REVIEW: 71000 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 9

[Ceroknight]

Thank you for the review!

Wow I really love the chicken guy and the cyclops!

[Blondie-Wan]

For all those lamenting that there are just two of certain minifigures per box, it's probably worth remembering that a couple previous series also had just two of certain minifigures per box in the early shipments (such as the Series 3 Fisherman), and then later shipments tweaked the ratios a bit. I wouldn't be surprised if boxes hitting the shelves later on had three or four of each figure.

[TeufelHund]

I have to say on first glance this is one of the best series produced yet - I will definitely be getting a knight, caesar, cyclops, alien avenger and also possibly Dr Jekyl/Mr Hyde, Judge, Fortune Teller, Forest Chick & Battle Mech (depending on if I can manage to spare the time to grope a few packets).

I'm not sure how I feel about the new distribution model - yes it's great for those army builders out there however kids spending their pocket money may be disappointed to keep getting the same figures over and over again and by creating "rare" or "chase" figures they are fuelling the after sales market.

Some thoughts:

* The Roman figure is probably meant to be Julius Caesar based on the tile quote so refering to him as "An emperor" is technically not correct (Julius was never Emperor - "merely" Dictator for Life!). As other's have pointed out his lake of back leg printing makes him look ridiculous from the rear.

* The Dr Jekyl/Mr Hyde figure is an interesting take on the legend although I would have thought a reversible head rather than a "Two-face" style approach might have been more in keeping with the actual story.

* I like the Forest Maiden but why do they insist on giving figures like her and the Series 3 elf a gigantic shield to go with their long bows? It's simply not practical - one can't fire a bow with a shield in the other hand and if an enemy gets close enough that you need the shield you're stuffed anyway without a melee weapon.

Overall though this series looks very promising although I would like to see more back printing and a greater attention given to the rear of the figures as some of my favourite CMFs look awesome from the front but awful from the rear (Legionary I'm looking at you...).

[Parks and Wrecked Creation]

Love them! This one ranks at the third best series in my opinion (6 is just EPIC!)

Not too excited about the distribution ratio... Why can't they just make 4 of each and have a box of 64?

[gundamz]

Never mind... I figured out what the "distribution model" was.

Edited December 4, 2012 by gundamz

[TrumpetKing]

Thanks for the review!

The only ones I don't care for are the Chicken Suit Guy and Cesar(He looks strange to me.)

Also, one of the Battle Mech links sent me to a picture of the Vampire Bat from Series 8.

[Weil]

I like the Forest Maiden but why do they insist on giving figures like her and the Series 3 elf a gigantic shield to go with their long bows? It's simply not practical - one can't fire a bow with a shield in the other hand and if an enemy gets close enough that you need the shield you're stuffed anyway without a melee weapon.

I agree with you in principle but I'm really not going to complain about getting a shield and a longbow! Even if I wouldn't use them on a figure together.

Looking at the pictures I think this will be the best series yet.

[Cutcobra]

Wishlist of series 9 figs: Heroic Knight and Lady Marion cause I LOOVVEE history minifgs . Ceasar cause of his hair, tors-- what am I saying?; Ceasar cause of everything . Hollywood Scarlet for reasons... American Horror Story reasons.. . DrGood And Evil, Top Hat with printing? check! Nice fancy suit? check! different coloured beaker? check! Probably a steampunk version of Two Face? check!. The waiter because who doesn't like lego wine bottles and a chance to make a custom Alfred minifig?. And last but not least the Fortune Teller cause of her awesome hair .

[Kalhiki]

I'm liking this wave. I'm definitely wanting the Alien Avenger, Knight, Mech, and Chicken Suit Guy. May also pick up Doctor Good/Evil and the Cyclops.

Which, if I get all the above, it would be my largest wave collection.

Kalhiki

[Nightshroud99]

This wave is definitely the best yet in my opinion, it is the first wave where all the figures impress me. Thanks for the great and informative review Whitefang.

[SpiderSpaceman]

How does caveman hair look on the cyclops? and will the plunger actually suction to a lego tile?

