General LEGO discussion (inc. collectible minifigs)

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:43 pm

Warcry wrote:I'm probably going to strip him for parts, actually. The plaid shirt looks like it'd be useful.

Huh, never thought of that, I usually just throw my doubles out.

Post by **Warcry** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:06 pm

I usually have no problem dismantling the minifigs I get and reusing the parts for other things, but for some reason I had a very hard time getting up the nerve to take apart any of these guys. I think the word 'Collectible' on the package is causing my subconscious to yell "No! They'll be worth money some day!" Obviously Lego have figured out how to market to people like me.

But once I got over that (the utterly useless surfer girl figure helped with that), they became good customizing fodder, if a tad espensive. I'm especially likely to steal the heads and hairpieces, since Lego tend to reuse the same face prints over and over in every set within a theme for years on end.

Not that I need to worry about that again for a while, since my beloved Castle stuff has been sidelined for the foreseeable future to make room for Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit stuff.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:21 pm

Might be some salvageable bits, though - if nothing else Harry Potter got me a terrific bus conductor minifig

But yeh, I generally strip my spares - it is a pricey way of parts building, but way I see it I've already spent the money. I've not got the patience to hang onto doubles long enough for them to reliably pass their original price on ebay. TBH, I rarely sell/trade anything Lego unless it's really useless (like the City Police bike my parents keep getting me for any birthday/Xmas... I'm on my fifth now and am seriously starting to think it's some sort of bizarre joke gift I just don't get).

Actually, a lot of the City sets are a bit useless to me for scale reasons, and often have minimal parts uses. I impulsively picked up a large-ish speedboat reduced in Sainsbury's about six months ago and haven't even built it as it's since struck me it's longer than my container ship and tugboat combined...

Post by **Warcry** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 7:55 pm

Cliffjumper wrote:Might be some salvageable bits, though - if nothing else Harry Potter got me a terrific bus conductor minifig

If it follows the pattern of most of the recent licensed stuff most of the kits are going to be downscaled versions of fight scenes from the movies, like a Weathertop set with Aragorn, Frodo, one Ringwraith and no other Hobbits, or Helm's Deep with two Orcs, two Rohirrim and Theoden. The epic scale of LOTR doesn't really lend itself very well to being recreated as Lego sets unless you want to shell out $300 for every one of them.

But you're right. I imagine there'll be a few nice monster minifigs to add to that collection. Orcs and Ringwraiths at the very least, and probably Wargs too. And there's probably going to be a nice assortment of civilian and armour torso prints. Sadly all of the human minifigs will be flesh-toned, which tempers any enthusiasm I otherwise might build up. Non-yellow-skinned minifigures induce the same reaction in me that a random green and purple Optimus Prime knockoff does. It just looks wrong. If the figure is meant to have different skin colour, like Lando Calrissian or Voldemort, then OK. But the peach-skinned ones just look like they've got a really bad flu or something.

Cliffjumper wrote:like the City Police bike my parents keep getting me for any birthday/Xmas... I'm on my fifth now and am seriously starting to think it's some sort of bizarre joke gift I just don't get

Oh, parents...

Cliffjumper wrote:Actually, a lot of the City sets are a bit useless to me for scale reasons, and often have minimal parts uses. I impulsively picked up a large-ish speedboat reduced in Sainsbury's about six months ago and haven't even built it as it's since struck me it's longer than my container ship and tugboat combined...

The exact same thing put me off of the Star Wars sets a few years back (actually, probably closer to 'a decade' than 'a few years'

). The first few waves of X-Wings and stuff were built to the same sort of 'downsized' scale as the old Town stuff, but when they realized it was such a cash cow everything started to magically get bigger. Now I think there might be one kit in the entire range that I could buy for less than $30 here.

What good is a landspeeder that's bigger than an X-Wing?

ganon578 · Post by **ganon578** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 3:27 pm

Warcry wrote:Sadly all of the human minifigs will be flesh-toned, which tempers any enthusiasm I otherwise might build up. Non-yellow-skinned minifigures induce the same reaction in me that a random green and purple Optimus Prime knockoff does. It just looks wrong. If the figure is meant to have different skin colour, like Lando Calrissian or Voldemort, then OK. But the peach-skinned ones just look like they've got a really bad flu or something.

Agree entirely. There are so many sets out there that I would love to utilize in my 'fantasy' Lego setting like some of the recent Pirates of the Carribean sets, but I'd have to scrounge a ton of yellow heads for everyone, and at that rate they would all have two dot eyes and a smile with nothing else.

