End of an Era on LEGO CMFs reviewing for WhiteFang

[WhiteFang]

Dear EB friends, 

It has been a decade ago since I begin to review LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series (CMFs) in April 2010. My last review on the CMFs was in September 2019, which I had reviewed on Series 19. 

You may probably have notice that I did not review the recent LEGO CMFs Batman Series 2 and LEGO CMFs Series 20. Well, the truth is EB did not receive a box from TLG for the mentioned series. The details do not matter and life will need to go forward. Times changed. 

I regret to inform everyone that I will be taking a hiatus on LEGO CMFs reviewing. I will still buy mint box whenever an opportunity arise like my recent purchase of LEGO CMFs Batman Series 2. But, there is no point for me to produce a high quality review when there are plenty other reviews elsewhere where you can read or watch at an instant of a release. I also thought about it of producing backlog review, but I do not find it necessary to do so by re-inventing the wheel.  

I hope you have enjoyed the good 10 years of LEGO CMFs reviews from me and I hope one day I can come back to entertain all of you once more. 

Lastly, I would like to thanks EB staff and friends for your continuous support in me. Especially @CopMike and @Jim.  

Yours Sincerely,

WhiteFang

 

[Ecclesiastes]

End of an Era!! Loved the amount of work you've always put into it!

[Robert8]

When I thought 2020 couldnt get any worse

 

Thanks Whitefang for your time and dedication for a decade. Your reviews were a huge part or each series release "ritual". Especially when yours were the first review on the web

[makoy]

Dear WhiteFang,

Those reviews would be missed. When I first joined EB, and even long before I joined the forums, those CMF reviews are the ones that always pulled me back to checkout EB.

It is indeed an end of an era. Thank you for the 10 years of service. 

[kaelthas]

I started with LEGO CMF series 10 in 2013. I still remember how I search for the iconic distribution picture on the grey baseplate. The easiest and fastest way to do so while I'm feeling the packets at the cashier was to type the legendary name 'WhiteFang'. Google will feed me the image right away. This is how I got to know you and your great informative reviews (and of course poisoned me into collecting CMFs since then, haha). It's truly sad reading this end of the era post. Although there are plenty of other reviews out there, CMFs still need a review with the name WhiteFang on it. Backlog or not, me, as an all time WhiteFang fan, feels that something is missing in any series of CMF without a review by you. Please don't end this era. You gave us a great 10 years of CMF reviews, but we need a lot more. 

 

[Eggyslav]

Farewell Whitefang, your CMF reviews will be in our collective AFOL Hearts.

[Peppermint_M]

I will miss the lovely touch of humour you brought to every review Fangy but I understand the desire to scale back and take a break. Thank you for all the hard work you put into the reviews and all the fun along the way.

Hopefully, with you mint-box purchases we can still see a few entertaining meetings between CMF series figures  (Hard to resist the odd joke/comic panel with minifigs, after all)

[koalayummies]

Your reviews were the best, so much better than watching a video. The figures are better handled by detailed photos and scrolling at one's own pace. Always pulling out the previous mold examples and color changed parts or similar themed figures for comparison made your reviews unique. That's a shame, EB probably drives a lot of purchases so this is perplexing.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

Your pictures were worth 10 other reviews.
I didn't see reviews with your deep interest nor with all those pictures.

This way we lose a small piece of art.

[AquaSazers]

Thanks for the years of hard work and incredible reviews WhiteFang!!!!

[Darkdragon]

This is a very sad thing to see. I think TLG needs some sense knocked into them over it, honestly.

On 7/13/2020 at 6:39 AM, Robert8 said:

When I thought 2020 couldnt get any worse

You said it!

[Vindicare]

What a bummer! I always looked forward to your reviews, I always enjoyed the added pictures of like minded characters from other series’. And yours was the first(and usually only) review I read. 

Your reviews will be greatly missed. 

[MAB]

17 hours ago, Darkdragon said:

This is a very sad thing to see. I think TLG needs some sense knocked into them over it, honestly.

I guess it is a community liaison / business issue, and LEGO have realised that they do not need to give away full boxes of CMFs to reviewers any longer to help drive sales. I can totally understand that especially if that budget is reallocated to sending out other sets that are new and need reviews to get a buzz about them. There are so many people that buy full boxes of CMFs and review them, both pictorially and by video, so why give them away when people are willing to review paid for products. Plus the product itself is now well embedded, they do not need to keep giving them away to the select few to advertise them as there is always a buzz around new series. For whatever reason, the reviews were getting later and later compared to release dates, presumably LEGO were allowing shorter times between sending review copies and the release date. If other people are able to review them weeks before by buying them, then the reviews became a bit redundant. Didn't they also pull out of sending parts for the traditional Eurobricks Christmas raffle too? 

