Monster Fighters 2012

[Algernon]

I'm also noticing a pretty strong Steampunk/Post-Apoc vibe with the hunters. I really wish they had realized it more fully, because it's awesome. As Oky pointed out, the truck is very post-Apoc-ish and I'm sure it's not an accident... perhaps their testing the appeal of Steampunk with kids? Who knows!

[Dannylonglegs]

I'm also noticing a pretty strong Steampunk/Post-Apoc vibe with the hunters. I really wish they had realized it more fully, because it's awesome. As Oky pointed out, the truck is very post-Apoc-ish and I'm sure it's not an accident... perhaps their testing the appeal of Steampunk with kids? Who knows!

I agree! The theme seems perfectly set up for SteamPunk! Everybody's dressed up Victorian-style (Quinton's a safari type, Dr. Rathebone's a victorian aristocrat dressed suavely in a tight-fitting vest complete with a fob-watch and a bowler hat!, Frank Rock's got a pilot's jacket, Ann's got a corset, and McHammer's look isn't out of place so much either.) And the vehicles have a little bit of the feel themselves. They could have played it up a bit more though. I hope they do in a future theme. What I want to see in a potential second wave though, is a steampunk style blimp vs. a flight of witches.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[Algernon]

What I want to see in a potential second wave though, is a steampunk style blimp vs. a flight of witches.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

I would buy that without a moment's delay.

[SpiderSpaceman]

I think that the zombie with the top hat is actually the voodoo doctor. We've seen all the other figs, so it just makes sense to me. Also, it's a good way to avoid potential race issues that might arise with a voodoo doctor.

Mmmm, don't think so, I'd definitely call this guy a zombie. I think he's just supposed to be well dressed for his funeral, because the female zombie's the same way.

and it is called "The Zombies" - not "a solitary zombie and a voodoo practitioner who is just as dead and has to bother to voodoo himself while doing his dark deeds".

I don't think there are any race issues with a witch doctor. Just make a standard lego yellow version of the POTC cannibal and give him a feathered stick and a wooden tiki mask that comes down over half the torso. Not saying that that's what the guy looks like but y'know.

Edited April 24, 2012 by SpiderSpaceman

[just2good]

Wow, that video was really well made!

The zombie set looks like it's gonna be awesome. I also like the story, it was better than the Atlantis story.

I can't wait 'til sets from this theme come out (which will most likely be in next month)!

[Dannylonglegs]

Mmmm, don't think so, I'd definitely call this guy a zombie. I think he's just supposed to be well dressed for his funeral, because the female zombie's the same way.

and it is called "The Zombies" - not "a solitary zombie and a voodoo practitioner who is just as dead and has to bother to voodoo himself while doing his dark deeds".

Well, the driver minifigure that appears to feature in the set is a zombie, and who's to say the voodoo practitioner cannot also be a zombie. Further evidence is that every other fig is shown in the little film (with the possible exception of the man-bats?) I'm not saying that I wouldn't love another, separate minifig to be the voodoo doctor, but I'm pretty skeptical.

I don't think there are any race issues with a witch doctor. Just make a standard lego yellow version of the POTC cannibal and give him a feathered stick and a wooden tiki mask that comes down over half the torso. Not saying that that's what the guy looks like but y'know.

I wouldn't mind it, but isn't that something of a Caribbean/Pacific Islander stereotype?

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[tafkatb]

I wouldn't mind it, but isn't that something of a Caribbean/Pacific Islander stereotype?

~Insectoid Aristocrat

As long as it's done in the standard yellow, which doesn't really represent any race, it's not really reinforcing a stereotype. If they went out of their way to make a "witch doctor" character dark-skinned, then there'd be a problem.

I am really liking what I see of the zombie set - the rest of the Monster Fighters line is pretty cool, but this one seems like a must-have.

[Algernon]

Rationally, there really shouldn't be any race issues with the Witch Doctor, but bear in mind that LEGO can't assume people will react rationally to their products. They may want to just play it safe.

[Dannylonglegs]

As long as it's done in the standard yellow, which doesn't really represent any race, it's not really reinforcing a stereotype. If they went out of their way to make a "witch doctor" character dark-skinned, then there'd be a problem.

Well, of course I wouldn't expect that. I guess I'm just looking for a reason why there doesn't seem to be a witch doctor type fig in the set. The best reason I can think of is politics and attempting to avoid offending anyone.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[tafkatb]

Rationally, there really shouldn't be any race issues with the Witch Doctor, but bear in mind that LEGO can't assume people will react rationally to their products. They may want to just play it safe.

Well, we are on a forum full of grown adults who spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year on children's toys, so I don't think any of us can claim to react "rationally" to LEGO.

Back on topic-ish, though - I really love the New Orleans-inspired look of the zombies and tombs. That's an aesthetic I've always wanted to see LEGO tackle. Was there ever a price or piece count quoted for this set? I'm getting more and more convinced I'll have to buy it.

[Dannylonglegs]

Back on topic-ish, though - I really love the New Orleans-inspired look of the zombies and tombs. That's an aesthetic I've always wanted to see LEGO tackle. Was there ever a price or piece count quoted for this set?

If someone knows how many figs are in the set, it would answer definitively if there is a Witch Doctor fig.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[BB.206]

Thanks for the video link -- I'm now really pumped for this theme. Originally I was just going to get the Castle and maybe the Ghost Train. Now, I might just get the entire theme.

