Review: Series 17, continued
Posted by Huw,
Today I'll finish off my reviews of the series 17 collectable minifigures -- with the exception of the 'mystery man', of course -- starting with the remaining historical, mythical and futuristic figures.
Roman Gladiator
Roman figures have featured prominently in CMF series, perhaps more so than any other historical period.
This series provides us with another gladiator, but one who would not stand a chance in battle against the heavily armed one from series 5. However, I am told by those that know more about these things that he's a Retiarius and should be armed with a net as well as a trident, which would give him more of a fighting chance.
It might look fairly boring compared to others in this series but it has excellent torso and leg printing, bi-coloured legs and one bi-coloured arm. I suspect the hairpiece is new, too.
The gold section of his right arm is decorated with a lion head.
Battle Dwarf
I don't know where the inspiration for this fearsome little guy came from, and he's not one that appeals to me much but nevertheless it's an impressively produced figure, with bi-coloured arms and legs.
He's equipped with two weapons but when holding both he won't stand upright unaided. The hammer is decorated with some sort of mythical creature, a cross between a boar and a dinosaur, or something!
His red beard looks great from the front but not so much from the back, where it looks like a scarf.
The impressive level of detail on the front of the torso continues onto his back.
Retro spaceman
Like many of this series, the retro spaceman, which draws inspiration from bad B movies from yesteryear, is a miniature work of art.
The arms and legs are bi-coloured -- which seems to be becoming the norm for CMFs now -- and just about every surface that LEGO can print has been printed: torso, hip, legs, arms, side of legs, but not the back, which is hidden under the cape in any case.
The helmet -- which looks like a Roman Galea with headphones on the side looks great, and the ray-gun is easily the best weapon any space-themed CMF has been armed with.
An absolutely brilliant figure and one of my favourites of the series.
I'll finish off later today with the contemporary figures and then run a survey to find out which one is your favourite.
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27 comments on this article
Excellent review again. I thought Lego batman was releasing another wave of CMF , any news on that?
The gladiator's hairpiece was first introduced for Finn (SW:TFA), but this is the first time it's appeared in a color other than black.
Actually, I think the gladiator would have a chance. The one in series 5 was clearly a Murmillo, whereas this one is a Retiarius (although he misses his net). They were often coupled in combat.
And for those who wonder about the Dwarf, it is a not very subtle take on a classic Warhammer fantasy model - the Troll Slayer. Google it and you will see :-)
I totally thought of Spartacus as soon as I saw the gladiator, he'll definitely be one I'll be picking up.
We can see that the mystery fig has a tri cornered hat, pistol, cape and spoilers so the only mystery is the printing and colour scheme
*epilets
The battle dwarf looks very much like its inspired by a Games Workshop Trollslayer
I am so mad he didn't get spiderman net. Was it too big?
That retro spaceman ray gun brings back memories of Fallout 3 alien blasters. Neat figures but if I *can* I will be getting the hot dog guy.
The battle dwarf seems inspired by Warhammer's Trollslayers. (crazy dwarves that are afraid of nothing, not even taking a Troll one on one).
Concerning retiarii, they were indeed usually pitted against Secutors (the gladiator from, Series 5) and definitely stood a chance. Sure they lacked protection, but that also made them much more mobile, and their visual field was not impaired by the heavy helmet. And the (missing here) net helped a lot too.
Retro Spaceman is a must-have.
The thing on the dwarf's hammer is a boar with a mohawk.
The Dwarf looks like he walked off Snow White and the Huntsman.
The hair piece for the gladiator is not a new mold. It is Fin's hair piece from the 2015 force awakens recolored in brown for the first time.
@Panda Hero, lmao... but obscure humor is my thing! And who knew there are Warhammer fans at Lego? There are at least two Lego compatible aftermarket companies that makes a great Retiarius. I'm not going to post the link here as I'm pretty sure that is verboten. Retro Spaceman looks like (although off color) he stepped right off the pages of a 1950's Flash Gordon comic, which is pretty cool imo. Roman Gladiator might be worth picking up, as I've got most of the figures from that time period already. Plus his head piece would be perfect for a grumpy/scruffy Cantina bartender.
Is the Retro Spaceman's cape yellow or orangish yellow? Hard to tell in the pic.
Also, you can see the Boar on the belt of the Dwarf, so it all lines up to be a boar.
These figures look neat, but I'd say the retro spaceman is my favorite, and I am much more of a historical person. That says something to me. I'll pick up the others, just to have, but I'm not excited about anything.
Yes, a Retiarius gladiator should have a net, as well as a fully armored arm guard (in addition to shoulder protection) on the trident holding arm.
So you guys are not going to review the mystery guy? Or are you just going to wait awhile?
The battle dwarf would look right at home next to the Ironfoot Dwarves from the third "The Hobbit" movie. The Ironfoot Clan mascot is a boar.
The Battle Dwarf reminds me of the WWE wrestler Sheamus (his current look). I guess he may also have been inspired by Warhammer's Trollslayers (I didn't know about these before).
The Retro Space Guy's blaster looks fun, but I'm always disappointed when LEGO accessories don't leave room for customization by offering more attachment points. You can attach this to another weapon, of course, but you can't attach another weapon to this.
Nice review! These characters are interesting, none look bad at all.
the CMF series is probably the worst so far except 3 minifigs (Retro spaceman included) there is nothing .. oh yes and the bunny.
From my Point of view shape is more important in LEGO than print and the trend is TOO MUCH print everywhere which makes the parts very specific and almost impossible to Combine which actually kills the lego creativity idea.. I would love to see less prints and those that are really must be amazing. Some prints look even cheaper than the Chinese copies of LEGO which is for me a bit sad. it´s the new parts that sell These minifigs and also the rising Price tag makes These figures a really bad choice lately... so far my Rating is around 4/10 could be much better. The figures look repetitive unlike as mentioned the first series were very original now we get hibrids in many caes figures simmilars to pick a brick selection in Lego stores ... too bad lego too bad and I find the Review Little to not critical at all only focusing on the good things but I lack the cons. :)
Perhaps the boar on the dwarf's hammer is supposed to be a razorback.
Wow, I love all of these!
If I am correct, that hairpiece for the Retiarius is from the Star Wars character Finn.