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I laugh at the Ultimates, myself. Although I think Rayskull was right: That makes him more comedic than the others.

women.

I could think of a few that would greatly benefit from it, but I suppose no figure "desperately needs" dual molded limbs, in the same way that none of us "desperately need" minifigures or LEGO at all. As far as these things are concerned, the original issue to me was that they had released versions of characters with a lot of detail, then released essentially the same versions a year later without certain details. It felt like a deliberate downgrade from the previous minifigures. The production capacity issue makes more sense to me than simple exclusivity (although it explains why those sets are the ones that benefit from the limited resources). But when you have other regular sets featuring dual molding and arm printing that are coming out at the same time, it seems like it is becoming more normal. And if that is the case, why not keep the details that were removed from those that had them a year ago?

Fair enough. The production capacity issue hadn't come up in previous discussions, so I can see how that would be an issue. I doubt there's a master plan either. That's wonderful! Although if that's the case, why they wouldn't include it in the Star Wars sets coming out around the same time is beyond me. I sure hope so! It would only lead to a better all-around product for everyone!

That is a good idea. There are many non-Castle themes that have useful parts, from Nexo Knights to Star Wars.

costumed

I haven't heard these rumors. I've heard people saying they hope that it happens, but I have not heard rumors. I would doubt it would happen. At least for now.

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George

This is a great response. Thank you for presenting it in such a reasonable tone. You seem to have a lot more knowledge about their production capabilities than I do. On the first point, I completely agree. Not every minifigure needs these details. Some can certainly benefit from them, and it is these cases where such details would be appropriate that I am discussing. On the rest, I understand your points. This could mean that these types of advances could become more standardized in the future, as LEGO gains the ability to obtain more equipment to facilitate them. Essentially, patience is needed. Still, I find it strange that a highly detailed version of a character would have a less detailed version as it's successor. It works contrary to the way I perceive progress, and I guess that just really irks me.

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I agree with both of these statements. I was a big fan of the Satyr at first, and I still am, but I see myself buying more of this character for all of the potential he brings.

Backstory: When I was a youngster in the 80's, I was a very big fan of LEGO. I collected and built many sets, and had many minifigures. I used to regularly switch around pieces to make the best looking minifigures. This included swapping out everything from torsos, heads, and hands, to arms, legs, and hips. I was aware of every detail. I loved when new sets would come out that had minifigures with more advanced details than in previous sets. New head prints, beyond the standard smile, were a step forward for LEGO as a company. I grew away from LEGO in my teens and twenties as I explored other hobbies and interests. When I returned to LEGO in my thirties, I was happy to see that this progress never stopped. LEGO was now printing on the legs and backs of minifigures, and their prints were looking better than ever. And this has continued to the present day, with new developments like side leg printing, arm printing, and dual molded parts. The point: LEGO has made considerable progress in the way that they detail their minifigures. They are capable of so much more now than they were 20-30 years ago. They have increased their standards of design again and again, constantly creating more and more detailed minifigures. But they don't seem to use these techniques as often as I would expect. Leg and back printing have become commonplace, but the more recent advances of side leg printing, arm printing, and dual molding are seen less frequently. Is it because they are new techniques? We see these advances in Collectible Minifigures, in Dimensions, in polybags, and in larger sets. If they can use these new techniques, then why aren't more sets including them? For example, why is it that they have made very detailed versions of C-3PO and Boba Fett from Star Wars in 2015, both of which include highly detailed printing, only to make less detailed versions of the same characters the next year in 2016 that lack these advances? It would seem to me that this is a step backwards in progress, a regression, stepping away from the design apex that was set only a year earlier. Do others see it this way? Some have made the point that the idea is to make more detailed minifigures exclusive, bringing more incentive to spend on more expensive sets. Does this not reduce the incentive to spend on the sets with newer, less detailed minifigures? Others have made the point that it would make the sets more expensive if they would include these details. Would it really increase the cost enough to be a big factor in the overall set price? Conclusion: What is the general concensus of the people on Eurobricks? As LEGO advances their techniques, should they make these advanced printing and molding techniques a new standard for minifigures, or should they keep these more detailed minifigures as exclusives and incentives?