[Darth Hagrid]

Thanks for the video link -- I'm now really pumped for this theme. Originally I was just going to get the Castle and maybe the Ghost Train. Now, I might just get the entire theme.

In that case, mission accomplished!

[Ceroknight]

One of the best videos Lego has ever made, can't wait!

[LEGOman273]

I can see the "Witch Doctor" as more of a Necromancer type. Think of this 'Fig from Castle:

Or, the "Witch" part could be a pun, as the Doctor is a Witch. (We haven't seen a witch in MF.)

[GRogall]

Although some of the sets don't really impress me, I will have to see better pics before I decide.

The Minifigures are very well done and look great!

[Ceroknight]

The leader with the bowler hat and the lumberjack man are my favourites!

Thanks GRogall

[jonwil]

I think the guy with the pith helmet, monocle and gun is good, as is the guy with the sunglasses and flying jacket. Also the guy with the hammer is cool.

[Dharkan]

I'm drooling over those minifig torsos and legs. :cry_happy:

Edited April 25, 2012 by Dharkan

[rakky]

Why would having a black voodoo guy be offensive, voodoo originated in the carribbean using parts of old religions from Africa as well as Christianity. Many of the people who believed and practised Voodoo were black as that is the majority population of the carribbean, what should skin colour matter? Its not implying that black people are bad because one is a voodoo witch doctor guy.

Awesome looking minifigs though, i can see myself getting several of these to go with my other zombies :)

Edited April 25, 2012 by rakky

[SoupOrFishOil]

I think I'll add that Zombie set to my list.

Why would having a black voodoo guy be offensive, voodoo originated in the carribbean using parts of old religions from Africa as well as Christianity. Many of the people who believed and practised Voodoo were black as that is the majority population of the carribbean, what should skin colour matter? Its not implying that black people are bad because one is a voodoo witch doctor guy.

I'm sure somebody else could respond to this better, but somebody would get offended. It doesn't matter though, he'd be yellow, or grey like the other zombies (if that theory is right).

[Amset-Rah]

I'm liking this zombie set. That's actually on the top of my must buy list now. The two zombie minifigs look great and the set, from what I can see, looks pretty good. A little sparse, but two graves and a crypt is a good representation of a graveyard, not to mention the vehicle looks very nice. Kind of has that rustic look, and of course with the obligatory flick-fires.

I can't wait to see the set in person or better yet, see the price. I'm just a bit disappointed those are the only zombies we get, but it's better than nothing, right? Plus we have the cab driver from the hearse set as an expansion as well as the CMF 1 zombie minifig to flesh it out, not to mention skeletons if you like them.

[lightningtiger]

Just watched the video on Lego.com, is it just me or might this become on new Ninjago style TV series.....Cartoon Network I believe is planning a different series to run in parallel with Ninjago ?

In fact it feels like Ninjago....4 fangblades and here special stones that together have great power....sounds similar eh ?

[Lyichir]

Why would having a black voodoo guy be offensive, voodoo originated in the carribbean using parts of old religions from Africa as well as Christianity. Many of the people who believed and practised Voodoo were black as that is the majority population of the carribbean, what should skin colour matter? Its not implying that black people are bad because one is a voodoo witch doctor guy.

Awesome looking minifigs though, i can see myself getting several of these to go with my other zombies :)

I can tell you a perfectly good reason why that would be bad: the yellow minifig is meant to be racially neutral. Only once did LEGO throw a dark-skinned minifig into a set with mostly yellow-skinned figs, and that was the original Cloud City set. Before long they introduced fleshies, so that the yellow-skinned figs could remain racially neutral while licensed figs could closer represent the actors they portray. Making a black-skinned fig in a non-licensed theme would be equivalent to undoing that progress, and would send the message that "yellow-skinned figs are good enough for all our other themes, but since this is a witch doctor he has to be black."

Never mind that the pop-culture "witch doctor" is somewhat of a negative stereotype in itself. Believe it or not, voodoo (or "vodou", or "vodun") is a genuine religion originating from Africa and the Caribbean, and in the U.S. during the time of slavery, exotic religions like this were used as evidence that Africans were by nature savages who prayed to demonic gods. In reality, voodoo is usually a fairly mundane, if bizarre, religion, with fairly harmless rituals. But it has been caricatured into a death cult in part due to its racial history.

That's not to say that the caricatured version has no place in a theme based largely on horror movie tropes. But approaching it with a "feathers and tiki masks" appearance, which has more to do with general savage stereotypes than with actual voodoo, is a bad idea. Give him a polished, cultured appearance like the main antagonist of Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", and you can have your voodoo witch doctor without insulting blacks in general.

[Dannylonglegs]

Never mind that the pop-culture "witch doctor" is somewhat of a negative stereotype in itself.

That's what I meant.

Give him a polished, cultured appearance like the main antagonist of Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", and you can have your voodoo witch doctor without insulting blacks in general.

I loved that movie! I loved that villain! He was soo cool! (I only watch Disney princess movies for the villains and my 9 year old sister... I swear! ) I would love a suave tuxedo clad, top-hat toting voodoo master with a bit of black-light swirly style!

~Insectoid Aristocrat