A few weeks ago, my wonderful wife found (and bought) me ten different packs of LEGO Series 15 Collectible minifigures. She simply grabbed ten packs off of the rack - and as some sort of amazing luck would have it, she managed to land me ten different figures! In all of my time buying figures, I've never witnessed such great luck! I should probably have her buy all my minifigure packs from here on out!
Anyhow, since I now own ten of the sixteen figures in the set, I thought it would be fun to take a look and provide a review of the series (or at least of what I own from the series). I'll also provide feedback for the figures I don't own using the sell sheet to form my opinions!
LEGO Series 15 Collectible Minifigures - REVIEW
Farmer
We begin our tour through Series 15 with the Farmer. The Farmer is notable for a couple of reasons, but mostly because he comes with a pig as an accessory (as well as a pitchfork). As a kid, I always loved the pitchfork piece (I owned exactly one pitchfork back then) so that particular tool will forever hold a special place in my heart. As for the figure itself, I like the dual colored legs - the brown boots are perfect for a farmer. The overalls look really good as well (though most farmers would probably opt for a darker shade of denim so as to hide the dirt longer). All said, this is a great minifigure - and one that I'd be happy to land duplicates of in the future. My score: 5/5.
Astronaut
When I first saw the images for Series 15, there were a number of minifigures that I wanted...but perhaps none more so than the Astronaut. Once again, LEGO has done an excellent job of reminding me of my childhood - classic 1980s space stuff is how I got hooked on LEGO! Without the flag, this minifigure would have been pretty great...but with the classic space logo flag? This one's an instant hit! My score: 5/5.
Frightening Knight
Back when I was a kid, I had two favorite LEGO genres: Space and Castle. In Series 15, LEGO managed to give a nice throwback to both of my favorites with the Astronaut and now the Frightening Knight. Unfortunately, the Knight doesn't quite hit all the same marks for me as the Astronaut did. For starters, the shield is a new design (I would have loved a new figure for my Black Knights army). Furthermore, the color scheme of the Knight is closer to the Forestman (or maybe Dark Forestman) than any other historical faction but the Forestmen never had any knights in their ranks (they were a sneaky bunch based more on Robin Hood than King Arthur). I don't actually own the Frightening Knight yet but I will say that I definitely want it despite him not fitting in well with my childhood sets. My score: 4.5/5.
Clumsy Guy
Now that I have my own LEGO City layout in my house, I always look forward to the newest Collectible Minifigure Series with the hopes that there will be some new, unique figures for my City. Luckily, Series 15 delivered in this respect as well giving me this Clumsy Guy (plus a couple of other figures that we'll get to shortly). The Clumsy Guy is actually perfect for my City since I only recently completed my first custom building - a LEGO hospital! The Clumsy Guy was one of the figures that my wife bought me - and since then I've worked out a trade with a blog reader to acquire a second copy of Clumsy Guy (gotta have some patients for my hospital)! My score: 5/5.
Tribal Girl
At one point, I own the Tribal Chief from Series 3 - but I ended up trading that to my brother a number of years ago. The Tribal Girl happens to go perfectly with the Tribal Chief - perhaps that's their baby that she is holding? In terms of the minifigure itself, it's perfectly fine but I don't personally have much use for the figure. I do like the baby, the first such LEGO baby created if I'm not mistaken (though there will be a baby figure in a new LEGO City summer set I think). My score: 3/5.
Flying Warrior
Another figure that I don't yet own, the Flying Warrior appears to be made of gold. It must be said that this figure actually contains quite a few different pieces (seven not counting the head, torso, or legs)! I think for fans of mythological LEGO themes, this is a great figure. I plan to visit Greece again next summer so perhaps this figure will provide me with some building inspiration as I prepare for my trip! My score: 4.5/5.
Faun
Every set has to have a least favorite minifigure - and for me that figure was almost Faun. The figure is half man, half goat according to Greek mythology...and in fact, it's the Greek mythology tie that actually saves this figure from being my least favorite! His only accessory is a simple brown pole with some black dots painted on it (his flute). In my opinion, this is one of the lamest parts selection - and couple that with Faun's goat legs and you've got a minifigure that is very much one dimensional. My score: 1/5.
