CMF Series 10: Mr Gold Minifigure and chances to find this mini figure

Coolsplash · April 2013

Don't know if this been discussed before but here goes. I read somewhere that LEGO will be making only 5000 of these Mr. Gold mini figure for Series 10. So total 17 mini figures in a Box. What are the chances to score this mini figure. Would the traditional 'feel the packet' technique work? How many of Series 10 Boxes would be made by Lego (sounds like a lame question I know)....

Basta · April 2013

Been discussed a bit, chances are slim of finding one, but you will be able to feel him, looks like the monopoly guy, has a top hat.

Many 10's of thousands of boxes, some one mentioned that for instance in the US there is around 4000 Walmart's and that the would all get at least 1, but probably many more. So world wide a lot of boxes.

shadowhearth · April 2013

If you would buy a whole box. Would there be 100% to get one? Or is it rarer then that?

binaryeye · April 2013

shadowhearth said:
If you would buy a whole box. Would there be 100% to get one? Or is it rarer then that?

If there are only 5000 worldwide, that means LEGO would need to produce only 5000 boxes of S10 worldwide for there to be one in every box. Surely they're producing more than that by some orders of magnitude.

Pitfall69 · April 2013

You just need to do the math. For instance, there are about 1,570 TRU stores Worldwide and assuming each store gets at least 2 boxes, that's 3,140 boxes. Now, just add up every store that would get a box. Good luck :)

yys4u · April 2013

shadowhearth said:
If you would buy a whole box. Would there be 100% to get one? Or is it rarer then that?

Nope sorry, much much rarer than that.

Coolsplash · April 2013

Must be a way to know how many Boxes per Series LEGO produces. I think must be over 10,000 and its going to be much harder to find Mr. Gold....

prevere · April 2013

It will be hard to get one. No matter the math.

I may go the eBay route on this one, once the price stabilizes. I have a reasonable price point in my head, but if the prices get crazy, forget about it.

meyerc13 · April 2013

Stores get far more than one box each. I'd bet most Wal Marts get at least ten boxes, Targets at least 5-6, Toys R Us at least a dozen boxes each. Don't forget LEGO stores, Barnes and Noble, online sales, mom and pop stores, and the dozens of other odd places these have been spotted. I base this on having searched through dozens and dozens of packages at all of these stores, only to have them sell out, get restocked, sell out again, get restocked again... These numbers are probably way low. Even at Wal Mart stores in the middle of nowhere I've seen eight boxes of some series in the clearance section, so I know they've gotten more than eight boxes.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the odds of finding one of these in a box were 1 in 100 or even 1 in 500. It's such a long shot that I won't even bother looking for it. If I happen to stumble upon one I'd buy it, but I will consider my collection complete without it, especially since I missed out on some Series 1 figures and can't justify the prices they command, much less what this figure will sell for.

Pitfall69 · April 2013

Oh good. That will sweeten the odds of me finding one :p.

BTW, how can you consider a collection complete without every minifigure? Maybe you can make q case for Mr. Gold or even Team GB, but not minifigures within the Series, especially the most sought after Series.

prevere · April 2013

^It depends on the going price @pitfall. If Gold is going for >$250 than I say no because it's just not reasonable to pay that.

For the CMF Series, Team GB is absolutely mandatory because it's still CMF and still reasonable to pick up. I just grabbed a couple sets in the $60 range, just in case Mr. Gold creates a new wave of CMF collectors.

prevere · April 2013

BTW, there are some pre-orders on eBay for complete sets of Series 10 and individual fig listings from Texas.

But a search for gold, was zippo.

samiam391 · April 2013

Personally, and I assume this is the same for most people... I won't buy any boxes or "random" sealed figures off of eBay searching for Mr. Gold. Any lots on eBay will have been picked clean of any Mr. Golds they may, or may not have, had.

A sealed, 99.9% verified Mr. Gold, or opened Mr. Gold, are the only two I'll be looking for on the Bay.

