can point at them and go _"Hah! Look what someone made out of Lego."_ and that's about it. Then Lego charges premium collectible prices for them, but they're not collectibles.

This was a great comparison video. It was mindblowing to me to find out just how accessible some retro consoles like this Atari were. And that price and value difference is just wow. !Thanksjang

I've been feeling this way about a lot of Lego sets. Let's face it, after it's built, you really don't do much with it after that unless it's something like a train or rollercoaster that has a playable function to it. Most sets are dust collectors at a premium price. Then we run out of room, take them apart and most likely don't rebuild them again or even get rid of them. Wasting a lot of money on this stuff.

This reminds me of the fender guitar, that costs the same as a new Fender squire. As a guitar player and a lego fan, I think is far more attractive to have the real thing. Even though the lego model came out looking great.

The TV with the NES set gave it *SO* much more value, and the price was closer to what you can get the actual console for today (~$100) The side builds with the Atari are neat but ultimately pointless-this set should have had a _way_ lower budget :/

This has the same issue for me that the typewriter does. It is really neat, and the build is amazing, but the real thing is more affordable, and does so much more. I have the typewriter. And it was a really fun build, however, I rarely use the technic mechanism in the set, but i use my real typewriter fairly often. It does seem odd to spend so much on something that is close to the real thing, when yoh could pay less for the real thing.

I agree with everything you say. For me it does not make sense to buy this Lego set at this time. On the other hand, one day Lego will for sure make a full-sized Ikea Billy bookshelf with 75000 parts for $9900, and then I will miss the Lego Atari to put in there, unless I buy it on the aftermarket for $2000.

Love your reviews Jang, especially ones like this asking questions like this. The Lego reviews have got me through COVID and lockdowns. Love your channel. Thanks very much!

I got the same impression with the Typewriter set. There’s better value to be had in buying an actual typewriter. These sets are such an odd curiosity to me.

I always wonder, who are these kind of sets for? This kind of sets require a considerable amount of space to store, and their only lasting appeal is that they look like an electronic system. In all honesty, while I am nostalgic for the consoles I grew up with, I am way more nostalgic about the games themselves; You know, the visuals I actually spent time looking on and had emotional investment in. I only ever looked at the hardware when I turned it on/off, most of my time was spent with the games. So to pay $240 seems absurd for me personally on this kind of set. I am a bigger fan of the stickers on the cartridges though, but more as a classic LEGO fan than an atari fan. Too bad they are only stickers!

Only thing missing was I really wanted to see a close up comparison of a Lego cartridge and a real one side by side and maybe even try inserting them between the two. Just for fun.

Since you were talking about building experience, it got me wondering what is your favourite set in terms of building experience?

your studio looks really nice! love the lighting

Thanks Jang! This was a great video

Great video. I appreciate the perspective.

Love these type of videos. I think it gets deeper into the psychology of collecting things. I collect legos and other action figures and yeah a lot of what they do is sit on shelves. I think as collectors it’s just about getting our next hit rather than the end product, in terms of lego it would be the actual build

I love these types of videos! I am also a big fan of LEGO and I don’t hate LEGO, but it is really awesome to see what else you can do with your money, and so I hope you keep doing these videos I always look forward to them thank you so much

I appreciate the dual camera work, great production as always Jang

I really liked the editing in this one. It’s unusual but it works!

Definitely not, if we speak of this type of sets. You can literally buy the real thing cheaper while the lego replica is just a dust collector which isn’t even something interesting to look at. Lego really missed the whole point of the “adult” sets

really cool! also I didn't know you started building Gunpla they all look amazing!

Your editing is becoming next level, great content as always

I can also buy an old typewriter for a few bucks but to have one made out of Lego is priceless to me. its something completely different IMO. And I bet the real Atari was also pretty expensive back then.

Thanks for that jangbricks❤

Oh my god! Jang! The Rustler! Trinity P2K2 motor and the holes in the chassis!

Thanks Jang, for asking (and answering) the obvious question.

