LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 3 discussion

[MinifigFreak2010]

Actually, I did try(only a daily basis at one point) to track down figs at a good price. here's what happened on more the one occasion:

I go to ebay and go a search. I find a figure that I really want with good prices and often good/great shipping, I check on there other items/shipping and this is where things go sour. I take and find out that either A) the person doesn't have the figs i'm after, B) the is no combined shipping, C) if they do have one that I want, the price is close to, if not OVER the max i'm willing to pay.

And actually, to date, neither my mother nor myself have been able to locate so much as an empty display case. We rarely go to toys r us(I've gone about 2X in the last year and she's gone about 1X and when we checked[we each checked on a different occassion and my run they had none and mom's run was a bust b/c they were sold out]), we don't go to target on a regular basis(A place with them sited), borders(A place where people on ACC have found them) is at least a 2 hour drive away from us and we rarely travel that way, The closest lego store to us is at least a 5-6 drive(we only get that way every year or 2 and that store didn't exist until shortly b4 the last summer) but I kinda forgot to ask at the store b/c I got so excited to visit the lego store for the first time ever.

Except for the few I got on Legoshop.com(I needed some PAB stuff) and the ones from ebay(that i got EXTREMELLY lucky on) I doubt i would of found any. But I got my B-ball player, gorilla guy, snowboarder and surfer dude that I really really wanted so I guess things aren't a total bust.

[Brickdoctor]

It's not TLG's fault if you can't find the ones you want because you don't bother to go to the store often. If you want a better chance, you have to go to the store more often. It's simple.

[Zeya]

I go to ebay and go a search. I find a figure that I really want with good prices and often good/great shipping, I check on there other items/shipping and this is where things go sour. I take and find out that either A) the person doesn't have the figs i'm after, B) the is no combined shipping, C) if they do have one that I want, the price is close to, if not OVER the max i'm willing to pay.

MinifigFreak, I think it's safe to say we all feel your pain. It sounds like you're in somewhat of a rural area and it's quite a hike to get to certain stores. Really, your best bet is to buy online. If nobody has introduced you to Bricklink, you need to use this site. It's basically a big Lego database and then people set up online stores. Here's a link to a store I found with reasonable prices (didn't take the time to find the lowest prices, but you can do that yourself):

http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=BumblingBuilder&itemID=21499185

At the top end he's asking $4.50 for a fisherman, all the way down to $1.99 for a race driver. Most seem to be about $3.20-$3.50. His store terms say that shipping is through USPS, which should be very cheap since minifigs are really lightweight. It would probably be a foam-padded mailer and cost something like 2-4 bucks for shipping. If you're worried about security or risk, Bricklink has a link by the store name where you can see feedback and quick blurb reviews. He has nothing but positive, and a few of those reviews are from January 2011, so I would feel safe buying from this little store.

Again, you can data mine Bricklink to really find the cheapest figs. This is just one example that popped out (I searched for the cheapest Fisherman fig in the USA, you see).

But in general, what I did with series 2 is buy 32 packets off S@H, piggybacking off more expensive sets to get the free shipping. Then I bought about 6 figs I was missing on BL.

And for series 3, I did bag-feeling at TRU and then traded with someone here on Eurobricks (see the sales and deals forum section).

For series 4, I plan on buying a large chunk of packets from TRU, feeling at home, return the ones I don't need, and then buy anything I'm missing off BL or maybe even trade again.

But yeah, if availability and lack of will/time to go to TRU every 3 days is a problem, that's understandable. But as I point out, it is very possible to buy these things online at reasonable prices. And let me just say, Bricklink is really awesome and comes highly recommended from everyone on these forums; I feel confident speaking for everyone here.

[The Yellow Brick]

EDIT - Removed

Edited February 2, 2011 by The Red Brick

[MinifigFreak2010]

i'm not exactly in a rural area, however, the stores like target and toys r us are about an hour away but we don't really have a reason to head that way. If I really want a lego set, i'll keep an eye out at walmart or eBay. toys r us has a lot of overpriced stuff and it's not really worth it. And we don't do target much b/c we can get stuff at walmart way easier or just go to sams(Store that sells stuff in bulk) for most of our other needs(it's way cheaper for some of our needs)

And i'm not into going hunting for stuff on bricklink. I'd rather stick to sites that i've shopped at b4. Though I think i will skim the catalog.

