Collectable Minifigure Series 8 Revealed

 

  • Collectable Minifigure Series 8 Revealed

    Posted by yellowcastle, 13 Jul 2012 09:14. Filed under New sets.

    Brickipedia has posted what I believe to be the first pics of the Series 8 Collectable Minifigures.  Having only reviewed the batch briefly, I have to say that I'm a bit frustrated with the number of "retreads."  It appears that they just melded the S1 Robot and S3 Cyborg.  While the Manbat, Cheerleader and Alien would seem to just be color changes of existing figures, I do like the Bell Diver, Conquistador, Bavarian, Fairy, DJ and Cowgirl.

    What does everyone else think?  Seeing as how LEGO doesn't seem to want to waste any minifgure moulds, can anyone extrapolate potential new sets / themes from these figures?

    Thanks to Forum member Bilko for the headsup!

    Update: They've added more pics.  Thanks to Forum member andhe for the heads up!


    121 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by supersympa in Sweden, 13 Jul 2012 09:37

I am with you yellow castle!
Lack of imagination.
I think TLG should stop now, before it gets toooooo boring

Posted by Sabrejimmy in United States, 13 Jul 2012 09:39

Check out the vampire's arms. I think this is the first time I've seen a minifig's arms pointing outward like that.

Posted by UtarEmpire in United States, 13 Jul 2012 09:46

Shakespeare, Conquistador, and Alien Overlord are awesome, so I don't care. I'm in as long as they keep making sweet historical Minifigs.

Posted by NeilCrosby in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 09:46

Wow - the man bat's arms are definitely interesting, I'd not noticed those.

I love that Santa has a real hat, we've got a pretzel and an Elizabethan ruff. Also kind of excited about the chunky headphones on the DJ, and unless we get stickers for the first time, that record is printed. Also, yay bowler hat.

Posted by LostInTranslation in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 09:55

I like most of these, agreed that the robot thingy is a bit useless, and my faves are the same as yours Yellowcastle! :)

Edit - the pics of actual figures seem to have been removed from Brickipedia already? I tried the links once, they were gone, tried again and they were there, then a third time gone again?!

Posted by sharky in United States, 13 Jul 2012 09:55

Man bat arms are in the Castle set for Monster Fighters

Posted by stevesnas in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 09:56

Brill, when I saw Trader on the early description list - I hoped it would be a black bowler hatted one - and it is win!

Diver, Conquistador, bard also look alright - rest are a bit meh.

Posted by vwong19 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 09:56

I do not mind the red cheerleader since many people wanted a rival for the blue team. Overall I think this series up to par with previous and I will continue to collect. I know some people may not want it, but still would mind seeing another variation of

- baseball player with glove
- soccer player with ball

What color is the bag this time?

Posted by Gregorovich in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 10:00

^Black bags this time.

I like some better than I thought, but others are disappointing.

Fairy: I was really looking forward to this fig, but I'm pretty disappointed. First off, the dress! I was hoping she'd have a nice new dress printed slope, but she has a fabric skirt which is very similar to the Hula Girl's. Second, her colours don't really match at all - pink wand, lime skirt, aqua torso and blue wings? All that said, though, I do like the wings a lot, plus I don't own a star-wand yet. So I'll be getting her, but am still pretty disappointed.

Skier: I like this a lot more than I expected. The lavender torso is really nice and has a useful print. I think the haircolour is new in tan or dark tan, but it could be the same as the surfer's. I really like the colour scheme on this fig!

Evil Alien: Love this! I like how they've done her in the same style as AQ aliens, which makes her more useful. Cape is nice, plus I always like getting printed dresses.

Cowgirl: Slightly disappointed, but still fairly happy. Freckled female face is nice, torso is okay. I'd rather the hat didn't have the star, but overall it looks good.

Red Cheerleader: I know this figure will get a lot of hate, but personally I'm a big fan of it. Black hairpiece and nice face that will both be useful, plus a red cheerleader outfit is good for an opponent for the blue one. I don't like it as much as the S1 Cheerleader (she's my favourite CMF), but I'm still very happy to get this one.

Bavarian: Not too interested in this fig, but I think I must get it for the pretzel alone!

DJ: Really liking the printed tiles, plus a very nice civilian torso. The earphone hair will be useful too, but I hope it comes in more colours in future.

American Footballer: it would have been very nice to get an actual American football, but I really like the trophy. I'll get this figure for the trophy.

Businessman: Black bowler hat is quite nice, plus more suits are always good, as are more newspapers. I think I'll maybe get this, but only if I'm not really skint.

The rest don't interest me enough to get, but they all look pretty good. I think I like this series better than the previous one.

Posted by BigOnBricks in United States, 13 Jul 2012 10:15

Some are good, some are disappointing. It feels like they are running low on ideas. Maybe it's time to stop.

Posted by SilentMode in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 10:28

I will take: the thespian, fairy, cheerleader, cowgirl, DJ, businessman(?), the female skiier and of course Father Christmas. I'm actually quite stoked about this series, it's probably on a par with Series 4 and 7 (my favourites) - but until there are actual photos I will reserve further judgement.

Posted by Andhe in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 10:30

I said this in the forum but will share it here.

Out of 16 figs I can see 10 new parts/moulds (Alien cape, cowgirl hat? santa hat and sack? pretzel, diving bell, trophy cup? fairy wings, ruff, dj hair). This seems quite low compared to previous series where it felt like every fig had something new.

So I reckon we will see a new theme of "William Shakepeare: Champion Diver vs Alien Cowgirl: Pretzel DJ".

Posted by Gregorovich in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 10:30

Everyone complains about moulds being exclusive, but why does it matter? I prefer getting old moulds in new colours over unnecessary new moulds.

Posted by grandbuilder2001 in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 10:34

Wow!

Posted by Daiku in United States, 13 Jul 2012 10:44

I'm gunna need about 50 santas. that is all.

Posted by Renegade007cjh in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 10:45

The Alien Emperor dude looks very imposing - just the thing to lead my Alien Conquest army!

