Review: Series 17 with food
Posted by Huw,
Baked goods and meat have featured in previous CMF series but I don't recall one where three figures have had edible accessories.
Series 17 provides us with a baguette, strawberry tart and a sausage in a tasty new colour.
Gourmet Chef
Perhaps pastry chef or Pâtissier would have been a more apt name for this female kitchen staff member, judging by her whisk -- a new element, I believe -- and strawberry tart.
She's attired in a chef's toque blanche and double-buttoned jacket with printing on the hips to extend it below her waist.
Below her toque, her long hair is neatly tied up in a bun. Printing on the arms provides detailing on the cuffs.
Connoisseur
This gentleman is attired in a striped shirt, red scarf and beret which is often associated with the French, although I suspect it is not worn by them much these days!. Here's an interesting article on the origins of the outfit: the stripes originated in the French navy, apparently.
Other than connoisseur being a French word meaning 'a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste:' I fail to see the connection between the name and the figure.
Whatever, it's an attractive figure, with printed arms and back and, perhaps best of all, a new dog mould which may well be a French Bulldog.
Hot Dog Man
Last for today but certainly not least we have this colourful Hot Dog Man who would fit right in behind the counter of any fast food restaurant.
The printing on his torso and legs is excellent: the chequered apron extends below his knees and its straps continue onto the back.
The tray is a new piece and the sausage is new in dark red, which I think is a more appropriate colour than the usual bright red. The cup (which LEGO calls Kitchen Equipment No 1) has appeared before, in the Kwik E Mart, but this is its first appearance unprinted and in white, which makes it far more useful.
There are no studs on the top of the tray which makes balancing the food and drink precarious.
The tray can be held by the edge or by the anti-stud underneath
This is a really attractive character and a great 'army builder' to staff your fast food franchise!
Later today I will examine the remaining three female figures in the series.
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36 comments on this article
I like them all, especially the props.
Those would be most useful for populating modular buildings.
Also, I didn't know connaisseur is spelt with an o in English. weird.
"the sausage is new in dark red, which I think is a more appropriate colour than the usual bright red."
Outside Denmark, that is. ;-) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rød_pølse
ab21, those are available elsewhere too; they're called Frankfurters in English.
I like the chef but feel she's not unique enough to appear in the minifigures theme; she could have easily been incorporated into a city set. The connoisseur is fantastic; he's the one I want most in this series.
Frankfurters are not that red where I come from! :p More of a Dark Orange kinda colour.
I wish that tray had studs... makes displaying the figure with the accessories a pain.
I will have to get at least a couple Hot Dog Men, and probably one Gourmet Chef. I have a french bread piece, and I'm not a pet person, so I'll pass on the Connoisseur.
The Hot Dog Man has a pin with a smiley face? He is a part of the Watchmen.
That tray is a great piece.
"a striped shirt, red scarf and beret which is often associated with the French, although I suspect it is not worn by them much these days!"
The red scarf is not worn at all (except for summer festivals in the Basque country). The beret is only worn by very old guys in the countryside. It also may be more popular in the Basque country (after all it's called a "béret basque" in French). What's up with all those Basque things in the Frenchman's stereotype?
The striped shirt regularly goes in and out of fashion every few years, and indeed it comes from the French navy (19th century, I'd be tempted to say). In French it's called a "marinière" ('marin' being French for 'sailor' and 'marine' for 'navy').
Also, connoisseur is "connaisseur" in French, the "a" became an "o" in English for some reason.
I don't think that the French bulldog never really was a popular dog nor part of the usual French stereotype. I think Lego just thought "hmmm... a baguette is not enough, what other part could we add that's French?"
^ How about french fries?!
(kidding)
All three of these figures look great! I like the bulldog, but the man that goes with him looks great. If I got that figure, I'd use it as an artist. The female chef is my favorite figure in the entire series. Her accessories are great and I really like the way her hair, hat, and torso look. The fast food guy looks decent, but I like him for the accessories, especially that new lunch tray.
