LEGO Collectable Minifigures General Discussion

[not-in-use-anymore]

Except nothing is blind in this series. Having the second barcode is the same as having different packaging. These aren't packaged like trading cards. There is ZERO risk here unless the seller intentionally sends the wrong bag. I appreciate that you look forward to opening your figs (part of the excitement I suppose), but don't you think that some buyers are also looking for that experience? An opened figure is used, whereas a sealed in bag figure is new. For many collectors this distinction is pretty significant.

Buying a bagged figure isn't taking a change. It's insurance that the figure hasn't been used or mishandled.

I disagree. There can be a risk buying it in the bag, not everyone uses the barcodes. For example, someone feels what's inside and mistakes the caveman club for the zombie chicken leg and sells it as a zombie.

Why can't buying a bagged figure be a chance and insurance the fig hasn't been used? If you buy a bagged fig in the Lego store without knowing what's inside you can still be sure that it's new and you can enjoy opening it later.

[Princess Storm]

I disagree. There can be a risk buying it in the bag, not everyone uses the barcodes. For example, someone feels what's inside and mistakes the caveman club for the zombie chicken leg and sells it as a zombie.

Why can't buying a bagged figure be a chance and insurance the fig hasn't been used? If you buy a bagged fig in the Lego store without knowing what's inside you can still be sure that it's new and you can enjoy opening it later.

I'm sorry, but the line "mistakes the caveman club for the zombie chicken leg" just nearly made me spit tea all over my screen ROFL

ahem

I think anyone who is selling bagged and identified specific figs needs to say in the ebay listing that they were identified by the barcode (and possibly include a pic of the barcode?). IMO there is a risk to the customer even in this case, because there have been quite a few reports of missing heads etc in the bags

[Peppermint_M]

The second barcode is nothing but a tracker for the factory. Yes it allows those in the know to get exactly what they want (if they have a barcode reader or fantastic matching skills and a long suffering cash desk operator who'll tolerate someone stood there molesting their display box contents) and online it will be even less popular and might lead to trouble with TLG. Yes it is a way to beat the system, but it isn't one they want shouted all over eBay where Joe Mundy can find out for himself.

I still can't see anyone wanting to pay for a blind bagged figure the seller assures them is the one they want. If these were action figures, packaging makes a difference. However they are trading figures...

Case in point: Final Fantasy trading figures, they come in blind boxes I can buy for £2. The opened figures sell for £3, because you can choose a Sephiroth instead of yet another Tidus in the blind box (it is a good job so many of my friends like Tidus so I could offload the extras!). Or the phone charm figures, £2 from the egg or £3 out. Then again I can buy the full set for £20 but minus the secret figure or the full-full set with secret figure for £25...

So many options!

[Princess Storm]

Hmm, I don't quite see what TLG could do about it; or why they'd have a problem with it TBH. It's their own fault! I think a lot of AFOLs will be very good at barcode matching quickly - some people here can tell the different shades of grey/bley at a glance, for example

[Peppermint_M]

I am not saying I think people shouldn't use the barcodes. What I am saying is someone on eBay would much rather see that the figure they want is there for sale and that they are certainly going to get the exact one. Not everyone is a Lego nerd. Many parents can't tell the difference between some Mega brands NeoShifters and a Bionicle.. A whole pile of AFOLs must be a bit dis-connected if they'll buy Best Lock or Sluban weapons sprues for twice the price of the set they come in (not to mention added p&p). Yes, we all know the barcodes, but what about some of the other Lego fan communities out there?

Well, whutevah. I am getting a boxload, thus making it a moot point. I am sure someone would be happy to pay for the figures I do not want and I am even more sure that at one or both of the two comic cons I am going too in the next few week will have someone selling the figures and the opened figures at different prices...

[Princess Storm]

I am not saying I think people shouldn't use the barcodes. What I am saying is someone on eBay would much rather see that the figure they want is there for sale and that they are certainly going to get the exact one. Not everyone is a Lego nerd. Many parents can't tell the difference between some Mega brands NeoShifters and a Bionicle.. A whole pile of AFOLs must be a bit dis-connected if they'll buy Best Lock or Sluban weapons sprues for twice the price of the set they come in (not to mention added p&p). Yes, we all know the barcodes, but what about some of the other Lego fan communities out there?