I like the Red Cheerleader (but the Cheerleader from Series 1 was one of my fave's so am slightly biased!) and the Diver with the Helmet is a novelty...

Roll on August / September!

Posted by Gandalf1 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 10:46

At least the football player is an actual football player! (As opposed to soccer.)

Oh, and I love that pretzel!

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 10:51

I'm very happy with them . I said months ago on the forum that I'd like a black bowler hat city gent, and an Elizabethan character with a ruff - so very happy there.

Alien - nice
Cowgirl - OK
Santa - great - proper hat
Conquistador - nice, will make a good leader for my black hat ones.
Bavarian - OK
Cheerleader - OK, good to have a second team - red vs blue
Diver - very nice old style
American Footballer - meh (but good to trade with US members)
Pirate - great
Fairly - not for me
Bowler hat - yes!
Elizabethan man - yes!
Robot - OK it is a reuse of parts, but that is good.*
DJ - OK
Bat - lovely!**
Skier - ugh.

* I like the re-issue of parts. The robot head is hard to get. I'd like to make a few different robots, but it is too expensive to get the helmet. Same with cheerleader, people that missed out can get the parts, people that already have it now have two teams.

** A cheaper way to get bats compared to the MF series.

Lots of winners in there for me.

Posted by homelesshomie in United States, 13 Jul 2012 10:55

Hopefully everyone on this thread realizes that the alien is actually The Alien Queen(Empress). She is the wife of the Alien Emperor from that one alien conquest set.

Posted by legoguysw in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 10:55

Gandalf1, "actual football" is not American football!
Having seen the pictures, I really think LEGO should stop the Collectible Minifigure series. Half of those are, literally, different versions of previous CMs. I can't think of one, other than the pretzel boy, that is original in any sense.

Posted by pstrickler27 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:03

Alien - Lame - rehash of Alien Conquest series
Cowgirl - Don't care for female figs
Santa - Still skinny - so lame
Conquistador - looks pretty good, but still not for me
Bavarian - I love it - because I am German - I'm sure others will not like it
Cheerleader - rehash and female - so super lame
Diver - The helmet could have been better - but it's ok I guess
American Footballer - where is his football?? dumb!
Pirate - We already have a million Lego pirates - rehash - don't like it
Fairy - Female (so I don't care for it) - the wings are interesting - but not for me
Bowler hat - I guess he's ok - pretty generic if you ask me - reminds of the gangster just with a bowler hat
Ancient Actor - I like this one - A lot of people were expecting a greek or roman - but he was what I pictures
Robot - lame lame lame!!! super rehash!
DJ - headphones are nice!!! so is the vinyl - but still he's not super
Bat - REHASH!!! hate it
Skier - again - a rehash and it's a female - so double the lame factor

I didn't want to flat out hate this series when I first saw the list of names - but now that I see pictures I can conclude that this is the worst series so far (IMO)

6 rehashes
4 that missed the mark
5 that are just ok
1 (the bavarian) that I am excited for - because of my heritage

Overall - WORST SERIES YET

Feel free to argue

Posted by Gregorovich in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 11:08

^^what do you mean, the pretzel boy is the only original one? Other than Jessie from Toy Story (who I don't really count as a minifigure), we've never had a Cowgirl before. We've also never had a Fairy, either, except the Keychain. American Footballer is completely new, we've never had one of them before. There's also not been a DJ I can think of. True, we've had plenty aliens before, but I don't believe we've ever had a proper Alien Empress.

So I believe we've actually got a few completely new concepts;) plus all the rest are still original, there's not one of them doesn't have a newly coloured, moulded or printed part on them.

Posted by Zacherano in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:13

Lego is starting to seriously disappoint me. Is this really the best they have to offer. Still, I am thankful as the CMFs seem no longer to be tugging on my wallet. I like the conquistador, Bavarian, man-bat, diver, alien, DJ, and Shakespeare playwright - and that's really it. Even some of those are just almost shameless repeats.

Posted by GIR 3691 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:17

There are a lot of good new things in this set, but the minifigures overall are totally underwhelming.

The best part of CMF is getting minifigures we wouldn't get elsewhere, like the Shakespearean actor, diving suit guy, German guy, or DJ. Here' we're getting mostly recolored variants of a lot of minifigures we already have.

The vampire guy is a perfect example. We got an identical minifig in Monster Fighters, but now here's another one... IN BLACK! The alien is straight out of Alien Conquest, which already had an alien leader. The Pirate is could have been in the pre POTC Pirates wave. There are just too many minifigures in this wave that we've seen already. It looks like they're running out of steam with ideas.

Posted by mission_zed in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 11:17

As individuals, the minifigs are not bad. Even as a Series there is a nice mix. But I don't get excited by the concept any more. I buy them for my six year old son, but his mother says I'm not allowed to give them to him too often. So I have a couple of dozen unopened bags from various series in a box under the bed. I cannot even be bothered to try feeling the bags and ditching the duplicates.

Personally, I'd prefer if Lego made the CMF less frequest, and therefore something special. Instead, they could re-use the molds for battle packs: a football team (American or Soccer) with different shirt numbers, a cheerleading squad with different hair and faces, a legion of Greek / Roman / Viking soildiers.

Or supplement their existing ranges. Civilians for the Forest Theme or Ninjago. Extra monsters for Alien Conquest or Atlantis. Jester or princess figures for Kingdom. Even Super Heros could get civilians, Security Guards or street thugs. I'm sure Spiderman and Batman spend plenty of time catching street crooks, as well as the super villains. This would be a great opportunity to cross-market.

But instead, I feel the Lego CMF sausage factory is creating very distinctive designs, which are pretty but nor playable, then re-colouring then a few months later to recoup the mold costs.

My two pennies.

