LEGO Collectible Minifigure (CMF): 2014 Series Overview

legodude

http://brickfanatics.co.uk/cmf-12-not-out-until-october-2014/

Yes that is right, there will be 4 Series of minifigs next year!

January 2014 - LEGO Movie
May 2014 - Simpsons
TBA 2014 - LEGO Minifigures Online
October 2014- Series 12

dannyrww

I'm fine with the movie series. Simpsons does not interest me. The online series could be cool as there are some neat minifigures in some of the screen shots. Truthfully that could be the same as a regular series. I'm willing to wait for a real series twelve though.

DoubleD

What is the online series

LegobrandonCP

doubledbrick said:

What is the online series

Probably has something to do with the LEGO video game coming out soon. I can't recall the name right now.

sidersdd

^ LEGO Minifigures Online
http://www.funcom.com/games/lego

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YUf9H6lLlU

tylerawalters

Those all seem to be reissues of existing CMFs. If that's what the LEGO Minifigures Online series it, it'll be quite disappointing. :/

dannyrww

I think it may be some of the supporting or enemy characters....I've seen some in the screen shots.

dannyrww

Looks like some nice Greek themed levels in the trailer...that would be fun to go with the spartan and medusa

legodude

tylerawalters said:

Those all seem to be reissues of existing CMFs. If that's what the LEGO Minifigures Online series it, it'll be quite disappointing. :/

There will be no reissues. That Series will be 100% new figs. They haven't shown them in the game or trailers because that is confidential information about future LEGO products.

But I am expecting a good mix of Pirate, Castle, Space, and Fantasy figs. So it should be all good. :)

Bumblepants

It is too bad they aren't doing a World Cup '14 series like they did with Team GB at the Olympics. That would be fantastic. Good to see they will at least go back to the regular series at some point.

CCC

£2.49 for all the special series. I see that as a bad move.

legomatt

^me too. It's the thin end of the wedge, the slippery slope, the some other phrase meaning it won't stop there.

What with the the swap-nerfing, moccers parts mix destroying, casual shopper alienating, store lingering change to the 2/4/6 mix (you can guess i don't like that mix), the opinion splitting mr gold chase, rapid release schedule, and now a price rise (which i'm certain won't stop at specials)... sometimes I wonder if they (TLG) themselves want an excuse to kill it off. If they don't want to, they're going about it in a funny way.

HokieJoe99

That article says that Series 12 will be the first to include an online code. The article also states that they are anticipating a yet to be announced series between the Simpsons and Series 12(online).

legomatt

Online codes?

I imagine they will be used to unlock the virtual version of the real-world figure for use in the online game... something Universe should have done.

alexwil

CCC said:

£2.49 for all the special series. I see that as a bad move.

Well that confirms it for me! I on previous series have purchased without feeling up the packs - I like the thrill of the chase!

No more for me! The 2/4/6 combo was starting to put me off carrying on like this (any one after a motor bike mechanic?!). A price increase finishes it off for me.

I'll just get the whole lot in 1 go online. Which will save me a fortune in the long run!

TheBigLegoski

@legomatt
You mean Lego goes sort of Skylanders?!

^^
As for the price: CMFs used to be €1,99 in NL, then (I don't remember when, which series? Brinkset only mentions the $ and £ price unfortunately (never € prices, I thought series 3 was still sold for €1,99) the price in NL was marked up to €2,49 which I think is pretty steep for just a minifig. If you really know TLG will raise the price in the UK to £2,49, then it would not surprise me if they will raise the price here in NL again too, to €3,-

Now that is insane!

Especially since the ABS of CMFs is of inferior quality, hands, heads, torso neck-stud, torso-mount for hips, as well as the pelvis studs, all have considerably less clutch power, compared to regular minifigs. The legs and torsos also often have a less glossy, more mate finish then regular minifigs, and the ABS has less colour density, resulting in somewhat semi transparent plastic legs etcetera.

Which despite all this has thus far not stopped me from collection most of them. Because their design is great, and so is the variety of characters and themes featured to minifigs fit in. Plus they contain a lot more female minifigs then regular sets do.

However a CMF set only contains on average eight pieces / Lego-bricks. Where as the small impulse sets in a box (or the bigger polybags), with a minifig, and an additional motorcycle or something like that, or some small build contain in between 15 to 30 bricks on average, and are often sold for €4 or €5.

ps.
Are the Simpsons really still that popular in the USA? And in the UK too? I haven't seen that show aired on TV here for at least a decade. Of course you can watch it on-line, but compared to Southpark or Family Guy (two American animated sitcoms I do like) the Simpsons are as lame as most of the other many dimwitted American sitcoms from the eighties and early ninety's. Is there still anyone for instance who gets excited over the Cosby show etcetera? Do you think Lego has a hit producing Simpsons CMFs, and who knows what other number of sets etcetera?

