Ideas for CMFs

[ToaIruini]

Series L is home to one of my favorites all series considered, the Saloon Bartender. Partly because I have this ongoing belief that if I were born 150 years, I’d have been one. But nevertheless, this minifig would be a must have for a Western style display. 
 

Also @Robert8, thanks for collecting your missed ideas! After series Z, I was actually going to read through all 100 pages and try to find the missing ideas. But it looks like now I don’t have to 

[Karalora]

Another day, another series review. We're up to Series M! Almost halfway through the alphabet!

Slime Monster: This guy makes me smile every time I see him. He's so ugly, I love him. I'd like for him to come with more hand accessories in different shapes to represent different things he does with his slime, but alas, we cannot have everything.

Orc: A fantasy staple at this point. The awesome flail makes a comeback, and the wooden design of the shield looks really nice.

Pizza Man: One that came true. This guy's torso is more fun, suggesting the Italian flag, but the real one has that fabulously hideous pants design. In any case, even if they didn't outright copy, it's clear that TLG was on the same wavelength here.

Mrs. Santa: We are long overdue a properly designed Mrs. Claus, as well as a candy cane accessory. She looks pretty perfect, but then who doesn't know what Mrs. Claus should look like? Get on it, LEGO.

Rugby Player: This guy has an interesting face that I can use for my own characters (although the mouth guard would look weird outside of a sports context). I guess sports are like professions: you want to cover all the major ones sooner or later for the people who go for that sort of thing.

Executioner: Okay, this guy I'm almost sure is too dark for LEGO, but I absolutely could not resist him if he were real. Every medieval executioner ever portrayed looks just like this, right down to the hairy belly. It's uncanny.

Fairytale Cat: He's adorable. The costume detailing looks really nice, especially the piping around the cape--have we ever seen anything like that before? It's funny how the original fairy tale includes nothing about the cat being a swashbuckler--or wearing anything besides boots, for that matter. That's all a Dreamworks invention.

Super Kid: When I do my Halloween village each year, I dip into my boxes of minifig parts to put together some trick-or-treaters, and I like to include a superhero. It's a good idea, is what I'm saying. I like the re-use of the grocery bag as a treat bag.

Carnival Barker: What a great addition this guy would be to the Circus folk and/or the existing Fairground sets! (Alternately: Get four of him and have a competing Barbershop Quartet.)

Lady Justice: I am fairly desperate for one of these, to be frank. We have Liberty, we need Justice. For all! And that bronze color looks so nice. Would that be a new color? I don't recall ever seeing official LEGO parts in bronze (copper, but not bronze), but I could be misremembering.

White Chess Rook: The inclusion of the shield is a fun detail, it gives you a sense that pieces have different "roles" on the board besides how they move. The actual rules of chess don't allow it, but the suggestion makes it interesting.

Art Restorer: I think we always need new print jobs for the brush piece. It did get tiresome when everyone was assumed to be painting in green all the time. I think the painting itself would be a sought-after piece.

Spooky Doll: She may be spooky, but I don't think she's the aggressor here. She's clearly been through the wringer, as has her even smaller companion. A great Halloween character!

Quinceañera: Living in L.A. as I do, I see these girls almost every weekend. This is pretty accurate. The gradient effect on the sequins on her dress looks really nice, and I'd love to have a stem piece in white for when I build birch trees (although I think that model of flower stem has been discontinued in favor of the one with the stop ring).

Amusement Park Mascot: There is something inherently funny about a giant LEGO minifig head mask to be worn over a regular LEGO minifig head. And then the matching head as a logo on his overalls...LEGOLand is a thing of course (a wonderful thing), but I think this person works at MinifigLand!

Blue Boy: The lamb is certainly a winner. The pastel period costume isn't bad either. He seems to be a reference to both the nursery rhyme and the famous painting.

Overall: Nice costumes are the name of the game this time around--these characters collectively have a great wardrobe! Also a couple of much-needed archetypes: Mrs. Claus and Blind Justice.

[Robert8]

Another series I really liked. 

The selection of character is the strongest point of this one.

The Executioner might be too dark for TLG? Hmmm they included Mcnair in a Harry Potter set. And with the victim included. At least this one in the CMF would be victim-less, so that might help.

I honestly shocked Mrs Claus hasnt been made in a CMF at this point. Like. What are they wainting for? Either something like the one I made or the one in the cancelled GWP set, I hope we'll her at some point.

Lady Justice is another one Im baffled hasnt happened yet. 

From this series, a few have been made in one way or another. Slime Monster, Pizza Man, Rugby Player, and the gigantic minifigure head was made for Marvel I think.

I think at this poiny I started to realize I had too many ideas listed for the remaining series. 

My favs are Orc, Lady Justice, Mrs Santa, Slime Monster, Spooky Doll

I'm ranking this series above Series C but under Series K. Top 3... for now

SERIES F

SERIES K

SERIES M

SERIES C

SERIES I

SERIES E

SERIES L

SERIES J

SERIES G

SERIES A

SERIES B

SERIES H

SERIES D

[Karalora]

9 hours ago, Robert8 said:

The Executioner might be too dark for TLG? Hmmm they included Mcnair in a Harry Potter set. And with the victim included. At least this one in the CMF would be victim-less, so that might help.