[Walter]

Great review Fangy! As usual there isn't any minifigure I wouldn't want. LEGO really knows how to deliver after eight series.

[BrixKix]

Woah! I was checking today expecting another teaser, and was shocked to find official pictures, and even more so to already find an excellent review! This series looks great! Can't wait to get my hands on them.

[wegj]

This is really fantastic, best lego fig series yet i think. I love the knight and forest maiden, plungers and roller skates!

[Vindicare]

This is a pretty cool series. That Cyclops' head is awesome! They're all really cool. It's nice to see some really good variety here.

[WhiteFang]

Dear all,

Due to the recent loss of posts, I will greatly appreciate if the original posters whose comments are no longer available, to come forth again and present your thoughts and questions once more. I was reading some of it last night before I slept and I could vaguely remember all of it. I do hope you could take your time to re-compose again.

From what I understand, the box distribution seems to upset a group of people and to many, there is no perfect way of making all of the relevant groups happy. As far as I can see, this is the very first time TLG, is indeed paying attention to army builders to increase the variety of the 3 potential targeted group of minifigures, namely the Cyclops, Heroic Knight and Policeman. As for the disappointment of not getting the usual 3 completed sets, I share your sentiments too and I do admit it is a pity. However, the positive side of it, there are more spares to go around which is of certain attracting value tag that can be used for trading with others. I can only speak for myself, like I will search for the Heroic Knights in large quantity and in an amount of 6, it is better and easier for me to acquire and exchange my spares which is in lesser quantities to trade with others when I buy a new box. Still, this is me and there is no way to satisfy all consumers. Still, this is indeed a bold approach and my only complaint is the downside of seeing the Forest Maiden in '2' per box, and seeing some other civilian minifigures in '2' per box scenario. It is a pity, but still this is not the worst scenario and I am sure we had seen worse cases.

Nice review WhiteFang... wasn't it difficult to stay silent during all that time? Seeing the rumors and speculations on the forums?

Hmmm, it's hard but it is neccessary.

For all those lamenting that there are just two of certain minifigures per box, it's probably worth remembering that a couple previous series also had just two of certain minifigures per box in the early shipments (such as the Series 3 Fisherman), and then later shipments tweaked the ratios a bit. I wouldn't be surprised if boxes hitting the shelves later on had three or four of each figure.

Could be, we won't know for sure as I had received it much earlier. For the Series 3 new distribution, that one didn't really make it into my country. I don't recall seeing the '3' Fishermen in each box locally. It could be possible for bigger countries.

How does caveman hair look on the cyclops? and will the plunger actually suction to a lego tile?

Caveman hair? Do you mean Series 1? I have not tried it.

No, the plunger cannot hold a lego tile via sunction if I can recall it.

[CMP]

I really like all these figs, one of the best series so far, but I'm very disappointed in the distribution. If they would keep the figs from 3-5 of each per box, it would've been far more even. I'm glad they chose some of the army builders for the most common figs, but there they're too common, making other figures even more rare.

[HawkLord]

The distribution hurts alittle, because I would like more of the Fortune Teller and Forest Maiden, but I am happy with the amount of Heroic Knights and Cyclops. Overall, I think it's a much more solid set then I originally thought it would be.

[NiceMarmot]

I also think TLG has messed up the distribution of minifigs. I think a range of 2 to 6 is too wide; I would have kept it at 3 to 5. I don't think many people will complain about the over-representation of Heroic Knights but, really, how many policemen do you need? I'd rather have a few more Forest Maidens and Fortune Tellers. I'm not sure I would have done six Cyclops either, that seems like overkill. And it doesn't help TLG's gender parity issues to have four of the five female minifigs in the the 2 per set category.

I think series 9 is good, perhaps very good, but not the best (for me, the best was series 7). I'm interested in why the overwhelming number of voters thought that this was the best series so far. There are definitely a lot of great figs here, but I'm not totally in love with some such as chicken-suit guy, plumber, roller derby girl, and battle mech and policeman are just OK in my book.