Posted by krklint in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:24

working off yellowcastle's original question about what direction future non-CMF sets might be hinted at, within Series 8, we might be seeing:

1) a bit more cartoonish Pirate theme. The buck-tooth pirate face reminds me of a Spongebob Squarepants character.
2) Though I doubt a theme from Lego, I see a "club" theme (or maybe a comic con theme) within this series :) Music DJ, fairy, cowgirl... haha, I think I was at this club-party once!
3) With the addition of the Bavarian boy with pretsel, could we see a Mountain/Alpine-based City theme as a future direction? Or maybe a hint at the next Holiday Village set?
4) Also, the Diver be a hint to a deep-sea series of some sort? Just a thought.

Also, is the CMF with the helmet an American Footballer, or is he a Lacrosse player. The lack of shoulder pads makes me think that this is NOT a footballer, as listed at lego.wiki.com. What would be missing, though, is the Lacrosse stick.

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:24

Let me clarify....I don't mind new pieces in different colors. In fact, I appreciate them. What bugs me is that the CMF were presented to us as "Collectible" yet are being raided over and over for BAM bars, Calendars, new themes, new CMF series, etc. For example, I bought the MF Castle (at MSRP, doh) for a lot of reasons including but not limited to the "Manbats." It's a bit frustrating that I now know I could have just waited for CMF S8. I do think LEGO could reuse a number of these moulds for future CMF series but do it in such a way that wouldn't eviscerate previous series. For example, I'm fine with us getting a Good Cowboy, a Bad Cowboy and a Cowgirl because they each looked different and can be used together. The S1 Diver will work well with the S8 Diver and whatever new aquatic treasure hunting theme that's forthcoming. ;o) I'm even ok with getting a female version of the Surfer, Snowboarder, Caveman, etc as they work well together. But the cyborg robot, alien conquest alien and pirate (for example) bug me. As does the blatant use of some monster CMF in the MF theme. There seemed to be so much more creativity in previous series...serieses...serieseses....series. ;o)

I would be curious for a breakdown of how many new elements appeared in each series and how those elements were used later on in future LEGO sets and/or CMF series...serieses.... Anyone game?

Posted by Brickmeister1138 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:28

These look Excellent to me. The Thespian, Conquistador, the diver and Santa are at the top of my list!

The businessman is also very appealing to me because he reminds me of Mr. Arthur Pewtey and several other recurring characters in Monty Python's Flying Circus.

The only true rehashes I see here are the robot and cheerleader, both of which I am okay with. you need to to at least two versions of the cheerleader, since there are usuusually two teams in most of the American sports that use them, and the evil robot is just well done I think.

The Man-Bat fig may be a simple repaint of a Monster fighters fig, but the fig in question is in a 100 USD set, so this gives kids and AFOLs a chance to get the rather unique Bat Wing Arms in a cheaper manner, which I am grateful for.

I don't quite like it as much as series 7, but that only is because it had the Space Marine and the Bagpip-er (I am a Scot, so that was a particular favorite of mine).

@ yellowcastle: I know the bowler hat, microphone, ray gun, ponytail, Erlenmeyer Flask, Frankenstein's Monter Head piece, the elven bow, the highlander's sword, the mechanic's hair, the rapier, the Muskateer's hat, the spear, the syringe, the trophy and the gladiator's sword have appeared in the mainstream Lego Sets.

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:30

^ S7 is arguably the best ever.

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:35

Here's my first stab at this...

NEW?

Cowgirl hat
Diving bell helmet
Pretzel
Ruffles
DJ Earphone
Santa bag?

DIFFERENT COLOR?

gold conquistador hat
black cheerleader hair
red pom poms
blue football helmet
transblue fairy wings
gold pirate hook
gold pirate sword
transpurple fairy wand
purple snowboard

Posted by Brickmeister1138 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:39

Are the legs on the deep-seadiver a bit long or is it just me? I know they had weighted shoes, so they could have attached 2 1x1 plates to his feet, or I could be crazy.

Posted by MusicalBuff in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:48

I have a few things to say about this series:

1. I'm glad the "Ancient Thespis" fig is a Shakespearean one and not a Greek one like the name impressed upon me. They should've used a IJ:KoCS skull, though. That would've been fun.
2. I'm glad the Red Cheerleader has that hairpiece in black now. New colors are always good for me.
3. Female Skier looks pretty good because it has a new wintertime torso and a new colored hairpiece.
4. Fairy looks pretty much like I expected it, plus a new colored hairpiece.
5. Trader has a black bowler. That the best part of it.
6. I'm not sure what I expected with the Cowgirl, but it looks pretty good and has a hairpiece/headgear combo.
7. SANTA! Now I won't have to go looking for those Star Wars advent calendars with the special Santa torsos.
8. I had a feeling they would make an American Footballer when they brought out the Hockey Player. The parts (minus the puck, skates, and hockey stick) just seemed perfect for one. It follows the trend of all sports figs not including a ball for their sports.
9. DJ is kinda plain, but I like his hairpiece/headgear combo.
10. Manbat. Mmkay.
11. The diver looks pretty cool. I like the new helmet, and they put little squares on his feet.
12. I didn't get the Robot from series 1, but the new Evil Robot I think could've been better. They shouldn't have given it the same helmet.
13. The Conquistador looks pretty sweet in mostly gold armor.
14. I like the Pirate Captain's torso.
15. The Bavarian looks pretty neat. I enjoy the pretzel and the new colored hat.
16. The Female Alien I was expecting to be like some Star Wars alien, looking like a sexy bounty hunter or something. What they have is okay, I guess.

This series as a whole seems to use a darker color scheme than Series 7, which to me seemed to have many bright and/or white colors. This series does have a lot of repeats, but it's probably better that they did it now instead of earlier. I think the Shakespearean actor was a fan choice, so LEGO definitely listens to us (on some things). I hope the next series will have more females. I really want a Bride of The Monster fig eventually. I can't wait to see what's planned for next year.

Posted by Gregorovich in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 11:49

^^^the fairy wings are actually completely new. You also missed out the new Santa's hat, American Footballer's Trophy, plus the fairy's skirt and Alien's cape (but I don't know if you're counting fabric parts).