[ShaydDeGrai]

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a mini-figure guy and in the past decade I think I've pick up all of two CMF's (used), both incidental inclusions in odd bulk lots.  That said, I have always enjoyed and indeed looked forward to Whitefang's outstanding reviews with every new CMF release.  Both well informed (with respect to history) and informative, they were funny and engaging even for someone like _me_ who has no intention of going off and buying any of these in the first place.  I've skimmed others' CMF reviews and sat through assorted video reviews from time to time and, honestly, Whitefang's reviews, writing style and photography brought something to the table that was unique and compelling, even for an audience that wasn't chomping at the bit for _absolutely any_ information about the latest CMF series.

His contributions in this area will be sadly missed and the Eurobricks community be diminished by their absence.

[Darkdragon]

2 hours ago, MAB said:

I guess it is a community liaison / business issue, and LEGO have realised that they do not need to give away full boxes of CMFs to reviewers any longer to help drive sales. I can totally understand that especially if that budget is reallocated to sending out other sets that are new and need reviews to get a buzz about them. There are so many people that buy full boxes of CMFs and review them, both pictorially and by video, so why give them away when people are willing to review paid for products. Plus the product itself is now well embedded, they do not need to keep giving them away to the select few to advertise them as there is always a buzz around new series. For whatever reason, the reviews were getting later and later compared to release dates, presumably LEGO were allowing shorter times between sending review copies and the release date. If other people are able to review them weeks before by buying them, then the reviews became a bit redundant. Didn't they also pull out of sending parts for the traditional Eurobricks Christmas raffle too? 

Well it's not just this incident, they have new community management and have been pulling out of supporting anything that isn't trendy social media.  Giving away a few boxes of CMF or a few sets for early reviews is not very expensive for them from a marketing standpoint. The new team doesn't want to support forums at all anymore  even though Eurobricks always gave them the top level of support that any fansite could.  It is very disappointing to see things change, but that's the way of the world. Change or die, I suppose.

[MAB]

1 hour ago, Darkdragon said:

Well it's not just this incident, they have new community management and have been pulling out of supporting anything that isn't trendy social media.  Giving away a few boxes of CMF or a few sets for early reviews is not very expensive for them from a marketing standpoint. The new team doesn't want to support forums at all anymore  even though Eurobricks always gave them the top level of support that any fansite could.  It is very disappointing to see things change, but that's the way of the world. Change or die, I suppose.

I can understand why, in that the various fansites that still get free products to review give them fairly consistent and importantly prominent reviews on their websites. Here reviews tend to be a bit more buried and as you say, not tweeted or facebooked (if that is a word). 

[Mr Spielbrick]

A great pity, but thank you so much for all the work you’ve done over the years, WhiteFang. Your reviews were always the best, in my opinion. If I wanted to know what any of the individual parts of a figure looked like, yours were the pictures to check. 

[zoth33]

Thanks for all your reviews WhiteFang.  I always liked your comparisons of the figs.  Your notes and pictures were great too.  Sad to hear this.  

[The Cobra]

That's really sad news. Thanks for your effort throughout all these years.

[Daniel_NZ]

Sir WhiteFang,

Thank you so much for your dedication over the years, to create and share such artistic and informative reviews for this community. I am also often guilty of googling “Whitefang” when wanting to read up on and view a thoroughly detailed and entertaining review of any CMF set.

Your future reviews will be sorely missed, and i wish you all the best with any future endevours.

Edited July 23, 2020 by Daniel_NZ

[peedeejay]

Kudos to what you've done in the past. Your CMF reviews were always the best out there! Thanks for every one of them!

[Umbra-Manis]

Wow, I'm very sad to see the end of the Whitefang reviews. I've always preferred the written review over the video review and Whitefang's were just the best, especially with the funny pictures. Been a big part of EB since I joined in 2014. 

[Wout]

Dear Whitefang.

I find it sad to hear TLG didn't send no review material anymore to Eurobricks, because I think you have done the last ten years a great job. Sure, there are now other reviewers who takes this role for a couple of years, but I always thought your reviews were the most useful.

Thank you very much.

[A_Eurobricks_User]

@WhiteFang Will you be reviewing other sets?

[WhiteFang]

Thanks everyone for your heartfelt warmth and support for the past years. Let’s take it that I am taking a hiatus. I will come back when I am ready to. I will still do reviews for non-CMFs theme as and when my interest takes me to.  

I am very glad that you have a great time. If you wish to reminse my past reviews. I have uploaded most of my reviews in Flickr and I will continue to maintain it. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitefang_eurobricks/albums

Fangy