Minfigures: When is there too much detail?

[mo123567]

This is a question for minifig fans. If you don't like minifigs then this obviously doesn't apply to you.

LEGO minifigues are very simplistic. They are not very posible. The shape of the head torso and legs remains very simple and undetailed. All males, females, and children (other than shorter legs) have the same body shape. Most of us wouldn't have it any other way. The basic head, torso, and leg mold has remained mostly unchanged throughout the years but detail has greatly increased in other areas. Hair and accessory molds have become much more varied and complex. Printing on accessories and the minifigs themselves has increased in detail. Every now and then we get an alien head or ape mask etc.. that has a more complicated and detailed mold which stands in contrast to the basic cylinder head on most minifigs. We've also seen the addition of more realistic flesh tones as opposed to the classic yellow minifig skin color.

My question is: When has it gone too far? A lot of us choose to buy lego minifigures when we could buy much more detailed and articulated action figures. How much detail can a minifig have before it loses it's simple charm?

[David Thomsen]

I personally don't like the orange lines on recent Flesh faces, like this:

For a long time I thought they were scars and cuts, and didn't understand why there were so many of them. I really hope the POTC minifigs don't have these details. They make the face look too crowded, and don't actually work the way they're supposed to. Black dimples and cheek-lines were fine already. The Indiana Jones minifig doesn't look anything like Harrison Ford but I don't need it to, neither do I need a Ben Kingsley head.

I'm also conflicted on waist-lines for female torsos. If 'yellow' represents all races, then all torsos should represent both genders. I don't like the idea that the female police officer in the 'police chase' set looks like a cross-dresser because her uniform doesn't have the waist lines that have become standard. I also think female minifigs should be able to have faces without lipstick. The classic smiley face was okay for both genders, why is it that now a 'neutral' face with no facial hair or lipstick is always assigned to males? Are all minifigs inherently male?

On the other hand, I do like the new hair moulds, especially these ones:

Unlike torsos and legs and heads, there never was a standard hairpiece. I have fond memories of classic minifigs with classic faces and classic hair, but now there's enough variety to have five female minifigs for my pirate theme with unique torsos, unique heads and unique hairpieces in unique colours. I don't think I could imagine a whole society any more where every minifig has either a conservative male haircut, plain long hair or pigtails.

[edit]. Of course, none of my pirate-era females can turn their heads. I guess this is a bit of a downer.

Edited January 20, 2011 by David Thomsen

[Brickdoctor]

It's gone too far when there is more detail than is necessary to represent the character. I guess this is from a licensed minifig point of view, but my favorite examples of what minifigs should be like are the three original Star Wars heroes. Two dot eyes, a monochrome mouth, and maybe some eyebrows. Very simple, yet distinctly the character they were meant to represent.

Edited January 20, 2011 by Brickdoctor

[blueandwhite]

Well, I think that many minifig fans feel that a minifig should match the bricks that make up their world. LEGO figs aren't action figures; they are building accessories. As bricks and parts have become more specialized; so too have the figures that are included with the sets. Unfortunately, some of these figures have elements that are so detailed that they no longer 'feel' like they are constructed of LEGO. Instead, they seem more like action figures. I think this is more common with licenced themes but it's happening across the board. Still, I think that most minifigs are pretty good. New hair pieces and more complex torso prints only make sense considering we have more specialized bricks in a wider assortment of colours than we did 25 years ago.

I'm still not a fan of the fleshies though.

[ziljin]

The more detail the better. But that probably increases the prices of sets. Which is of course bad.

Also they put older minifigs to shame which can be disjarring when you have old and new minifigs in the same MOC, brickfilm, or whatever project you are working on. It's like whoa lots of detail guy, and then little detail guy next to him.

[Gregorovich]

I like how minifigures are evolving, it makes them more realistic. I like getting new faces, as I would hate to have a whole society of minifigures that all look the same. And as for fleshies, I like them. They look more realistic, and we get more skin tones. I know, yellow represents all skin tones, but I think if you tried to make two characters from a tv show or something with different skin tones out of yellow minifig pieces, you wouldn't really be able to distinguish the difference.

I have the same opinion for hairpieces. I couldn't imagine having only the 3 classic hairpieces for every minifigure. I mean, imagine trying to create a Jack Sparrow figure using one of the classic hairpieces. It just wouldn't look like him. And anyway, hairpieces are my favourite part on a fig, so I love getting new ones!

