Minifigure Vending Machine official images!

Really too bad that the minifigs are not all different... I will pass on the set but will certainly buy the 2 new classic space minifigs on BL to complete my collection.

This and the Krusty Burger both on the same day. It's going to be an expensive month.

If the space figs turn up on PaB then I’ll get what I want there :D otherwise this is an over priced parts set for me.

Very creative and put a smile on my face! Would have been a definite buy if my kids were still little.

That must be one dangerous surf for the Beach Girl with sword.

This comes with a motor, right? Or big animal moulds? License tax? $180…

I’m really surprised/disappointed at the minifig doubles and some of the other meh choices.

This was going to be an easy Day 1 for me and then LEGO said “Hold My Beer”…

Neat set! Makes sense to have two of each figure for better chance of getting the one you want from the vending machine.

Could have additionally benefitted from having two more colors included for the cylinder hemispheres, I'm thinking red and green in addition to blue and yellow. That's a new part tho so maybe another recolor will appear, or I could try staining the clear halves blue/yellow/red/green when that part become readily available on PaB and use them to replace the solid colored halves.

@medgyesid said:
" @pedro_lego said:
"Why do we get 2 identical space minifigs? Maybe this was a waste of resources? "

There is one male and one female version from each theme. In case of classic space these are identical."

It may be a bit of a purposeful joke at the ambiguity of classic faces, which were used for all minifigures, only distinguishing them by their gender. I think it makes sense since all other minifigs have a double of the other gender in the set.

Love this because it is instantly recognisable and I think something even non-LEGO fans would appreciate. Hopefully the mechanism is reliable. I can see a super tall one showing up at conventions.

Price is high but given the numerous new minifigures and multiple new large parts it's to be expected.

It looks very cool but it's not something I will definitely buy.
I just don't understand what you're supposed to do with it later.
It doesn't really look as a display set...
Love the golden color of the Spacemen, though.

Crazy price pointing, plus a Trump Tax, but had silver drum lacquer been used for the "chrome" trim the nostalgia bling would've been awesome, and extra price-jack being normalized lately would've been harder to resist.

As other's have commented, I'll be looking to acquire the 2 new Spacemen via PAB if they become available, or more likely through a reseller. Other than that, it's a nice set, but not something that I can justify at that price.

A lot of money for four spacemen. And I think the second-market price will be worse.

I wish I could buy it now and get the classic space baby macro figure GWP! This and the haunted house top of my wish list now

The Fabuland fan, Kraken knights, and Space figures feel developed, but the rest feel generic and not at all like desirable minifigures from a prize machine. It's like a Minifigures series built of Build-a-Minifigure parts or generic City minifigure pieces. Vidiyo had more CMF energy to me than the pool of figures in this set.

@benbacardi said:
"Those space figs!! Amazing."

I will be looking for those on eBay

@StyleCounselor said:
"For those comparing these figs to CMFs, where are the exclusive, awesome animals and accessories? Where are the printed and dual-molded legs snd arms?

These minifigs are mediocre (that's 'mid' for you newbies) at best. "

For some of us, the nostalgia factor adds enough. I'm even glad every time I see the classic smiley face still being used.

@yellowcastle said:
"That must be one dangerous surf for the Beach Girl with sword."

Haha, I had to do a double take at that too!

@tne328 said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"For those comparing these figs to CMFs, where are the exclusive, awesome animals and accessories? Where are the printed and dual-molded legs snd arms?

These minifigs are mediocre (that's 'mid' for you newbies) at best. "

For some of us, the nostalgia factor adds enough. I'm even glad every time I see the classic smiley face still being used.

@yellowcastle said:
"That must be one dangerous surf for the Beach Girl with sword."

Haha, I had to do a double take at that too!"

Whom DARES to BOTH @me and @yellowcastle in the SAME comment???!!! Your handle shall be inscribed upon the roles of the historically-brave foolhards.

Oh, I pity you, friend! Boo-ah-ah-ah-ah!!!!

@Andrusi said:
" @Hiratha said:
"I suspect the press release house style is just very, very generic, which is the sort of writing AI also tends to produce."

This is it, yeah. ChatGPT writes like a press release."

I feel sorry for the po' little 'puter.

@AustinPowers said:
"I like it, and at a discount will definitely buy it.
Only one question: what is it with the cup and doughnut with one of the dark turquoise Classic Spacemen? I get the other references, but no Classic Space set ever contained a doughnut. And I don't recall any that contained one of these cups either. I know there were plenty in Town sets, but Classic Space?
Anyway, no gripe, just a little bewildering. "

Not sure about the doughnuts but the Galaxy Explorer remake had trans clear cups.

Really not sure what to make of this. As someone who buys the CMF series, I'd want to have the minifigures on display, but the point of the set is that its meant to be a vending machine with the figures unassembled... Yet, you're going to have to gather the parts for the fig and assemble them into the balls for it to be used properly. And that just seems like a pointless exercise to me. Pretty sure as well most kids will want to keep the figs assembled rather then 'playing' at which one they might get. Admittedly, with doubles of the figs, I could just keep the dupes in the dispenser, but that still doesn't feel right to me.

