Why rubber capes?

it looks a lot better with rubber imo

I love the rubber capes, personally.

I think fabric capes were very of their time, and they still have a charm to them or work best with figures like Storm, but the rubber capes have a bit more personality and dynamism to them - literally in the case of Doctor Strange.

Magneto should have a uniquely shaped cape.

I feel like this is Marvel's version of Star Wars removing cloth Kamas. And I'm personally fine with it.

I'd love to know about whether it deteriorates over time. Rubber parts don't always fend so well.

I think the rubber capes are a great addition. They look great on 1992 Batman and Doctor Strange. For Strange specifically, the cape is a character on its own so it is perfect example/choice to have it made out of rubber.

I'm in favor of plastic capes being the new standard for 4+ but I'm not sold on them being forced upon all-ages sets and especially 18+ sets. The argument for durability makes sense for children who are especially rough with their toys, but when it comes to display sets, I don't think the minifigures are going to end up in the parts bins. I *did* have experience as a kid with the old starch capes fraying and tearing, my grandmother would make homemade replacements for ones with broken neck holes, but comparatively the cloth capes on the action figures I had as a kid, which used softer cloth, turned out fine with only moderate wear, including Batmen. Heck, to be honest, the only action figures I liked having plastic capes were the ones easily removable and with printed designs, like General Grievous. I think the new-style spongy fabric capes should be sufficiently durable and continue usage except for specific characters where constant removal of the cape is a part of play, such as Doctor Strange who started this whole thing. I have a bad feeling about plastic capes rolling over into Star Wars.

@Alia_of_AGL said:
"I'm in favor of plastic capes being the new standard for 4+ but I'm not sold on them being forced upon all-ages sets and especially 18+ sets. The argument for durability makes sense for children who are especially rough with their toys, but when it comes to display sets, I don't think the minifigures are going to end up in the parts bins. I *did* have experience as a kid with the old starch capes fraying and tearing, my grandmother would make homemade replacements for ones with broken neck holes, but comparatively the cloth capes on the action figures I had as a kid, which used softer cloth, turned out fine with only moderate wear, including Batmen. Heck, to be honest, the only action figures I liked having plastic capes were the ones easily removable and with printed designs, like General Grievous. I think the new-style spongy fabric capes should be sufficiently durable and continue usage except for specific characters where constant removal of the cape is a part of play, such as Doctor Strange who started this whole thing. I have a bad feeling about plastic capes rolling over into Star Wars."

I think for 18+ sets they should definitely continue doing cloth capes, since they're going to just be on display. But for playsets I think rubber capes are a good idea.

I much prefer these, they hold shape better, they don’t tear, and I like the texture.

Don't like the rubber capes. They limit posing, sitting in vehicles, aren't compatible with neck accessories and many hair and helmet accessories (such as Magneto's accurate long hair).

They said that children struggle with textiles, yet they put the rubber capes in Adults Welcome sets...

The only way I would accept rubber capes is if they had fancy printing or multi-molding, but they already said they aren't doing that. Even the vinyl capes are better because they can be printed (Vision's cape).

I will just replace them with textile capes from BrickLink.

I think they are great - the rubber they use seems to hold up well over time as well. That said I also like the soft cloth capes

"Justin: Exactly and having the option to remove the cloak quickly kind of makes it a separate character. After seeing that, we asked ourselves why we were not using rubber capes more widely in Super Heroes sets. I would love to see more like them in the future because I think it is a bit less intimidating to see a proper cape than getting a little box filled with textiles and the new capes are more re-usable."

So I wonder how long it will take for a Cloak to be the minifigure of the day??

What I like about rubber capes is that their shaping can be made more accurate for specific characters. 30653 wouldn't look nearly as impressive with a fabric cape.

My main problem with the rubber capes is that they don’t really work for dynamic poses. I usually have Batman in a running pose on our layouts, and the new spongy capes work great with that because it’s so easy to curl them up like they’re flowing through the air behind him. Starched capes are easier to slip into minifig bags, but they tend to look a bit leaden in a dynamic pose, unless you’re willing to risk creasing them.

@AlexanderTheGreat:
He does. Batman 89 and Batman 92 both have scalloped edges. Strange has a high collar. Magneto has one with neither a scalloped edge nor a high collar, so currently it is unique. It also appears to hang longer at the hem.

@Alia_of_AGL:
89 Batman started it in 2019 with 76139, which featured a cape not shown here. It incorporated the cowl and chest logo, with the unfortunate result of the logo not even being printed on the torso. I hated that design because, while accurate to the film, the distinctive triple-pointed chest logo meant the only way to give that Batman a cloth cape would be to have a custom torso printed, or cut the cape off of the cowl. Strange was next, though, with 76185 two years later.

Growing up as a kid in the 80's and early 90's, all my action figures that had capes (mostly batman figures), had cloth capes. I don't remember a single one of them getting tatty or damaged through play so I think the whole 'deteriorate through play' thing is pretty bogus, and I've had the grandkids playing with lego since they were 2 and they've never had any problems with the textile capes either.

