Cutty

Mmh! I like the overall appeal of this line. Upon seeing the finalised versions though, I feel there's too little variation of figs. Especially between the stand-alone figures and those of the boxed sets. There practically the same! Leaves me a little disappointed. It would have been nice to get some generic skeletons without much deco for army-building. Getting myself some ice-dragons doesn't sound so good anymore considering I'd have multiple skelly-jesters I do not need... Even more so, since I already did some custom ones I like MUCH better than this line's. But that is just one example off the top of my head. Conclusion: Nice line with nice parts and figs, but too little variation between figs!

Yeah great! Just push out all the big news on my busy 8am - 10pm days Joking of course! Finalised pics, yeah! Gotta get me some of those small and medium sized ones for sure. The winged and anubis mummies look especially awesome! And a bunch of black kopesh are a welcome addition to my armoury! On a further note: Seeing the torso and face designs of the human figs in this line I come to think, that the supposed "cowboy" of the first collectable figs line would fit in perfectly as a trigger-happy companion to the bunch here... was he a teaser for this line after all? Good times!

I like them all but take them with a grain of salt. Now that I've seen the finalised versions of series 3's figures I feel relieved, actually, that I do not want any of them in bulk, unlike series 2's hoplite. Multiples of some of them (space villain, hula girl, race car driver, gorilla!...) are appreciated though. Each of them, and even if it was only for faces, got enough character to them Some improvement I'd add customly would be short legs in black for the gorilla (face it, real gorillas have short legs). The only gripe with these would be the elf. I'm into fantasy and still cherish the Castle line's approach to it. Yet this elf doesn't quite fit in. It begins with his hair, which I don't find to be very elvish, continues with his stern expression (see hairdo!) and doesn't stop with that way-too-elaborate stag-head heraldry. And even though I thought of him and her to be useless: I got plans to merge rapper's torso and tennis player's legs to get an awesome white tunic for antiquity mocs. All in all there's enough cool pieces (hula girl's hair! fantastic piece finally in black! tennis player's hair! awesome in dark red! return of samurai armour! gorilla mask! silver peg-leg!) to get me into buying them. Even w/o modes of individually identifying them pre-purchase, this set is strong enough to captivate me! Good times! p.s.: Now that I rethink it, mupltiple mummies would be welcome ;-)

Yay for the new great mummy design! Awesome LEGO! Well, but that WAS kind of a no brainer in the first place, given WHEN the first leaked catalogue pictures hit the fora. I am calling all those who believed what they saw on the leaked pics to be the finalised designs naive... and that's being polite.

This line will be parts fodder galore! All those nice skeletons are going to back up my Castle-skeleton-army. And the new style skeletons definitely scream to be commanders or individuals with personality or something along these lines. Then the Ice-dragon. I like it, yet wished it was more like Castle's dragons. The system-and-bionicle construction feels like a major step back into Vikings' time. Although I loved that theme for figs and parts, the monsters were... lacking. Why repeat old flaws? Still I'll hold back on my FINAL final decision to invest into bigger sets, as the pics we got are prelims in some cases for sure (the black castle!).

My inner child's voice first shouted: YAY! And my rationality answered: NOOO! Why? Because this most likely means we will finally see MMV replaced by another big castle themed exclusive set. Now I really need to get me one or two additional MMVs before they are gone forever... Besides: Why did TLC take such a LOOOONG time to get some paint onto animals. I mean come on! It has been overdue for long.

Hehe, Skeleton bike attack... with ninjas! What's not to love there? If there are more skeletons in this line, I'd gladly add them to my castle collection. More skeletons are alwalys helpful. The ninja stuff is a nice bonus then!

Protection - Massive Attack Beautiful and timeless. I imagine that if all kids got taught the lyrics of this particular song instead of bible-verses or quoran-suras, the world might actually become a better place than that living hell it is right now. Yeah, you lot, I AM a dreamer...