Design wise, the 'glass bulb' feels too small and inset and isn't very pretty with the way its had to have the join in the middle of it to build it. But, I do like the look of the rest of it overall, and appreciate its an actual working mechanism rather then it just being a look.

Cost wise... I know I can buy none lego toy desktop grabbers games for less then £40, and actual vintage dispensers for around the £60 mark, and a CMF series is another £42 for a full set, so not sure how that price can be justified when I can get something similar, and heck of alot more figures for less.

All this said, I do kinda like the idea and the concept, this execution just feels off to me.

@Robot99 said:
"I would say it's pricey, but 16 minifigs in one set is an absolute steal nowadays. Basically a complete CMF wave!

EDIT: Four classic astronauts! Surprised to see repeat colors though."

That's perfect--one to keep, one to sell to people who want one (like me!). You're right about the price, though. A $10 gold coin is a bit much for a minifig.

@StyleCounselor said:
[[ @yellowcastle said:
[[...

Did a computer write this??!! It's too funny for a human Lego writer.]]

I'm ashamed with the amount of joy this brought me...

Can't vote because there's no: Not buying the set...but the minifigures...:D

No, I really like both those Classic Space (teal and gold), the Knights (at least the Gryphons), Pirates...is that suppose to be the 'Governor's Daughter' all grown up? Nah, I think pretty most of 'em are spot on...here's hoping the OPAB gets 'em, and doesn't sell out just as fast...which they will...:( (:))

@yellowcastle said:
" @yellowcastle said:
"...
@StyleCounselor said:

Did a computer write this??!! It's too funny for a human Lego writer."

I'm ashamed with the amount of joy this brought me..."

Back at-cha, slick.

Can you get banned for commenting too much in one thread (he knowingly asks Prof. Plum)?

I'm not so sure these parts will be on PAB, if the press release says 'exclusive minifigures." Granted, that doesn't imply they're ALL exclusive. I think the Ideas t-shirt one is least likely to be on PAB, but plenty of others might not be either.

@Andrusi said:
" @Hiratha said:
"I suspect the press release house style is just very, very generic, which is the sort of writing AI also tends to produce."

This is it, yeah. ChatGPT writes like a press release."

Maybe they only feed it LEGO press releases for training.

@StyleCounselor said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @yellowcastle said:
"...
@StyleCounselor said:

Did a computer write this??!! It's too funny for a human Lego writer."

I'm ashamed with the amount of joy this brought me..."

Back at-cha, slick.

Can you get banned for commenting too much in one thread (he knowingly asks Prof. Plum)?"

I think there's a rule where you can't get banned from both LEGO and BRICKSET concurrently. There's some kind of reverse reciprocity.

The set sucks. The price is absurd. The only thing anyone cares about are the figures and there are only 4-5 of them I like, personally. I'll just pick them up on PAB in a few months for like $8.

@yellowcastle said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @yellowcastle said:
"...
@StyleCounselor said:

Did a computer write this??!! It's too funny for a human Lego writer."

I'm ashamed with the amount of joy this brought me..."

Back at-cha, slick.

Can you get banned for commenting too much in one thread (he knowingly asks Prof. Plum)?"

I think there's a rule where you can't get banned from both LEGO and BRICKSET concurrently. There's some kind of reverse reciprocity."

THIS isn't true (he states with in-depth, tragically-personal knowledge).

@yellowcastle said:
" @Hiratha said:
"My partner and I were chatting about the idea of displaying the minifigs and filling the balls with other kits, such as advent calendar builds and maybe even some of the smaller magazine mounts. It's easy enough to cut the tabs off the advent calendar box or print the instructions to tuck inside.

Partner Addition: "For days when either us fancy building something really small, but don't want to make the decision over which kit, we can turn the handle and let random chance decide. I think using the Vending Machine like that would be a great AFOL Mod and fun you can also share with friends and family. As long as they hand over real cash first ;)""
Is it about time Hiratha2 joins Brickset? :o)

How about mini-representations of sets you haven't yet built. When you're next ready to build something, the $10,000 gumball machine decides which set!
"

Partner: "No, because I already spend too much time on here. If I comment as well I won't have time for anything else :D"

Also, I feel Brickset is already perfectly well-supplied with complaints about stickers and filtering partner’s through me greatly reduces the general volume. :p (In fairness, they have to apply all mine for me, so they do get a double-helping of sticker duty plus a dose of puppy-dog-eyed begging for half of them, which rather increases the aggravation I imagine.)

ETA: I do like the mini representations of sets idea!

This thing is great. Cool figs for me now, and a bit of joy to have around for future grandkids. Put any mix of figs in there and they get a new prize every visit. Love it.

This is a really cool idea. I can’t afford the price for only four minifigures that actually fit my theme, but it is really cool. Kudos to the designer

Personally I think the gumball machine from PANTASY looks much better and more like an actual gumball machine then it's LEGO counterpart...
Also much cheaper ;)

Let's face it: most people want this for the awesome minifigures and are going to wait until this goes on sale. The vending machine itself is alright, but not really a nice display model.

Having nostalgia for these small vending machines, I love this, both the machine itself and the minifigure selection! This may just be the first Ideas set that I buy.

