REVIEW: 8804 LEGO Minifigures Series 4

[Ro87n]

Thanks for this review. After series 2 I lost interest but this series is too good to miss.

I really want that Ice hockey player, and some post apoc comics etc must start with the radiation suit guy making a mistake an boom the world blows up.

One annoying thing that I feel the need to point out, the monster isn't called Frankinstein, that's the name of the doctor who created it, which is probabley why there is a mad doctor in this series. I'm just pointing that out even though the link explains that.

Yeah I know that, that's the main reason I wrote it like 'The (Frankenstein's) Monster' since its called after his creator.

And if you read the discription like giggitygoo already pointed out we might get more monsters or atleast a helper aka Igor.

[Vindice]

This series looks awesome! Didn't like series 3 so this more than makes up for it.

[CptMugwash]

Fantastic review! If I wasn't hyped up for series 4 I am now.

A box seems like an interesting idea, how much does one whole box cost?

Also there wasn't a voting option for both dots and frrly touchy, although I am pretty useless at both there will be alot of luck in there too

I'm really looking forward to the surfer chick, punk rocker, skater dude and hazmat guy, but I will try and collect all 16

I'm also really amazed at the increase in printed detail in these minfigs and some of those unique accesories

Again a fantastic review WhiteFang top knotch

Edited March 10, 2011 by CptMugwash

[Aanchir]

Thank you for the fantastic review. Great close-ups of all of the figs.

Too bad about the figure distribution. Once again the army builder figs are the least frequently represented. Atleast the hazmat has 4 figures and the sailor has 5.

I would imagine anyone with access to bricklink will be able to get most of these figs below market value pretty quickly. The mad scientist might be expensive for a month or so but his price will settle down. The musketeer will most likely be the price driving figure.

How are the army builders the least frequently represented? The least frequent of all is the crazy scientist, as you yourself acknowledge, and the sailors (who are as much of an army-builder as any of the others) are among the most frequent. All of the other "army builder" figs are somewhere in the middle, and there's not much difference between the chance of randomly picking an "army builder" and the chance of randomly picking any other fig.

I agree that the Musketeer would be the highest price on Bricklink out of the Series 4 figs, but I don't expect him to reach the popularity of past army-building figs like the Elf and Spartan for several reasons. First of all, he fits in a different place on the timeline than most medieval figs and MOCs I tend to see, so people with a medieval layout might not need him so much for a layout (the same applies for the Viking, but since LEGO had an official Vikings theme, that probably raised interest in viking MOCs and layouts considerably). Additionally, one of the Musketeer's cool accessories (the floppy hat) will be appearing in the PotC set Isla de la Muerta, and there will be two of them in that set.

Granted, the Musketeer still has one unique accessory (his sword), and as with any fig the unique accessories aren't the only selling point-- his uniform and face print are both also unique, and I expect those to be strong selling points. But overall, as a fig, he doesn't have the same incredible market advantage as the Elf, who had two unique accessories, had been greatly the subject of years of longing and anticipation, and who could fit pretty much flawlessly into a collection of Fantasy-Era Castle sets and figs.

[WhiteFang]

If I have missed out any questions pertaining to the review, kindly highlight to me again. I will talk about the above voting a little later. It's pretty interesting for question 3.

Is the trophy tan underneath like the past two trophies? Not like it makes much of a difference, but I'm just curious if that's the "base color" for all lacquered parts in the Collectible Minifigures.

It's different. The silver trophy base is entirely the same as as the exterior (silver).

Is the Viking's 3L bar Dark Brown, or Black?

It's brown.

[Harrypotterfreak]

I WOULD say which ones I want....But I want them ALL!!!!! this is an excellent review, WhiteFang!! I really want the HAzmat Guy and Geisha, though... I'll have to get those 2 first!!! Thanks for the review!

[Nakara]

Oh yay, another great review from our minifigures summarizer White Fang! Some of the distribution works out well, with the hazard dudes, musketeers, and sailors(great for ships and SHIPs alike) being relatively common compared to the last couple series. But sh*t for me, I want an army of 5-10 scientists, if I thought gathering 10 samurai were hard I'm going to have a hell with this two in a box thing.

[Dr. Steve]

AWESOME REVIEW!!!!!! I loved the pic of the Zombies chasing he Hazmat guy

[DaleDVM]

How are the army builders the least frequently represented? The least frequent of all is the crazy scientist, as you yourself acknowledge, and the sailors (who are as much of an army-builder as any of the others) are among the most frequent. All of the other "army builder" figs are somewhere in the middle, and there's not much difference between the chance of randomly picking an "army builder" and the chance of randomly picking any other fig.

