Research about minifigures

[PTI Student]

Hi

We are a group of product development students from Denmark. Currently we are working on a project related to LEGO Minifigures.

We are interested in your opinion about a webshop, where you, with an online tool, can design your own minifigures.

The online tool would be a database combined with a design tool, which provides you a blank minifigure and from a database you can access different facial, body and leg patterns. In addition, you would be able to complete your minifigure with hair pieces and accessories.

We would like to know if you are interested in using a service like this?

 

Kind regards

[deraven]

Hi PTI Student(s)!  Welcome to EB.

I guess my first question would be how your proposed service differs from the many others that are already out there.  There are a few different ways to use existing parts and mix them into a "custom" minifigure, and even more services that allow you to do custom designs and prints (on all different parts of the minifig) - just google for "Custom Lego Minifig."  If your idea has some unique features please share; I'm sure there's plenty of interest if it's something useful that's not already out there.  

[PTI Student]

Thank you for your reply.

[AmperZand]

It isn't clear from your description if the platform allows consumers to design their own custom printing, choose from your custom printing on parts or just allows the user to virtually assemble existing minifigure parts. 

If it's the last one, I doubt there would be a lot of demand. I reckon that AFOLs are pretty good at imagining what minifigure parts will be like together and wouldn't be willing to pay a premium to see a virtual representation first. Even if they did value a virtual view, they might use your tool for the visualisation and then order the parts from elsewhere (LEGO, BrickLink, Ebay etc).

If you were offering your custom printing on parts, the value proposition would depend on your design (usefulness, uniqueness etc) and quality (sharpness, permanence, compatibility with LEGO's aesthetic and colours etc) of the printing as well as price, platform's user friendliness, customer service and so on. 

If you were offering to produce the user's printing, what is the differentiation from existing custom printing services like Minifig Labs? 

[Wardancer]

It is hard to think of anything to add to what AmperZand wrote. But maybe a personal note might be useful. 

As a customizer I have no inhibitions for cutting, maiming or painting figs. Many so-called purists have these inhibitions, I don't. Yet I have never ordered a custom printed fig from any of the services around (there are many). I also don't have a Problem with spending a lot of money on figs. Some of my customs cost about 50 Euro for parts, paints etc. So I think there are three factors why I have never bought a custom fig. Firstly, sometimes the chase is better than the catch, the process is better than the result. Just ordering a custom fig takes the sport out of making the fig. An online service would have to make the designing experience complex and fun. Secondly, price is a still factor, for army building for example. Thirdly, no manufacturer I know can do metallic printing. This is a huge problem for historical figs. 

[MAB]

From what they have written on other forums, I don't think they are planning to do anything. This appears to be just a hypothetical question for a thesis.

Of course, this may be wrong as multiple threads from similar names have been made elsewhere.

[Sneakguest]

What I know, even if a multiple of services like this exist, the variety of custom parts is way to narrow, thus a service that would be sufficiently satisfying should include a couple of hundred options at least, a couple of thousands whould be better. But generally, what lego lacks the most, and what supplementary manufactures have not filled  the gap at all, is in terms of custom molds for body parts.