@sjr60 said:
"I like the build a lot but, since I don't actually like minifigures, I'd be much more tempted if it was £70 and empty!"

I'm guessing the secondary market for these minifigures will be pretty good so I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of these available online without the figures, probably for less than that.

Teal spaceman! Finally!

Would have preferred if the Paradisa logo stayed a bit more true to the original color scheme (missing green, as far as I can tell).

Not sure about the Imperial Guard's color too - maybe I'm missing something? I guess tan fits Pirates era clothing, but I'm still puzzled if it means something.

The Fabuland ones are kind of clever.

The gryphon (?) crest looks a bit like a hybrid between the beaked dragon from 6057 and the Crusader's lion, which is kinda funny...

I'm wondering two things. One: How is the mechanism built, and two: How many sigfigs will end up using that ideas torso.

@strangeworld said:
"$222 over here, for 1343 pieces. 10497 Galaxy Explorer, which had almost the same number of pieces, was $100 less."

This has four times as many minifigs as 10497, though.

The gimmick is fun, but I don't necessarily need it. I want some of the figures for sure, so I guess it opens up on trying to find them at a decent price OR hopefully PAB. But then that would eliminate any need for the actual set.

I am digging the Griffen torso/legs. I don't mind the shield. I don't love the seafaring group, but I also welcome something new.

The price is high but when it is on sale it would definitely be worth it.

@CCC said:
"We need a new option:

No, but I'll be buying some of the minifigure parts on PAB."

There's not even a snowball's chance those parts will be on PAB until the set retires.

@727802 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"I like it, and at a discount will definitely buy it.
Only one question: what is it with the cup and doughnut with one of the dark turquoise Classic Spacemen? I get the other references, but no Classic Space set ever contained a doughnut. And I don't recall any that contained one of these cups either. I know there were plenty in Town sets, but Classic Space?
Anyway, no gripe, just a little bewildering. "

Not sure about the doughnuts but the Galaxy Explorer remake had trans clear cups."

So did 6970 Beta I Command Base

Damn, didn't know this was coming out, I just bought the big Mario Kart set with Blue Shell and Red Spacebaby.... might cancel and pre-order this but will the extras still be available by June 1st?.....decisions decisions....

@SmilingCyclops said:
"I'm not so sure these parts will be on PAB, if the press release says 'exclusive minifigures." Granted, that doesn't imply they're ALL exclusive. I think the Ideas t-shirt one is least likely to be on PAB, but plenty of others might not be either."
They’ll be exclusive at the time the set releases and for 3+ months afterwards, but after that they’ll almost certainly make it to PaB or BAM. LEGO has described minifigures as ‘exclusive’ before that went on to be available on PaB, the orange Classic Spaceman for example. The problem will be that the parts will likely not all be available at the same time, so you’ll have to place multiple orders and/or make several visits to LEGO stores.

I'll probably get it eventually. Need to see if it can dispense mini/bite-sized wrapped candy without needing to put them in the balls, though. That would really seal the deal.

@Fatoran said:
"Hmm. Potential first look at Poké Balls for next year's Pokémon theme in those capsules?"

Would these be too small?

The first day, we will buy the PAB parts of the spacemen!!!

This could be a blast if you have kids! Head to a LEGO store and create your own custom minifigures. Once you're home, load them into the balls, and whenever you want to reward your kids, let them pick one out. It’s a fun surprise every time!

This would also be a fun way to sell the Collectible Minifigures if they really wanted to make it a random purchase. But very addictive as well...

Having said that, it's way too expensive for what it is so I will go to PaB for a couple of the minifigures.

Ripoff. The few commenters that said the price is fine....you ARE the problem! 150$ would be absolute ceiling for me and still expensive.

@StevoRed1 said:
" @727802 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"I like it, and at a discount will definitely buy it.
Only one question: what is it with the cup and doughnut with one of the dark turquoise Classic Spacemen? I get the other references, but no Classic Space set ever contained a doughnut. And I don't recall any that contained one of these cups either. I know there were plenty in Town sets, but Classic Space?
Anyway, no gripe, just a little bewildering. "

Not sure about the doughnuts but the Galaxy Explorer remake had trans clear cups."

So did 6970 Beta I Command Base"
Wow. I even have that one since childhood. Can't understand how I could have overlooked that. Then again, it's been several decades since I last built it.

As for the new set, I don't think that I will buy it, since all I want from it is one each of the new Classic Spacemen. Couldn't care less about the rest.

@Hiratha:
Your idea works for any size, if all you do is fill them with tokens that represent other stuff. You could put different colored 2x2 bricks inside to pick which UCS set to build next, if that's your fancy (and you've the budget to stock the cabinet).

@StyleCounselor:
Never had that problem with superballs, but then again, we learned really quickly that the ideal place to put them to use is an enclosed gym with few places where they might get stuck. Then the trouble is that you quickly realize there's not much to them that you don't get from the first few bounces, and they end up in a drawer somewhere.

@Atuin:
Gryphon? Huh. I thought we were expecting a return of Crow to go with the Kraken.