Pitfall69 · April 2013

"Sittin on the dock watchin the Bay...tryin fiiiiinnnnddddd Mr. Gold alllll daaayyyyy"

graphite · April 2013

I'm buying a couple boxes but I did that for the last couple series as well, not because of the extra fig.

LegobrandonCP · April 2013

First one on the Brickset forum to obtain the figure legitimately (at stores, not eBay or BL) should get a prize. Proof will be required.

;-)

samiam391 · April 2013

LegobrandonCP said:
First one on the Brickset forum to obtain the figure legitimately (at stores, not eBay or BL) should get a prize. Proof will be required.

;-)

I have a solid gold one with picture proof... ;o)

Basta · April 2013

LegobrandonCP said:
First one on the Brickset forum to obtain the figure legitimately (at stores, not eBay or BL) should get a prize. Proof will be required.

;-)

What finding one isn't prize enough? :P

CCC · April 2013

Selling it on ebay should be prize enough.

Coolsplash · April 2013

Mr. Gold is real gold? I don't think so. Cause then we can easily hold the packet and immediately feel the difference cause of the weight :) and @samiam391 which gold mini figure do you have that I haven't seen yet :P and since we are speaking about Gold, current Gold rates over here are is about $585 for 11.664 grams of Gold in 24K :P so you guys can imagine how people could go crazy to hunt for real gold mini figure but sadly CMF's have Zero to no presence in my country, myself being the only one who has 95% complete collection from Series 1 to 8 :)

So my question now is, Mr. Gold is real Gold???

CCC · April 2013

^ No.

carlq · April 2013

^...but might end up costing the same, by weight, as if it were...:-/

collect_that · April 2013

I think the prospect of these rare figures into the CMF range is quite exciting, however I can't help but feel that TLG are basically slapping the face of all those who have stuck with it and collected all series by only inserting such a low quantity. Perhaps he will surface again??

Regardless of if Mr. Gold is listed as part of the range by LEGO or not, he's going to be a benchmark and expensive gap for all those who collect CMF's.

As to numbers of boxes produced for each series I should imagine TLG will produce more for S10 as after all is the point of including such a figure to shift more units!!

CCC · April 2013

collect_that said:
Perhaps he will surface again??

I seriously hope he doesn't. That would make a mockery of them doing him as a rare chase figure, and not bode well for similar future stunts.

wainwrib · April 2013

Is Mr Gold a Series 10 only release, or will he be continued?

If continued, will he be the same or different each time?

If he's a 1 series special then the price will be higher, but if there are going to be one different one per series you'd have to be bonkers or minted (or most likely both) to chase them all down, and if it's the same one over many series then everyone will just wait until there are more about.

I've currently got every CMF, including the Team GB stuff, but there is no way I'll be going mad searching for this figure and I'll still consider my collection complete (to me) without him.

If there are 5,000, and Lego is sold in around 50 countries, that's 100 figures per country. And for that reason, I'm out of this hunt.

CCC · April 2013

^ I think he is just for series 10 - the "gold" series.

CCC · April 2013

wainwrib said:

If there are 5,000, and Lego is sold in around 50 countries, that's 100 figures per country. And for that reason, I'm out of this hunt.

That's not going to be the case. Distribution of lego is not equal across 50 countries. So I somehow doubt they will say a small country such as Slovenia, for example, will get the same number of Mr Golds as the US.

wainwrib · April 2013

^ I was going to say 'with distribution skewed towards the US' but didn't want to upset our transatlantic friends.

I appreciate we should get more than our 100 in the UK but if the distribution is truly randomised then the odds of going into a shop with a box with the hope one of the 60 will be him still won't be good; especially if news of the value gets out and shop workers have chance to go through the boxes whilst they are quiet. Lego B&M shops probably get the most boxes per store in the UK and we know their staff packet feel (I know I would), what will happen if they come across one?

prevere · April 2013

So what will the first one on eBay sold go for? In the battle between super Lego freaks, and ultra-super Lego freaks with piles of cash ... I'm gonna guess $500.

