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This is a bountiful year for many LEGO fans around the world. Earlier this year, The LEGO Group (TLG) launched the very first unique Collectable Minifigures Series in May 2010 and quickly followed up with Series 2 in August 2010 which I will be sharing with you in this exciting review.
Before we start, let's take a quick glance at the past LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 1 popularity and review. At the same time, we can also view the current poll statistics for the LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 2 that are voted by our very own Eurobricks Community.
I would like to thank Eurobricks Staff member, Svelte for taking some crispy delicious images of the 8684 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 2 box (first 4 images of the review).
Name: 8684 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 2
Theme: LEGO System / Collectable Minifigures / Series 2
Year: 2010
Minifigs: 16 unique minifigures
Price for 1 box: USD N.A, GBP N.A, SGD N.A
Price for 1 packet: USD N.A, GBP N.A, SGD N.A
Resources: Brickset, BrickLink
An image of an 8684 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 2 box
Different angles of the 8684 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 2 box
You simply can't resist the excitement of seeing so many bags simultaneously!
If you are sitting right in front of these sealed packets, will you become frenzied? For myself, I was simply feeling too excited and wondering to myself, what are the minifigures going to be like in terms of their design and appearance. Will these minifigures meet my expectations as an Adult Fan of LEGO)?
The new objective is to complete a set of 16 unique minifigures for Series 2!
These minifigures are just so beautiful and special. Most of these minifigures have not been produced before in any LEGO sets. As a matter of fact, a lot of such new designs are only made available in this collectable series. We don't have a chance to obtain minifigures such as the Mexican, Surfer and Pop Star. Furthermore, there are so many new elements such as the sombrero, maracas, surfboard, microphone, etc. You might even notice that our dear Mexican friend is wearing his new poncho cape design. Whereas, cape designs for the Spartan is only coloured in dark red and the Vampire cape is found in the Studios theme and the recent Castle, Fantasy Wizard of the Skeleton Tower.
In terms of the overall quality, I am very satisfied with it. Although these minifigures bear the cursed mark under their armpits, but the overall detailed design simply takes my breath away. The torso does not give a "matte" feeling or appear to be "washed out". However, there are some flaws - eg, the DJ which might have a little strong purple colour. Then again, I am not complaining and as long TLG is able to ensure that the overall quality is not compromised. If they continue to release such incredible designs, I will continue buying these awesome minifigures.
Front view comparison between Series 1 and 2 packets
Back view comparison between Series 1 and 2 packets
As many of you are aware, the barcode on the left is meant for identifying the types of minifigures inside the sealed packet. I will not be helping to identify the barcodes in this review as Eurobricks Staff, Ras74 and Superkalle have already done a great job of this.
However, rumours have been reported on FBTB and Brickset indicating that the barcode will not be made available in the upcoming Series 3 next year. This approach will force global buyers to buy them even faster and be even heavier on the wallets than before, since it will all be completely random. However, as long the method of buying 1 complete sealed box can ensure at least 3 complete sets, I am not really complaining. Till then, we will need to identify and source a new method to identify those Series 3 packets accurately.
(Link to Brickset article reported in June 2010)
Front view of the Minifigs Series 2 promotional leaflet
Back view of the Minifigs Series 2 promotional leaflet
1)The spicy Mexican
In his traditional wear, the Mexican embraces LEGO fans with his rich historic culture. It's a great minifigure, made suitable for a wild west setting by putting it along with the Series 1 Cowboy and Tribal Hunter, or even for a costume party. With his iconic sombrero with golden pattern around the brim and colourful poncho design, he is ready to shake his maracas in the fiesta.
Parts assortment
I am really amazed by the new elements provided for this minifigure. It's one of the 16 minifigures which has the highest amount of new moulds produced specially for it, including the green sombrero, red maracas, and decorative patterns on the special poncho. In fact, I have never seen such cloth/cape designs before and it's really very appropriate for this design.
