GRogall

LEGO 8684 Minifigures Series 2 (Official Pictures)

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Hi there is a chance that in 2011 more of these Lego sets to bring out.

Just what it will be is still unclear

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Does anybody know if I could order this on Lego.com? I couldn't find it...

I really want the Spartan and the Pharoh, they look quite nice...

This lot aren't out yet, but the originals are up on Lego.com.

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Will they be made in China again?

Probably, i mean it's an external company which can much more flexibly produce such series.

I found the quality ok for the most part; already batter than in those battle packs!

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Probably, i mean it's an external company which can much more flexibly produce such series.

I found the quality ok for the most part; already batter than in those battle packs!

No, it's not an external company. The collectible minifigs are main-series sets, and thus are produced in LEGO's own factories. Only extended-line sets are produced by external companies. Extended-line mainly includes sets with non-standard numbers (that is, more than four or five numbers), such as magnet sets, pens, watches, and keychains. Of course, I can't verify that all of these are of lower quality or even that all of those are of the same quality-- just that all of those are the sorts of "sets" made by external manufacturers.

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No, it's not an external company. The collectible minifigs are main-series sets, and thus are produced in LEGO's own factories. Only extended-line sets are produced by external companies. Extended-line mainly includes sets with non-standard numbers (that is, more than four or five numbers), such as magnet sets, pens, watches, and keychains. Of course, I can't verify that all of these are of lower quality or even that all of those are of the same quality-- just that all of those are the sorts of "sets" made by external manufacturers.

Well but you have to see that the quality is very similar to those found in magnets, keychains and extra sets as Tic Tac Toe, blister battle packs and so on...

Although one improvement has been made: the plastic is a bit less shine-through now.

So why should Lego produce something that differs so much from what their usual figures look like and is almost similar to what has most likely been produced by external companys?

-numbers on arms and hands

-slightly different yellow colour for hands

-no printing on the torso where the head is attached

-the plastic feels a little softer than that of regular minifigs that come in sets

Again, this is just speculation, but I can't believe TLC has produced these but not the 5 digit extra sets...

Just a sidenote; I have recently discovered these different quality torsos in the build a minifig in my local lego store.

The problem is that normal minifig heads don't always sit tight on them!

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Some of you guys get so caught up in the China thing-- you knew ahead of time that's where they were coming from, right? If you're not impressed with the quality just leave them on the shelves for the rest of us! :tongue: Sheesh!

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Hi there is a chance that in 2011 more of these Lego sets to bring out.

Just what it will be is still unclear

That's very encouraging indeed. :sweet:

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Not as good as the first series but will still get a full set & then some extras of the ones I like!

Better than the first series for me. More figs I love, less I dislike. Especially love all the yellow parts - very useful since the normal themes don't give us those!

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Wow this looks much better than the first series! I think i like all of these ones as they are pretty much all original apart from maybe the adventurer. Lots of cool new parts too, roll on august! I still have to get another 14 of series one first though :cry_sad:

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Well but you have to see that the quality is very similar to those found in magnets, keychains and extra sets as Tic Tac Toe, blister battle packs and so on...

Although one improvement has been made: the plastic is a bit less shine-through now.

So why should Lego produce something that differs so much from what their usual figures look like and is almost similar to what has most likely been produced by external companys?

-numbers on arms and hands

-slightly different yellow colour for hands

-no printing on the torso where the head is attached

-the plastic feels a little softer than that of regular minifigs that come in sets

Again, this is just speculation, but I can't believe TLC has produced these but not the 5 digit extra sets...

Just a sidenote; I have recently discovered these different quality torsos in the build a minifig in my local lego store.

The problem is that normal minifig heads don't always sit tight on them!

Well, first of all, numbers on arms are planned to become the standard. Just because they started showing up on "cheaper" figs at first doesn't mean they're an indication of cheapness.

Same goes for neck printing-- originally, it was a technique to ensure that the arms get put on facing forward (arms are attached after torso printing is complete). But LEGO has a new production process that no longer requires the neck printing to tell the difference between the front and back of a torso. If you start seeing minifigs with their arms on backwards, then a lack of neck printing could be an indicator of lower quality, but otherwise it's just an outdated technique that LEGO is transitioning out of.

Inconsistencies in yellow plastic have been around for a long time-- when I got this 2004 set, you could easily separate the yellows, whites, and even reds into two different categories based on their slight variations. We've only seen a couple reviews of the new minifigs, and they're not enough evidence to judge that all of the minifigs have discolored hands-- it's more than likely just natural variability, which is something to be expected from all mass-produced products (though it will constantly fluctuate in frequency as LEGO adjusts their production process).

And as for softer plastic, I'm not sure about that-- I've never heard that one myself, and not having any of the collectible minifigs I can't do a comparison of my own. But I can't really see how that's an indicator of quality, myself. I recently visited the distribution plant in Enfield and picked up a copy of a company magazine they had lying around, which had an article about how LEGO makes slight adjustments to their ABS formula all the time in order to make sure chemicals don't leach from the plastic, as well as to perfect their quality in other ways. LEGO won't make a noticeable change, though, unless they've thoroughly tested to ensure that yes, the new formula is a change for the better. So if this is an instance of that, then rest assured that the change shouldn't cause any long-term problems.

Really, I don't work for LEGO, so I can't claim that I know all the answers. But LEGO's standard of quality is one of the biggest assets offered by their products. So you can't assume that cost is the only consideration for changes when we don't even know that it's a factor at all! The changes LEGO makes are well thought-out, and although LEGO is just as capable of making mistakes as any person or company, you can be sure that lower quality will if anything appear as just a fluke, and will never become a trend among their products.

