LotR with yellow heads/hands

[Falconer]

Hey, guys. I haven’t collected Legos since the days of Falcon Knights, Crusaders, and Forestmen! Now I’ve got the MMV, and am planning to collect just about every Middle-earth set that ever gets released (already got two—kind of a dream come true for me). I just have to wonder: Am I alone in wanting to replace each figure’s head with a regular, old-fashioned, smiley-faced, yellow head? And substituting matching yellow hands? Is that weird? Would the color clash? Would the simplicity of the face be incongruous with the detail on the torso?

Maybe I’m crazy, but to me it’s a nostalgic extension of the hobby of my childhood, when the smiley heads were a ubiquitous, signature feature of Legos. I noticed the Modular Buildings still use them, presumably for elegance and nostalgia. Also, I care nothing for the Jackson movies, so sometimes it’s weird when (for example) Legolas’s face is always frozen in a pissed-off expression, which doesn’t mesh with how I imagine him from the books. Finally, it would harmonize the Middle-earth sets with the MMV (which I’ve got as part of the same display… I don’t know… as Bree, or something). Of course, I would switch out the MMV heads, as well.

Thoughts?

[Hive]

I do the same thing with all licensed torsos I get hold of that aren't cursed by flesh parts. Most of the POTC torsos were sadly "ruined", but thankfully, many of the LOTR torsos are devoid of flesh - and obviously, the orcs, uruk-hais and the ring-wraiths works fine as they are.

Torsos that will work great with yellow heads and hands: Boromir, Eomer, Gandalf, Gimli, Haldir, Theoden, Legolas, Rohan Soldier... a good and long list!

[Falconer]

I don’t know if this has been mentioned before, but, if you look at Frodo from 9469 Gandalf Arrives, he has yellow skin at the top of his torso where his collar opens. At least in my set. Here’s a picture that confirms I’m not alone.

[purpleparadox]

Funny...I do the exact opposite. If a set comes with yellow minifigs I replace them with flesh figs. I'm planning on picking up the Town Hall as my next non-licensed set and I'm going to replace the minifigs with flesh ones. I prefer the realism of flesh parts, though I don't like the minidolls from the Friends theme.

Edited June 25, 2012 by purpleparadox

[Hive]

I don’t know if this has been mentioned before, but, if you look at Frodo from 9469 Gandalf Arrives, he has yellow skin at the top of his torso where his collar opens. At least in my set. Here’s a picture that confirms I’m not alone.

I wouldn't call it yellow, more like orange...

But yeah, I've never seen the flesh on any torso match the flesh of the heads very well. Their yellow torsos and heads match a lot better, must be a color-issue.

[TheLegoDr]

This issue has been discussed quite extensively, yet I comment in every thread possible

I definitely have a nostalgic feeling for the yellow with Crusaders and Black Falcons and the like, but for some reason the Licensed skin tone looks quite nice to me. I wouldn't go and replace all of my figures with the other skin tone, but I wouldn't dare mix them either.

As far as POTC, a lot of people did have flesh on their torsos and I would agree that the coloring never matches. If you don't mind modding your figures, take a yellow permanent sharpie and color in the torso bit. It still is a slightly different color than the yellow head, but it never is a perfect match anyway (probably due to the colors printing onto a colored torso). I did a Jack Sparrow that way and sitting next to the Licensed version, it was night and day how different the two looked. If/when Haldir's hairpiece becomes abundant, I will start doing some of them in yellow to mix in the bunch.

[Shroffy123]

I am in 100% with you. I'm not a big fan of the fleshie color. Its nice thaat a lot of the LOTR fig torsos don't show the fleshie color. With that said, an easy fix for me is to color the heads with a yellow highlighter. I've found it to work really well.

[SheepEater]

I really don't get the hate for fleshies...

and even less the need to modify (possibly permanently) a perfectly good minifig. Good luck trying to sell it after that...

[natesroom]

This is how it goes... i went through the same thing. I entered out of the DA about 6 months ago and REALLY started collecting. I hated with a passion fleshies, i couldn't stand them and almost threw them away. I condemned them and rained down fire on them every chance i could get. Then something happened about 3 months ago i don't know what it was but i think it was the collecting of or the pictures of the Marvel stuff and it wasn't so bad. and now i don't mind it at all and actually enjoy them.

It will never take the place of the yellow and all of my castle figs will be yellow, but they will coexist quite nicely in my universe

[CorneliusMurdock]

The skin tone issue has been discussed in depth before. If the discussion focuses on using LOTR parts in a yellow minifig universe, I think this can stay open. If it becomes the tired old debate about which is better, it'll be locked. I've added a subtitle to the topic to reflect the direction this thread should go.

So stay on topic. Thank you.

[Deathleech]

so sometimes it’s weird when (for example) Legolas’s face is always frozen in a pissed-off expression, which doesn’t mesh with how I imagine him from the books.

Well luckily almost all of the LotR figures have double sided faces! As for myself, I don't really have a preferance for yellow or flesh colored minifigues. In fact I kind of like that most the original stuff is done in yellow while a lot of the licensed stuff is done in flesh color to look more like it's source.

[JackJonespaw]

So you want absolutely no flesh color on the torsos? I usually use them if there is a very small bit. I find the Hobbits' torsos are great, even though there is some flesh on there. The Ringwraith have great torso, perfect for a creepy guy.

