Review: LEGO Minifigures Series 17

May 11, 2017 | 79

It’s one the favourite times of the year, the release of a new LEGO Minifigure Series and I’ve finally got my hands on my set of Series 17 Minifigures!

Series 17 was officially released on 1 May 2017 and they’re slowly starting to trickle into stores worldwide. Here in Australia, they’re not out everywhere yet, but your local toy store should get them in very soon, if not already.

LEGO Minifigure Reviews are the bread and butter of my blog, so ff you’d like to check out some of my previous LEGO Minifigure reviews, check out the Minifigure Series Reviews  section in the Review Hub.

If you’re into complete sets of Series 17 minifigures, I recommend getting them from I’m Rick James Bricks – that’s where I bought my set from and can attest to the great service. It’s also nice to support your local independent LEGO store!

Series 17 marks a return to form for LEGO’s Minifigure Series after The LEGO Batman Series which I felt wasn’t as great as the usual numbered Series and was plagued by characters that I simply didn’t really care about.

Well we’re back to the core Minifigure Series offering, with 16 all-new characters to collect and the usual eclectic group of minifigures and accessories that the numbered Series is known for.

For those that may be new to LEGO’s Minifigure Series, each blind bag which contains a mystery character costs AU$6 ($5 in the US) and there are 16 to collect for this series.

You can find these in most toy stores that stock LEGO, or you can buy them online. Do note that if you buy them online, they will truly be random.

• 71018 LEGO Minifigures Series 17 [US] – US$3.99
• 71018 LEGO Minifigures Series 17 [US] – US$3.99 (Amazon)
• 71018 LEGO Minifigures Series 17 [UK] – GBP£2.99
• 71018 LEGO Minifigures Series 17 [AUS] – AU$5.99
• 71018 LEGO Minifigures Series 17 [CAN] – CAD$4.99

This is the leaflet that’s included in each blind bag, which works as a checklist for all 16 characters in the series. If you’re into feeling the blind bags up in stores, it’s always a good idea to carry one of these with you as a reference.

You may have noticed a blacked out character, which is the “gimmick” that LEGO are running with Series 17. In all marketing material, LEGO have concealed the identity of one of the minifigures from the Series.

Of course, by now, everyone knows that the Mystery Minifigure is the Highwayman. When the identity was finally revealed, I do admit that it was pretty anti-climactic as the Highwayman isn’t a particularly interesting character and he’s also pretty common.

Still, kudos to the LEGO Minifigures team for trying out something new and interesting, but I think this entire gimmick would’ve been much more successful if they had selected a much more interesting and sought after character than the Highwayman.

On the other side of the leaflet, there are instructions on how to assemble the Battle Dwarf’s axe, Yuppie’s phone and get the cape on for the Retro Space Hero, which will be useful for younger fans. There’s also more space dedicated to perpetuating the mystery minifigure, with an add to get people to visit the LEGO.com/minifigures website.

Here’s the box breakdown of Series 17, which indicates the relative “rarity” of each minifigure. As always, there are 3 complete sets per sealed box of Series 17.

5x Strongman
5x Corn Cob Guy
5x Highwayman (Mystery Character)
4x Hot Dog Vendor
4x Retro Space Hero
4x Roman Gladiator
4x Connoisseur
4x Yuppie
4x Battle Dwarf
3x Elf Maiden
3x Butterfly Girl
3x Veterinarian
3x Dance Instructor
3x Gourmet Chef
3x Pro Surfer
3x Rocket Boy

If you click the name of each minifigure, you’ll instantly jump to the corresponding minifigure review! If you’re familiar with my reviews, there’s also a guide to how to feel for the minifigures with tips on how to identify the minifigs in their blind bags.

If you’re new to my LEGO Minifigure reviews, I use a 5-point scale review scale to rate each minifig. Here’s what the numbers mean!

5/5 – I love it
4/5 – I really like it
3/5 – I like it
2/5 – I don’t like it
1/5 – I didn’t really like it
0/5 – I hate it

Now all of that is out of the way, let’s get into my Series 17 review!

Strongman “Lifting this is easy-peasy. Give me something heavier, will you not?”

Some Minifigures train all their lives to develop big muscles, but for the hearty Strongman, it just comes naturally. Hundred-pound weights are as light as feather pillows in his hands, and he can crush cement blocks with ease. He once balanced an entire city hall on his head while a wedding was going on inside, and then carried the building to the airport so the happy couple wouldn’t miss their flight.

