REVIEW: 8803 LEGO Minifigures Series 3

[WhiteFang]

Hello everyone,

With the recent 2 incredible releases of the LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series in 2010, I am proud to share with all of you a review of this latest brand new Series 3 which is supposed to be officially released in 2011 worldwide, unlike our United States (US) friends who have already gotten their hands on these lovely minifigures in advance.

Before I officially start this review, I will like to extend my thanks to The LEGO Group (TLG) and Eurobricks Staff for giving me such a rare chance to review this one of a kind series for our forum. I truly appreciate and cherish this opportunity very much to be given such a honour to review this incredible series.

In case you could like to recap the past LEGO Collectable Series 1 and Series 2 reviews, then please follow the given links. At the same time, let's take a look at our current poll statistics for the LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 3 that was determined by our very own Eurobricks Community. It will be very helpful to find out which minifigure in Series 3 is the popular entrant.

Name: 8803 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 3

Theme: LEGO System / Collectable Minifigures / Series 3

Year: 2011

Minifigs: 16 unique minifigures

Price for 1 box: USD N.A, GBP N.A, SGD N.A

Price for 1 packet: USD N.A, GBP N.A, SGD N.A

Resources: Brickset, BrickLink

An image of an 8803 LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 3 box

This time, the colour theme for this series is the delicious lime green packaging. Do follow the listed links below to view and enjoy the box's different angles. I am not sure for the rest but I am sure there are some of us who adores viewing the box packaging.

[Reference 1], [Reference 2], [Reference 3], [Reference 4]

The 3 different colour themes for Series 1 to 3 box packaging

Can't wait to find out what are the contents of these sealed packets

Our new objective is to complete a set of 16 unique minifigures for Series 3!

Once again, TLG has done it again by combining and designing a brand new series of minifigures which is innovative and special that can't be found in any other existing LEGO themes. Minifigures like the Tennis Player, Rapper, Elf, and Sumo Wrestler are all unique minifigures equipped with new accessories like the long bow, racket, shield, etc. Furthermore, we even have a chance to see similar old designs like the Samurai and Race Car driver. I am feeling positively enthusiastic on these new elements which now can be used to integrate with current LEGO themes to complement one another.

Front view comparison between Series 1, 2 and 3 packets

Back view comparison between Series 1, 2 and 3 packets

As many of you are aware that for the past Collectable Minifigures Series 1 and 2, we have been depending greatly on the barcode scans to determine the type of minifigure available inside the sealed packet. Obviously, we are not going to use the X-Ray vision or scientific weighing machine, quoted by Hillel Cooperman's presentation at BrickCon 2010. Do view the video presentation if you have not done so. It is definitely worth watching.

Until, someone over at fbtb has finally cracked the bind packaging code. This is certainly great discovery for collectors who desired to hunt down for their favourite minifigure in a precise coordinated purchase instead of grabbing it randomly. If you will like to read more on this news discovery, you could also read a report from Brickset that was reported in November 2010. Meanwhile, this is the official dot series copy for the Collectable Minifigures Series 3 for the United States packaging reference.

I have not exactly examined my box in details but taking a quick glimpse, it does looks like the same dot system like the reported US packaging. At this moment, I can't establish my box of origin whether if this package is indeed from the Europe but there is a high chance that this box which I have received comes from Europe directly and I don't think it is fair to inquire any further on this from my source. So, let's wait for the official release from our European counterparts.

These are also some of the up-close images of the front and back image of a sealed Series 3 packet.

Front view of the Minifigs Series 3 promotional leaflet

Back view of the Minifigs Series 3 promotional leaflet

1) The patient Fisherman

This old man is an experienced fisherman who knows the best fishing spot in LEGO countryside. As you can see in his hand holding the rare sand green looking fish breed, you will definitely wants to follow him where he catches this.

