Review: 71034 Collectable Minifigures Series 23
Posted by CapnRex101,The ninetieth anniversary of LEGO presents an interesting opportunity to produce celebratory Collectable Minifigures, recognising the myriad themes and characters released between 1932 and today. Instead, this minifigure series takes another approach.
71034 Collectable Minifigures Series 23 shares obvious similarities with 71021 Collectable Minifigures Series 18, focusing predominantly on costumed characters. Others are Christmas-themed, which yields an unusual mix across the series. Nevertheless, these twelve minifigures are appealing and new elements are plentiful.
Summary
71034 LEGO Minifigures - Series 23 - Complete, 101 pieces.
£3.49 / $4.99 / €3.99 | 3.5p/4.9c/4.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Collectable Minifigures Series 23 feels unfocused, but includes some great minifigures
- Many fun character choices
- Outstanding design quality
- Muddled minifigure selection
- Some repetitive costumes
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box Distribution
As normal for modern series of Collectable Minifigures, each box contains 36 minifigures and these are distributed evenly, with three complete series. The foil packs currently remain intact, but will be replaced with cardboard packaging in September next year.
Minifigures
Several of these minifigures are associated with Christmas, beginning with the Nutcracker, which takes inspiration from the festive figurines. This colour scheme of red and black is traditional and works well, although the previous Royal Guard and Toy Soldier Collectable Minifigures feature similar colours, so maybe dark green or dark blue would have been better, since they are also common for nutcrackers.
Nevertheless, I like the metallic gold details on the torso and dual-moulded boots, while the unique hat and hair element looks fantastic. The shaping of the hair seems notably effective, certainly evoking the real figurines. The addition of rosy cheeks and carefully-tended facial hair is welcome too, again resembling wooden nutcrackers.
Furthermore, reversing the head reveals a face with prominent teeth, ready for cracking nuts! The supplied golden sword could probably complete that task as well, so a printed walnut 1x1 round tile is included, alongside spares of both accessories.
The association between nutcrackers and Christmas derives partially from Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Nutcracker, which also features the Sugar Plum Fairy. The vibrant Sugar Fairy minifigure doubtless takes inspiration from the character and wears a bright pink tutu, appropriately. The metallic silver designs on her torso look superb, complementing those on the trans-pink wings.
I love the sprinkles decorating the fairy's shoes and double-sided head, which displays smiles on both sides. The blonde hair element also looks great and is new in this colour, having been introduced with the Birthday Party Girl from 71021 Collectable Minifigures Series 18. Moreover, the tiara on top has never appeared in white before.
Candy canes are continually associated with Christmas and have been constructed in various LEGO sets. However, this dedicated accessory is new, featuring lovely red stripes. I hope this element returns in future, perhaps representing a walking stick or merely providing decoration.
Snowmen are another common feature of seasonal sets, varying substantially in appearance. The new Snowman minifigure looks good, wearing a standard top hat and scarf, with printed buttons on the torso. I like the cheerful expression and rounded head, but most remarkable is definitely the orange nose, which is smaller than the normal carrot accessory.
The snowman looks slightly odd with minifigure legs, given these figures are typically sculpted into the snow. However, this snowman includes standard legs because it is actually a costume, which surprised me! There is a narrow gap between the mask and the scarf, but I assumed this was necessary for the head to rotate, rather than resulting from another part underneath.
In fact, the headgear can be removed, revealing a printed head underneath. This minifigure's sweating face suits an inevitably warm costume, although I think a frozen face would be more fun. After all, similar sweating faces have appeared very recently, when the Chilli Costume Fan was released. The character carries a broom, completing this snowman nicely.
Animal costumes were introduced in 8803 Collectable Minifigures Series 3 and the Reindeer Costume continues the selection. This head component is quite similar to previous costumes, showing the minifigure's face through a hole beneath the snout. I like the simple decoration on the head and torso, while the feet include printed hooves.
The medium nougat colour looks perfect, alongside dark brown hands and antlers. These are formed using a separate element attached to the headgear, rather than a single dual-moulded piece. Either solution would work, but the option of removing the antlers provides an opportunity to re-use the head elsewhere.
Once again, the head features two smiling expressions and a present is provided, with metallic silver details printed on top. There is no decoration around the sides though, unlike the present which previously accompanied the Birthday Party Boy. However, this minifigure comes with two gingerbread biscuits, making splendid use of 1x1 heart-shaped tiles.
