REVIEW: 71018 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 17

[22kane]

9 hours ago, Brick Dangerous said:

Since you asked for honest feedback: I'm not the biggest fan of this review style; I find it too verbose, not concise/factual enough, and most of all much too ceremonious for my taste. It's a toy review, not the Oscars. ;)

Wow. There is honesty and then there is just plain insulting. The review is an in depth unveiling of an upcoming series that many EB users look forward to (I've been reading them since Whitefang started them). I find it's a great way to get an up close view and several shots of the figures that make it easier to start the "feeling" process of the packs. I always find them entertaining as it is not your standard review. I understand everyone has their own tastes but bring it down a notch. I don't write the reviews but even I felt attacked reading your comments. 

Ps- He puts a lot of work into these reviews as well (A lot). Due to his relationship with TLG we get an early in-depth look at these series. Just something to think about.

Edited April 7, 2017 by 22kane
ps comment

[WhiteFang]

Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and comments. It's nice to read them and to know what you think about this new series and review. 

15 hours ago, K_Tiger said:

Series 18 is rumored to have a costume theme (similar to S.14, but without the focus on Halloween), so while it's not a licensed series, it won't be as diverse as S.17.

I must not have been paying much attention to the rumours. 

13 hours ago, Brick Dangerous said:

Since you asked for honest feedback: I'm not the biggest fan of this review style; I find it too verbose, not concise/factual enough, and most of all much too ceremonious for my taste. It's a toy review, not the Oscars. ;)

I also could well do without the little scenes you arrange. They're somewhat hit or miss for me, ranging from mildly amusing to just cringeworthy. It's apparent that you love doing them, and I appreciate that, I just don't know if a review is the right place for this sort of thing. I personally prefer the TBB/Eurobricks style of review, where fun has its place, but the reviewers focus more on the figures themselves, whereas your reviews seem more preoccupied with themselves/yourself and the reviewing process.

On the other hand, it's plain to see how much you enjoy doing this, and I like your enthusiasm. Judging from others' posts, I seem to be in the neglectable minority anyway, so it might be best to just carry on, my bickering notwithstanding. I just wanted to say that for some readers coming here for the info, less might be more. But then again, we have those other sources to fall back upon, and diversity is probably a good thing.

Brick Dangerous, thank you for sharing your honest feedback and critic. I respect your opinion and I know is impossible to make everyone happy no matter what is the kind of output. However, this still provide some insight to an alternate viewpoint. Reviewing is a form of art and different Reviewers have very different creativity approach to present a product. Different people have different way of showing and sharing their opinions without comprising the basic integral reviewing structure. I choose to write as a form of paper submission in an organised fashion and in this review, I have took significant steps to reduce the length of the review to the best I can, like reducing 180 images to about 120 images. The unnecessary paragraphs are also removed with the intent to shorten it. If I make the images smaller (lesser than 800x600) and more of click and view or even making the thumbnails, it will be much harder to make clue of what you wish to focus. 

11 hours ago, TitanArch said:

@WhiteFang Thanks for the review.  Don't change a thing about your reviews.  It is indeed a lot to read, but it's clear you enjoy the process, and I appreciate the thought and hard work it takes.  As for the people who prefer a different review style, they can simply go read someone else's boring review.  When a new CMF Series release is imminent, your review is the first one I look for.

Thank you. It's a fine balance in terms of how much content I wish to put out or if I should review for the sake of reviewing. 

4 hours ago, zoth33 said:

I don't understand your comments.  Whitefangs review is just fine its his style and that's what makes it unique.  Whitefangs reviews are fun they have all those set-ups with similar style figs.  I understand its your opinion but this is a site about lego which is supposed to be a fun hobby.  Plus Whitefang has been doing it for years.  It just sounds like your post is really off-putting.  Anyways Whitefang keep up the great work your reviews are fun. 

Thank you, I really appreciate your encouraging thoughts. 