I'm curious in seeing if I can find the set that Christopher doyle got the head for Wiskey Tango(Reasonablyclever.com lego comic's main guy). Though looking at all those search results that came up, could someone point me in the right direction?

[Gregorovich]

Today when I went to Argos they had a new box of series 3, and I managed to get an elf and a racecar driver. When I first saw the elf in the pictures, I didn't like him all that much. But now that I've got him, I've become a really big fan of him! He is such a detailed figure, his hair, torso and shield are lovely. The only problem is that his hair can only really be used as an elf. The racecar driver is a great fig, too. His face is useful (I think I'll use it on my sigfig), and his hairpiece is excellent. So now that I've got 7 figs, here's my list of favourites (favourite first):

Hula Dancer, Tennis Player, Snowboarder, Gorrilla, Elf, Sumo Wrestler, Racecar Driver, Samurai, Rapper, Alien, Fisherman, Baseball Player, Cyborg, Mummy, Native American Chief, Pilot.

So the next 2 I want to get are the Samurai and the Rapper.

[Blondie-Wan]

I've actually had no trouble finding these at Target here in the US, but availability may vary by region, of course.

I got my Hawaii Girl today and after a couple of goes, managed to get the skirt on correctly! I know we're supposed to be intelligent creatures but I would appreciate a little diagram from LEGO to show us these things!

I've been wondering how easy these are for the average five-year-old to put on, since that's the stated minimum age on the packet. Presumably smaller fingers make it easier, but does a five-year-old have the dexterity?

There doesn't seem to be any discusions on Eurobricks or other forums on the topic of cutting the skirt so that it looks like the one on the sheet (that comes in each bag). The skirt on the sheet is a different design than the one you actually get so I wonder if cutting it would affect how it sits on the legs assembly.

The CG renderings appear to use accurate models (well, except shinier) for any molded plastic element, but any sort of textile thing can differ significantly - note how the fisherman's fishing line is much thicker in the rendering than the actual line is; in the rendering it's pretty much a heavy rope. The actual item is actually much better, I think - a much better representation of a fishing line. I similarly think the hula girl's actual skirt is preferable to the rendered version, though in this case it's because I think the rendered one would be extremely fragile.

The strands at the ends might rise up but then could you carefully iron those down?

I guess no-one wants to sacrifice a skirt to test it out. I'm not confident that I could cut straight enough anyway!

EDIT: Thinking about it some more, using a transparent ruler and a sculpture/stanley knife, this coule be done accurately and easily. I've just got to find a sharp enough knife. My housemate is an art student and might have one but she's in Mexico for 3 weeks...

I couldn't bring myself to do that! As it is, I'm actually afraid the skirt may wear out around the peg holes over time. I'm always a little skittish with LEGO's fabric elements; they always seem to me to be dramatically less durable than the regular bricks...

(All this said, I still love the hula girl, and want more more more... )

Well prices haven't changed in Europe for Series 3 as far as I know so perhaps it's not TLG but only the retailers in the USA (TRU, Borders...) being greedy. Overall the number of new moulds and new recoloured parts has increased since Series 1 too. The only place where TLG appears to be cutting on costs is the absence of extra parts starting with Series 3, and that part is a big disappointment to me.

I came back to this thread specifically wondering whether anyone had commented on that. I, too, miss the extras...

Today I got my 3rd, 4th and 5th favourite figs ( snowboarder, gorrilla suit guy and sumo wrestler ) in Argos for £1.99 each. I love the snowboarder's face, her board and her pink helmet. The only problem is that her goggles sit so loosely on her helmet.

I noticed that too with my first snowboarder, but I got a second one and that one's visor is more snug. Ordinary manufacturing variation, I guess?

The gorrilla suit guy's hat's really cool, and I'm really glad he came with a banana ( I don't have much Lego food! ).

If it helps, bananas (and some other food items) are available in Pick-A-Brick in LEGO Shop at Home.

This is how it looks the best IMO.

Interesting. I may try that with my next one(s), though it's hard for me to resist putting the folds along the scores.

