LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 3 discussion

[yys4u]

So today I went back to my parents house and compared the 2 original blacktron figures to the Rench figure from space police. I was surprised to see the similarities, its really cool how they did this cameo appearance for the AFOLs, so I've become pretty excited for the Cyborg in series 3.

On a different note, I also realized how sad I was that the CMF don't have the neck printing. My original blacktron guy has no head or pack, so I'm basically comparing the body (white chest with green B) and of course the legs... Anyways this reminded me of the neck printing. I always notice LEGO's neck printing, and I remember once seeing someones "signature" being a picture of LEGO minifigure neck compared to some off brands neck, the difference was no neck printing, and the quote that went with the signature was something like "beware of cheap Chinese knock offs" Well this signature is what initially brought me into question of the CMF's quality. I know we already discussed the quality but I was just curious to see if anyone else felt the same way. Basically, I saw this signature and quote before Series 1 came out. So when I got series one and started collecting them, I soon noticed the lack of neck printing, then I looked it up online and thats how i got involved in the whole plastic quality debate.

Anyone else got similar stories? I just thought I'd share mine.

[AndyC]

Why is the alien's head worthless? It's just as unique as any collectible minifig head ever. In fact, it's more unique than most, since the Squidman head has never existed in lime whatsoever.

I'm not sure it can be more unique, something is either unique or it isn't. When it comes down to it, my disappointment in the use of squidman's head is that I don't think it's representative of what people think of as "an alien". Of course that's just my opinion, there are always going to be a few figs that don't appeal and others that are "must have".

[Legoist]

I don't. I for one don't collect these, so I want an equal chance of getting everything.

Odd... I don't collect them either but I do not want any chance at all. In fact I didn't buy any of Series 1 or 2 until I found out about the barcodes.

But it's not a big deal, if I can't buy what I want, I'll just not buy any.

That said, I think it will still be possible to guess the minifig inside in the old way, i.e. by touch. I think there are 2-3 minifigs I like in Series 3, so as long as I can guess by touch I'll probably myself buy the Fisherman, the Hawaiian and a bunch of elves. Everything else doesn't interest me, so I certainly won't take the chance.

[Aanchir]

So today I went back to my parents house and compared the 2 original blacktron figures to the Rench figure from space police. I was surprised to see the similarities, its really cool how they did this cameo appearance for the AFOLs, so I've become pretty excited for the Cyborg in series 3.

On a different note, I also realized how sad I was that the CMF don't have the neck printing. My original blacktron guy has no head or pack, so I'm basically comparing the body (white chest with green B) and of course the legs... Anyways this reminded me of the neck printing. I always notice LEGO's neck printing, and I remember once seeing someones "signature" being a picture of LEGO minifigure neck compared to some off brands neck, the difference was no neck printing, and the quote that went with the signature was something like "beware of cheap Chinese knock offs" Well this signature is what initially brought me into question of the CMF's quality. I know we already discussed the quality but I was just curious to see if anyone else felt the same way. Basically, I saw this signature and quote before Series 1 came out. So when I got series one and started collecting them, I soon noticed the lack of neck printing, then I looked it up online and thats how i got involved in the whole plastic quality debate.

Anyone else got similar stories? I just thought I'd share mine.

The lack of neck printing has been explained as a more "up-to-date" molding and printing process. Originally, the purpose of neck printing was to ensure that during production the machines could distinguish which side of the torso was the "front" when they were attaching the arms. Today's machines (at least, the ones in the China plant) are more up-to-date, and thus no longer need this hint to distinguish the front and back of a fig.

A lot of the perceived quality issues can be attributed to the fact that yes, the collectible figs do use an entirely different set of parts than most figs (in most cases). For instance, the arms have been revealed to have a molding mark under them. While this is currently only found on figs produced in the Chinese plant, it is not a quality issue in and of itself-- the arm mold used on the collectible figs is a newer one that will be replacing the old one in all the factories eventually. The torso, waist, and legs of the collectible figs are also newer versions of the old molds, with slight differences visible on each.

Even the collectible minifig accessories are new-- the binoculars carried by the Series 2 Explorer no longer have conical-looking indentations inside the "eye sockets", instead having a flat surface underneath. The 2x2 tile carried by the Disco Dude is also a new mold, although that piece has undergone several iterations. Just comparing a 2x2 tile from last year's Space Police set Space Truck Getaway and this year's set Lunar Limo revealed that those molds were different, but used the same part number. The Disco Dude's tile, on the other hand, has circular molding marks on the underside where the studs would be on a regular plate, and has the part number 88409 rather than the older 3068. These changes are unexpected, but unless you've got very specific tastes in parts, they don't really say anything about quality, and I imagine that the newer molds will indeed supplant the older ones eventually in other sets from other production facilities.