71002 Collectable Minifigures Series 11 included the Holiday Elf and the female Christmas Elf complements her predecessor. The combined hat and ear element closely resembles the prior minifigure and others produced since, although also incorporates orange hair on this occasion. The blending of plastic and rubber is interesting, as that remains fairly uncommon.
The dual-moulded legs look marvellous and I like the lime green sleeves, suggesting the elf is wearing a dress. While including a green skirt component might have been effective, I like the current design. This minifigure includes two cheerful expressions and some freckles, as usual for Christmas elves.
A charming snow globe accompanies the elf. The snow printed atop the 2x2x1 2/3 dome looks good and I love the tiny cabin inside, with its door and windows adorning the side of a reddish brown 1x1 plate. A specialised element could probably have captured even greater detail, but assembling the snow globe from existing pieces is more creative.
The remaining characters move away from the Christmas theme, creating a strange balance across this series. Nevertheless, the Cardboard Robot is among my favourites of the twelve included minifigures. The medium azure and orange colour scheme is appealing and I like the boxy shape, which suits a handmade costume.
Furthermore, the decoration on this minifigure is sufficiently rudimentary to be believable, with occasional paint splatters and metallic silver tape representing a belt. The traditional design of the robot's eyes and mouth is excellent, although I had hoped detail would continue across the reverse. The minifigure does include printed arms though, with a hastily-drawn switch on one side!
The actual minifigure head is fun, displaying a standard smile and a robotic expression, quite similar to the Nutcracker. A pair of scissors and a printed 2x2 tile are supplied too, suggesting the costume is unfinished. Perhaps its maker is in the process of decorating the back with this printed tile.
Food costumes are almost as frequent as animal designs and this Popcorn Costume looks good, despite its relative simplicity. The popcorn around the head features impressive texture and I like the selected bright light yellow colour. Also, the printed stripes on the carton are nice, thankfully continuing across the back.
Underneath, this minifigure is remarkably basic. The torso and medium legs are undecorated, although I am always pleased to see the medium legs in another new colour. Also, the double-sided head is rather bland, albeit serviceable, while the unusual absence of any accessories is disappointing.
The Wolf Costume appears more elaborate, wearing tattered dungarees and taking evident inspiration from fairy tale wolves. The double-sided head is immediately identifiable with The Three Little Pigs, presenting a distinctive blowing expression, which is certainly preferable to bland smiles. I appreciate how this minifigure is getting into their character!
Moreover, the headgear captures reasonable detail and I like the printed dungarees, with their tattered edges continuing onto the sides of both legs. The tail element fitted between the torso and legs looks awkward though, creating a conspicuous break in colour between halves of the dungarees. Similar elements have been printed to avoid this issue in the past.
This costumed minifigure is packaged with a sack, featuring repairs on one side. Ideally, both sides would be decorated, but I like this design. Also providing a pig or piglet would doubtless have been too sinister!
Depending on your region, the Turkey Costume could be another character associated with Christmas. The head element was originally designed for the Penguin Boy and works equally well here, thanks in particular to the printed wattle. I love the vibrant colours, balanced with the dual-moulded legs.
The printing plumage on the torso looks great, but is inevitably overshadowed by the stunning tail. This component fits between the torso and legs, providing some additional texture around the waist and clearly distinguishing this Turkey Costume from previous avian costumes, which becomes even more important because of their shared headgear.
I was surprised to find an angry expression as an alternative to the standard smile, although I presume this relates to the provided accessory. Given the association between pumpkins and Thanksgiving, which rarely ends well for turkeys, I can certainly understand why the costumed minifigure would find the presence of a pumpkin concerning!
While less common than animals and food, vehicle costumes are another repeated feature of Collectable Minifigures. Like the Race Car Guy and Airplane Girl, the Ferry Captain wears an impressive costume assembly around his waist, featuring decorative portholes and exceptional moulded detail across the deck.
The rudder at the stern looks splendid, beneath a single exposed stud. Additionally, I like how red 2L bars with stoppers incorporated as funnels, especially because this useful piece is only otherwise available in red from 10306 Atari 2600. A spare is also included, naturally.
Beneath his elaborate costume, the Ferry Captain minifigure is also surprisingly detailed. The metallic gold buttons and matching braid on the sleeves looks excellent, although a minifigure with the rank of captain should actually include a fourth golden band on his wrists. Fortunately, the majestic officer's cap distracts attention from this minor inaccuracy.