Eh, maybe. I think there may be a difference between replicating a familiar scene wherein someone threatens to chop the head off an animal and ultimately doesn't succeed, and presenting a character whose job is chopping people's heads off. Without an existing story beat that says otherwise, it's inviting builders to set up scenarios where heads get chopped off, and LEGO might not want to go that far.

EDIT: And now I am remembering that there is of course a climactic decapitation in The LEGO Movie, so I could be off-base after all.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Karalora

[Karalora]

Last evening of a three-day weekend, so I'll take my mind off the impending slog of the workweek and look at Series N!

Saree Girl: This one has been on my wishlist for some time, and it's pretty much because of concepts that Robert8 realized gorgeously here: the exquisite colors and patterns that tend to appear on saree fabrics, as well as the accompanying jewelry and other embellishments of Indian national costume. This is just scrumptious. I'm too much in awe for exclamation points. Well done.

Flying Man: The shading on the feathers is more subtle than I think we'd get from LEGO in an IRL version of Icarus, but it does look very nice. That legs piece would be much in demand for ancient world MOCers. And of course I'll take anything from Greek mythology!

Android: Callback to the Android Woman/Gynoid; we finally have her counterpart! I think the robot dog is the real selling point here. I mean, it's a robot dog.

Cosplayer: This guy cracks me up. He must be in his mid-30s, has a full beard, but who does he dress as for the LEGO Convention? Princess Unikitty. I bet he's also a brony.

Alien Tracker: That suit-and-trench print on the torso and legs is pretty nice and re-usable for other detective types. I have to wonder how this guy would react to the Alien Leader. Different genres, I know...

Jungle Girl: I see Robert8 has created another character with a fascinating anklet. Despite having presumably been raised by the wild creatures, she seems to be a touch more advanced than the Cavewoman. That snake is superb of course.

Groom: Come to think of it...why hasn't LEGO produced a Groom to go with the Bride? By now this guy is about 10 years late to his own wedding. The top hat adds a bit of extra elegance; we might be able to use him in Victorian settings.

Supervillain: This one is deliciously over-the-top. The swollen head, the eye-obscuring mask, the black costume with lime and magenta accents (secondary/tertiary colors are inherently villainous, in contrast with heroic primary colors). The tiles that change the function of the ray gun are a touch of brilliance.

Jousting Knight: Obviously the Jouster needs someone to joust with (or against, I suppose). There are a lot of nice details to call out here--the two-toned helmet, the bold heraldry, and of course the crest, which I'm sure would be a hot item.

Toddler Girl: That bowl design is certainly cute. Does the tile fit inside it, or must we assume that she has dumped her breakfast on the floor?

Bandito: This may be the most heavily armed minifig I've ever seen--two pistols in hand, a third stuck in his waist sash, two big bandoliers of ammo, and a bundle of dynamite! I very much like the colors, which bring across more of a "gritty" mood than the more brightly colored sombrero wearing characters we've seen so far.

Zombie Woman: Again with the amazing details! The one shoe sticks out. That wilted flower would be highly versatile. And there's a zombie dog. What did we do to deserve a robot dog AND a zombie dog in the same wave?

Cricket Player: I...don't have a joke here. I don't think I need one. Cricket is kind of its own joke here in the States.

Mounted Policeman: The inclusion of the beaver makes me giggle. What unique item can you include with a Mountie? Well, he's Canadian, so... That aside, he looks really good, especially details like the specific design of the collar buttons and the Sam Browne belt. And of course I need some solid Canadian rep in order to properly fantasize about an EPCOT World Showcase theme.

Eskimo: Moving further north... Pretty sure the correct term is Inuit, just FYI. That parka hood with the braids is really nice, as is the overall parka design, and I'm sure the seal would be a big hit.

Witch Doctor: Eh, this one might genuinely get you in trouble. As much as it's a familiar archetype, it does play into some unpleasant stereotypes about Africans and/or New Guinea natives. That's a shame, because it's a really evocative design. If it could be adapted into something more culturally authentic (and given an appropriate name), I'd be all over this one.

Overall: There's a lot of really nice detailing in this series, which I think by now is becoming a trend as Robert8 gets more practice. Also a lot of terrific animals this time around! The Saree Girl is the standout figure to me, but she's far from the only must-have as far as I'm concerned.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Karalora

[Robert8]

I'm not sure what to think of this series.... This is only attempt I made to a themed regular numbered series.  

The theme was animals. Every minifgure from this series was supposed to come with an animal. Either real or scifi (like the alien with the Alien Tracker). But I didn't like how it looked all together, and ended up backpedaling with that. 

Blue Boy with lamb was originally from this series. So was Pilgrim Woman with turkey, Snorkeler with turtle, Socialite with a (expensive breed) dog, etc...

 

Overall, I'm still not sure about how it came together. Some ideas could been better excecuted, like the Witch Doctor or the Jousting Knight. 

My favorites from this series are the Cosplayer, Supervillain I guess, but nothing really to call home about

Not proud about this one.