No, it just would look like a supposed spartan king wearing red speedos. May I contibute a suggestion? Add a standard-issue Lego rubber band in black to perfect Frank Miller's representation of a spartan hoplite's uniform? Attach it to wrap around either arm, add a singular twist, forming a "X"-shape on the back and attach the other side similar to wrap around the other arm. Thus the graphic novel's, as well as the corresponding movie's, imagining of spartan "war"-drobe would be completed. (And that black queen-hairdo from this year's Kingdoms advent-calendar couldn't hurt to represent a Leonidas figure...with the braid encircling the forehead and all...) Be well all, Cutty

Well, there's always the joy in looking at a very beautiful figurine to be had. I still marvel at the sublime aesthetics of TLC's hoplite-helmet design every time I open another bag. And of course I am overjoyed to just behold the sight of my (as of now) 65 trusty little "dontchadaref@ckwithme!"-attitude little ABS-warriors in perfect unison standing in line... And contrary to my initial plans, I haven't dissected any single one so far for mocing. And I do not see any reason to not do so, really. As for short statements: with the hoplite figure, minifigure-design has reached its apex for me. These little fellas have greatly changed my concept of what's "classic" in terms of Lego. By far! Maybe the collectable hoplite will stand out as the point of reference to which every other future minifigure needs to be measured. Call it outlandish, yet for me it is as it is. At least for now. My humble advice? Just enjoy them in any way they could possibly be enjoyable to you. With all the consequence! Be well all! Cutty edit: having retroactively read fred67's post above I might add that even my sister, adult and significantly more grounded in physical reality than me, did specifically ask me to get her a bat-lord/vampire figure when she was tagging along while I "plundered" another TRU today. These figures HAVE an impact on ordinary people, I reckon, given my sister is more of a anti-Lego person to begin with...

[sarcasm]Yeah right. If you get me a canister of gasoline and a box of matches I might consider doing that. That'd be proper sunday morning entertainment![/sarcasm] Seriously, what is it with religious people nowadays? @topic: I'd like to have your thoughts on whether the existing two sets of collectible minifigures could be sorted into some subthemes. We definitely got the circus-trend with the clown, magician, and ringmaster. We got sports covered with the cheerleaders, wrestler, surf-dude, weightlifter, karateka and skier. Then theres the somehow "historic" characters: caveman, ninja, western-gunslinger, hoplite and pharaoh. Next up the civilians: skater-boy, nurse, archaeologist, life guard-babe, police-officer, female popstar and disco-dude. Fantasy and sci-fi get robot, zombie, spaceman, forestman, wicked witch and bat-lord. But where do the other ones fit it? Is the pantomime more of a civilian or a circus member? Or the crash test dummy. Is such a set of categories even warranted or rather dysfunctional? Lets hear your thoughts!

Some of your suggestions sound very nice Klaus-Dieter! I'm especially fond of that "arabian knight" idea. However some sound rather redundant, don't they? The city line already has that postman you desire. The more civilian ideas you had could work, though: a gardener with a (new mold) watering can and flowers, the cat-lady with two (new mold or at least printed) cats, and a little child would be awesome. I'd want to exchange that skipping-rope for a (new mold) bunny/hare and a carrot. A mother like femifig with a (new mold) "babyfig" (NOT those game-microfigs!) and perhaps a stroller would be the bomb! A very good opportunity to reintroduce this useful net and a (new mold) butterfly perhaps could be a child on the hunt for, well, butterflies or an entomologist looking for that rare species of insect still missing from his collection. As for histoy based figures: I'd like an updated viking, badly! With an accurate (hornless!) helmet with nose-/faceguard. Or a "Braveheart"-like highland warrior. An additional knight of either a completely new faction or an updated classic-faction would be spruce as well. That medieval damsel could be great also, even more so if she sported that old pointy hat of the classic-times and a changable hairdo. Can't comment on your wishes for more "western" figures as those are entirely not my glass of beer! Space! Perhaps a reworked "Blacktron"-agent as a complementary figure to series 1's updated "classic"-spaceman? Or a bold new concept altogether: Remember those floating big-eyed robots in the movie "The Black Hole"? Something like these could be released in the line, if done right, perhaps... whether they'd count as a "minifigure" is subject to interpretation, though. The zoo/circus trend needs to be strenghtened: Some generic trapeze/"flying" acrobats would work great in multiples and make for fantastic play-value. Add some colourful ball-parts in and you'd have a juggler, same for some sort of juggling-club. Sadly the stiffness of a fig's physique doesn't allow for a good measure of contortionism, so a contortionist isn't likely, yet be cool. I'll leave it at that for now, as most of these ideas would better be off in that "what figs are we missing"-thread. However, these would be some wishes I'd rather have in a wave 4 of collectible minifigs. btw: Another wall of text. That's me on a boring sunday morning...