Unsurprisingly, the Knight of the Yellow Castle attracted considerable attention when these minifigures were announced. This design takes vague inspiration from the minifigures in 375 Castle, displaying the classic crown emblem against a field of pink. This renowned symbol is emblazoned on the cuirass and the torso underneath, both of which look superb.
The sand blue arms look fantastic, while the light bluish grey medium legs introduce another new colour. However, I believe the designer could have gone further in paying homage to the original knights from 1978, perhaps reimagining their distinctive visor, rather than including the incongruous modern equivalent.
The accessories are outstanding though, including a pearl gold sword and a decorated shield, also available in 10305 Lion Knights' Castle. The accompanying hobby horse looks brilliant as well, ingeniously duplicating the head of a LEGO horse at a smaller scale! The printed designs complement intricate moulding, so this is definitely my favourite accessory within the series.
Early series of Collectable Minifigures were sometimes criticised for repeating characters as male and female, with relatively small changes between them. The designers have gradually moved away from that repetition, so the Green Dragon Costume is slightly disappointing. An extremely similar costume was produced during 2018, albeit primarily red rather than green.
Returning to that minifigure is not entirely surprising because it was presumably very popular. The moulding of the head, wings and tail remains beautifully intricate, while the printed scales look brilliant. Unfortunately, scales are noticeably missing from the legs, so they seem relatively bland, particularly since the minifigure does include printed arms.
The previous dragon costume minifigure presented the same issue and the scale designs are actually completely identical between them. I dislike such repetition, even when these designs feature impressive detail. No accessories are provided with the Green Dragon Costume, which also corresponds with the earlier Dragon Suit Guy.
Overall
Collectable Minifigures nearly always impress individually, with detailed printing and abundant exclusive elements. 71034 Collectable Minifigures Series 23 satisfies in those respects, as the minifigures maintain the high standard we have come to expect. I am particularly delighted with the Nutcracker, the Cardboard Robot and the Ferry Captain.
However, this character selection leaves something to be desired, in my opinion. The balance between generic costumes and seasonal designs is strange, leaving the series without a clear focus. Moreover, I cannot help but consider the series a missed opportunity in some respects, given the enormous potential in producing a series which celebrates the history of LEGO, for its ninetieth anniversary.
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83 comments on this article
The accessories outshine the figures here. I hope we see a lot of these return.
I'm going to hate the knight's price on the market, aren't I? Not really interested in anything else outside maybe elf's headpiece and the dragon. All around fairly mediocre series, imo.
I like this series. It fits with all the holiday themes and costumes.
I pre-ordered on ebay. I guess I'm just getting used to the idea of not spending tons of time feeling packages in-store whilst chatting with bored employees or winking at mystified soccer moms. ;)
If I recall correctly from the original collectible minifigures artwork... There was a proposal for a wolf and the three little pigs minifigure set. So, after all these series, that might actually be in the works...
SNOWMAN!
I will definitely be getting the knight and maybe the Nutcracker, from my Christmas village.
I love this series; every minifig looks joyful and fun.
Did I miss the release date in the article? When do these go on sale?
I really like this theme, I can't wait to collect them. I like the Christmas elements to many of them, I think it's nifty.
Does the Ferry Captain come with a little iceberg, or is that sold separately?
Meanwhile, who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
The seasonal figures indeed could be interesting, but the rest seems rather all over the place. It's perhaps more the potential to mix & match parts and create custom figures that is interesting here.
No interest due to the ridiculous method of distribution.
If we don't see the candy cane in other sets as either a cane or as a candy cane i'll be very disappointed.
Fun set though, a handful that i'll want duplicates of.
I think this could've been a perfect time to introduce a new top hat element for the snowman, but I guess not (and yes, I do know part 27149 exists, but it's quite oversized). This old hat from 1980 looks out of date by now.
One of the 2012 CMF waves gave us the new standard Santa for Advent Calendars, finally killing the staple-but-ad-hoc "Pirate Santa." Here's hoping the Snowman replaces the various brick-built snowmen we've had forever.
You can drink your fancy ales,
You can drink them by the flagon,
But the only brew for the brave and true...
@BJNemeth said:
"I love this series; every minifig looks joyful and fun.
Did I miss the release date in the article? When do these go on sale?"
I didn't see a release date mentioned in the article, but Lego.com lists the release date as September 1st.