And, as expected, Series N goes pretty low in the ranking. Between Series A and Series B

SERIES F

SERIES K

SERIES M

SERIES C

SERIES I

SERIES E

SERIES L

SERIES J

SERIES G

SERIES A

SERIES N

SERIES B

SERIES H

SERIES D

Edited January 18, 2022 by Robert8

[ToaIruini]

I thought the Cosplayer was sooo creative the first time I saw this series. It makes so much sense - how do you distinguish a person going to a convention versus the regular ‘minifig wearing a costume’? Well, Unikitty is canon to Lego, so it makes perfect sense. Good work with this one. Many ideas seem obvious, like the Groom and Mountie, but this idea reminds me of how much creativity goes into these series. 

[CMFanatic]

I've just spent waaaaaaay too much time compiling a list of the Minifigures that The LEGO Group has actually made from these ideas, going from Series A onwards. So here goes with the first three, and I'll update in a bit. (Eurobricks isn't letting me do a super long post for some reason.)

 

Series A:

• Giraffe Suit Guy was released in The Lego Movie 2 Series. TLG didn't give him a tail like @Robert8 did. (An injustice, IMHO.) They also added a piece of vegetation. 
• Lifesaver Guy's float was used in two Batman Minifigure series - Joker in S2 and Batman in S1. The Batman one had a Batman mask, while Joker's was green. It was also used on a minifig suspiciously like the one created here, which was included in a Gift With Purchase CMF display stand from 2019, and was indeed yellow with a red beak and normal eyes. 
• Robotics Engineer got a slight redesign (into the female form) and became the Programmer from Series 19, with a white laptop instead of a radio control, and with more of a relaxed "chillz with my bros" vibe, rather than the clean-cut scientist vibes that the Robotics Engineer exuded. 
• It's arguable that the Galactic Traveler turned into the Retro Space Hero, but the resemblance is faint. 

Series B:

• Rapper Girl was released as HipHop Girl in Series 20. She got a recolor and a new hairpiece, but the resemblance still existed - down to the amount of midriff exposed! 
• Archer was released as the Forest Rogue in Series 17. He kept elements of the dark red but mostly changed into dark green. Also gained a full-face mask, rather than the hat and feather, and he lost the apple. No new quiver piece - TLG reused the same one that they've had for ages.

Series C:

• Ladybug Girl (one of my personal favorites!) was released in Series 21. Nearly all of the elements came out as imagined, with the exception of the hat changing colors from black to red with black antennae. She also was released as an adult instead of a kid - a rather disappointing change. They could have at least given her teen legs!! C'mon, was that too much to ask, TLG?
• Kayaker wasn't released in a full-on CMF series, but a kayaker (with a kayak!) was released in the City People Pack: Fun Outdoors set. 

[CMFanatic]

Note that I refer to @Robert8's minifigs in bold, and TLG's minifigs are in italics.

 

Series D: 

• Ice Cream Girl was another Minifigure that wasn't released in a CMF, but was instead introduced in 2022's 60314 Ice Cream Truck Police Chase, where two crooks are wearing ice cream suits - one blue and one pink. (She was also the probable inspiration for the Ice Cream Guy in Vidiyo Series 1 - except he wasn't a suit, his head was a scoop.)
• Virtual Reality Gamer got redesigned into the Video Game Champ from Series 19. (The one who looks like PewDiePie.) An improvement was made by TLG in that they featured an actual Xbox controller piece instead of just a printed 1x2 tile. 

Series E:

• Dog Groomer was released in Series 19 as the Dog Sitter. Instead of grooming, though, she takes pets on a walk. And instead of a single poodle, we got a dachshund and a French bulldog in white. 
• Gingerbread Woman was released in 10267 Gingerbread House, a Creator Expert set which also had a Gingerbread Dad with a mustache. (I guess the S11 Gingerbread Man was off at college or something, having already moved out of the home.) She was redesigned to have a skirt instead of a different gingerbread hat to denote her gender. 
• Castaway was released in Series 21 as the Castaway, with an orange hermit crab instead of a monkey, and long hair rather than a pirate cap. (They kept the "paper in a bottle" piece though!

Series F:

• Piñata Party Boy was released in Series 20 as the Piñata Boy, with a poncho and a Mexican hat instead of hair and a blindfold. Piñata piece was almost exactly as imagined - down to the color. The difference lies in the fact that Robert's has a little hole where one could suspend it on a pole or string, whereas TLG's doesn't have that. 
• Spooky Knight was released in Series 19 as...the Spooky Knight. He got a light blue head, transparent blue sword and a piece of classic armor with printing instead of the more retro, green vibe Robert was going for. 
• Minstrel was released in Series 22 as the Troubadour. They reused the old Foresters hat in a different color for his hat, instead of the new piece Robert had imagined. He also didn't come with a cape, but instead had 3 printed coins. 
• Additionally in this series, the teacup piece and the Cartoon's hair both got made into pieces at a later date - the former with Professor Trelawney from Harry Potter S1, and the latter with Series 18's Party Boy (in blonde.)

Series G:

• Dragon Suit Guy was released in Series 18 as, well, Dragon Suit Guy. They went with neither dark red nor dark green (I really loved your idea about the different rarity ones, though!) but instead with the standard red....which reminded me of the Devil more than anything else, tbh. TLG also created their dragon hat to have removable black horns, instead of it being one piece. They did use the pieces suggested: S14's Gargoyle's wings (in red) for his wings, and also S14's Lil' Devil tail piece.

[Robert8]

@CMFanatic Glad to see you're back!