Parts assortment

In terms of quantity released so far in all 3 series, the Fisherman has the lowest number of appearances among the current 48 Collectable Minifigures. I am not sure why this minifigure was released in limited quantity but in this packet, you get the new fishing rod, short white beard and a dark blue knit cap. I find this minifigure to be very useful in your City layout especially if you are out to increase the aging grey population.

2) The veteran Pilot

This combat pilot is pretty versatile and could be used in either World War II settings or pairing them up with those vintage combat aircraft. I just got a feeling that this guy could be a flight instructor in the Royal Air Force (RAF). Nevertheless, for someone like me who enjoys avionics, then this is absolutely a welcome addition.

Parts assortment

Generally, there is nothing special about this minifigure, apart from the new dark tan backpack accessory coated with a new colour scheme. I strongly believe not many of us will out to hunt this minifigure for its parts or army building.

Marching towards his aircraft

3) The fearless Tribal Chief

Fear is not an option for this noble Tribal Chief. They can take on any invaders to defend their homeland. Group a few together and you will have a platoon of spears-men to charge at incoming enemies. I am really fond of this minifigure even though I am not a Western fan, due to his overall nice features.

Parts assortment

The parts are pretty essential for a tribal chief. Do take a look at the amount of details being done on the Chief hairpiece. Some of you also mistook that the spear is the same as the Spartan's spear. This picture clearly illustrates the differences in its design.

What do you think of the new LEGO Wild West theme?

It means something to me when I group these minifigures together as it helps to envisage a potential new Wild West LEGO theme for your own integration with the past Wild West theme. I am sure some fans of Eurobricks Community will be pleased with this picture layout.

4) The loyal Samurai Warrior

The Classic Ninja is one of my favourite all time LEGO theme and seeing this new Samurai Warrior, simply made me go real excited to include this into my Ninja and Samurai collection. The serious looking expression of his is to let others know that he is not easy to be messed with. With this new colour schema, I could assemble a new Samurai company to fight for the Shogun.

Parts assortment

I am so excited to see the old Samurai parts like the armour and helmet. I thought it will be discontinued and I didn't expect to see these parts again. Furthermore, the printed torso and the legs are nicely decorated with traditional Japanese robe. This is an image of the Samurai without his armour and katana.

Love my Ninja and Samurai collection

I am pretty sure both are related in some way

Will I be expecting more factions?

5) The daring Snowboarder

Snowboarding is a high exciting winter sport that takes your human limit to a whole new extent by descending a snow covered mountain at fast speed. This is also one of the popular sports categories in the Winter Olympics. This female snowboarder will show you the art of drifting.

Parts assortment

I am very much excited to see a new snowboard with nice printed snowflakes on it. We don't get much of such winter sports minifigures and with a female snowboarder, this increase the desire of collecting it. Who could not want to have more female minifigures and of course the downside could be the lack of a female hairpiece. It will be even better if it comes with a female hairpiece like other male minifigures like the Series 1 magician.

Are you up for a winter challenge?

6) The lawless Space Villain

This is definitely a very cool looking space villain cyborg. It kinds of reminds me of the Terminator because of his red eyepiece. It has a left metallic peg-leg, similar to those Pirates captains and a taunting looking robotic arm on his left side. Either he has suffered loads of abuse in the past or he has suffered lots of combat damage fighting against the law enforcers. Either way, this Space Villain is not to be messed with.

Parts assortment

As mentioned, the parts are the standard looking parts which we have seen before but coated with a different colour. Personally, I find the black ray gun to be much better looking than the rest which will be highlighted later.

Classic Space versus Blacktron?

I really love both of their torsos as they reminds of the humble beginnings of Classic Space. So, I decided to take a pose with these new Space Collectable minifigures.

7) The heavyweight Sumo Wrestler

This sumo heavyweight champion is out to thrash competitors in the arena. Even though this minifigure does not helps to illustrate the true size of a sumo wrestler since all LEGO minifigures come in most standard shape and size, but the curve lines on the torso helps to define the massive body mass.