TheBrickster is glad to meet his new Mexican friend
2) The unbeatable Spartan
The legendary and unbeatable Spartan, a version of which is featured in the blockbuster movie, "300". The Spartan is definitely the main number 1 attraction for lots of LEGO collectors out there and I am very certain that it's one of the most valued and highly sought minifigure among Series 1 and 2.
Let's put it in the right perspective. There are a lot of collectors out there whom want a fearsome warrior from the ancient Greek culture and TLG did not create any Greek minifigures or sets before. Furthermore, TLG has designed very accurate gear and weapons to make it even more appealing. I am totally impressed with this outstanding minifigure and I strongly believe I will have a hard time amassing a large army of these, since many others out there are also searching for this figure.
Parts assortment
Outstanding new elements include the very accurate red and golden Spartan helmet, round shield, bronze armoured vest, long spear and dark red cap. This is certainly a big attraction for all Classical Figures lovers.
This is the minimum amount of solders of what many army builders dream of
WhiteFang and Dragonator are going into combat with the Spartan
3) The loud Ringmaster
The circus is in town! Previously, in Series 1, we had the performing clown and now we have the hilarious Ringmaster trying to entertain the audience and coordinate the circus troupe together. Just look at his shiny red vest and tall black hat, posing with his white whip. I wonder if we should expect a new animal like a tiger or lion in the near future? It would be fitting for the Ringmaster to tame that fierce beast.
Parts assortment
There is nothing special in this assortment, except for the new white whip which is similar to the one inside the Prince of Persia, 7570 Ostrich Race. On the other hand, I find the red torso, very suitable for use in a military band.
4) The terrifying Witch
The green terrifying witch is on the loose with its flying broom. Seriously, when I saw the movie, Shrek 4 or even the Wizard of Oz in 1939 which featured the Wicked Witch of the West, I can't help but to notice how similar they are. She is equipped with a spell book with a frog picture at the front, which made me makes me wonder if its a spell book to transform humans into frogs? Perhaps throwing potions bottles at your enemies will make them suffer! Her entire outfit is very menancing and compared to the Evil Witch and Fright Knight Witch, I don't think they will stand a chance against her.
Parts assortment
Nothing special, except for the new torso, skirt and head. The rest of the parts are pretty much the same as before.
5) The cold blooded Vampire
Count Dracula is back with a new look. His sinister, cold-blooded expression gives me chills. Although there was an earlier vampire version which was released under the Studios theme, I find the Series 2, Vampire to be much realistic looking and at the same time, rather threatening.
Parts assortment
These are the standard parts to assemble a vampire. One minor thing to note, I never own a Vampire minifigure before and so, I wasn't very familiar of putting the vampire robe. It took me awhile to get it right as there are so many holes in the centre and I am not sure which to fold first. I am glad I got it in eventually.
6) The annoying Traffic Cop
Annoying indeed. No drivers will like to see this traffic cop attempting to stop you at the highway, because if he is stopping you, you are definitely driving above the speed limit and will be given a ticket! If you don't comply, you will be arrested and handcuffed. Do not worry, he comes with spare cuffs to ensure you don't have a chance to sneak away.
Parts assortment
The printed speed ticket tile is the main highlight for this minifigure. There are so many fine prints in this tiny tile and I can't figure out exactly the main bulk of it. I quite like this outfit, but I think the black helmet should comes with a visor. Somehow, he seems a little incomplete without the visor.
Hinckley is just unlucky with his pink vespa
7) The adventurous Jungle Explorer
Where is Johnny Thunder and Indiana Jones? There is a new companion for hire if they are intending to venture into the Amazon Jungles, where the experienced adventurous Jungle Explorer will lead the way. I was not sure of the naming term and I got the term, Jungle Explorer via Brickset, but somehow or another, I feel it can also be represented as other kinds of explorer like the desert and outback.
Parts assortment
You get extra binoculars with his safari wear. I am not very excited about this since I don't need so many explorers of the same kind to trek into the jungle. But still, this is a good minifigure to get.