The Skier's haircolour is new, I'm pretty sure (it's either tan or dark tan), the Fairy's hair is new in medium nougat, the Alien's brain part is new in trans pink/purple, manbat's wings and headgear are new in black, Conquistador's armour is new in gold, Cowgirl's lasso in brown and lastly the bowler hat in black. ;)

Posted by Drake_bd in Belgium, 13 Jul 2012 11:52

I don't think the gold pirate hook is new. I also don't like this series that much...

Posted by legogeek in United States, 13 Jul 2012 11:59

As I stated in the forum... with a few added comments.

Well, I just have to say I like this series!

It's just as good as all the others.
I think many collectors of the CMF are getting spoiled and expecting too much.
Some have said there is a lack of creativity in this and recent series, however remember that when the CMF first came out this was a completely new thing. Now we've seen 8 series presented and some new set themes and it doesn't surprise me there is some crossover.
IMHO, this series has a nice assortment and range of figures that compliment a lot of past releases and sets.

A few comments on a few figs...

The Cheerleader - this is great! With anything sports related we need two color versions to signify two teams don't we? Thumbs-up from me!

Alien - a nice example for a supreme leader of the AC series... now he needs a wife/queen!

Robot - good mix of bits, even if there is a rehas of parts. Can't have enough robots to ravage the city! Variety is the spice of life!

I could go on with positive things for all the figs, but I won't.... just suffice to say I look forward to getting them all, and looking forward to the next series!

Posted by tamamahm in United States, 13 Jul 2012 12:02

I am happy. I have kids that love female mini-figs, a child obsessed with robots and aliens, and I love having 2 Christmas minis to go with my Christmas sets. Overall, we are just as pleased with this set as past sets.

The only figures we are 'meh' on are the pirate, football player, trader.

Posted by brickmatt in United States, 13 Jul 2012 12:05

I'm pretty sure the alien cape is just a recolor of Zurg's cape from the Toy Story theme.

Posted by mooslug in United States, 13 Jul 2012 12:12

The businessman/trader will make a good Dr Watson for the previous Sherlock Holmes CMF! And the hardhat diver is great. Agree with others about the man-bat rehash being a bummer (on top of that, with the recoloring it looks like the gorilla suit CMF sprouted wings).

I do feel like re-releasing variants of CMF from Series 1 is very much ok, since not many people were able to find that one, or started collecting long after it sold out. Thus the robot looks fun.

Posted by train_nut in United Arab Emirates, 13 Jul 2012 12:14

Yay! My wallet can rest for a brief moment, cos im so not interested in this set.

Posted by MusicalBuff in United States, 13 Jul 2012 12:26

@ legogeek That IS the alien queen.

Posted by Gray Ghost in United States, 13 Jul 2012 12:29

Very well I shall extrapolate, the fairy wings are clearly an indication of...killer moth (google him, you'll know)
;)

Posted by ickleb in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 12:30

think they will make a good edition to my ever growing mini figure collection, just got to work out where to buy or how to make my own frames as they have at Legoland Windsor.... Has anyone got any advice on the frames?

Posted by pitfall69 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 12:48

I personally don't care if Lego remakes figures in different colors or uses a combination of other minifigures to make "New" minifigures. I love Football and I wouldn't mind several in different colors, but with different accessories. Same thing with the Hockey Player from Series 4. With that said, I don't need more Cheerleaders. I love that they are making mote Aliens. I don't ever think that Lego will ever make every single alien/creature from the Star Wars universe, so I would like some "generic" aliens to populate the Cantina or Jabbas Palace.

Posted by Todd_Lawrence in Canada, 13 Jul 2012 12:52

Alien Conquest was the the theme that got me out of my LEGO 'Dark Age' so seeing that the female Alien is designed to fit seamlessly into that series has pleased me to no end (that and her lipstick. Very cute.).

All of Series 8 looks really cool to me. The Pirate, Thespian, Robot and Diver look great. The Vampire will make a great addition to my Monster Fighters sets. And I've been waiting for a chance to get that bowler hat in black or brown. Great set!

Posted by brianbatesd in United States, 13 Jul 2012 12:53

I'm not a completist by any means but looking forward to the Pirate and the DJ. Santa is well done but I don't think I'll grab him. Now if we could only get a Marvel minifigure series...

Posted by Modok in United States, 13 Jul 2012 13:11

It's odd to see the Alien Conquest mothership alien and the Monster Fighters vampire bat so soon after their initial release. I like the pirate captain and thespian, but overall it's not the most exciting series.

On a side note, Thinking With Portals passed 10,000 supporters on Cuusoo a little while ago.

Posted by Coolcomedian in Norway, 13 Jul 2012 13:15

It would be cool if they made a Star Wars minifigure series containing lots of stormtroopers, imperial guards, random aliens, rebels, snowtroopers, droids, etc. I would buy like hundreds of those! :D

Posted by shinpi in France, 13 Jul 2012 13:15

There were so many great minifigures in the last two sets (Minotaur, Statue of Liberty, Genie, Mayan Soldier, Bunny guy, Sea King, etc.) that I'm really disappointed with the new series… Apart from the weird alien warlord, Santa and the Conquistator, series 8 gives the impression that they just wanted to reuse parts from other sets or that they were not very inspired (the fairy could have been so much better, the cheerleader is blah, etc.). Very disappointed.

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 13 Jul 2012 13:17

Isn't that the same trophy from World Racers? As for Santa's Hat and bag, I still can't really tell. It does indeed look like the conquistador's armor is indeed in a new gold color. What is the snowboarder holding?

Posted by nightmarevalkyrie in United States, 13 Jul 2012 13:18

The conquistador, alien dude, and finally a footBALL player not like that fake soccer,diver looks awesome due to that diver helmet, cheerleader looks cool since I didn't get the one in series 1, the thespian looks okay but he looks like he was made out of vintage pieces, Pirate is okay, Vampire looks awesome since it is a new color mariant, space evil robot looks pretty cool but it looks like it was mashed together, and finally the DJ looks awesome if those headphones are removable and comes with awesome items

Posted by joedapoboy in United States, 13 Jul 2012 13:27

So on the recoloration - I'm really really psyched for the robobucket because:

The early minifig series did all the metallic surfaces as a finish on dull non-colors. Here's hoping this one is solid 'titanium metallic'

Posted by LukeSkywalker in Ireland, 13 Jul 2012 13:27

@MusicalGeek re number 8: isn't the puck the hockey player's version of a ball? ;) I'd love to have seen a football with the football player, could have doubled up as a rugby ball...