Well, whutevah. I am getting a boxload, thus making it a moot point. I am sure someone would be happy to pay for the figures I do not want and I am even more sure that at one or both of the two comic cons I am going too in the next few week will have someone selling the figures and the opened figures at different prices...

For what it's worth, I wasn't really advocating opened or unopened packets. I'm planning to buy the figs that I want on ebay or bricklink (unless I can easily and quickly identify them by feel in WHSmiths!), and I don't care if they're opened or not. Getting a whole box sounds really cool, sadly I can't afford that - and my husband would think I'd finally lost my trolley!

[Peppermint_M]

Sadly I think Smith's keep theirs behind the desk :(, I walked past my local today and noticed them on the shelf (do you know how unbearable that was! I so wanted to get at least one bag... but i have a box on its way. Argh!) behind the desk, with the Go-Gos and stickers..

[JimBee]

I definitely think investing in a whole box would be the best bet. You're getting three full sets, guaranteed (unless other customers mixed multiple boxes up in the store), and you can sell anything you don't want to get at least half of your money back. So if you wanted just one complete set, you could sell everything else and possibly make more than what you paid.

On the other hand, buying individual bags to find that one fig you want will cost you a lot...

[The Crazy One]

I just bought ten of them. I got the Magician, Nurse , Space Man, Robot, Ninja, x2 Cavemen, Crash Test Dummy, Clown and the Wrestler. Pretty good only one duplicate. I have to say I am inlove with that Nurse. I am going to buy another ten next weekend, hopefully I'll get the rest.

But, I have some bad news, i-nigma doesn't work on them. I guess you are just going to have to memorize the barcodes.

[legomaniac83]

I definitely think investing in a whole box would be the best bet. You're getting three full sets, guaranteed (unless other customers mixed multiple boxes up in the store), and you can sell anything you don't want to get at least half of your money back. So if you wanted just one complete set, you could sell everything else and possibly make more than what you paid.

On the other hand, buying individual bags to find that one fig you want will cost you a lot...

This is exactly what I thought when I heard these were coming out......and why I hmmm'ed and ahhhh'ed over buying a whole box (which I did).

Since I will have more than one fig of each, someone who did not buy a box and is looking for a certain one I can help them out....plus they are great to throw in gift bags for you little ones in the family!

Buying each fig separately every time you go to the toy store would be more money.....unless you are extremely lucky

And "The crazy one" - that's a pretty good haul for buying ten random bags!

Edited May 8, 2010 by legomaniac83

[brickzone]

Yes it allows those in the know to get exactly what they want (if they have a barcode reader or fantastic matching skills and a long suffering cash desk operator who'll tolerate someone stood there molesting their display box contents) and online it will be even less popular and might lead to trouble with TLG. Yes it is a way to beat the system, but it isn't one they want shouted all over eBay where Joe Mundy can find out for himself.

Hah! I was fortunately in Argos at a quiet time and had a suitably long-suffering cash desk operator who let me peruse them on the counter (actually I was quick enough as I just checked to get unique bags, not duplicates, rather than particular ones). However at the end of the day they were pretty pleased when they heard the secret of the barcodes, as they had to buy some too for a kid (a situation where they wouldn't want to have the kid open the bags just to find out it was the same minifig in them!) I suspect the rumour will spread pretty quickly around these parts now, some of the other store staff seemed interested to know about the barcodes as well :)

One of the other Argos's had them in the display bins at the queuing area which seemed a bit silly from a stock protection perspective. Seems to be no definite policy as apparently another Argos in the country simply had you order them at the desk then they come through on the conveyor from the dimension-defying seemingly-infinite Argos back-room.

For the record I took under 5 mins to get 12 unique packets. It was getting progressively longer to find each new unique one though and I had emptied half the box onto the counter so I didn't go up to 16 (mind you the store was so quiet and I was looking silly enough already that I should have held my nerve, plus at €2.80 apiece Argos were getting their money's worth). I missed out for now on the zombie, nurse, diver and robot.

[The Crazy One]

And "The crazy one" - that's a pretty good haul for buying ten random bags!

I know right. I was so happy to get those figures. Just a little annoyed there was no Cheerleader. I mistook the Caveman Hair for a pom pom * facepalm *. Oh well, there's always tommorow's haul.