I think that the rubber capes are only good for certain situations and figures. As mentioned by others, the rubber capes limit posability and aren't compatible with most accessories which makes them less useful then the cloth versions, not to mention they're not going to make a new mould every time a new style cape is needed, again limiting variety. The cloth ones could easily be improved with printing or similar making them much better for display, not to mention its far easier to cut a variety of styles from them meaning we would have more styles and variety available.

I love the look of them, and the ease of removal. I'd happily see more minifigs wearing them. The only downside for me is that they can't be neatly lifted over, ot tucked down into a seat.

@Blockwork_Orange said:
""Justin: Exactly and having the option to remove the cloak quickly kind of makes it a separate character. After seeing that, we asked ourselves why we were not using rubber capes more widely in Super Heroes sets. I would love to see more like them in the future because I think it is a bit less intimidating to see a proper cape than getting a little box filled with textiles and the new capes are more re-usable."

So I wonder how long it will take for a Cloak to be the minifigure of the day??
"

It was on 17th December 2023. If you know... You sadly know :-/

@PurpleDave said:
"

@AlexanderTheGreat:
He does. Batman 89 and Batman 92 both have scalloped edges. Strange has a high collar. Magneto has one with neither a scalloped edge nor a high collar, so currently it is unique. It also appears to hang longer at the hem.

"

Magneto's cape is only unique due to the purple color but the same piece has been used for Thor and Loki in this years sets.

"I would love to see more like them in the future because I think it is a bit less intimidating to see a proper cape than getting a little box filled with textiles and the new capes are more re-usable."

I have no idea what this means. As much as I miss them, I can see why waistcapes/kamas were difficult to apply to figures by children. But how is a box that contains a single cloth cape "intimidating"? Do the children of today not have any manual dexterity? Two-holed cloth capes have been the standard for years, why would it suddenly be difficult to understand? And the more spongy material that they switched back and forth with since 2015 should be plenty durable.

I only think the rubber capes work on the '89 Batman and Doctor Strange, especially for the latter as it is supposed to be switched around between figures a lot and is a bit of a character of its own.

I definitely prefer cloth capes! Both Batman 92 and Doctor Strange had a very non-LEGO feel to me.

[And honestly, the plastic cape on the Keaton Batman minifigs wasn't necessarily to be "nice," it was to pay tribute to how the real-life cowl was infamously restrictive and awful for not being flexible, molding the cape into the cowl just allowed for one less part and an alright dramatic sweep...]

But seriously, I just got used to the one-holed Batman capes, they're literally no harder to put on than the BTASmobile cape, now it just makes his neck look too tall... the 89/92 cape at least has a decent shape, the standalone plastic cape looks awful...

I really thought capes fraying was solved in 2014 with the spongy fabrics.

Does anyone have anecdotes about damaging that type of material? Would love to read it.

And how complicated can it be to put just two holes over each other? I can certainly understand that type of complaint in regards to the Star Wars kamas, you have to fold that piece a couple times for it to sit even right and not too puffy.

staunch fabric cape and kama advocates, assemble!

Can't wait to read posts in a few years where people are finding the rubber capes have "melted" and damaged or discolored the plastics they're touching.

This has happened before, it'll happen again.

The word "rubber" is bandied about a lot both by TLG employees and people in the comments, but it's worth pointing out that it's very unlikely that these elements are actually made from natural rubber.

It's much more likely to be something like styrene-butadiene (a happy coïncidence that these are words already familiar to LEGO fans!)

Whilst some suffer from the same issues as natural rubbers (e.g. ozone cracking), synthetic rubbers are (generally) more durable for the long-term, especially when it comes to colour stability.

Admittedly I haven't handled one of the newer capes yet because those sets don't interest me. But I must say the cloth ones look miles better. The rubber ones look too thick and stiff for cloth and remind me unfavorably of the 80s minicape seen in Castle that just doesn't have enough visual presence.

The new ones are probably not going away, but I think it would be a mistake to consider them superior to cloth merely for the reasons the interview mention.

@bananaworld said:
"
The word "rubber" is bandied about a lot both by TLG employees and people in the comments, but it's worth pointing out that it's very unlikely that these elements are actually made from natural rubber.

It's much more likely to be something like styrene-butadiene (a happy coïncidence that these are words already familiar to LEGO fans!)

Whilst some suffer from the same issues as natural rubbers (e.g. ozone cracking), synthetic rubbers are (generally) more durable for the long-term, especially when it comes to colour stability."

Exactly, the material looks and feels the same as many Star Wars alien heads. The earliest such heads I remember right now would be Kit Fisto and Plo Koon as well as Yoda. The worst that happened to them is that they don't hold printing well, or at least when played with or stored rubbing against other parts. They haven't discolored any torsos.

Am I the only one who thinks the new rubber capes just look too small?