3 hours ago, 22kane said:

Wow. There is honesty and then there is just plain insulting. The review is an in depth unveiling of an upcoming series that many EB users look forward to (I've been reading them since Whitefang started them). I find it's a great way to get an up close view and several shots of the figures that make it easier to start the "feeling" process of the packs. I always find them entertaining as it is not your standard review. I understand everyone has their own tastes but bring it down a notch. I don't write the reviews but even I felt attacked reading your comments. 

Ps- He puts a lot of work into these reviews as well (A lot). Due to his relationship with TLG we get an early in-depth look at these series. Just something to think about.

Thank you. I am not taking any of these critics/comments personally, so please don't worry anything. Just that, with this much reviewing and the amount of work and time which I put in, I just don't know if my review context is still ever so relevant in modern times after 7 years of releasing. Don't mind me.  

[Itaria No Shintaku]

7 minutes ago, WhiteFang said:

Brick Dangerous, thank you for sharing your honest feedback and critic. I respect your opinion and I know is impossible to make everyone happy no matter what is the kind of output. However, this still provide some insight to an alternate viewpoint. Reviewing is a form of art and different Reviewers have very different creativity approach to present a product. Different people have different way of showing and sharing their opinions without comprising the basic integral reviewing structure. I choose to write as a form of paper submission in an organised fashion and in this review, I have took significant steps to reduce the length of the review to the best I can, like reducing 180 images to about 120 images. The unnecessary paragraphs are also removed with the intent to shorten it. If I make the images smaller (lesser than 800x600) and more of click and view or even making the thumbnails, it will be much harder to make clue of what you wish to focus. 

Honestly I find the little scenes that Whitefang builds very amusing.
And I believe he has to think much about what to pic, how, and how to make it into a nice picture.

To me, without these it would be just another minifigures review like brothers brick or brickset do. Yes, nice, but everyone can do this, you only need to have the box in advance. There is no special talent. What makes Whitefang's reviews so unique are these genius ideas that make the reading funnier.

Only my 2 cents, of course.

[JakeChambers]

First, thanks for yet another excellent review, @WhiteFang.

Me and my girlfriend have been looking forward to your reviews since I came out of my dark age and started collecting these a few years ago. Personally, I find them pretty interesting and complete. Some might complain and say they could do without the little scenes or the many pics you include. Sometimes they can give me ideas and give me some insight on how a certain minifig from the new series looks next to a similar one from another series. But honestly these scenes are the reason I look forward to your reviews. They are different. If I wanted a more neutral or standard review I could go elsewhere. They're not hard to find. But I find your reviews unique. It's your style and me, same as many others, check this forum eager to find your review whenever a new minifig series release is on sight.

Can I please get an answer to the following questions regarding the mystery minifig?

1. Does it look anywhere near as this hunter from the videogame Bloodborne?
https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/topic/6423/Hunter_Art_1427135263.jpg

2. Is his tricorn hat a new piece or is it the same one we've seen in pirate themes?

Thanks in advance!!

[SpiderJazz]

2 minutes ago, JakeChambers said:

Can I please get an answer to the following questions regarding the mystery minifig?

1. Does it look anywhere near as this hunter from the videogame Bloodborne?
https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/topic/6423/Hunter_Art_1427135263.jpg

2. Is his tricorn hat a new piece or is it the same one we've seen in pirate themes?

Thanks in advance!!

This is interesting, so are we allowed to talk about it? Or to make it simple, Can whitefang just describe/give thoughts about the fig? 

[Robert8]

3 hours ago, WhiteFang said:

I must not have been paying much attention to the rumours. 

Yep. 

It seems next year you'll have to review Batman Movie Series 2, Series 18 (which will feature 16 costumed characters) and a mysterious licensed series 

Edited April 7, 2017 by Robert8

[Giac88]

Love this series! Thank you so much for the perfect review 

I also love the comparison with the older series' characters! Well done

[Brick Dangerous]

8 hours ago, zoth33 said:

I don't understand your comments.  Whitefangs review is just fine its his style and that's what makes it unique.  Whitefangs reviews are fun they have all those set-ups with similar style figs.  I understand its your opinion but this is a site about lego which is supposed to be a fun hobby.  Plus Whitefang has been doing it for years.  It just sounds like your post is really off-putting.  Anyways Whitefang keep up the great work your reviews are fun. 