The article mentions that these remained in the foil blind bags, and that the cardboard versions will not see release until "next September" am I understanding correctly that this will not take effect until September 2023?
Am I the only one seeing Captain Edward J. Smith from the RMS Titanic in that Ferry Captain? Would go well with the $600 LEGO set...
@Murdoch17 said:
"Am I the only one seeing Captain Edward J. Smith from the RMS Titanic in that Ferry Captain? Would go well with the $600 LEGO set..."
He could also work in a Helm's Deep set.
I do like several of these quite a bit, but I would prefer less costumes in general.
Thanks for the review!
Not a minifig collector, but I do really like the Cardboard Robot (even when it isn't Danbo....) and the Ferry Captain.
Most of the others are fine, I'm just not interested in those.
Is it terrible that I only want repeated minifigs from the series (dragon, knight and elf)? That first round red dragon gets a lot of play time at this house...
While I don't mind Bricklink, I still would like a way to buy a few of my favorites initially. This series doesn't seem quite good enough to blind box.
I was definitely not expecting the Snowman's head to be headgear covering a minifigure head. Fortunately, he displays perfectly as a real magical snowman, so the options are there but separate.
The Cardboard Robot is the other figure I wish had enclosed headgear. That figure would have been a really fun visual design for a genuine cardboard robot character, especially after this figure seemed to take the idea from the one in the Cosmic Cardboard Adventures set. Yes, I had a cardboard robot costume with an open head when i was a kid, so I'll probably still get her for that, but I wish it was a figure that could be taken as a character as well as a costume.
Also, they seriously couldn't give the Popcorn guy one of the typical 1x1 striped popcorn-box bricks with a yellow ice cream (or hey, maybe even a yellow four-petal flower stud) on top? Maybe he could have come with a frying pan as well. Accessories would have been so easy.
I feel this should have been either a full holiday themed series or a 90th anniversary series. This selection of minifigures is a bit of everything. For that reason not all figures are that apealing to me...
However, I will probably end up purchasing a full set, because I hate incomplete series xD
For those outside the U.S:
The turkey is associated with the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, as it is a staple food served on that day, and the bird is often depicted as sort of a mascot for the holiday!
From a USAmerican POV this set makes a lot of sense: Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas decorations. October, November, December.
And, yes, I know LEGO sells to the whole world, not just USA. So I can see how others would feel that the selection is "all over the place."
My big gripe is that I would like animal costumes without the face hole. More like the bear or gorilla costumes.
Nutcracker is one Light Sword Shaft away from a…erm…adult helping hand.
Meh I only like the knight, that’s an army building fig.
I’m just not a fan of so many costumes.
@BCHaut said:
"For those outside the U.S:
The turkey is associated with the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, as it is a staple food served on that day, and the bird is often depicted as sort of a mascot for the holiday!"
Canada also has Thanksgiving, but they celebrate it several weeks earlier in mid-October. Although my Canadian wife tells me it's kind of a "meh" holiday that doesn't have the same associations as the U.S. version does. (In the U.S., it's a huge family/travel weekend and also unofficially launches the Christmas season.)
The only two I think I might pick up are the knight and elf, but I'm sure those will be scarce in stores so I may just pass completely. I like the dragon(I didn't get the original), but the legs are too plain for $5. The captain also should have had dual molded boots. What happened to hairpieces for costume characters? I thought that was going to be a regular thing after last series.
I really think this should have been a throwback series where they modernize classic figs like Jungle Explorer (Johnny Thunder) from series 19. I wonder how long it will take to introduce dual molded midlegs though...
I assumed the intent on the dragon was to be a pair with the knight.
Although the cardboard robot design is great, I wish it was either just a robot or mostly brown. It doesn’t “read” as cardboard to me.
@MisterBrickster said:
"You can drink your fancy ales,
You can drink them by the flagon,
But the only brew for the brave and true..."
Comes from the Green Dragon!
I'll probably pick up the Nutcracker and Snowman. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so I feel a slight obligation to also snag the Turkey, and another pumpkin for my Halloween vignette is always welcome.
@quixotequest said:
"Nutcracker is one Light Sword Shaft away from a…erm…adult helping hand."
Right?? I knew I wasn’t the only one who can’t unsee that.
The turkey mostly reminds me of Pugsley Addams in Addams Family Values.
Happy, happy turkey day!
Huh. I thought this series was going to be the first series in boxes instead of bags.