My opinion for torsos is mostly the same. I like getting new ones, to create new costumes for each minifigure. They make it easier to vary your minifigures according to their situation. But the one downside to newer torsos is skin printing on their torsos. It means if you wanted to put a yellow head on a body that had flesh printed on it, it would look strange.

So basically, IMO, I don't think you can get too much new details on minifigures, but I can see why some people disagree.

[CMP]

I don't think they've gotten too realistic yet, but with Prince of Persia, the line is near. I think the level of detail for each licensed and not is fine where it is right now. In licensed, the actor/character must be relatively recognizable, which it is. In non licensed themes, figs don't need as much detail, but still need a distinct personality.

So I think it's fine right now.

[prateek]

As far as licensed themes go, I'm fine with lots of details, but once we get into Lego themes, especially City sets, it starts to get on my nerves. I mean, we have so many detailed faces, but the problem is that Lego keeps using the same faces over and over again, which defeats the purpose. I'd rather have classic smileys populate Lego City than guys with glasses and brown beards or women with beauty marks and crows-feet

[fred67]

I personally don't like the orange lines on recent Flesh faces, like this:

I could do without those, as well, but I still like the detail on the rest of the face - the stubble, etc.

I like how minifigures are evolving, it makes them more realistic. I like getting new faces, as I would hate to have a whole society of minifigures that all look the same.

Agree completely - it's true that sometimes it's hard to have old and new figures in the same vignette, but as long as they're all fleshies or all yellows, it doesn't bother me. It's not so much being more realistic, but the greater variety. The torso details on some of the newer figures are fantastic, and it doesn't bother me when they are next to "plain" torsos as many people just wear solids anyway; I rarely wear a t-shirt with a logo on it, it's usually just solid, and so are my button up shirts and pants... so mixed (old/simple and new/complex) torsos and legs don't really seem out of place with each other.

We're at the point now where we're building large cities with possibly hundreds of figures, or medieval themes/castles with dozens of villagers or soldiers - all with the same face would look terrible; even if you had a variety of three or four it would look repetitive. I also love the trend towards two expressions on each head.

I really wouldn't want to regress. Is it enough already? I don't know - I agree with David that the faces might be going too far. I would rather have more variety at this point than more detail. And yes, while I never complained about LEGO being sexist, I'd really like to see a lot more females.

I'll have to take some pictures of my "minifig" kit tonight and post them... I LOVE having variety, and the more detail they add the more variety is possible. My "minifig" kit is like the "build a minifigure" at The LEGO Store, only it's got stuff they'd never have, including stuff from BrickArms and BrickForge, and "dresses" (printed 2x2x2 slopes that the manager of my local LEGO Store said they NEVER get despite getting dress torsos).

I guess if I had one wish, it'd be short legs with hip joints. I recall a lot of people saying "NO!" about that, but it's not like you HAVE to bend them.

I need kids and Hobbits that can walk and sit!

[brickmack]

Personally I don't think they are too detailed, but the orangish lines on some of the licensed minifig heads look kinda silly. Also I love all of the new faces that have been made, stuff would be rather boring with cities full of nothing but classic smiling figs, the glasses and beards and everything are cool. I don't like fleshies though, but that's because it limits the parts I can use in a MOC. Also the white pupils in the newer heads I don't like because they look odd with the older heads, and they look sort of odd.

[Clone OPatra]

Well, it's the minifigures that I like and want most out of LEGO sets, so I would say this thread is a good one for me to add to.

Personally, I embrace the new level of detail across the board. If LEGO can add more tiny dotted patterns to sweaters, more designs on some chain male, ore facial features on a face… than why not? The orange lines don't bother me one bit; they add more character and depth to the faces.

I will always reject this notion that minifigures are becoming "too realistic" or even "too much like action figures." Every minifigure still has the same legs, the same sloping body, the same arms and hands, and the same cylindrical head, even if the printing is highly detailed. They all look different, and yet they are all very much the same, which is one of their biggest draws. I agree that the new level of design looks odd against older figures, but that does not make older figures obsolete are useless. If you make a MOC that only has classic-style figs, it will boost the nostalgia and seem all the more cool. This "new level of detail" has also been around for a few years now and each new theme brings more of it, so it's not like you only have a few figures to work with.

