Could minifigures return for May the Fourth?
Posted by CapnRex101,
May the Fourth promotions were historically accompanied by exclusive minifigures, although those have been supplanted by brick-built droids and vignettes more recently.
During our recent discussion with Jens Kronvold Frederiksen and Michael Lee Stockwell from the LEGO Star Wars design team, James Burns from Jedi News and myself asked about this change to May the Fourth promotions.
Brickset: Some debate has surrounded the introduction of vignettes for May the Fourth and the apparent discontinuation of exclusive minifigures. What prompted that change?
Jens: Basically, it was about trying something new and different. We have observed some mixed reactions resulting from the vignettes but continuous innovation is so important and we thought the vignettes would be a brilliant idea, particularly for the twentieth anniversary of LEGO Star Wars when the first set was launched.
Brickset: I think the models have been good, but those exclusive minifigures provide an opportunity to produce characters which are unlikely to appear in standard sets, such as 5002123 Darth Revan.
Jens: Yes, they could be something that we develop again. We cannot promise anything but we definitely recognise the demand from minifigure collectors and can take a look at May the Fourth promotions.
Jedi News: Including an exclusive Aunt Beru minifigure in the recent 40451 Tatooine Homestead, for example, would have pleased everyone!
Michael: That is true, but including an Aunt Beru minifigure there could mean omitting another elsewhere, which creates additional problems. We always need to consider our priorities, with limited production slots.
Which option did you vote for and why? Let us know in the comments.
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65 comments on this article
"I think the models have been good, but those exclusive minifigures provide an opportunity to produce characters which are unlikely to appear in standard sets"
100% this. The vignettes aren't bad they just aren't nearly as exciting as getting a minifig that won't be produced otherwise. I'd rather see them just release vignettes as actual sets.
The vignettes look really good though and might have a broader appeal than very obscure characters for the more intense collectors.
I for one am not the biggest Star Wars fan but find the vignettes very attractive and I almost spent on Star Wars stuff for multiple years in a row to get them. On the other hand, Aunt Beru and Darth Revan, who dat?
@eth6113 said:
""I think the models have been good, but those exclusive minifigures provide an opportunity to produce characters which are unlikely to appear in standard sets"
100% this. The vignettes aren't bad they just aren't nearly as exciting as getting a minifig that won't be produced otherwise. I'd rather see them just release vignettes as actual sets. "
The vignettes look like really nice sets, (I don't own one personally) but they are built of (I assume) normal, easy to find on Bricklink, parts. A minifig gives an opportunity for LEGO to make something much more special.
I really like the vignettes personally and hope they keep them going.
I'm going to be honest here. I'm actually happy the minifigures are not May the 4th exclusive anymore. I don't usually have the money on-hand to spend a lot on LEGO Star Wars whenever it rolls around, and I don't want to spend large amounts of money on the figure. I'd love Revan or a Shadow Trooper, but if I don't get them while they're there then I'll have to pay a ton on the secondhand market.
I think the vignettes are better as a nice bonus. They make for pretty good display pieces as well, and there's a lot more stuff included compared to just a minifigure. Plus, if I miss one, it's not like I missed a lot of rare or exclusive parts.
But maybe that's just me.
Please please please let this mean they bring back exclusive minifig polybags for SW. I have collected all the vignettes but would love to see more unique characters being made into figs!
I love the vignettes! I hope they keep them up. In the past, it's felt like the exclusive Minifigures are not as high quality as regular release ones… but I may be overthinking it.
I must confess to being in my Dark Age when the minifigs were the yearly GWP's, but have for the most part very much enjoyed the recent brick built models. While I would be pleased to see them or the minifigs return, I do think that it would be great to include one with the brick built dioramas, as suggested in the article above. I'd be happy to see this and have the threshold put up slightly to accommodate the increased cost, though I understand that Lego is already an expensive hobby in itself for us all.
I would prefer the scenes that they are doing now way more then any minifigures....
I'm into Lego for the cool builds and creativity not the minifigures.