As mixed up as the selection here is, I love this series so much. I honestly think this is one of the better series ever released. The quality of all the figs is super high, they've clearly put quite a bit of thought into the accessories for each of them, and several of them are among the best ever produced (that snow globe! And the stick horse!), AND they have managed to get at least one figure in there that is easily vying for my favorite ever, the Ferry Captain, who is just absolutely amazing all around.
I'm glad the hobby horse has a detachable head. A horse head was all I needed for a Godfather MOC.
An easy nope on all of them. That's some cash saved...
I think the common theme is 'childhood memories'.
@quixotequest said:
"Nutcracker is one Light Sword Shaft away from a…erm…adult helping hand."
How did I never see that?
So yeah... I mean, the figures look well done. I will definitely pick up a set since that's what I always do, but I'm not super excited about too many of them.
Turkey is definitely linked to North America Thanksgiving, and most likely USA considering we are fascinated with the holiday here.
I will likely try to pick up an extra nutcracker or two to make my evil Santa army, and likely try to get some extra knights, but I'm sure those will be hard to find considering I haven't even seen the last set on store shelves here at all...
The walnuts of the nutcrackers could be used as weird eyes. (Trying to turn it into something better than what other people see in it)
I’d like to see the reindeer without the antlers. Does it look like a kangaroo head?
And mr. Popcorn should have tickets for a movie or something. Very basic like this
I hope i’ll get my hands on the snowman, the wolfcostume and the kid knight
Making the antlers removable allows the reindeer costume to double as a doe.
The first rubber/plastic dual-molded elements I can think of were way back from Exo-Force. I always hated that 1x2 plate w/ gigantic spine because they clearly injected the two materials at the same time, based on the consistently uneven line where the two materials merged. It always looked shabby, except when they finally made it in solid black for Batman…at which point it was still a shape I had zero interest in using.
The turkey costume has two holes below the tail, which look like you might be able to plug a pair of flames into them. That would certainly make _me_ angry…
@lordskylark:
They’ve done at least three different wolf hats, though, haven’t they? The pig hat was the critical element, which has been around for a few years now.
@BJNemeth:
CMFs always release on 1/1, 5/1, and 9/1.
@sjr60:
Standard foil packets in a smaller case with flat rarity? There will be two more foil packet releases before they switch to boxes a year from now.
does the knight come with a pearl gold sword as stated and just not shown?
Nice bunch.
I don't know why the series should have a 'clear focus' whatsoever.
Apart from the explicitely themed series, it always has been a wonky mix which is typical for the CMF's.
@gromit6 said:
"does the knight come with a pearl gold sword as stated and just not shown?"
Yes, other reviews have photos of both the sword and the instruction sheet, which also clearly shows a sword.
@Watsonite said:
"Nice bunch.
I don't know why the series should have a 'clear focus' whatsoever.
Apart from the explicitely themed series, it always has been a wonky mix which is typical for the CMF's."
Standard numbered series tend to be consistently unfocused, divided approximately evenly between fantasy, costumed minifigures, sports and those inspired by the real world. Others, such as the Monsters or Party series, usually focus on their one subject.
This series seems more muddled, in my view, Nine costumes are included, two of which are Christmas-themed, alongside three fantasy characters associated with Christmas. I find this balance strange, but others are certainly entitled to disagree.
Added a bunch of these to my Brickset wanted list!
I’d love an addition to this review to include the sort order of the characters in the display box to cut down the time it takes to feel bags for the characters we want.
As I only collect the costumed minifigs I am very happy with this series ;)
Costumes are more fun when they're the crazy one-off counterpoint to the other figures. These would have been cute mixed into other series, but when it's 100% weird costumes, I start to ask "why do I really need these again?" Since I'm not planning a mall Santa MOC, the answer is "I don't." It's easier to spend $5 on something I don't need than it is to spend $60.
I made an exception for Series 18 (10th anniversary party) because it had Lego nostalgia, some recognizable party tropes, and the costumes were funny. But this is going to be more like Series 14 (monsters) for me: I'll buy a couple; the rest stay on the shelf.
Too bad, because when they transition away from feelable packaging, I won't be buying these at retail period, and that's going to force me to be ever more picky about what I get.