Posted by shinpi in France, 13 Jul 2012 13:29

yellowcastle: the snowboarder is holding her ski poles ;)

Posted by Gregorovich in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 13:43

The trophy is much smaller than the old one from Harry Potter and World Racers. Plus, it's gold which is new. Santa's hat is definitely new, and his bag is similar to the city one but is actually different (the city one was open, but this one is closed).

I'm curious to find out if they'll use metallic gold or pearl gold for all those golden elements. Personally I'm hoping for the former, as it just looks nicer I think.

Posted by Brickman193 in Australia, 13 Jul 2012 13:53

This is the first series in a looooong time that amazes and excites me. The diver, the man in the bowler, the thespian, the conquistador, the pirate captain...

I'm not taking any chances with blind buying this time around... to BRICKLINK! :D

Posted by The_Rizulli in United States, 13 Jul 2012 13:54

While I have to agree that this is overall not as great a series as number 7, I think there's still plenty to like.

Loved Alien Conquest and felt it got a bit short-changed in terms of how many sets they put out, so seeing the line extended somewhat through CMF is great. Not only does the Alien Empress look great, there's that added bit of continuity.
I missed out on the S1 robot, but this one looks like it has a better torso for use on other figs anyway.
Also digging the skier, businessman, deep-sea diver, conquistador, and Shakespearean actor.
The only true disappointment is the Fairy, which is a hideous color-mash.

And old pieces in new colors are always welcome.

It just depends on how you view CMFs. If you think of them as truly "collectable" like the name says, then yeah I can understand the disappointment, vis a vis the rehashes. But if you just think of them as theme extensions or as a source for interesting figure parts, then this is far from being a bad series. Let alone the worst series.

Posted by AETerry in United States, 13 Jul 2012 13:54

Yeah, I do like it over all and I am excited to see the new pics. But I've come to expect this of LEGO for the last few releases. That there are rehashes and showing the same concept of a character with the opposite gender.

I love the Man-Bat. Yes I can see he's just the Man-Bat from Monster Hunters, this time in black. Variety is what will have me grabbing up a few of this along with Monster Hunters.

Female Alien I am meh on. They just did this last year with the recent UFO/Space theme.

Cowgirl - They've done a Cowboy and a Gunslinger, so I guess it's time they did the female counterpart, I may get her for the lasso as I've only got the one from Wonder Woman in the DC line/theme.

Santa Claus - I'm sure others did this too... but he looks a lot like a custom Santa that I did last year for Christmas. I'll still get him as this is "official".

Conquistador - A fairly new concept. We kindof only had one as a skeleton in the Indiana Jones theme.

Bavarian Boy - I like seeing other cultures represented. I will get this for the pretzel, like I got the midget clown for the pie pieces.

Red Cheerleader - I missed most of Series 1, so to me, this is just like when they've reprised the Skateboarder to give those who missed out the first time, a chance to get one. Sides... if you've got multiple cheer leaders and enough sports characters, you can put together a fun little MOC.

Diving Guy - I am impartial to him.

Football Player - I am also impartial, but will want one for the parts and trophy.

Pirate - I'll get him, that's a good, fun design. Looks like he's based off the larger pirate seen at the Carlsbad LEGOland.

Fairy - Absolutely! I will get this.

Trader - At first glance, he looks like he can be the Doctor Watson to the Detective Holmes character of a few series back. Black hat, parts, yes.

Thespian - I'd like to get this. I can see some MOCs getting made of this. I think its a good new idea.

Robot - He's like the cheerleader, if you missed him the first time, here's a redux for those who still want one.

DJ - Absolutely. I love it and want to get one.

Female Skier - She likewise is just a female counterpart to a prior male skier they've done. I'll probably still consider getting her for the parts.

Posted by rosney in United States, 13 Jul 2012 14:07

I just think they are doing them way too often. Just bring em out once a year.

Posted by rosney in United States, 13 Jul 2012 14:09

Also, I'm not quite sure what makes this alien "female." From the pictures, it looks no less female than the alien commander from the AQ mothership did. Unless the tentacles represent the male, of course. This note is getting uncomfortable.

Posted by yellowcastle in United States, 13 Jul 2012 14:37

Haha. I thought the skier was a snowboarder based on her first group pic. Doh!

Posted by miguetoon in United States, 13 Jul 2012 14:47

I like some of the figures but is a trend to start to re-use some of their previous characters and twist them a little bit. I understand in some way because we're living in tough economic times, so instead of re-do some figures, wait more time and give us a new characters, new accesories, you can find in history a bunch of warriors or monsters ...

Anyway thanks for this forum.

Posted by malachirobertson in United States, 13 Jul 2012 15:04

My seven year old son looked at the picture with me. His concern was: where is the football? For that matter, where is the baseball with the baseball player and the tennis ball for the tennis players and the soccer ball for the soccer player. At least they gave a puck for the hockey player.

Posted by skipper1011 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 15:12

Does the diver have a trans-clear visor?

Posted by skypirate in United States, 13 Jul 2012 15:12

They're are some likable ones in the series, but we're overdue for a Davy Crockett, since we now have a bear figure for him to hunt.

It would be nice if they could get a license to produce minifigures of Beatles album covers, Abbey Road, Yellow Submarine...
Sgt. Pepper!

Marching band figures for a holiday parade down a modular building main street. One new figure per series, trumpets, trombones, drum majors, hand held cymbals and baton twirlers. Or sell them as a set.

Posted by Captain Jack Sparrow in United States, 13 Jul 2012 15:29

I love the new Santa Claus. It is much better than the ones that have appeared in the past holiday sets.