What I fear is that Lego is getting so into branded sets like Star Wars, Pirates of the Carribean, and now Lord of the Rings, would they continue on with their other properties like Space, Pirate, and Kingdoms? I think the City stuff is safe, but I don't know how well the other properties sell. Would they be expendable? I noticed the Space and Kingdoms stuff changes drastically every couple years, and the Pirate stuff was basically dead until a couple years ago. Would these all get replaced?

For something on-topic, I got an Eskimo/Ice-Fisherman yesterday. Shazam!

Post by **Warcry** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 7:34 am

ganon578 wrote:What I fear is that Lego is getting so into branded sets like Star Wars, Pirates of the Carribean, and now Lord of the Rings, would they continue on with their other properties like Space, Pirate, and Kingdoms? I think the City stuff is safe, but I don't know how well the other properties sell. Would they be expendable? I noticed the Space and Kingdoms stuff changes drastically every couple years, and the Pirate stuff was basically dead until a couple years ago. Would these all get replaced?

I'd be really stunned if City went anywhere. If it's not their biggest seller, it'd be a close second after Star Wars.

Pirates was basically cancelled to make room for POTC, wasn't it? And now Kingdoms has been discontinued (more or less...there's one new set this year and it's a Lego store exclusive) on the heels of the big LOTR announcement. I understand canning Pirates since that's sort of a niche market to start with, and nowadays Jack Sparrow is what most kids will think of anyway. Getting rid of Kingdoms is a bit more of a surprise, though, since it ran and did fairly well alongside Harry Potter and Prince of Persia (which both featured some very Castley sets). Unless LOTR is going to get a much bigger push than either of those, with a lot more sets.

Traditional Space sets were missing for years and years after they got the Star Wars license, too. I'm not sure when they brought them back exactly. The modern Space Police revival is the first non-SW Space stuff I can remember for quite a while, but I was out of Lego for a little while when the Castle range went into decline.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 2:59 pm

The lotr license surprises me,not only as it seems a bit redundant now despite the upcoming adaption of the hobbit, but because they pretty much tapped into this with the 2008 castle theme,with its orcs,dwarves and undead. I don't know that'll i'll be interested in the same stuff for three times the price.that said,the recent kingdoms stuff was as expensive as the star wars stuff.i don't know about america,but kingdoms hasn't had much exposure here.supermarkets only seem interested in the licensed,city and adventure themes and tru don't stock it at all,so i'm not suprised its gone.this appears to be the sad fate of the classic themes - it just doesn't get onto shelves leaving it at the mercy of online sales.that stuff like the recent space police theme struggles to last a year is perhaps an indication that the stuff just isn't appealing anymore or has been overtaken by better promoted adventure lines (ninjago seems to be doing well) and familiar licensed stuff.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:45 am

I didn't realise the minifigs had bios.
Lizard Man

“Stomp stomp stomp! Flee, tiny citizens! Flee!”

The Lizard Man lives to trample cities beneath his big green feet. Of course, since he’s really just a minifigure of normal size wearing a lizard suit, that’s not as easy as it sounds…so instead, he spends hours building his own meticulously detailed miniature buildings and then stomping all over them while making roaring noises.

When your greatest dream is to be a giant monster, it’s tough to find new hobbies. The Lizard Man sometimes thinks about becoming a professional wrestler, but the Gorilla Suit Guy never writes back to any of his challenges. On the other hand, rumor has it that the Super Wrestler would be happy to take him up on the offer anytime!

Post by **Denyer** » Mon Jan 02, 2012 1:23 pm

Switch the genders and this would seem more than a mite sexist...

http://minifigures.lego.com/en-us/Bios/ ... .aspx#Cave Woman

Post by **Sades** » Mon Jan 02, 2012 5:48 pm

Sexism is sexism. But I'm not in the mood to go into it over Lego men.

The Leezard Man has the greatest bio ever, but I am a little disappointed he stole my plans for next Halloween. To be honest though, I stole the mini city stomping idea from Calvin and Hobbes.

I'm gonna have to come back and read the rest of those later.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 7:54 pm

Got four of the new series today (top tip I didn't realise until I checked the receipt when I got home - Sainsbury's self-service tills don't register the weight of the things properly... :s): -

Grease-monkey mechanic man - thought he'd be the Boring One, but the hair, oil-specked face and toolbox are all awesome pieces.
S8r girl - cool for the .alt hair and shirt
Sleepy guy - with what must be a three foot teddy.
Space slut - she really does look like something out of a porn film. A plus in my book, TBH.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 8:05 pm

Denyer wrote:Switch the genders and this would seem more than a mite sexist...

http://minifigures.lego.com/en-us/Bios/ ... .aspx#Cave Woman

The Cheerleader's probably counter-weighs: -

The Cheerleader is perpetually filled to bursting with energy, excitement and enthusiasm. She prefers cartwheels and handsprings to plain old ordinary walking, and she waves her pom-poms around wildly whenever she talks, which is pretty much all of the time.
The Cheerleader loves to cheer people on, no matter what they’re doing. Whether they’re changing a light bulb, building a wall or just crossing the street, she’s always there with a peppy cheerleading routine to encourage them to do their best and never give up. It can actually get kind of annoying sometimes, but her perpetual good mood and sunny smile are so contagious that it’s hard to really mind.

