LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 20. Rumors and discussion

[Anonknee Muss]

On 9/25/2019 at 12:24 AM, Gomek said:

They already did this to a degree with the Lester figure. They promoted the image of Lester like crazy but only made less than 300 figures. These then sold for between $1,500 and $4,000. Then Lego decided 'Hey let's not bone our fanbase' so they made a virtually identical figure available in the their Leicester square store for a reasonable price. 

Of course, if you paid $3,000 for a figure (only to have it come out for $5 months later) it must have felt like Lego stole your (albeit used) car.

I literally wrote this further up the page.

[Gomek]

9 minutes ago, J4ck said:

I literally wrote this further up the page.

whoops, missed that (sorry). But what a whacked out trip that figure was. I was really annoyed when they first announced that figure. The image was all over the place, being promoted like crazy they're going to make less than 300??? It was beyond obnoxious.

Luckily it was so crazy expensive it wasn't even a possibility for me personally.

I'm happy they made it right, but was hoping that they learned their lesson. And all it would take is two little words "Preview Figure".

But alas, I don't think they learned anything.

[Anonknee Muss]

8 hours ago, Gomek said:

whoops, missed that (sorry). But what a whacked out trip that figure was. I was really annoyed when they first announced that figure. The image was all over the place, being promoted like crazy they're going to make less than 300??? It was beyond obnoxious.

Luckily it was so crazy expensive it wasn't even a possibility for me personally.

I'm happy they made it right, but was hoping that they learned their lesson. And all it would take is two little words "Preview Figure".

But alas, I don't think they learned anything.

Ayyy no worries mate. Yes 275 made, what made this scenario even more worse was the fact you could only get one if you spend over £55 and then you get a scratch card so you have a 50/50 chance of getting one. So not even guaranteed at £55.

[julesvincent]

There was an interview about the Lester availability at the store opening, which I‘m now to lazy to search for, but it said the following: 

Originally it wasn‘t planned to release the fig physically at all and was just meant for promotion. When they realized how popular it was they decided to make it physically. Only problem was that the they had less than 300 black bowler hats in storage. Time was too short to make new ones in time for the opening, but printing torso and head wasn‘t a problem. So that limited number of 275 was due to the shortage of the hat. As they were expecting a lot of people for the opening, they came up with the scratch lottery that not just the first few people get them, but you had the chance all over the opening weekend to get one. 

As soon as they had the capacities for the bowler hat, lester was put in polybags for everyone to get. 

Edited September 27, 2019 by julesvincent

[MAB]

1 hour ago, julesvincent said:

As soon as they had the capacities for the bowler hat, lester was put in polybags for everyone to get. 
 

And on bricks and pieces, where it is cheaper to buy the figure and brolly - it's costs about half what they charge for the polybag.

 

[Digger of Bricks]

On 9/22/2019 at 12:20 PM, 1Panda said:

Since the made a biker in series 19 maybe they’ll do a wheelchair racer in this series

I myself would wish to see them introduce either a smaller bicycle for kids or a BMX bike mold with a CMF eventually. 

On 9/23/2019 at 7:28 AM, K_Tiger said:

I expect an acknowledgment of the 10th anniversary of the line in some fashion, but beyond that? Some gimmick is probably a given, though I won't go as far as to say it'll be terrible like Mr. Gold. Not sure about a rehash wave, though it could be decent if they go all-in on prints (both design AND quality) and new pieces. I wouldn't mind the theme of "Minifigures From Around the World", but I would be equally happy with just 16 minifigures running the gamut of themes.

Sure, I absolutely wouldn't mind a "Minifigs From Around the World" themed Series to mark the occasion, as it'd seem apt for such. 

