Review: Lego Minifigures Series 11 Part 1

September 4, 2013 | 4

We’re finally here again at the release of the latest series of Lego’s insanely popular Collectible Minifigures with  Series 11 which began to go on sale around Australia about a week ago. It feels like it’s only been weeks since we’ve had Series 10 and all the trouble I went to securing the 19th Mr Gold in Australia but here we are! Thankfully there aren’t any dramas with Series 11 as we had with Series 10 and the insanity that people went through to get their hands on Mr Gold.

Will Series 11 be the best of the lot? Let’s find out!

Hunting these minifigs down? Try your local Target, Toys R Us, Big W, Kmart, Myer, Toyworld or toy store to find one of these. Each minifigure comes in a shiny green blind bag which should cost you $4.99. Try searching the Lego aisles or near the cash registers which is where they’re usually located.

Here’s the breakdown of each box of Series 11 minifigs:

6 Yetis
6 Mountain Climbers
6 Welders
6 Constables
4 Barbarians
4 Evil Mechs
4 Gingerbread Men
4 Holiday Elves
4 Scientists
4 Lady Robots
2 Scarecrows
2 Pretzel Girls
2 Island Warriors
2 Saxophone Players
2 Diner Waitresses
2 Grandmas

It looks like this is the new ratio we’re forced to have to deal with. From Series 1-9, we’ve always had the distribution of  5-5-5-4-4-4-4-4-4-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 which meant that you were guaranteed 3 complete sets plus some extras. With Lego’s new box breakdown, it makes it a lot tougher since you’re only guaranteed 2 complete sets in a boxful of 60 blind bags. My guess is that Lego realized minifig collectors were banding up and sharing boxes between 3 people which saved you quite a bit of money and time having to rummage through boxes of minifigs at toy stores. I’m not a fan of this new distribution ratio and I really hope Lego goes back to the old ratio, but I highly doubt that will happen since this new ratio obviously sells more packets because it makes some of the minifigs rarer.

These are what the new blind bags look like. This is the second shade of green that Lego have gone with (the other being Series 3) except that they’re a lot shinier this time.

Here’s the leaflet containing the checklist of Series 11 minifigs.

And here’s the instruction leaflet.

Anyway, enough durdling and on to the individual minifig reviews! In Part 1, I’ll be covering the Yeti, Welder, Saxophone Player, Constable and Holiday Elf.

Yeti “Yoo-hoo! Here I am!”

The Yeti was one of earliest Series 11 minifigs to be leaked on to the internet and here he is in all his snowy and abominable glory! I also found it deeply ironic that he was the earliest leak, since Yetis are typically known for being secretive to the point that their existence is still being debated!

The Yeti’s covered in white fur, with baby blue accents including his face, feet and hands. Is he a minifig that spent too long in the ice or is he a mythical creature? He’s even got a blue popsicle, which is a pretty rare accessory we don’t get too often! Bless his adorable soul!

His head is a custom piece and is completely detachable. This is cool because you can fit him onto any other body. Yeti in a business suit? Yeti on a half naked minifig? The possibilities are endless! His head piece is solidly crafted with his beady little eyes staring you down, possibly wondering why you’re out in the tundra looking for him. I also like the fur accents on his head, it looks very cartoony but in a good way.

He doesn’t have any back printing, but that’s okay since his headpiece obscures most of his back anyway. This is the first Series in a while that doesn’t contain a “minifig in an animal costume” but I guess the Yeti fits this category albeit very loosely. He’s easily one of the most adorable minifigs every produced and he just oozes so much charm. You’re definitely going to want to pick up one of him!

How To Find One: The Yeti’s headpiece is fairly large and easy to make out when feeling bags especially with the ‘fur ridges’, which give is substantial texture. You can also try to find the popsicle, which is fairly unique and easy to identify even if it’s a little small.

Minifig Rating: 9/10

Welder “Stand back. Things are gonna get hot.”

What a menacing looking minifig! The Welder is another stellar addition to the Collectible Minifig family. The Welder looks like he’ll instantly fit right into any City lineup, especially where construction or cars are involved. He comes with a fantastic mask accessory, which unfortunately does not swivel or open up like the Ironman Mask. A slight disappointment, but it doesn’t detract from the aesthetics at all.

The Welder kicks it old school, using a process called Oxy-Fuel Welding to power his welding torch which explains why it’s connected to a gas cylinder that has a neat hazard symbol printed on a 1×1 round brick. His welding torch is made out of rubber which makes it bendy and it can be little hard to get it to “snap on” his hands.

Unveiling his welding masks reveals a very grizzled looking man befitting that of a tough hardworking blue collar worker. He sports flecks of dirt and a bead of sweat (welding is hot work!) on his brow, all this set against a stubbly face. Very cool face that can be used in a lot of other situations. His overalls are equally detailed with flecks of dirt spattered all over it. Another pretty subtle but nice detail I like are his dark grey globes which really pull his entire look together to make an impressive blue-collared worker guy.

To sweeten the entire package, he’s even got back printing which shows off his entire overall outfit! This right here is one of the best, most complete minifigs ever featured in the Collectible Minifigures Series.

How To Find One: The Welder might be a little tricky to find because his parts are a little hard to feel. I would suggest feeling for his mask which has a very distinct shape, or his gas cylinder which is the only 1×1 round brick in Series 11. If that fails, you can always identify the Welder by his rubbery welding torch.

Minifig Rating: 10/10

Saxophone Player “Let’s groove.”