Despite his great strength, the Strongman is extraordinarily gentle. He has to be, because he knows that if he isn’t careful, he might accidentally break something or fling it miles away. What could have made him so powerful? He chalks it up to eating plenty of vegetables and getting at least eight hours of sleep every night, although some think the true secret has to do with his spectacular mustache!

The Strongman is LEGO’s take on the Circus Strongmen of the 19th century, where muscular individuals featured as attractions, delighting crowds with their feats of strength and showing off their powerful physiques.

The Strongman’s design is very well executed, with a leopard-print leotard and most importantly, a thoroughly impressive moustache – the undeniable mark of any macho man.

To flex his muscles, the Strongman comes with a set of retro barbells, with spherical weights. The barbells are a solid accessory (I was expecting them to be made out of 3 pieces) and have the weight (100kgs) printed on each weight.

Here’s a look at the Strongman’s face sans moustache, which uncovers a kind face with exceptionally thick eyebrows. Back printing and dual-moulded legs to make it look like he has a pair of black boots on.

The Strongman isn’t exceptional in any sense but its interesting and unique enough to feel like a deserved slot in Series 17. His appearance is also a fairly accurate rendition of the Circus Strongmen of old works well, and he has enough character to hold its own.

Oh and the Strongman is also pretty fun to photography, especially with his retro barbell. Or you can get him to perform crazy stunts like balancing 4 minifigures on just one arm!

How To Find One: The Strongman is pretty light on accessories, so the best way to find him is his barbell. It’s quite small but relatively easy to identify. Just feel for two small ball-shaped pieces connected by a stick.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Corn Cob Guy “Did you know that corn is a kind of grass? Well, it is!”

It’s hard to not love Corn Cob Guy. He’s bursting with charm, personality and humour – three things that best embodies the spirit of the LEGO Minifigures Series.

How To Find One: It’s really easy to find Corn Cob guy by feeling for his large costume. The only other large costume in this Series is Rocket Boy and you can easily identify Corn Cob Guy’s suit by feeling for the ridged kernels as well as the two husks that emerge out each side, which feel quite thin and sharp.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Highwayman 

So here’s the Highwayman, what is probably one of LEGO’s worst kept secrets this year. Hyped up as a mystery minifigure, LEGO did what it set out to achieve, to get fans to speculate on his identity, which worked all the way up until the point they started selling Series 17 packs early in Billund and the secret was out before Series 17 even launched.

The Highwayman is an okay minifigure – he’s styled as a 18/19th century bandit, the kind that you’d expect to rob stagecoaches and harass Victorian-era noblemen.

Attired in a black tricorn hat, face mask, a black overcoat, frilled collars and a large black cloak.

The cloak is a new fabric (starchy kind) piece with oversized collars. I’m not really a fan of the collars as they look a tad oversized.

Here’s the Highwayman without his mask – he’s got sallow eyes and a pretty unkempt appearance which you’d expect from a bandit. He’s got arm printing, with some silver buttons on his cuffs which are nice.

For weaponry, the Highwayman comes with a pair of flintlock pistols. I believe that these pistols in dark grey are new for 2o17 and they’re a great looking variant for what is classic LEGO weapon.

The Highwayman is a competently designed minifigure, but it doesn’t really hook me in terms of how interesting it is as a character.

The secret character gimmick didn’t really make me more excited for him, and while the Highwayman may have a cohesive identity and appearance, it just feels like a character that’s been recycled from the Pirates of the Caribbean theme.

How To Find One: The Highwayman’s triangle shaped tricorn hat is quite easy to feel for. Remember that the hat has a rounded dome in the middle. Alternatively, you can feel for the flintlock pistols which are quite skinny but have quite a distinct L-shape.

Minifig Rating: 2/5

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Hot Dog Vendor “Hot dog and a soda, coming right up!”

The cheerful Hot Dog Vendor is determined to make the hot dogs at his stand the best ones around. He’s searched high and low to create the ultimate hot dog, with just the right combination of flavor, condiments and bun. Now he finally thinks he’s made it – but it’ll be up to his hungry customers to decide for sure!

To get the word out, the Hot Dog Vendor has hired the Hot Dog Man to advertise his products at parties and special events. The only tricky part is getting that famous costumed character to stop praising hot dogs in general, and just focus on one particular stand. Why don’t you stop on by and place an order? You’re guaranteed a tasty meal, a cold drink, and service with a smile!

The Hot Dog Vendor is a great addition to your LEGO city because let’s face it, we all need more Hot Dog Vendors in our life. The cheerful Hot Dog merchant immediately grabs your attention with his loud red and white checkered apron, which has a cute smiley face badge on the straps.