It'll be interesting to read how many of the ones I've posted have been made by TLG

[Celebrian Telrunya]

On 1/15/2022 at 6:26 PM, Robert8 said:

Thanks

I'm really glad I'm able to get comments like this even at this point of the game. Thanks a lot

Correct. 

Something you'd find in a fantasy game or something

Thanks for your recommendations. Glad you're sharing them with us. 

I have Series Y ready and Series Z list already decided, but I'm going to post a list of characters from my wishlist that I coudln't make in this project, in case someone wants to take from here. I'm going to included these for sure

  

Okay cool. Thanks! 

[Karalora]

So here we have Series Ñ. Robert8 borrowed a letter of the alphabet from another language in order to have more slots. But Spanish is of course not the only language to squeeze more letters into the Latin alphabet, and LEGO is a Danish company...

I'm just saying that if you really wanted to keep going after Z, there's always Æ, Ø, and Å. Couldn't tell you how to pronounce them with any confidence, but they're there.

On to the minifigs!

Adventurer: I think we all appreciate this Johnny Thunder-alike, but I want to call attention to the idol. It's amazing how the addition of a round tile to the top makes the microfig shape look so...idol-y. That and the printing of course. I keep a bead box just for different kinds of LEGO "treasures," and that would make a fine addition.

Robot Boy: Now that is a fun robot costume, with the googly eyes and spark between the antennae. I like to imagine there's an electrical panel inside the front that makes all those gears and dials spin. And we've got some Halloween-patterned candy and a new design for the loot bag. Fun stuff!

Auctioneer: His outfit is nothing to write home about, but the mic headset combined with the mild expression is fairly interesting. The painting is a winner of course (so that's where it went), and the certificate of authenticity could be repurposed very easily.

Circus Acrobat: She looks really good, with all those sequins and feathers. There's a crispness to her, if that makes sense--she may have joined the circus, but she's a danged professional! Love her!

Ghoul: Gruesome. I can't quite ID the color, and the long-armed torso adds to the unsettling impression. The bones...well, it's a bit odd that LEGO has never produced bones in a tan shade to suggest aging.

Loch Monster Guy: This, like the Sneaky Guy, is a superb concept, even before you get to the design. We have lots of animal costumes, both here and in reality, but this is the first time we've seen one with an ulterior motive...and we can tell because he's winking.

Southern Belle: I'm surprised you didn't go with the Queen skirt for this one. I guess she might be a more modern example of the type, and modern skirts are less extreme than antebellum ones. The dress itself is very pretty with all those printed ruffles, and I like the two-tone parasol. Is she related to the Southern Businessman? Either way, you know she's going to use deceptively polite wording to put you down and then exclaim, "Well, I never!" when you clap back.

Writer: Talk about detailing...you even included the asymmetry of Poe's face (thought to be the result of low-level CO poisoning, which might explain a lot about him). We've got a tan skull to go with the Ghoul's tan bones, and the crow--or I guess in this case the raven--makes a return. And a very nice dreary 19th Century suit design. And he's paler than the usual minifig yellow, which is a neat touch.

Red Leprechaun: Yep, the original folklore leprechauns wore red. I think they got recolored to green retroactively when they became the designated Irish folklore creature (although green has been the Faerie color for longer than that). I just know army builders would use the red and green leprechauns as factions and make them fight. You all know who you are. Including the ears with the beard is a twist, but I bet it would work. Beyond that...yep, this is a leprechaun all right.

Clown Girl: Okay, but that balloon flower. Have they done dual molding with two transparent colors yet? I really want to see them try it now. The overalls, the stripes, the stars, the hearts, the overwhelmingly girly color palette...she's not just any clown, she's from a preschool show, isn't she? She's called Miss Squiggles or something and she comes through a door in the set with more stars and hearts on it.

Black Card Guard: Everything I said about the Red Card Guard also applies to this one.

Kite Flyer: We get two historical personages traveling under assumed minifig names in this wave! Not much to say here...that is certainly Ben Franklin. If he were released under the current price structure, you could get 20 Benjamins for a Benjamin, which seems like an unsustainable exchange rate. I'm deliberately being weird at this point. It's first thing in the morning.

Snowman: This is another case of why haven't they already done this? I have my own kitbashed snowman minifig, but I really want to see what would happen with a dedicated one.

Taekwondo Fighter: I don't think TLG has given us a female martial artist yet in CMFs, though again, it's not my favorite subtheme so I could be wrong. Another cool trophy design--is the bowl traditional to taekwondo or is it pure creativity?

Delivery Guy: About time he got here--those are my LEGO sets! I very much like the recolor of the gift box as a plain brown box--I love holidays, but LEGO City has to function on an everyday basis as well.

Valkyrie: Now there is just everything to love about her. LEGO has given us a few different Vikings, but I don't think they've touched on their mythology yet (MCU stuff does not count). Anyway, YES PLEASE to a Valkyrie!

Overall: There isn't really anything here I'd say no to--even the City figs come with enough cool accessories that I'd be glad to get them in a blind bag. Not bad for a borrowed letter of the alphabet!

Edited May 6, 2022 by Karalora

[Eggyslav]

1 hour ago, Karalora said:

So here we have Series Ñ. Robert8 borrowed a letter of the alphabet from another language in order to have more slots. But Spanish is of course not the only language to squeeze more letters into the Latin alphabet, and LEGO is a Danish company...

