LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 27. Rumors and discussion

[Robert8]

By the way

Do we know where these were found?

Having them on the streets almost 2 full months before the release date is unprecedented I think

 

At this point all the reviews will be useless 

[JohnTPT17]

5 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

By the way

Do we know where these were found?

Having them on the streets almost 2 full months before the release date is unprecedented I think

 

At this point all the reviews will be useless 

I have a hunch that these might have actually been taken from a factory - I don't know why else the image with the box doesn't have the final dot matrix code, or why there is no visible glue on any of the flaps. That makes me kinda suspicious.

I could be totally wrong, though. 

[BrickFit26]

The new cockatoo and cat animals are so good.

[MAB]

11 hours ago, hikouki said:

Letdown:

- cupid: form/ appearance should have been based on mythology.

For me it is a very weak series with just one interesting figure. I'm also not a fan of the Cupid figure. However, given the timing of the set, it wouldn't surprise me if that figure is sought after on the secondary market in early February only for demand to drop off again, then pick up again on a yearly cycle. 

Something similar happened back in 2011 with the Graduate CMF. I bought the dregs of packets left in boxes on shelves at 50p a piece. I bought just over 200 packets and got over 40 Graduates with a similar number of Fitness Instructors with only a couple each of the Dwarf, Royal Soldier and Gladiator. I put the Graduates into storage for a few years, then come May and June, put a few on ebay and Bricklink each year. They peak in value at graduation time and easily sell for £18-20 now. The way CMF production and reselling has gone, I doubt Cupid will be that good but I imagine it will still be popular outside of hard-core LEGO fans.

Edited November 11, 2024 by MAB

[Accio Lego]

6 hours ago, JohnTPT17 said:

I have a hunch that these might have actually been taken from a factory - I don't know why else the image with the box doesn't have the final dot matrix code, or why there is no visible glue on any of the flaps. That makes me kinda suspicious.

I could be totally wrong, though. 

I suspect as much as well. Because it’s also suspicious that the pile of minifigs in the same shot as the code-less and glue-less box has an extreme number of certain characters in it. I can count at least 8 each of the Steampunk Inventor and Hamster Costume Fan - which is definitely more than you’d find in a single box. Add in that only 8 out of the 12 characters are there, and 3 of them seem to have only one copy each, which is a really odd distribution when you’re claiming the boxes you found didn’t have codes. Definitely makes it look sketchy. 

[Lion King]

Jsut wondering - is a long haired cat first time to show up in non-Friends sets?

[DonQuixote]

21 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

As expected the history themed minifig steal the show once again.

Wolfpack Guy

Pirate Lady; Steampunk Inventor

Cat Lover

Rest

Same

[Classic_Spaceman]

16 hours ago, Black Falcon said:

IMO people just read to much into some colours.

16 hours ago, Black Falcon said:

I am just thinking putting someone in one corner just because of his sweater is pigeonholing.

Of all the colours that LEGO has available, the designers just so happen to choose the exact three that are on the Trans Pride flag? Not a coincidence IMO, and I am glad to see it! 
 

[Yperio_Bricks]

4 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Of all the colours that LEGO has available, the designers just so happen to choose the exact three that are on the Trans Pride flag? Not a coincidence IMO, and I am glad to see it! 
 

If you analyse the colors of all sweaters Lego has made, you will find the colors of many countries, parties, organizations, corporations, sports clubs, social movements, etc. It is almost impossible to create a color combination that is NOT used by some of the aformentioned groups throughout the history of mankind.

[Lion King]

Wait Cat Lover is a guy?

[Agent Kallus]

3 hours ago, Lion King said:

Wait Cat Lover is a guy?

Yeah! And while I do like the figure and his trans flag jumper, I do wish he'd ha a second cat rather than the yarn. A cat curled up to sleep or loafing would have been cool. Dogs get a lot more molds than cats but I'm team cat! 