[Gomek]

2 hours ago, julesvincent said:

There was an interview about the Lester availability at the store opening, which I‘m now to lazy to search for, but it said the following: 

Originally it wasn‘t planned to release the fig physically at all and was just meant for promotion. When they realized how popular it was they decided to make it physically. Only problem was that the they had less than 300 black bowler hats in storage. Time was too short to make new ones in time for the opening, but printing torso and head wasn‘t a problem. So that limited number of 275 was due to the shortage of the hat. As they were expecting a lot of people for the opening, they came up with the scratch lottery that not just the first few people get them, but you had the chance all over the opening weekend to get one. 

As soon as they had the capacities for the bowler hat, lester was put in polybags for everyone to get. 

I had heard the same thing at the time, but it still doesn't excuse slapping a limited edition number on it. People would have still been into getting an early copy (without the limited edition tag), but it would have stopped the prices on Ebay from getting stupid.

And the same goes for Mr. Gold. Not to be a broken record about it, but there is absolutely no call for a $700 minifigure. It's obnoxious. Figure out a way to get copies out there so the prices come down to a reasonable level, and there is less room for people to get ripped off with counterfeits. How much effort is it to put the head, hat, torso and legs on Bricks and Pieces for $5 a pop. You make your core audience happy, and make a little money while you're at it ($20 for a fig has to be a pretty good profit margin) and no one gets fleeced for close to $1000.

(sorry for the rant, but this is a hot button topic for me)

[MAB]

If someone is willing to pay $1000 for a minifigure, I don't mind them feeling stupid if it is then made widely available for a much cheaper price. They still have the exclusive packaging!

Similar things happened with comic con releases of Bard, Azog, Bilbo. After Bilbo, I think people realised these were going to be preview figures and the prices didn't go completely crazy, but still people paid for essentially just the exclusive packaging.

[Digger of Bricks]

By the way, is anyone here familiar with Playmobil's FI?GURES and Imaginext's Mystery Figures (essentially, the two brands' own blind-bag CMF lines)? Looking over databases of their past offerings, I see that they've already had Aviatrix (i.e. Amelia Earhart) figures of their own, whereas Lego hasn't yet... 

• Klickypedia - Pilot
• She's Fantastic - Imaginext Series 6's Pilot (Amelia Earhart)

[K_Tiger]

I remember the Imaginext figure. I just chalk the lack of a LEGO version up to there being so many archetypes they want to do for the first time, plus the the number of archetypes they can reintroduce through a gender swap being so vast. That Playmobil one hits pretty much all the bullet points I'd want to see on a LEGO aviatrix. *approving nod*

[Digger of Bricks]

10 minutes ago, K_Tiger said:

I remember the Imaginext figure. I just chalk the lack of a LEGO version up to there being so many archetypes they want to do for the first time, plus the the number of archetypes they can reintroduce through a gender swap being so vast. That Playmobil one hits pretty much all the bullet points I'd want to see on a LEGO aviatrix. *approving nod*

Apparently both Playmobil and Imaginext have also had straight-up Steampunk archetypes of their own where Lego hasn't...

• Klickypedia - Time Traveler
• Klickypedia - Steampunk Girl

 

Edited September 28, 2019 by Digger of Bricks
Fixed second link.

[K_Tiger]

Didn't LEGO say that steampunk really doesn't test well with kids? Not that would necessarily matter with a one-off figure in a CMF series. Ninjago did have that wave with the steampunk/dieselpunk/Mad Max hybrid main baddie last summer, though..

[Digger of Bricks]

6 hours ago, K_Tiger said:

Didn't LEGO say that steampunk really doesn't test well with kids?

That was @Nabii more specifically that had brought that to light...

On 6/19/2017 at 7:11 AM, Nabii said:

Concepts and new themes at LEGO are not created by marketing, they are created by Designers. We draw and build and test extensively, and you are right, hybrid concepts often fail, (for example so far steampunk performs terribly). But NEXO Knights outperformed all other concepts including tradition Space and Castle ideas. Marketing people are involved from very early on only to help figure out ways to communicate the themes, and sometimes to figure out ways to explain new play types, like the shield scanning in Nexo Knights.

[gedren_y]

I believe LEGO did a Creator 3-in-1 vehicle set that had steampunk elements.