That being said I would omg be insanely excited if the promo was a Star Wars Minidoll!!!!
I think that if May the fourth never had minifigure promos, nobody would have a problem with the vignette sets.
I personally love the vignettes, much more than exclusive minifigures. I'd rather get a GWP I can build than just a minifig, no matter how exclusive the fig is. Including a minifig with the vignettes would definitely be cool and the best of both worlds, but personally I've got no problem if they aren't able to include a minifig with those builds.
Edit: An observation - the poll currently indicates the minifigs are more popular, but those of us taking the time to comment seem to overwhelmingly prefer the vignettes.
Exclusive Minifigs are better for the consumer as they can easily be sold for 10-60$ depending on popularity. I don't understand the appeal of Mini-scale sets. They seem to be excuses to fill advent calendar doors and to be able to sell polybags and magazines without resorting to figures and devaluing those through overproduction. The sets are inconsequential for most who get them, merely parts packs because they are out of scale with most products. Better to sell them as sets on their own if they are actually popular with enough people, than overproduce that kind of item.
I wager a 5 part fig would also be cheaper than a 198 piece set. Maybe create more minifigs then. I don't care if this means one less new character in sets, Promos have far greater possibility to be something unique and useful. Better to have more promo figs than set figs.
Though from the 2010-2017 promos I have to wonder why so many have been armybuilders. Revan is always cited but in actuality all of the other promofigs could have been in sets. A-Wing pilot in a Rebels set, Yularen in Death Star, D.J. in the Finn & Rose ship (which was pointless without any enemies or rogues), Han Solo Hoth got like 4 releases after his polybag, that one was so pointless and could have been planned better.
May 4th should be an EU celebration like main characters of some book, game or comic. Stuff that is decades old like Baron Fel, Mara Jade, Kir Kanos and more KOTOR characters, not TOR. Don't let this be used as a marketing ploy to push people towards recent books and comics like the Dr. Aphra toys that have been made by other brands.
Maybe use movie characters that are important but actually hard to get into sets like Palpatines senate outfits other than the Arrest scene, a non-combat gear Padmé for Anakin to more believably hold hands with or Aunt Beru.
Or something completely out of left field like Concept Art based figs or Sideshows Mythos figures. Genndy Clone Wars Knight Obi-Wan with full set of armor, Boba Fett in the style of the Holiday Special or his first action figure.
I bought and enjoyed the first three vignettes, but the return of minifigs would be nice, especially with new content to base them on. The Client or Republic Crosshair would be interesting and worthy of purchase.
To me, the way to go is to release vignettes with a minifigure, much like the Diagon Alley promo or the Avengers Tower.
I like the idea of the vignettes, but, contrary to the minifigures, their availability seemed to be to limited.. I had a couple of occasions when, while the shop employee was filling my purchase bag with some extra goodies, I noticed no box with a free vignette was put inside... When asking for it, the employee told me they already ran out of stock... even though I was there on May the 4th in the morning, shortly after the shop opening... Minifigs on the contrary were sometimes handed out even weeks after May the 4th
Why not do both? They could do one free with a purchase of say $75 and then if you spend $125 you get the other?
Or they could alternate between the vignettes and the minifigs to make everyone happy.
@PixelTheDragon said:
"I'm going to be honest here. I'm actually happy the minifigures are not May the 4th exclusive anymore. I don't usually have the money on-hand to spend a lot on LEGO Star Wars whenever it rolls around, and I don't want to spend large amounts of money on the figure. I'd love Revan or a Shadow Trooper, but if I don't get them while they're there then I'll have to pay a ton on the secondhand market.
I think the vignettes are better as a nice bonus. They make for pretty good display pieces as well, and there's a lot more stuff included compared to just a minifigure. Plus, if I miss one, it's not like I missed a lot of rare or exclusive parts.
But maybe that's just me. "
According to the survey, you are the 1 in 4 people who holds this opinion.