Animal Control Officer
After the disappointing Faun, we quickly recover with the eighth minifigure in the set: the wonderful Animal Control Officer. This is the second minifigure that comes with an animal as an accessory, though I imagine the skunk is a less desirable animal to get in bulk as compared to the Farmer's pig. What really makes the Animal Control Officer great though is her printing. She's rocking a lovely short sleeve shirt complete with animal control badge (there's a raccoon on it) that I love. She also has a large net - though actually the net really isn't large enough to hold the skunk in any sort of believable way! Even so, I love this figure - another instant hit in my book. My score: 5/5.
Janitor
The Janitor is another one of the six minifigures that I'm still missing - which is too bad since he fits in wonderfully in my City layout. It must be said that his mop isn't the most exciting accessory ever - but it's also the first LEGO mop that I've ever seen so maybe it's more exciting than I give it credit for. My score: 4/5.
Ballerina
The ballarina is probably the toughest minifigure for me to rate. On the one hand, it's a perfect representation of a ballerina complete with sparkly flowers in her hair and a nice ruffle piece for her skirt. On the other hand, the figure has no real accesories and the flowery hair piece virtually ruins her for parting out for other purposes. I guess it suffices to say that this figure isn't for me but I can't deny that it does its job for what it is. My score: 2/5.
Laser Mech
I mentioned further up that I love classic space. Unfortunately, I don't feel any sort of attachment to this futuristic space that LEGO sometimes tries to shove into the various Collectible Minifigure Series. For me the Laser Mech is pretty much pointless - and his blue (laser?) sword is much too flimsy for my liking. My score: 1/5.
Kendo Fighter
This is the fifth figure (out of six) that I'm still missing...but this is also the figure that I worked out a trade for so I should have it in my possession soon enough. I can't say that I'm entirely excited about it (although than the obvious "one step closer to completing the set"). I do like the headpiece, though again I'm not sure how useful the piece will be outside of this particular character. My score: 2/5.
Shark Suit Guy
Lovingly referred to as "Left Shark" thanks to Katy Perry's Superbowl performance last year, the Shark Suit Guy is adorably awesome. I think LEGO knows that people love minifigures in animal costumes - and from what I've seen the Shark Suit guy has already proven to be incredibly popular. Personally, I'm ecstatic that my wife was able to procure this one from a loose pack because if history is any indication, no one wants to trade the costumed minifigures (after all, I still need the Gorilla Suit guy from Series 3, the Chicken Suit guy from Series 9, the Bumblebee Girl from Series 10, AND the Unicorn Girl from Series 13)! My score: 5/5.
Wrestling Champion
It's not every day you get a LEGO figure with a mullet...but it's also not every day that you get a Wrestling Champion! I was never a fan of professional wrestling but even I can admit that this figure is everything that 80s wrestling used to be... It's not for me, but it's another example of a perfect figure for what it is. The biggest difference between the Wrestler and the Ballerina (another figure that was perfect for what it was) is that the Wrestler has some useful parts outside of the figure itself (the mullet hair piece is obviously great and you can use trophies in a lot of different scenarios). My score: 3/5.
Jewel Thief
The Jewel Thief is the final figure that I don't own. Given how common crooks are in regular LEGO City sets, I can't say that this figure interests me much at all. Not even her grappling gun can save her in my book. I wish that LEGO would have included another City figure that wouldn't be likely to be included in a classic City set (such as the Judge or Plumber from previous Series). My score: 1/5.
Queen
Finally, we end with the Queen - a great medieval minifigure! I love her extra wide dress piece (so much better than the usual slope dress piece). I also like her cape and crown - she's pretty much perfect for a Queen! My score: 5/5.
Overall, I would say that Series 15 is a wonderful series of figures. In fact, it might be one of my top two or three overall series. Other than the Jewel Thief, I would say that the figures are all well thought out - and most of them have useful pieces (or are entirely wonderful on their own). Now I just need to track down those last few figures...and maybe an extra farmer and astronaut! If you happen to want to work out a trade, here's my full want list!