Just some random observations of mine. Hope I didn't bore you.

[yys4u]

The lack of neck printing has been explained as a more "up-to-date" molding and printing process. Originally, the purpose of neck printing was to ensure that during production the machines could distinguish which side of the torso was the "front" when they were attaching the arms. Today's machines (at least, the ones in the China plant) are more up-to-date, and thus no longer need this hint to distinguish the front and back of a fig.

A lot of the perceived quality issues can be attributed to the fact that yes, the collectible figs do use an entirely different set of parts than most figs (in most cases). For instance, the arms have been revealed to have a molding mark under them. While this is currently only found on figs produced in the Chinese plant, it is not a quality issue in and of itself-- the arm mold used on the collectible figs is a newer one that will be replacing the old one in all the factories eventually. The torso, waist, and legs of the collectible figs are also newer versions of the old molds, with slight differences visible on each.

Even the collectible minifig accessories are new-- the binoculars carried by the Series 2 Explorer no longer have conical-looking indentations inside the "eye sockets", instead having a flat surface underneath. The 2x2 tile carried by the Disco Dude is also a new mold, although that piece has undergone several iterations. Just comparing a 2x2 tile from last year's Space Police set Space Truck Getaway and this year's set Lunar Limo revealed that those molds were different, but used the same part number. The Disco Dude's tile, on the other hand, has circular molding marks on the underside where the studs would be on a regular plate, and has the part number 88409 rather than the older 3068. These changes are unexpected, but unless you've got very specific tastes in parts, they don't really say anything about quality, and I imagine that the newer molds will indeed supplant the older ones eventually in other sets from other production facilities.

Just some random observations of mine. Hope I didn't bore you.

thats very interesting...I am surprised at your attention to detail on this.

Maybe next time you can look into the crystal structure of the material lattice and look for differences there :D

Haha jk, but seriously I'll check some of those things you pointed out.

[blueShinyApple]

Oh, and Im pretty sure that series 5 will be red.

I don't think so, I think it would be more likely to be purple, because the LEGO-logo, the 'minifigures'-logo, and all those small circles with numbers are red, and it would look weird with red background too.

I'm just guessing...

[Mrlegoninja]

I don't think so, I think it would be more likely to be purple, because the LEGO-logo, the 'minifigures'-logo, and all those small circles with numbers are red, and it would look weird with red background too.

I'm just guessing...

Its all about marketing.

Who's buying this? More boys than girls. And red appeals more to boys than purple.

People sometimes are going through a store.

If they see something red, they might get curious to see what it is.

However, if they see something purple, they might think its for girls.

Oh, and I know another thing. Either in series 4 or series 5 there will be a fireman.

[Snowspeeder Pilot]

Hello Chaps!

I found this surfing on the net, I do not know if this is just a custom mini figures or they will be the new wave of mini figures.

This is the list:

1. Fisher

2. F1 Pilot (Ferrari Driver)

3. Mummy

4. Sumo Wrestler

5. Hip Hop Singer

6. Baseball Player

7. Native American Chief

8. Samurai Knight

9. Tennis Player (Female)

10. Snowboarder (Female)

11. Hawaii Dancer

12. Alien

13. Gorilla

14. WWII Bomber Pilot

15. Doctor

16. Elf Warrior

Elf Warrior! so maybe in the future they will release Lord of the Rings series!

I like Samurai Warrior and WWII Bomber Pilot.

Check this link to see the figures: http://www.customminifig.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Lego-minifig-collectors-series-3.jpg

Hope this is true!

Best Regards.

[Masked Builder]

While true I'm pretty sure we have a thread about the Series 3 minifigures. I'll defer to an Admin.

[strider406]

The series 3 topic can be found here.

[Lord Insanity]

Oh, and I know another thing. Either in series 4 or series 5 there will be a fireman.

Well if the hypothetical fireman finally has a red hat then...

For the record I really like the series 2 police officer for having a tan shirt too. The best part is it seems most AFOLs don't really care for them and they are cheap.

[Mrlegoninja]

Yep, we already have a topic on this.

[Mrlegoninja]

Well if the hypothetical fireman finally has a red hat then...

For the record I really like the series 2 police officer for having a tan shirt too. The best part is it seems most AFOLs don't really care for them and they are cheap.

I really like the police officer too! It also comes with the coolest speeding ticket ever!

[tchuk-norst]

The unknown figure 16 looks to me like a space pirate or the like. It is a very blurry image I saw.

[blueShinyApple]

The unknown figure 16 looks to me like a space pirate or the like. It is a very blurry image I saw.

take a look at this, http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5004835163_44f8285c03.jpg

[Mrlegoninja]

take a look at this, http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5004835163_44f8285c03.jpg

We've already seen it, but its nice to have a link for each page.

