Not enough CMF series a year? CMF Rota Discussion

[Anonknee Muss]

2 hours ago, koalayummies said:

I didn't say that they should be or are counted towards CMF. I said some of the free-with-purchase characters are often very close to figures in the CMF line (bunny suit guy, caveman/woman, chicken suit guy) and that those free minifigures are just a nice bonus to the current distribution of actual CMF sets per year. 

Summary: 3 CMF series per year is good. Fans of minifigures sometimes also get lucky with the occasional free-with-purchase figures throughout a year. 

I know, I understand.

39 minutes ago, x105Black said:

That sounds awful.  Half of the time, anyways...

Hahahaha

[MAB]

13 hours ago, x105Black said:

That sounds awful.  Half of the time, anyways...

Yes, although it is perfect for any continuous eight month period, as you know in that time you will get exactly one licensed and one non-licensed series :-)

 

 

[x105Black]

8 hours ago, MAB said:

Yes, although it is perfect for any continuous eight month period, as you know in that time you will get exactly one licensed and one non-licensed series :-)

Understood, but I want at least 2 unlicensed in every 12 month period.

[MAB]

The good old days are now gone.

[x105Black]

True.  They seem to want only 1 unlicensed series per year so that the year corresponds to the number.  Sad, really.

[Anonknee Muss]

2 hours ago, x105Black said:

True.  They seem to want only 1 unlicensed series per year so that the year corresponds to the number.  Sad, really.

We've assumed Lego has changed the rota so the unlicensed series corresponds to the year but there is no confirmation of that. If it was true, I don't think it's "sad".

[x105Black]

1 hour ago, J4ck said:

We've assumed Lego has changed the rota so the unlicensed series corresponds to the year but there is no confirmation of that. If it was true, I don't think it's "sad".

True, we don't know the official reason.  The result is sad, though, with only 1 unlicensed series a year.

[Man with a hat]

Not enough...? More than enough!

I would prefer less CMF's per year. One, maybe two (1 regulier and then one licensed perhaps). By the time you get all the next series is available. I don't understand they put more than two per year anyway. How can kids get the ones they want in that time frame. And why can't we enjoy a CMF series for a longer time? Why all the stress?

And most of all it saves me money.

[Anonknee Muss]

Looks like there will be 4 this year...

With one having a record high of 22 'figs

(Are you sure Lego isn't bothered about informative leaks? I'll email them.)

Edited January 20, 2018 by J4ck

[x105Black]

Unikitty shouldn't count as CMF, it's supposed to replace Mixels.

[Anonknee Muss]

2 hours ago, x105Black said:

Unikitty shouldn't count as CMF, it's supposed to replace Mixels.

I'm aware. However, there's two April CMF Series. One of which has 22 'figs to collect and the other has 17.

[x105Black]

1 hour ago, J4ck said:

I'm aware. However, there's two April CMF Series. One of which has 22 'figs to collect and the other has 17.

OK as far as I know the Harry Potter CMF has 22 minifigures.  The 17 minifigure set should be series 18, but I wasn't aware they would be releasing at the same time.

[Anonknee Muss]

16 hours ago, x105Black said:

OK as far as I know the Harry Potter CMF has 22 minifigures.  The 17 minifigure set should be series 18, but I wasn't aware they would be releasing at the same time.

The series with 22 figs is releasing in April but lasting until late December. Series eighteen is releasing in April but only lasting until July. Mario Power said something about a ninjago SOG series.

[Numbuh1Nerd]

I'd prefer more licensed series, just because the general figures seem to retread a lot of the same material over and over. Everyone knows that licensed themes have to scrap a lot of characters in order to remain affordable and marketable, and the CMF line doesn't have to deal with that as much. The more outlets for minifig distribution we have for each theme, the better the odds are that everyone will get their favorite character in minifig form.

[Robert8]

6 hours ago, J4ck said:

The series with 22 figs is releasing in April but lasting until late December. Series eighteen is releasing in April but only lasting until July. Mario Power said something about a ninjago SOG series.

Harry Potter CMF series (22 minifigures) will be released on August. The catalog says April but in the info section it also says August. (second to last line)

Considering the leakers are already said the release date will be August, it's safe to assume HP CMFs will come out on August 1st

-----------

A Ninjago SOG series wouldn't make sense at this point as next summer will introduce a new storyline with those dragon chasers villains. Also, there are only 3 boxes of CMFs in the catalog. So, that means there are only 3 series scheduled for 2018. That rumor was fake

[Anonknee Muss]

4 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

Harry Potter CMF series (22 minifigures) will be released on August. The catalog says April but in the info section it also says August. (second to last line)

Considering the leakers are already said the release date will be August, it's safe to assume HP CMFs will come out on August 1st

-----------

A Ninjago SOG series wouldn't make sense at this point as next summer will introduce a new storyline with those dragon chasers villains. Also, there are only 3 boxes of CMFs in the catalog. So, that means there are only 3 series scheduled for 2018. That rumor was fake

Didn't think it was real at the time then after seeing the catalog I thought maybe it was a possibility? Apparently not.