Parts assortment

Apart from the oriental starring looking expression, the new bronze trophy along with the black hair bundle is the main highlight in this packet. It is a good to have minifigure and perhaps, you could use a few sumo wrestlers for a game or two, alternatively putting the Series 1 wrestler for a legendary match.

I have a bronze and you have a gold, then where is the silver?

I got a very good feeling that we will see a silver trophy very soon!

8) The undead looking Mummy

At first, I really thought this mummy was supposed to be "red" looking. I do not know where I have gotten of such impression. Since the start of the latest 2011 LEGO action theme, Pharaoh's Quest is out, this deadly mummy will be of a suitable addition in this settings.

Parts assortment

Apart from the new red scorpion, there are very limited accessories which is of huge interest. However, you might want to note the mummy's side prints on the arms and legs. I don't think I have seen any other minifigure apart from the Cloud City, Boba Fett to have nice detailed side prints of the minifigure. With this inclusion, this minifigure is likely to be quite popular with collectors.

Run Indy!

9) The charming Elf

Isn't he charming, like one of the famous Lord of the Rings (LOTR)'s main characters, Legolas? I am certainly drooling to the fact that this incredible minifigure was made a reality and is possibly the Series 2 Spartan equivalent in terms of its popularity for medieval fans. I am glad this is a dream come true especially since there are so much speculations of a possible Elves theme or members hoping for it back in 2009, originated in this this discussion.

Parts assortment

Everything about this minifigure from head to toe is absolutely perfect. You are able to observe the differences of the traditional bow and the longbow and notice that the length of the bow is much longer. Furthermore, you could also notice that the elf hairpiece is very peculiar from the traditional minifigures since it don't comes with the elves distinct feature of a pointed ears.

The shield is lovely and resembles the Forestmen shield. The robe is also coated with a new dark green colour to blend these elves within the deep forests. Take a look at this image which features the elf's chain mail.

A likely alliance

10) The agile Tennis Player

This tennis player is my favourite dynamic female character. She is don in her lovely white sports outfit, swirling her racket back and forth in the court. She does look attractive in some manner and we could just place her outfit for other female minifigures to have a good workout in the gym or at the court.

Parts assortment

This assortment is a bonus for the tennis racket. A brand new detailed LEGO element that is very suitable for creating tennis matches. In fact, we do not see any much of such accessories in the past and to see this certainly made many of us very pleased.

Can they be sisters?

11) The unbeatable Race Car Driver

He is the new race car driver sponsored by Octan. The only problem is that he is missing a race car and it is highly possible that we will need to get him one like this Ferrari or integrate it together with this Racers sub theme especially since most of the drivers in this theme doesn't comes with printed torso.

Parts assortment

There is nothing fanastiastic about this packet, other than having a couple of new minifigure head expression and hairpiece. If you are a race car helmet collector, then you should not give this a miss. Take a look at this where it features the drivers with and without the helmet on.

12) The fluffy looking Gorilla Suit Guy

When we first see an image of this gorilla, we thought it could be a King Kong. Instead, this is a man wearing a gorilla costume doing his performance to entertain others. This is definitely a very unique minifigure and something very innovative. I could never possibly think that such minifigure design was able to be made possible with the detailed sculptures of the gorilla feature. By the way, this is how I know that this gorilla is a costume.

Parts assortment

The facial expression for this minifigure is hilarious. He certainly shows signs of breaking sweat and it must be the hot non-ventilated costume that caused him to suffocate in some way. Oh well, at least we all now have a main character to act as "King Kong".

We have a Circus Troupe in town!

I had seen others commenting that a circus theme is being formed unknowingly. Whether if it is true or being planned for or not, these are the possible circus acts which we can use to incorporate into a show together from the released series. And, oh please ignore the magician's facial appearance.

13) The menacing Space Alien

I have a good hunch that this Space Alien is meant to compliment the LEGO Space Police III theme since they are of the same kind and a likely relative of the wanted criminal Squidman and Squidtron. He was also seen working together with other villainous criminal such as Rench.