@J0rgen said:
"I definitely prefer cloth capes! Both Batman 92 and Doctor Strange had a very non-LEGO feel to me."
To me, the rubber ones feel closer to plastic, the stuff of LEGO and therefore more LEGO-y. Cloth doesn’t feel like it’s speaking the same design language. That said, I recognise that cloth has some advantages (prints, compatibility with head/shoulder wear, seated positions, some dynamic poses) and would like to see both rubber and cloth for each minifigure so you have a choice.

@Anonym said:
"I really thought capes fraying was solved in 2014 with the spongy fabrics.

Does anyone have anecdotes about damaging that type of material? Would love to read it.

And how complicated can it be to put just two holes over each other? I can certainly understand that type of complaint in regards to the Star Wars kamas, you have to fold that piece a couple times for it to sit even right and not too puffy."

With the original starched capes, I've never had one actually fray around the edges, but I've seen several owned by other people. I understand _how_ this happens, and wonder if some sort of fabric treater would prevent it. I have had these capes crease and wrinkle, and it appears to be difficult to get them pressed flat again without resorting to water or steam. They are fairly easy to attach, and the neckhole sits flat when worn.

The spongy capes, I've had some trouble with. The hole is stretchy, and the material compresses, so it's difficult to get the capes to sit precisely where you want them. As you push down on the head, the neckhole will curl upward, creating a thick band of color when seen from the front. If the cape is slightly out of alignment, it is impossible to rotate it without lifting the head enough to prevent it from binding, and I have, a few times, had one of the neckholes stretch enough to pop out from under the neck. Fortunately, all of this is temporary, so pulling the head up will allow you to reset the cape, but it's a constant battle to get the neck set properly if you're regularly posing the minifig. I've had them crease, but the creases will relax out of the material over time. It appears to be a synthetic material, with a heat-fused edge, so they shouldn't fray, but they will probably do so catastrophically if it does happen. It might also be more likely to snag and pull a loose thread out of the center of the cape. They'll also probably be more easily damaged by high heat, since they can melt.

The "rubber" capes...it's really going to depend on what specific material they're made out of. They've had problems with rubber in the past, and they appear to be attempting to eliminate those types of rubbery materials that have had problems. Or they just don't do certain things, like printing on the material used for Inferno's hair in the Agents theme (you could peel the paint stripes off intact). I haven't had any problems with these yet, but I also don't have much experience with them.

I will never accept rubber capes for regular figures. I thought rubber made sense for Strange's cape, and Keaton Batman because of the dramatic flair.

For any normal cape though, it is a massive downgrade. Not only does it restrict posing, it is incompatible with any other neck attachment, or any headgear or hair that goes past the shoulders.

Also the whole "cloth is confusing" is nonsense, anyone can line up 2 holes. Just today I gave an extra Lady of Pain I had to the young son of a friend of mine, and he put her cape on just fine.

And the whole aging issue was solved with spongy capes, which are the standard for playsets now. Starched capes are now relegated to mostly 18+ and cmfs which are primarily collectibles and thus will be taken good care of by most people.

I just recently built my 8446 once again after several years. Unfortunately the rubber pieces (https://brickset.com/parts/4113076/balloon-tyre-ø8-ø21 / https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=876&idColor=11 ) all had some liquid /oily film around them and also contaminated the pieces around them with the liquids.
I wonder if these new rubber capes also will deteriorate when year 2050 arrives.

I do not like the rubber capes, I hope we keep textile capes to be honest.

@Captainfives1514 said:
"As long as the rubber capes stay with marvel I don’t much care but I would hate to see Darth Vader wearing a rubber cape."
Don't be too proud of your cloth-clad Vaders.

I too would have been a doubter, but I recently received an order of knock-off minifigs from a land faraway (yes, this will get me hounded by the purists, but the print detail & quality is superior to LEGO's) which included a Darth Vader I took a punt on.

It includes a plastic kama, which looks great as his robes, but even better is the cape, which is plastic (not rubbery-plastic - rigid). It wraps around him to the front slightly at the lower points, but leaves room for his arms, and simulates shoulder pads underneath. It looks very intimidating, and is most impressive.

If LEGO could do the same in rubber, I am certain that Star Wars fans would get behind it.

@Spritetoggle said:
" @bananaworld said:
"(...)"

So as it's still a toy... What can you do with that minifig?"
Recreate epic lightsaber duels! Force-choke lesser minifigs! Pray he doesn't alter the deal further! Quote over-used Vader lines while his minifig looks EVEN MORE INTIMIDATING!

Really not digging the rubber capes thus far tbh. I think Strange's is really the only one I've liked. But the Batman ones I think are especially bad. They're very static, there's like no dynamic play to them at all. I've seen others say they should be in 4+ sets, and I agree with that.

However, I think that's the ONLY place they should be, no playsets, and no 18+ sets. At least they're not in Star Wars. They day they do rubber jedi capes, that'll be the day...