LEGO Collectable Minifigures Future Series Rumours

[danth]

I've bought CMFs blind a few times on a whim, but that is simply not going to happen at $5 a pop.

Usually I buy either from local stores where their employees feel them out and label them, or I buy from Bricklink. Generally I buy what I want, and don't really feel like gambling.

So, these new boxes, they'll probably contain an inner plastic bag right? So no real reduction in waste.

[lifeinplastic]

If Lego really doesn't want people to know what they are buying, I cannot see this being a success, especially at the price per minifigure. I already don't buy most of the figures if I don't really want them because feeling the bags takes too long, whereas if I knew what I was getting I'd probably pick them up on a whim. RIP Collectible Minifigures. 

[Vindicare]

1 hour ago, danth said:

I've bought CMFs blind a few times on a whim, but that is simply not going to happen at $5 a pop.

This. If they were $2 or $3 I wouldn’t mind it being completely blind because that wouldn’t be a huge loss to get an unwanted minifig. But at $5(and it’ll probably be more in another year) is too much to risk on that. 

[Robert8]

I'm yet to read a positive reaction to this change. Like 95% of the comments about it are negative and the rest are just indifferent. Not a single soul seems to be happy about it. 

I wonder if TLG will reconsider this because they might be killing the theme for good it seems

[brimbolet]

Today I got exactly all the necessary parts for the Artist from series 4 at the BAM in my Lego store, hurray.

But in the meantime I heard some parents complain about the price per figure - 2,50€ was already too much for them - and they bought one of the bigger sets on the way out. I really don't know how Lego can expect to gain more (new) customers with this move unless they make it a double pack: roman soldier /barbarian; policewoman/robber etc... This I could accept in return for the blind boxes.

[SirBlake]

2 hours ago, Robert8 said:

I'm yet to read a positive reaction to this change. Like 95% of the comments about it are negative and the rest are just indifferent. Not a single soul seems to be happy about it. 

I wonder if TLG will reconsider this because they might be killing the theme for good it seems

The optimist in me would like to think that's a possibility, but the realist in me thinks there's no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks.

You know they did a ton of analysis on this and made their decision, fully expecting a lot of pushback from fans. The only hope I'm holding onto is that they'll include some sort of code that real fans can read and make an informed decision on, and the casual impulse-buy people who never even thought to feel the bags can blindly pick up. If they don't do this, I can see it being the beginning of the end of the line.

Without a code system in place, I can say with certainty that I will buy zero CMF's at retail, and only pursue a significantly smaller few in the secondary market if they're particularly amazing.

I just wish they didn't work so hard to make it so difficult for me to give them my money.

[Roebuck]

10 hours ago, Robert8 said:

I'm yet to read a positive reaction to this change. Like 95% of the comments about it are negative and the rest are just indifferent. Not a single soul seems to be happy about it. 

I wonder if TLG will reconsider this because they might be killing the theme for good it seems

The thing is that 80% of the Lego is bought by or for kids and I am sure most of them do not feel the bags so for them it do not matter much..
The 20% that is left are us and even if most of us are not happy about the change and will stop buying them in shops if we are not sure what we are getting most of us will keep buying the figs from BL etc. If the AFOL impulse sale(really the point of this sets) in local shops dry up completely and we buy 25% or even 50% less figs in total, the overall sale would only go down 5 or 10% and that is probably a price Lego will pay to reach their sustainability goals

However if they put e.g. the number of the fig discreetly on the box not only would they keep the sales, but they would increase. After all it can be slightly embarrassing to feel the bags in shops (the exception being Lego shops), if we instead could have a quick look at the box that would be better and faster

[williejm]

5 hours ago, Roebuck said:

The thing is that 80% of the Lego is bought by or for kids and I am sure most of them do not feel the bags so for them it do not matter much..
The 20% that is left are us and even if most of us are not happy about the change and will stop buying them in shops if we are not sure what we are getting most of us will keep buying the figs from BL etc. If the AFOL impulse sale(really the point of this sets) in local shops dry up completely and we buy 25% or even 50% less figs in total, the overall sale would only go down 5 or 10% and that is probably a price Lego will pay to reach their sustainability goals

However if they put e.g. the number of the fig discreetly on the box not only would they keep the sales, but they would increase. After all it can be slightly embarrassing to feel the bags in shops (the exception being Lego shops), if we instead could have a quick look at the box that would be better and faster

Agreed. Other ‘blind bag’ figures use this approach and I think it’s fine … 

[Karalora]

I have no objection to there being a code that the knowledgeable can use to find what they want. My main issue with bag-feeling has been how much it messes up the bags for the customers that follow. Although I would also hope that a code would be paired with some kind of purchasing limit to keep resellers from snatching all the less common ones.

