LEGO Collectable Minifigures General Discussion

[Modulex Guy]

Here is what I got so far:

I almost have 4 full sets.

3x Wrestler

4x Clown

4x Caveman

3x Chearleader

5x Ninja

4x Cowboy

4x Indian

4x Nurse

5x Diver

3x Skater

6x Dummy

6x Magician

4x Robot

4x Forestman

4x Spaceman

4x Zombie

[BrickClick]

Woops!

I never noticed this before and started a new thread may bad

Heres my collection:

X4 Cave Man

X3 Forest man

X3 Wrestler

X2 Ninja

X2 Skater

X1 Tribal Hunter

X1 Crash Test dummy

Hmmm...

Alright I suppose but I want a Robot, Cheerleader and a zombie!

[blueandwhite]

So far my collection looks like this:

14x Forestmen

12x Cheerleaders

6x Nurses

4x Cavemen

1x everything else.

At this point I only care about Forestmen and Cheerleaders .

[Zenox]

Gosh, you're real collectors!

So far i only got

x1 Wrestler, but from next 5e i get, i'm getting 2 more!

Hoping for ninja or spaceman, are those rare?

[jonwil]

I bought 3 batches.

Batch 1 was x2 skater, x1 cowboy, x1 magician and x1 astronaut

Batch 2 was x1 skater, x1 diver, x1 nurse, x1 astronaut

Batch 3 was x1 nurse, x2 cheerleader, x1 clown

I have no interest in the rest of series 1 (or obtaining a full set) but bring on Series 2 (I need at least 2 surfers and at least 2 skiers plus others)

[Blondie-Wan]

Hello!

I was just wondering which of the collectable minifigures do you own?

2 x tribal hunter

2 x zombie

2 x diver

1 x spaceman

1 x caveman

1 x forestman

1 x cheerleader

1 x robot

1 x crash test dummy

1 x gunslinger

1 x clown

1 x skater

1 x nurse

1 x ninja

1 x magician

1 x luchador

So, 19 total - at least one of each, with two copies apiece of three of them.

[squiz]

Seems like the barcodes will be removed from the minifig packaging for series 3.

http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=732

Got to say im pretty dissapointed with this. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, its a bit of a con to not know what you are buying.

[Artanis I]

Seems like the barcodes will be removed from the minifig packaging for series 3.

http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=732

Got to say im pretty dissapointed with this. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, its a bit of a con to not know what you are buying.

I finally found somewhere yesterday with the minifigs in stock. They had ONE box, on the counter. I had memorised the barcodes of the 2 figures I wanted, and found them. I most certainly did not want any of the others, so I'm really glad for the barcodes.

If you want a random figure as a surprise, don't learn the barcodes. If you want a whole heap of the same figure, be nice to the random buyers and get them online or buy entire boxes and sell the extras.

[blueandwhite]

Seems like the barcodes will be removed from the minifig packaging for series 3.

http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=732

Got to say im pretty dissapointed with this. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, its a bit of a con to not know what you are buying.

It' almost as if LEGO is deliberately trying to upset the fans. The barcodes were perfect. They allowed people who want the element of surprise to purchase blind while aiding those of us who want specific figs to purchase what we want. If demand was higher than expected, why change the product in a negative way? I certainly won't be buying blind.

[vexorian]

I just wish bar codes were never added into them in the first place. I agree with the removal of them in series 3. There has been enough bar code abuse in series 1 already and it has not even finished being released yet :/

[WhiteFang]

Seems like the barcodes will be removed from the minifig packaging for series 3.

http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=732

Got to say im pretty dissapointed with this. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, its a bit of a con to not know what you are buying.

This is so unexpected... I am really disappointed with the move of removing the barcodes from upcoming future series... It helps many people out there like myself whom want to narrow the "ones" you will love most without getting too random and now it will do more harm than good after they removed it for Series 3.. I don't know about this but I am having a lot of mixed feelings about this.

[Svelte]

I'm not entirely convinced its true - can our own EB Ambassador confirm this news?