[williejm]

On 11/10/2024 at 1:13 AM, Classic_Spaceman said:

This seems to confirm that the cat lover is female. 
 

I think that’s an assumption by some who need the gender binary, I’d assume the cat lover is non-binary or trans. Also as others have pointed out, some figures are always gender ambiguous, assumptions notwithstanding … in this series that could be the Bogeyman, but it’s certainly true of figures like the Yeti, various aliens, and many others 

6 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Of all the colours that LEGO has available, the designers just so happen to choose the exact three that are on the Trans Pride flag? Not a coincidence IMO, and I am glad to see it! 
 

This. It’s deliberate. If folk want to get mad or argue that away - fine, you do you. Lego has clearly said it values diversity and us making steps to give representation across its products and on many ‘issues’. I am sure many people will recognise and value the symbolism in this figure.

In the past (especially on here, but also other forums) whenever anyone has dared to suggest that figures are, or *could be*, trans, it has been pounced on and slammed down, often really unpleasantly. I’d hope we have moved on from that. At the end of the day, interpret the figure however you want to … but you can do that without punching down on anyone else.

FWIW - all of my Lego minifigures are LGBTQ+ 🤷🏽‍♂️

 

* fun fact - there have now been several Lego torsos using the pink/white/blue colours of the trans Pride flag, used in many sets. I don’t think that’s by accident. 

6 hours ago, Lion King said:

Jsut wondering - is a long haired cat first time to show up in non-Friends sets?

Yep. 

[Classic_Spaceman]

6 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

If you analyse the colors of all sweaters Lego has made, you will find the colors of many countries, parties, organizations, corporations, sports clubs, social movements, etc. It is almost impossible to create a color combination that is NOT used by some of the aformentioned groups throughout the history of mankind.

Not counting Christmas sweaters and licensed characters' outfits, most LEGO sweater torso pieces are Earth tones (tan, dark tan, brown) and have classic argyle or cable-knit patterns, a few are red, one is light blue/dark blue/white, and one is green with light yellow - The only more oddly-coloured one is this (magenta/pink/purple), but it does not seem to correspond to anything. The cat lover's sweater is in the style of a classic 'ugly Christmas sweater', but the colours are not Christmas-related at all - Given the immediate recognition by multiple members (myself included) of these colours as being those of the Trans Pride flag, I highly doubt that the choice was accidental! 

BTW, I like this, and I want to see more things like it (Pride shirts or pins in City sets, for example)! Gender is difficult to represent in LEGO form, as Minifigs are abstractions that often need to rely on stereotypes to convey gender (e.g. lipstick and eyelashes to indicate that a particular Minifig is female), and sexuality is nearly-impossible to convey outside of the relatively-rare wedding or household settings - Pride merch/colours on clothing is a good way to have LGBTQ+ inclusion with anonymous City or CMF Minifigs. 
 

50 minutes ago, williejm said:

 

* fun fact - there have now been several Lego torsos using the pink/white/blue colours of the trans Pride flag, used in many sets. I don’t think that’s by accident. 

Which other ones have there been? This one is the most noticeable, as it puts the colours into stripes that resemble the flag itself. 
 

[hikouki]

12 hours ago, MAB said:

For me it is a very weak series with just one interesting figure. I'm also not a fan of the Cupid figure. However, given the timing of the set, it wouldn't surprise me if that figure is sought after on the secondary market in early February only for demand to drop off again, then pick up again on a yearly cycle. 

Something similar happened back in 2011 with the Graduate CMF. I bought the dregs of packets left in boxes on shelves at 50p a piece. I bought just over 200 packets and got over 40 Graduates with a similar number of Fitness Instructors with only a couple each of the Dwarf, Royal Soldier and Gladiator. I put the Graduates into storage for a few years, then come May and June, put a few on ebay and Bricklink each year. They peak in value at graduation time and easily sell for £18-20 now. The way CMF production and reselling has gone, I doubt Cupid will be that good but I imagine it will still be popular outside of hard-core LEGO fans.