I agree that the Musketeer would be the highest price on Bricklink out of the Series 4 figs, but I don't expect him to reach the popularity of past army-building figs like the Elf and Spartan for several reasons. First of all, he fits in a different place on the timeline than most medieval figs and MOCs I tend to see, so people with a medieval layout might not need him so much for a layout (the same applies for the Viking, but since LEGO had an official Vikings theme, that probably raised interest in viking MOCs and layouts considerably). Additionally, one of the Musketeer's cool accessories (the floppy hat) will be appearing in the PotC set Isla de la Muerta, and there will be two of them in that set.

Granted, the Musketeer still has one unique accessory (his sword), and as with any fig the unique accessories aren't the only selling point-- his uniform and face print are both also unique, and I expect those to be strong selling points. But overall, as a fig, he doesn't have the same incredible market advantage as the Elf, who had two unique accessories, had been greatly the subject of years of longing and anticipation, and who could fit pretty much flawlessly into a collection of Fantasy-Era Castle sets and figs.

Aanchir you and I will never see eye to eye. Your feelings are hurt if someone questions TLC's performance in any way. You defend TLG and the status quo in almost every post you make. You even defend the quality of the see throught plastic on the minifig legs. I'm sorry but as much as I love LEGO I can't turn a blind eye to mistakes.

Fact is that with a case of 60 average availability is 3.75 for each figure. The army building figs are easily underepresented. This is especially true in comparison to the demand they will command. The hockey player, viking, and musketeer at 3 a piece fall in the low probability category. The hazmat suit guy is in the middle at 4. Sure TLG included 5 sailors and I noted that in my post. I gave TLG kudos for that. However, that fig has no fancy printing and an accessory that is a common part. Likely one of the cheapest minifigs to produce of the entire series. And that is likely why they made that fig so common... Most of the most commonly available figs have the least number of parts. The parts intensive figs usually are least represented in each series. They did not make 5 sailors available to fix the disparity in minifig availability we have seen in the first 3 series. If that were the case the musketeer, viking, hazmat suit guy, hockey player, and sailor all would have 5 or more available.

The musketeer very well might not command the same interest as the spartan or the elf. However, it does have a desirable torso, plume, hat, and weapon. I guarantee you this. A year from now musketeers will be very very hard to come by. Evil scientists will still be easy to aquire. According to your thinking the scientists are the rare ones. Time will show just like in all of the past 3 series...

Edited March 10, 2011 by DaleDVM

[Aanchir]

Aanchir you and I will never see eye to eye. Your feelings are hurt if someone questions TLC's performance in any way. You defend TLG and the status quo in almost every post you make. You even defend the quality of the see throught plastic on the minifig legs. I'm sorry but as much as I love LEGO I can't turn a blind eye to mistakes.

Fact is that with a case of 60 average availability is 3.75 for each figure. The army building figs are easily underepresented. This is especially true in comparison to the demand they will command. The hockey player, viking, and musketeer at 3 a piece fall in the low probability category. The hazmat suit guy is in the middle at 4. Sure TLG included 5 sailors and I noted that in my post. I gave TLG kudos for that. However, that fig has no fancy printing and an accessory that is a common part. Likely one of the cheapest minifigs to produce of the entire series. And that is likely why they made that fig so common... Most of the most commonly available figs have the least number of parts. The parts intensive figs usually are least represented in each series. They did not make 5 sailors available to fix the disparity in minifig availability we have seen in the first 3 series. If that were the case the musketeer, viking, hazmat suit guy, hockey player, and sailor all would have 5 or more available.

The musketeer very well might not command the same interest as the spartan or the elf. However, it does have a desirable torso, plume, hat, and weapon. I guarantee you this. A year from now musketeers will be very very hard to come by. Evil scientists will still be easy to aquire. According to your thinking the scientists are the rare ones. Time will show just like in all of the past 3 series...

Oh, so we've gone to ad-hominem attacks now? Very professional. I don't "turn a blind eye to mistakes". There are things LEGO does that I genuinely don't like-- for instance, as I've stated I don't like the viking's gold horns (I think they're very garish), I don't like round stickers on aircraft tails (very annoying having to align those), and I'm not particularly fond of the Hero Factory sets from the summer wave.

At the same time, I don't act as if every mistake is a widespread disaster, and I don't act as if I'm more honorable or intelligent than any of the people working at TLG. There are indeed quality problems with the collectible minifigures, and I am very grateful that I've only encountered minor ones. I'm also grateful that the quality has seemingly improved with successive series. And I don't delude myself when I say that these quality issues aren't the worst I've seen-- that award definitely goes to this set, which suffered from rampant discoloration in some of its parts.