CCC · April 2013

wainwrib said:

I appreciate we should get more than our 100 in the UK but if the distribution is truly randomised then the odds of going into a shop with a box with the hope one of the 60 will be him still won't be good;

I think that's the point. You cannot just buy a box and get one.

wainwrib said:

especially if news of the value gets out and shop workers have chance to go through the boxes whilst they are quiet. Lego B&M shops probably get the most boxes per store in the UK and we know their staff packet feel (I know I would), what will happen if they come across one?

Probably buy it. I think they only feel if they have time. So make sure you spend lots of time in a lego store.

psychopuppet · April 2013

Just some random thoughts. Wonder if its a machine or a person that randomly packs him? This whole thing really reminds me of the old hologram cards deal . If Lego was smart about this they should have put another figure with a top hat in the series to prevent people from feeling for Mr. Gold. I think since this is worldwide 10,000 would have been a better number.

JBricks27 · April 2013

I wonder if there will be some slight marking on a box that contains a Mr Gold.

Thego · April 2013

If I get one, I'll definitely break into song right there in the shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW_xGlL1XOc

wainwrib · April 2013

CCC said:

wainwrib said:

I appreciate we should get more than our 100 in the UK but if the distribution is truly randomised then the odds of going into a shop with a box with the hope one of the 60 will be him still won't be good;
I think that's the point. You cannot just buy a box and get one.

Oh I know that's the point. What I'm saying is if Mr Gold averaged at 1 per three boxes, or even 1 per 10 boxes, then I'd be inclined to 'chase' more. If I think there is only going to be 100-200 in the entire country then I'll be lucky if there is one in my town. Therefore I won't bother chasing, buy my 16 plus the few I want a swap of and have done. If they'd have done one every other box then plenty of AFOLs would have bought two boxes to complete the collection; the limited numbers may have the opposite effect of those who want it enough holding out for them to appear on eBay rather than buying pack multiples. I'm sure they think that getting the kids hyped up will make them more money though.

I'd say the Lego store would be the worst place to get them, as their staff will have the knowledge and resources to get them first. Better in a store with staff where whould be frowned upon for feeling them, or the boxes were kept behind the counter so other customers can't get to them first, like a Smiths.

CCC · April 2013

psychopuppet said:

If Lego was smart about this they should have put another figure with a top hat in the series to prevent people from feeling for Mr. Gold.

They could have. Although many people do not feel packets before buying. If shops see it as a problem, they just need to keep them at or behind the tills.

psychopuppet said:

I think since this is worldwide 10,000 would have been a better number.

I doubt that would make any difference. They could do 1000, 5000, 10000, 50000. However many they do, someone will always not get one. The more they do, the less they will be desired, and the less people will buy looking for him.

Bandit · April 2013

wainwrib said:
Is Mr Gold a Series 10 only release, or will he be continued?

If continued, will he be the same or different each time?

I think Mr. White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Blue, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Pink are up next...

cheshirecat · April 2013

CCC said:

I doubt that would make any difference. They could do 1000, 5000, 10000, 50000. However many they do, someone will always not get one. The more they do, the less they will be desired, and the less people will buy looking for him.

Its not that simple though, there is a tipping point where if they are too hard to find people just wont bother looking.

wainwrib · April 2013

^ But rarity is a strange thing here. We already have 'rare' figures in a standard box with the 2 v 6 distributions. CMF seem to be aimed at the pocket money market. How many kids already obtain a full set of 16 by constantly buying more and more packets until they get the last one they need? I'd imagine they either feel, swap or buy the last they need on eBay, and I suspect most kids never get the full set, just the few they want or as many as they can afford.