For me, Lego is nothing worth it when it is a model of a real thing I can get much cheaper. I’ll happily pay a premium for Lego Star Wars ships over Hasbro, but I’m not personally likely to buy a Lego Gameboy Advance (one of my favorites) unless it’s fairly affordable and has nice accessories. I do not see that as the case with this model. If they sold the little accessories as a diorama on the side, I might get them, but not for that price unless I wanted to scrap most of it as a part pack, and keep the accessories for display. I wouldn’t want that many bricks collecting dust compared to a real one

Well said and great comparison. Thanks for the great videos!

It's funny, I bought an N64 Switch controller from Japan, and after I got it I had Jang pop up in the back of my head saying "You could have just bought a real N64 + games for the price of that controller."

Couldn't agree more. As much as I love the new Lego VCS, it's almost impossible to ignore the fact that the real deal is way cheaper and playable. It reminds me when the Lego Typewriter came out, same argument then, as it was far cheaper to buy a real one just for display purposes. So, thinking about it, I think this could well be the problem with all these 1 to 1 Lego replicas.

New Lego Dark Ages are here, prices for sets are just crazy. If Lego really cares about adult Lego fans, they should make series of $50-80 18+ sets. Currently they are just milking it by offering only 100-200-300-400 or a freakin $500 sets that are nothin much more than dust collecting "things". I dont even know where people keep these sets, not everyone has house with room dedicated for Lego, especially with todays economy where actual leaving space is super premium.

I think there is value in having a LEGO version of a real cherished thing, and the experience of building said thing could certainly be worth the price of admission for many, but it’s also worth considering the set divorced from its connection to a real object. In that case, you’ve got a mostly featureless black rectangle with a dinky little pop-up vignette of a living room, three little 3D renderings of some art, and also that very same art on some otherwise featureless black rectangles. And a joystick. Is all of that worth $240 if you don’t see it as an Atari? For me that’s an unequivocal “no.” I might pay twenty bucks, total, for the vignette and the three 3D box arts. The rest are various different interpretations on a black rectangle with optional knobs coming out, and to me that’s not even close to being worth the remaining $220. You’d be better off buying a secondhand Atari and spending the remaining $170 on a much more exciting LEGO display set, like the Starry Night set I can’t shut up about.

That's the trouble when Lego makes sets that you can buy the real working thing for a fraction of the cost. It's not good value.

I got this set delivered and can’t wait to put it together.❤️Couldn’t resist lol

I like the zoom in 😂

As a huge fan of both retro systems and Lego, I love the design of the 2600 set...but having a real 2600 makes me hesitant to buy the kit. The only thing I think of is if you could somehow gut the Lego 2600 and use it (especially if you could rig the switches to actually activate) as effectively the oversized shell for a raspberry pi based emulator. Especially if paired with a small HDMI screen stuck into the TV from the NES set, that could be a really cool and unique novelty setup. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be too much possibility of reasonably fitting a real hardware board into either the NES or 2600 kits though.

To answer your initial question (Why choose LEGO over the real thing): It's simple, I imagine for most people the main appeal is LEGO itself, they love building stuff with bricks, the nostalgia thing is a cherry on top. A very big and juicy one, but still just a bonus.

I think in this case, the original console is worth more than the Lego set. I personally collect the Creator Expert/Icons vehicles and they are just left on a shelf as display items similar to this but I feel like models like that just look better when they're on a shelf. Ones like these need to be taken off to be appreciated for their interactive features because those are what give the set value. If you just leave this on a shelf, people will just assume it's a real console on display.

When Lego came out with NES + TV, I thought it was weird. That little box devasted the toy industry and Lego was almost a casualty. It would be like playing a board game of the Spanish Flu. This seems like that even more so. A question: Could Lego be in a bubble like beanie babies? It seems a bit out of control, but I'm just a casual fan. Does anyone else see something I don't?

Nice Pong shirt!

I thoroughly enjoy these well thought-out consumer friendly videos!