PS. pics of the 2013 Super Heroes figures have appeared on flickr! :) It seems TDKR & AC sets will be available!

Posted by MusicalBuff in United States, 13 Jul 2012 16:20

@ LukeSkywalker It's MusicalBUFF, and that was too easy for LEGO to use a stud as the puck for the Hockey Player. I'm talking about actual balls like a baseball, tennis ball, soccer ball, etc.

Posted by cool_kid555 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 16:22

According to the pictures, I see more NINJAGO, a potential reboot of ALIEN CONQUEST, and man-bat appearing in DC SUPERHEROES.

Posted by voypro in United States, 13 Jul 2012 16:36

Sorry lego, I am out. these are not worth collecting any longer without a price reduction.
This set is not worth $3 x 16 = $48 (or TRU price of $3.50x16= $56)

I will just cherry pick a few and leave the rest.

Posted by The_Rizulli in United States, 13 Jul 2012 16:41

@skypirate - marching band figures would be fantastic!

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 13 Jul 2012 16:56

Managed to convince my parents that I can buy this as it contains a guy in a Bavarian suit, since we live in Bavaria, Germany! :P Thanks a lot, LEGO! :P

Posted by Nesquik in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 17:15

Some of these 'figures are actually quite inventive, but others are clearly making the most of older moulds... I guess it had to happen at some point. Never the less, it's been eight series now and if we're being honest then that's a lot of 'figures, we've been very lucky up to now.

Favourites: Diver (Great headpiece!), Thespian (Love the ruffles and torso), Bavarian Boy (That bagel! Brilliant)

Duffs: DJ (Doesn't really cry out as a unique individual), Trader (An odd choice, given the definition is so broad), Robot (Obvious reasons)

Posted by Super Robot Wars in Ireland, 13 Jul 2012 17:54

I collected all of the series up to 5 and just can't keep going...... I won't be sad if I miss out on series 8 looks like lego is running out of ideas :(.

Posted by xccj in United States, 13 Jul 2012 17:56

I am actually rather impressed by this collection. So far, the only one I'm meh about is the robot. But I like the many recolored parts, and I don't mind getting the same occupation on a new figure, like the skier or cheerleader. Looks like I know where my money will be going in a few months.

Posted by caperberry in United Kingdom, 13 Jul 2012 19:41

A PRETZEL!!!!!! Me so happy.

Posted by kipper147 in United States, 13 Jul 2012 20:04

honestly im not impressed with this batch at all, and although i have around 200 of the collectable minifigures, i dont think i'm going to get any of these...i think that they should start doing more themes like the GB olympic team. and honestly, being an eagle scout, i would love to see some well...love for scouting :P

Posted by LukeSkywalker in Ireland, 13 Jul 2012 20:15

@MusicalBuff sorry about that! I mixed your name up with @legoGeek's name a few posts down from your review, my bad! :) Yeah I want there to be Lego balls too, TLG are probably reluctant to make them though because they wouldn't be very Lego-y by just being spheres or spheroids, and they wouldn't be balls with a stud at the base - even though there have been footballs and basketballs available in previous sports themes. An American football or rugby ball would be a great addition to a team - c'mon Lego, if you guys can make something as random as a Lego pretzel, you can make a Lego ball or two! :)

As an aside: I wonder if the DJ's disc is printed or if it is stickered like the one in the Haunted House set? If it's a sticker, it'd be the first sticker in the Minifigures line, and could set an unwelcome precedent, opening up the floodgates for future collectible minifigs coming with annoying stickers that need to be positioned perfectly, or that end up cracking or peeling away, aaaaghhh! :/ [I don't actually mind that much, but it's fun to rant all the same. ;)]

Posted by Routemaster in Germany, 13 Jul 2012 21:08

I'm very pleased with series 8 CMF. One of each for me please....maybe a few extras for my 6 yrs daughter. Fairy, Cowgirl, etc.

Posted by Captain Blockbeard in United States, 13 Jul 2012 22:11

I was concerned after seeing the list of rumored Series 8 minifigures, and now that I've seen the actual figures, I'm outright disappointed. I dislike many of the figures completely, and the ones that I was excited for now look poorly executed.

The conquistador, thespian, diver, cowgirl, alien commander, bavarian look fantastic! I would have preferred the fairy to look like the old concept art because if it had, I could have easily converted it into an elven princess. Some of the other figures such as the english businessman, pirate, and new DJ look like they will make good parts packs for my own minifigure ideas but do not stand out sufficiently on their own.

Posted by Konstantin in United States, 13 Jul 2012 23:06

I like the swiss guy and the dutch guy with the ruff.

Posted by mkrey in United States, 13 Jul 2012 23:25

My daughter will probably want the fairy. The only one I like is the deep sea diver. The rest seem like retreads or mix n match from other sets.

Posted by LegoLisa in United States, 14 Jul 2012 05:16

I am very excited for this new series. I need the santa, manbad, thespian, and the evil robot and I know that my daughter will love a few. Especially the fairy! :)

Posted by Nesquik in United Kingdom, 14 Jul 2012 07:59

Perhaps TLG just need to slow down the production of these things? I mean, it's nice collecting so many a year, but they could easily just get away with releasing only 2 series a year. At the current rate, they'll be running out of ideas fast...

Posted by Arubariba in United States, 14 Jul 2012 08:20

I agree that they should slow down a bit with the CMF but I have to admit that I have liked all the series so far. my wallet is getting too much of a beating these last years from Lego.

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 14 Jul 2012 11:44

These look good, but I agree about the 'retreads', there are plenty of other options for Minifigures but the new ones we get look great. The Ancient Thespis/Shakespearean Actor looks great, as do Santa Claus, the Diver and the Bavarian Guy if you ask me. I am finding it trickier than usual however to pick out the best of the bunch (eg. the Spartan in Series 2 or Roman in Series 6).

Posted by matt71young in United Kingdom, 14 Jul 2012 13:55

Well these are a lot, lot better than I expected them to be.