[Digger of Bricks]

37 minutes ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

I'd prefer more licensed series, just because the general figures seem to retread a lot of the same material over and over. Everyone knows that licensed themes have to scrap a lot of characters in order to remain affordable and marketable, and the CMF line doesn't have to deal with that as much. The more outlets for minifig distribution we have for each theme, the better the odds are that everyone will get their favorite character in minifig form.

But the thing is, the "regular" CMS line gives us figures of archetypes from themes and genres that may currently or never be viable to base an entire line of sets upon. For instance, I don't believe Lego will ever give us an in-house theme based upon Ancient Rome, so that's where the traditional CMS line is a good compromise.

With licensed themes though, I don't think consumers would prefer a CMS line based upon a particular franchise over a line of sets focused on that same property, as I'm sure both would sell well either way if there does happen to be an interest in that license in the first place.

I'm not saying Lego should do away with licensed CMSs, only that "regular" CMSs should be prioritized since they house genres that don't have a home within a theme.

[Numbuh1Nerd]

2 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

But the thing is, the "regular" CMS line gives us figures of archetypes from themes and genres that may currently or never be viable to base an entire line of sets upon. For instance, I don't believe Lego will ever give us an in-house theme based upon Ancient Rome, so that's where the traditional CMS line is a good compromise.

With licensed themes though, I don't think consumers would prefer a CMS line based upon a particular franchise over a line of sets focused on that same property, as I'm sure both would sell well either way if there does happen to be an interest in that license in the first place.

I'm not saying Lego should do away with licensed CMSs, only that "regular" CMSs should be prioritized since they house genres that don't have a home within a theme.

You're absolutely right about the regular line, and I definitely don't want it to go anywhere. The problem I have with it, though, is just that so many of the normal CMF figures tend to be the same sort of thing in a slight variation. Three boxers, two astronauts, two cowboys, two clowns, four aliens, a handful of guys in mascot suits with limited use. Spacing out the original designs would hopefully mean more new and creative choices, rather than the same archetypes on repeat with a couple of new ideas. 

I'm talking (mostly) about doing CMF lines in conjunction with a theme, like the Ninjago Movie and Batman Movie themes have been. For example, we could do a DC wave with the likes of Kingdom Come Superman or Vibe or Question, who wouldn't normally fit in a set or be a selling point to their target demographic, but would be perfectly acceptable for blind bags that draw a wider crowd and where 60% of the character choices don't really impact sales. A more practical example would be the upcoming Harry Potter line, which is said to include the likes of Lily and James Potter and the Hogwarts ghosts. I can't imagine Lego would ever make a set based on the murder of Harry's parents, and there's not a lot of places where they'd fit otherwise. A CMF line doesn't have to worry about setting like that. 

Plus, some themes don't lend themselves very well to a wide range of sets. For instance, Doctor Who. There aren't too many iconic locations or vehicles to pull from - basically just the TARDIS - but there are so many Doctors and companions and monsters and supporting characters that they could practically make a wave for all 13 doctors without running out of material. It would also be a great place for themes like the ones from Lego Dimensions, who might not be marketable enough (or could be too dark) to justify a line of sets, but you could easily make and sell 20 characters from to that broader audience. Goonies doesn't have a lot of set material, unless you just made one big one that would be too expensive for the casual Goonies fan, so a batch of 16 figures for the whole main cast would be a lot more affordable and accessible. It could easily become a place where Lego tests new and unusual IPs for potential full sets the same way Dimensions was, or just simply an outlet for pop culture figures.

Something that would maybe be a lot easier for them: one of those two "licensed" waves could be themed after in-house IPs, like an Exo-Force or Adventurers wave that would update classic figures and maybe toy with new designs from the same vein, while testing the IPs marketability? 

[Robert8]

6 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

 Three boxers, two astronauts, two cowboys, two clowns, four aliens, a handful of guys in mascot suits with limited use.

There are only 2 boxers: Male (Series 5) and a female Kickboxer (Series 16). You can make a female boxer/kickboxer just by switching the head of the male one, so both are necessary

6 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

two astronauts

 

There is only 1 austronaut in Series 15

6 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

two cowboys

 

There is only 1 cowboy in Series 1

6 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

two clowns

There are actually 6 clowns: Circus Clown (Series 1), Mime (Series 2), Small Clown (Series 5), Sad Clown (Series 10), Jester (Series 12) and Birthday Party Clown (Series 18). The ones that are actually similar are the Mime and the Sad Clown 

6 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

  four aliens

There are 5 aliens: Space Alien (Series 3), Classic Alien (Series 6), Alien Villainess (Series 8), Alien Avenger (Series 9) and Alien Trooper (Series 13). From those, the S6 Classic Alien is based on a well known stereotype. The rest are made-up characters but considering the lack of in-house space themes in recent years, I consider them pretty useful

[MAB]

3 hours ago, Robert8 said:

There is only 1 austronaut in Series 15

There is only 1 cowboy in Series 1

 

1

There is also an astronaut in Series 1. And if you include the mime and jester as clowns, then the sheriff in S13 probably also could be counted as a cowboy.