I'm just saying that if you really wanted to keep going after Z, there's always Æ, Ø, and Å. Couldn't tell you how to pronounce them with any confidence, but they're there.

No to mention Polish letters: Ą, Ć, Ę, Ś, Ó, Ż, and Ź. :)

[CMFanatic]

13 hours ago, Robert8 said:

@CMFanatic Glad to see you're back!

It'll be interesting to read how many of the ones I've posted have been made by TLG

I'm glad to be back, too! 2021 was a VERY hectic year for me...yeesh. 

I think there are around 50 in total. TLG has been very liberal with taking your ideas and making them a reality - without hiring you, STILL. I understand you have a job already but you should at least apply to be a graphic designer for them at some point! They're hiring for one in Europe. 

[Robert8]

Funny discussion about the letters, because when I first started I was using the greek alphabet, which is even shorter. So Series A was called Series Alpha lol

 

Anyway, about series Ñ: another series that I really liked. 

Valkyrie still remains as one my favorites ever. My first attempt for the character was in Series B, but it looked awful. Later, I tried again for Series H (I think) but still not good enough. 

You're right about the Southern Belle. Maybe the wide dress was better. I don't recall if I even thought about it back in the day. 

Snowman and Clown Girl are the ones I can't believe haven't been made in a CMF line. 

My favorites from this series are Loch Monster Guy, Snowman, Valkyrie, Writer, Circus Acrobat and Adventurer

I'll rank this series under Series M but above Series C

SERIES F

SERIES K

SERIES M

SERIES Ñ

SERIES C

SERIES I

SERIES E

SERIES L

SERIES J

SERIES G

SERIES A

SERIES N

SERIES B

SERIES H

SERIES D

7 minutes ago, CMFanatic said:

I'm glad to be back, too! 2021 was a VERY hectic year for me...yeesh. 

I think there are around 50 in total. TLG has been very liberal with taking your ideas and making them a reality - without hiring you, STILL. I understand you have a job already but you should at least apply to be a graphic designer for them at some point! They're hiring for one in Europe. 

But I live in Costa Rica. So.... kind of far from there hahaha Also, I'm chemist. I don't have a degree on graphic design or anything of the sort

I dont think they know about my work honestly. At this point there is just too many people doing CMF drafts, and I'm one of the smaller ones

Edited January 19, 2022 by Robert8

[DarrellBricker]

Maybe you are one of the "smaller ones" in your mind Robert, but I can say without hesitation that you are by far one of the best I have ever seen. No one has consistently impressed me as much as you with your sheer scope of ideas, creativity, attention to detail and the fact that any one of your figures looks like it could roll off the assembly line tomorrow. They FIT Lego's CMF aesthetic, and in some cases elevates and surpasses it.  There isn't a single figure of yours I wouldn't be proud to have in my collection, and MANY I'd kill to get.

Sorry for the verbal rampage - I appreciate your humility but you are immensely talented.

[Karalora]

30 minutes ago, DarrellBricker said:

Maybe you are one of the "smaller ones" in your mind Robert, but I can say without hesitation that you are by far one of the best I have ever seen. No one has consistently impressed me as much as you with your sheer scope of ideas, creativity, attention to detail and the fact that any one of your figures looks like it could roll off the assembly line tomorrow. They FIT Lego's CMF aesthetic, and in some cases elevates and surpasses it.  There isn't a single figure of yours I wouldn't be proud to have in my collection, and MANY I'd kill to get.

^ All of this!

[ToaIruini]

This is funny timing, because Series O is the series that inspired me to join Eurobricks! I don’t use the forum for much else than to view these amazing and creative minifigs. 

[Karalora]

I guess I'd better hurry up and review Series O then!

Venusian: Get it? Little green men are from Mars and statuesque pink women are from Venus. Makes perfect sense. In all seriousness, the tongue-in-cheek aspect of this figure makes it all the better. She's a cute alien girl, and she's all hot pink and silver. This isn't even 1950s-caliber spacepunk, this is 1980s-caliber spacepunk.

Shower Time Guy: We got a take on this from LEGO for real, and it's about the same except that we didn't get the shampoo or the fun new scrub brush mold. I guess it was an idea whose (shower) time had come. (Interestingly enough, I'm typing this still wet from the shower myself, which lends the experience a recursive quality.)

Pilgrim Woman: Everyone here will be unsurprised to learn that I am 3000% in favor of this one. It's historical and it's holiday-related AND it comes with a new animal! That's pretty much the trifecta as far as I'm concerned!

Turkey Suit Guy: Funny that this one and the above one wound up in the same wave. I guess that's why he looks so alarmed. Between these two and the Pilgrim Man from earlier, we have all the makings of a hometown Thanksgiving parade.

Giant: Clever use of the trophies as humans in order to show the scale. TLG included a Giant minifig with the fairy tale book set that made it through IDEAS a few years back, but it doesn't look very similar. Even if you didn't particularly want a giant, this guy is wearing a good medieval peasant costume, so I think the Castle fans would snap him up.

Underworld Ruler: I have to wonder how many of these come about so that you can re-use a specific element design? But I'm glad you did, because Anubis is awesome. I was actually a little annoyed that the Pharaoh's Quest line used images akin to Egyptian deities as bad guys, but if we actually got this out of it? Totally worth it.