@Captain_M said:
"Damn, didn't know this was coming out, I just bought the big Mario Kart set with Blue Shell and Red Spacebaby.... might cancel and pre-order this but will the extras still be available by June 1st?.....decisions decisions.... "

pre-order usually don't give GWP

So COOL! so is the price!

@watcher21 said:
" @Captain_M said:
"Damn, didn't know this was coming out, I just bought the big Mario Kart set with Blue Shell and Red Spacebaby.... might cancel and pre-order this but will the extras still be available by June 1st?.....decisions decisions.... "

pre-order usually don't give GWP"

Pretty sure they did at one point, but someone said something about customers whinging too much when they didn’t get the preorder that was up when the set shipped, that nobody held the current GWP for their order to ship, that they didn’t like whatever GWP they did get, and other such nonsense, so they cut them off.

@Zander said:
" @SmilingCyclops said:
"I'm not so sure these parts will be on PAB, if the press release says 'exclusive minifigures." Granted, that doesn't imply they're ALL exclusive. I think the Ideas t-shirt one is least likely to be on PAB, but plenty of others might not be either."
They’ll be exclusive at the time the set releases and for 3+ months afterwards, but after that they’ll almost certainly make it to PaB or BAM. LEGO has described minifigures as ‘exclusive’ before that went on to be available on PaB, the orange Classic Spaceman for example. The problem will be that the parts will likely not all be available at the same time, so you’ll have to place multiple orders and/or make several visits to LEGO stores.
"

The orange spaceman was only available in a DK book, not a $180 set they're trying to sell. There's no way these will go to PAB until the set retires.

No love for Islanders? Wild West? Fright Knights? Aquazone? Classic Town / City people? :(

It would've been nice if there was more variety with the minifigure selection instead of doing the male-female ratio for each theme.

Also, I personally would appreciate it more if they brought back the classic original designs of the vintage minifigures. They were going for the retro / nostalgia appeal of collectors anyway.

@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor:
Never had that problem with superballs, but then again, we learned really quickly that the ideal place to put them to use is an enclosed gym with few places where they might get stuck. Then the trouble is that you quickly realize there's not much to them that you don't get from the first few bounces, and they end up in a drawer somewhere."

Superballs are the ultimate ball sport training device. It instantly scales up to your level and will humble you regardless of how good you are. It's the real life equivalent of lightsaber practice with a blast hood or catching a golden snitch.

@oldtodd33 said:
"The orange spaceman was only available in a DK book, not a $180 set they're trying to sell. There's no way these will go to PAB until the set retires. "

If it was a GWP, you might be right. There's a built in delay before parts from a new set hit OPAB, and all GWPs retire on December 31st of the year they're released. If they get released too late in the year, the set retires and the parts get delisted before they ever make it on the list.

But this is an Ideas set. It could potentially be up for a few years before it retires, and none of these parts are tied to licensed IP. Could they IP-lock them? Sure. But I'd be shocked if the set retires before they show up on OPAB . There have been other "No way!" parts that ended up there, and it didn't make sense until you remember that they're all internal IP, so they're not blocked like that.

I just find this a missed opportunity to reintroduce the classic minifigures from the early days of LEGO. The modernized redesign of some -- particularly the Castle and Pirates ones -- doesn't really bring the nostalgia. I understand that those designs are probably "extinct" by now and would be difficult to re-manufacture. But for a set that's targeting the retro sentiments of collectors, they should have reproduced at least a few them. The knights' helmets (from the 80s' - 90s') for instance are still being used in a variety of themes today.

But the vending machine itself is cool. I appreciate the techniques employed to create the dispensing function. :)

As most commenters have noted, it’s a very expensive set. I will only buy it if I can find it with a discount of 30% or more. For Ideas sets, that is not common, but given the price, this set won’t exactly be flying off shelves.

I’m also disappointed in the new Castle factions. I very much dislike the Gryphons’ helmets and their swords. And why are the Krakens armed with a cutlass and Indiana Jones’ whip? The torsos and printed legs from both factions are great, though.

Two pairs of Classic Spacemen seems nice, but why not differentiated pairs? Gold & silver and bright green & bright light blue, would have been perfect. The latter two I’ve chosen because I believe they are the two colours missing to replace the Everyone is Awesome figs with Classic Space people.

@PurpleDave said:
" @oldtodd33 said:
"The orange spaceman was only available in a DK book, not a $180 set they're trying to sell. There's no way these will go to PAB until the set retires. "

If it was a GWP, you might be right. There's a built in delay before parts from a new set hit OPAB, and all GWPs retire on December 31st of the year they're released. If they get released too late in the year, the set retires and the parts get delisted before they ever make it on the list.

But this is an Ideas set. It could potentially be up for a few years before it retires, and none of these parts are tied to licensed IP. Could they IP-lock them? Sure. But I'd be shocked if the set retires before they show up on OPAB . There have been other "No way!" parts that ended up there, and it didn't make sense until you remember that they're all internal IP, so they're not blocked like that."

I've gotten one piece from PaB that you'd think would be IP locked: Dr. Strange's cape.

Legoland germany will have the minifig parts availible at some point. i am very shure about that. So i'll stick to that option considering the price of this. I think 100-120€ would be enough for this set since it hasnt got any licensed figures.