"Including an Aunt Beru minifigure there could mean omitting another elsewhere." That's not an issue. I'm sorry, but I don't see that is creating a problem. Later down the road, include a Beru in a set. Or not. It doesn't mean it HAS to be an entirely exclusive gift. But in the meantime, offer us a minifig. I love my Darth Revan, thank you very much.
As far as I'm concerned, I rather see the vignettes continue.
They're pretty well done AND they have the advantage of also being parts packs for those who don't care for them.
What use does a niche, obscure, minifigure has for anyone who doesn't care about collecting minifigures? None.
If there's a vignette, even if I don't like it, I still get a bunch of pieces for free. So I'm more likely to buy something to get it.
I will never make a purchase just to get a minifigure. Never. Ever.
Specially if, like in Star Wars case, it may be for a character I don't care about (like one of the stormtroopers) or even have ever heard of (like Darth Revan which I have and still don't know...nor care, really...who he is).
While I have already mentioned being pro-vignette, I think the real question is "why not both?". There seems to be great interest in both models, so they could look into having two promotions going at once.
Although seeing some of the comments, if the minifigs are just for their resale value, then that's another debate entirely...
I think if they put Minifigures with the vignettes it would make everything equal. like some exclusive minifigure to each one. so like the tatooine vignette it could have had like Aunt Beru, then the hoth Vignette we could have had like the mustache guy from the Star wars Origonal trilogy video game (I don't think Lego would ever do that but it would be cool nevertheless). But I think that would fill in everyones want for the minifigs and the vignettes. just a thought.
@djcbs said:
"What use does a niche, obscure, minifigure has for anyone who doesn't care about collecting minifigures? None."
If it were a first time release of a character as popular and rare as Darth Revan, of which there are many in SW media:
60 bucks from a collector to buy a better set with.
Valid question though, if they really just end up being a variant of an existing fig with a different color shirt. I stopped buying during May 4th when the figures ended up being stuff that was removed from the then current set line-up and charged for extra like Hoth Han and Clone Lt.
@LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
""Including an Aunt Beru minifigure there could mean omitting another elsewhere." That's not an issue. I'm sorry, but I don't see that is creating a problem. Later down the road, include a Beru in a set. Or not. It doesn't mean it HAS to be an entirely exclusive gift. But in the meantime, offer us a minifig. I love my Darth Revan, thank you very much. "
Michael is referring to including a minifigure in one set potentially meaning that another cannot be included elsewhere, so may be removed. LEGO has limited production capacity when manufacturing unique elements, covering the entire range.
@Koldpizzza said:
" @PixelTheDragon said:
"I'm going to be honest here. I'm actually happy the minifigures are not May the 4th exclusive anymore. I don't usually have the money on-hand to spend a lot on LEGO Star Wars whenever it rolls around, and I don't want to spend large amounts of money on the figure. I'd love Revan or a Shadow Trooper, but if I don't get them while they're there then I'll have to pay a ton on the secondhand market.
I think the vignettes are better as a nice bonus. They make for pretty good display pieces as well, and there's a lot more stuff included compared to just a minifigure. Plus, if I miss one, it's not like I missed a lot of rare or exclusive parts.
But maybe that's just me. "
According to the survey, you are the 1 in 4 people who holds this opinion."
I will admit that I probably don't buy as much LEGO as many Brickset users. I'm in college right now and only have so much money to spare. That and I just like to shop around before making a final decision on a set.
Almost gave me a heart attack with that picture. For a second, a glimmer of hope appeared that Revan was returning...
Vignettes, vignettes, vignettes! I really hope they continue. Where's my Battle of Geonosis? Where's my Death Star Trench? Dagobah, Jakku, Jedha, Crait, there's so many great scenes that would fit the style. And I'd always rather have an actual set over a single minifigure, even if it *is* Willrow Hood.
But the number one reason I prefer them over the exclusive figs? They're NOT exclusive collector's items, which means you stand more than a snowball's chance in hell of actually getting one before the scalpers hoover them all up.