[Another Brick In The Wall]

Can somebody please explain to me why Monkey King has appreciated in value so much, considering SERIES 19 has not been discontinued yet? 

Sorry wrong thread. 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Another Brick In The Wall

[Digger of Bricks]

10 hours ago, gedren_y said:

I believe LEGO did a Creator 3-in-1 vehicle set that had steampunk elements.

Do you rather mean this set?

Brickset - 20215 Invention Designer

[Gomek]

 

On 6/19/2017 at 8:11 AM, Nabii said:

Concepts and new themes at LEGO are not created by marketing, they are created by Designers. We draw and build and test extensively, and you are right, hybrid concepts often fail, (for example so far steampunk performs terribly). But NEXO Knights outperformed all other concepts including tradition Space and Castle ideas. Marketing people are involved from very early on only to help figure out ways to communicate the themes, and sometimes to figure out ways to explain new play types, like the shield scanning in Nexo Knights.

 

I'd like to find these kids and have a talk with them. It's like that Simpsons episode when Homer's brother has him design a car. Some people just have no vision, or worse, are enamored by the overly obvious. Ugggg.

Somewhere there's a kid who told some marketing genius that Lego's old light grey needs to be subtlety different that small parts are hard to differentiate, and large pieces now won't look right together. Curse you light blueish grey test marketing kid. I bet that kid bought all of two sets and hasn't collected since.

 

---

[gedren_y]

3 minutes ago, Gomek said:

Somewhere there's a kid who told some marketing genius that Lego's old light grey needs to be subtlety different that small parts are hard to differentiate, and large pieces now won't look right together. Curse you light blueish grey test marketing kid. I bet that kid bought all of two sets and hasn't collected since.

---

I thought that was a chemical formula issue with the actual ABS, to improve the longevity of the parts. LEGO is doing this again with their new "green" parts, made from a plant based material.

[Gomek]

4 hours ago, gedren_y said:

I thought that was a chemical formula issue with the actual ABS, to improve the longevity of the parts. LEGO is doing this again with their new "green" parts, made from a plant based material.

Might be the case with green recently, but the story I heard about Reddish Brown and Blueish Gray was that a (small?) group of market research kids preferred those colors. Totally moronic, especially Light gray, which is barely different, but just different enough to not be usable together.

[Digger of Bricks]

6 hours ago, Gomek said:

I'd like to find these kids and have a talk with them.

I've always wondered how Lego goes about selecting individuals for their test market research. 

[Roebuck]

10 hours ago, Gomek said:

Somewhere there's a kid who told some marketing genius that Lego's old light grey needs to be subtlety different that small parts are hard to differentiate, and large pieces now won't look right together. Curse you light blueish grey test marketing kid. I bet that kid bought all of two sets and hasn't collected since.

---

This is off topic, but what I can remember from the inside tour one participant ask why they changed grey when we were at the factory. The reason has nothing to do with test kids! In the old days it was only a few colours on parts and they came to the factory as coloured granulate, when they started colour the granulate at the factory they had to change some colours as well

4 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

I've always wondered how Lego goes about selecting individuals for their test market research. 

I did not ask, but probably local schoolclasses, kids of the employees or similar..

[Robert8]

It seems this one will be the only regular series next year....

Now more than ever, this series needs to be a regular series with brand new characters, instead of an all-stars wave or something like that

 

[Digger of Bricks]

4 hours ago, Robert8 said:

It seems this one will be the only regular series next year....

Now more than ever, this series needs to be a regular series with brand new characters, instead of an all-stars wave or something like that

Heh, sure, that'd be fine with me, just bestow all those tenth anniversary commemorative honors onto yet another Mr. Gold for the completionists to lose their minds all over once again... 

[ToaIruini]

Costume party Series 2, anyone? 

[Legochaek]

What about Mr Platinum- make only 100 of him in the world, then in 10 years Mr Ruby, only 99 of him, and etc until Mr Diamond, only 1 of him in the world