8) The hot Lifeguard
The hot Lifeguard can be spotted from a distance with her bright red swimsuit, patrolling the coast to save distressed swimmers with her handy burnside buoy. She seems clearly based on Pamela Anderson from the "Baywatch" TV series. I wonder what the initials "G.T" are supposed to represent? Maybe, these are the initials of the designer. By the way, I wonder if the Cheerleader and the Lifeguard are supposed to be sisters and drawn by the same designer?
Parts assortment
I really like this figure very much and more importantly, it's a lovely addition to your female population. The new element featuring the burnside buoy is a nice life saver addition and complements the existing buoy well. This is a close up image of the burnside buoy.
9) The expressive Mime Artist
The expressive Mime Artist provides lots of entertainment by showing different lively expressions and emotions to the audience. Wearing a monochrome black and white outfit, he is trying to illustrate a world without voice and sound by only using facial expressions to show how one feels.
Parts assortment
This is one of my favourite minifigures, mainly because of the black beret and the 3 different heads that shows expressions of joy, fear and sadness.
The 3 different expressions posed by the same Mime Artist?
Erdbeereis is happy with his new beret
10) The strong Weightlifter
We have a heavyweight champion in town. I suspect this strong weightlifter is likely to be associated with the circus troupe. On the other hand, I might be wrong as he could be a Sportsman whom is proficient in this category. Just look at the sweat that is breaking out on his forehead. He is lifting the dumbbell up with all his strength using just one arm!
Parts assortment
I have never seen weights of such design before and I believe this is something new. One thing which bothers me, is the short length of the rod. If its meant for weightlifting, it ought to be done with 2 arms instead of 1 arm, but I am certain that this can be rectified easily by finding a much longer rod to extend the length.
11) The dazzling Pop Star
There is a musical concert in town featuring this dazzling pretty Pop Star. Look at the amount of pink bling bling that she is wearing and the feminine makeup that she is wearing. She even has a beauty spot by her left cheek. This Pop Star is definitely ready for her next performance.
Parts assortment
This is another nice female minifigure. I will never get bored of having more female minifigures since they are so hard to come by. I like the design of the new microphone and it even comes with a spare. The hairpiece is also something new and can be used for other female hairdos.
I believe Shadows is in trouble
12) The cool Skier
With this cool Alpine Skier wearing the tag "211", we can now organise a full scale Winter Olympics games for the LEGO Sportsmen. Wearing in his blue ski outfit, the Skier is ready for his competitive race down the slope to secure his victory. I wonder how many of such "211" figures we will have when we are buying multiples. I don't think the judges are willing to accept participants wearing the same number tag?
Parts assortment
This entire ski gear set is much better than the ones in the previous City Advent Calendars. I really like how the designers put this equipment together.
13) The popular DJ
Hey, it's Saturday Night Fever! The popular DJ is in the house, rocking the dance floor with his latest single "Brick Fever" and wearing his bling bling outfit. Even his shiny white teeth shine brightly on the dance floor!. This 1970s DJ certainly looks retro and hip.
Parts assortment
The printed musical hit single "Brick Fever" is just incredible. I really love this new element very much. It resembles these platinum chart LPs from another age. The entire outfit is just so retro looking. Note that the hairpiece is the same mould from the Series 1 Clown. Only the colour is different.
Maybe, they are meant to be brothers?
14) The skilful Karate Master
The Karate Master is the champion in the martial arts arena. Wearing his black belt shows that he is skilled in Karate/Tae Kwan Do. He even won the championship too. Don't try and mess around with him.
Parts assortment
The tiny minifigure golden statue is really very cute. It can be even used in an "Oscar Awards" giving ceremony. I am sure some of you have noticed how ugly the legs is. The printing is not very good for the legs, waist belt prints connecting to the torso. There are visible breaks in between and it kinds of ruin the overall appeal.
15) The handsome looking Surfer
He is such a handsome looking hunk with a taste of surfing. I love this minifigure very much as he holds the first one of a kind printed surfboard that is so nice looking. Even the shorts are nicely printed with light blue Hawaiian design.