I'm a Classic Space fan from back in the early days, but love the update to the classic knight. I think it's a real missed opportunity to not do a minifigure set celebrating 90 years of Lego. Could have had:
* Updated Classic Knight (as seen here)
* Duck costume (wooden duck colors)
* Updated Futuron or Blacktron I
* Pirate
* Train engineer
* Updated Johnny Thunder
* Bionicle costume
* Updated Street Crew (reference to 605 )
* Ricky Raccoon on his Scooter (updated 324 - Fabuland reference)
* Old Kirk Christiansen (with a miniature duck and small Lego house accessories)
@lordskylark said:
"If I recall correctly from the original collectible minifigures artwork... There was a proposal for a wolf and the three little pigs minifigure set. So, after all these series, that might actually be in the works..."
As @PurpleDave pointed out, it already exists 71007-14. Or, you could get a couple copies of 60346 with its cute lil' piggies. But, as Capn pointed out, it's definitely a bit dark.
@PurpleDave said:
"Standard foil packets in a smaller case with flat rarity? There will be two more foil packet releases before they switch to boxes a year from now."
No, smartarse. Properly labelled individual packets, or boxes containing 1 single full set, that don't require groping of packets or 3rd party suppliers.
And until the comments section gets a much needed troll filter, kindly desist from manually tagging me. I do not require notifications for your malformed, zero interest replies.
Thanks in advance.
6:6 gender split. Fairy, Reindeer, Elf, Robot, Knight, and Dragon are all female. That’s not the list I remember expecting. I thought the Snowman was going to be sixth, so I probably counted either the Knight or Dragon as male.
@ResIpsaLoquitur:
Interestingly, the CMF Santa outfit only appeared in a four Advent Calendars before they were forced to make their own torso deco. The CMF torso last appeared in a set in 2016, but has reportedly showed up two years ago in the Build-a-Minifig bins. In regular sets, it was replaced with one that does not have white fur down the front closure of the jacket, and which has a candy cane tucked into the belt in back. A third torso design debuted last year in the Winter Village and employee gift sets, which looks similar to the second torso but skips the candy cane.
@MisterBrickster:
I’ll pass, thankyouverymuch!
@jmeyer79:
What? No! How are you supposed to put a mouth full of teeth in a mask that only has eyeholes?
@ResIpsaLoquitur:
“Canadian Thanksgiving celebrates explorer Martin Frobisher’s valiant yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt to find the northwest passage.”
- Robin Scherbatsky, HIMYM
It doesn’t appear that this is actually true, mind you…but the claim is that they held the first Thanksgiving celebration in North America, back in the 1500’s. Ultimately, it seems that British loyalists many of whom moved to Canada after the US happened, ended up bringing the trappings of American Thanksgiving with them.
@sjr60:
Until the third set lands next year, this is as optimal as they’re ever going to get. Three complete sets per box allows even the unskilled to buy a fixed quantity, guarantee a set to keep, and have two sets left over to sell off if they want to limit their investment.
And if they add a troll filter, everyone will miss your cheerful demeanor! Maybe. Probably not.
These are already out? To date I've only seen 3 Muppets in my area, NEVER seen the Lego site have them in stock, and they're already gonna be discontinued???
Don't suppose the knight has back-printing?
Good quality figs but I agree......could have been something REALLY SPECIAL
I like the knight, dragon, and nutcracker. The others are not that great. Will just grab the ones I want from BL and save money on the guessing game.
This is not the set that will allow me to stop compulsively collecting CMFs....
In other words, I'll be arranging my usual "complete set" order.
It's a mixed bunch, but I love them all!
4 Figures that I want. Nutcracker, Elf girl (mostly for the gingerbread house), knight girl (mostly the light gray teenager legs but also the vintage emblems), and Popcorn costume. If it weren't for Popcorn Costumes dark red teenager legs I would gladly throw all of them in the garbage. I like the Christmas theme but it becomes apparent that there are only ever these categories anymore:
- Ever more obscure Animal or Thing as a costume
- genderbent version of an old figure
- variation on the concept of an old figure
- figure carried entirely by its accessory, which is overall not so important to the figure
Animal costumes are fun but isn't it time to re-release some of those that make more sense and fetch a quite high price on the aftermarket, infavor of producing animals that you never see people wear costumes of, like pugs and that wolf? Gorilla and Bumblebee are far too expensive for the classic concepts that they represent, and Lego thinks it is necessary to make the third dragon based on the same mold?
Do we really need the diversity quota counterpart to every figure? Things like Ice Skater make sense and are overdue for far too long, but also make fewer sense with the first version being out of circulation for so long.
I wouldn't call Nutcracker a variation on the toy soldier, but just how many fairy girls will they release?