If they expanded the minifigure issuing to more Legends / non-canon characters (looking at you Mara, Kyle, Corran, Kyp, Ben / Jaina / Jacen / Anakin, Yuuzhan Vong, Vergere, Darth Krayt, the real Darth Bane, etc.) I'd vote for that. As it is, I'll have to vote for the vignettes.
CapnRex101, thank you for the clarification as I’m not a TLG employee.
If they did something like tbe Diagon Alley and Avengers Tower promos (both from 2018 if I recall), that'd be the best of both worlds
I would prefer a mix of both, one year minifigures and another year vignettes.
@HandPositions said:
"I bought and enjoyed the first three vignettes, but the return of minifigs would be nice, especially with new content to base them on. The Client or Republic Crosshair would be interesting and worthy of purchase."
I love the vignettes but would commit unspeakable acts for a Werner Herzog LEGO Minifigure.
I dislike the outsized attention that minifigs receive as it is, and I don't think these exclusives really do anything other than juice the secondary market.
The vignettes are perfect exclusives in my book because you can basically re-create them using your own bricks, if you want the set but don't want to spend money to get it. Collectors get an exclusive set because it still comes in unique packaging and whatnot, but other folks can "own" one too because they have the parts.
I mean IDK why people are so hype about the possible return of "Spend $150 and get a free Ugga B'uggo" - people HATE the Comic Con and regional exclusives. "yeah, but that's because not everyone can get them" - well, not everyone has a bunch of disposable income to freely spend! All exclusives are going to, by nature, EXCLUDE some people from being able to easily buy them. The vignettes provide a welcome alternative.
@WemWem said:
"I dislike the outsized attention that minifigs receive as it is, and I don't think these exclusives really do anything other than juice the secondary market.
The vignettes are perfect exclusives in my book because you can basically re-create them using your own bricks, if you want the set but don't want to spend money to get it. Collectors get an exclusive set because it still comes in unique packaging and whatnot, but other folks can "own" one too because they have the parts.
I mean IDK why people are so hype about the possible return of "Spend $150 and get a free Ugga B'uggo" - people HATE the Comic Con and regional exclusives. "yeah, but that's because not everyone can get them" - well, not everyone has a bunch of disposable income to freely spend! All exclusives are going to, by nature, EXCLUDE some people from being able to easily buy them. The vignettes provide a welcome alternative."
I get what you are saying, but we complain in comic con/regional exclusives because of the inability whatsoever to get them outside of that event/country. This is just capitalism. Everyone gets the chance to buy it, but not everybody has enough money.
E.g. I literally cannot buy a regional exclusive for Japan because I’m not going to fly there for a day. The short notice and limited time would not allow it, besides being environmentally and economically damaging. Whereas for May 4th, everyone COULD buy it but they don’t necessarily have the money to. The first is not giving equal opportunities and the second is just life for the world minus 5 countries.
@MisterBrickster said:
"Vignettes, vignettes, vignettes! I really hope they continue. Where's my Battle of Geonosis? Where's my Death Star Trench? Dagobah, Jakku, Jedha, Crait, there's so many great scenes that would fit the style. And I'd always rather have an actual set over a single minifigure, even if it *is* Willrow Hood.
But the number one reason I prefer them over the exclusive figs? They're NOT exclusive collector's items, which means you stand more than a snowball's chance in hell of actually getting one before the scalpers hoover them all up.
"
Yeah, i have a Darth Revan, but i sure as hell wouldntve spent after market prices on him. OTOH if you really like a vignette but dont want/need anything to purchase for the promo, you can at least bricklink it for a reasonable price at a later date since theres usually not unique elements. I have a bunch of the SDCC sets that way.
@Slobrojoe said:
" @WemWem said:
"I dislike the outsized attention that minifigs receive as it is, and I don't think these exclusives really do anything other than juice the secondary market.
The vignettes are perfect exclusives in my book because you can basically re-create them using your own bricks, if you want the set but don't want to spend money to get it. Collectors get an exclusive set because it still comes in unique packaging and whatnot, but other folks can "own" one too because they have the parts.