The sets being based on the real thing the set is pretending to be has definitely been going too far the past year now; we've had this issue two years ago with the NES and the Grand Piano, which were tough to swallow for how relatively small the models are. But with this, after the Fender, Globe, World Map, some sets from the Botanical Collection, Adidas Originals Superstar shoe, Vincent van Gogh - The Starry Night, and Typewriter, none of them are worth it really when the real thing is more useful and significantly cheaper. Sure they'd be nice to build and display, but the real things also display well too. Like the Adidas set, it retailed at the same price as the real pair of trainers' retail price at £80/$90, but I found the real pair of trainers/sneakers, for a QUARTER of the price! I'd rather buy four pairs of the real trainers and I wouldn't have to buy a new pair for probably a decade!

Might put my atari flashback board in the lego one

Always appreciate when someone takes the marketing perspective :)

if lego had done something like encasing an emulator and having you build a controller, I would have been all over this.

I would be interested in a video going through your favourite building experiences. For example the Saturn V is an amazing experience, especially for the price point.

That Pong shirt is Good Game

G-Wizz was my street name in the early 90s 😂

It would've been better if they'd integrated the three side builds into the pop up feature so you can switch and swap the pop up display depending on the cartridge in use.

i hope the atari goes on clearance.. gonna be a wonder parts pack

I still have the VCS 2600 from my childhood. And even after such a long time it worked perfectly when I switched it on recently. TBH, that was due to the Lego set reviews. As was already mentioned in many comments here I also would not by the Lego version when I can have the original. Like my classic typewriter (and also a mechanical calculator🙂)

Personally as a gamer, Lego's console sets do not make sense, considering that you could spend the same amount of money to the sets to get the real consoles and games, and you'll have a greater experience that'll last longer.

Could you specify what is the adapter for the modern TV/Atari2600 you got?

I would feel the same way if LEGO released a very detailed vintage camera. Why spend $200+ on a non-functional LEGO replica when I can go to a vintage store and add a real camera to my collection that I could potentially clean up and shoot photos with for far cheaper? I love that they are marketing sets for adults but these questions should be asked

I feel like a 1/2 or 1/4 scale model would have more value and cost less, because it has more of that Lego charm instead of trying to be a replica.

Hi Jang. Not being rich myself the question of value is key at every purchase (and all non exclusive sets i track down discounts for). I think the point you're making is part of the bigger picture of lego pricing in general though. I don't think lego can be unware of the product shortages / demand and also the aftermarket for their products. As a newer (last 4 years or so) person into adult lego.. how bad is the pricing in general. Are they apple computer levels of slimyness or something else. Is strange that on one end they release sets like dual on mandalore and the justifier ($270aud) yet also have seeming loss leaders like the adult space theme, the inquisitor scythe etc. Are lego evil? Pushing the boundaries? Im not exactly sure what to think yet. Except that as time passes, more of the exclusive sets are literally turned off by their price tag, and you have to play the shopping game with brickhawk etc. ps. im in aus, which is in a different league of prices. Anyways. Thanks for the review vids as always.

This is what I was thinking when I first saw this set

What a cool set

Jangbricks playing ET. Absolute legend.

This video has made me wonder/expect someone to try to make a working Atari OUT of the Lego version- seems like the most creative way forward.

Kinda wish the LEGO Atari had a small Computer brain that came with it so you could actually play Atari games on it. That would make it well worth the price. As I have said over and over… I am having a hard time justifying the prices that LEGO goes for these days. I’ve seen a lot of sets over my 51 years. I find myself having to walk away more and more… even when considering buying LEGO for my kids and grandkids…

Agreed, I had similar thoughts on seeing the initial press release. In the end I think a lot of these "collectors" sets end up looking like MOCs. They have impressive designs and good display value, but to me it would be more impressive if I were to design it from scratch as opposed to just building someone else's design.

I need a more modern retro console to play my SNES cartridges on modern television.

