REVIEW: 8805 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 5

[Brickdoctor]

Thanks for another superb Collectable Minifig review, WhiteFang! This series is looking great. The Grenadier Guard, Detective, and Eskimo are my current favorites, though the series as a whole doesn't compare to S1 or S3, IMO.

[WhiteFang]

Thank you everyone for all of your kind comments! I have enjoyed reading them as much as I put my time and effort to share this with all of you. I hope it has lived up to your expectations to bring you the best in this new Series.

Excellent, excellent review WhiteFang - I truly love you ! Superb pictures, good writing and funny comparision shots with other older figs !

Love you too! Without you playing a part in it, we (Eurobricks) won't even have a chance to get this package.

There are some really good minifigs in this series. I know I will be most interested in the dwarf warrior. The torso and shield would even be good for human armies.

Excellent idea. I am sure it will be a new popular torso for the evil solders.

Edit: What color are the Woodcutter's pants? Sand blue?

Don't know if that is such a colour exist known as "dark sand blue". It is a little similar to the Series 3 Rapper though.

Excellent review, though i thought this was for september...

Yes, it will still released from the months of August to September.

I was wondering if the Egyptian Queen, the Zookeeper and the Aerobics Instructor had back prints? I think they should, seeing as they have the curves at the front.

As long there is back printing behind the torso, I will mention it inside this review and take a picture of it as well. Unfortunately, these mentioned characters do not have one.

This Series provbe rto be extremely useful for Batman. With all thgose mobsters, midget clowns, graduates. The series are also useful for my Castle figs with dwarves and Queens. my victorian figs and etc.

Looking forward to your new creations once you have gotten it.

Is this the series with more female minifigs?

Series 1 = 2

Series 2 = 3

Series 3 = 3

Series 4 = 3

Series 5 = 4

Yes, you are absolutely right.

I can admit when I'm wrong. I had initially said that they should stop making these after Series 5. In all honesty, there are some good ones being produced still (even some repeats, but at least they're different and not subtly altered).

I am glad you had changed your mind.

As always, an excellent review WH, and I think this one is your best yet. Your picture quality is much better than some of your previous reviews. I really like how you grouped the minifigs based on theme - esp. Circus, Evolution, and Ancient Egypt.

Great to know Brickster pal enjoyed those group shots! It really means a lot to me to know that you have enjoyed it very much (more than ever before).

Thanks for the excellent review WhiteFang . I'm still undecided about whether I like series 5 as a whole... For some reason, it doesn't give me the wow feeling. But when I look at the individual figs, I can't help but like them. I was thinking there were only a few of the figs in this series I really liked, but when I started listing them for myself, I found that I actually really like most of them... The only fig I think is a bit of a letdown is the aerobics instructor. And besides, I am a bit manic compulsive about collecting all of these collectable minifigs . Gotta catch'em all!

Yea! 15 out of 16 is definitely almost everything. Looking forward to your MOCs display once you have bought them. Afterall, you are our EB LEGO Collectables Vignette Display Queen.

I like the look of the violin case too- it'd be brilliant if the brickforge violin was able to fit in it, but i suspect i'm asking a bit much!

I will love to do that, if I have those customised parts.

These figs have a lot of new parts, so where's the catch? Are they poor quality made in China figs or what?

Even China is producing some of these specialised parts, it is still good old TLG quality. I have no problem with that, and other building sets also had parts came from China, so I don't think it's fair to assume and thrash down on their production. I am sure the quality assurance people are monitoring the factories sources. For me, I have no problem with these minifigures.

Also: is the lumberjack's hat red or dark red? It looks darker in comparison to the baseball player, though that may just be the lighting.

The cap is dark red.

This set sure is hunky-dory. I love the soldier, detective, and gangster. Plus, this is the first time I've ever seen a minifig that looked just like my dad! (lumberjack)

That's why I had a "Father and Son" picture in this review.

[prateek]

Excellent! At first, I didn't really like the series, but it's starting to grow on me. I still think S4 is the best. Hopefully these don't come out too soon, because I still have to get some S4!

