REVIEW: 8909 LEGO Collectable Minifigures- Team GB

[TrumpetKing]

Hello again!

Today, I bring a very, very special review, one not yet seen here on Eurobricks!

Set Name and Number: 8909 Team GB Collectible Minifigures

Theme: Collectible Minifigures

Release: July 2012

Pieces: 63

Minifigures: 9

Price: £1.99

Links: My flickr

Introduction

This set was introduced during July 2012, as a Europe-exclusive set, being a special set in recognition of the 2012 Olympics, held in London. Now, I come from the United States, and like many other people living in the United States, I bought these lovely minifigures off of eBay. Do note that each of the figures come with a special gold medal. I am providing pictures of the figures with their medals. If you are interested in seeing pictures of them without their medal, please visit my flickr page, linked above. Now, I think it is time to begin the review!

The Packet and Checklist

The front of the packet features all 9 of the figures, ready to face their opponents. It looks very nice, and I think it meshes together very well. Do note that there is no specific color, but a red, white, and blue packaging. These are the colors for the Great Britain team.

The back of the packaging features a very lovely streak of red and blue, as well as the Team GB Lion near the top. I like the design, because that is a detail that is not normally seen.

The pamphlet features all 9 of the figures, so you can see which ones you are trying to find, as well as some of their details. I overall think that it looks a lot nicer than the usual Collectible Minifigure pamphlets, because we usually don't get this kind of detail.

The back of the pamphlet showcases everything included with the figures. I am pretty sure that the only thing not shown here is the printings. Once again, I love all of the extra details.

The Minifigures

1.) The Agile Archer

This archer is a very nice figure, he has a lot of special pieces, such as the bow in black, and my favorite piece, the Superman hair in dark orange. This figure also has a lot of detail, and not a lot of it is covered up by the medal, as well, which I am very happy with. Overall, I feel like this is my favorite of the collection.

Here you get a better look at the torso, which is very nice and has the GB lion on its front. The pants are kind of strange with the white stripes down the side, but I don't mind it that much. This is a very strong figure and I am ecstatic to be able to own it.

It will also be very nice to note the brand new Olympics Team GB display stand! It is very nice to see this piece being used in a new color, and the printing is very well done.

2. The Brawny Boxer

This Boxer is overall a very nice figure. He has some cool details on the shorts, and I feel like the torso is a bit lacking, but I think he makes a nice addition to the group. Do note that the helmet will not fit entirely on the head with the medal being worn.

Here, our Boxer meets the Series 5 Boxer. The one thing that frustrates me here is that the Boxer has almost the exact same head as the Series 5 one. Other than that, I think they look good together.

When the pack is opened, we get a lovely blue helmet, that has the Team GB Lion on it. This is a great parts pack, especially if you're looking for some new colors for the boxing gloves.

3. The Flexible Gymnast

Another one of my favorites this series, the Gymnast is a great addition. She has an incredibly beautiful leotard on with a once again, lovely, GB Lion on it. The face is wonderful too, I love to use it whenever I create minifigure characters. TLG was even nice enough to include a balance beam for us. Thoughts like these really make me smile!

Another thing to note is the beautiful ponytail in blonde, which is one of the reasons I wanted these so much!

4. The Judo Fighter

Another one of my favorites (Though I do karate, not Judo ), this Judo Fighter has a striking resemblance to the Series 2 Karate Master. Once again, we see the Lion. (I think they're on them all. )

We get back printing with the Judo Fighter, and we also get another Lion cameo! I do like this printing, it received a lot more attention than the Karate Master.

Here is a comparison between the two. I like that they both have patches on their left side. Overall, I feel like the newer one is stronger. Especially on the legs.

After the packet is opened, we see this. I love her confident expression, and it's nice to get the ponytail in another new color. (It was made in black with a magenta stripe in Series 6, but we have never seen one in just black.

5. The Tactical Tennis Player

Another Tennis Player, really? Honestly, I feel like TLG is trying to take advantage of the Tennis Player, introducing parts and recoloring parts over and over.

Here he is with his companions, the female is from Series 3, and the male is from Series 7. I really don't like this GB one, it looks really cheap to me. The best is the Series 3 one, IMHO.

The main thing that bugs me here is the shirt (I feel like the colors kind of clash), and the sweat on the head. The sweat just looks an awful milky white. Not a very strong figure.

6. The Wondrous Weightlifter

This figure is certainly not the best figure, but I don't feel that it is the worst, either. He does have some nice printing, though the legs have an orange-y look to them.

Here is our weightlifter compared to his Series 2 counterpart. I feel like this one is a drastic improvement from its predecessor. The old on'es face reminded me of a person having trouble on the toilet. I prefer this newer one very, very much.

There is nothing that is incredibly intriguing in this pack, but the face is cool (except for the sweat), and the weights are a nice new color.

7. The Relay Runner

I love the relay runner. It reminds me of myself. I ran relay in middle school, and I have hair very similar to this. Another favorite.

A very cute detail is that his number is 1948. That was the last year that London had hosted the games. I feel that this is one of the stronger figures of the series, well done, TLG.

