Yep, doesn't look much like a bowler. However, at about £2K cheaper I could live with it :-D

I'm going first thing tomorrow morning! I was planning to pick up three for myself: one to open, one to keep sealed and one for a future MOC related to the store. In addition to that I have a couple of others who wanted me to pick up a couple extras, I've counted 10 so far...I really hope it's possible, fingers crossed!

@Huw - Did you want one?

Could it be that it's the same hat, but turned 180 degrees from the original limited edition minifig? Some hats come down lower on one side of the minifig's head than the other side. That would explain why the eyebrows are covered (if there are eyebrows under the hat...).

Already on eBay for £19.98 +

£5.99 for a single minifigure seems quite a lot, but I do like the idea - an exclusive for each store would be quite fun. The Geordie one could wear a t shirt...

I’m sure the EPOS/ViP points card would be able to determine if you bought some upstairs and then more downstairs on the same day.

What if you have 4 kids? Does one go without? Or can each person in the family buy 3 each? I hope the limitation is taken with a bit of common-sense with the register peeps :)

I like the patriotic little minifig but you, d expect to pay £.5.99 for a more spectacular polybag like the R2-D2 brick built toy or the chrome darth vader from a few years ago,

This is probably worth £2.99.
A Winston Churchill Minifig would be nice one day.

So Lego finally saw the potential for Lester. I reckon they'll eventually sell millions.
Although at £5.99 they have really gone for the immediate profit.

If I ever go to the London Store I'll have to get 3.

Are they going to be available in other UK stores?

LEGO yet again going after the 1% who can afford this insanely priced minifigure.

^^ Leicester Square exclusive...

Need to add this to the list of ideas for GWP!!!

Thinking about it, who wouldn’t buy 3?

Buy three, stick one on ebay, and this will cover the cost of the other ones. So technically the figure is free, when you work out the math.

Anyone else brimming with schadenfreude for the scalpers who've been asking £2,000 on ebay?

Re your article the other day on free gifts with purchase.....tada: your answer above!! Cool collectibles that fans want!!

The polybags for sale on Ebay have photos that make the hat look identical to the original Lester minifigure hat.

eBay here i come!

Suppose they have to offer something unique. The last time I went the range was pathetic, didn't even have the London skyline set.

I knew I should've sold mine while it was still exclusive ???? Damn missed out on a desperate Americans money who just has to have every lego minifig ever made!

More and more reasons to go to the Leicester Square store, I hope it will be a GWP for the UK

Anyone able to get me two of these little guys? I'm in Ireland, can pay PayPal with postage etc.

Yes!!!!! Going straight to the store to purchase this. Anyone know if its got a production run/limit? I presume a lot of people will go to buy this.

@brickingit

Only present your VIP card once and at the till where you don't, pay cash. Also, ensure you aren't carrying any visible or likely Lesters at the second till and you should be fine.

I've never gone to two LEGO stores in the same day to get the same promo twice; once as a VIP card holder and once not as a VIP. I've never, ever done that (- of course I have!)

Are there still queues to get into the shop? I'm visiting London for the first time in a few years and it'd be nice to pick this up without having to wait too long.

Oh yes. I'm going to London on Friday so will definitely stop in.
First the carousel, then the falcon, now Lester! Good that lego are making these sort after items more widely available (although the carousel is a poor man's grand carousel!! ) . Seems they are fighting the Chinese counterfeiters and cashing in on the aftermarket demand at the same time!

^^ @paulmison There are queues at the shop but in my experience they tend to only be significant (ie more than 5 mins) at weekends or holiday times. I've been there after client meetings or workshops in London around 5:30pm and it's been almost instant entry. My tip if you want to take photos of the large scale models is to go into the store after you've eaten elsewhere in London - not too far from closing time - this way there won't be many people left in the shop! I think it closes at 10.

However, I don't go to the Leicester Square store very often though in comparison to London residents so I'll have to be patient and see if I can get a Lester soon!

Excellent, I shall be in London in a couple of hours. Will have to pop in and pick three up.

As soon as I saw the bowler hat show up in Ninjago city, I had a strong feeling Lester might be making a return. I believe that was the reason they couldn't make more originally?