Parts assortment
What can I said about this, but to admit that from the top to the bottom, all of the parts are just that awesome, especially the new printed surfboard. It's a brand new element which I have never seen before. Maybe it might have appear inside a past Sports theme or even the Extreme Sports, but I am certainly this is the first time that I have seen this.
Do you agree that they are meant for each other?
Who will she choose to be her date?
16) The fearsome Pharaoh
This is the fearsome ruler of Egypt, known as the Egyptian Pharaoh. We had an Egyptian Pharaoh in the Adventurers series, but the one in there appears undead, unlike this figure. In fact, the head dress is much refined and solid than the previous. Furthermore, the snake sceptre is one of the new elements that I really like.
Parts assortment
These parts are pretty standard for a Pharaoh. If there is an Egyptian LEGO theme, I can imagine that it will be very awesome and historic with all of these ideas put together.
Resurrect the Fabulands
Spare parts
There are quite a number of useful spare parts especially the microphones, the golden trophy and red maracas. I find these spares much useful than the rest.
General comparison between Minifigures Series 1 and 2
There you go, what do you think after you have read this review? Have you changed your opinion towards both LEGO Collectable Minifigures series? Which do you think is better? Why do you think so?
In my opinion, I feel that both series have their own charms and attractions which will ultimately decide the amount of spending made from fans like us. I strongly believe all of us will at least buy a few packets of either Series 1 or Series 2. These minifigures are special enough to be a class of their own, unlike any other LEGO Building sets which we have seen on the market. In fact, these LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series have made a breakthrough and changed our perspective to make it possible, that even LEGO Minifigures can be marketed and sold as individual products.
Minifigures Series 1 and 2 attempt to cover current themes such as City, Medieval, Space, History, etc. The minifigures can all be related to the current themes one way or another. For example, we can make use of our imagination by placing the Skater Boy, Cheerleader, Nurse, Surfer, Lifeguard, and Traffic Cop into a City layout. You can also choose to expand your Castle Factions by adding the Forestmen, Ninja, or Spartans into your Castle Kingdoms. Or perhaps you can choose to start your own new theme like the Cavemen in prehistoric era and Zombies in an apocalyptic world. Your imagination is your only limit
From these 2 releases, I noticed that there are a few minifigures from both series that can be integrated and expanded as a standalone theme. For example, a Circus Troupe will require a Clown and a Magician for a start, followed by adding a Ringmaster and a Weightlifter to increase the variety. Similarly the Wild West settings, which introduces a Cowboy and Tribal Hunter in Series 1, is followed by a Mexican in Series 2. What will we see in Series 3 to add to these 'themes'?
You might also want to make a simple comparison between both Minifigures Series in terms of their appeal and uniqueness in the LEGO Minifigures archive. As you can see, there are at least 7 minifigures in Series 1 such as the Cheerleader, Crash Test Dummy, Caveman, Zombie, Wrestler etc which were never created before based on similar professions or designs. Whereas, Series 2, there are at least 11 minifigures such as the Mexican, Weightlifter, Pop Star, Surfer, Spartan, or Mime Artist where they are all created for the very first time. In terms of uniqueness, I strongly believe Series 2 offers more than Series 1.
However, there are supporters from either series and for myself, I can't really decide which series is the best so far and if given a choice, I will love to support both. I have bought over 200 minifigures in Series 1 and purchased heavily on the Forestmen, Cheerleader, Nurse, Clown, Caveman, Ninja and Zombie. These Series 1 minifigures are useful for any kind of LEGO set up and buildings. As Series 2 is not officially released in the Singapore market, I am very certain the Spartan will be the top of the list, followed by the Mexican, Surfer, Lifeguard and Pop Star. However, I don't feel the strong urge of buying more than 200 minifigures like the one I bought in Series 1. It's not a matter of financial resources but it's a matter of how many of such similar minifigures will you need. I will ask myself this question, can I even army build a whole load of Jungle Explorers, Ringmasters, Karate Master, etc? I don't need a lot of them - a few of them each will be sufficient.