[DarthPotato]

Thanks for the detailed review, WhiteFang! I have to say that this series is really fantastic, but maybe that's because my expectations were lowered after series 8. My favorites are definitely the Cyclops (probably my favorite, that double sided head is just perfect!), the chicken suit guy (I loved the shot of him with the other suited figures), the judge, and the plumber (mainly for the toilet plunger). Can't wait to get my hands on these.

[Sandy]

Oh, wow! There are so many figs that I simply must get my hands on as soon as possible in this series! I'd personally rank this as my split favourite series out of them all, right alongside Series 6 (which perhaps had a better overall array of figs for my taste).

My absolute favourite is the Forest Maiden (obviously), but the Fortune Teller, Roman Emperor, Mermaid, Hollywood Starlet, Mr. Good & Evil and the Cyclops are also gorgeous. The Chicken Suit Guy is fun, and the Judge is a very nice fig to have, as well. The rest are more lackluster, even though the Heroic Knight makes a good addition to my armour collection.

Can't wait for January!

[Ferrik]

It seems to me that each series is just getting better and better, so well done TLG for your great efforts on trying to produce so many new and detailed minifigures for us. This series looks really exciting with an excellent range of new torsos and accesories such as the judge's gavel, plunger and starfish. There are also a lot of fine hairpieces too. I think this will prove to be a really popular series.

[Mencot]

Dear all,

Due to the recent loss of posts, I will greatly appreciate if the original posters whose comments are no longer available, to come forth again and present your thoughts and questions once more. I was reading some of it last night before I slept and I could vaguely remember all of it. I do hope you could take your time to re-compose again.

From what I understand, the box distribution seems to upset a group of people and to many, there is no perfect way of making all of the relevant groups happy. As far as I can see, this is the very first time TLG, is indeed paying attention to army builders to increase the variety of the 3 potential targeted group of minifigures, namely the Cyclops, Heroic Knight and Policeman. As for the disappointment of not getting the usual 3 completed sets, I share your sentiments too and I do admit it is a pity. However, the positive side of it, there are more spares to go around which is of certain attracting value tag that can be used for trading with others. I can only speak for myself, like I will search for the Heroic Knights in large quantity and in an amount of 6, it is better and easier for me to acquire and exchange my spares which is in lesser quantities to trade with others when I buy a new box. Still, this is me and there is no way to satisfy all consumers. Still, this is indeed a bold approach and my only complaint is the downside of seeing the Forest Maiden in '2' per box, and seeing some other civilian minifigures in '2' per box scenario. It is a pity, but still this is not the worst scenario and I am sure we had seen worse cases.

Because of the crash, I will try to remember and repost my comment :)

First of all thanks again WF for a great review ninth box already, you still keep it very fresh, new and intresting.

Great series, I voted the best but there are some lame and let down figs in this one also. But for an castle and medieval AFOL this is a dream come true box. The con is that TLG choose to make the distribution strange, 3 to 5 is better. Because the best figs of this serie the fortune teller and the forest maiden (totally awesome ) are only coming in 2 per box. Getting 6 of anything in one box is too much but I also agree on that "there are more spares to go around2 is a positive thing.

For what comes to the figs in my opinion:

The Awesome (and gonna be rare because of the 2 pcs per box): Forest Maiden, totally awesome design and more female figs in diffrent themes. The hair pieces looks a bit strange but can say better when I see it for real. Everything else is great about her, not a damsel in distress fig. That shield awesomness.

Fortune teller, love this fig also, yes more female figs and figs that go with castle theme. Great design on body and the hairpiece is great. Not too keen on this what she represents but the fig is very useful.

Good and evil fig: Cool adaption of Dr Jekyl/Mr Hyde, altough I don´t care so much about the monster figs, this very well done and the parts can be used diffrently. New colored flask

The Waiter: I actually like the fig very much, the diffrent parts are so useful as other combos And that wineflask.. hrm grape fruit flask nice addition. The grapelogo is sweet, seems like the Nobleman from the Kingdoms Joust set is a big fan of this stuff

The Good: Cyclops, cool fig, fantasy level is high in this series. Will be a nice addition to the evil orc armies, but 6 of him in one box is too much.

