An image of the back of the Bandmates box shows a QR code, like on the Super Mario sets. There were three boxes in the image, but only one reverse shown, so I cannot be sure the codes are different. It does leave open the possibility, though.

  On 2/12/2021 at 7:27 PM, gedren_y said:

An image of the back of the Bandmates box shows a QR code, like on the Super Mario sets. There were three boxes in the image, but only one reverse shown, so I cannot be sure the codes are different. It does leave open the possibility, though.

Well spotted! I’ll message the owner of the image and ask.

Yeah saw an instagram image that leaked the packaging for the Bandmates and its a mystery box. I guess if it has codes you can scan for the correct character that would be a redeeming factor. But a mystery box is a hard pass for me unless there’s a way to differentiate the figures in the box. I love this batch of characters but will not be buying multiples in hopes of completing the series. It would be a shame because the designs are all things I’ve been craving from a CMF series. 

Edited February 13, 20214 yr by cosmic

Maybe they're doing blindboxes to keep people from feeling the bags due to covid

  On 2/13/2021 at 1:21 PM, PGBQW said:

Maybe they're doing blindboxes to keep people from feeling the bags due to covid

If that was the case, the regular CMF would be boxes also. These could have been designed pre-pandemic.

  On 2/13/2021 at 3:10 PM, Anonknee Muss said:

If that was the case, the regular CMF would be boxes also

This is a good point

 

  On 2/13/2021 at 3:10 PM, Anonknee Muss said:

These could have been designed pre-pandemic

I mean, its been nearly a year since the pandemic began

  On 2/13/2021 at 3:44 PM, PGBQW said:

I mean, its been nearly a year since the pandemic began

Some LEGO themes just take time. Designers are given max 2 years to design a set, this theme could have started development 1.5 years ago.

Either way its so counterintuitive to release them in mystery boxes with no way of identifying the inside packages. It’s pushing away potential costumers like me who don’t want to risk getting a figure we don’t want so we spare our money on wht we otherwise would have purchased. Hopefully we can do a little scan with the vidiyo app (its an app to isn’t it?) and see who’s inside because this is otherwise just bad marketing. Its so useless and does nothing but frustrate costumers who don’t want every figure in a series Ugh

  On 2/14/2021 at 3:10 AM, cosmic said:

Either way its so counterintuitive to release them in mystery boxes with no way of identifying the inside packages. It’s pushing away potential costumers like me who don’t want to risk getting a figure we don’t want so we spare our money on wht we otherwise would have purchased. Hopefully we can do a little scan with the vidiyo app (its an app to isn’t it?) and see who’s inside because this is otherwise just bad marketing. Its so useless and does nothing but frustrate costumers who don’t want every figure in a series Ugh

But they've already been doing this for years with the CMF's.  Look how many of us have bought them anyway.  Yes the early ones had different code numbers on them if one knew what to look for.  But they eventually changed that.  Yes you could feel through the blind bags to have a good idea of what you were getting.  I got pretty good at it but I've still made mistakes with some.It's very time consuming to try to feel the bags to get the ones you want.  I wish they would do away with the whole mystery/blind bag items but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  I most likely will maybe pick up the odd one here or there but I'm certainly not going to try to find complete sets anymore.  If it's something I really want I'll maybe buy from a third party but I won't be paying ridiculously inflated prices.

  On 2/14/2021 at 5:43 AM, karrit said:

But they've already been doing this for years with the CMF's.  Look how many of us have bought them anyway.  Yes the early ones had different code numbers on them if one knew what to look for.  But they eventually changed that.  Yes you could feel through the blind bags to have a good idea of what you were getting.  I got pretty good at it but I've still made mistakes with some.It's very time consuming to try to feel the bags to get the ones you want.  I wish they would do away with the whole mystery/blind bag items but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  I most likely will maybe pick up the odd one here or there but I'm certainly not going to try to find complete sets anymore.  If it's something I really want I'll maybe buy from a third party but I won't be paying ridiculously inflated prices.

I actually really enjoy feeling for the figures I want, it took some of the excitement away when the Harry Potter CMF series 2 came out and my local Lego shop just gave me the ones I wanted (apart from 2 they made a mistake on, given they had felt them themselves). Also I can't see us being able to buy single, well-detailed figures if they are just released in transparent bags or something, that seems like something that would not be as profitable for Lego, even if their profit is based on people buying more than they wanted trying to get certain figures!

Worst case scenario, we have to take a portable scales with us and measure the weight of the boxes to identify which minifigure is inside as talked about in the series 21 thread.

  On 2/13/2021 at 7:47 PM, Anonknee Muss said:

Some LEGO themes just take time. Designers are given max 2 years to design a set, this theme could have started development 1.5 years ago.

I mean, it could, but you're totally missing my point.

 

The point is that it *could* have been a last minute change.

  On 2/14/2021 at 2:07 PM, PGBQW said:

I mean, it could, but you're totally missing my point.

 

The point is that it *could* have been a last minute change.

The packaging design was leaked last year but they used series 19 as a placeholder.

  On 2/14/2021 at 9:38 AM, Darth Shadowthrone said:

I actually really enjoy feeling for the figures I want, it took some of the excitement away when the Harry Potter CMF series 2 came out and my local Lego shop just gave me the ones I wanted (apart from 2 they made a mistake on, given they had felt them themselves). Also I can't see us being able to buy single, well-detailed figures if they are just released in transparent bags or something, that seems like something that would not be as profitable for Lego, even if their profit is based on people buying more than they wanted trying to get certain figures!