Parts assortment

If you like the current Space Police III theme, then you will definitely like to acquire this Space Alien. I am not a big fan of this minifigure as I don't collect the Space Police III theme actively and personally I think this is a good to have character in your collection. This is one of the common minifigures inside Series 3 and with the high chance of finding this minifigure, it doesn't appeal to me unlike the rest. However, the golden ray gun is a good new space weapon addition.

Which ray-gun do you like best?

14) The beautiful Hula Dancer

Seeing this beautiful Hula Dancer has certainly reminds me that I am in the tropical summer Hawaii. She wears her green halter and pink flowers wreath with her green grass skirt will make the tourist feels very welcoming indeed. This lady is certainly a cheerful bubbly dancer that bounds to chase your blues away.

Parts assortment

Apart from the new colour maracas, there are a couple of new parts such as the nice hairpiece with the printed flower at the side of the hair and new cloth accessory such as the green skirt grass which is new to me. This is a perfect female minifigure to add into your collection.

Mister, you are in luck!

15) The smooth Rapper

Hip hop music and rapping is in LEGO town. The rapper brings along his black radio boom box and plays along the rhythm and entertain our audience in an exciting manner. It is definitely another awesome highlights in Series 3.

Parts assortment

Check the amount of bling bling that he is wearing like the gold medallion on his vest. He sure appears to be very hip looking. Personally, I am very fond of the printed black radio boom box. The speakers are surrounded with a golden coat and even the microphone is covered in gold.

Together, they will rock the music industry

16) The dashing Baseball Player

Now, grab your bat and head for the field. We have another new sports entertainment in town. If you enjoy a good game of baseball, then this player ought to be part of the team. He even has his own team name known as the "Clutchers". I wonder what does that actually represents? I am quite fond of this new sportsman, but where can I get him to pair up for a match with his fellow team mates. Hope we will be able to find some decent opponents for him.

Parts assortment

Baseball bat and cap are the main reason for me to grab this minifigure. The bat is a detailed piece of accessory. Just note the amount of details was done to the bat such as the grip.

A general comparison for the Collectable Minifigures Series 1, 2 and 3

So, what do you think of the current LEGO Collectable Minifigures Series 3? Did you have a better improved positive impression for Series 3 after reading this review? Which is better based on your opinion?

In my opinion, I personally love all 3 series so far and I owned a few hundreds of these collectable minifigures as well. One could wonder how can an AFOL able to fork out so much money to focus only on minifigures. I could only conclude that the minifigures’ desirability is there in the blood of LEGO fans. Most of us out there are searching and hoping for new minifigures’ design which can be used to integrate and supplement into their LEGO collection. The marketing potential for this new product launch is incredible and there is a lot of potential growth to outreach as many LEGO fans as possible. It can only be made possible as long TLG abide one golden rule. It is to make sure and be sure to hear the voices of LEGO fans because this revolutionary change allows introduction of many great impossible minifigures that currently do not belongs to any past and present LEGO themes. In the past, we do not have a chance to own official LEGO Elves, Clowns, Spartans and Cavemen but now this is a different story.

After seeing all 3 series altogether, I strongly believes there is a certain degree of co-relation between each new minifigures release and I really believe that TLG is planning for something greater in future series and it will eventually be just like a completed jig-saw puzzle. For example, I could see a circus troupe being assembled in Series 1 to 3 and whereas there is also a possible string of musicians from Series 2 to 4. It is a matter of how you group it together. Don’t forget that they are still listening "somewhere" to our recommendations in here even though it is not an official request.

Overall, I could not want to choose and arrange them by preference as all 3 series so far are pretty successful. Medieval army builders will be hunting for Elves, Samurais and Tribal Chiefs since these 3 minifigures will be the likelihood of being amass at large numbers like the Series 1 Forestmen and Series 2 Spartans. Not sure about the rest, but I will love to pick more of the female minifigures like the Tennis Players and Hula Dancers. To conclude, I am very supportive of these minifigures. It does not matter whether some of the minifigures are not well received by me but the overall concept is just brilliant and I will not stop as it is. Even I had gotten a minifigure which is of no use to me, you could still modify them into something of use to you, simply because this is LEGO and LEGO don’t stop as it is. Still, I will buy these minifigures packets at a rational manner. I could not want to own more than 20 Space Aliens or 50 baseball players and not knowing what to do with it.