Hippie Girl: This is one we really should have. Her fashion sense strikes me as being just a touch more authentic than the actual Series 7 Hippie, and I'm not sure what it is. The darker leather? The beaded tassels? The floral emblems on the headband and guitar? Anyway she is one groovy gal and I'm sure she'll usher in world peace with her songs.

DUPLO Alien Boy: His dad is the Cosplayer, isn't he? They're at the LEGO convention together, dressed as their favorite characters from The LEGO Movie. I'm thinking about this too hard, aren't I? Is the costume actually piece-built or is it solid pieces printed to look that way?

Muse: My word yes, can we please have her? This is a scrumptious design overall, and that lyre and cape piece would be great for fantasy in general.

Marionettist: More awesome repurposing of microfigures, leading me to wonder why LEGO doesn't do more of the same in actual sets. Plus I love the character's non-specifically old-timey look. (Yes, I know he's Geppetto, which means roughly mid 19th-Century, but the buckled shoes and knee breeches look older than that.)

Wraith: Not a whole lot to say about this one, since it's just an extra-spooky ghost. That great "internal glow" effect is back though, and creepier than ever with the desiccated skull look to the face.

Summer Camp Boy: The Cookie Seller's counterpart has arrived, and he is just as much of an overachiever! It would be interesting to get a few different variations on these uniforms and create entire troops.

Mobile Suit Guy: I remember praising the misdirection on this one when he first came out--he's wearing a suit and there's the mobile phone, so that's it, right? Just a caffeine-crazed workaholic? NOPE! Does the Alien Tracker know about this guy?

Herald: A must for any fully developed Castle society. I notice his tabard and flag have the same quartered field as the Jouster's shield, but with different charges--if that was deliberate, or just economical use of a striking design, I don't know, but I accept it either way. About the only thing I'd change would be to come up with some actual legible text for the proclamation.

Tombstone: A delightfully spooky statue! Every Halloween MOCer on the planet would want this for their graveyards!

Knight Maiden: It's okay, we all know it's Jeanne d'Arc. (Maybe I should start making a tally of the expies of real people. Or maybe I can leave that project for someone else.) Oddly enough, the relatively realistic armor design might be the standout aspect here, since most LEGO "medieval armor" tends to be a cartoonish representation of the concept.

Overall: It's getting hard to judge these against each other since they're all consistently high in quality--clever concepts, clean designs, resourceful re-use of molds, etc. I don't think I can pick a favorite, or even a top three, this time around because there's a lot here to love!

Edited May 6, 2022 by Karalora

[Robert8]

Thanks for the supportive comments  when I said Im one for the smaller ones I meant I dont have a YouTube channel and stuff like that. 

About Series O. I didnt even recall how much I like this series. One rare occasion when everything came out just exactly as I imagined it

About DUPLO Alien Boy, The costume is meant to be one piece all molded together. I was going to call him Cosplayer Boy. Thinking now, I doubt they'd name DUPLO a nonDuplo product. It might be confusing 

I wish I started with Egyptian Mythology earlier than this. Same with norse mythology. I guess greek is my fav and it shows. 

Shower Time Guy is another one that came to happen and looks very similar to what I made. Other ones I can see being actually made are Hippie Girl, Muse, Pilgrim Woman and Summer Camp Boy

Very solid series IMO. My favs are Hippie Girl, Venusian, Giant, Marionesttist and DUPLO Alien Boy. 

This series goes under Series K but above Series M

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[Karalora]

What are we up to now, Series P? Let's do this!

Monster Hunter: With an entire wave of monsters, it's a little surprising we don't have this guy already (notwithstanding the pulpy characters of Monster Fighters). He reminds me of Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing (my campy cheesy Halloween movie of choice). And that outfit would look great in a Goth club!

Rabbit Follower: It was only a matter of time before Alice herself showed up. We have Alice, of course, but it's the Disney version, which I'm not certain counts. I remain intrigued by the hypothetical possibility of an independent Wonderland theme (the story being in the public domain), or perhaps a single set in a "classic children's lit" theme. It would certainly be a way for us to get Disney-esque build concepts without having to go through the Mouse themselves.

Cyclist: There was a time I would have said a bike is too large an accessory for CMF. But, well. It happened, didn't I? I relate to this guy in that I cycle to and from work (unless the weather is too bad, in which case I walk--it's only 1.5 miles). But he's obviously way more into it than I am.

Lantern Festival Guy: I suppose we technically have this one too, what with the Lunar New Year sets released every year. They opted to represent the lanterns as red pumpkins rather than red cauldrons, but otherwise this is pretty close to some of the "event staff" characters in those sets. I love his calendar.

Automaton: You know, I've never seen Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Probably not many people actually have. But everyone who's spent any amount of time among geek media recognizes it. I love the brushed steel texture you've got going here. Have I ever mentioned the cool effects you do with gradients in these designs? Very..effective.

Peasant Woman: Another winner in my book. We really need a wider variety of hair + headgear pieces, especially for female minifigs, who tend to look a little more odd than male ones when they have a hat without hair. Also: black pig! And wooden-textured bucket! LEGO is sleeping on some great opportunities to make accessories pop with specialized printing.