[Strand]

Love them! Especially the Reptar Costume guy, Woodcutter (Rednecks! Now in minifig form!), I love these minifig collectibles, but they sure add up...

Beefeater's probably the weak link here.

[Rumble Strike]

I was always excited for this wave since it was first announced, and this review and these wonderful pics certainly keep the excitement going! Thank you WhiteFang! My favourites are the Cavegirl, with one of the best female faces ever , the Gladiator, with the elbow detailing, and the Mafia Goon.

I just completed Series 4 last week (bag feeler extrordinaire, no unwanted duplicates!) so will definitely be trying to complete series 5 when it arrives in the UK.

[Lordofdragonss]

For me this is the best serie! I have to get 3 or 4 of these dwarfs. They look so diferent than older ones!

Thanks for making such detailed review!

Edited June 28, 2011 by Lordofdragonss

[Wout]

Thank you for the nice review.

Series 5 looks great.

Only a pity I spend so much money on it, I have much less for other lego sets I still want to buy.

[Rufus]

Fangy, you have excelled yourself! This is a super review, your best yet.

I can see myself going out to get a whole box of these beauties. Possibly my favourite series of them all

[RubeusHagrid]

Thanks for the great review, as many Royal Guards and Graduates as possible methinks. Is there any chance you could take a bigger picture of the barcode on the S5 pack, to scan at the price check point?

Thanks

[Cecilie]

Looking forward to your MOCs display once you have bought them. Afterall, you are our EB LEGO Collectables Vignette Display Queen.

I'll do my best not to disappoint my loyal followers .

[Fuzzylegobricks]

awesome review Whitefang! The series is awesome in my opinion, although I don't look

at these this time as a keep together. I much prefer for series 5 to dissect the pieces for other uses like the ax for fire stations.

[Miss Kyle]

Wow, WhiteFang, I really appreciate all the work you put into this review. It's amazing, thank you so much for this close look! The collecting buzz is about to hit me again :D Can't wait for getting my hands on these. I think so far my favourites are the cavewoman, the graduate and the detective with those wonderful Victorian sideburns :D

[Bonaparte]

One from each and 30 grenadiers please

There's so much good stuff in this series like Cleopatra, the graduate, the gladiator, evil dwarf, grenadier, a new monkey, a violin case, gladiator sword, ...

I only hope the grenadier red torso doesn't have the issue of the red color showing a bit through the white printings (belt) making those look slightly pink.

Thanks Whitefang for this awesome and informative review. We all have seen pictures of these figs before, but it's soo much better to have your detailed shots and all your background info to discover these series of collective minifigs

[fred67]

Another great CMF review, WhiteFang.

The only one I don't care much about is the clown.

It's disappointing that there's only 3 graduates, not because they will be particularly useful (although a graduation MOC would require many of them), but because that's the kind of thing I'd like to give as gifts to people. I did the same with the karate guy because my son is involved in martial arts.

Ones I'll want multiples of, besides the graduate... definitely a few Dwarves, although I have a few fantasy era dwarves... a nice compliment. A few (not a whole lot) of gladiators. A few zoo keepers, mostly for the monkeys, but female heads are always nice to have... although I'm not too thrilled with the smirk. I'm VERY looking forward to "Cleopatra," and will probably make several MOCs with that figure. The gangster is also quite nice, especially the hat and case.

Great series... can't wait. August, right? Uggh.

[Solitary Dark]

An excellent review.

I'm not as excited about this series as the previous, but there are many new figures that I like - your enthusiasm for the whole serious is a bit infectious. I do feel slight Minifig fatigue, and wish there were a few less repeaters.

That said there are 3 or 4 classics in this set I will have to get - The Detective, Guardsman and zoo keeper will bring many MOC's to life.

[iElkie]

Thanks so much for this great review! I'm absolutely addicted to these minifig series and can't wait to get my hands on these! There are some absolutely stunning designs in this set.

Just a few questions, if you don't mind:

- Woodcutter: is it just the angle or is his cap a different format (flatter) than the baseball player's cap?

- Cavewoman: does the hairpiece fit better than the rubber hairpiece of the Crazy Scientist? It looks like it...

- Snowboarder: there is no logo or anything printed on his beanie hat, right?

