LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 4 discussion

[Tamamono]

I am having some p[roblems with the dot codes. On Saturday last weekend I bought six different dot codes and got two soccer players, two werewolves. Now I have four of each (With ones I got already.)and they all had different codes. I am told that the sailor and rocker are the most common but try as I may I cannot find them?

It's already been stated that dot codes are a pretty risky way of finding the 'figs. I would suggest feeling them out; look for the telescope with the sailor and the guitar with the rocker.

[Dunjohn]

It's already been stated that dot codes are a pretty risky way of finding the 'figs. I would suggest feeling them out; look for the telescope with the sailor and the guitar with the rocker.

I find the hat is easier for the sailor. It's just a clear, simple, distinct shape that for whatever reason has been easily separated in every bag I've felt.

[Tamamono]

I find the hat is easier for the sailor. It's just a clear, simple, distinct shape that for whatever reason has been easily separated in every bag I've felt.

Yeah, the hat is another good way of finding the sailor.

Anyways, is anybody else having trouble finding any mad scientists? I've felt through four boxes (admittedly they weren't full), and found mostly hockey players, sailors, geishas, surfers, artists, and skaters.

[ACPin]

I am having some p[roblems with the dot codes. On Saturday last weekend I bought six different dot codes and got two soccer players, two werewolves. Now I have four of each (With ones I got already.)and they all had different codes. I am told that the sailor and rocker are the most common but try as I may I cannot find them?

Definitely touch and feel much better to get the minifigs!

It's already been stated that dot codes are a pretty risky way of finding the 'figs. I would suggest feeling them out; look for the telescope with the sailor and the guitar with the rocker.

I find the hat is easier for the sailor. It's just a clear, simple, distinct shape that for whatever reason has been easily separated in every bag I've felt.

When in doubt, sailor (hat then telescope) and rocker (guitar then hair). For the musketeer (hat then sword), easiest to find are geisha (skirt then fan) and hazmat guy (helmet then gun).

Yeah, the hat is another good way of finding the sailor.

Anyways, is anybody else having trouble finding any mad scientists? I've felt through four boxes (admittedly they weren't full), and found mostly hockey players, sailors, geishas, surfers, artists, and skaters.

For the scientist (hair is rubber so squish it then flask).

Here's a shot of my lucky find in a store that I go to where I managed to get a dozen musketeers!

AC

PS. Now I'm done with this series, bring on series 5!

[Dazmundo]

Anyways, is anybody else having trouble finding any mad scientists? I've felt through four boxes (admittedly they weren't full), and found mostly hockey players, sailors, geishas, surfers, artists, and skaters.

No I picked up a scientist yesterday no problem, was only the 3rd pack I tried. Found the flask and the hair. The fask was more distinct than the hair actually

D

[Tamamono]

No I picked up a scientist yesterday no problem, was only the 3rd pack I tried. Found the flask and the hair. The fask was more distinct than the hair actually

D

I'm certain that if I did come across a scientist that I'd be able to feel him out without any trouble. No, it seems like someone always gets there before me and takes all the scientists and musketeers.

[escortmad79]

Yeah, the hat is another good way of finding the sailor.

Anyways, is anybody else having trouble finding any mad scientists? I've felt through four boxes (admittedly they weren't full), and found mostly hockey players, sailors, geishas, surfers, artists, and skaters.

Same technique can be used for the scientist, feel for the hair, it's squishy so easy to find

[Tamamono]

Same technique can be used for the scientist, feel for the hair, it's squishy so easy to find

Just popped into the LEGO store today and picked up a scientist (among other things) after a bit of feeling.

[SilentMode]

Not to brag, but I picked up three scientists (mostly for the flask) today in John Lewis, However, they were from three opened boxes. It does seem that the scientists are the first to go.

I found them by feeling for the rubbery hair. If you come across a squishy hairpiece when feeling, you've got it. If you feel a giant "tooth", that's the Hazmat guy.