Great observation!

I really wish Lego would go back to releasing minifig ‘battlepacks’ centered around specific themes.

[JohnTPT17]

47 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Which other ones have there been?

This one comes to mind  - it's been used since 2022.

Either sweater could be a direct nod towards the trans flag - or, it could be a random combination of three colors chosen from a hat. I don't think that any one interpretation is wrong or right - it's Lego, and I'm sure we all have our own head canon about our figures, who they are, and what they represent. And even if a minifigure is supposed to be assembled in one particular way, it can be taken apart and reused in some other way. I'm not too worried about it either way - if people want to read into the colors a certain way, I'm not going to be worried about it too much one way or another (I don't like the minifigure much regardless of the color palate - I'm just interested in the cat). 

[DarrellBricker]

I love the animals in these sets, so happy to see a wolf and a new cat, mold too! And that Cockatoo ... chef's kiss. I agree with the person who stated that the hairdo on the Pirate quartermaster wasn't the greatest representation of "Pirate," but the hairstyle itself is useful. Some of the minifigures are rather "meh" and lean toward the generic side - jetpack racer and longboarder and even the astronomy kid leap to the forefront in my mind. But, I will collect a full set as I always do, and then cherry pick some extra figures for the amazing assortment of parts. 

[Lion King]

@williejm, that’s fantatic that  we’re going to get long-haired cat in non-Freinds CMF series!  Although I do agree with @Agent Kallus that there should be another cat instea of a yarn ball.  

If Cat Lover is indeed a trains then great!   But I don’t know aout other blue/white/pink sweaters in other sets, tho?

5 hours ago, hikouki said:

I really wish Lego would go back to releasing minifig ‘battlepacks’ centered around specific themes.

How can that work exactly? Replacing CMF with battle packs??

[hikouki]

2 hours ago, Lion King said:

...

How can that work exactly? Replacing CMF with battle packs??

I never said it would replace the CMF.

[JohnTPT17]

2 hours ago, Lion King said:

How can that work exactly? Replacing CMF with battle packs??

Not necessarily replace, but at least supplement them. Blister packs with five army-building minifigures used to be pretty common for Castle themes, for example. There was even the odd "VIP Top 5" minifigure pack, which brought back a handful of CMF minifigures. And there have also been a few other supplements which brought back slightly different versions of previous CMFs, like the Iconic Cave, Penguin Winter hut, and Party Banana Juice Bar, if not the exact same figure, like with Easter Minifigure. Anything like that which could bring back popular figures after an initial run (especially if it features army-builders) would probably be very popular, plus bring down the aftermarket price on others which could potentially otherwise be horded by resellers. 

[Lion King]

5 hours ago, hikouki said:

I never said it would replace the CMF.

Well, i asked you  a “how” quesiton. :P 

5 hours ago, JohnTPT17 said:

Not necessarily replace, but at least supplement them. Blister packs with five army-building minifigures used to be pretty common for Castle themes, for example. There was even the odd "VIP Top 5" minifigure pack, which brought back a handful of CMF minifigures. And there have also been a few other supplements which brought back slightly different versions of previous CMFs, like the Iconic Cave, Penguin Winter hut, and Party Banana Juice Bar, if not the exact same figure, like with Easter Minifigure. Anything like that which could bring back popular figures after an initial run (especially if it features army-builders) would probably be very popular, plus bring down the aftermarket price on others which could potentially otherwise be horded by resellers. 

Now I like that idea of battle packs! Ii just didn’t know how it would work when there are no Castle or Pirates themes around. Polybags would do okay but battlepakcs are better. I do understand that City has some battlepacks htat offer us handful of animals. 

Edited November 12, 2024 by Lion King

[brimbolet]

If it wasn't for the wolf and cockatoo a rather weak series for me. Even the steampunk guy feels not right or is it his accessory... I like the jetpack racer however; the transparent visor looks fantastic.