Have you ever fancied opening a Lego Night Club? If you have, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on Series 11’s Saxophone Player to lead your Lego Jazz Band. The Saxophone just oozes cool. From his stylish wide-brim Fedora, to his sunglasses that he also wears at night (because he can!) to his slightly ruffled black suit and tie – this are all hallmarks of a person that is not out there to impress you because he’s so self-assured of his coolness, which by the way, escapes all mortal comprehension. Yes, he’s that cool.

What is a sax player without his sax – the highlight of the minifig is his beautiful pearl gold saxophone. Just look at the detail that they managed to squeeze into a Lego accessory! This is by far, the most beautiful Lego accessory that I’ve ever had the pleasure of setting my eyes on. From its pearly gold sheen, to the little keys on both sides all the way to the black tip this accessory is a winner. Unfortunately, there’s no back printing for the Sax Player but you know what, you don’t need back printing when you’re this cool.

How To Find One: The saxophone itself is a dead giveaway but you can also look for the fedora. Do take note that you shouldn’t confuse his fedora with the Scarecrow’s Hat which might feel the same. You can determine whether its a scarecrow if the bag contains a pitchfork.

Minifig Rating: 8/10

Constable “Stop in the name of the law!”

Generic Policeman? Boring. British him up a little and he instantly becomes 300% cooler! The Constable is a classic take on Britain’s law enforcement, complete with the iconic “bobby hat” and a truncheon. What the Constable lacks in colour more than makes up for it in charm with a fairly authoritative moustache to cap off his entire look. I really like that they finally gave us a British Police Offficer due to its iconic and easily recognizable look. He’s even got a “don’t you be trying anything silly” stern look on his face that will surely freeze would-be crooks and hooligans in their tracks, lest they be bludgeoned to death with his wooden baton.

Zooming in, we have the constable’s badge and tip painted in metallic silver, a nice touch on his bobby hat. On his torso, we’re presented with the numbers 1337 on his collar as well as an insignia with the initials JCF on them. I did quite a bit of research because I know that Lego designers do not simply place numbers on their parts. Every number has some bit of significance, which led me to this wikipedia which explains that the Constabulary (French Police) were regularised as a military body during the Hundred Years War, which was fought between England and France. Those speculating that 1337 simply means “leet” are flat out wrong. It just doesn’t make sense in this context.

As for the JCF initials, I’m drawing a complete blank. My best guess? The Jamaican Constabulary Force. Unfortunately, the significance is lost upon me. If you were to know what this means, please enlighten me!

I like the Constable. He retains so much charm and cultural identity, which IMHO are one of the main ingredients to a great Collectible Minifigure. I am sorely tempted to amass an army of them, which should be easy given that there are 6 Constables in each box.

How To Find One: It’s a little small but try looking for his truncheon aka baton. It’s got a distinctive shape and if that fails, you can also try feeling for his bobby hat which has an elongated brim at the back and front.

Minifig Rating: 7/10

Holiday Elf “It’s always a holiday somewhere!”

Before we had Chinese sweatshop workers to make your toys, we had these guys – Christmas elves who were enslaved by Santa Claus himself and forced to work around the clock, manufacturing toys for ungrateful kids around the world. The Holiday Elf is a pleasant addition to the minifig family, especially since we’re only 3 months away from Christmas and we just got a new Santa in Series 8.

He kinda looks like the Lawn Gnome from Series 4 but with the addition of elf ears. He’s got a cheeky grin on his face and has rather impressive torso prints. I’ve got a lot of criticisms for the Holiday Elf but lets start with his pants. It irks me that his pants are not the same shade as his torso, being a lighter shade of green. It’s kind of the same colour as his hat but I’m puzzled as to why they couldn’t make him the same shade of green. Still, that’s a minor criticism and I can live with that.

On to some positives first. The Holiday Elf smashes the ball out of the park with his accessories which consist of a present and a bear. The stylishly wrapped present is my favourite simply due to the printed tile that sits atop a red 2×2 brick. The printing is impeccable with the ribbon being shiny and all. In an age where we’re seeing more and more stickers in sets, it warms my heart to see that we get such a beautiful tile included in this set. The bear is no slacker either. He’s in a darker shade of brown AND has a cute little bowtie printed on him. So adorable and I love that Lego decided to add that little detail in instead of just giving us another light brown bear.

On to the negative, which I’ve highlighted in red. The painting on the Holiday Elf’s hat is nothing short of atrocious. I’m putting the blame squarely on Lego’s China operations which pumps out a wide range of accessories as well as the entire Collectible Minifigures line. I’m not sure if this is an isolated case and I got unlucky, but I’m really horrified that this had to happen. The paint job is so shoddy that it literally bleeds all over the Elf’s ears. I’m so used to Lego’s high quality standards but this is just unacceptable.

To add insult to injury, the red 2×2 brick was also more translucent than a regular red brick when held to the light. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of the brick but its clearly made of inferior plastic. I mean seriously, look at the hat’s sloppy paintjob and don’t tell me that it doesn’t remind you of crappy Made in China toys that you can find at your 2 dollar store. You know, the kind that you’re afraid will poison your kids if they chew on them. I’m really disappointed in the shoddy paint finishing and in Lego for letting this get past QC.

How To Find One: The Holiday Elf is pretty easy to find, all you need to do is locate the red 2×2 brick and you’re golden! If that fails, you can try feeling for his pointy hat or bear.

Minifig Rating: 4/10 (had to dock points because of the shoddy paint work, which is a shame)

Here’s the lineup from Part 1 of my review. Be sure to be on the lookout for Part 2 and 3 soon!

Thanks so much for reading and if you’re out hunting for Series 11, all the best!