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While the quality of printing and of moulding of the new minifigs seems to me to be quite good, the plastic feels different and does not convey the same perceived quality feeling. Personally I think they are using lighter ABS than in previous products. This includes the minifig accessories, which don't weigh the same as older equivalent pieces. Since (with a few exceptions, like the new zombie shovel mould) the amount of plastic seems to be unchanged, then the density of the plastic is probably lower.

This lighter density materiel is probably responsible for the softer plastic feel and rougher surfaces (like in slightly dull instead of shiny). But this is all perceived quality, and I don't think it automatically means lower quality products. IF the printing is poor, IF the plastic starts to crack after a year or scratches more easily, IF the arms or legs come apart, IF the colours are off or IF reduced thickness makes for translucent parts, then we will be able to equate this production run = low quality. But for now, the only thing we can say for sure is that the plastic feels different, and it's a matter of personal preference if it's worse or better.

My 2 pennies worth :wink:

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The legs on the vintage minifigs are definitely different consistency plastic, they don't in fact sit quite square on the pegs in the middle. The collectable minifigs don't have this issue to such a degree, but on all the colours, you can still detect a difference in the glossiness/colour of the collectable ones compared to ordinary ones.

So regardless of any intention to spread the part numbers on arms or lack of printing on the neck, I think that it is clearly shown up that the vintage minifigs in particular are outsourced to different production, and the collectable minifigs also. I can entirely agree that it isn't chinese parts per se is the issue (after all, aren't cows etc. and certain parts in regular sets from there too and they are fine?) but definitely this minifig outsourcing is a slightly lower quality production.

Does anyone else notice the noxious odour too from both the vintage minifigs and collectable ones?

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Well, good news there will be 2 new Minifigure collectors series out in 2011

Although I don't have any clew what figures are involved or which month

they will be available, I do know the 3rd series will be in green bags! and the fourth in black.

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Well, good news there will be 2 new Minifigure collectors series out in 2011

Although I don't have any clew what figures are involved or which month

they will be available, I do know the 3rd series will be in green bags! and the fourth in black.

That is good news on a grey Monday morning ! :classic:

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Well, good news there will be 2 new Minifigure collectors series out in 2011

Although I don't have any clew what figures are involved or which month

they will be available, I do know the 3rd series will be in green bags! and the fourth in black.

Exactly the same order of colours as the vintage minifigs collections are. I'm sure the fifth series (if we get one) will be red :wink:

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Looks like the baywatch chick has bright yellow hair! :laugh:

Definately darker than the cheerleader by the looks of it in that picture

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First page updated with lots more pics!

Enjoy :classic: :classic: :classic:

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Nice, these pictures have confirmed that this series will be even better than the first. Only thing I dont see is the ticket thing in the hand of the cop (just the handcuffs).

I for one intend to buy quite a few of these although the only ones I can see myself wanting multiples of are the surfer and skier.

With the clown from series 1 and the ringmaster and strongman from series 2, we are well on the way to having a full circus :)

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Overall, I think series 2 is superior to the first. Here are some individual opinions:

Lion Tamer: Nice. The white whip is good, and the face and torso printing looks great. Not much of a reason to get more than one, though.

Explorer: Not much new in the way of parts here, but the printed shorts make up for it.

Police officer: Worst of the lot, IMO. nothing new, apart from a slightly different torso.... yawn.

Skier: All right! It's about time we got some actual ski gear. :wub: We even get a new hat!

Surfer: Excellent! The year(s) of the shirtless minifig continue. The shorts are nice, and the stubble face is generic enough to be really useful. However, I would've liked the board to be more colorful.

Mexican: Quite possibly the best of the lot. Sombrero, poncho(?), and maracas are amazing! I'd like to see if he has printing on his torso.

Pam: I'm sure a Baywatch vig is underway, somewhere. The yellow hair is interesting, and the face looks perfect for Margaret from MASH.

Disco guy: Absolutely hilarious. Want.

Pharaoh: Also a great fig. The staff and headpiece are great. His torso seems a bit bare, though... Why not include some muscle printing like in the surfer?

Mime: Ooh! Arm printing! :wub: I love that we get two extra heads, although I would've had something other than two sad heads. I'm not sold on the beret yet, but it's nice to have some variation from BF. Must all berets be identical in shape?

Vampire: Awesome- a good, old-fashioned, real vampire. I would've preferred a sneaky, count-ish face rather than a smile. Still, it's a great fig.

Witch: Looks fit to be burned....or melted. Probably the melting version.

Singer: Meh. The only parts I like are the hair and the microphone. I don't like the gap between the printing and the edge of the torso. :sceptic:

Martial artist: Looks great. The trophy is a good touch.

Spartan: My favorite. Excellent face printing, nice armor printing, and...are those sandals? The helmet, cape, and spear are great. The shield is a bit meh, though.

Weightlifter: Hmm. Looks useful, although it's not very high on my want list. The head, hair, and weights could be useful, though.

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Regarding the "Pam" figure, why didn't they use a yellow torso printed with red? Or at least use some side printing? It looks quite odd...

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Even the cop have nothing new- I love his "Look how I am awesome" face! Another face I love is the pharaoh- just look how "Bishie" he looks xD

Thesinger have stupid looking face- I know they wanted the minifig looks like singing, but its looks weird...

Pam swimsuit (as mentioned above) would be a lot better in yellow + red printing)

Anyone notice the second series will be a lot easier to recognize by touch? Just look how many of them have big pieces- Witch have no legs, Mexican have big hat, mime will have 3 heads...

Edited by Lordofdragonss

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