Well "Tron" is not that killer-franchise devoted fans make it out to be. Most members of TLC's target audience might not even KNOW "Tron" simply because they'd be most likely to young to have seen it. And, and this is speaking for german television only, the movie doesn't get the love and reruns as I would like it to have. And one should not overestimate AFOLs' sense for nostalgia! Especially if a potential first wave of a "Tron"-line is centered around a new movie coming out, which works with updated visuals and characters. Who of the old fans would buy these? Kids who like the new film might get off on those, though! If TLC released "Tron"-sets based on the old movie, yeah. That'd be even me walking into the store getting me some lightcycles and tanks and whatnot... And on an entirely different subject: I really do doubt the aesthetics of either incarnation of "Tron" would transport well into the brick medium. Many people tried their hands on custom figures for the line. And in my very humble opinion, not even ONE of them got it right. And then there's this whole "two worlds" conundrum. Would you release an equal amount of sets for "real world" and the "computer world"? Or focus on the latter, leaving out some chief-characters altogether? I think well-accepted franchises like POTC transfer better into desirable sets than "Tron". My two €-cents...

Hehe! That's so cool! Great job on that movie poster! I especially like those weird 50's like catchphrases you so perfectly used in "You will be amazed!" And the usage of the robot is just fantastic! Your poster shows once again what potential those collectible minis have! On a further note: It looks very professionally done! You wouldn't work in advertising, would you? Thanks for poster... um, I mean "posting"!

Mmmh. Seems I'm late to the party again, but anyway. While this collectible-game stuff sounds, well, "new" I'd say everything with ninjas deserves some interest on my part. Even if it turns out to be just another "parts-mine"-line.

I got six of them today and find nothing on them I could even remotely complain about. The leg-/hip-print being off was far more serious with series 1's caveman figure and, at least to my eye, is also more prevalent on the surfer-dude's shorts. The only let down is this mode of printing not allowing for distinctive action poses. If the printing would at least cover the legs' upper part the figure would increase in appeal like a 1000%! This is valid for all figures with extensive leg print, though.

So my partner was anxious to go on a shopping excursion to a neighbouring town today and I used the opportunity to collect some series 2 swag from local toy sellers. First was a department store where I was unlucky, as two out of three hoplites were gone already from the single box standing next to the cash register. So I took the last one and a fine collection of figs including one witch, the surf-dude, one pantomime, the mariachi-dude, the singer-girl, the wicked witch, the bat-lord, a weightlifter and the judoka/karateka. I eagerly opened them as we got to rest at a nearby lake. And what could I say? Very, very cool figures indeed! Next was a smaller toy shop located next to the city's main plaza. As I got to the (already worked over) box, the two ladies at the counter raised a brow or two as I started checking barcodes with my trusty list, which has already been in my wallet ever since they got online ^^. I went about checking codes for about five minutes before the younger employee took a heart to ask what I was doing. So I explained the trick to these nice ladies (as I did with some department store employees when series 1 came out) and at first they didn't think that would work. However they admitted not to be knowing what the seemingly unused second barcode was used for. Luckily (at least for me, not so much for future customers ^^) the younger caught "fire", so to speak, and wanted to try for herself at the same time telling, they had a single unopened box still in stock. Knowing there only had been two hoplites left in the opened box I was anxious to lay hands at the still "vestal" one. She fetched the glorious hoplite-container and I quickly hunted them down. After the monetary transaction was done, as promised, I fished a random bag out of the ten I got and handed it over so she could check the barcode. According to list it had to be another surfer-dude. Both ladies were still sceptical whether it would work or no. Upon her opening the bag however and gazing at the slender silhouette of a brand new shiny surfboard their expressions changed from scepticism to utter awe! I allowed them to copy the list in their office for their keeping (and showing their equally uninformed boss ^^). End of the game was me walking out of the store with an additional ten bags of series 2 goodness. And a big fat grin chiseled into my face ;-) Swag for the day: 6 hoplites, 3 pantomimes, 3 surfer-dudes, 2 singer-girls, 1 mariachi-dude, 1 wicked witch, 1 bat-lord, 1 life guard-babe, 1 weightlifter and 1 judoka/karateka. Very lucky me indeed! ^________________________________^ (<- Big grin galore!) Edit: forgot to erase some bottom-paged notes!