The original source is here:

http://www.fbtb.net/2010/06/10/new-info-on...inifigs-series/

If it does happen, it will suck. But surely there will have to be some way of identifying the packet from LEGO's internal point-of-view? If there is, some canny AFOL will discover it.

Hopefully by then LEGO allows AFOLs to buy whole boxes or specific figs online rather than the stupid US 5 fig limit and blind guessing.

If the purpose of these figs is to encourage social trading amongst kids, allowing people to buy whole boxes via S@H is going to have no effect on that market. How many parents allow their kids to make large S@H orders? Very few, I would guess.

[The Green Brick Giant]

The amount people want series 1 has caught LEGO by surprise.

I'm sorry but how stupid are the people running the company? Cheap EXCLUSIVE minifigures selling well?! Who would have thought!!!

This whole thing has been a complete disaster that I don't even care that there is going to be a series three, screw it.

[vexorian]

Yeah, it is selling better than they expected, what a disaster for LEGO ...

[blueandwhite]

I just wish bar codes were never added into them in the first place. I agree with the removal of them in series 3. There has been enough bar code abuse in series 1 already and it has not even finished being released yet :/

Abuse? How does using the barcodes to select the figures you want constitute abuse? Let's not forget that only a very small minority of customers are even aware of these barcodes. They certainly don't impact the average consumer who is simply going to buy the figures blind. Heck, it's not even like any one figure is exceedingly rare. Every box has at least 3 of a given figure. On the flipside, without barcodes it is very possible that a fan will have to fork over considerable amounts of coin to complete a series (in this case series 3).

LEGO has finally realized that minifigs sell, yet they want to reduce demand amongst AFOLs by eliminating the one feature that made purchasing these guys in large quantities a viable endeavour. I'm seriously considering skipping out on series 3 if LEGO decides to go this route. The barcodes were the best of both worlds.

[CMP]

I have enough cash left to get a full set I think, but the series 3 barcode removal does bug me. Is it worth a petition?

[The Penguin]

Well, I have some mixed feelings about that. On one hand it's really disappointing,since I managed to get 10+ zombies and 15+ forestmen thanks to the barcodes. On the other hand unlike series one, series two (and I hope series three) have no minifigures that I wouldn't like to have in multiples (exept for policeman, I guess). And there are also no figures (exept spartain, perhaps) that require to be bought in huge quantities to create an army (like zombies and forestmen ). So it doesn't bother me much.

Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

[vexorian]

Abuse? How does using the barcodes to select the figures you want constitute abuse? Let's not forget that only a very small minority of customers are even aware of these barcodes.

That's ... exactly my point.

[Artanis I]

That's ... exactly my point.

Then what is the purpose of the barcodes, if not to individually identify the bags from each other? How is it abusing the barcodes if that's what they're there for? What else could they possibly be for if not that?

If by "abuse" you mean that people are going too far and buying out all the Xs and leaving all the Ys, sure that's annoying, but how different is that to turning up at a shop during a sale to find all of the blue toasters are gone, and there's nothing left but green.

Maybe Lego want to remove the barcodes because they have decided how many of each figure they're going to make, and want to sell them all despite the varying consumer demand for each. It means they don't have to predict which ones are going to be popular (and therefore which ones to make more of) because you get no choice on what figure you get. With barcodes there might be heaps of unsold cheerleaders for example, but without barcodes everything would sell evenly until all were sold out.

Let it be known, that I will not be purchasing any of series 3 if it does go down the "lucky dip" road (ie no barcodes or anything else identifying). I don't want any Lego I don't want. Captain Obvious...

[blueandwhite]

Then what is the purpose of the barcodes, if not to individually identify the bags from each other? How is it abusing the barcodes if that's what they're there for? What else could they possibly be for if not that?

If by "abuse" you mean that people are going too far and buying out all the Xs and leaving all the Ys, sure that's annoying, but how different is that to turning up at a shop during a sale to find all of the blue toasters are gone, and there's nothing left but green.