@AustinPowers said:
"I like it, and at a discount will definitely buy it.
Only one question: what is it with the cup and doughnut with one of the dark turquoise Classic Spacemen? I get the other references, but no Classic Space set ever contained a doughnut. And I don't recall any that contained one of these cups either. I know there were plenty in Town sets, but Classic Space?
Anyway, no gripe, just a little bewildering. "

6970 has the clear cup. Don't know about the doughnut. UFO theme reference maybe?

Makes you wonder why LEGO hasn't introduced actual minifig vending machines. Gashapon is really popular, or so I heard.

The LEGO fan community collectively has the power to vote by NOT opening their wallets. Unfortunately, they won't do that.

@kwickbrick said:
"They couldn't demonstrate it because another worker took the coin."

Just like a real one! What, nobody else used to check all for change returns to see if someone forgot to collect any coins that failed to go through?

@Zeitgeist:
Gold is an influencer, and Teal is sanitation.

@dudeski:
Kraken suggests a sea-based faction, like the Greyjoys from GoT. Cutlass makes perfect sense. Whip, not so much, when it could get snagged in the rigging at an inopportune moment. And the vote was for _ONE_ new color, so they already gave us a bonus color (and faction).

@TheOtherMike:
I’ve managed to snag a few that I was shocked weren’t IP-locked, but I can’t think of what they were at the moment. From long before OPAB merged with B&P, though, I got a bag full of Green Lantern uniforms (60 torsos, 58 legs, and even a few heads), and I know every part of one version of Green Arrow ended up online except the hood.

@xurotaryrocket said:
"The LEGO fan community collectively has the power to vote by NOT opening their wallets. Unfortunately, they won't do that."

Have you actually met the LEGO fan community? That’s like asking a rock to ignore gravity when you toss it in the air.

@Nikolaevna said:
"Makes you wonder why LEGO hasn't introduced actual minifig vending machines. Gashapon is really popular, or so I heard."

That would actually be very cool for promotion of the set. Plus, it solves the whole issue on the minifigures series with most fans cherry picking to find the ones they want. Totally agreed.

@Marc_the_Lego_Person said:
" @Nikolaevna said:
"Makes you wonder why LEGO hasn't introduced actual minifig vending machines. Gashapon is really popular, or so I heard."

That would actually be very cool for promotion of the set. Plus, it solves the whole issue on the minifigures series with most fans cherry picking to find the ones they want. Totally agreed."

Moving CMF to gumball machine type dispensers would just drive collectors to find some other angle to shoot. We are unstoppable, lol.

@Zander said:
" @oldtodd33 said:
" @Zander said:
" @SmilingCyclops said:
"I'm not so sure these parts will be on PAB, if the press release says 'exclusive minifigures." Granted, that doesn't imply they're ALL exclusive. I think the Ideas t-shirt one is least likely to be on PAB, but plenty of others might not be either."
They’ll be exclusive at the time the set releases and for 3+ months afterwards, but after that they’ll almost certainly make it to PaB or BAM. LEGO has described minifigures as ‘exclusive’ before that went on to be available on PaB, the orange Classic Spaceman for example. The problem will be that the parts will likely not all be available at the same time, so you’ll have to place multiple orders and/or make several visits to LEGO stores.
"

The orange spaceman was only available in a DK book, not a $180 set they're trying to sell. There's no way these will go to PAB until the set retires. "
10305 Lion Knights’ Castle hasn’t retired yet and can still be bought from lego.com but the minifigure parts from the set that were originally exclusive have been available from PaB/BAM for some time. I have some of them. There are other examples. That doesn’t mean that every minifigure part from the prize machine set will definitely make it to PaB/BAM, just that LEGO uses ‘exclusive’ to mean ‘exclusive at the time of release’, not ‘exclusive while the set remains in production’."

I thought about that and the only reason I can come up with was to get rid of he resellers of the minifigs and this is a new castle it should drive sales whether they offer the minifigs on PAB or not. Apparently that strategy is working for this theme.

The Captain Rex fig is different. You're looking at the Venator with a huge price point and a miniset with a very low price point. I think Lego was being merciful to the people who just can't afford the $650 for the Venator and they threw them a bone and put him in a cheap set. My opinion.

@Zeitgeist said:
"Gold Spaceman, I suppose, is the party-planner? And maybe Teal Spaceman really wants to talk to you about crypto?"
@PurpleDave said:
"Gold is an influencer, and Teal is sanitation."

Gold is press relations. Teal is morning news.

@Marc_the_Lego_Person said:
" @Nikolaevna said:
"Makes you wonder why LEGO hasn't introduced actual minifig vending machines. Gashapon is really popular, or so I heard."

That would actually be very cool for promotion of the set. Plus, it solves the whole issue on the minifigures series with most fans cherry picking to find the ones they want. Totally agreed."

That doesn’t solve it at all. How am I supposed to cherry pick my CMFs if you've got them locked up in little plastic coffins?

@bluespaceguy said:
"All I can see is using it to recreate the classic Xmen Arcade Murderworld story. "

Very cool idea! If you’re planning to recreate it then please go viral on the socials so i can see the pictures of it.