Edited February 7, 2011 by Blondie-Wan

[CptMugwash]

Oh wow just noticed those pics, I've changed the hula skirt now

Yay my collection is complete

I've had the same problem with all the snowboarders I've had, the goggles sit loosely but it didn't bother me too much, I had 4, still have 1 spare if anyone in the uk is interested, check out BSTF.

[Calabar]

Finally I had my box!

It contains:

3 Hula Dancer

3 Tribal Chief

4 Samurai Warrior

4 Female Tennis Player

5 Sumo Wrestler

4 Baseball Player

4 Fisherman

3 Elf

3 Male Rapper

3 Space Alien

4 Gorilla Suit Guy

5 Race Car Driver

5 Mummy

3 Female Snowboarder

3 Space Villain

4 Pilot

[Aanchir]

Has anyone else downloaded the new Collectible Minifigures game for the iPhone? My brother and I were playing with that at dinner. It's pretty simple-- it shuffles collectible minifigure heads, torsos, and legs much like a triple-wheel slot machine, and "collects" those which end up matching up. But it's also fun just to see what zany combinations it makes. Sometime I might want to play that and build for real the funniest combinations it cooks up!

More information here!

[Zeya]

Has anyone else downloaded the new Collectible Minifigures game for the iPhone? My brother and I were playing with that at dinner. It's pretty simple-- it shuffles collectible minifigure heads, torsos, and legs much like a triple-wheel slot machine, and "collects" those which end up matching up. But it's also fun just to see what zany combinations it makes. Sometime I might want to play that and build for real the funniest combinations it cooks up!

More information here!

I just checked it out. That's a pretty neat marketing toy. I wonder what happens when you get them all. Heh, I bet you end up matching dozens of tennis players before you get an elf, just like in real life!

Edited February 9, 2011 by Zeya

[Fives]

I just bought ten of these minifigs and am quite happy with them. I just have one question: I beleive that these new minifigures have no individual barcodes, but instead have little dot identifications. I was looking for these dots on the packages I got, but there were no dots! Does anyone know where these dots are on the packages? I really want the Elf and the Samurai!

[CMP]

in seeing if I can find the set that Christopher doyle got the head for Wiskey Tango(Reasonablyclever.com lego comic's main guy). Though looking at all those search results that came up, could someone point me in the right direction?

Try the theme 'Exo-Force'.

[peterab]

I just bought ten of these minifigs and am quite happy with them. I just have one question: I beleive that these new minifigures have no individual barcodes, but instead have little dot identifications. I was looking for these dots on the packages I got, but there were no dots! Does anyone know where these dots are on the packages? I really want the Elf and the Samurai!

They are on the seal at the bottom of the pack, but be aware that some people have reported; some packs don't have them (from people who have found them on other packs so probably reasonable to assume either they didn't get embossed or not enough to show), the code may vary from batch to batch so the current cheat sheet won't necessarily work.

[Brickdoctor]

Has anyone else downloaded the new Collectible Minifigures game for the iPhone? My brother and I were playing with that at dinner. It's pretty simple-- it shuffles collectible minifigure heads, torsos, and legs much like a triple-wheel slot machine, and "collects" those which end up matching up. But it's also fun just to see what zany combinations it makes. Sometime I might want to play that and build for real the funniest combinations it cooks up!

More information here!

It's a time killer, but a pretty addictive one! I noticed basically all it does is randomize the amount of turns between each match, 'cause if you match the head and torso, the legs always match, too. So it doesn't really randomize each part. Nevermind. I just got a Mummy-Mummy-Tennis Player.

EDIT2: And I just got a Sumo twice. This game does look to be fully randomized.

Heh, I bet you end up matching dozens of tennis players before you get an elf, just like in real life!

It's weird, but my first three were my top three real life choices: Samurai, Elf, Chieftain.

UPDATE: I finished S3. What was your most common 'find'? I got 8 Sumos, 3 Baseball Players, and 1-2 of everything else. Nothing special happens, you just 'unlock' profiles for all the 'figs and you keep on playing.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Brickdoctor

[Ro87n]

To bad I dont own an iPhone (yet). But I can play this just with the real minifigs.