 

7 hours ago, 22kane said:

Wow. There is honesty and then there is just plain insulting. The review is an in depth unveiling of an upcoming series that many EB users look forward to (I've been reading them since Whitefang started them). I find it's a great way to get an up close view and several shots of the figures that make it easier to start the "feeling" process of the packs. I always find them entertaining as it is not your standard review. I understand everyone has their own tastes but bring it down a notch. I don't write the reviews but even I felt attacked reading your comments. 

Ps- He puts a lot of work into these reviews as well (A lot). Due to his relationship with TLG we get an early in-depth look at these series. Just something to think about.

I just reread my post, and I can't for the life of me figure out what about it might be viewed as "off-putting" or "insulting". I call it balanced criticism. I just gave a data point and illustrated my honest impression, for what it's worth; don't see whatever might be the problem with that. So you have different taste, okay, makes the world a colorful place. Wouldn't things be boring if we all had the same taste?

Also, this  ;)  is not an interpunctational accident, it's meant to be a winkey smiley thingie indicating humor.

 

Seems like WhiteFang is the only one who understood, which is all that matters for me since he was the one my post was directed at, and I guess we're good.

3 hours ago, WhiteFang said:

Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and comments. It's nice to read them and to know what you think about this new series and review. 

I must not have been paying much attention to the rumours. 

Brick Dangerous, thank you for sharing your honest feedback and critic. I respect your opinion and I know is impossible to make everyone happy no matter what is the kind of output. However, this still provide some insight to an alternate viewpoint. Reviewing is a form of art and different Reviewers have very different creativity approach to present a product. Different people have different way of showing and sharing their opinions without comprising the basic integral reviewing structure. I choose to write as a form of paper submission in an organised fashion and in this review, I have took significant steps to reduce the length of the review to the best I can, like reducing 180 images to about 120 images. The unnecessary paragraphs are also removed with the intent to shorten it. If I make the images smaller (lesser than 800x600) and more of click and view or even making the thumbnails, it will be much harder to make clue of what you wish to focus. 

Thank you. It's a fine balance in terms of how much content I wish to put out or if I should review for the sake of reviewing. 

Thank you, I really appreciate your encouraging thoughts. 

Thank you. I am not taking any of these critics/comments personally, so please don't worry anything. Just that, with this much reviewing and the amount of work and time which I put in, I just don't know if my review context is still ever so relevant in modern times after 7 years of releasing. Don't mind me.  

Thanks, WhiteFang. Glad you took it as fair criticism, and respect your stance as well. Again, your passion is most inspiring, and taste is a very subjective thing. As I said before, carry on!

Edited April 7, 2017 by Brick Dangerous

[2maxwell]

5 hours ago, Brick Dangerous said:

Also, this  ;)  is not an interpunctational accident, it's meant to be a winkey smiley thingie indicating humor.

It could be a regional/generational thing, but when paired with your criticism, that emoji use can come off as smug and self-satisfied (as it did to me). Also, you point out a few times that you are in the minority and encourage WhiteFang to keep doing things his way, meaning you don't expect him to make changes based on your criticism. In that light, it's tough to read your criticism as truly constructive. Instead it feels like you're using him asking for criticism as an excuse to take pot shots at his style. 

I don't think you meant all of that necessarily, but since you seem oblivious to why some took issue with how you phrased your criticism, I thought I'd help you out.

[Criosphynx]

Oh my, thats a French Bulldog. O.O

 

I need him. Or several. Ok many. That is all.

[AmperZand]

4 hours ago, Criosphynx said:

Oh my, thats a French Bulldog. O.O

 

I need him. Or several. Ok many. That is all.