[krystalKING]

UPDATE! I've taken a closer look at the cyborg and alien!It seems that the aliens torso print is a respirator! From me.The cyborg update is that half his face is robotic!

There must be a lot of shrapnel in the future.

[Aanchir]

UPDATE! I've taken a closer look at the cyborg and alien!It seems that the aliens torso print is a respirator! From me.The cyborg update is that half his face is robotic!

There must be a lot of shrapnel in the future.

The alien's respirator is part of what makes him so cool. But I think he could have been improved and made more unique if he'd had, say, a Divers air tank on his back as well. Not having any of those air tanks on hand, of course, and not having Squidman's head available on LEGO Digital Designer (unlike most of the other Space Police aliens), I have no idea if that would end up stressing the air tank in any way. Certainly something I plan to check out if I end up back home with a Squidman-style alien.

[Blondie-Wan]

The lack of neck printing has been explained as a more "up-to-date" molding and printing process. Originally, the purpose of neck printing was to ensure that during production the machines could distinguish which side of the torso was the "front" when they were attaching the arms. Today's machines (at least, the ones in the China plant) are more up-to-date, and thus no longer need this hint to distinguish the front and back of a fig.

A lot of the perceived quality issues can be attributed to the fact that yes, the collectible figs do use an entirely different set of parts than most figs (in most cases). For instance, the arms have been revealed to have a molding mark under them. While this is currently only found on figs produced in the Chinese plant, it is not a quality issue in and of itself-- the arm mold used on the collectible figs is a newer one that will be replacing the old one in all the factories eventually. The torso, waist, and legs of the collectible figs are also newer versions of the old molds, with slight differences visible on each.

Even the collectible minifig accessories are new-- the binoculars carried by the Series 2 Explorer no longer have conical-looking indentations inside the "eye sockets", instead having a flat surface underneath. The 2x2 tile carried by the Disco Dude is also a new mold, although that piece has undergone several iterations. Just comparing a 2x2 tile from last year's Space Police set Space Truck Getaway and this year's set Lunar Limo revealed that those molds were different, but used the same part number. The Disco Dude's tile, on the other hand, has circular molding marks on the underside where the studs would be on a regular plate, and has the part number 88409 rather than the older 3068. These changes are unexpected, but unless you've got very specific tastes in parts, they don't really say anything about quality, and I imagine that the newer molds will indeed supplant the older ones eventually in other sets from other production facilities.

Just some random observations of mine. Hope I didn't bore you.

Indeed, I've also noticed that the printed 1x2 tiles used for accessories for the crash test dummy in Series 1 and the traffic cop in Series 2 are also different - enough to have slightly different functionality, even. Other 1x2 tiles, lacking a center pin, can be placed on a single stud centered on the tile's underside, and even slide back and forth along it. The tiles included with these two figures, though, have minute rectangular shapes slighly projecting from the inside walls (the long ones) into the space where studs fit - only slightly, but enough to prevent the tiles from easily accommodating a stud in the middle of the tile, and if one forces the tile onto a stud in the middle it bows out the sides of the tile.

It appears to me that possibly every molded element in the collectible minifigures line is unique, even those elements analogous to such commonplace elements as 1x2 and 2x2 tiles and minifigure parts. I think the new molds are responsible for the perception of lower-quality plastic, rather than the actual plastic; it seems to me the molds for the torsos, etc. have very light, fine texturing in them which gives the minifigures their matte appearance. IIRC, I've noticed that the neck post of one of these is still shiny even though the rest of the torso - the same piece of plastic - is not; perhaps I'm overlooking something, but to me that indicates the surfacing of the mold is what's determining the look of the finish, rather than something to do with the plastic.

[Aanchir]

Indeed, I've also noticed that the printed 1x2 tiles used for accessories for the crash test dummy in Series 1 and the traffic cop in Series 2 are also different - enough to have slightly different functionality, even. Other 1x2 tiles, lacking a center pin, can be placed on a single stud centered on the tile's underside, and even slide back and forth along it. The tiles included with these two figures, though, have minute rectangular shapes slighly projecting from the inside walls (the long ones) into the space where studs fit - only slightly, but enough to prevent the tiles from easily accommodating a stud in the middle of the tile, and if one forces the tile onto a stud in the middle it bows out the sides of the tile.

It appears to me that possibly every molded element in the collectible minifigures line is unique, even those elements analogous to such commonplace elements as 1x2 and 2x2 tiles and minifigure parts. I think the new molds are responsible for the perception of lower-quality plastic, rather than the actual plastic; it seems to me the molds for the torsos, etc. have very light, fine texturing in them which gives the minifigures their matte appearance. IIRC, I've noticed that the neck post of one of these is still shiny even though the rest of the torso - the same piece of plastic - is not; perhaps I'm overlooking something, but to me that indicates the surfacing of the mold is what's determining the look of the finish, rather than something to do with the plastic.