For me personally i would have liked it better if it had a more gashapon look. Or the old vintage look of those gumball machines outside next to a bar or at some random place.

Plus Fabuland! I may need them for my Animal Crossing sets

Gold is second hand spaceship salesmen, Teal are the IT-people, setting up wi-fi

@PurpleDave given that they are a medieval faction, a cutlass makes no sense at all. Cutlasses were only developed in the 17th century. They were an evolution of a medieval weapon known as a falchion.
The Middle Ages ended around 1500. 1453, 1492 and 1517 are commonly marked as the ‘end’, though obviously it wasn’t just ththe period ended one strange morning with everyone sighing of relief that the Middle Ages were done and the Early Modern Period had started.
I don’t require Lego to be 100% historically accurate, but a cutlass for a knight looks idiotic to me.

@dudeski said:
" @PurpleDave given that they are a medieval faction, a cutlass makes no sense at all. Cutlasses were only developed in the 17th century. They were an evolution of a medieval weapon known as a falchion.
The Middle Ages ended around 1500. 1453, 1492 and 1517 are commonly marked as the ‘end’, though obviously it wasn’t just ththe period ended one strange morning with everyone sighing of relief that the Middle Ages were done and the Early Modern Period had started.
I don’t require Lego to be 100% historically accurate, but a cutlass for a knight looks idiotic to me. "

But isn’t it just fantasy lego? I mean dragons, ghosts, skeletons, cutlasses it’s all good, right? Plus you could swap their weapons of course

@dudeski said:
" @PurpleDave given that they are a medieval faction, a cutlass makes no sense at all. Cutlasses were only developed in the 17th century. They were an evolution of a medieval weapon known as a falchion.
The Middle Ages ended around 1500. 1453, 1492 and 1517 are commonly marked as the ‘end’, though obviously it wasn’t just ththe period ended one strange morning with everyone sighing of relief that the Middle Ages were done and the Early Modern Period had started.
I don’t require Lego to be 100% historically accurate, but a cutlass for a knight looks idiotic to me. "

I love learning on brickset. :o)

That being said, why is it "given" that "they are a medieval faction"? And either way, if the Age of Sail goes back to the 15th century AND cutlasses took hold in the early Age of Sail AND the Krakens are oceangoing (as surmised by @PurpleDave ), the cutlass seems a reasonable enough weapon. Them being oceangoing is also supported by their round shields, not to mention their fishy theme. :o)

What is dead may never die.

@yellowcastle said:
" @dudeski said:
" @PurpleDave given that they are a medieval faction, a cutlass makes no sense at all. Cutlasses were only developed in the 17th century. They were an evolution of a medieval weapon known as a falchion.
The Middle Ages ended around 1500. 1453, 1492 and 1517 are commonly marked as the ‘end’, though obviously it wasn’t just ththe period ended one strange morning with everyone sighing of relief that the Middle Ages were done and the Early Modern Period had started.
I don’t require Lego to be 100% historically accurate, but a cutlass for a knight looks idiotic to me. "

I love learning on brickset. :o)

That being said, why is it "given" that "they are a medieval faction"? And either way, if the Age of Sail goes back to the 15th century AND cutlasses took hold in the early Age of Sail AND the Krakens are oceangoing (as surmised by @PurpleDave ), the cutlass seems a reasonable enough weapon. Them being oceangoing is also supported by their round shields, not to mention their fishy theme. :o)

What is dead may never die."

I had the same thought. I’d consider 8804-3 to be a Castle minifig, and the name implies he’s allowed to use an early form of firearm. You know, on top of coming with a foil, which I’m sure came after the cutlass.

I've always thought of 8804-3 as a Pirates-era minifig, myself.

@yellowcastle said:"What is dead may never die."

“That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.”

@yellowcastle, why I think the Krakens are a medieval faction is because quite some time ago, there was a vote on which two out of four hypothetical factions we wanted in Castle. Krakens and Griffins/Gryphons won. And Castle has always been a Medieval theme, regardless of the fact that more than a few castles outlasted the Middle Ages.

The Krakens’ headgear seems to be a nod to Norsemen/Vikings, together with the Kraken sigil it seems indeed likely they will be oceangoing. As we all know, long before the ‘Age of Sail’ the Norse reached Greenland and even shortly maintained settlements in what is now the Northeastern US and Southeast Canada, all while not using cutlasses. ?? (The Age of Sail started in Late Medieval Spain and Portugal and lasts for roughly the whole Early Modern Period).

@PurpleDave, the French musketeer with wide brimmed and feathered hats date from the early 17th century (Louis XIII), so they are not ‘Castle’, Pirates and Imperial Soldiers/Guards are closer timelinewise.