I am another who enjoys the "feels", working out what on earth it is I am feeling when it's not obvious. Surprisingly enough, my worst feeling experience was at the LEGO shop. I disliked being right at the counter and had too many distractions. I was still able to do it, but did not attempt a full set. I left that until I found them at another retail store which keeps the box in the LEGO aisle.

  On 2/14/2021 at 5:43 AM, karrit said:

But they've already been doing this for years with the CMF's. 

No, no they have not. The CMF’s where I shop are on display and able to be picked up and felt around. The package that leaked for this was a mystery box. Like a normal toy box but without specifics of whats inside. The CMF series has never and is still not like this I could go to any Target and feel for the content of a Series 21 bag and successfully bring home my desired figure (I’ve basically mastered the art of bag feeling). The vidiyi series is different in that, so far I have no way of telling who I’m getting. I may end up cutting some boxes open and taking what I like bc this is lame. 

Well, in any case, I don't think we'll be able to feel bags in a long long time anyway.

  On 2/14/2021 at 4:17 PM, cosmic said:

No, no they have not. The CMF’s where I shop are on display and able to be picked up and felt around. The package that leaked for this was a mystery box. Like a normal toy box but without specifics of whats inside. The CMF series has never and is still not like this I could go to any Target and feel for the content of a Series 21 bag and successfully bring home my desired figure (I’ve basically mastered the art of bag feeling). The vidiyi series is different in that, so far I have no way of telling who I’m getting. I may end up cutting some boxes open and taking what I like bc this is lame. 

You are right that in the past they have not been in boxes with absolutely no way of knowing what you are getting.  My point is that unless one was willing to put the effort in in the past to feel the blind bags there was know way of knowing what was in them unless you vandalized them by ripping them open.

  On 2/14/2021 at 6:56 PM, karrit said:

My point is that unless one was willing to put the effort in in the past to feel the blind bags there was know way of knowing what was in them unless you vandalized them by ripping them open.

This isn't much of a point when pretty much any AFOL was willing to do exactly this and get the exact figures they want every time. The last time I made a mistake feeling the packets was I think Series 1 - not a boast, just a fact that it's not a difficult skill to hone. Once you're proficient, even combing through an entire box of 60 only takes about 40 minutes to an hour, and if you only want certain figures less time than that.

Moving to bling boxes is incomparable, as, if they're truly blind with no QR code etc, there is no way at all to determine the contents and they'll thus be an easy pass to any money-conscious buyers (myself included) who would only buy them if they knew what they were getting.

  On 2/14/2021 at 8:00 PM, Clone OPatra said:

Moving to bling boxes is incomparable, as, if they're truly blind with no QR code etc, there is no way at all to determine the contents and they'll thus be an easy pass to any money-conscious buyers (myself included) who would only buy them if they knew what they were getting.

I definitely agree with that. I'm only interested in the genie and ghost girl, and if there is no way to be sure I can get them (and only them) in store, then I'll wait for them to be available on Bricklink.

Curious to see whether the Vidiyo parts will be considered as licensed on B&P, or if they will be available there!

Okay, I’m getting interested a bit more as I read this thread. 

But blind boxes are the challenging one. I remember seeing the Bionicle blind boxes that had various masks on Walmart shelves. Some people opened boxes to see inside and then put back on the shelves. 

I think Bricklink and eBay may be little helpful to get specific minifigures we mostly want. 

The pirate is a letdown. 

But the Ice Cream Mermaid is perfect! I love her hairpiece

  On 2/14/2021 at 10:35 PM, Robert8 said:

The pirate is a letdown. 

But the Ice Cream Mermaid is perfect! I love her hairpiece

Oh wow, that pirate is certainly not what any Pirates fans would've hoped for . The anchuitar could be useful recoloured and unprinted as an actual anchor, though.

The Mermaid's hair stuck out to me also. Hope that gets a recolour to something more plain in the future.

Seeing these Beatboxes in full, I look forward to the day they're discounted to $5 (yes, $5 AUD) just to be moved off of the shelves. It feels super duper inevitable.

  On 2/14/2021 at 10:35 PM, Robert8 said:

The pirate is a letdown. 

But the Ice Cream Mermaid is perfect! I love her hairpiece

Agree to disagree because I love this pirate. The teal mohawk, the anchor shaped guitar, its very fitting for this theme and very unique. I can see how he’s of little use to pirate fans however. Love the mermaid she is a definitely a standout. Honestly all the figures this series are great I wish they’d release in bags because I want to collect most of the series. And yes I know the figures leaked come in sets not the mystery boxes my point still stands.

 

  On 2/14/2021 at 8:00 PM, Clone OPatra said:

This isn't much of a point when pretty much any AFOL was willing to do exactly this and get the exact figures they want every time.

Very this. I have not made a mistake in feeling a figure since probably my second year of feeling and I would pick this series ip enthusiastically if I could discern the ones I didn’t want. Lego should have foretold that instead of being a good marketing ploy to get people to buy multiples, it would push consumers away who didn’t want to take a financial risk. 

  On 2/14/2021 at 10:43 PM, Clone OPatra said:

 The anchuitar could be useful recoloured and unprinted as an actual anchor, though.

I see something odd with the hand holding the guitar 

Can you tell what it is?

  On 2/14/2021 at 11:27 PM, Robert8 said:

I see something odd with the hand holding the guitar 

Can you tell what it is?

Seems like hot glue used on a display piece at a Lego store.