The idea that the surfaces are different textures is something that Nabii suggested as the reason for a perceived different appearance, and I think it seems very logical. Until recently, I didn't have many parts in the same color for both collectible figs and regular figs-- now that I have the witch, though, I compared her torso to that of Rench and there is a perceptible difference in the reflectiveness. Much more evident than it was with parts like minifig heads, probably because the minifig head, being roundish on all surfaces, has an irregular shine compared to the broad flat surfaces of a minifig torso.

This also makes me wonder if other parts that are likely of Chinese manufacture (i.e. Space Police alien heads like those of Rench and Squidman) might also have a different surface texture, and nobody's noticed because it's hard to compare irregular surface shapes, especially on parts where an earlier version from another plant does not exist.

In response to something I posted in the Town forum's topic on the collectible figs, would you mind sharing with me any collectible minifig parts' part ID numbers that I don't already have listed? I'm very curious about that, not that I have anything consequential to learn from it.

[Blondie-Wan]

In response to something I posted in the Town forum's topic on the collectible figs, would you mind sharing with me any collectible minifig parts' part ID numbers that I don't already have listed? I'm very curious about that, not that I have anything consequential to learn from it.

I'd be happy to, as soon as I get home (I'm posting from work at the moment). I do have all 32 figures so far, so I should be able to do all of them for which I can make out part numbers (just don't expect much info for the capes!).

[Aanchir]

I'd be happy to, as soon as I get home (I'm posting from work at the moment). I do have all 32 figures so far, so I should be able to do all of them for which I can make out part numbers (just don't expect much info for the capes!).

Alright, thanks!

Also, something I really wonder is where Bricklink got the part numbers for parts without printed part numbers like the maracas and microphone. But that's not a pressing concern at all; just again my curiosity getting the best of me.

[CP5670]

This also makes me wonder if other parts that are likely of Chinese manufacture (i.e. Space Police alien heads like those of Rench and Squidman) might also have a different surface texture, and nobody's noticed because it's hard to compare irregular surface shapes, especially on parts where an earlier version from another plant does not exist.

Those pieces (especially the Squidman head) do have a different texture from ordinary bricks. There have always been some specialized Lego pieces that had a duller finish than regular bricks, even ones made of ABS. I think the concern here is that pieces that are normally shiny are now showing up with the matte texture on these collectible minifigs. We have a basis for comparison with those.

As for the numbers, I checked some 1x2 tiles and the crash dummy tiles are 88630, while the regular ones are 3069.

[Aanchir]

Those pieces (especially the Squidman head) do have a different texture from ordinary bricks. There have always been some specialized Lego pieces that had a duller finish than regular bricks, even ones made of ABS. I think the concern here is that pieces that are normally shiny are now showing up with the matte texture on these collectible minifigs. We have a basis for comparison with those.

As for the numbers, I checked some 1x2 tiles and the crash dummy tiles are 88630, while the regular ones are 3069.

Yep. Blondie-Wan was nice enough to complete the list I started. Even though we had been told elsewhere that the collectible minifigs used an entirely new set of molds, it's pretty interesting to see the new mold numbers all laid out in order.

I wonder if the new texture has any practical purpose? It's possible that, considering how many of the known "Chinese" parts other than the collectible minifig parts have printing on irregular surfaces, the new mold texture is intended to improve the printing (perhaps making the edges crisper or something; I don't know). This is hard to say for certain. Some reviews I've seen of the collectible figs praise their printing for its crisp edges and resilience during play. On the other hand, I recently came across some discussion in the Licensed Themes forum regarding printing on the Dobby fig's head that easily wears away-- although this piece is not comparable to the collectible figs in terms of material, there were nevertheless comments that collectible fig faces had also been encountered with this problem.

Or maybe LEGO just prefers the look of the new texture for some reason (can't exactly see why they'd do this for that reason alone, though, given the backlash that emerged after similar aesthetic changes-- for instance, the changes from greys to bleys). Perhaps there's some merit to your assertion that LEGO's just gotten to the point where they can count on people buying their products even if there are complaints about their consistency. I know for certain that many buyers will continue to buy sets even as they complain about their quality. Given that the alternative is not buying LEGO sets at all, and that there's not yet a clone brand with the same aesthetic quality, design quality, and fan community as LEGO bricks, most people are willing to make allowances for quality issues if a set or theme is appealing enough in terms of design.

[Nikola Bathory]

I really like the elf, it has a cool shield as well!

The elf is the only one I like from these. I'll buy 1 or 2 copies.