I mean IDK why people are so hype about the possible return of "Spend $150 and get a free Ugga B'uggo" - people HATE the Comic Con and regional exclusives. "yeah, but that's because not everyone can get them" - well, not everyone has a bunch of disposable income to freely spend! All exclusives are going to, by nature, EXCLUDE some people from being able to easily buy them. The vignettes provide a welcome alternative."
I get what you are saying, but we complain in comic con/regional exclusives because of the inability whatsoever to get them outside of that event/country. This is just capitalism. Everyone gets the chance to buy it, but not everybody has enough money.
E.g. I literally cannot buy a regional exclusive for Japan because I’m not going to fly there for a day. The short notice and limited time would not allow it, besides being environmentally and economically damaging. Whereas for May 4th, everyone COULD buy it but they don’t necessarily have the money to. The first is not giving equal opportunities and the second is just life for the world minus 5 countries.
"
Not flying to Japan for a day to get the set is presumably because most people don’t have the money to fly to Japan on a whim. By your own definition, regional exclusives are a fair and inevitable outcome of capitalism.
I think we need vignettes with an exclusive minifig on it. Done.
@wsmit99 said:
"I think we need vignettes with an exclusive minifig on it. Done."
40289-1 is a good example of that middle ground.
Ideally we could have both, but if I had to choose, I would definitely prefer vignettes to continue.
I can understand the appeal of exclusive figures for collectors, I am simply not one of them.
As for
"LEGO has limited production capacity when manufacturing unique elements, covering the entire range."
Well, looking at flops like Trolls, Vidiyo etc. that came with loads of new and exclusive elements they don't seem very limited in anything.
Always enjoyed both. But now with vignettes reaching a higher GWP threshold (CDN$100+) I am more partial of a return to unique minifigs at a lower GWP threshold. And these SW vignettes could be a theme unto itself seeing as they seem to try to be diversifying the types of sets..."SW Scenes for the adult collector"
The first time I ever bought anything on May the 4th was for the Hoth vignette, and I purchased stuff the past two years as well. Kind of kicking myself for not getting Endor as I didn’t realize at the time I’d be getting a bunch of these.
Here’s the thing, if I’m going to pay full price for Star Wars sets in May, instead of waiting until they’re discounted at Target in November, I better have a good reason to do so. A 200 piece set that looks great would certainly qualify for that reason. A minifigure of an inconsequential character (I’m looking at you Aunt Beru) or a character from some book or comic (is that where Darth Revan is from) just doesn’t do it for me.
I think that a CMF line would be a much more appropriate place to give us these obscure minifigures.
I get it, you can instantly turn around and sell the minifigure for a quick profit, but I purchase Lego because I enjoy them, not as an investment. I understand that some people may need the money, but certainly waiting for Black Friday discounts is easier and safer.
Waaaay prefer the vignettes. More interesting, more creative, and more in keeping with Lego being a construction based toy rather than a character based toy.
Although obviously that middle ground of a vignette with a minifig would be cool
I’d like to see both. Minifig for a low threshold purchase and a vignette for a higher spend. Offers that stack obviously - gotta collect everything!
@sipuss said:
"Almost gave me a heart attack with that picture. For a second, a glimmer of hope appeared that Revan was returning..."
I feel your pain!
@alfred_the_buttler said:
"Here’s the thing, if I’m going to pay full price for Star Wars sets in May, instead of waiting until they’re discounted at Target in November, I better have a good reason to do so. A 200 piece set that looks great would certainly qualify for that reason. A minifigure of an inconsequential character (I’m looking at you Aunt Beru) or a character from some book or comic (is that where Darth Revan is from) just doesn’t do it for me."
For me it's the opposite. A small set that consists of mostly generic parts is not going to make me spend money on May the 4th. Exclusive minifigures of interesting but obscure characters that we probably wouldn't otherwise get? Shut up and take my money!