22 hours ago, hikouki said:

I really wish Lego would go back to releasing minifig ‘battlepacks’ centered around specific themes.

It would be enough if one could order specific older parts like Roman, Spartan helmets, torsos etc. online. In store polybags (e.g. x-tra) are probably not profitable enough for Lego...

[Lion King]

I still don’tthink Series 27 is weak or uninterested to me. I find it more cool - we have two new animals, Castle and Pirate minifigures, new parts, minifigure parts that are very useful. It’s like you complained about Dog Sitter from Series 19 - how boring she was. Yet she had a new hat+hair piece, new dog mold, recolored shovel, two sh*ts, highly detailed printings across her torso and legs, and another dog mold. I truly think Series 27 is strong and fun, especially how diverse it is.  Just  IMHO.

[Accio Lego]

6 hours ago, Lion King said:

I still don’tthink Series 27 is weak or uninterested to me. I find it more cool - we have two new animals, Castle and Pirate minifigures, new parts, minifigure parts that are very useful. It’s like you complained about Dog Sitter from Series 19 - how boring she was. Yet she had a new hat+hair piece, new dog mold, recolored shovel, two sh*ts, highly detailed printings across her torso and legs, and another dog mold. I truly think Series 27 is strong and fun, especially how diverse it is.  Just  IMHO.

As far as metrics go, we have

3 new animals 

10/12 figs with printed legs

5/12 figs with dual molded legs

at least 9/12 figs with printed or dual molded arms

11/12 figs with at least one new mold

7/12figs with at least one printed accessory

6/12 figs with printed and/or dual molded headwear 

2 historic figs, 2 sci-fi figs, 2 mythical beings, and 2 costumed figs

 

Overall a pretty solid spread both as far as budget allocated to ‘extra’ features and representation over themes. Sure, there’s a slight favoritism towards ‘City’ characters, but given how persistent that has been, clearly Lego has data saying that type of archetype is popular no matter how much some AFOLs moan about ‘wasted spots’ (never mind that all 4 ‘City’ characters in this series feature new molds that could have made including them in a normal set too expensive, and 3/4 of them would require settings uncommon in City sets - Cat Lover and Plushie Collector are clearly dressed to be at home, with City sets rarely doing residential buildings, and Lego rarely makes sets that are explicitly set at night like Astronomy Kid would need). 

 

 

 

[Lion King]

12 hours ago, Accio Lego said:

As far as metrics go, we have

3 new animals 

10/12 figs with printed legs

5/12 figs with dual molded legs

at least 9/12 figs with printed or dual molded arms

11/12 figs with at least one new mold

7/12figs with at least one printed accessory

6/12 figs with printed and/or dual molded headwear 

2 historic figs, 2 sci-fi figs, 2 mythical beings, and 2 costumed figs

 

Overall a pretty solid spread both as far as budget allocated to ‘extra’ features and representation over themes. Sure, there’s a slight favoritism towards ‘City’ characters, but given how persistent that has been, clearly Lego has data saying that type of archetype is popular no matter how much some AFOLs moan about ‘wasted spots’ (never mind that all 4 ‘City’ characters in this series feature new molds that could have made including them in a normal set too expensive, and 3/4 of them would require settings uncommon in City sets - Cat Lover and Plushie Collector are clearly dressed to be at home, with City sets rarely doing residential buildings, and Lego rarely makes sets that are explicitly set at night like Astronomy Kid would need). 

 

 

 

100% i feel Series 27 is retry strong to me beucase of those points you made above.  They are Definitley interesting.  I just have no idea why AFOLs think how boring CMF characters are. I are I ate those detailed printings, animals, accessories and minifigure parts. 

[DonQuixote]

On 11/12/2024 at 3:45 AM, Lion King said:

@williejm @Agent Kallus

How can that work exactly? Replacing CMF with battle packs??

Just like Starwars : a small build and some soldiers/knights /peasants /outlaws.

Castle fans want to army build. CMF can stay but not for castle theme.