Anyhow, since I now own ten of the sixteen figures in the set, I thought it would be fun to take a look and provide a review of the series (or at least of what I own from the series). I'll also provide feedback for the figures I don't own using the sell sheet to form my opinions!
LEGO Series 15 Collectible Minifigures - REVIEW
Farmer
We begin our tour through Series 15 with the Farmer. The Farmer is notable for a couple of reasons, but mostly because he comes with a pig as an accessory (as well as a pitchfork). As a kid, I always loved the pitchfork piece (I owned exactly one pitchfork back then) so that particular tool will forever hold a special place in my heart. As for the figure itself, I like the dual colored legs - the brown boots are perfect for a farmer. The overalls look really good as well (though most farmers would probably opt for a darker shade of denim so as to hide the dirt longer). All said, this is a great minifigure - and one that I'd be happy to land duplicates of in the future. My score: 5/5.
Astronaut
When I first saw the images for Series 15, there were a number of minifigures that I wanted...but perhaps none more so than the Astronaut. Once again, LEGO has done an excellent job of reminding me of my childhood - classic 1980s space stuff is how I got hooked on LEGO! Without the flag, this minifigure would have been pretty great...but with the classic space logo flag? This one's an instant hit! My score: 5/5.
Frightening Knight
Back when I was a kid, I had two favorite LEGO genres: Space and Castle. In Series 15, LEGO managed to give a nice throwback to both of my favorites with the Astronaut and now the Frightening Knight. Unfortunately, the Knight doesn't quite hit all the same marks for me as the Astronaut did. For starters, the shield is a new design (I would have loved a new figure for my Black Knights army). Furthermore, the color scheme of the Knight is closer to the Forestman (or maybe Dark Forestman) than any other historical faction but the Forestmen never had any knights in their ranks (they were a sneaky bunch based more on Robin Hood than King Arthur). I don't actually own the Frightening Knight yet but I will say that I definitely want it despite him not fitting in well with my childhood sets. My score: 4.5/5.
Clumsy Guy
Now that I have my own LEGO City layout in my house, I always look forward to the newest Collectible Minifigure Series with the hopes that there will be some new, unique figures for my City. Luckily, Series 15 delivered in this respect as well giving me this Clumsy Guy (plus a couple of other figures that we'll get to shortly). The Clumsy Guy is actually perfect for my City since I only recently completed my first custom building - a LEGO hospital! The Clumsy Guy was one of the figures that my wife bought me - and since then I've worked out a trade with a blog reader to acquire a second copy of Clumsy Guy (gotta have some patients for my hospital)! My score: 5/5.
Tribal Girl
At one point, I own the Tribal Chief from Series 3 - but I ended up trading that to my brother a number of years ago. The Tribal Girl happens to go perfectly with the Tribal Chief - perhaps that's their baby that she is holding? In terms of the minifigure itself, it's perfectly fine but I don't personally have much use for the figure. I do like the baby, the first such LEGO baby created if I'm not mistaken (though there will be a baby figure in a new LEGO City summer set I think). My score: 3/5.
Flying Warrior
Another figure that I don't yet own, the Flying Warrior appears to be made of gold. It must be said that this figure actually contains quite a few different pieces (seven not counting the head, torso, or legs)! I think for fans of mythological LEGO themes, this is a great figure. I plan to visit Greece again next summer so perhaps this figure will provide me with some building inspiration as I prepare for my trip! My score: 4.5/5.
Faun
Every set has to have a least favorite minifigure - and for me that figure was almost Faun. The figure is half man, half goat according to Greek mythology...and in fact, it's the Greek mythology tie that actually saves this figure from being my least favorite! His only accessory is a simple brown pole with some black dots painted on it (his flute). In my opinion, this is one of the lamest parts selection - and couple that with Faun's goat legs and you've got a minifigure that is very much one dimensional. My score: 1/5.