Surely most parents aren't going to keep buying and buying in the hope of randomly getting one of only 5000 figures are they?

This seems to me to be the sort of promotion where you get kids that don't normally get a CMF to buy one or two in the vain hope of getting them, just like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, rather than kids endlessly buying swaps.

It's a promotional gimick that seems like it will nark off everyone other than the 5000 luck enough to get one, and could end up alienating lots of AFOLs who have full sets up until now and may not bother from this point on. If they were going to do this it would be better done in the last ever CMF series as that would drive us AFOLs crazy to complete all series.

CCC · April 2013

cheshirecat said:

CCC said:

I doubt that would make any difference. They could do 1000, 5000, 10000, 50000. However many they do, someone will always not get one. The more they do, the less they will be desired, and the less people will buy looking for him.
Its not that simple though, there is a tipping point where if they are too hard to find people just wont bother looking.

Yes, it has to be enough to have a chance but not too many to still be rare. How did they come up with 5000? I reckon they plucked it out of thin air.

CCC · April 2013

wainwrib said:

It's a promotional gimick that seems like it will nark off everyone other than the 5000 luck enough to get one, and could end up alienating lots of AFOLs who have full sets up until now and may not bother from this point on. If they were going to do this it would be better done in the last ever CMF series as that would drive us AFOLs crazy to complete all series.

I assume that is why the sheet that comes with it shows 16 and not 17 minifigs. So a complete set of Series 10 is 16, and Mr Gold is an extra. Now whether collectors feel that way is another matter.

I'm not too bothered as I am not a collector of the series, rather a collector of particular minifigs that I like. But if I collected them all I would feel OK if I had just the 16. Nice to have 17, but not disastrous if I didn't.

Shpadoinkle · April 2013

Here's a stupid question: If I wanted to get a couple of unopened boxes of CMFs in the US to take my chances on finding Mr. Gold, where is the best place to order them?

Pitfall69 · April 2013

Not a stupid question. I order mine from @MinifiguresPlus.

Aanchir · April 2013

I don't see why there's even a worry about people feeling let down or alienated for not getting 100% complete sets of CMFs. In the BIONICLE community, the blind-packaged collectibles were extremely well-loved by the fan community, despite being WAY harder to gain complete collections of.

Want a complete collection of Kanohi (the first series of collectibles)? To get all the ones in the basic Kanohi packs, that's over 72 different masks.

How about Krana (the early 2002 collectibles)? 92 varieties, not to mention the twelve metallic-colored Kanohi they come packaged with.

Kanohi Nuva? You're in luck, just 36 to collect this time, and hey, you get Krana in these packs if you missed your chance earlier.

Krana-Kal (metallic-colored Krana)? 48, plus six silver Kanohi Nuva. But here's where things get interesting. The Bohrok-Kal canister sets which normally come with one of six Krana-Kal had a chance of coming with white metal or sterling silver Krana-Kal instead. Metal collectibles had previously only been released as contest prizes. There were only 5000 white metal Krana-Kal and 72 sterling silver Krana-Kal in existence!

And now we get to Kraata. These were the most difficult normal collection to complete. A Kraata pack included three random Kraata out of six shapes and 36 color combinations. Rahkshi sets each included one of six shapes in one of six color combinations. In addition, later production runs of the Rahkshi sets included purple "Shadow Kraata" instead of their usual color combinations, and a special-edition transparent orange Kraata was included with BIONICLE sneakers. A full Kraata collection thus included 259 Kraata!

Randomly-packed collectible packs continued in 2004 and 2005, but they were no longer marketed with a "collect them all" model or checklist, instead simply offering colors and patterns of collectibles you might not get in other sets and codes for online rewards.

The collectible packs were eventually discontinued, but nevertheless lots of fans clamored to have them back until the BIONICLE theme itself ended. They were not considered "unfair", and completing a collection was rightly viewed as a lofty, nigh-impossible goal, not something a fan was entitled to with minimal expense and effort. The "chase" items like metal collectibles were likewise things fans considered themselves extremely lucky to have, not things that ought to have been more widely available.