Thank you for having raised the point to Lego. Minifigures are definitely more enjoyable than vignettes.
I'm really missing those days where we could get special characters.
I think that they should keep the vignettes as a $85 GWP and bring back exclusive SW Minifigure GWPs, but make them nicer than in a polybag. Something like a comic con fig and put it at a $150 GWP.
So if you wanted to spend $150 or more you would get both the vignette and the minifigure.
What does everyone else think of this idea?
IMHO exclusives should always be made available to LEGO VIP members first or simultaneously with whatever event for which it is intended. May the Fourth exclusives? Available to VIP members. SDCC sets? VIP members can preorder. Make being a VIP member truly special!
Win-win for scalpers regardless of whether they’re vignettes, minifigures or anything else. Couldn’t give the tiniest hoot what LEGO chooses to give away as pocket-liners for resellers.
I will freely admit that I bought on the May the fourth for the figure promos, and not so much for these vignettes
The poll needs an option for “Yes, as long as it’s from something pre-2013.”
@AustinPowers said:
"Ideally we could have both, but if I had to choose, I would definitely prefer vignettes to continue.
I can understand the appeal of exclusive figures for collectors, I am simply not one of them.
As for
"LEGO has limited production capacity when manufacturing unique elements, covering the entire range."
Well, looking at flops like Trolls, Vidiyo etc. that came with loads of new and exclusive elements they don't seem very limited in anything. "
Those are “big-bang” themes with a higher parts budget.
My problem with May the Fourth figs is the same with Comic Con figs, why make such a desirable character a one-off hard to get exclusive. If they'd add an option to order just the fig for like $5 bucks I'd like to see them come back, otherwise it just feels like too much of a money milker on purchases.
I'd love to have a Darth Talon minifigure, but if she's like Raven and only available for like a four day period with $80 purchase of specifically Star Wars products that are now mostly repeats of stuff already released or lame sequel stuff then I'm not going to bother.
Then again, Mando sets are going strong, Clone Wars sets are back, and Disney's about to enter a new golden age of Star Wars shows so maybe my 'tude will change by the time of the revival as we get some of that '08-'14 variety back.
I’ve been thankful the figures haven’t been available since it saved me a ton of money.
The vignettes look nice, but nothing I had to have right then and there, unlike the figure.
Im not really into minifigs in general, but I have yet to buy a single one of the vignettes. If Im going to buy sets from Lego's online store, there *needs* to be something of value being offered to make up for the cost difference. Because otherwise, Im just gonna buy those same sets 20% cheaper from retail stores. Why wouldnt I?
@GSR_MataNui said:
"My problem with May the Fourth figs is the same with Comic Con figs, why make such a desirable character a one-off hard to get exclusive. If they'd add an option to order just the fig for like $5 bucks I'd like to see them come back, otherwise it just feels like too much of a money milker on purchases.
I'd love to have a Darth Talon minifigure, but if she's like Raven and only available for like a four day period with $80 purchase of specifically Star Wars products that are now mostly repeats of stuff already released or lame sequel stuff then I'm not going to bother.
Then again, Mando sets are going strong, Clone Wars sets are back, and Disney's about to enter a new golden age of Star Wars shows so maybe my 'tude will change by the time of the revival as we get some of that '08-'14 variety back."
This is why I've been happy with the vinigettes.
I don't buy bulk or at LEGO.com much -- I prefer buying in stores and often cheaper sets. I never qualify for these things and end up buyjng those minis at a markup. I was excited for TC-14 and never got her for that reason and aftermarket is crazy for her now.
@LofElle said:
"I would prefer the scenes that they are doing now way more then any minifigures....
I'm into Lego for the cool builds and creativity not the minifigures.
That being said I would omg be insanely excited if the promo was a Star Wars Minidoll!!!!"
It would be even better if it would be a Jar-Jar Binks minidoll
@Mr__Thrawn said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Ideally we could have both, but if I had to choose, I would definitely prefer vignettes to continue.