However, I do note that some popular minifigures will be very hard to get and even with the removal of barcodes, it will not stop others from amassing those Elves and Samurais. I think I will have a hard time tracking those “needs” minifigures in the quantity that I wished for. That will be my number one huge concern.

By the way, I had forgotten to place one minifigure inside the group picture. Can you spot which one is missing? You can do it at your own leisure.

General Statistics for Minifigures Series 3

Below is the combination which I have received from my box,

2 Fishermen

4 Pilots

3 Tribal Chiefs

4 Samurai Warriors

3 Snowboarders

3 Space Villains

5 Sumo Wrestlers

5 Mummies

3 Elves

4 Tennis Players

5 Race Car Drivers

4 Gorilla Suit Guys

5 Space Aliens

3 Hula Dancers

3 Rappers

4 Baseball Players

Based on the above, I managed to achieve 2 full complete sets of 16 unique minifigs each. It means I have only 28 remaining random spares left. Read down to find out what are the remaining spares I have.

My remaining spares

0 Fishermen

2 Pilots

1 Tribal Chiefs

2 Samurai Warriors

1 Snowboarders

1 Space Villains

3 Sumo Wrestlers

3 Mummies

1 Elves

2 Tennis Players

3 Race Car Drivers

2 Gorilla Suit Guys

3 Space Aliens

1 Hula Dancers

1 Rappers

2 Baseball Players

Data Analysis

Based on the data given, I have drafted my analysis accordingly. Buying 1 full complete MISB box will allow you to achieve 2 maximum of the complete range. Compared with the previous 2 series, this is the only series so far that is only able to let one buyer to achieve a maximum of 2 complete sets by just buying one box.

Considering the probability based on 32 packets, the probability of grabbing one unique minifigure is 6.25%. When you factor the remaining 28 spares into the equation, the low (3 minifigures in a box) and lowest (2 minifigures in a box) tier which consist of 7 unique minifigures are only available at 20 out of 60 packets and this translates to 30% in total and 3% each, which makes it even harder to achieve by just doing it randomly. Likelihood, this percentage will be lowered by at least half due to the introduction of the dotted system.

Furthermore, the new probability of getting the Sumo Wrestlers, Mummies, Race Car Drivers and Space Aliens are on the higher frequency note, since they are available at 20 out of 60 and this translates to a new 33.33% in total and 8.33% each. Do note that for the previous Series 1 and 2, the highest probability happen for this tier is also 8.33% despite of the fourth new minifigure introduction group in series 3. This will be a challenge for all LEGO fans out there.

To conclude and summaries, based on the probability demonstrated by this review, as an example, here are the results,

Highest probability

1) Sumo Wrestlers

2) Mummies

3) Race Car Drivers

4) Space Aliens

Total range: 33.33%

Each: 8.33%

Medium probability

1) Pilots

2) Samurai Warriors

3) Tennis Players

4) Gorilla Suit Guys

5) Baseball Players

Total range: 33.33%

Each: 6.67%

Low probability

1) Tribal Chiefs

2) Snowboarders

3) Space Villains

4) Elves

5) Hula Dancers

6) Rappers

Total range: 30%

Each 5%

Lowest probability

1) Fishermen

Total range: 3.34%

Each 3.34%

A few close up images of my current Collectable Minifigures Series collection

To conclude, I will like to see more of such Collectable Minifigures Series. I do not think such innovative idea will run dry in a matter of months and in fact, I find this concept so much better than the inferior Vintage Minifigures Volumes 1 to 5. Having to see the upcoming Series 4 official images, I know it will only be better than ever before with lots of potentials for integration in our LEGO collection. Overall, I am really very pleased with Series 3 as it features some of mine favourite minifigures, namely Elf, Samurai, Hula Dancer and Tennis Player.