I'm really anticipating the mystery figure. Are you guys even allowed to review that one, or is Lego making you continue to keep it a secret?
davidbilla--Actually, the "o" became an "a" in French! The word made its way into English when it was still spelled connoître; in French, it later changed to connaître.
Luckily, my favorite (hot dog vender) will be easy to find with all the parts he has!
I love them, the hot dog guy in particular would look amaizing in my soon to build *dinner*.
Edit: Anyone other than me would love for Lego to make a fast food dinner or something that can be MOD for that purpose?
These three might be my favourites of the line, along with the highwayman.
Wow, the connoisseur and hot dog man look fabulous.
I am always collecting food items/elements. These are must-haves for me. Thanks for the photos!
The Connoisseur cracks me up and gets me thinking about this clip from the 1985 movie Better Off Dead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhW7rpFhr2k
It`s a real shame and a big designflaw that the tray don`t have two studs!
I think hot dog guy is one of my favorites for this series because he is just so unique without passing the point where he is not useful. His accessories are really unique and useful, but my favorite part is the paper hat. It has never been seen before, and really makes this figure look amazing.
I like this format of reviewing the CMF Series. Much easier to digest! (lol)
LEGO really loaded up on the Sausage Man. All that printing and multiple accessories!
I think they used "connoisseur" because it's a French word that Americans know and it's a compliment, rather than "Stereotypical French Guy" or "Frenchy."
We already had a few French Minifigs in our town (that we created on our own), but we'll get a few more with this guy. Maybe create a fille or two as well.
I love this series more and more. When is it available?
I can see that tray used in SO MANY MOCS and SETS. It's a great piece!
@Darkhawkgee02 That hat is not new. It was used few times already! The Butcher from CMF had it first!
So happy about the chef! I have unfinished bakery project!
Looks like some great accessories and also some fun outfits for figures. Can't wait for them to appear on the shelves!
For those Eddie Izzard Death Star Canteen lego movie makers that you find on YouTube that tray is going to be a game changer. Just need a Mr Stevens figure now.
Is the Chef's headpiece the more rubbery plastic (e.g. used for Wyldstyle's hood)? The way the colours are at the meeting of hair/toque and the general look of it to me suggest it's a softer material.
No. Normal plastic.
"The tray is a new piece and the sausage is new in dark red, which I think is a more appropriate colour than the usual bright red."
The red sausage is or was a Danish type of sausage. I have seen and eaten those. The new one is more like the one I have where i live.
BTW, the chef also has a double-sided face.
These are my top 3 favorites of the whole series.
Thanks a lot for the link to the article on the French Stereotype. I thought the beret would still be popular rather then the striped shirt. Personally I think its a tad odd, as a beret keeps one warm and looks fine, but the striped shirt has no helpful features apart from being stereotypical.
I would compare this choice to if the stereotypical London business man chose to keep the bowler hat trend ather then an umbrella.
Wait, why is the Connoisseur sad/worried?
He has bread, a warm hat and a loyal companion, what makes a stereotypical Frenchmen upset?
@TeaWeevil Oh, you're right... Duh...
@Brickchap We just dont wear hats in France anymore. Not sure why. Note that the striped shirt is not stereotypical for us, it's just a striped shirt.
And he's not worried, he's being snotty. Probably a Parisian. ;-)
Looks great. I can't wait to get these three. My wife had a French bulldog that she gave her grandma, so I'll have to pick that up. The hot dog man has many useful pieces, I'll need at least a few of him. The chef looks fantastic and I'll need 2 of her at least. I hate the price on these things for getting multiples.
Really like the hotdog server and the girl chef,
The hotdog guy looks like he works for 5 guys, hence the red & white checked outfit it looks like the colours in they're dining area of the trafford centre..,
I also would love corn on the cob man and rocket boy..
I need a hot dog guy so I can make the hot dog suit guy the mascot at a fast food stand :D
@ davidbilla
Thank you for enlightening me.
I have been to Paris and I personally found the people very kind and helpful.
Perhaps you could explain why Lego chose a French bulldog as the animal. I always thought a bulldog was an extremely British thing.