I watched this and your review of the Atari 2600 set and I agree with 99.9% of what you said, BUT... A few ideas have been percolating in my mind. First, I keep looking at that Cobra HISS tank up on the shelf and wondering if that was one of your GI JOE toys from youth, a recently released Hasbro retro toy or an old toy that you wanted and then bought to enjoy the nostalgia of your youth. Second, on the same shelving area (one lower), but to the opposite side are a bunch of Gundam models (I think, tbh Gundam isn't my thing, so I could be wrong). Now I could be wrong, but it seems that those are items you bought and then use for display. Maybe you use them for special photography. Maybe they have play features and you play with them in between making a plethora of excellent video content. IDK. I say this not to cast stones because I have a display case with numerous LEGO sets that basically are just on display. UCS R2-D2, Benny's Spaceship, Republic Gunship (not the UCS version) and more unboxed sets that I don't have room for (UCS Millennium Falcon, Porsche 911, Ninjago Gardens), but to make a point. For a lot of us, we suffer from a need to have. And that is where LEGO has us. Because based on your totally logical and valid question, should LEGO have (scrapped the 3 mini-builds) and priced the Atari 2600 set at something more reasonable in comparison to a REAL Atari gaming system, like $50-100 USD? If they did so, though, it would make this set significantly underpriced compared to many other sets of similar piece count, design quality and size. So obviously, they aren't going to do that. So the question then becomes, why offer this set at all? I mean, we can ask that about a lot of sets really, Seinfeld, Queer Eye, Colosseum, Typewriter, etc. All of them are nice builds in their own respect, but basically, they all rely on nostalgia and an "I gotta have it" mentality that too many of us have. With the exception of a few special parts, if we really wanted to have these items, we would use existing parts and build it ourselves and accomplish something really special instead of overspending for another hit of that LEGO action. Sorry for the really long post.

I compare LEGO to other static models or figures. There's more value there, for me, because you get to actually build something which I love. However this example here shows that does fall flat because the actual thing is still attainable and cheap!

You my friend are the best youtuber about Lego. Lego should understand that people work hard to be able to spend 200+ dollars for plastic.

“This is great, but I like this.”

You're a very good speaker

boy oh boy have i been waiting for this video since i watcehd the atari review. i literally can't grasp the difference between the value of a plastic atari replica with added-on stuff after the fact and the actual working thing.

Jang, To agree with some of the others in the comments..can you do a video on sets that you've had the most favorable building experiences?

What would be cool for these brick built consoles is if you could convert it into an actual case for the real console.

Great video, and I think this is already useful to me in case LEGO would ever release a Sega Mega Drive / Genesis model. Trying to imagine that (I still have my Mega Drive, though), it might be really cool, but I'm not sure if it'd feel like something special to me.

No way are these non playable Lego versions worth it in comparison to the original, working consoles, imo. Even Transformers (which are already over priced by Hasbro, relatively speaking) are way too high (price-wise) I was hoping they'd go the Kreo route and make smaller, more affordable sets (again, relatively speaking) as well as sets with elite level pricing "for adult collectors"

It's hard to disagree. It makes little sense to buy the lego set compared to the real thing, unless you're a collector and you need every single set. Same goes for the Nintendo set, or the adidas, or the type writer. We could buy the real, working things for half the price

I build sets and display them then pull them apart and put them away in the box and build ne stuff. And so on.... Later I rebuild the old items by then I've forgotten the methods so the build is always enjoyable. Not once but several times.

I’ve had the same thought for nearly every LEGO set that has real world counter part. Such as the Ideas type writer, the fender guitar, and this set. I doubt I’ll buy any of them. As for display value, can’t you argue the same thing for any set? Most adult fans build a set, then display it… and occasionally they post pics of their collections for people to see them and say, “hey, that’s pretty cool…”

This comment is is unrelated, but I was recently watching some of your old halo videos. I came across your casual room 117 tour. Do you think we could get an update? It has been awhile and I am not sure how your current audience would want it but I know that I love to see other Halo fans' way of displaying and other fans' collections.

This is true for most adults-welcome culture display sets too. Get a real globe, typewriter, art pieces, etc. Having the real thing has such a much bigger impact on its display effect. imo the only exception is the botanical collection, lego plants removes the need for maintenance, continuous longevity (then again having real plants is so much better for many reasons)

I feel like this holds true to most of Lego's replica sets. Like, yeah, the Lego Globe is an impressive set, but as soon as it's done, it's just a semi-impressive Lego globe.

The value is in what it is. It's a Lego set, so it's made out of Legos. It's like saying does art have value? Why have art of a car, game, movie, etc. When you can experience or have the real thing. The Lego set is a piece of art. That is the value.