Matching-Costume Dad: I think I squeed out loud the first time I saw this one. What an AWESOME idea for a costume in real life, and for minifigs!

Musician: I have to protest this one. Those are not the notes for Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Unless you want to tell me this is some other composer who also wrote at least five symphonies, and he just happens to look like Beethoven. Nitpicking aside, this is another lovely historical design. I like the variety of period suits we're getting from you. Historical men's fashion flies under the radar a lot of the time.

Dark Fairy: Now this is what I'm talking about! The butterflies alone are a reason to pursue this one, but look at her! Delicate and frilly yet subtly sinister. She's why people who fall asleep in the woods don't wake up for 50+ years, if they ever return at all.

Candy Cane Guy: A simple concept that nonetheless sends a very powerful message, to wit: Hey LEGO, why no candy canes? That is seriously one of their biggest omissions so far.

Snorkeler: This is one of those ones where it's hard to say whether we got a real one or not. The Series 20 Sea Rescuer wears a snorkel and comes with a sea turtle (which I suspect would be the biggest draw--sorry, Robert8, but LEGO's design came out cuter), but it's a rather distinct concept. Anyway, I like the use of the sticking-up hair to show that it's floating in the water, and the fun design of his trunks (moar swimwear!).

Mardi Gras Queen: The King needs a Queen! This is a sumptuous design, where every detail just makes me go "Oooh! Me likey! The crown on the styled hair, the scalloped collar (with sequins), the diamond pattern on the cape and outer gown...this is why TLG needs to jump in and do Mardi Gras for a change.

Thief: The Series 15 Jewel Thief is kinda classy, but this guy just looks thuggish. It's interesting the number of characters who have whose schtick is that they interact with art in some way, which gives you an excuse to include tiles printed with the art. Someone would MOC an entire gallery of these paintings, if these were real.

White Chess Knight: There's getting to be less and less to say about the chess pieces, but I do like how you gussy them up a little with accessories.

Woodcutter Pig: And just like that, the Farmer Pig clicked for me. Although come to think of it, the Three Little Pigs would do better as a set, where you could have the three houses with play features to make the wolf "blow" them down. I'd still want these guys though.

Ventriloquist Dummy: What, he's striking out on his own? Is this the setup for an Adult Swim comedy series? He looks so much more sinister than the dummy accessory that you included with the Ventriloquist. I'm inclined to think something's going on here...

Overall: Once again, a good lineup. I might go so far as to call this one really good.

[Robert8]

A series that it's just above "ok" for me

This is probably my favorite chess piece of them all. 

Monster Hunter was my favorite. At some point I thought about making him a "she", but back then I already had in my mind the Monster Fighter idea that came to happen in Series V, so it would have been too similar. Monster Hunter must be of the strongest characters I've made in terms of design

Matching Costume Dad was such a hit lol Even now, I see it being used as profile picture on IG.  Honestly surprising to me. Also, at some point I thought about about making "sequels". Like the same dad and baby in different matching costumes. But that would have made this one feel less special. Less unique

You're right about the Musician tile. Got me on that one. This will be also an issue with Mozart. 

Ventriloquist Dummy is just creepy. I wanted him to be. Like that doll you're almost sure follows you with their eyes. Or you could swear you saw it moving with your peripherical vision that one time.....  At some point Ventriloquist Dummy was considered for the Spooky Calendar. That goes to show the idea behind the character. 

And the Thief was a rather abrupt ending for the famous paintings subtheme, which was going to happen every other series. I also had listed Art Collector, Art Critic and Gallery Curator to be included in later series with famous paintings included. But those paintings just take so much work....  I also remember the Polymath was in this series. So you would get Leonardo and the Mona Lisa together in a series. But I switched him with the Musician. I can't rememeber why

From this series my favs are Dark Fairy, Matching Costume Dad, Monster Hunter and Automaton

From these, Dark/Evil Fairy feels like the more likely to made by LEGO

I'll rank this series above Series E but under Series I

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[Karalora]

Another day, another series review! I actually rearranged my bedroom today and made my LEGO storage marginally more efficient in the process, so let's celebrate!

Landscaper: Very clever re-use of the flamingo, plus the new tools! He even looks like pretty much every landscaper you see working here in LA.

Puppet Lady: There we go, now we can have a conversation between puppets on the kids' show (the same one with the female clown).

Expectant Mom: I think she's just super (the special new torso is inspired), but this is a case where I have to wonder if it would go over well with the general public. Some people apparently think explicit references to pregnancy are inappropriate for children. I don't get it either--where do they think children come from in the first place?

Chupacabras: Awesome! The best part is that if you're not interested in the chupacabras specifically, the design works pretty well for an alien or reptilian monster. It really is about time they got more use out of the Faun legs, isn't it?

Elephant Guy: It's almost eerie that we got a pink elephant costume in reality, even if they went a Valentine-themed route with it. Since it uses the same mold as the Elephant Girl's head, obviously theirs was going to come out pretty identical to yours.

Alien Invader: This design is just plain fun--the sneering expression, variation on the Classic Space logo, short legs BUT jet boosters/levitation energy, and the overly complicated ray gun! You can't help but think maybe his people are no bigger than minifigs and their invasion force is about to get scattered by a playful puppy.