Personally, I prefer the level of detail in Licensed figs to that of non-licensed, especially in the faces. It's difficult to find enough different yellow faces to convey different characteristics, while the flesh faces do a much of better job of conveying emotion. That's not to say fleshies are better across the board, but I like that level of detail.

The one thing that I will agree with that is bad about the detail is the disconcerting "skinny waist" of female characters. Maybe a tiny bit of shading on the sides would be ok, but when it gets to the crazy amount of figures like Aayla Secura and the new Madame Hooch it look very odd indeed. It's as if the designers were trying to "erase" the geometrical shape to achieve the female form, which is like trying to fit a square into a circle if you ask me. Still, even that doesn't ruin the figures, but it does look a bit odd.

As for new hair moulds, I say bring it. I love all of the options.

[vexorian]

I will always reject this notion that minifigures are becoming "too realistic" or even "too much like action figures." Every minifigure still has the same legs, the same sloping body, the same arms and hands, and the same cylindrical head, even if the printing is highly detailed.

Printing can seriously screw a minifig, ask megabloks. They somehow manage to add so much printing to stuff that it looks ridiculous and you need a magnifying glass to even get what's going on there. I'll admit that for the most parts, LEGO figs are not close to being as bad as mega in this topic, but a line has to be drawn somewhere.

This "new level of detail" has also been around for a few years now

It has been getting more and more detailed every year. Those orange lines for example were not usual a couple years ago and I think they should go. They don't really add much to the face and actually make the faces look overdone.

I am getting bugged by teeth lately. Specially in the collectable minifigs. Teeth are getting overused. The mime for example should have never had such a grin and instead he could have been closer to the normal minifig smiley. The teeth also make the cheerleader look odd and the space man is a little less useful because ...people don't smile like that all day long...

Edited January 21, 2011 by vexorian

[Jaymercury]

I really like it now when each face has a few colours with an interesting design. To me, gradients have gone too far. But it's also just hit and miss, sometimes there's a great head with loads of personality, and sometimes there's clone wars heads that comprimise everything to look like the show. But as far as accessories go, I quite like the difference in detail.

Edited January 21, 2011 by Jaymercury

[mo123567]

It seems like most people welcome variation and detail when it comes to printing and accessories if it is done well at least. Let me toss one other thing into the discussion. How would you feel if LEGO released some variations on the torso legs or human head molds, even if they were still compatible with existing parts? Maybe something like the curved female torsos at arealight.com or even more detailed molded on patterns. How about human heads that are shaped more realistically?

[Brickdoctor]

It seems like most people welcome variation and detail when it comes to printing and accessories if it is done well at least. Let me toss one other thing into the discussion. How would you feel if LEGO released some variations on the torso legs or human head molds, even if they were still compatible with existing parts? Maybe something like the curved female torsos at arealight.com or even more detailed molded on patterns. How about human heads that are shaped more realistically?

I think it would cause an outrage to overtake the grey-bley change. The minifig is an iconic part of LEGO. Even subtly curved torsos is pushing it, and redoing the heads is going way to far.

That said, that would be so drastic a change I don't think it'll ever happen.

[blueandwhite]

It seems like most people welcome variation and detail when it comes to printing and accessories if it is done well at least. Let me toss one other thing into the discussion. How would you feel if LEGO released some variations on the torso legs or human head molds, even if they were still compatible with existing parts? Maybe something like the curved female torsos at arealight.com or even more detailed molded on patterns. How about human heads that are shaped more realistically?

Improving the paint application to a minifig is one thing; remolding them into something else is a completely different issue. One great thing about minifigs is that they are all compatible with each other. A Kingdoms soldier can easily stand beside an old Black Falcon and not look out of place. While the detailing may have changed, both figures have the same basic body type with yellow hands and head. They are both instantly recognizable as LEGO. When the Star Wars line was introduced the figures managed to be instantly identifiable as both characters from the Star Wars franchise and as LEGO figures. For many, the introduction of the fleshie was a major controversy. Still, the figures retained their basic shape. The very thought of curved torsos or humanoid heads makes me cringe. It completely ignores the iconic nature of the minifig.

Several clone brands have their own variations of the minifig with many of the features you've suggested, yet none of those figures have become nearly as iconic. LEGO tried this gimmick a while back with Jack Stone and it was a complete disaster. I hope that they never walk down that path again.