I didn't once claim the mad scientists would have lasting value, or that the musketeer would be cheap on the aftermarket-- only that the musketeer wouldn't be as valuable as the Elf or Spartan. And really, I don't see why you're arguing with me over that if you're willing to admit that it's possible. The only reason it seems you and I aren't seeing eye-to-eye on this is because you're refusing to respect anyone who disagrees with your idea that minifig rarities should reflect aftermarket demand (something that never came up in the post you replied to).

My post didn't at all insult or demean you. However, you immediately went right ahead and insulted my sincerity by acting as if I'm just a self-deluding fanboy. Am I offended? Yes, so if you're really just a troll like another member tried to tell me (I actually defended you and pointed out how well you've thought out your arguments, even if I disagree with them), then consider yourself victorious and leave me be. But if you're genuinely here having this discussion because you care about what's being discussed, then in the very least act a little more mature and refrain from slandering me in every conversation where I so much as reply to one of your posts.

[fred67]

How are the army builders the least frequently represented? The least frequent of all is the crazy scientist, as you yourself acknowledge, and the sailors (who are as much of an army-builder as any of the others) are among the most frequent.

Agreed... I would like to throw out there, though, that team sports figures would conceivably be in more demand than solo sports figures, one would think. It's not an "army," but it's the same idea.

But overall, as a fig, he [musketeer] doesn't have the same incredible market advantage as the Elf, who had two unique accessories, had been greatly the subject of years of longing and anticipation, and who could fit pretty much flawlessly into a collection of Fantasy-Era Castle sets and figs.

Also agreed. I like this series overall more than S3, but don't think any single figure will be as in demand as the Elf or Spartan. I think the Dwarf will be popular for the same reason, but not as popular since we already had dwarves.

[Mr. Elijah Timms]

Question, WhiteFang-- actually two, on the hockey player:

1. Is that the same old traditional racing helmet that the facemask clips onto?

and

2. How well can he hold the hockey stick with two hands? Judging by what I've seen, it almost appears too short-- does it look in proportion when he's holding it with both hands?

Thanks!

[Aanchir]

Question, WhiteFang-- actually two, on the hockey player:

1. Is that the same old traditional racing helmet that the facemask clips onto?

and

2. How well can he hold the hockey stick with two hands? Judging by what I've seen, it almost appears too short-- does it look in proportion when he's holding it with both hands?

Thanks!

I can answer the first one-- seems like it's actually this new helmet (judging by the Flickr images, as well as because that helmet was added with a bunch of other collectible minifigure parts.

[drdavewatford]

Magnificent review, White Fang ! I love how you're clustered figures from series 1-4 into various common themes for our viewing pleasure.

Can't wait for these series 4 figures - I have a bunch of them on pre-order for delivery as soon as they hit the streets.

Dr. D.

[giggitygoo]

That last link doesn't work for me (forbidden) so to what 'old one' you're referring to?

Hows this:

LINK

Hope it works

[Black Llama]

Awesome, awesome review. I really think I've just going to order a case this time. I've spent way too much time looking through local stores to no avail for these and costing me way too much in the long run.

[fred67]

2. How well can he hold the hockey stick with two hands? Judging by what I've seen, it almost appears too short-- does it look in proportion when he's holding it with both hands?

Can any minifigures hold a straight bar in both hands?

[Dazmundo]

Can any minifigures hold a straight bar in both hands?

Yes - see female figure below!

D

[Baylego]

Wow, great review! The geisha is my favorite of this series .

[ebaygeek]

When and Where can I find them in USA ?

[Aanchir]

When and Where can I find them in USA ?

There haven't been any sightings yet that I know of over here. One of the first places that tends to get them (at least, to get them at MSRP) is Target, where they should show up in the "seasonal" department rather than the toy department, just as they've done in the past. Toys 'R' Us is also a good place to check periodically, and for that matter you might be able to ask a store employee when they're expected to appear on the store shelves (I'm not sure how forthcoming they are with that information, but I see no reason they should hide it).

[iamded]

Woo, cheers for the fantastic review, Whitefang! Another awesome set of minifigs, I'll aim to get at least a Hazmat guy and a skater. Great stuff.

[HeLena]

WhiteFang, thank you for such a good and helpful review and comparison!

This series is the best! (IMHO)

And I hope that they'll make dots or barcodes, because it's very difficult to find a minifig that is needed by touching the pocket.

[Nick Wolfe]

There are three musketeers!

[Nightshroud99]

Thank you for this

This is actually the first series of minifigs that I want all of them!!!!

I also really like the skater, great figure for general populace of LEGO City!