LEGO minifigures quality in sets (not series minifigs)

[im1992]

Hello Eurobrick community,

I haven't opened a 2016 set so far but the bricklink pictures of the 2016 minifigures included with sets show quality issues compared to the previous year. Now this may be the pictures themselves but they look less shiny, almost like well-used ones. Has anyone noticed this in real life? Can someone please compare a 2016 minifig included in a set vs. one from previous years?

Cheers,

im1992

[Mr Greeble]

They are the same. Don't see why they would be different. Welcome to Eurobricks, by the way!

[VintageLegoEra]

I have a feeling it could be due Manufacturer Defect. What i have is solid and in order

Edited July 6, 2016 by VintageLegoEra

[Kodan Black]

The only minifig difference I've seen is that a lot of my minifigs seem to come in this weird non-yellow tint these days. Really just ruins them.

[im1992]

They are the same. Don't see why they would be different. Welcome to Eurobricks, by the way!

I have a feelimg it could be due Manufacturer Defect. What i have is aolid and in order

The only minifig difference I've seen is that a lot of my minifigs seem to come in this weird non-yellow tint these days. Really just ruins them.

@mr greeble

I only ask because the series minifigures are made in china and in recent years lego has used the chinese facility to make things such as the rubber head on Yoda. I have a Yoda from 2001/2002 (made in Denmark) and that rubber head is very tight whereas the recent one just falls off. Thank you for the welcome! Been a long time lurker but it was time to join.

@VintageLegoEra

Maybe but I feel that it is a permanent slip in QC because of not being made in Denmark? I don't know if the minifigs included in sets are still made in Denmark or if they have been outsourced?

@Kodan Black

This is just 2016 sets, correct? If so, I might be on to something here with the whole country of origin issue.

I feel jipped paying so much for a "quality" toy only for it to also be outsourced.

I ask all of you: If both Lego and knock-off brands are made in China, why are we paying more for Lego? If the quality has slipped, things do not stay together (above example of the Yoda minifigs I mentioned), colors such as yellow have different shades (even within the same set)...what is Lego offering us?

It would be very difficult for me to stray away from Lego all together and I would never buy a knock-off brand but if issues like this persist, I would happily find another hobby and enjoy the good quality Lego I have of yesteryear.

im1992

[HawkLord]

One thing I've noticed is that printing can vary even in the same set.

For example, I bought the 2014 Star Wars Cantina within the first week it came out. I then bought subsequent copies from the same Lego store later. The first copy had very sharp printing, while the later copies had slightly less sharp printing. Not bad printing, just the kind of thing you'd see as the printing degraded over production runs. I've also seen this same behavior in other sets I've bought multiple copies of over time - other Star Wars and LOTR sets.

I reference this because perhaps what you're seeing are some pics where the printing may have degraded. Aside from that, sets that I have bought this year are comparable to sets I've bought in previous years when it comes to quality.

[VintageLegoEra]

Sets i have are European version which i ferl better than US version in quality. Just an opinion

[BrickCurve]

I believe that the yellow tint started in the CMFs and then gradually moved to other, more standard mini figures.

[Lyichir]

I believe that the yellow tint started in the CMFs and then gradually moved to other, more standard mini figures.

I think the comment about a "non-yellow tint" for minifigures was a joke about fleshies in modern licensed themes.

Edited July 6, 2016 by Lyichir

[im1992]

Hawklord, have you spoken with Lego about this? That is just the sort of QC issues that other cheaper toys have. Is it fair, for example, that you buy a set 2 months after its release and its printing is not of the same quality as the ones made on release? When a product is made, the entire production should be equal. If Lego is having quality issues, it is their job to fix them before pinning the bad quality toys on us...after all, we all work very hard for our money and it is a choice we spend it on Lego...a decision we can very easily retract should there be more and more issues in the coming years of Lego.

The yellow tint thing may be a joke but that's what I'm getting at, are set minifigs made in China like their Series Minifig brothers?

You are absolutely correct VintageLegoEra, the European versions of the sets...as far as I know...are completely made in Denmark whereas the ones for America and Asia are the "mixed bag of beans" so to say with Chinese and Danish parts mixed together.

Is this only bothering me? My distrust for China is well warranted considering they regularly export toys with lead in them. Would it surprise you if the Chinese Lego parts contained lead in them? Does this concern you, that your health may be in jeopardy?