I am very happy to hear this, because it didn't seem like anyone here really did. I hope that this will happen. It seems that it wouldn't be that difficult, or even that expensive in comparison, to make these details the new standard. Minifigures without these kinds of features feel outdated. I disagree. And if this is in fact as true as you believe, then how can the printing on the arm make it superior enough to draw consumers to the UCS set? It can't only work one way. If one is superior, the other is, by definition, inferior. It is definitely true that LEGO is primarily intended for children. I remember when I was a child in the 80's, I would notice small things in the design of the minifigures, and I was able to appreciate the more advanced minifigures. When newer sets came out, I would notice how their techniques seemed to improve year after year, and as an adult I am excited by the fact that they have come as far as they have. But they seem to be holding themselves back, deliberately. I understand the marketing points that have been raised, but I find them feeble in comparison to the overall concept of progress, and making better and better products with each iteration. Yes, if I want it I can buy it. I can also see this trend and comment on it, in hopes that others might agree, and in hopes that LEGO might see fit to make these kinds of details regularly. I am saying that anything that is not the very best of their capabilities is not as good. That's an obvious point, and there's a definite distinction there. How much more expensive is it for them to make minifigures to these standards? I doubt it is enough to bring a serious increase in price. My argument is that they shouldn't be special. I feel it is an unnecessary restriction. There is definitely a cost associated with the extra printing, but I strongly doubt it would be that much of an increase. I understand the desire to include something unique, but I feel that there are likely other ways that they can do this that don't involve making their future sets less desirable. I am seeing it as LEGO intentionally lessening the quality of smaller sets, as that is essentially what they are doing. This is a discussion for another time and place. It has definitely outlasted its purpose here, so I will continue this elsewhere. I'm just surprised that every response I've gotten has been negative. I would have thought that there would be more people who feel the same as I do about this.

This is very nice. I'd love to see the alternate builds RC would make! Good job!

Great review, as usual, WhiteFang! Thanks for continually taking the time to review these in such detail, and with such a fun attitude. There are several minifigures here that I plan to get, and that's exciting. For me, this is the best series since 12 and 13, which were both wonderful in what they offered. I'm quite happy that he is abundant, as I buy these figures because I like them, not because they can be sold later at a markup. While it's been said before that there were 14 knights in the original Castle set, there has also already been a knight in the CMF series. Just use 14 Heroic Knights and you'll be set!

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Yes and no. Yes, because it does happen to be a classic Castle sword. No, because it just has a much better aesthetic. It isn't as ridiculously bulky. It doesn't have the trans neon red orange insert. It looks like a typical sword rather than a science fiction weapon. It's chrome.

I prefer the first concept sword. I think all 4 swords pictured are on the large side in scale.

But this is arm printing. It is understandable that those upgrades would mean a large increase in cost in a car, but I don't see how that applies to arm printing on a small plastic minifigure. I'll agree that it is nice to get something exclusive with a more expensive set. A minfigure is appropriate for that, but surely there's a better way than deliberately making all subsequent variants to a lesser standard.

I appreciate this reasoned response. However, I'd also like to point out that the upcoming Dimensions set with Venkman will only cost $30 in USD, and that minifigure has arm printing. I will also concede that this version is in the more expensive Level Pack rather than the cheaper Fun Packs, but it's still worth noting that they often release minifigures to these upgraded standards in sets well below the $50 range. I believe that minifigures with more printing are of a higher quality, and that LEGO should utilize these resources more often, even in less expensive sets.

OK now, there's no need to be snide. I'm a fan of LEGO, and I would like to see better LEGO in the future. What's wrong with that?

Andromeda