[Rawel]

I find this to be an intriguing debate. While I don't own any flesh-colored minifigs as of yet (I'm fresh out of my DA, but I don't have the money at the moment to buy anything new, so I'll have to stick with the LEGOs I've got for now :P), I can't say I have any huge problems with them. While I haven't bought LEGOs in a while, I have followed their releases rather well, and I remember being very confused when they first released the flesh tone stuff, but I think they kind of make sense (although it kind of annoys me with the Star Wars and Harry Potter stuff, as I have many of the older, yellow mini-fig sets). The thing that I find most interesting, though, is people's aversion to mixing the skin tones. I can understand keeping "purity" in a specific set or LEGO designed world, but in a MOC, I would think that the different tones could just be used to represent differently colored people, as that's how people work in the real world. IDK, I guess I'll see how I feel after I get some of the LoTR sets (which I plan to buy many of... when I have the money :P) and incorporate the mini's into my collection.

Hope your day is going well,

Rawel.

[CorneliusMurdock]

Again, this topic will not be about the merits of fleshies versus yellows and who likes which. Last chance to stay on topic or I will lock this.

[IAmWillGibson]

Normally I'm not very pro-Fleshie, or at least I was a while ago when I only had a few. I have enough now that they form a large-enough group to not look weirdly out of place.

Anyway, I'm perfectly fine with the fleshy Fellowship this round, because last year, just before LOTR was officially announced, I put together my own version. So now I have two, the movie Fellowship, and the [theoretically] more book-based Yellowship.

Variety is good, man.

[Haltiamieli]

I find the Hobbits' torsos are great, even though there is some flesh on there.

I too am hoping to use at least Sam with yellow head, he has a nice and useful torso except the flesh triangle, which is hopefully small enough not to bother me too much. After all I am using for example Gibbs' torso from PotC with a yellow head and I don't think it looks that bad. He just has three shirts, apparently.

I think Gandalf's torso will be good for a Franciscan mendicant monk – especially as it seems probable that Lego will never officially release such a figure.

[natesroom]

I too am hoping to use at least Sam with yellow head, he has a nice and useful torso except the flesh triangle, which is hopefully small enough not to bother me too much. After all I am using for example Gibbs' torso from PotC with a yellow head and I don't think it looks that bad. He just has three shirts, apparently.

I think Gandalf's torso will be good for a Franciscan mendicant monk – especially as it seems probable that Lego will never officially release such a figure.

I guess you could use the yellow in LOTR and just say they met a different race of people

[posades]

I've run into this problem quite a bit. It wouldn't be an issue for me if I only displayed LOTR sets, but I have the crownies castle set up along with the MMV and a couple other sets/mocs. I'm always looking to fill in the scene with peasants and other everyday folks, but I run into the problem of not being able to use some of the torsos I have because of the flesh tone around the neck. I'm a stickler for having absolutely no flesh tone on my yellow castle figs so I'm glad there is at least some new LOTR torsos like Gandalf's that I'll be able to use.

[Angeli]

Funny...I do the exact opposite. If a set comes with yellow minifigs I replace them with flesh figs. I'm planning on picking up the Town Hall as my next non-licensed set and I'm going to replace the minifigs with flesh ones. I prefer the realism of flesh parts, though I don't like the minidolls from the Friends theme.

:)

are you knew lego user, or old one? (old not by age, by lego-playing:)

as an oldtimer when lego is in question, I prefer yellow, but I use every other color - if my bad guys can be grey, black, red and green, my good guys can be white or fleshy :)

And "oldtimers" like yellow because it reminds them of a childhood with lego, I would say ;)

[Falconer]

Well luckily almost all of the LotR figures have double sided faces!

Both of Legolas’s expressions look angry to me.

It’s an interesting idea that some races would be yellow and some fleshie. Hmm. I’ll have to think about that. Obviously, if you collected a whole bunch of Series 3 Elf Minifigs (geez, they look pissed off, too!), you might decide they are a yellow race. And if you’re using Crown Knights from the 2007 Castle theme for Gondorians — not bad in a pinch — and Dwarves from the 2008 Castle theme for your Dwarves, that mainly leaves Rohirrim and Hobbits as fleshies. Interesting. The two Anglo-Saxon-speaking populations.

[purpleparadox]

:)

are you knew lego user, or old one? (old not by age, by lego-playing:)

as an oldtimer when lego is in question, I prefer yellow, but I use every other color - if my bad guys can be grey, black, red and green, my good guys can be white or fleshy :)

And "oldtimers" like yellow because it reminds them of a childhood with lego, I would say ;)

Well...I got into Lego after the SW theme switched to fleshies. I didn't prefer either colour back then, so I'd be fine with the two mixed together. Now though, I like fleshies better. They seem more real and "alive" in a way. But this is off topic, so I'll stop now.

I can see why some might want to mix them as different races in Middle Earth. I'd never do that, I'd much rather stick to the colours that the characters actually are. But if you want to mix, I'd make the Elves flesh and the Men/Hobbits yellow because Elves are supposed to be fair skinned.

[Deathleech]

Both of Legolas’s expressions look angry to me.

I guess they both do look a little angry. The one side looks more stone faced to me, which is the expression Legolas has through most of the movies iirc. He rarely smiles, and when he does it's usually just a little grin.

[Legonardo]

Just found this on Flickr

Edited June 27, 2012 by Legonardo Davidy

[Shroffy123]

Just found this on Flickr

*snip*

That works well, except for Aragon's torso...show too much flesh

Edited June 27, 2012 by CorneliusMurdock
Don't quote pictures, please.

[Hive]

That works well, except for Aragon's torso...show too much flesh

The same goes for the hobbits.

Oh, and... what's up with Boromir's hair color?