@yellowcastle said:
" @dudeski said:
" @PurpleDave given that they are a medieval faction, a cutlass makes no sense at all. Cutlasses were only developed in the 17th century. They were an evolution of a medieval weapon known as a falchion.
The Middle Ages ended around 1500. 1453, 1492 and 1517 are commonly marked as the ‘end’, though obviously it wasn’t just ththe period ended one strange morning with everyone sighing of relief that the Middle Ages were done and the Early Modern Period had started.
I don’t require Lego to be 100% historically accurate, but a cutlass for a knight looks idiotic to me. "

I love learning on brickset. :o)

That being said, why is it "given" that "they are a medieval faction"? And either way, if the Age of Sail goes back to the 15th century AND cutlasses took hold in the early Age of Sail AND the Krakens are oceangoing (as surmised by @PurpleDave ), the cutlass seems a reasonable enough weapon. Them being oceangoing is also supported by their round shields, not to mention their fishy theme. :o)

What is dead may never die."

But rises again, harder and stronger.

@dudeski said:
" @yellowcastle, why I think the Krakens are a medieval faction is because quite some time ago, there was a vote on which two out of four hypothetical factions we wanted in Castle. Krakens and Griffins/Gryphons won. And Castle has always been a Medieval theme, regardless of the fact that more than a few castles outlasted the Middle Ages.

The Krakens’ headgear seems to be a nod to Norsemen/Vikings, together with the Kraken sigil it seems indeed likely they will be oceangoing. As we all know, long before the ‘Age of Sail’ the Norse reached Greenland and even shortly maintained settlements in what is now the Northeastern US and Southeast Canada, all while not using cutlasses. ?? (The Age of Sail started in Late Medieval Spain and Portugal and lasts for roughly the whole Early Modern Period).

@PurpleDave, the French musketeer with wide brimmed and feathered hats date from the early 17th century (Louis XIII), so they are not ‘Castle’, Pirates and Imperial Soldiers/Guards are closer timelinewise. "

But Castle has never been explicitly defined as being a particular time period, or locale, for that matter. Ninja was marketed as a Castle subtheme, remember, and if it's meant to represent the Tokugawa Shogunate, it would be contemporary to the Musketeer CMF.

Pirates, on the other hand, focuses on the Age of Sail, with naval warfare that was never really explored in the Castle theme. Yes, there were a few small ships, but nothing with powder-based weaponry. If you go strictly by gunpowder, you could lump Ninja (with the Japanese who were far from a naval power at the time) in with Pirates. But if you look more to form, Pirates stands distinct from the rest, while Castle and Ninja have more common with Western, as all three involve soldiers with edged and ranged weapons defending fortresses, while brigands terrorize the countryside. In that sense, the Musketeer clearly fits more with Castle.

@PurpleDave, re: gunpowder-based weaponry in non-Ninja Castle sets: 6091, at least, had a cannon. But like you said, the line overall was never nailed down to a specific time and place, and some subthemes had decidedly ahistorcal elements.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @PurpleDave, re: gunpowder-based weaponry in non-Ninja Castle sets: 6091, at least, had a cannon. But like you said, the line overall was never nailed down to a specific time and place, and some subthemes had decidedly ahistorcal elements."

Are you referring to the cart the Bull faction uses? It's hard to know if that's supposed to be a cannon, a ballista, or a battering ram.

@xurotaryrocket said:
"The LEGO fan community collectively has the power to vote by NOT opening their wallets. Unfortunately, they won't do that."
There are too few AFOLs to make a difference in LEGO’s decision making relating to pricing and production runs. From LEGO’s perspective, we’re more like a community of influencers than a market segment.

All this talk about Castle figs and Gunpowder, while the last 3-in-1 Falcon Knight and the upcoming 3-in-1 Horse/Snake Knight Castle set either include a green dragon, or has 31161 Medieval Dragon on the box. (which has the horse knight castle on the box)

And Lion Knights / Falcon Knights / Forestmen share a set with a Wizard.

Also 31161 features a Phoenix and Sea Serpent which easily fit with LEGO Castle and/or Vikings, Kraken figs would fit in both.

Of course you can leave out any sort of creatures or magic, just like you can imagine Harry Potter with swords instead of wands, or Star Wars without force powers or whatever you wish it to be.

@Zander said:
" @xurotaryrocket said:
"The LEGO fan community collectively has the power to vote by NOT opening their wallets. Unfortunately, they won't do that."
There are too few AFOLs to make a difference in LEGO’s decision making relating to pricing and production runs. From LEGO’s perspective, we’re more like a community of influencers than a market segment.

"

First, I was talking about the LEGO fan community in general - young and old.

Second,regarding your specific comment , if this is the case, then why is LEGO increasingly aiming so MANY ($200+) sets at the high-end/adult demographic?

The problem I have with this set is:
A bunch of these minifigs are absolutely AWESOME!!!!! But.....
As a display-piece, this set looks way too plain IMO. Not appealing enough, and ultimately I think it is a very expensive set.
Having said that, a gum ball minifig vending machine is very cool. If only they had added metallic silver and gold accents, similar to the current botanical sets (e.g.: Lucky Bamboo etc.).
The idea is fun, and you can put different minifigs in those balls, but I don't know how many people will actually use it for play or as some sort of reward system with their kids filling the machine up with new figs they can 'win'/deserve for getting good grades etc?!?