[Pandora]

Fangy this is (as expected) a stunning review!

The pictures are beautiful - I love the comparison pictures with prior series and the informative parts pictures, and the information you have provided is comprehensive (even including statistics!) Thank you so much for this fabulous review, and thank you also to whichever circumstances allow you to give us this sneak preview!

I can tell we're going to be getting a lot of these!

[-R8-]

Thanks so much for the review, WhiteFang - a wonderful surprise indeed!

My three favorites would probably have to be the graduate, grenadier, and the gangster. I especially love the pose you have for the grenadier. Maybe they should come out with a Queen to compliment him.

The cavewoman looks really nice, too. I can even imagine that hairstyle being used for a punk rocker girl. It would be nice to see that piece released in other colors. But I didn't know they had lipstick back in prehistoric times...

I usually only pick up two or three minifigs per series, but your incredibly well-detailed and thoughtful reviews allows me to get a great perspective of the entire series. Thanks again, WhiteFang!

[SilentMode]

One thing has always been demonstrated: I much prefer actual photos than computer renderings. All of a sudden I'm keen on Series 5 a little bit more, even to the point where I might start collecting Royal Guards.

The only disappointment is so many figures being in threes. It will be interesting to see which of the figures get hoarded and sold for ridiculous prices in the long run. I personally won't be building as large an army of figures as Gorillas... unless, of course, I can.

I called the Graduate from the beginning, and now the war is on!

[sweener]

Great job WhiteFang! I still think TLG needs to work on the distribution of each minifig. What are we going to do with 5 Zoo Keepers? I would of liked to see more Mafia Gangsters, Gladiators, and Dwarves Warriors of course. Less Zoo Keepers, Aerobics Instructors, Circus Clowns, and Boxers per case. There is some consistency happening. In Series 5 were getting 4 Cavewomen per case to match up with the 4 Cavemen from Series 1 (no lonely hearts). In the long run, I think it's more of the accessories making me want each new series than the minifigs themselves.

Edited June 29, 2011 by sweener

[egosheep]

That gladiator helmet will make a great steampunk/captain Nemo style diver's helmet!!

[Geki Brick]

Are you telling me these figs are in TRUs now?! (I'm from NYC btw)

[Lumberjerk]

1. There's something very Wisconsin, no, Canadian about that lumberjack. And I mean that in a very good way.

He is indeed 100% Canadian ... ;)

Kel.

[akunthita]

Wonderful review! I really like how you put together matching minifigs from previous series! A picture speaks a thousand words! I love the cave-couple!

I'm so getting the gladiator, the boxing guy, the cave-woman, the clown, and the dwarf! Eh, I might as well jsut get them all!

[r1chard]

Here's what to feel.

1 The Graduate - diploma, hat.

2 Pharaoh Queen (Cleopatra) - snake, skirt (easy identification just like Kimono Girl)

3 London Guard - rifle, Marge-Simpson hair (easy identification)

4 Boxer (Manny Pacquiao) - torso with gloves, helmet (hard to identify)

5 Dwarf - wooden axe handle, axe blades

6 Mafia Gangster - pistol, violin case

7 Cavewoman - bone, Flintstone bat

8 Woodcutter - axe (like hockey stick of the Hockey Player), baseball cap

9 Clown - pie, hat (hard to identify), short legs

10 Aerobics Instructor - boombox

11 Detective (Sherlock Holmes) - magnifying glass, hat

12 Godzilla - back tail, headpiece

13 Zookeeper - banana, monkey

14 Gladiator - sword, helmet

15 Eskimo - fishing rod, rope (easy identification)

16 Snowboarders - snowboard (easy identification)

I know and we know we're experts now when it comes to feeling CMF pack and identifying them. The trick it isolate a piece that would ultimately identify the minifig. The usual thing to do is to find a small piece, which is easy to isolate (and then identify) since it moves more freely inside the pack than the bigger pieces. Example: banana, bone, magnifying glass, axe handle (wand), and axe blades. Another trick is to find a big/long identifying piece. Example: fishing rod, snowboard, rifle, snake, and skirt just like in Kimono Girl.