Mr. Stars and Stripes: This is where it occurs to me to be a little weirded out that some folklore characters (Santa Claus) can be called by their names while others (Little Red Riding Hood/"Grandma Visitor") need obfuscating descriptions. It seems almost certain that an official LEGO take on Uncle Sam would be called Mr. Stars and Stripes, but...why? Uncle Sam isn't trademarked. Anyway, great minifig concept, 10/10 would definitely acquire.

Prince Charming: I've kitbashed my own Prince Charming out of existing parts, but I really wish we had a unique one, especially one as suave and regal as this! They did a Fairytale Princess, so it stands to reason we should get her perennial rescuer.

Mobster: This was a delightful surprise. The Gangster is one of the most colorful of the early-wave CMFs, and giving him a female counterpart only makes sense...and she's a made woman in her own right, not the mere Gunmoll we might expect! The hair + tilted fedora gives her a lot of character, and the new "subdued" money design adds to the sense of time period for this character type.

Ninja Girl: Let's not kid ourselves, this is an anime character. Not that there's anything wrong with that. She's got a cool aesthetic and sits at the intersection of "cultural" and "fantasy," so she's okay by me.

Voodoo Doll: It's always amusing to me when a CMF seems to represent something much smaller or larger than a person, because then the fact that it's actually the same size as any other minifig offers opportunities to write a weird origin story. This critter was made extra-large in order to provide more oomph for a voodoo spell that absolutely had to go right...but it worked too well, as instead of being linked to the life force of the spell's target, the doll developed its own life force! So now there's an independently mobile doll walking around the LEGO world.

Chaos Goddess: Where would Greek mythology be without Eris? No, literally, where, since it's ultimately her fault the Iliad happened, and hence the Odyssey, both of those being many people's introduction to the Hellenic pantheon. You already know I'm in favor of as many mythical and fantasy figures as we can get, and that golden apple has potential applications beyond its origin.

Jockey: He should have the medium legs. Good re-use of the mini-horse crest you designed for the Jousting Knight. How often do you come up with something with the aim of getting another use out of a unique piece?

Steampunk Adventurer: Ah, steampunk--or as I call it "Victorian Goth, but brown instead of black." This guy is great fun just to look at! Goggles, cogwheels, a long coat and cravat, he's got the whole steampunk aesthetic package! That gun is a work of art; I have no idea what exactly the green is supposed to signify and I don't have to know. A+++

Black Chess Knight: Nothing in particular to say here, except that now the black side is starting to get filled out. In retrospect, I think the knights' banners might be easier to read if the print were in a more contrasting shade of gray--dark on the white banner and light on the black. Just a minor observation though.

Polymath: Who doesn't love da Vinci? He's the reason the term Renaissance Man exists! As instantly recognizable as any of your historical figures and a fine addition to the lineup.

Overall: Some pretty unique concepts here, and most of the minifigs that might be considered more "ordinary" are made more appealing with fun accessories.

[Robert8]

The thing I remember the most from this series was how rushed the whole process was. The Advent Calendar was coming next and I needed some extra time to work on it because that had 24 minifigures. Some of these I don't even know how came to happen in such a short time. 

32 minutes ago, Karalora said:

Jockey: He should have the medium legs. Good re-use of the mini-horse crest you designed for the Jousting Knight. How often do you come up with something with the aim of getting another use out of a unique piece?

What a question...  I used to have notes. Lots of notes. About the pieces and accesories and what order I needed to introduced them. Like the Gondolier, Masked Hero, Barbershop Singer and Carnival Barker having all the same hat. I had that maped out since the beggining. 

About medium legs for the Jockey.... I thought he would look out of proportion in a regular LEGO horse.

----------------------

Prince Charming was one that was completely transformed from the original version. He was orginally for Series N, the one with all the animal accesories, and had a Swan Lake color scheme, and of course, he came with a swan as accesory. Something like Barbie's version:

 

Voodoo Doll, another one that was going to be part of the Spooky Calendar, but I already had a lot of characters listed for that project. I was going to give him a new molded head. And I sometimes I think I should had. 

Expectant Mom is the one I'd like to see becoming real the most. Other toy companies have released pregnant women serveral times with no issue whatsoever, like, again, Barbie. I was going to make a trick-or-treater version of the Expectant Mom, with the belly being incorpored as part of the costume somehow, similar to the idea of Matching Costume Dad/Mom, but then again, not enough spots. 

Ninja Girl is inspired by like Mortal Combat or stuff like that. I thought that was the only way to make her different enough from Ninjago. 

My favorites from this series are Expectant Mom, Prince Charming, Mr Stars and Stripes and Steampunk Adventurer. Also, I really liked how the alien version of the Classic Space logo looks. 

Really struggling to rank this series.... but I think under above Series E is the right place for this one

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Edited January 23, 2022 by Robert8

[Karalora]

11 hours ago, Robert8 said:

About medium legs for the Jockey.... I thought he would look out of proportion in a regular LEGO horse.

Eh, fair.

11 hours ago, Robert8 said:

Expectant Mom is the one I'd like to see becoming real the most. Other toy companies have released pregnant women serveral times with no issue whatsoever, like, again, Barbie.

The pearl-clutchers can be a capricious lot. You can never tell--the ultrasound image might be the sticking point,