Anyway....
I LOVE THOSE CASTLE & ASTRONAUT minifigs!!!
Honestly, I am actually only interested in getting a bunch of them, OR buying the set when Lego gives me a nice discount. I rather buy a castle set or a modular set etc., though I might be pleasantly surprised by whatever technical solutions and innovative tricks are part of this vending machine mechanism, suppose I were to buy this set.
Ultimately.....
Those castle minifigs with the Griffin shield are what makes this set so cool! So are the Octopus guys, and I definitely want those turquoise & gold astronauts too.
So, again, I am in all honesty really mostly interested in the minifigures much more so than the vending machine itself.

BTW
If TLG start making those semi spheres (used for the minifig capsules here in this set) in clear transparent colours, they are very useful for glass domes as windows in buildings and spaceships.

It's a tad pricey for me, but I love it. Its especially cool we're getting TWO new colors of spacemen AND two new knight factions, on top of getting two of each! For army building sake I really hope these guys' parts show up on Pick a Brick

@lordofdragonss said:
"JUST a reminder to NOT BUY IT and buy pieces later from PAB.

This is just AWFUL cashgrab"

Yeah lets hope these parts on PAB

@TeriXeri said:
"All this talk about Castle figs and Gunpowder, while the last 3-in-1 Falcon Knight and the upcoming 3-in-1 Horse/Snake Knight Castle set either include a green dragon, or has 31161 Medieval Dragon on the box. (which has the horse knight castle on the box)

And Lion Knights / Falcon Knights / Forestmen share a set with a Wizard.

Also 31161 features a Phoenix and Sea Serpent which easily fit with LEGO Castle and/or Vikings, Kraken figs would fit in both.

Of course you can leave out any sort of creatures or magic, just like you can imagine Harry Potter with swords instead of wands, or Star Wars without force powers or whatever you wish it to be."

Had you read my last comment thoroughly, you might have seen that I ended with:
"It's a toy, so no problem for me if it has an anachronism or an unrealistic invention here and there. If most of the Fantasy Era (which I reckon started in 1993) wasn't so badly designed, I might have liked it."

@dudeski said:
"Your way of grouping the Castle, Ninja and Western themes comes across as odd to me, though I admit it does make sense in a way and is therefore quite interesting."

Well, what is Fort Legoredo if not a prairie castle? It has defensible walls with a main gate that’s used for entry/egress. The people in charge ride horses into battle, use swords, are addressed as “sir”, and are frequently the sons of wealthy landowners. The basic soldiers are more likely to be common-born, are never addressed as “sir”, and tend to fight with longer weapons that are more suitable for stabbing than cutting. And the civilians only tend to reside inside the walls when they’re under attack.

@TheBigLegoski said:
"BTW
If TLG start making those semi spheres (used for the minifig capsules here in this set) in clear transparent colours, they are very useful for glass domes as windows in buildings and spaceships."

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing what else they do with those, in both transparent and opaque colors.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @TheBigLegoski said:
"BTW
If TLG start making those semi spheres (used for the minifig capsules here in this set) in clear transparent colours, they are very useful for glass domes as windows in buildings and spaceships."

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing what else they do with those, in both transparent and opaque colors."

Fully half of all production should be trans-clear, based on these images, but they look like they might be frosted. Not so great as windows after all.

I like it, but it's expensive. And since it's exclusive, discounts will be limited. Too bad. Perhaps PAB is an option to recreate it to your liking and with the minifigures you want, without having to pay extra for a fairly mediocre collection.

@SmilingCyclops said:
"I'm not so sure these parts will be on PAB, if the press release says 'exclusive minifigures." Granted, that doesn't imply they're ALL exclusive. I think the Ideas t-shirt one is least likely to be on PAB, but plenty of others might not be either."

That's exactly how i feel about it! i will be buying this set because I don't want to miss out on any exclusive figs and then having to backtrack to ebay ect ect...trust the gut ;)

Everybody's wondering about the figure parts on PaB, but I'm sort of hoping the coin tile ends up there. Be fun to fill a large-scale treasure chest or something like that. If I see them there, I'm definitely getting enough to fill the chest model from 31122.

@FARLANDER said:
"I like it, but it's expensive. And since it's exclusive, discounts will be limited. Too bad. Perhaps PAB is an option to recreate it to your liking and with the minifigures you want, without having to pay extra for a fairly mediocre collection."
Why do you figure it’s exclusive? It’s Ideas, not BDP.

@oldtodd33 said:
" @Zander said:
" @SmilingCyclops said:
"I'm not so sure these parts will be on PAB, if the press release says 'exclusive minifigures." Granted, that doesn't imply they're ALL exclusive. I think the Ideas t-shirt one is least likely to be on PAB, but plenty of others might not be either."
They’ll be exclusive at the time the set releases and for 3+ months afterwards, but after that they’ll almost certainly make it to PaB or BAM. LEGO has described minifigures as ‘exclusive’ before that went on to be available on PaB, the orange Classic Spaceman for example. The problem will be that the parts will likely not all be available at the same time, so you’ll have to place multiple orders and/or make several visits to LEGO stores.
"

The orange spaceman was only available in a DK book, not a $180 set they're trying to sell. There's no way these will go to PAB until the set retires. "

Actually Orange spaceman was avaialble in book AND 2 sets. And its parts WERE Available on PAB.
ALL of them. At least here in Poland.