What's your oldest minifigure, how has it held up, and what are yo

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

(Note: Darn the title length limit on these threads! The full title was supposed to be "What's your oldest minifigure, how has it held up, and what are you doing with it?"

I'm curious on what EBers out there do with their older stuff--your Lego which really hasn't stood the test of time, but you still have in your collection for whatever reason.

Going through my collection, I discovered that we have an old, beat up Town minifig which I probably got in the mid 1980s. I'm fairly certain he came from 6699, Cycle Fix It Shop, and for all I know he's the only surviving part of that set still in my possession. (I have some classic brown hairpieces, so one of those must be his, but I can't positively match them up.)

So yeah, he's pretty bad. His joints are loose, he's got lots of nicks and scratches (I can only assume that I bit him at some point), the paint is badly faded, and he's got lots of discoloration. He has bits of glue on his legs from when I cemented him to a sculpture are part of a high school art project. (Don't look at me like that--you glued your Lego too.) Still, he's an otherwise functional minifigure and I didn't want him to go to waste.

So, here's how I cleaned him up:

I decided to make him a Vitruvius-type character for our town. Since he's an old figure, he's become a sort of grizzled old man for our town who fixes up things (like recreating a Classic Space robot) or building wacky inventions (like this flamethrower). I grabbed a spare hat, beard, and back clip, and it's amazing how just those few additions made him look a lot cleaner. Yes, I could subject him to the peroxide whitening process, but somehow I think the yellowing gives him character. We've named him "Ancient Bill" (forget "Old"--I bet this guy predates most of the people who post here), and my daughter's Friends minidolls regularly go to him for advice now.

I'm curious what the rest of you do. Do you have a weathered old minifigure in your collection? Who's your oldest minifig, and how are you utilizing him or her after so many years?

Edited August 31, 2014 by ResIpsaLoquitur

[Yzalirk]

I've really got know clue what my oldest minifigs are but I do have parts to Knights Kingdom II minifigs laying around somewhere that I got when they first came out.

[dr_spock]

These are my oldest minifigs. I got them in the 1980s with Push Train, Fire Station, Front Loader sets. They have been on display for the last 30 or so years.

[Jared]

Probably a diver I got from one of the 90's sets. He's held up ok. Wish I had a picture of him, but he's in my pile of minifigs to be sorted.

[Godtshep]

A policeman pre-minifig minifig. It hasn't held up that well, but it works well as a statue in my city layout!

[Alfadas]

Guess it is a Police officer from my dad. He has a sticker as torso, don't know if that's official. Normal smiley face, white cap. That's it.

[CMP]

Couldn't say which parts are THE oldest, but I've got a decent idea. I can say they're old enough to have teeth marks on them.

[Masked Builder]

I've got some of those firemen dr_spock shared, though they may not be my oldest. (Think they are) Otherwise I've got some old classic space guys, all of which are just sitting in bins waiting to be used.

[alois]

The policeman from set # 600 (1978). It was the very first minifig. They don't come older. It wasn't painted but stickered (the sticker is still there). I also have some stiffies and maxifigs, but I guess those don't count.

[Mencot]

The policeman from set # 600 (1978). It was the very first minifig. They don't come older. It wasn't painted but stickered (the sticker is still there). I also have some stiffies and maxifigs, but I guess those don't count.

Mine is the same police man with the sticker torso found in 4 sets in the late 70ths and early 80ths

Like this one:

Not my image but the set where my brother had got him is 6600 Police patrol.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Mencot

[alois]

That't the same one and the same set.

[Alfadas]

Yes that is my oldest figure too. Really didn't know what set it came in, as he is from my dad, but he has a special place on the shelves.