The discussion has been raging online about what S17's army builder is. Is it the Dwarf? Maybe the Elf? The Gladiator in a Spartacus type rebellion? Or what about the Retro Spaceman with some different heads and weapons? No, no, no, no, no, no. It's none of those. It's... {drum roll}... THE BULLDOG! (Actually, it was lots of Connoisseurs, but they all surrendered for some reason leaving their dogs).

Thank you, Criosphynx, for making me smile. 

 

[Megagan]

Excellent review and I will be honest as much as I know people had been wanting to know about our "mysterious" figure I was sort of hoping you wouldn't spoil the surprise and have some sort of blacked out figure, so I found it to be a very humorous and pleasant surprise when it wasn't spoiled and you used a black place holder keeping to the silhouette. Keep up the great work!

[Tom Bombadil]

Hi whitefang,

Great job on completing your 24th cmf review.  I understand there are other sites that offer cmf reviews as well but I like how your reviews always offer a different perspective.  I feel that review work is a piece of art and you have clearly established your unique style and 'brushes' over the years.

As a cmf collector, I appreciate how your reviews bring in some history of the cmf through the 'packs shot', the cameo appearance by cmf from previous series and so on.  It enables me to better appreciate why the Lego designer come up with the design in the latest series.  There is this depth in your review that is missing in other sites reviews (they did well too in other ways though).

I like what some of the eb members shared, it's about enjoying the reviewing process and having fun.  :)

[tafkatb]

Thanks as always for the review, @WhiteFang! I do have one question about Rocket Boy: is the ball on the tip of the rocket the same size as the standard towball/Mixel joint?

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Fantastic review and beautiful characters ...I like the Veterinarian and the Gourmet Chef!

[ramofont]

Com sempre, una review extraordinaria. Felicitats WhiteFang soc un fan teu.

[AmperZand]

1 hour ago, ramofont said:

Com sempre, una review extraordinaria. Felicitats WhiteFang soc un fan teu.

For anyone who can't read Catalan: "As ever, a great review. Well done, WhiteFang, I'm your fan."

I have a feeling that all posts on the EB boards are supposed to be in English. I'm not a mod though.

 

Edited April 8, 2017 by AmperZand

[Vorkosigan]

Elf girl looks fantastic, I may have to order some online to get enough since its only 3 to a box. I'm kinda disappointed with the look of the rabbit, printing seems off. As someone who doesn't buy full sets this series is pretty typical to me, 1 great figure I want a lot of and a handful I want to get 1 of for novelty. 

[WhiteFang]

Thank you everyone. My first round of images updated in the review and also provided below for quick reference, 

  

On 4/7/2017 at 4:13 PM, Itaria No Shintaku said:

Honestly I find the little scenes that Whitefang builds very amusing.
And I believe he has to think much about what to pic, how, and how to make it into a nice picture.

To me, without these it would be just another minifigures review like brothers brick or brickset do. Yes, nice, but everyone can do this, you only need to have the box in advance. There is no special talent. What makes Whitefang's reviews so unique are these genius ideas that make the reading funnier.

Only my 2 cents, of course.

Yes, I need to plan and think on my drawing board to dictate on what I wish to focus and associate for individual minifigures. That need time to prepare, including taking my personal collection out of storage. 

On 4/7/2017 at 6:55 PM, JakeChambers said:

Can I please get an answer to the following questions regarding the mystery minifig?

1. Does it look anywhere near as this hunter from the videogame Bloodborne?
https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/topic/6423/Hunter_Art_1427135263.jpg

2. Is his tricorn hat a new piece or is it the same one we've seen in pirate themes?

Thanks in advance!!

Thank you for your kind words! As for Q1, my expression is *ahem*. As for Q2, the illustrated perceived image could be the most appropriate interpretation. 

On 4/7/2017 at 7:03 PM, SpiderJazz said:

This is interesting, so are we allowed to talk about it? Or to make it simple, Can whitefang just describe/give thoughts about the fig? 

Nope, I am not allow to describe or share my thoughts as I do not know what it is based on official terms. 

On 4/7/2017 at 7:08 PM, Robert8 said:

Yep. 