Oh no, it's not a fairy but rather a sugar fairy, which is why this figure comes with the candy cane accessory, even though it should also have been included with the elf girl and Nutcracker.
Snowman and Cardboard robot are the only ones entirely new but also the worst outgrowths of recent CMFs.
Cardboard Robot is overdesigned and too colorful. It should have used the new Vin Diesel skin color to simulate a cardboard color more accurately. The painted look makes it so unique and I find the best CMFs are stuff like Nutcracker, instantly recognizable, ancient iconography that has not appeared in sets before and is unlikely to ever appear outside the CMF line. After years of waiting on an Roman Empire theme they really should make more figures based on that concept. Some senators and artists, more soldiers and barbarians. Armybuilders especially are one of the few categories where recolors are absolutely acceptable and even asked for but Lego continues to ignore in favor of dragon in red, green and whatever was in that failed music theme.
Snowman has one measly exclusive or new part (that torso definitely doesn't count). This figure consists 100% of parts that I bought on Bricks & Pieces or got through sets, I can make this entire thing if I just buy the head. And Lego will definitely put the head into a set down the line, so either the head will be cheaper than this release of the figure or the entire figure will be available for cheaper on Bricklink. With the prices that CMFs command they should ALWAYS come with t shirt arms and boot legs or teenager legs. I groan just seeing simple legs with new prints, but unprinted legs are really pushing it. Especially since this series does not have so many new parts, nor parts deserving of this kind of upcharge.
@StyleCounselor said:
"I like this series. It fits with all the holiday themes and costumes.
I pre-ordered on ebay. I guess I'm just getting used to the idea of not spending tons of time feeling packages in-store whilst chatting with bored employees or winking at mystified soccer moms. ;)"
I have been saying this forever (since series 13) as first of all it ends up being cheaper (usually) and most importantly "aint nobody got time for dat".............
Yawn! Someone wake me when they are sold out!
The costume concept is uninteresting to me. Like I said in the post that announced this series, I would much rather have a Castle or Pirate themed series.
I managed to score several of these early, so now I'm only missing Reindeer and Snowman out of the ones I want. In my head cannon, it's a pretty clear holiday themed series, give or take a specific movie reference I choose to believe:
Summer Movie "Season":
Popcorn Costume
Ferry Captain (Titanic reference?)
Halloween:
(Were)Wolf
Cardboard Robot
Knight of the Yellow Castle
Dragon Costume
Thanksgiving:
Turkey Costume
Christmas:
Reindeer Costume
Christmas Elf
Nutcracker
Sugar Fairy
Snowman
The wolf is a great base for a werewolf.
Also, the reindeer's gap between teeth :)))))))))))))))))))))))).
@CCC said:
" @sjr60 said:
"No interest due to the ridiculous method of distribution."
I don't think CMF would work in named packets or boxes. They would need to sell complete series for the series collectors, and individual boxes for the army builders. There aren't any decent army builders (for me) in this series but if they were easily identified then I'd buy all of them in my area. If I could search through let's say 240 packs (4× old boxes of 60) that were on a shelf in about five minutes, I'd hit every store to wipe out ones I want and also ones I think others would want and pay high prices for.
Labelling figures to make distribution 'fair' would make some impossible to buy."
That distribution method would be identical to how action figures are and were sold by stores that ordered case assortments. Action figures have been available for a decent amount of time, and that some action figures are impossible to find is mostly due to not enough being produced nowadays, which is certainly not the case with Lego CMFs anymore who I see linger in stores for longer and longer times.
I doubt that online stores could get wiped of product that easily, that would need far more scalpers and Lego scalpers are already working overtime due to the amount of different product Lego pushes anyway. Lego.com limits buyers already and there haven't been true armybuilders in a long time, so a limit of 2 to 5 per customer would not impact anyone but scalpers.
Feels like a Winter Village battle pack (I am not complaining)
"although a minifigure with the rank of captain should actually include a fourth golden band on his wrists." The minifigures distinctions is exactly that of a captain in the danish army. If the designer is danish that might explain it.
By far the worst series ever imo.
I mean, SIX holiday related figures? C'mon...
At least the series is only 12 figures for those completists.
I've given up on collecting complete series which has been a wise move on my part as I haven't wanted all of the figures that have been made recently.
I'll likely buy about half of these figures but want the candy canes by the dozens for holiday decorated homes, candy cane walkways and used as Christmas tree decorations for certain. Hopefully they'll show up in BaM bars at LBR next holiday season.