I mixed a cowboy and explorer (last week) for this main reason: to get a single steampunkish minifig

(basicly brown parts and changed the light or darker brown for the same piece, but other coloured brown so all the pieces would have the same colour)

And what used to be a cowboy, now looks like a(n evil) sherrif without his star. Verry funny.

[Fives]

I just bought another ten figs and this is now what I have in total:

3 Samurai

3 Snowboarders

2 Baseball players

2 Space villains

2 Sumo Wrestlers

1 Hula Girl

1 Monkey Suit Guy

1 Racecar Driver

1 Fisherman

1 Martian

1 Mummy

1 Rapper

1 Cheiftan

I used both the dot and the feeling method on a whole box, and there were no Elves! How rare are the Elves?

[Dunjohn]

I just bought another ten figs and this is now what I have in total:

3 Samurai

3 Snowboarders

2 Baseball players

2 Space villains

2 Sumo Wrestlers

1 Hula Girl

1 Monkey Suit Guy

1 Racecar Driver

1 Fisherman

1 Martian

1 Mummy

1 Rapper

1 Cheiftan

I used both the dot and the feeling method on a whole box, and there were no Elves! How rare are the Elves?

Depends on how many collectors are in your area :p I was in town on Friday evening abd Tesco were just rearranging their Lego section half an hour before closing. I went back in on Sunday afternoon to find that they'd put some S3 boxes out, but even by then they'd all been very obviously felt through. No elves, naturally.

[Zeya]

Has anyone bought an entire box online? If so, can you share your experience (cost, what website etc)?

[Tazmaniac]

Has anyone bought an entire box online? If so, can you share your experience (cost, what website etc)?

Me and a friend bought 2 boxes shipped to Australia for just over $300au from a German bricklink store both boxes had 3 full sets in them and the cases were sealed from factory.

Very good experience arrived in 10 days.

(the shipping was dirt cheap really as I reshipped 90 of them to another state and the cost was higher than that of the two boxes from Europe. )

Here's a link to the store but he doesn't have boxes anymore just sets of 16 cheap.

http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=Jungle-Juice

Edited February 10, 2011 by TazManiac

[Zeya]

Here's a link to the store but he doesn't have boxes anymore just sets of 16 cheap.

http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=Jungle-Juice

What? He's selling a full set of 16 s3 figs for something like US $13, if I'm doing my math right (2.30 * 1.2 + 9.74). What's the catch here? Are they lacking accessories or something? This might be the first international store I end up buying from if this is true.

[Tazmaniac]

What? He's selling a full set of 16 s3 figs for something like US $13, if I'm doing my math right (2.30 * 1.2 + 9.74). What's the catch here? Are they lacking accessories or something? This might be the first international store I end up buying from if this is true.

I think your maths is a little out it's more like $40 usd for one set posted

and from memory he'll post three sets for one postage cost

Edited February 10, 2011 by TazManiac

[Zeya]

I think your maths is a little out it's more like $40 usd for one set posted

and from memory he'll post three sets for one postage cost

Ah okay, I see. An error happens that says to enter "16" as the amount you want to buy. That's kind of weird. I was freaking out for a second, thinking about quitting my day job and selling collectible minifigures on ebay.

[Man with a hat]

Well I also got the box for series 3. Unfortunately only two fisherman. A bit frustated I decided to pay a visit to a toy store. There were two boxes. One almost full the other 2/3 full but I managed to find only one using the dots plus feeling. The fisherman is a difficult one to distinguish by the dots, or someone else was there first.

But what I noticed about the minifigures was the lack of spare parts. In series 1 and 2 we had the spare part e.g. visors, while in series 3 not. Anyone else finds this odd?

[Fives]

Well I also got the box for series 3. Unfortunately only two fisherman. A bit frustated I decided to pay a visit to a toy store. There were two boxes. One almost full the other 2/3 full but I managed to find only one using the dots plus feeling. The fisherman is a difficult one to distinguish by the dots, or someone else was there first.

But what I noticed about the minifigures was the lack of spare parts. In series 1 and 2 we had the spare part e.g. visors, while in series 3 not. Anyone else finds this odd?

I have a feeling that the reason there are no spare parts is so that people will have to buy more minifigs to get more parts. It just seems like a way for TLG to make more money.