Buddy, this kind of thing is why I stopped mocing, lol.... I look at some of those epic builds, and I think yeah. I COULD spend 10,000 dollars and build a really cool lego city. I have the money. But oh my lord, do you know what else I could do with 10 grand? I remember as a kid being able to make stuff and take things apart, and I'd get a lot of value from replayability. But I noticed a lot as an older lego person, I don't do a lot of rebuilding. I'll make a set once, and then I'll never leave it displayed, or I'll tear it down for the moc pile. And honestly, my moc pile is already big enough. So now I'm at a standstill. I either buy something that has new pieces for the moc pile, or if it's something I really want to display. But I think about it often. My Ninjago city at retail (all 3 parts) is basically like a thousand dollars. Like what else could I have put in that space for a thousand bucks. ---- Now I basically buy sets if I think the build experience is going to be good enough to justify the purchase, or if i REALLY REALLY want a mini-fig. Those little speed champion cars for 20 bucks tend to be popular buys for me. They're nice to display, they don't cost much, and I get a good hour or two out of it. I sometimes think it's challenging to find a 20-30 dollar set that displays well.

Lego has been releasing sets lately that seem more like MOCs rather than something internally designed and released. Sets that look super cool, but don't really seem like good products. Like the typewriter, you could get an actual typewriter for cheaper than the Lego typewriter, and you could get a real Atari for significantly cheaper than the Lego Atari. They're beautifully designed sets and look great, but they have a very limited reach to their audience. You'd have to specifically want a Lego version of a thing that is a non-functional static model.

I have a later atari 2600 in my basement collecting dust and a retro pie that can play those games. Most of the 2600 games were bad a few were decent and there a couple gems that were actually good. I hate to admit this video has me coming around a bit on the lego. I could probably mount a retro pie in it which would be cool. The action on the hidden diorama was impressive. It looks cooler than the real thing. Not completely sold but just maybe 🤔

Great analysis JANG. It's funny that "video games" have been the competitor in LEGO's eyes for many years, and TLG just keep trying to find ways to fill that niche

The only worth whole thing out of the LEGO set is the minifigures, and cool stickers/prints.

I really want the set, but boy is it super expensive! Hopefully Atari 50, the upcoming release from Atari, will quench my desire for it.

Great video jang. I appreciate thought provoking ideas regarding Lego’s value. Very well put and very informative

Jang acts like a vistitor in his home would be suprised to find a thing was actually made from Lego.

Nice review keep up the good work jang

This was a very thought provoking money and I agree really to me the magic of Lego is the little details like you get in big Star Wars ships and the modular buildings but this Atari asa collectors item yeah not really worth it

Yeah!

I don’t think “buying an emulator” is comparable to the novelty of the Lego set. With the Lego set you’re not just doing the build experience but you’re also going for the physical depiction of the 2600 console. If you’re looking strictly for the “play games” aspect of the 2600 console, the Lego set isn’t even going to cross your mind because you know right away that you can’t play games on it. Comparing it to the actual console is a more fair comparison if a person is looking for a depiction of the 2600 console, because like you said it’s cheaper and it’s the actual console, and being able to play the games is a bonus.

Honestly I think Retro Consoles are in the same camp as the Lego Atari. If you want the nostalgia hit, get original hardware. If you want convenience to play the games, use emulators.

Then, you could hack a tiny emulator board into the lego construction and have both 😎

I 100% agree with your take, which was my gut feeling when the set was first revealed. "Wait... can't you just get those for like $35 on eBay?". Great video dude.

Like you said on the original review of it,I'd have gladly paid 5 bucks a piece for the stand alone displays. But if I bought the main set,it'd be solely to use it as a case for a retropi set up. And 200 bucks is a lot for that. Even the knock offs of this set are over 80 dollars,which is still too expensive. Especially since Thingyverse has a Castle Grayskull pi case for free. No,this is one of those things for people with more dollars than sense.

Makes no sense to me unless it’s a model of a rare and mostly unattainable console. Or if it’s a deformed/miniature version of the real thing. Which in this case, it isn’t.