@waylander said:
"Don't suppose the knight has back-printing?
Good quality figs but I agree......could have been something REALLY SPECIAL"
Yes, I have updated the review to show the back printing.
@Martin_S said:
""although a minifigure with the rank of captain should actually include a fourth golden band on his wrists." The minifigures distinctions is exactly that of a captain in the danish army. If the designer is danish that might explain it. "
Interesting, but this is a naval character. Having just looked it up, a captain in the Danish navy would wear four stripes, like a captain in any other navy I am aware of.
I imagine the reason is that there was not enough space on the arms to include four separate stripes, without those stripes extending beyond the wrists.
One of the weakest series in my eyes.
Few repeated ideas (what is funny this time I DO care about the repeats- knight and dragon suit)
Also my friend said this is clearly holiday series - every figure fits to some kind well known holiday.
Most of costumed ones you cant put anywhere are basicaly for halloween.
Maybe the Turkey guy is actually wearing a Hallowe’en costume. Hence the menacing expression.
Is the green dragon the same as the red dragon from the earlier series? Yes. Am I happy that they made this MF in a new color because I want more of this MF? Also yes.
Christmas is nice but where is the Halloween? Seriously, we have Winter Village and lots of support for it. Where is the spooky?
@gatorbug6 said:
"Christmas is nice but where is the Halloween? Seriously, we have Winter Village and lots of support for it. Where is the spooky?"
They already did that in Series 14.
One clear winner (The Knight) and 11 mediocre figs. This will for sure be the first wave since the monster one where I do not plan to get the entire series.
This could be my favourite CMF series ever!!
Nearly every one is a winner, though it’s strange the Popcorn guy doesn’t come with an accessory (a soda would be perfect, like from The Simpsons line!).
My favourites are the Sea Captain, Green Dragon (even though it’s a repeat - the Red Dragon might be my favourite CMF ever!), and the Knight with horse prop!
Animal costumes are great too!
And I love the brick-built Snow Globe for the Elf: surely that’s the most pieces for a single accessory ever in a CMF??
I might have to buy a complete set, for the first time ever!
Feels like cardboard robot should have shorter legs, and the popcorn guy is missing printing and an accesory.
I'm sure there are production reasons for these choices, but we can dream.
Saw a fresh box of the muppets in my local supermarket just the other day, but don't even rummage now they're at £3.50. At £2 (or even discounted cheaper) they were always an impulse pick-up for army building or parts.
Will try get a knight and dragon, maybe popcorn guy seeing as he'll be easy to feel. But once they go into cardboard boxes, I'm out.
'It's beginning to look a lot like...'(checks calendar)...'WHAAA?!?':D
Little "Sci-Fi" light...but still, lots of possibilities"
-Still want an army of 'Snowman'...maybe because of "Calvin and Hobbes":D
-Popcorn kid would be neat in front of a movie theatre.
-Ferry Captain...yeah, but I'm not put him 'in the boat', I'll build it up; and put it on his mantle/coffee table/bookcase...
-The other 'Christmas Characters' would be a 'Task Force' dealing with 'the Snowmen'...:)
-And the 'Castle'/'Fantasy' would be used as such...
As to/for "Next Year"...well, it'll be a wait/see situation. If they bring back the 'secondary barcodes' then maybe...or a/some reeeeeally good figure/s...
I really like a lot of these figs. Least impressive to me is the Popcorn guy. He really heeds an accessory of some sort. Most of these I will probably get duplicates of if I can find them in the wild.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @lordskylark said:
"If I recall correctly from the original collectible minifigures artwork... There was a proposal for a wolf and the three little pigs minifigure set. So, after all these series, that might actually be in the works..."
As @PurpleDave pointed out, it already exists 71007-14. Or, you could get a couple copies of 60346 with its cute lil' piggies. But, as Capn pointed out, it's definitely a bit dark."
If you check the original minifigure series concept artwork:
http://thebrickblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LEGO-Collectible-Minifigures-by-Alexandre-Boudon.jpg
The Three little pigs was definitely something different than the pig costume. But now with the Pigsy monkie kid minifigure with a unique pig head, maybe something like this will actually happen now.
@lemish34:
Five pieces is certainly a lot for a single CMF accessory, but there was a drone with four propellers that used at least five pieces, and Animal’s drum kit uses a whopping nine pieces without even counting his drum sticks.