[SirBlake]

Is the “messed up bags from feeling” thing really an issue? It’s certainly just anecdotal evidence on both sides, but I can honestly say I have never encountered bags that have been manipulated to the point that they looked worn out or otherwise unsuitable for retail.

Also, I can’t support a limit rule. Patience always pays off, and I’ve always been able to find what I’m looking for with enough time and vigilance. Codes wouldn’t change that. (Again, anecdotal)

[williejm]

19 minutes ago, SirBlake said:

Is the “messed up bags from feeling” thing really an issue? It’s certainly just anecdotal evidence on both sides, but I can honestly say I have never encountered bags that have been manipulated to the point that they looked worn out or otherwise unsuitable for retail.

Oh it absolutely is. I try to be light-fingered, myself, but some people clearly use a lot of pressure and render the bags dented, sometimes torn. 
it’s not always, everywhere - but it does happen a lot. 

[brimbolet]

7 hours ago, Roebuck said:

The thing is that 80% of the Lego is bought by or for kids and I am sure most of them do not feel the bags so for them it do not matter much..
The 20% that is left are us and even if most of us are not happy about the change and will stop buying them in shops if we are not sure what we are getting most of us will keep buying the figs from BL etc. If the AFOL impulse sale(really the point of this sets) in local shops dry up completely and we buy 25% or even 50% less figs in total, the overall sale would only go down 5 or 10% and that is probably a price Lego will pay to reach their sustainability goals

That's the point. 80% or more don't even care to feel the bags, or you're not allowed to do it in shops anyway (even long before the pandemic and before people started wearing gloves). That's why I rarely see messed up bags at all.

Does anyone know, how many bags for each CMF series are being produced? 500 000, 1 000 000?  Really have no idea, but I'm sure Lego is hoping to push up sales by more than 15%. But will retailers buy so many new boxes after the Vidiyo fiasco? Where I live they still are not able to sell all the discounted series 21 and Looney tunes bags.

[williejm]

Something else that hasn’t been mentioned re cardboard packaging is that what we have seen (and also true of sets like the Disney Dots) is packaging that will require bigger boxes, and have gaps between packs, because of the necessary hang tags and other extraneous ‘bits’, and cardboard being rigid. So a lot more air will be being shipped.

For me I guess I don’t feel surprised at this move, or especially worked up. Will it change how I buy CMFs? For sure. And as someone who likes being able to source the ones I want, or want for others, without opening the packing, it’s a bit of bummer. 

[Karalora]

I have seen some absolutely ransacked CMF displays. And quite apart from the mere appearance of the bags, in these pandemic times there's something extremely unappealing about handling items that you know someone else has handled extensively. I'm not a germophobe by any means, but it makes me uneasy enough that I have passed on purchasing CMFs in-store because I didn't want to touch such abused bags.

[natesroom]

i wonder if the weight difference of each box varies enough to be able to have a scale reflect that difference. If so i guess i could just bring a portable digital scale and weigh each one and the ones that match purchase those and see how close it was, lol.

[SirBlake]

53 minutes ago, williejm said:

Oh it absolutely is. I try to be light-fingered, myself, but some people clearly use a lot of pressure and render the bags dented, sometimes torn. 
it’s not always, everywhere - but it does happen a lot. 

Interesting. The Scots must be really leaning into that packaging, lol. I truly haven't encountered this situation.

 

27 minutes ago, Karalora said:

I have seen some absolutely ransacked CMF displays. And quite apart from the mere appearance of the bags, in these pandemic times there's something extremely unappealing about handling items that you know someone else has handled extensively. I'm not a germophobe by any means, but it makes me uneasy enough that I have passed on purchasing CMFs in-store because I didn't want to touch such abused bags.

I respect that position on a personal level, but hopefully you can respect that not all folks feel that way. The pandemic certainly changed a lot of things about normal life, but I didn't let it inhibit me from finding the CMFs I wanted. A little hand sanitizer before and after, and no harm done.

Just now, natesroom said:

i wonder if the weight difference of each box varies enough to be able to have a scale reflect that difference. If so i guess i could just bring a portable digital scale and weigh each one and the ones that match purchase those and see how close it was, lol.