Maybe Lego want to remove the barcodes because they have decided how many of each figure they're going to make, and want to sell them all despite the varying consumer demand for each. It means they don't have to predict which ones are going to be popular (and therefore which ones to make more of) because you get no choice on what figure you get. With barcodes there might be heaps of unsold cheerleaders for example, but without barcodes everything would sell evenly until all were sold out.

Let it be known, that I will not be purchasing any of series 3 if it does go down the "lucky dip" road (ie no barcodes or anything else identifying). I don't want any Lego I don't want. Captain Obvious...

The thing is, if most folks aren't using the barcodes and these figures are popular then they are going to sell well with or without the barcodes. The majority of buyers aren't aware of the barcode system and the majority of the figures are being purchased blind. It's not even like AFOLs agree on which minifig they want to collect in large quantities. The only thing removing the barcodes does is make this line less AFOL-friendly. I definitely agree that without the barcode system my collectable figure collection will stop growing. I don't plan on spending $100 just to get a complete set of figs that I probably won't make extensive use of.

[Big Cam]

Then what is the purpose of the barcodes, if not to individually identify the bags from each other? How is it abusing the barcodes if that's what they're there for? What else could they possibly be for if not that?

Obviously barcodes are for the manufacturer to keep track of what they have made. You can't honestly tell me that you think they printed barcodes on these just so people could identify figs, are you?? If that was their reason they would have just put the name of the fig on the bag.

Barcodes are a means of tracking.

[escortmad79]

There will be another way of telling what figure is in the packet from the 3rd series on. There's no way they will have random selections in boxes, that could be seriously risky for TLG. Kids (& AFOL) want a selection & won't be happy if they pay money to get a number of different figs from a box only to discover TLG has filled the box with 40+ of one figure & 0 of another!

The not knowing aspect will mean those that are a lot more desirable & rarer figs being put on BL for extortionate prices by people lucky enough to find them & out to make a fast buck for doing FA!

I know it goes on already, but at least with the barcode system in place people can then look for their own figs in store rather than biting the bullet & paying over the top prices to some chancer on BL!

This could bite TLG in the a**e!

[Sammael]

Obviously barcodes are for the manufacturer to keep track of what they have made. You can't honestly tell me that you think they printed barcodes on these just so people could identify figs, are you?? If that was their reason they would have just put the name of the fig on the bag.

Barcodes are a means of tracking.

Placement of the bar code on the bag is very odd, because there is no way to scan the bar code without moving the small flap aside, and that's really impractical if the code's purpose is tracking.

[Aanchir]

I don't care about the barcodes going away. As people have said, they were never meant to help AFOLs; they were just for tracking. From the beginning these minifigures were meant to be random.

And to those who think getting rid of the barcodes is a bad business decision, be sure to call up all the leading trading card companies and tell them that they're making a mistake by not listing the contents of each random booster pack. And prepare to be laughed at for your poor understanding of the business of collectibles.

Fact is, randomness causes the products to sell better, because most people aren't obsessed with which fig they get. They want a collection, and if they happen to get a figure they already had, then it's still not the end of the world. They'll keep buying, because it's not as though they got an empty package by guessing "wrong".

Meanwhile, the primary purpose of boxes was retail distribution. Again, it's the same deal as with collectible cards. Some people buy a complete box if they want to take a gamble, but it doesn't guarantee them a complete collection.

And yes, the barcodes have been abused, just as I predicted when the news first broke of their presence. The well-informed collectors may buy up all the zombies or forestmen. So the next innocent child who walks up might buy five packs, hoping to get a zombie. They're not cheating; and so there's no way for them to know that there aren't any zombies left. Thus selfish AFOLs are delighting in the barcodes at the expense of LEGO's real target audience, who collects the figures the way it was originally intended.

Also, guess what? Those people who sell overpriced collectible figs on Bricklink or eBay? They're just as likely to use the barcodes as you are! Again, they're making a profit at the expense of people who don't know about the barcodes, and can't get the figs they want most on a whim.

So really, either buy the collectible minifigs or don't. But stop whining about the loss of the barcodes when they were never intended for your sakes in the first place.

[Marckeyh]

Funny you should say that Aanchir, I just went to my local TRU and bought up all the zombies and forestmen :)