Aanchir

TheBigLegoski said:

ps.
Are the Simpsons really still that popular in the USA? And in the UK too? I haven't seen that show aired on TV here for at least a decade. Of course you can watch it on-line, but compared to Southpark or Family Guy (two American animated sitcoms I do like) the Simpsons are as lame as most of the other many dimwitted American sitcoms from the eighties and early ninety's. Is there still anyone for instance who gets excited over the Cosby show etcetera? Do you think Lego has a hit producing Simpsons CMFs, and who knows what other number of sets etcetera?

Other than the CMFs, there is only one other Simpsons set currently announced for production. They're pretty well-known here in the US, and cater to more of an all-ages audience than South Park or Family Guy, which are decidedly aimed at adult audiences. Obviously not EVERY family watches the Simpsons (my family never did), but they're still more or less a household name. And they've stood the test of time very well — according to Wikipedia, they're the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American cartoon, and the longest-running American primetime, scripted TV series.

TheBigLegoski

@Aanchir
It is amusing, that you write that The Simpsons "cater to more of an all-ages audience than South Park or Family Guy", and refer to Wikipedia, because according to Wikipedia, even though that article states it needs additional citations for verification, The Simpsons are an:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animated_sitcom
"Adult animated sitcoms, especially the ones from the 1990s onwards, have been criticized for their often explicit and extreme violent content that would not be permissible on a live-action show. In the United States, The Simpsons in the early 1990s and South Park in the late 1990s were said to have caused something of a moral panic."
Now that I think of it, when that show was new and fresh in the late eighties I did enjoy watching The Simpsons, and that cartoon 'The Itchy and Scratchy show' (I believe modelled after Tom & Jerry) within the cartoon, which Bart always watched. But after a couple of seasons my interest waned.
Interesting to read in the main article:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons#Criticism_and_controversy
how such a, in my opinion, rather tame show, could cause so much upheaval. But then again, the USA is in many ways, a very conservative society, or at least harbours a non negligible number of extremely conservative people with a powerful lobby exercising a strong influence upon and within the American society.

legodude

HokieJoe99 said:

That article says that Series 12 will be the first to include an online code. The article also states that they are anticipating a yet to be announced series between the Simpsons and Series 12(online).

The article does not say that, it says and I quote:

"With another unannounced series following that before we get Series 12 of CMFs in October 2014. This will be the first collection of Minifigures to feature in-pack codes that will unlock content for the LEGO Minifigures Online MMO from Funcom."

(bold mine)
In context they are referring to the Series before Series 12 to be the first to feature online codes for the MMO.

Having Series 12 be the MMO Series would not work, the game comes out in the Summer and October is much later in the year.

Jonn420

Re: Rummored Lego CMF: Superheros......bet they are waiting on an answer as to weither they can pack Marvel and DC figures together under one "Superheros" line, or they might cancel it alltogther...i dont see two different lines for Superheros....its a shame if its not going to happen, im most excited about the rumored Superhero CMF line.

doriansdad

I don't think TLG has the rights to Marvel or DC action figures, only construction sets. They may create their own superheros tho.

TheBigLegoski

^
Aren't Lego minifigs construction sets too?!

Of course, I suppose, it depends on how one chooses to define what an action figure is? When I think of actionfigures, I think of those Kenner Starwars action figures I played with as a child. After those proofed a huge success, many other brands followed with similar looking action figures, roughly of equal proportions, and size, such as GI Joe, Mask, Dino Riders, Jason and the Wheelwarrios, Transformers etcetera. Mattel came a long with bigger He-Man action figures, or maybe those aren't really action figures, as I have people describe those actually as dolls, because of how big they were. But then again the term 'action figure' is just a marketing stratagem, since boys (the majority of them anyway) do not like to play with dolls (think of Barbie etcetera), but do like to play out storylines involving characters. And adults might be less inclined to buy action figures for boys, if they were labelled 'dolls'.

I suppose my point is, after this digression, that Lego minifigures with interchangeable body parts and props, which are all bricks that are an integral part of a larger construction toy line in which all parts, are made to interact and to be combined with each other, are significally different from all other here fore mentioned toys. Since none of these Action figures have any of these characteristics essential to Lego and the Lego minifigs.

It would be great if Lego would produce a Superheroes CMF line consisting of both Marvel, and DC characters. Kids don't care about copyrights, and have no problem having Spiderman and Batman team up to fight crime.

Aanchir

TheBigLegoski said:

@Aanchir
It is amusing, that you write that The Simpsons "cater to more of an all-ages audience than South Park or Family Guy", and refer to Wikipedia, because according to Wikipedia, even though that article states it needs additional citations for verification, The Simpsons are an:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animated_sitcom
"Adult animated sitcoms, especially the ones from the 1990s onwards, have been criticized for their often explicit and extreme violent content that would not be permissible on a live-action show. In the United States, The Simpsons in the early 1990s and South Park in the late 1990s were said to have caused something of a moral panic."
Now that I think of it, when that show was new and fresh in the late eighties I did enjoy watching The Simpsons, and that cartoon 'The Itchy and Scratchy show' (I believe modelled after Tom & Jerry) within the cartoon, which Bart always watched. But after a couple of seasons my interest waned.
Interesting to read in the main article:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons#Criticism_and_controversy
how such a, in my opinion, rather tame show, could cause so much upheaval. But then again, the USA is in many ways, a very conservative society, or at least harbours a non negligible number of extremely conservative people with a powerful lobby exercising a strong influence upon and within the American society.