Edited May 8, 2010 by The crazy one

[RileyC]

I know right. I was so happy to get those figures. Just a little annoyed there was no Cheerleader. I mistook the Caveman Hair for a pom pom * facepalm *. Oh well, there's always tommorow's haul.

So is it really easy to pick out which ones are which by feeling the bag?

[The Crazy One]

So is it really easy to pick out which ones are which by feeling the bag?

No, I wish it was. It was pure luck for all of them apart from the Crash Dummy and the Cave Man, which I did actually feel. All the rest I just took randomly without feeling. From what I did feel though. It's not too hard. The bag is quite tough it's true, but if you know what you are feeling for, you should get it.

Edited May 8, 2010 by The crazy one

[KurttKrueger]

This may have been answered before, and if it has, I apologise, but where are people getting there boxes of figs from?

I've collected coolectible figures in the past (Heroclix, Star Wars Miniatures) and have always bought a case or two to get the whole set. I'd like to do the same for these.

Incidently, I picked up 6 packets from my local Argos earlier today. One from the till area, and five from the depths below. I could tell the one I'd picked up was the Robot by feel alone! :)

[not-in-use-anymore]

It's been a while since there were any new pictures of series 2... Are there any clear ones I missed? I thought there would be better pictures by now.

[Dfenz]

However at the end of the day they were pretty pleased when they heard the secret of the barcodes, as they had to buy some too for a kid (a situation where they wouldn't want to have the kid open the bags just to find out it was the same minifig in them!) I suspect the rumour will spread pretty quickly around these parts now, some of the other store staff seemed interested to know about the barcodes as well :)

My local Argos store has a copy of Holodocs barcode list on an A4 sheet - the sales assistant was interested in the barcodes and she photocopied it there and then after helping me get a cheerleader and clown.

[Holodoc]

My local Argos store has a copy of Holodocs barcode list on an A4 sheet - the sales assistant was interested in the barcodes and she photocopied it there and then after helping me get a cheerleader and clown.

Was that really my list, or just any other?

Borderless freedom... I love the idea.

[Dfenz]

Was that really my list, or just any other?

Borderless freedom... I love the idea.

I used (and thus the Argos assistant has) 'your' list, i.e. the two column barcode list you posted from photos taken at the Eurobricks event as distinct from the barcode list produced by others which presumably contains the same information. Yours fitted nicely on an A4 sheet and the barcodes are legible so I didn't need to go elsewhere.

[The Crazy One]

That damn Cheerleader is so popular! I have every figure apart from her now and only two doubles. Do we have any series two pics in HR yet?

[Peppermint_M]

My Box Came :D

As follows it contained:

3 Wrestlers

3 Clowns

4 Robots

4 Magicians

5 Ninja

3 Cheerleaders

4 Spacemen

3 Emo Kids

5 Crash Dummies

4 Forestmen

4 Cavemen

3 Native Americans

3 Nurses

3 Zombies

5 Divers

4 Gunslingers

So three full sets and a whole load of cool spares I hope to present them in an interesting manner, so keep an eye on the forums

[WhiteFang]

So three full sets and a whole load of cool spares I hope to present them in an interesting manner, so keep an eye on the forums

Finally!

Great, you got the exact same combination as I do. Looking forward to your upcoming project.

[not-in-use-anymore]

Finally!

Great, you got the exact same combination as I do. Looking forward to your upcoming project.

Huh. Does anyone else who got a box have the same?

[KurttKrueger]

I'd quite like to know where people are buying their boxes from. Please PM me if theres an issue over posting it.

[AmperZand]

Holodoc, I think I love you!

I printed out your barcode list, took it to the nearest Argos to my office, ordered 50 minifigs, identified the ones I wanted visually from their barcodes, and returned the ones I didn't want for an instant refund.

Did it bother the staff? No. I told them what I was doing and why and they were 100% OK with it.

Did I make any mistakes reading the barcodes by eye? No.

Did I get all the minifigs I wanted (caveman, forestman/hunter, ninja, zombie and robot)? Yes.

Am I a happy camper? You bet your minifriggin' behind!

Thanks again, Holodoc. You're a total star.

Amps