[mikey]

...

I guess if I had one wish, it'd be short legs with hip joints. I recall a lot of people saying "NO!" about that, but it's not like you HAVE to bend them.

...

I to would love to see short legs that could bend, but I presume they are just to little to fit the mechanism in.

As for the original question, its so subjective. One person's 'too much detail' will always be another's 'perfect representation'. To be honest I am just accepting flesh tone, and have come to quite like it (but never as much as classic yellow!), I was not overly impressed with the Prince of Persia heads, and am horrified by the Clone War heads. I am really in the 'MiniFig are just a representation of a human' camp, so I don't really expect perfect similarities. They have their own unique proportions, and like has been said they are a stylised image. I really like the balance Lego have struck in their design recently in the classic themes. Double sided heads can be useful, but I would prefer them to be used in moderation, as I can not have faces sticking out the back on my figs! I would hate to see any change to their design, either sculpted heads or female bodies (printed Lego cleavage is enough for me!). And talking of female figs, of course I want to see more females (with nicely printed cleavage!) in sets.

[vexorian]

I guess if I had one wish, it'd be short legs with hip joints. I recall a lot of people saying "NO!" about that, but it's not like you HAVE to bend them.

You don't HAVE to bend them, but you HAVE to see the joints that allow such movement and I don't think it would be possible to add them in a non-intrusive way. Even now with the fleshies and the detailing, you can recognize them as a LEGO fig, but with more articulation, they would look like cyborg versions of the classic minifig.

Edited January 21, 2011 by vexorian

[lifeinplastic]

What is frustrating is having so many different styles, especially in faces. I like variation so that different minifigures are not all identical (e.g, some female, some with glasses, some with facial hair, etc, some smiling). I really don't like the figures that show teeth and there are those old Racers faces with the crazy expression or scared faces, which I really dislike (also overused in MOCSs). I don't think printing on the back is necessary and I dislike it when people mix and match styles, especially with classic and licensed lines. Also, even Lego releases odd looking figures such as ginger eyebrows with black hair - it looks rubbish.

Lego should stick with the current level of style and details we have in City sets now but just give us more variation of figures to choose from but keep them all in the same style (and no teeth showing!).

[Haltiamieli]

Also, even Lego releases odd looking figures such as ginger eyebrows with black hair - it looks rubbish.

This brings to my mind one "over-detailing" (in a way) that I dislike a lot: double bearding. If there's an accessory beard piece, why use a head with beard print? They just don't fit together! The recent green wizard (otherwise a nice figure) from Kingdoms is one of the worst examples I've seen: black beard piece and grey printed beard? Oh wait, the fisherman from Series 3 is as bad: white beard piece, grey printing. What were they thinking??

[MinifigFreak2010]

This brings to my mind one "over-detailing" (in a way) that I dislike a lot: double bearding. If there's an accessory beard piece, why use a head with beard print? They just don't fit together! The recent green wizard (otherwise a nice figure) from Kingdoms is one of the worst examples I've seen: black beard piece and grey printed beard? Oh wait, the fisherman from Series 3 is as bad: white beard piece, grey printing. What were they thinking??

Could be a marketing ploy to jack up the price on sets. Extra printing/pieces and they can raise the price

[Brickdoctor]

Could be a marketing ploy to jack up the price on sets. Extra printing/pieces and they can raise the price

Or just a reuse of an existing print.

[JimBee]

I don't mind detailed printing, but reshaping any torso or head molds would cross the line. Well, maybe I wouldn't mind Arealight-style female torsos, but no way will I buy a Lego set again if the heads are changed.

Back to printing, I don't really think there's an amount of detail that I wouldn't like. Even some of the super realistic decals we see from EB members fit fine with minifigs. I also like subtle details like face stubble and metallic zippers on jackets, that we see currently.

[tazosaure]

Oh wait, the fisherman from Series 3 is as bad: white beard piece, grey printing. What were they thinking??

In case of the fisherman, I've actually seen this as TLG give me a choice, given that the beard accessory locks the fig's head in place, it's nice to be able to remove and still have nice looking head :)

[dr_spock]

I really like the No.1 head. Unfortunately for me, Lego stopped selling them from Pick A Brick.

I prefer the minimalist detail.