It seems next year you'll have to review Batman Movie Series 2, Series 18 (which will feature 16 costumed characters) and a mysterious licensed series 

Haha, I really hope so. That sound very exciting indeed. 

15 hours ago, Tom Bombadil said:

Hi whitefang,

Great job on completing your 24th cmf review.  I understand there are other sites that offer cmf reviews as well but I like how your reviews always offer a different perspective.  I feel that review work is a piece of art and you have clearly established your unique style and 'brushes' over the years.

As a cmf collector, I appreciate how your reviews bring in some history of the cmf through the 'packs shot', the cameo appearance by cmf from previous series and so on.  It enables me to better appreciate why the Lego designer come up with the design in the latest series.  There is this depth in your review that is missing in other sites reviews (they did well too in other ways though).

I like what some of the eb members shared, it's about enjoying the reviewing process and having fun.  :)

Tom Bombadil, thank you. It was really fun to review and piece all of the past CMFs history altogether. I truly believe that CMFs is a very special theme which set no limit in imagination without the need of bricks to attract fans. The innovative designs which we have conastantly seen in the CMFs series is a testament of how incredible this entire theme is. 

14 hours ago, Tragic Banjo said:

Thanks as always for the review, @WhiteFang! I do have one question about Rocket Boy: is the ball on the tip of the rocket the same size as the standard towball/Mixel joint?

Nope, it's not the same size as the standard mixel joint. 

7 hours ago, AmperZand said:

For anyone who can't read Catalan: "As ever, a great review. Well done, WhiteFang, I'm your fan."

I have a feeling that all posts on the EB boards are supposed to be in English. I'm not a mod though.

Yes, it should be posted in English and thank you for interpretinng on my behalf. The earlier post is ok, on this exception.  

[Brick Dangerous]

23 hours ago, 2maxwell said:

It could be a regional/generational thing, but when paired with your criticism, that emoji use can come off as smug and self-satisfied (as it did to me). Also, you point out a few times that you are in the minority and encourage WhiteFang to keep doing things his way, meaning you don't expect him to make changes based on your criticism. In that light, it's tough to read your criticism as truly constructive. Instead it feels like you're using him asking for criticism as an excuse to take pot shots at his style. 

I don't think you meant all of that necessarily, but since you seem oblivious to why some took issue with how you phrased your criticism, I thought I'd help you out.

Hey, I appreciate that. It was genuinely not meant that way and would be unfortunate if it came across as such. I guess a lot of it does indeed come down to cultural differences. English is not my mother tongue, and where I come from, we're usually a bit more blunt. Again, no offense intended to anyone. If I wanted to insult someone, I would use different words, but I seldomly feel the need to do so in my personal life. Work, now that's a different story. ;)

[BrickFit26]

Great review as always WhiteFang. The Dance Instructors hair is so 80s to me as is her colorful outfit that has so many 80s style prints. The more I look at yuppie I can see how some think he looks like a dealer from the 80s . Love the retro vibe they went with some of the minifigures.

[WhiteFang]

I have added two more photos into the review, including the Shark Suit Guy on his unique surfboard. 

On 4/6/2017 at 2:10 AM, AmperZand said:

One picture I was hoping for was the S13 Hot Dog Guy holding the Sausage Man's sausage and bun (wow, how wrong does that sound?!). Seriously, I can imagine the Hot Dog Guy promoting food at the fast food joint where the Sausage Man works and having a hot dog & roll in hand. If you have a chance to take that shot, that would be much appreciated. 

Done! Hope you like it. 

[Exetrius]

42 minutes ago, WhiteFang said:

I have added two more photos into the review, including the Shark Suit Guy on his unique surfboard. 

-snip-

Done! Hope you like it. 

Awesome!  

[kokkie20]

Thank you for the review :) 

I only will take a hunt for a few of these for use in mocs. 

2x chef (with the cake) 

1x corn guy

2x vetenarian (with the rabbit) 

1x french guy

2x hot dog guy

Maybe 1x the yuppie 

[dario76]

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