Last, but not least, I am wondering how many of you are observant enough to notice something unusual in this entire set or review? I did not mention the existence of spare parts like this and this in the previous series. I am not sure what is the rational of not including possible spare parts in Series 3, like the microphone, helmet visor, helmet goggles, trophy, etc. It is uncommon for TLG to exclude such typical spare parts and I am wondering if this is related to cost factors. I supposed with the start of Series 3 of excluding spare parts, we will have to be mentally prepared for upcoming future series not to be included with spare parts.

Summary review

Playability: 9/10 (More unique and possible new themes expansion for your LEGO collection.)

Design: 9.5/10 (Very detailed parts and accessories, such as the Elf hairpiece, Baseball bat, etc.)

Price: 9/10 (Reasonably priced and affordable "if" the supply is enough.)

Overall: 9.2/10 (Highly recommended to continue collecting this latest series for completion and expansion.)

I gave it a "5" based on my Review Score Card. What about yours?

I hope every one of you enjoyed reading this simple review of mine. Comments and Criticisms are strongly welcomed.

Pictures can be found in My Flickr and My Brickshelf (When moderated)

Special Eurobricks Bulletin

We have come to the end of this pictorial review. So, are you guessing what I am guessing? Oh well, I am not giving any clues yet but I am sure you will figure this nice pleasant surprise, one day! Be patient and you will find out what the Eurobricks Staff has in store for our community.

Please do not discuss this inside this review. Kindly leave your thoughts in this discussion topic.

Edited January 2, 2012 by Rufus
Indexed

[indyman09]

Thanks for that review! Good to finally see some other pictures of them. I didn't expect there to be so much figures of each. Only the fisherman is a bit pathetic with only 2 copy's

[Rick]

Thanks for another comprehensive Collectible Minifigs review Fangy. It's really too bad TLG is releasing these at such a rapid pace. The interest for this series seems to be relatively low because of the release of pictures of series 4. But there are definitely some real gems in this series as well... the gorilla suit guy, the samurai, the elf, the rapper, ... Just too bad I don't really like all the figs you get five of in a case. And what I really don't like is that it's no longer possible to get three complete sets from a case.

[WhiteFang]

Thanks for another comprehensive Collectible Minifigs review Fangy. It's really too bad TLG is releasing these at such a rapid pace. The interest for this series seems to be relatively low because of the release of pictures of series 4. But there are definitely some real gems in this series as well... the gorilla suit guy, the samurai, the elf, the rapper, ... Just too bad I don't really like all the figs you get five of in a case. And what I really don't like is that it's no longer possible to get three complete sets from a case.

I agree with you. I think the Series 4 hype has cloud Series 3. Don't forget that Series 3 is not even officially out in the market for the most part of the world. I hope I can get the minifigures I want and I agree that now getting one box could only helps to complete two sets is a letdown.

[Peppermint_M]

While I am not buying a box this time (It just gets to costing far too much) I know I will be getting all 16 figures.

The Samurai, Snowboarder and the Pilot are fantastic. I can't wait for these to become availiable in my area.

Thanks for this comprehensive review Whitefang

[Ceroknight]

Thank you! Can't wait for these!

I am really happy and surprised that the alien is one of the most common,

hope to find some

[The Penguin]

You're just awesome, WhiteFang! )

I can't really say much about about the series. Words simply don't come. )

What an awesome opportunity to create more Batman characters! I suppose practically every single minifig will do greatly!

Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

[Flare]

Great review, I'm working on a review on this as well as you most likely saw.

[Strand]

I'm totally digging these minifigs. I ESPECIALLY love the Elf Shield, it's perfect for A Game Of Thrones MOCs, the sigil fills in for House Baratheon.

[buddy]

Excellent review Whitefang, it is very thorough. This series of minifigs is good, but I think that S3 is not as good as S2. My favourite minifig in S3 has got to be the Fisherman, the new beard piece is perfect and having the Fish piece in Sand Green is great.