Mermaid, female fig, great and useful bodyparts. And another fantasy one

Hollywood starlet, great female fig parts again.

Roman figure, Not too good, but will and one in my collection and a few for the parts.

Space alien, RPG in space, Humans versus Orcs, WH style anyone great fig

The Hero Knight, every castle fans dream CMF. But as someone already stated we have alot of knights already so an other castle army fig would had been better. But as knight he is awesome addition and getting 6 in one box is great. The refrence, tribute to fantasy era Crownies is a nice touch but I, and as others too would seen him as his own heraldry not belonging to any faction. And also that there was an Royal/hero knight in the Crown faction, the Gold knight. But that gu had the old man head, so maybe he is retired and this is his son now acting as the Kings bodyguard

(Whitefang if you have a Crown Gold knight, could you post a image of these two standing together? ) The colors are nice, is it pearl silver or? A small con about the colors is that he is too silver/gray, place im next to a gray wall and he will blend in like a statue. But that actually is also a good use of him as an armored statue

The Bad: Chicken suit man, never liked these dressed up animal figs.

Plumer, nothing special about him. The plunger is a good new accessory. He has an classic city fig look to him.

Judge, hmm good fig but not my piece of cake, getting one for the hair, robe and face.

Rollergirl and Mechman, nothing for me. The Mechman has an cool feel, Ironman like.

Cop, great looking fig, getting one for my personal collection, but of this fig 2 would had been the best (altough that wouldn´t make sence with the distribution of figs)

Yea, thats about what I come up with

Thanks again WF for giving us privilege of these CMF reviews. Hopefuly you will get to keep this trend going in the future

Edited December 4, 2012 by Mencot

[Shushen]

Hm, considering buying an entire box this time. I always end up with one or two missing from each series the old fashioned way. And hopefully i can use some of the figures in the box to trade for figures i dont have.

Question is where do you buy an entire box from?

[Haltiamieli]

I think series 9 is good, perhaps very good, but not the best (for me, the best was series 7). I'm interested in why the overwhelming number of voters thought that this was the best series so far. There are definitely a lot of great figs here, but I'm not totally in love with some such as chicken-suit guy, plumber, roller derby girl, and battle mech and policeman are just OK in my book.

I voted Series 9 because I don't really have an opinion on my favourite series, I suspect some others have done the same (though certainly novelty is the big factor here). I've collected CMF since Series 2 and I have ended up liking each and every series. Some more than others, I suppose, but it has always seemed too much of a hassle to try to choose my ultimate favourite. Only there's no "I don't have an opinion" option in these polls, so I have to choose something to be able to vote on other questions. Series 9 is at least good enough choice.

What else? Yesterday I commented rather harshly on the Heroic Knight's choice of shield, and sleeping hasn't changed my opinion. Nearly anything would have been better than another crown. It's still a nice figure otherwise, I'll get probably get two of them, but it could've been, should've been, epic. At least I'm saving a lot of money, I feared I would go completely overboard with this one.

My favourite is the Fortune Teller, altogether fantastic figure, only the face is a bit dime-in-a-dozen. Close behind is Forest Maiden, awesome figure (and nice shield, even if it is practically speaking mindless to have a long bow and a big shield). I'm not completely sure about the hair, but it's growing on me. Nice, but a little more generic would have had more uses.

I'm a bit surprised by the Mech, it looks pretty cool. Better than the robots from Galaxy Squad, I think. Probably have to get one to keep company to my Galaxy Patrol guy. I wonder how the helmet would look on a normal minifig head?

I take back my harsh words on Cyclops based on the back picture, it's actually quite cute. But I'm probably gonna be satisfied with one.

The new distribution is horrible for me. Expecting a lot longer whiles feeling the packages between the store shelves.