[Numbuh1Nerd]

3 hours ago, MAB said:

There is also an astronaut in Series 1. And if you include the mime and jester as clowns, then the sheriff in S13 probably also could be counted as a cowboy.

As would the outlaw and the cowgirl. Most of those were just from memory or a quick glance at Bricklink, though; I don't exactly have an encyclopedic memory of the CMF line 

[Digger of Bricks]

15 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

You're absolutely right about the regular line, and I definitely don't want it to go anywhere. The problem I have with it, though, is just that so many of the normal CMF figures tend to be the same sort of thing in a slight variation. Three boxers, two astronauts, two cowboys, two clowns, four aliens, a handful of guys in mascot suits with limited use. Spacing out the original designs would hopefully mean more new and creative choices, rather than the same archetypes on repeat with a couple of new ideas. 

Well, while some of those archetype repeats may be to give us a counterpart of the opposite gender or one of a different time period, I guess we do see a lot of repeats that otherwise could be filled in with numerous other never-yet-seen archetypes. For instance, Just look at all of the archetypes that are presented in @Robert8's custom CMSs. 

Still, none of those repeats annoy me as much as costumed character CMFs do. Food suit guy this, animal suit guy that, I mean, what's the point? 

15 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

For example, we could do a DC wave with the likes of Kingdom Come Superman or Vibe or Question, who wouldn't normally fit in a set or be a selling point to their target demographic, but would be perfectly acceptable for blind bags that draw a wider crowd and where 60% of the character choices don't really impact sales.

The thing is about the concept of comic based DC or Marvel CMS lines, is that Lego manages to stick any sort of variant of a particular character into whatever set scenario they wish anyway. Unlike movie based sets, comic based ones don't necessarily need to be based upon a particular scenario presented in the graphic novel or comic saga which that version of the character was presented in.

15 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

Something that would maybe be a lot easier for them: one of those two "licensed" waves could be themed after in-house IPs, like an Exo-Force or Adventurers wave that would update classic figures and maybe toy with new designs from the same vein, while testing the IPs marketability? 

Hmm, that's an interesting approach. 

Edited January 22, 2018 by Digger of Bricks

[Falconfan1414]

I dont know if this was said here but we are getting 4 cmf series this year. In January, Lego Batman Movie Series 2. In April, we have the costume cmf series. In August we have the 22 figure harry potter series. Unikitty isnt a cmf series, its replacing mixels but there is a another cmf series coming according to @rob-ot5000. This series is said to be something childern will love but people here at eurobricks will not 

[Faefrost]

Anything beyond 3 series a year seems to oversaturate retailers and cause them to skip series. I know my local Targets will seemingly never be clear of the Lego Batman Movie figs, such that they have never bothered to put out the Ninjago or Wave 17 product. There are probably unopened boxes in the store room. 

[koalayummies]

19 hours ago, Numbuh1Nerd said:

You're absolutely right about the regular line, and I definitely don't want it to go anywhere. The problem I have with it, though, is just that so many of the normal CMF figures tend to be the same sort of thing in a slight variation. Three boxers, two astronauts, two cowboys, two clowns, four aliens, a handful of guys in mascot suits with limited use. Spacing out the original designs would hopefully mean more new and creative choices, rather than the same archetypes on repeat with a couple of new ideas. 

I'm talking (mostly) about doing CMF lines in conjunction with a theme, like the Ninjago Movie and Batman Movie themes have been. 

The repetition you speak of in the regular non-licensed series CMF (that has been going on for 8 years) is also present in the licensed themes and the repetition and frequency is even more offensive. Numerous repeat characters with slight variation and of limited use in the same series and repeat series in one year, so the diversity of characters isn't exactly there, they had to grab at straws to make Batman happen by pulling out sexual assaulter and prostitute characters from somewhat obscure batman material, in addition to the half a dozen variations of batman himself. 

Batman CMF: 6 bat mans (bat caveman, inflatable duck ring batman, rock star batman, lobster batman, construction bat cat man, pink fairy batman), Harley quinn, joker, Robin,

Batman CMF 2: dolphin batman, mermaid batman, batman fanclub, harley quinn again, joker again, Robin again

Ninjago: Lloyd the ninja, Lloyd the kid eating cereal, Garmadon evil, Garmadon flashback, Garmadon pajamas...

If they come up with an updated pirate or classic knight its not as bad as if they made outer space batman or pirate batman or classic knight batman or batman taking a dump or batman performing a field sobriety test or Tour de France Batman. I can't wait for Lloyd doing laundry and Lloyd parties too hard and rehab Garmadon, Olympic Garmadon, garbage man Garmadon...

Edited January 22, 2018 by koalayummies