To sum up, I feel Series 1 has the greatest buying potential to purchase multiple minifigures as they can be used for many other scenarios in terms of army building and it's perfectly fine to have same generic minifigures. Whereas, Series 2 offers a lot more unique and special minifigures in terms of design, but the tendency of one collector buying more than normal, it will be quite hard as it will be hard to justify the usage, only with the exception of the Spartan and Female minifigures.
General Statistics for Minifigures Series 2
Below is the combination which I have received from my box,
4 Mexicans
3 Spartans
5 Ringmasters
4 Witches
4 Vampires
5 Traffic Cops
3 Jungle Explorers
4 Lifeguards
4 Mime Artists
4 Weightlifters
3 Pop Stars
3 Skiers
3 DJs
5 Karate Masters
3 Surfers
3 Pharaohs
Based on the above, I managed to achieve 3 full complete sets of 16 unique minifigs each. It means I have only 12 remaining random spares left. Read down to find out what are the remaining spares I have.
My remaining spares
1 Mexicans
2 Ringmasters
1 Witches
1 Vampires
2 Traffic Cops
1 Lifeguards
1 Mime Artists
1 Weightlifters
2 Karate Masters
Data Analysis
Based on the data given, I have drafted my analysis accordingly. Buying 1 full complete MISB box will allow you to achieve 3 maximum of the complete range.
So far, each of the 16 unique minifigures have an equal chance of getting 3 out of 48 packets, when the box is opened and consumers will buy it separately. That will be 6.25% probability based only on 48 packets. When you add the remaining 12 spares into the calculation, 7 unique minifigures are only available at 21 out of 60 packets and this translates to 35% in total and 3.5% each, which makes it even harder to achieve by just doing it randomly. Whereas, the probability of getting the Ringmasters, Traffic Cops and Karate Masters are on the higher note, since they are available at 15 out of 60 and this translates to 25% in total and 8.33% each.
To conclude, based on probability demonstrated by this review, as an example, here are the results,
Highest probability
1) Ringmasters
2) Traffic Cops
3) Karate Masters
Total range: 25%
Each: 8.33%
Medium probability
1) Mexicans
2) Witches
3) Vampires
4) Lifeguards
5) Mime Artists
6) Weightlifters
Total range: 40%
Each: 6.67%
Low probability
1) Spartans
2) Jungle Explorers
3) Pop Stars
4) Skiers
5) DJs
6) Surfers
7) Pharaohs
Total range: 35%
Each 5%
A few close up images of my Minifigures Series 2 collection
To conclude, I enjoyed myself very much in bringing this comprehensive review to the LEGO and Eurobricks Community. Till this moment, I have loved every moment of these Collectable Minfigures Series and I am looking forward to future series next year. I am sure with this concept, it will be a major expansion for minifigure lovers, builders and parts collectors. Not only that, the wide appeal of various themes is another compelling reason for collectors of various themes to be a part of this crazy phenomena. Be sure to collect them and buy them all. Don't regret buying more packets than you intend; you will regret it later if you give these series a miss and later want to add them to your LEGO journey. The minimum I could advise is to at least complete one full Minifigures Series 1 and 2 collection each.
Summary review
Playability: 9/10 (More unique and special minifigures to integrate into your collection and MOCs.)
Design: 9.5/10 (You can't find such minifigures in any other sets and many are highly sought after.)
Price: 9/10 (Reasonably priced and affordable to get as LEGO produced enough supplies to last us a while.)
Overall: 9.2/10 (Highly recommended to get this entire series or at least to get your favourite minifigure.)
I gave it a "5" based on my Review Score Card.
What about yours?I hope every one of you enjoyed reading this simple review of mine. Comments and Criticisms are strongly welcomed.
Pictures can be found in My Flickr and My Brickshelf (When moderated)
Special Eurobricks Bulletin
We have come to the end of this pictorial review. At this moment, on behalf of the Eurobricks Staff, I can assure you that this is only the beginning of what Eurobricks is going to offer to our community. Stay tune for more updates and announcements and you will be able to find out how you can stand a chance to win an exclusive minifigure from us.
Please do not discuss this inside this review. Kindly leave your thoughts in this discussion topic.