I think that's a bridge too far. Even if that were an effective method, that's just too many hoops to jump through just to try and buy a product I want. Once again, hoping cooler heads prevail and there's some sort of code on the packaging.

[Kim-Kwang-Seok]

40 minutes ago, natesroom said:

i wonder if the weight difference of each box varies enough to be able to have a scale reflect that difference. If so i guess i could just bring a portable digital scale and weigh each one and the ones that match purchase those and see how close it was, lol.

That's bringing us in X-ray vision googles/superpowers territory ;)
Could work but weight scale would have to be damn accurate as figures can differ between a short and a long lightsaber bar. For bigger items - that were always easy to feel; like costume characters or any other big objects this method could really be used. I already see the forums giving weight guidances for CMF's instead of feel guidances

Many times this kind of communities overestimate themselves but many times they/we make correct predictions. Like with Vidyjo.

Some folks here will do what I'll do: not get CMF's anymore. Others will get individual CMF's online. Others will spend around 200 for the whole box. The point is you make an already quite lucrative 3rd party aftermarket even bigger. Toy stores and toy sections in any super markets lose. Legos reputation in shops would lose. Maybe not as strong in the US. But the rest of the world isn't so dependent on Lego nor is the company as strong in terms of Legal action to fend off it's growing competitors. Is this in Legos interest?

[brimbolet]

7 minutes ago, Kim-Kwang-Seok said:

That's bringing us in X-ray vision googles/superpowers territory ;)

If there is an X-ray app for phone someday in the future, Lego surely will develop an eco-friendly foil to put the minifigure into and later on into the eco-friendly box... just to enhance the customer experience of course.

[natesroom]

so in the 90s and 80s you used to be able to weigh a pack or cards (sports) and determine if there was a foil inside. literally a few thousandths difference.

Edited July 1, 2022 by natesroom

[Karalora]

1 hour ago, SirBlake said:

I respect that position on a personal level, but hopefully you can respect that not all folks feel that way. The pandemic certainly changed a lot of things about normal life, but I didn't let it inhibit me from finding the CMFs I wanted. A little hand sanitizer before and after, and no harm done.

 

...yes? Sorry, have I said anything that gives the impression I don't respect the differences of opinion here?

[MAB]

21 hours ago, Robert8 said:

I wonder if TLG will reconsider this because they might be killing the theme for good it seems

It wouldn't bother me too much if they did kill it, whether by mistake or on purpose. 

With the original series they used to be a cheap impulse buy and provided something a bit different that wasn't really available in sets. The price now is pretty much on par with LEGO comics (at least here) where you typically get a foil bag with a known character inside. From a kid's perspective you get a figure you know and a comic vs some random figure you might not want. In some stores you can also buy Creator and similar polybags for £4 and occasionally small boxed sets for £5. You can certainly get a lot more for your money, especially if the parent wants the kid to gave something to do on a journey or in a restaurant or similar. Opening a figure and finding you don't want it is not great.

From the collector point of view, do they still get new collectors starting at Series 22, having to wait a full year before collecting series 23? Do these new collectors try to collect them all at this late stage?

I think it might be time for something similar but new, and killing it could be the start of that.

1 hour ago, Kim-Kwang-Seok said:

Legos reputation in shops would lose. 

I think some stores are already a bit fed up with them. I see far fewer supermarkets that take them compared to five or ten years ago. Plus I don't think they have the sell through rate they used to (at least for unlicensed ones) - one store near me still has a couple of dozen packs of series 20 in a series 21 box, along with S21 packets. That could of course be because collectors just buy complete series online or buy a box instead. And then there is the opened bags problem, I often see minifig parts on the LEGO shelf where someone has opened a packed and dumped it.  

[Kim-Kwang-Seok]

54 minutes ago, MAB said:

 

I think some stores are already a bit fed up with them. I see far fewer supermarkets that take them compared to five or ten years ago. Plus I don't think they have the sell through rate they used to (at least for unlicensed ones) - one store near me still has a couple of dozen packs of series 20 in a series 21 box, along with S21 packets. That could of course be because collectors just buy complete series online or buy a box instead. And then there is the opened bags problem, I often see minifig parts on the LEGO shelf where someone has opened a packed and dumped it.  

I wonder if TLG's decisions limiting their own value. Hyperincreased prices (granted licence fees, higher quality compared to the inferior plastic used be4) and no option to guess what you get, might mean kids or adults alike will just pass anything they don't desperately want.