Thank you all,

im1992

Edited July 7, 2016 by im1992

[Kodan Black]

I think the comment about a "non-yellow tint" for minifigures was a joke about fleshies in modern licensed themes.

Yes, I am not a fan of the fleshies concept. Also goes against the whole idea behind the yellow minifigs in the first place. But such is the path they have taken. Compared to older minifigs the coating feels a bit more slippery and I don't think the head peg does as good of a job keeping the head on (for instance it seems like taking a hat/helmet off now takes the head too much more than it used to).

[im1992]

Yes, I am not a fan of the fleshies concept. Also goes against the whole idea behind the yellow minifigs in the first place. But such is the path they have taken. Compared to older minifigs the coating feels a bit more slippery and I don't think the head peg does as good of a job keeping the head on (for instance it seems like taking a hat/helmet off now takes the head too much more than it used to).

Do you feel that the rubberized pieces such as the rubber hair and complete rubber heads just "fall off" rather than have any clutch power?

[RTZX9R]

I feel there has been a noticeable quality shift in LEGO over the past 2-3 years. The yellow on some minifigs (and now bricks too) is not as "yellow" and therefore does not match. A perfect example of this is the hands on the CMF minifigs made in China vs that of more classic minifigs.

Additionally, bricks are cracking (e.g. cheese slopes) and clutch power is not what it was with some pieces. Not sure if it matters where the stuff is made, as lego QC needs to step up and ensure that things made in Denmark, Mexico, other EU locations, and China are all equal. It is not at this time. Its not an easy thing to do but if they want to expand their supply chain in this manner they need to do it right or stop manufacturing in locations they cannot control.

I know I am not alone in that I have virtually stopped buying new LEGO sets due to the quality issues. Not worth the premium pricing they charge for less than premium products.

[Kodan Black]

Do you feel that the rubberized pieces such as the rubber hair and complete rubber heads just "fall off" rather than have any clutch power?

I only have a few of those, but I haven't really seen it be an issue. However, I will say that most of those don't get much use because I have few. For instance I put Maleficient's hair on and haven't once taken it off. So it didn't feel like it would fall right off, but over time it wouldn't surprise me if the rubber had less clutch power than the traditional plastic.

[HawkLord]

Hawklord, have you spoken with Lego about this? That is just the sort of QC issues that other cheaper toys have. Is it fair, for example, that you buy a set 2 months after its release and its printing is not of the same quality as the ones made on release? When a product is made, the entire production should be equal.

You are absolutely correct VintageLegoEra, the European versions of the sets...as far as I know...are completely made in Denmark whereas the ones for America and Asia are the "mixed bag of beans" so to say with Chinese and Danish parts mixed together.

Is this only bothering me? My distrust for China is well warranted considering they regularly export toys with lead in them. Would it surprise you if the Chinese Lego parts contained lead in them? Does this concern you, that your health may be in jeopardy?

I've never contacted Lego about the printing issue, mostly because it's never bothered me that much. In some cases, I look at the early copies of crisply printing minifigures as nice variants - as an action figure guy, that's kinda cool.

The European difference in sets from elsewhere in the world is something I've never heard of before, but it makes sense. Lego produces a global product and as such, making different parts in different regions would help offset shipping expenses.

I also feel a slight distrust of the China made pieces, only because as far as CMF goes, I do have some minifigures whose head gear and other parts just don't have the same clutch power. Granted, as mentioned here, it's not a huge deal because for the most part my minifigures stay together with little swapping of parts. If this was a problem with bricks themselves, which can be changed out regularly, I think the community would be much more vocal. I don't worry too much about the lead issue, as that's been something I feel has been tackled well whenever it comes up.

Overall, Lego even with its flaws is still a far superior toy compared to other products in the toy space.

Edit: I'll also add that rubberized pieces on minifigures hasn't been a total deal breaker for me. I have a number of minifigures with rubberized heads - Yoda, Kit Fisto, etc that while the clutch isn't the best, I vary rarely if ever remove the heads. If the choice is to have great head sculpts like that with details that may break if they were solid plastic and thus need to be made in rubber or not have them, I'd rather have them.

Edited July 7, 2016 by HawkLord

[BrickJagger]

Lego has become more and more flimsy with each passing year. I notice quality issues with more and more of my figures compared to even five years ago. The number of cracks on my figures has also been increasing, and cracks are really the worst thing that can happen to a figure.