[Big Cam]

Here's a shot of my lucky find in a store that I go to where I managed to get a dozen musketeers!

AC

PS. Now I'm done with this series, bring on series 5!

See, I'm so impulsive, if I had seen that, I would have just bought them all, and sold what I didn't want later.

Collectible fig's are pretty much the reason Credit Cards were invented if you ask me.

[Still Raindrop]

I was at the LEGO store yesterday and managed to find most of what I was looking for just fine. However, in my unfruitful search for the gnome, I found about three or four mad scientists! (only bought one)

[Ro87n]

I don't know if some of you are still looking for some S4 Minifigs, but since I got many spare figs I would like to know.

So does anyone still need/want some figs. I got 'em all still in their packs except the Musketeers (3 opened...)

I would most likely sell them, instead of trading. Also just shipping one fig world wide would not be very likely (unless it's for a real good deal).

These I (still) got:

(4x) Punk Rocker

(4x) Sailor

(4x) Werewolf

(3x) Artist

(3x) Soccer Player

(3x) The Monster

(3x) Street Skater

(3x) Surfer Girl

(3x) Hazmat Guy

(3x) Kimono Girl

(2x) Lawn Gnome

(2x) Hockey Player

(2x) Ice Skater

(2x) Viking

(2x) Crazy Scientist

--------------------------------------------------------

(3x) Musketeer [unpacked and not for sale/trade yet]

[fred67]

Got my box today... minutes before I had to head out of town for the weekend....

[Riley]

I personally think series 4 is the best series so far. Really like the viking, hazamat guy and musketeer.

[Ogre]

Had a similar idea as another member here (though they beat me to it): turn 'punk rocker' into 'metal head'.

Swapped-out the punk's head and hair for the head of the hockey player and the hair of the earlier pop singer figure. Final product looks quite excellent and I knew I had a hit when my wife looked at it and said "He looks like Dave Mustaine" (lead singer/guitarist of Megadeth).

[Blondie-Wan]

I'm sure I'm not the only Star Wars fan here who's thought of using the Werewolf (or at least the head and hair/ears with a different legs and torso) as a patron in a certain cantina. Actually, given that TLG seems to be using some of the new elements created for the Minifigures line as "early releases" for elements appearing in other sets later on, I wouldn't be too surprised if they used the sculpt for another mold for the hairpiece for a figure appearing in an actual new Mos Eisley Cantina set somewhere down the line.

[Sirens-of-Titan]

I'm sure I'm not the only Star Wars fan here who's thought of using the Werewolf (or at least the head and hair/ears with a different legs and torso) as a patron in a certain cantina. Actually, given that TLG seems to be using some of the new elements created for the Minifigures line as "early releases" for elements appearing in other sets later on, I wouldn't be too surprised if they used the sculpt for another mold for the hairpiece for a figure appearing in an actual new Mos Eisley Cantina set somewhere down the line.

Interesting idea, there are countless possibilities for using the hair piece, but also consider the head; I guess if Wookiees wore helmets this would be a perfect face to use!

[ManitobaMoe]

Managed to get them all yesterday except the viking and the Hockey player. Given that they only came out in Winnipeg 2 days ago, they are already sold out at most places

[gifinim]

Today is the first time I've seen the S4 figs on sale, and got the Werewolf, a Viking, a Musketeer and a Soccer Player. No Hazmat Guy though :( I'll try again next week.

They had one last S3 packet floating around on the back of a shelf as well, which was a lucky Gorilla Suit guy find! That's two full sets of S3 now.

[Blondie-Wan]

I can confirm my own Borders still had at least two nearly-full boxes of Series 2 as recently as the last time I was there, perhaps a week or two ago. They were still priced at $3.99, though (which may help explain their continued abundance there). I didn't want to get many at that price (I probably have more than enough S2 already), but I did allow myself to get one more Spartan and a couple more traffic cops (yeah, really - they're different enough from the regular City police that I can foresee using them in places I don't necessarily want the regular cops). I may go back and get one more additional figures, depending upon things like how much I have to pay for them (they do often have email coupons for 40% off something or other, but I have a hard time using them since I don't have a printer). And yes, lots of Borders stores are indeed closing, though mine isn't; it may well indeed be that the minifigures can be had more cheaply at the stores that are going away. If you're curious about your store, here's a map that should let you know whether yours is getting (or has gotten) the axe... though at this point, you probably know that already if you go there often.