Well, it was the first show of its kind to become such a prominent part of popular culture, and there is a certain segment of society that was not used to the idea of cartoons that weren't specifically "for kids". There have been similar moral panics with comic books, video games, and any other media that was perceived as "for kids" when it started exploring adult territory.

I'm not saying it's always been AIMED at all ages, but it's the sort of thing a lot of families are moderately comfortable watching together, as opposed to some sitcoms that deal with taboos like sex on a regular basis.

TheBigLegoski said:

^
Aren't Lego minifigs construction sets too?!

Of course, I suppose, it depends on how one chooses to define what an action figure is? When I think of actionfigures, I think of those Kenner Starwars action figures I played with as a child. After those proofed a huge success, many other brands followed with similar looking action figures, roughly of equal proportions, and size, such as GI Joe, Mask, Dino Riders, Jason and the Wheelwarrios, Transformers etcetera. Mattel came a long with bigger He-Man action figures, or maybe those aren't really action figures, as I have people describe those actually as dolls, because of how big they were. But then again the term 'action figure' is just a marketing stratagem, since boys (the majority of them anyway) do not like to play with dolls (think of Barbie etcetera), but do like to play out storylines involving characters. And adults might be less inclined to buy action figures for boys, if they were labelled 'dolls'.

I suppose my point is, after this digression, that Lego minifigures with interchangeable body parts and props, which are all bricks that are an integral part of a larger construction toy line in which all parts, are made to interact and to be combined with each other, are significally different from all other here fore mentioned toys. Since none of these Action figures have any of these characteristics essential to Lego and the Lego minifigs.

It would be great if Lego would produce a Superheroes CMF line consisting of both Marvel, and DC characters. Kids don't care about copyrights, and have no problem having Spiderman and Batman team up to fight crime.

Most action figure licensing agreements are specifically for "articulated figures", from what I've heard, and minifigures would qualify as such. Minifigures are only exceptions when they are an accessory for a building toy, hence why the Star Wars "battle packs" have to have some substantial brick-built component in addition to the figures.

Now, not all licensed themes have exclusive licensing agreements, so that means individual Super Heroes figs MIGHT be possible. There might be some licensing agreements that prevent TLG from selling specific characters individually, but often there are all kinds of companies producing action figures for any given character, unlike Star Wars where only Hasbro and its subsidiaries can produce them.

Steve_J_OM

Aanchir said:

Now, not all licensed themes have exclusive licensing agreements, so that means individual Super Heroes figs MIGHT be possible. There might be some licensing agreements that prevent TLG from selling specific characters individually, but often there are all kinds of companies producing action figures for any given character, unlike Star Wars where only Hasbro and its subsidiaries can produce them.

From what I gather nobody seems to know whether or not TLG can produce a SH minifig line. I think a lot of people have assumed that the same conditions exist as the license TLG has for SW, which is well known regarding the minifig restrictions.

Personally I think it has more to do with the longevity of the theme and wanting to sell expensive sets. The minifigs are almost the sole draw of the SH sets for, I'm guessing, the majority of buyers out there - it sure as hell isn't the sets themselves, which have largely been pretty lacklustre IMO.

111ins

there have been other "brands" that have released SH figures in cmf format, maybe they have rights for that type of product release

legodude

Brick Fanatics Toy Fair CMF news:

" Collectable minifigures news, Series 12 is due October 2014. Each comes with a code to unlock something. Simpsons will all be unique minifigs in the series and price points staying at £2.49"

This is getting very interesting, according to Funcom at Gamescon last year they said the game was going to launch alongside at CMF series. However the official website says the game is coming in Summer 2014. The Funcom rep also said that all future Series part of the main line would come with codes to unlock the Minifigs for the game.

I still think a special (non numbered) CMF will be released in the summer for the MMO. In addition to Series 12 having codes in October.

Unless TLG and Funcom changed the plan.

Basta

Just saw this on another site.



Homer's eyes look much better, assuming the picture is what the Homer CMF will look like.

AdeelZubair

Now I wanna see all of them...

Lucifer_Adams

That picture has totally made my day! I can't tell you how disappointed I was with the half-lidded/shifty eyes on the characters in the House set. My only hope was that this CMF line would feature decent variants of The Simpsons and Ned, preferably with open eyes and no aprons.
This is a VERY good start!!

LostInTranslation

Mmmmm.... donut tile. Woohoo!

cody6268

I'm curious about the game's minifigure series. Will it contain re-releases, or new minifigures based on important characters from the game?

andhe

^Previous press statements seemed to imply both. I'd be surprised (or maybe just disappointed) if we saw exact re-releases, rather than accompanying or similar figures (eg female version, re-coloured version etc). But then again, any opportunity to build an army of spartans without selling a kidney would be welcome.