I can understand the appeal of exclusive figures for collectors, I am simply not one of them.
As for
"LEGO has limited production capacity when manufacturing unique elements, covering the entire range."
Well, looking at flops like Trolls, Vidiyo etc. that came with loads of new and exclusive elements they don't seem very limited in anything. "
Those are “big-bang” themes with a higher parts budget."
Oh, yeah, I forgot that Star Wars was this little niche theme that doesn't account for a large percentage of their annual profits...
As someone who isn't a big Star Wars fan, but does pick up some Star Wars sets, the vignettes appeal to me more because I'm more likely to recognise them - I've seen the films so recognise locations, but not engaged with them/the franchise enough to know the full catalogue of characters. For me, buying on May 4th is about discount, not vignette vs minifig. But I think May 4th should celebrate the fans/franchise, not people like me who dip their toe in from time to time.
It was wanting to own the DC characters from the Lego Batman game that are the main reason I came out of my dark ages, so I would have thought that a Minifig would be far more sought after, and so encourage more sales. If there was a similar day for another theme, and I had a choice between a vignette of Avengers Tower or a minifig of Gambit it would be an easy choice! If Lego want my money, the vignette. If Lego want to please the fans (and they should!), then a minifig.
A good promotion makes you want to buy multiple...I didnt bother getting most of the vignettes
I think of May the Fourth as a special day for SW fans not just for those that purchase SW sets. So I would like it to be more like the comic con special promo item. As that promo item is usually very good & creates frustration for SW fans who cannot attend that event. It could be a micro build more like the Nebulon-B set and SW fans would be happy.
Star Wars is what brought me back to Lego in 1999 and is the majority of my collection. The vignettes are nice display sets but I didn't bother with them because literally anyone could make the same build with their existing pieces. I don't have any of the MTF minifigs either because spending $75 for a minifig was never a good deal to me. I really liked the first two but the others were nothing special to me.
As an exclusive promotional set, I prefer something distinct like 30611 R2-D2 and 40288 BB-8 that were different than anything else. If those came back I'd get in line.
I just want them to bring back the movie/tv tie-in minifigs with the stands! We had Shoretrooper and R3-M2 for Rogue One, DJ for TLJ, and Mudtrooper Han and Kessel Guard for Solo – but the series was noticeably absent for TROS and I was hoping that maybe it'd come back for Mando.
I always thought it was a great idea with the connecting stands and the little backdrops for the figures. They make for a great workplace display piece.
@graymattr:
I mean, you _do_ get the $75 worth of product, in addition to be minifig.
@AustinPowers said:
" @Mr__Thrawn said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Ideally we could have both, but if I had to choose, I would definitely prefer vignettes to continue.
I can understand the appeal of exclusive figures for collectors, I am simply not one of them.
As for
"LEGO has limited production capacity when manufacturing unique elements, covering the entire range."
Well, looking at flops like Trolls, Vidiyo etc. that came with loads of new and exclusive elements they don't seem very limited in anything. "
Those are “big-bang” themes with a higher parts budget."
Oh, yeah, I forgot that Star Wars was this little niche theme that doesn't account for a large percentage of their annual profits... "
The parts budget on the big-bang themes decreases after the first year or two. The same thing happened with Star Wars- the first two years introduced a ton of specialized parts for figures and accessories, subsequent years had fewer new parts. I never said it was “niche”, only that Vidiyo and Trolls were trying to become, essentially, the next Star Wars or Ninjago or Friends.
@fulcrumbop said:
"If they expanded the minifigure issuing to more Legends / non-canon characters (looking at you Mara, Kyle, Corran, Kyp, Ben / Jaina / Jacen / Anakin, Yuuzhan Vong, Vergere, Darth Krayt, the real Darth Bane, etc.) I'd vote for that. As it is, I'll have to vote for the vignettes."
I am totally with you in them making some minifigures, or even play sets, based on Legends content. In my opinion Legends will be far superior than the sequel trilogy, albeit, I’m only in my fourth book. :)