8. The Stealth Swimmer

Once again, we get a new swimmer! I like this swimmer, actually. I like the torso, but the water droplets bug me. They are a nice detail, though. The face is OK, but I feel like it may be a bit too generic. That's my opinion, though. Here is a picture of the side of the printed swimming cap.

Here is our swimmer with his Series 7 counterpart. Perhaps she is from a different team? They look good together, I like them. The swimmer is a great figure, though it is not my favorite.

Here are the parts, and a better view of the swim cap. I love, love, love that lion!

9. The Equestrian Rider

OK, I feel like this figure is a great figure as well. She has so many details, such as the sash. I also love that the ponytail was included, because I didn't plan on buying Heartlake Stables.

There is a better look at the beautiful coat, and I love the nice little scarf she is wearing, too.

Here is a better look at her back. There is a hole in the back of her hat for inserting an accessory, but this figure comes with none. The hairpiece is from the Friends line, so there are a lot of different accessories that may attach to the hat. I'm not entirely sure why you would want to have a bow randomly sticking out of an equestrian helmet, but who cares? It's your choice, after all.

One last thing of note is that she has printing on the inside of her legs. That is the first and currently only time to have happened, but I definitely hope to see it again.

The Complete Set

This composite Image shows all 9 figures together a little more clearly than the beginning picture. I feel as if the figures all mix together well to form a great team. What are your thoughts?

The Verdict

Design- 9/10 There are only a few figures that need work, but most of them are stellar!

Parts- 8/10 I feel like there were maybe a few too many re-used parts, but so many parts that are exclusive make up for it.

Price- 10/10 A great price for such exclusive figures.

Playability- 9/10 The only thing needed is a set for them to compete on, and some competition.

Total- 36/40 A very strong set overall. 90% total is very good for just minifigures

Conclusion

This set is definitely one worth getting. Even if you don't live in the UK, buy it. These are exclusives, and it would be a shame to miss out on it. The idea to make these figures was stunning. I would never have thought TLG would have made such figures, and it really paid off for TLG, as they became a very popular LEGO item, I would assume. These figures turned out to be very well executed, and I love each one, despite their flaws. These figures mix together so well as a team, and I'm honored to be able to hold my own complete Team GB minifigures due to the fact that I live in the USA. I am hoping that TLG makes these for the 2016 Olympics as well.

Edited June 30, 2013 by TrumpetKing

[ManInATopHat]

Awesome review! It'a too bad I couldn't pick any of these up... I love the Horse Rider! Blast you Canada....

Edited June 28, 2013 by ManInATopHat

[Ham17]

Amazing review. Wish I could have some.... But then I'm from Australia so...

Edited June 29, 2013 by Ham17

[Dragonfire]

I have them all except for the Equestrian Rider. I have doubles of the Archer and Judo Fighter.

[UberlegoTV]

cool team!

[Yooha]

One correction for the The Tactical Tennis Player: The male ennis player is from CM series 7, not 5.

[TrumpetKing]

One correction for the The Tactical Tennis Player: The male ennis player is from CM series 7, not 5.

Thank you, I hadn't even noticed that.

[TrumpetKing]

cool team!

Thanks!

Amazing review. Wish I could have some.... But then I'm from Australia so...

Thanks! I was lucky enough to find these on eBay for a great price (I live in the US), and I'm sure you can still find them for a decent price.

Awesome review! It'a too bad I couldn't pick any of these up... I love the Horse Rider! Blast you Canada....

Thank you! I love the Horse Rider as well. She definitely has a lot of great details.

Thanks again for the positive responses, everybody!

[Scrib]

Great review! I was lucky enough to be studying abroad in Oxford (I'm also from the US) last sunmer, so I was able to buy a box of 60 for retail price at an awesome shop called Boswell & Co. I still consider them to be the ultimate souvenir.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Lovely review TrumpetKing! I haven't been lucky enough to cross he pond, yet, but I had to get a set of these. Thankfully I belong to a community that wasn't out to make profit on these. I absolutely love'em

Edited July 3, 2013 by LEGO Guy Bri

[williejm]

I'm no sports fan but I agree they are a cracking wee set. A bit of a challenge for the in-store packet-feeler too!

I ended up sending three sets to a friend in Australia to share the love.

[Yooha]

My girlfriend worked in London last year, so I persuaded her to find some figures for my hungarian AFOL colleagues :) She became quite an expert during this (although she is not a lego fan), she even helped some English kids to find certain minifigs.

But I insisted that when I visit her, I want to find my minifigs MYSLEF! I found myself very lucky to have this chance. And I realised that for the 1st time in the CM line, there is one minifig that has the very same parts as another, plus some other parts. Namely the judo girl has the same pieces as the gymnast girl, but the ladder has the pieces for the board(?). So if you find a judo girl you never know whether you just can't find the board pieces of the gymnast girl ,or those are not there at all!

[williejm]

Yeah - the interesting thing for feeling out these guys is that all 9 have 4 identical parts (head, legs, torso, medal) and it's down to differentiating hairpieces, hats and accessories.

That said - gymnast one of the easiest to feel because of extra blocks, equestrian's squidgy hat/hair piece a close second.