Mhh. I'm not really overwhelmed by these news. The movies, especially the first one, were enjoyable to a point. LEGO-wise I hope for the first ever chinese straight swords in this line, however this will only happen if they do POTC3 sets and think of arming Ms. Knightley's character appropriately. That is everything I wish for in the long term. Everything else is going to be passed up shelf space to me.

Well there goes all of your scepticism regarding the info I posted in the Minifigures-discussion-thread. So much for it all being BS and hype and cries for attention.

Unlikely to be BS, as he appears as a forum regular and well respected member of 1000steine's community. He is way above that kind of attention-whoring.

Not much to add to the overall appraisal. I just love the interiors and overall crowdy feel to that creation. Sadly I've never been to HK before, but judging by photographs this street scene captures the look and atmosphere of that metropolis perfectly. The insertion of random figures from variyng lines is just like the extra cream-topping on an already perfect cake!

Remember: Up until this point "olli" at 1000steine is only accountable for what he remembers. So anything left on our parts is speculation. My initial ideas regarding the gorilla go into the: - new head mold, similar to Spongebob's Sandy, Squidward and Mr. Krabbs heads - HP's shark head (perhaps for a guy in a gorilla COSTUME?) - a headpiece similar to the Atlantis shark-warrior direction. I myself would actually prefer a costumed guy as long as the final figure does NOT LOOK costumed. Reasons: possible new head print, possibility to get rid of unused printless heads from the bin.

Okay, here's new speculation-fodder for the masses. User "olli" from 1000steine.de claims to have had a glimpse at a picture of next year's wave 3 of collectible minifigs. He states to remember here (text is in german) that we do get: - a gorilla - a hula-girl - a native-american chief - an alien He says that he does NOT remember the missing 12 figures of wave 3, given that it was apparently a printed picture of lesser quality. Also there is no known access to any of these pics as of now! So DO NOT ask for them. They do not exist as of now. He did NOT specify as to how individual figures are going to look, what kinds of accessories go along with them or any further details. Edit: Forgot to mention that in the same post the user states there'll be a wave 4 in the first half of 2011. Also the gorilla-info is found two posts before the one I put the link to above.

In fact I do not see any "surge" quality or a special increased demand. The lack of accessibility to individual minifigs appears to me as a shortcoming on TLC, which is based on underestimation regarding the 'figs overall popularity. I did however state that in paraphrase in my first post here...

Okay, one member at 1000steine.de got 4 figures early at Legoland Billund stating that Series 2's release in Denmark was scheduled for august. At least that's what the local catalogue seems to be telling. He confirmed the following spares for his figs: - extra maraca for the mariachi-dude (3 total) - extra gold-trophy for the martial artist (2!) And sadly these are NOT early out in Germany. Consider me the first to be thick into the heat of department-store jungles to get my share of hoplites ;-) From what I was told by several stores' employees we'll see them in september. This might just as easily translate to mid-/late-august as well *jitters in anticipation*