In fact I think most of them are great - the actor is brilliant and the vampire bat is a relief (not another Dracula) and I really like it - can add a few more into the Haunted House when it comes out. bats in the Belfry and all that. : )

I really like the look of this series now. Lego must know their market and the sports ones must sell as they are always there - just be good to have some different sports (am not a sports fan but I can see why they are there).

And I don't mind the male/female variations - bit of equality never went a miss - the cowgirl is great.

But the diver is really good - with the old diving suit - love it.

Series 8's going to be ok - roll on a more bonkers and fun Series 9 though.

Posted by matt71young in United Kingdom, 14 Jul 2012 13:58

But I think the best has to be Bavarian boy with pretzel type accessory - genius! : )

Posted by vexorian in Bolivia, 14 Jul 2012 14:07

Everyone going "worst series ever" on this, is probably forgetting the lackluster ness of series 2 and series 3. Not even series 1 was that good either, but it gets a free pass for being THE first series. I think series 8 is not the best series, but is definitely above the first 3 ones.

Posted by Zacherano in United States, 14 Jul 2012 14:52

@vexorian - I'm going to defend myself and others who agree with me here. First of all, I do believe the first three series were all better than this one. Part of that conviction stems from the simple understanding that Lego seems to be running out of ideas. Sure, some of the figure designs and new pieces have been getting better and better, but this series seems more lazy than previous ones. For me, it is not even about the figures themselves so much as the principle of it. Right now, I am giving TLG a miniature no-confidence vote.

Posted by Rocka 3.0 in United States, 14 Jul 2012 15:48

I will be getting the Bell Diver and the Conquistador for sure. I love Bell Diver suits, so I can't wait for TLC to release this!

Posted by Zordboy in Australia, 14 Jul 2012 20:10

There are some original figures, here, but I agree that this series seems a little uninspired. I'll probably end up getting the female versions of the skier and alien and cowgirl, but another cheerleader? Another robot?

I do love the little fairy, though. The Manbat is pretty awesome, and I do like seeing other cultures, so the Bavarian boy gets a thumbs-up from me. But yeah, this isn't a great series.

(series 6 was my favourite, personally. Every figure was unskippable. But the last two haven't been as good)

Posted by jinxjinx550 in United States, 14 Jul 2012 21:54

Is it my imagination, or does the bell diver have a magnifying lens on the front of his bell? If so, it is AWESOME!

Posted by jmlakin in United States, 15 Jul 2012 01:39

I have stopped buying collectible minifigs. I may buy a pack or two at the store if i want, but this new wave of minifigs actually look good. Series 4 was my favorite though. I hated series 5. In this new wave I have found my favorite minifig of this wave, The Ancient Thespian or Shakespeare. I excelled in my Shakespeare/literature class in high school so I am really excited for this one. If you haven't noticed the football player's trophy is actually the Hufflepuff House Cup from Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7. Can't wait for this new wave to come out!!!!!!!!

Posted by LukeSkywalker in Ireland, 15 Jul 2012 04:04

^^ yep there's a transparent lens in front of the diver's bell, similar to the hazmat guy.

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 15 Jul 2012 05:52

> Posted by AETerry in United States, 13 Jul 2012 13:54

But I've come to expect this of LEGO for the last few releases. That there are rehashes and showing the same concept of a character with the opposite gender.

Conquistador - A fairly new concept. We kindof only had one as a skeleton in the Indiana Jones theme.

----------

^ Actually, there are already five different conquistadors from the Imperial Armada in Pirates I. So not such a new concept!

Posted by Bob Clear in United States, 15 Jul 2012 09:01

I think, taking info from two sources, that there will be a Robot Conquest theme.

Posted by Bob Clear in United States, 15 Jul 2012 09:05

On a darker note, this series is the worst. It's basically a "rebranding" of all the other serieses, with a few token figures like the pretzel boy and trader, which look like they were made just to add up to 16. I didn't get any S7 and I'm definitely not gonna get S8.

Posted by jinxjinx550 in United States, 15 Jul 2012 11:37

I'm sorry, but if I were a kid, and my mom or dad had gotten me any of the figures in this series (apart from the usual boys-reject-girl-figures or girls-reject-boy-figures stuff), I would be happy with them. The accessories promote play, the colors and details are interesting, and many of them could add to a child's connection with some part of history or popular culture.

I think our disappointment at seeing a recycled figure mold or character is based on being AFOL or TFOL, with large LEGO collections and sophisticated taste.

Posted by Be-Burger in Israel, 15 Jul 2012 11:55

Lame robot is lame.

But I still want the pretzel :)

Posted by savatheaggie in United States, 15 Jul 2012 12:50

In regards to foreseeing future product lines based on CMF parts, and regarding those who don't like the fairy...

With that dress, that hair, and with a recolor of that torso... the Fairy looks an awful lot like Tinkerbell.

Just saying.

Posted by Ben J in Germany, 15 Jul 2012 15:05

There are some very good figures here (diver, conquistador, Hamlet, Bavarian), but the re-colors and re-hashes like the Alien Conquest Alien, the Bat Boy, the cheerleader and especially the Robot make the series look like one of those mock series that people put on the internet as a hoax (see this for an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCMMJQ2BBl0).
The re-colored series 1 robot is a low point of the entire line. If they had to re-use his helmet, couldn't they at least have done SOMETHING different with his body?
I guess I will still be getting most of these, but series 8 is definetly a step down from the previous two series, which were excellent.

Posted by CastleTheme in United States, 15 Jul 2012 15:17

It would be great if all the people not that impressed with this series would suggest possible designs for future CMFs that haven't been used already. I don't think Series 8 is that bad, but here's some ideas I'd like to see in future series...

Canadian Mountie
Person with wheelchair
Greek or Roman citizens (with togas?)
Person in chicken suit (like the gorilla or rabbit suits)
Mother & baby (microfigure from Lego games)
Renaissance people
Alpine mountain climber
Jazz musician with trumpet or sax
Hillbilly (with banjo?)
Photographer with camera & tripod
Rastafarian with congos
Carpenter with tools
Centaur or faun
1920's flapper
Lego Store employee
Golfer with club (plaid clothes & hat)

...So what else would you like to see eventually?