I dont think £5.99 is insane.... Yes its more expensive when compared to other polybags, but the Lepin version of Lester has been selling for £5 in many of the shops in chinatown right next door to the LS store for months now. I'm just glad that they have finally released it so that more people can add one to their collections. Would be great to see an exclusive santa version for christmas...

I have to agree £5.99 for an exclusive store minifig I think is quite reasonable. I've paid more for some CMFs!

Offical Brexit minifig!

I'm in Wales, would anyone be willing to pick me up one or two and post them to me? :(

^
Thanks for the details. Can’t wait to eventually get it.

I am in London on 24th October. Will pick up some extras for those unable to get there. Will sort out details once I have them. Paypal will probably be best, won't be looking for profit, just to get money back.

I wonder what the ppl with the first rare (numbered) Lester minifig would do now.. does anyone think these are still worth ridiculous 1800 GBP (as it was sold on ebay)?

I saw one on ebay for £199 and he seems have already sold a bunch of them.

I need one picking up if any one is offering :)

As an owner of one of the 275 it’s slightly disappointing that there isn’t a small difference between the two figures other than the packaging and the umbrella. Purely because it feels less unique to have one now.

Seeing as you can just pop open the packaging of the original one and then close it back again without damaging anything i wouldn’t trust any of them I see being sold on eBay as you won’t actually know which version of the figure it is. No way to verify if it’s the rare one or if the seller has swapped it out.

Personally not bothered about the value. I kept mine....

Just bought 3 :) and as for people listing them on eBay as rare lol are you having a laugh? This isn’t a ltd Edition Figure they have thousands of them. Someone tried to buy 30 and got told that it’s only 3 per household then threw the most amazing paddy at the till. Also makes me laugh how many of the clam shell ones are being listed on eBay in blind panic lol brilliant.

@ legoknight75: not everyone listing a LEGO item on ebay is "specialist" .. sometimes people just put in into the search field the number or name of the sets - and at that time I believe that most of the listings showed only the original "1-in-275" which at its time very truly "rare".. so he or she just adopted the description believing in "higher" authority who knows better than him..

Just bought my three. Also picked up the Halloween set (40260) and the Thanks-Giving one (40261), and was given a free Ninjago minifig polybag (Lloyd 30609).

OMG, I just bought one for 5K thinking it would appreciate to 10K... NOT! HAHA. I do feel bad for folks who did shell out a lot of dough for a now 6.00 minifigure though. Just remember, LEGO investing is not always a sure thing.

Anyone think supply problems will be an issue the next couple of days? I'm in London (Dulwich) for the next 10 days and planning a trip to the store tomorrow. Hoping they will be available still.

I should be able to pick a few extras for people back in the states too.

b1ueseven - when I was picking up mine at 15:30 this afternoon, they had a member of staff putting more on the shelves. I would imagine that you will be ok to get some if you visit on Tuesday, but after that, who knows?.....

I think the bowler hat actually looks kinda like a fedora, to be completely honest.

Now if we can get Lego to start doing this with the SDCC/NYCC exclusives - hopefully this will be successful and they will realize that allowing convention go-ers to fund their trips on the back of AFOLers is the wrong approach.

If anyone from the UK willing to get one for me? I'd be very happy.

Thanks

Mark

Is there someone in the UK who could buy for me one or two of the Polybag (one for a friend and one for me)?
I'd be very happy and will pay for it.

For contact please see my profile :)

Thanks
Lukas

I can report back after a trip today that this figure seems to be in abundance.

My wife and I each grabbed 3 (didn't try to push our luck with more, though we may try back tomorrow to pick some up for folks at home too), but the pegs were literally stocked with them. I even noticed an employee come out and restock twice while we were there.

I wonder how long they'll plan to manufacture these, or if it will be an indefinite thing.

At any rate, it's a great fig, even at $8 a pop.

i spoke with a manager yesterday and he confirmed that this figure will be on sale for a year at leicester square :)

Plenty of stock at Leicester Sq today (5/10 3pm) if you're in the area.

(But god I HATE that store. There are always two people on the door, two security guards, ten people walking around asking if they can help you, while one or two people deal with a massive queue at the till...)