Now if they bring out a SW CMF - I'm sure half this forum would even get whole boxes. But will they still get random bags of a "less exciting" series? Doesn't TLG make themselves completely dependent of other companies?

And again the aftermarket, 3rd party sellers profit from the void Lego leaves them. In a store you can always say "ah well not sure if this is the right figure, let's just take some more and this fig I didn't want but whatever". Online, with higher prices on the aftermarket people might be more careful what to get.

Add to this the worse reputation of Lego for retail. Maybe I'm wrong and "we" don't matter much with sales. But then again look at the disaster of vidyjo...

[MAB]

15 minutes ago, Kim-Kwang-Seok said:

Now if they bring out a SW CMF - I'm sure half this forum would even get whole boxes. But will they still get random bags of a "less exciting" series? Doesn't TLG make themselves completely dependent of other companies?
 

So long as the variants of existing characters are different enough. If they did a series in which there were 8 completely new but niche characters and 8 army builders,  it would sell very well to SW fans (but probably not kids). If it was all existing characters in only very slightly different costumes or existing prints but different combinations of existing parts (so yet another Luke in Tatooine outfit, Han Solo with a different crease in his shirt, etc) then great for kids bad for SW collectors.

The licensed ones tend to be characters that you only really need one of each and not army builders (although I do have a Homer Simpson clone army). Putting in some generic rebels or stormtroopers could really mess up distributions as some people will want one of each whereas others will army build (like unlicensed series).

[SirBlake]

3 hours ago, Karalora said:

...yes? Sorry, have I said anything that gives the impression I don't respect the differences of opinion here?

Whoah, easy killer. I was just being polite and not insinuating anything deeper. Truth be told, outside of this conversation, I don’t know you or your past posting at all, and I’m certainly not trying to imply you displaying a lack of respect for others’ opinions.

31 minutes ago, MAB said:

So long as the variants of existing characters are different enough. If they did a series in which there were 8 completely new but niche characters and 8 army builders,  it would sell very well to SW fans (but probably not kids). If it was all existing characters in only very slightly different costumes or existing prints but different combinations of existing parts (so yet another Luke in Tatooine outfit, Han Solo with a different crease in his shirt, etc) then great for kids bad for SW collectors.

The licensed ones tend to be characters that you only really need one of each and not army builders (although I do have a Homer Simpson clone army). Putting in some generic rebels or stormtroopers could really mess up distributions as some people will want one of each whereas others will army build (like unlicensed series).

Star Wars is an odd duck relative to minifigs because TLG can’t sell them on their own unless it falls into a different category, like a keychain. Hasbro has exclusive rights to anything around the “action figure” space, so Lego is limited to things like battle packs as far as minifig-centric products go. In other words, it needs to have a construction element or be paired with a book or something like that. 

[The Stud]

Lego just HAS to announce this change the same year I decide that I want to start collecting every CMF series from here on out. (Long-term, I want to eventually go back and get all the older ones I missed out on as well.) 

 

Even if it’s better for the environment, I still hate this change. As awkward as it is for a grown-up to be feeling through all the packs in the store, it’s still a fun experience to go hunting for these figures. I’ve been pretty inconsistent with keeping up with the CMFs for the past ten or so years I’ve been collecting them, but feeling through the packs is like a tradition at this point. Back in May, I spent a total of like 45 minutes at Target and Kohl’s getting almost the entire Muppets series in one go.

Marvel was the first series where I didn’t hunt for the figures and just ordered a complete set online. It cost a little over retail to do it but I was still able to get the whole series before a lot of other people that I know because that series was so hard to find at first. It looks like this is what I’ll have to start doing for every CMF series, but I’m sure that it’s going to become more expensive to do that since I’m sure a lot of other people will also be switching to that method. These sellers are no longer going to be able to sell the figures as “sealed” because you’ll no longer be able to tell what figure is inside without opening it.

As others have pointed out, this is not going to work out well for stores. You’re going to have a bunch of damaged and open boxes on shelves and I’m sure you’ll have people trying to return open boxes because they don’t include the figure they want.

 

Overall, this is just a sucky change and another addition to my list of recent Lego decisions that have rubbed me the wrong way. Increasing to $5 a pack and switching to 12 figures a series didn’t really bother me too much, but this move here really grinds my gears.

Edited July 1, 2022 by The Stud