Posted by Ben J in Germany, 15 Jul 2012 15:23

Guy in chicken suit would be super creepy. I want one!

Posted by (-)-Crushmaster-(-) in United States, 15 Jul 2012 18:47


These would be cool if they weren't made in China, and some of them looked more like LEGO...LEGO just seems to be doing "new" pieces all wrong now...

Posted by sinfanti in Taiwan, Province of China, 15 Jul 2012 20:56

Those fairy wings look like they make some neat MOC insects.

Posted by timmyt15 in United States, 15 Jul 2012 21:20

These are pretty much repeats of figs from all the series before there just running out of ideas :(

Posted by Bob Clear in United States, 15 Jul 2012 22:39

Quoting CastleTheme

"Canadian Mountie
Person with wheelchair
Greek or Roman citizens (with togas?)
Person in chicken suit (like the gorilla or rabbit suits)
Mother & baby (microfigure from Lego games)
Renaissance people
Alpine mountain climber
Jazz musician with trumpet or sax
Hillbilly (with banjo?)
Photographer with camera & tripod
Rastafarian with congos
Carpenter with tools
Centaur or faun
1920's flapper
Lego Store employee
Golfer with club (plaid clothes & hat)"

now those would be cool. But what would LEGO call the person in the wheelchair? "Cripple"? LOL

Posted by mo123567 in United States, 16 Jul 2012 00:31

These are a little on the disappointing side for me.

Alien - I really liked the idea of a evil female alien but this was not what I was hoping for
Cowgirl - This one is alright I guess
Santa - Don't care about another santa but this one is done well, at least
Conquistador - This one is a good improvement on the previous ones
Bavarian - Another cultural fig is always welcome
Cheerleader - Should have had different hair at least so it wasn't a complete recolor of the last one
Diver - My favorate of the series. This is what I was hoping for when I saw the list of series 1 figures
American Footballer - Just doesn't look too great to me for some reason
Pirate - Kind of boring. I have too many similar minifigs already. A different approach as opposed to the cartoony
eyepatch and peg leg look would have been welcomed (but this is aimed at kids)
Fairy - I wanted them to make a fairy but this one just doesn't look to great for some reason
Businessman - Not too exciting but I like it
Thespis - This is a really nice addition
Robot - I like the robot but there are just too many familiar looking figures in this series
DJ - Boring
Vampire - I really don't like the arms
Skier - Boring

A lot of people think that Lego is running out of ideas, but there are still plenty of good ideas left. This series just feels a little "phoned in" to me. It's still OK but I do not feel as excited as I was when series 6 or 7 were revealed.

Posted by Ben J in Germany, 16 Jul 2012 09:01

I predict a swamp monster for one of the coming CMF series.

Posted by the brownie in Ireland, 16 Jul 2012 09:48

bag end will also have a pretzel

Posted by The Reviewer in United States, 16 Jul 2012 11:07

I think the manbat is the best of this series.

Posted by DarthLuke824 in United Kingdom, 16 Jul 2012 17:28

My favorites!

Conquistador
Cowgirl
Diver
Fairy
Pirate Captain
Red Cheerleader
Tradesman

Apart from that, not the best set...

Posted by Matt mason in United Kingdom, 16 Jul 2012 18:36

When are they released ?

Posted by samrad in United Kingdom, 16 Jul 2012 18:57

I vote for a British Bobby next series!

Posted by mo123567 in United States, 17 Jul 2012 05:04

@ Matt mason,

I believe they are to be released in September which probably means some lucky people (probably in the UK) will get them early in late August.

Posted by Rabtastic in United Kingdom, 17 Jul 2012 10:11

I thought series 6 and 7 were the best of all the CMFs so far. There are some great figures here in series 8 but overall I'd say it's a notch down in originality. The reuse of the series 1 robot head piece seems especially weak. Just not different enough from the series 1 robot.

But I'll be getting them all. Maybe some of you can look at this series and decide to only cherry pick the best figures, but i'm hooked. I've got to have the set.

On a related issue, anyone have any good info as to whether the CMFs are going to continue endlessly? Is there a big game plan or are they going to go as long as people keep buying them?

10 years from now am I going to have to find display space for 500+ CMFs?

Posted by gonzalo_prestia in Argentina, 17 Jul 2012 19:58

Poor! Incredibly poor! previous series always had so much more to offer. I see almost nothing new, almost nothing exciting about all these characters.
Not only new parts are almost inexistent, but even printings in minifig faces and bodies look poor and lack of detail. And is this just me or the plastic quality looks poor in the present pictures?
I believe this series was thrown quickly and production took almost no time, maybe all creative guys working for lego were too busy with LOTR, Marvel, DC and all new stuff to make this look as good as previous series.
When I first saw it I seriously got to think this was not a real lego series, but a custom creation of some dude messing with us.
Very dissapointing!

Posted by icey in Denmark, 20 Jul 2012 15:48

THANKS TO LEGO FOR THE BELL DIVER (finally)!

Posted by graallll in United States, 21 Jul 2012 09:21

for what you say about a new set/theme:
new divers?
fairies?
or possibly a new space robots type theme?

Posted by piesnababy246 in Poland, 21 Jul 2012 11:54

I found 8th series in polish supermarket Carefour. I took all bags :)

Posted by icey in Denmark, 21 Jul 2012 17:33

I really don't get why so many complain about the CMF theme. It's really a great theme, which manages to keep a great variaty of minifigures we'd otherwise never see in themes. So what if a few of each series doesn't make us drool - there's always 4-8 that does. All being said... Keep the series coming!

Posted by LukeSkywalker in Ireland, 22 Jul 2012 03:24

^exactly, I couldn't agree more. People are completely spoilt with minifigure variety these days, with unreasonable demands and expectations. Just a few years ago, very few new moulds would appear, and only across the different themes, and they were few and far between. These past few years, there are countless new moulds, accessories, minifigure printings, etc. And people also forget, these are made Primarily for kids!! :)

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