Animal Control Officer
After the disappointing Faun, we quickly recover with the eighth minifigure in the set: the wonderful Animal Control Officer. This is the second minifigure that comes with an animal as an accessory, though I imagine the skunk is a less desirable animal to get in bulk as compared to the Farmer's pig. What really makes the Animal Control Officer great though is her printing. She's rocking a lovely short sleeve shirt complete with animal control badge (there's a raccoon on it) that I love. She also has a large net - though actually the net really isn't large enough to hold the skunk in any sort of believable way! Even so, I love this figure - another instant hit in my book. My score: 5/5.
Janitor
The Janitor is another one of the six minifigures that I'm still missing - which is too bad since he fits in wonderfully in my City layout. It must be said that his mop isn't the most exciting accessory ever - but it's also the first LEGO mop that I've ever seen so maybe it's more exciting than I give it credit for. My score: 4/5.
Ballerina
The ballarina is probably the toughest minifigure for me to rate. On the one hand, it's a perfect representation of a ballerina complete with sparkly flowers in her hair and a nice ruffle piece for her skirt. On the other hand, the figure has no real accesories and the flowery hair piece virtually ruins her for parting out for other purposes. I guess it suffices to say that this figure isn't for me but I can't deny that it does its job for what it is. My score: 2/5.
Laser Mech
I mentioned further up that I love classic space. Unfortunately, I don't feel any sort of attachment to this futuristic space that LEGO sometimes tries to shove into the various Collectible Minifigure Series. For me the Laser Mech is pretty much pointless - and his blue (laser?) sword is much too flimsy for my liking. My score: 1/5.
Kendo Fighter
This is the fifth figure (out of six) that I'm still missing...but this is also the figure that I worked out a trade for so I should have it in my possession soon enough. I can't say that I'm entirely excited about it (although than the obvious "one step closer to completing the set"). I do like the headpiece, though again I'm not sure how useful the piece will be outside of this particular character. My score: 2/5.
Shark Suit Guy
Lovingly referred to as "Left Shark" thanks to Katy Perry's Superbowl performance last year, the Shark Suit Guy is adorably awesome. I think LEGO knows that people love minifigures in animal costumes - and from what I've seen the Shark Suit guy has already proven to be incredibly popular. Personally, I'm ecstatic that my wife was able to procure this one from a loose pack because if history is any indication, no one wants to trade the costumed minifigures (after all, I still need the Gorilla Suit guy from Series 3, the Chicken Suit guy from Series 9, the Bumblebee Girl from Series 10, AND the Unicorn Girl from Series 13)! My score: 5/5.
Wrestling Champion
It's not every day you get a LEGO figure with a mullet...but it's also not every day that you get a Wrestling Champion! I was never a fan of professional wrestling but even I can admit that this figure is everything that 80s wrestling used to be... It's not for me, but it's another example of a perfect figure for what it is. The biggest difference between the Wrestler and the Ballerina (another figure that was perfect for what it was) is that the Wrestler has some useful parts outside of the figure itself (the mullet hair piece is obviously great and you can use trophies in a lot of different scenarios). My score: 3/5.
Jewel Thief
The Jewel Thief is the final figure that I don't own. Given how common crooks are in regular LEGO City sets, I can't say that this figure interests me much at all. Not even her grappling gun can save her in my book. I wish that LEGO would have included another City figure that wouldn't be likely to be included in a classic City set (such as the Judge or Plumber from previous Series). My score: 1/5.
Queen
Finally, we end with the Queen - a great medieval minifigure! I love her extra wide dress piece (so much better than the usual slope dress piece). I also like her cape and crown - she's pretty much perfect for a Queen! My score: 5/5.
Overall, I would say that Series 15 is a wonderful series of figures. In fact, it might be one of my top two or three overall series. Other than the Jewel Thief, I would say that the figures are all well thought out - and most of them have useful pieces (or are entirely wonderful on their own). Now I just need to track down those last few figures...and maybe an extra farmer and astronaut! If you happen to want to work out a trade, here's my full want list!
Even as of today I still am having a hard time finding the current series of Minifigures at local retail. It seems everyone still has tons of the Monster series.
ReplyDeleteI got 4 of 4 on the golden warrior, so I gave up and bought the ones I wanted on ebay :P
ReplyDelete