Anyway, yes, here in the US there are still brand-new Series 2 minifigures in some stores out there, though they're getting harder to find, of course. Series 3 appears to still be plentiful in most stores that have had them, though they seem to have disappeared from Target (where both Series 2 and 3 have been treated as seasonal items). I do still see them in TRU, though, as well as a couple of smaller independent stores, and I believe LEGO Stores still have them (LEGO's Shop at Home does, at least, though of course there's zero ability to cherry-pick specific figures). With Series 4 just around the corner, I think it will be soon be possible to purchase new figures from three different series simultaneously, but not necessarily at the same store. Series 1, though, is pretty much gone everywhere (and has been for most of the time since it was released).

Really? I didn't think Series 2 was still sold in stores...

I did however, happen to see two boxes of Series 3 at my local TRU.

I don't know, are Series 4 going to be leaked early like Series 3 was?

It's not, for the most part; it's almost completely gone everywhere, but my local Borders does still have some - I just confirmed it with another visit barely half an hour before posting this, and they have two partial boxes apiece of both Series 2 and Series 3, side by side - one box of each near the registers at the front of the store, and another partial box of each in the small LEGO area in the children's section near the back of the store. There are still quite a few S2 figures left there, even a Spartan that no one has claimed yet. As I mentioned earlier, I think the high price combined with the fact most people don't necessarily think of Borders when thinking about places to buy LEGO is what's kept them there so long.

Just to follow up on my observations from the local Borders a month ago, I was there again a couple days ago and they still have some Series 2 (!), though they're finally dwindling away; they were down to just fifteen of them when I was there two days ago. They also had plenty of Series 3, but still no Series 4 just yet. My goofy dream of seeing Series 2, 3 and 4 being sold simultaneously in one store, side by side, may not come to pass... but then, this is already a lot closer to it than I ever really expected to see.

In fact, I've so far seen Series 4 only at Toys 'R' Us, plus the same two smaller stores I've seen get every series since the beginning - Learning Express and Hobbytown USA. I have not seen Series 4 at Target, Walmart or Borders, even though I've seen both previous series at all three of those. Is Series 4 somehow not getting as widely distributed as the previous ones? It seems profoundly unlikely, but...

[jonwil]

Distribution of S4 around here has been the biggest yet, probably more boxes than S3 at the big retailers.

[Blondie-Wan]

That's what I would have expected, and indeed, the most boxes I've ever seen of any of the series at once has been of Series 4, in TRU - at one time they had four or five open boxes out simultaneously. It's just that for whatever peculiar reason, I haven't seen any S4 at any of three different chain stores that I've seen carry both S2 and S3. Perhaps it's just something about my area - or could it be that Series 4 is still fairly new, and just hasn't made it to all the other stores yet?

[prozac]

S4 is at target around here for a week now.

[Cadder]

I bought a box of S4 figs from a European distributor on BL, then managed to get hold of a full box here from an Aussie retailer.

In case anyone is interested, the dot codes (bump codes?) on the two sets were quite different. (In some cases, mirrored)

I've created tables here:

NOTES: All these dots are as viewed on the FRONT of the Minifig packs. The batch/embossed number is shown for reference only. The digits of yours will probably differ.

Also noted are the distributed quantities per box observed, (as discussed in an earlier post in this thread)

Aus:

Euro/US:

Comments welcome.

Edited April 18, 2011 by Cadder

[Blondie-Wan]

Comments welcome.

All right. I have to say I think simply feeling for parts is a heck of a lot easier and more reliable than trying to use the dot system. I do admire the effort, though!