Very well done on the review.

~buddy~

[pedro]

Many thanks for the comprehensive review WhiteFang. A great line-up of minifigs yet again with some real gems. I'm glad we can tell which minifig is included from the packaging too, makes life so much easier!

Edited December 28, 2010 by pedro

[Masked Builder]

Nice work as always Fangy. After seeing you review I'd be more tempted to get the whole set but at $4 a pop that's to much for me. But I did get the ones I wanted I like the alien quite a bit, along with the tennis player. (I just need 3 more rackets) And I can't wait for the contest!

By the way, I had forgotten to place one minifigure inside the group picture. Can you spot which one is missing? You can do it at your own leisure.

That would be the Explorer.

[vexorian]

Doh, it is a little bad that not even typical parts that come with spares don't have them in this series. I was really looking forward to amass trans yellow visors.

[Zorbas]

Excellent presentation (it's something more than a review to my eyes) for once more Fangy! Detailed, lots of great pictures and so much input, well done! It has become like some sort of a tradition, with every new Series I'm waiting for your review to show up.

There are some great minifigs in this Series. Too bad that I'm gonna have a hard time finding the Fisherman. Only two? Come on!!

[WesternOutlaw]

Great review WF! I love how you pictured each minifig in a set of like-related figs (esp. the WW collection). In fact, as I was scrolling through the images, I looked forward to seeing which set you would show under each fig - nice.

Positive: The woodland elf is not the super-rare fig in the set (I'm glad it's the fisherman).

Negative: Those dots are hell on your eyes if you're trying to find that special someone in the box. And after only a few days at Toys R Us, they jacked up the price to $4 (USD) double suggested retail. Unfortunately, it's the only store I've seen them.

I had to stock up on a few extra mummies.

Didn't end up with a case this time, but I'm fine with a couple of each. They sure get pricey.

Again, a fine review.

[The Soup Nazi]

Thanks for the review Whitefang! Unfortunately I will miss out on this series, because it just lacks that 'special' feel you get with Collectible Minifigures. Oh well.

But I won't skip Series 4!

[shadowreaperx]

That would be the Explorer.

I was looking in the wrong picture! I thought White Fang was trying to say look in the series 3 group shot, which confused me!

Anyways, nice review and I hope to see something as good in 3-4 months for series 4.

[mathias]

Thanks for a very comprehensive review. Now I'm really looking forward

to these guys hitting the shelves in Sweden. My favourites are the pilot,

the fisherman and the snowboard chick. But most of them are above

my initial expectations.

[SilentMode]

I finally got hold of some S3 figures today, and I'm generally pleased with the quality of them. The ones I weren't so keen on from the beginning, such as the space villain and alien, are better than I'd expected. (Still wouldn't want more than one of them, though.)

TBH, I'm looking forward more to the upcoming S4, but I will still attempt to build my gorilla suit army - which is a little harder than I'd expected.

[Joebot]

Negative: Those dots are hell on your eyes if you're trying to find that special someone in the box. And after only a few days at Toys R Us, they jacked up the price to $4 (USD) double suggested retail. Unfortunately, it's the only store I've seen them.

Rumor has it that Lego has increased the MSRP on these to $3. I guess we won't know for sure until some other retailers start carrying them. If true, I guess that means Toys R Us isn't gouging the consumer QUITE as bad as it might seem. Still sucks though.

[Ogre]

Thanks for the great review, White Fang!

Even after such a great review, my opinion still stands unchanged: the Elf is the major player of this series. That gorgeous shield and the highly detailed scalemail armour is just SOOOOO impressive. (Thanks for the comparison of the two bows, as well. That was VERY helpful.)

All in all, I think it's a great series...which will be eclipsed by series four, IMO. LOL!