Incidentally, the Minifig calendar is worth a look seeing as you can probably find it reduced. Top, top gags [/Jamie Redknapp]

Gagh · Post by **Gagh** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:00 pm

I have the Cavewoman and Sherlock Holmes sat on my desk at work. The Cavewoman looks like she wants to do serious damage to Sherlock, and the only thing saving him is the Imperial Stormtrooper stood between them...

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:37 am

Saw the series six minifigures today. The only real duff one seems to be the statue of liberty one. that's a good hit rate! i like the emo skater chick and the robot.

in other lego news, i have bought lego dc superheroes dynamic duo funhouse escape and now have super cute minifigures of batman, robin, the riddler, harley quinn and the joker

i'm quite pleased lego have put some revised batman sets out again. the last lot were ace but go for silly money on the secondary market now.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:35 pm

I has got a few minifigures

Series 5:

2 x boxers so i can have one victorious and one battered and bruised (they have the two faces thing)

Lumberjack - this is a really cool little figure, the hat is really nicely moulded and detailed, the shirt print runs all over his torso and the axe is ace!

Series 6:

Surgeon - fancy showercap and X-Ray!

Minotaur - best viewed three quarters on! Mooo!

Braveheart - "They may take our bricks - but they'll never take our freedom!" really nicely detailed figure with a lovely tartan print all over the place and very long hair too!

Bandit - Super cool badass looking cowboy with bullet belts on his legs and torso. Possibly my favourite so far! Black shooty pistols! peeow! peeow!

Flamenco Dancer - She's alright, not as good as series four's Geisha though

Hilary Briss the Butcher and his special stuff. The T-Bone steak is actually etched with the 'T', rather than just being a simple print and the cleaver is excellent. I am tempted to build him a wee shop he's so great.

Leprechaun - "They're after me Lucky Charms!" still think the small lego legs end up making the figure looked deformed. The cauldron/ pot thing is great.

Mechanic - nice Grease-styled 1950s throwback. Would look good with the 1950s Octan garage that came with the 2008 50th anniversary town square set. Nice detailing with the oil stains and logos, and a cute little tool box. Nice!

Barbarella - I have two of these and think they are great. The silver lipstick is cool and I have put these with my Alien Invasion blokes in some kind of gender specific crazy army type thing (blue for boys, pink for girls - take that camouflage!)

Terome · Post by **Terome** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 2:13 pm

I've got my clockwork robot on the cool motorbike from the Pharaoh's Quest set. He has a trident from Atlantis. It is the most badass thing I own.

electro girl · Post by **electro girl** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:01 pm

I got the artist last night. It was the one i've wanted the most what with me being all arty farty. Got the butcher too!

Post by **Warcry** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 5:57 am

I got a few minis from series six for my birthday.

The highlander/Celtic warrior guy was a little disappointing. I don't think his tartan stands out very well. The kilt is OK but I can barely tell that the torso print isn't supposed to be a uniform blue unless the light catches him just right. Not a big fan of the face print either, since his beard doesn't line up properly with the sideburns on his hair piece. On the other hand, I love the accessories. The targe is nice, and I love the new longsword mold even though every single existing sword mold Lego has would have been more historically accurate in his hands. It seems like this'll be the 'main' sword in the upcoming LOTR stuff, which is cool.

The skater chick is cool. I'm not a big fan of the face print, but the hair, the stripey sleeves and the shirt with a skull wearing a cute pink bow on it are all really nice.

The sleepy guy is neat too. I'm surprised that they didn't give him short legs to make him a kid, but I'm glad they didn't because I'm not the biggest fan of unarticulated minifig legs. The teddy bear is cute, and I think his hair might just be the most detailed Lego hairpiece I own.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 7:19 am

I'm just fruitlessly searching for the Clockwork robot and Genie to complete series six. Might have to plump for insanely priced examples on ebay.

I really like the surgeon! The X-ray with a lego skeleton on it is excellent. I also like the Skate chick - she makes a good companion to Series 4's punk rocker

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:26 pm

We're sitting out the rest of Series 6 for now after accumulating an unreal number of doubles (something like 6 uniques from 18 packs). My little squad of Roman Legionaries are quite cool, though.