The same really ought to apply here. Mr. Gold is probably a fair amount more expensive to produce than the average CMF, even if he has a chrome gold finish instead of actual metal or metal-plated parts, and he wouldn't even exist if not to serve as a chase figure. So if you don't manage to acquire one, it just means you weren't one of a handful of extraordinarily-lucky individuals. It's no blemish on your record as a collector nor a sign of "parental favoritism" on TLG's part. It's just random chance, and I think even kids will be bright enough to understand that.

prevere · April 2013

So I guess my goal of creating a golden army of Mr. Peanuts will be really expensive.

emilewski · April 2013

^ spray paint my friend, spray paint.

Bosstone100 · April 2013

I don't consider Mr. Gold to be a part of the set. If I get him, great but I'd seriously consider selling him.

Pitfall69 · April 2013

A Bionicle "figure" is NOT a Lego minifigure. The Lego minifigure is a classic that has been virtually unchanged since 1978. They aren't the same thing therefore it doesn't matter to me if they are...ahem...were... harder to find.

There are collectors of CMF's and there are collectors of Lego Minifigures and there are collectors of rare and hard to find minifigures. Mr. Gold is all of the above. If you you have to say he's not part of the CMF collection to justify not getting him, well...whatever you have to tell yourself.

Aanchir · April 2013

Pitfall69 said:
A Bionicle "figure" is NOT a Lego minifigure. The Lego minifigure is a classic that has been virtually unchanged since 1978. They aren't the same thing therefore it doesn't matter to me if they are...ahem...were... harder to find.

There are collectors of CMF's and there are collectors of Lego Minifigures and there are collectors of rare and hard to find minifigures. Mr. Gold is all of the above. If you you have to say he's not part of the CMF collection to justify not getting him, well...whatever you have to tell yourself.

I recognize that to a lot of people they're not the same thing. But to a BIONICLE fan, the collectible masks and collectible minifigures are quite similar in their premise. Even just looking at things from a business perspective, they had a similar sales model: blind-packaged "impulse" sets worth less than $5 apiece and meant to enhance an existing LEGO collection. The main difference, of course, is that a minifigure offers complete out-of-the-box play experience, whereas the BIONICLE collectibles were simply accessories for the larger figures. But I don't know if this explains the difference in why one audience celebrated this type of business model and another repeatedly feels victimized or exploited by it.

FenrisAkashi · April 2013

Pitfall69 said:
Not a stupid question. I order mine from @MinifiguresPlus.

Another "stupid" question but do they normally post when they have boxes available? I'm fairly interested in ordering a box of series 10 on the off chance I can "win the lotto" and pay for my box with a single figure but have not seen many ways to get a sealed box outside of "getting lucky in a retail store" which I'm not stoked on the chances of.

Thanks in advance!

skherbeck · April 2013

Just search for a case of series 10 minifigures on ebay and purchase from the seller "minifiguresPlus". That's where I purchase mine (I usually pre-order 2 cases of every series). Cases are always sealed and perfect!

Pitfall69 · April 2013

FenrisAkashi said:

Pitfall69 said:
Not a stupid question. I order mine from @MinifiguresPlus.
Another "stupid" question but do they normally post when they have boxes available? I'm fairly interested in ordering a box of series 10 on the off chance I can "win the lotto" and pay for my box with a single figure but have not seen many ways to get a sealed box outside of "getting lucky in a retail store" which I'm not stoked on the chances of.

Thanks in advance!

@MinifiguresPlus has a online store and sells on EBay. I have ordered several boxes from them in the past and each arrived in the box that Lego ships them in, so you know it is not tampered with. You can usually pre order a box around the time the new series comes out.

CMF Series 10: Mr Gold Minifigure and chances to find this mini figure

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