Oh, as to the 'no spare parts': I never considered that they were INTENTIONALLY included. I always just assumed that since the 'spares' were such small pieces, they passed through the machines too easily, hence the duplications. Perhaps now, the machines are more carefully calibrated, or have smaller 'funnels' for the parts to pass through, or some such thing? *shrug* Just speculating.

Anyway, I can't wait to get my hands on this series...and a few extra Elves.

[Mrlegoninja]

Thanks for the review Whitefang.

I luckily live in the West, so I can find them at Fred Meyers, and buy a box, get the ones I want, and return the rest.

I still believe Series 2 is the best series, only because all the figures (Even the Traffic Cop), were quite nice, and unique. In this series, however, there are many figures IN real sets and in the series, and I can't choose between. The pilot in this series, and Jack Raines's pilot suit. PQ mummy and series 3 mummy.

Overall, this series is average for me. I can't wait for series 4 when I will be buying a full box.

[WhiteFang]

Thank you everyone for all of your kind comments. It really made me very pleased to know that you are enjoying the content of this review.

Thanks for this comprehensive review Whitefang

And, to you too, for frontpaging the review.

What an awesome opportunity to create more Batman characters! I suppose practically every single minifig will do greatly!

I shall be looking forward to your next Batman minifigures customisation updates.

Great review, I'm working on a review on this as well as you most likely saw.

Saw that inside the Reviewers Academy. Remember, a second opinion is always welcome. So work hard on the WIP review.

That would be the xxxxx.

To prevent the spoil of intentional fun, Masked Builder is the first member to spot the missing minifigure.

Excellent presentation (it's something more than a review to my eyes) for once more Fangy! Detailed, lots of great pictures and so much input, well done! It has become like some sort of a tradition, with every new Series I'm waiting for your review to show up.

Thank you Zorbas. I will certainly hope to continue this tradition as long as I can, and if possible for Series 4 in the next few months. I am glad you have enjoyed it.

Great review WF! I love how you pictured each minifig in a set of like-related figs (esp. the WW collection). In fact, as I was scrolling through the images, I looked forward to seeing which set you would show under each fig - nice.

Thanks Brickster! Knew you could enjoy those special group images for some of the minifigures. It is very fun to group and integrate them together. I was hoping to have more time to do for the rest but I feel the ones which are currently featured are much distinctly notable.

Negative: Those dots are hell on your eyes if you're trying to find that special someone in the box. And after only a few days at Toys R Us, they jacked up the price to $4 (USD) double suggested retail. Unfortunately, it's the only store I've seen them.

I agreed. It is quite a challenge for your eye and doing it in the public.

Oh, as to the 'no spare parts': I never considered that they were INTENTIONALLY included. I always just assumed that since the 'spares' were such small pieces, they passed through the machines too easily, hence the duplications. Perhaps now, the machines are more carefully calibrated, or have smaller 'funnels' for the parts to pass through, or some such thing? *shrug* Just speculating.

Pardon me if my inference is wrong. All this while, spare parts are included not by mistake and is done on purpose through its production planning. Small parts such as helmet visor, 1x1 studs, microphones, plumes, cutlasses, trophies, etc are very small LEGO part elements which could be easily misplaced, broken or whatever reasons in anywhere at any place. The spare parts are intended and included to supplement your set or package purchase.

Furthermore, I strongly believe this is the first time that I had seen a string of packages that doesn't come with spare parts but should ideally comes with it based on past distributions.

[escortmad79]

I finally got hold of some S3 figures today, and I'm generally pleased with the quality of them. The ones I weren't so keen on from the beginning, such as the space villain and alien, are better than I'd expected. (Still wouldn't want more than one of them, though.)

TBH, I'm looking forward more to the upcoming S4, but I will still attempt to build my gorilla suit army - which is a little harder than I'd expected.

Can you confirm that the cheat method of raised dots is in place & the same as the American ones?

[SilentMode]

Can you confirm that the cheat method of raised dots is in place & the same as the American ones?

I believe they are the same. Although I checked the packets after taking the figures out, they correspond to the figures I ended up getting.

By the way, I still could barely see the dots!