He’s got a massive smile and freckles/pimples which makes it look like he’s a young, possibly teenage guy working part time serving up the best hot dogs in LEGO city. He’s got a paper hat on with a red line going through it which is a really neat new piece of LEGO headgear.

What really helps the Hot Dog Vendor stand out are his accessories. He comes with a new tray accessory in dark blue which can be gripped on its edges or through a studhole at the bottom.

To tempt his customers, the Hot Dog Vendor naturally comes with a hot dog and a milkshake. The milkshake is based off the Squishee cup mould and makes for a fantastic new beverage option for LEGO minfigures.

The sausage piece is also new and currently exclusive to the Hot Dog Vendor, appearing in dark red for the first time.

Here’s a look at the Hot Dog Vendor’s back printing and the other way to hold the serving tray. I really like the apron straps on his back which really give it a nice sense of completion.

I’m a big fan of the Hot Dog Vendor. It’s an occupation that every LEGO City needs and he can easily integrate himself into your population to satiate their demand for hot dogs.

His outfit is also fairly versatile as you can not only utilise him as a street vendor, but also in a LEGO fairground, or even a retro diner.

How To Find One: Try feeling for the tray which has a rectangular shape, with rounded edges and a small stud hole at the bottom. Alternatively, you could also feel for the sausage piece, which feels like a thin curved LEGO piece. 

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Retro Space Hero “I’ll get out of this Plutonian pickle with some trusty space know-how!”

The Retro Space Hero is an old-school space adventurer, full of vim and vigor and unstoppable enthusiasm for saving the day from galactic villains and outer-space menaces. He lives in a constantly thrilling universe full of hurtling asteroids (that look a little like construction paper hanging from strings), atomic-powered spaceships (never mind that their rocket trails resemble the fog from dry ice), and ultra-scientific vitamin breakfasts (plus some scrambled eggs and toast, or he’ll be hungry all morning).

Each day for the Retro Space Hero starts with an emergency interplanetary alert and ends with a spine-tingling cliffhanger. Will his rocket be plunging into a bottomless black hole, facing down a fleet of flying saucers, or hurtling toward an unknown mystery planet? He’s never sure, but he always knows that whatever happens, he’s guaranteed to have a futuristic new adventure!

The Retro Space Hero minifgure is one of my favourites from Series 17. Taking inspiration from early 1900s science fiction, the Retro Space Hero borrows heavily from the aesthetics popularised by Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers-era sci-fi.

To fight off space aliens and all sorts of intergalactic threats, the Retro Space Hero has a delightfully vintage helmet with a prominent fin and is armed a grey ray gun.

The designers have done a marvelous job with the colours. The greys, yellows and sand green combine brilliantly to evoke the aesthestics that defined retro science fiction art from that era and truly ties the entire design together. I really love the splash of colour that his yellow cape adds to the entire minifig.

The new ray gun is undeniably retro and adds a whole new level of old school cool to the Retro Space Hero.

In the photo above, you can see arm printing which has an atomic patch on it which is yet another icon of 1920s sci-fi when the world was enamoured by Ernest Rutherford’s success in “splitting the atom”

What the Retro Space Hero lacks in bleeding edge technology, he more than makes up for with nostalgic charm. I know who I’d want on my team to take out galactic threats like Lumpy Space Princess.

The Retro Space Hero is an exceptional minifigure oozing with personality, imagination and just the right amount of nostalgia. I’m surprised that LEGO took this long to pay homage to retro science fiction, but at the same time, I’m glad they waited till this point to get it so right/

The Retro Space Hero is an easy 5 out of 5 for me and one of the must-haves from Series 17. I look forward to assembling a small but formidable unit of Retro Space Heros to complement all my other Space-themed LEGO.

How To Find One: The Retro Space Hero is kinda tricky to find as he doesn’t have that an easy-to-feel accessory. Your best bet is to feel for his helmet. It’s the only helmet in the entire Series with a wide face opening, and of course the fin which feels quite sharp and pointy.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Roman Gladiator“Lesson One: Only a fool fights in the midday sun.”

The mighty Roman Gladiator is a veteran of countless battles in the arena. He has been rewarded with the nickname “The Lion” due to his unconquerable strength and courage, as well as his fondness for napping in the shade on sunny days. Although he has fought and vanquished warriors from many distant lands, he is famed for sparing them and earning their friendship.

The Roman Gladiator has recently opened a gladiator school of his own, where he trains other Minifigures in the art of combat, passing on the skills that he has learned from his fellow fighters from all around the world. So great has his fame grown that he now has his choice of battles, only accepting the most challenging and seemingly impossible ones!

The Roman Gladiator fulfills the “historic army builder” quota for Series 17 but in all honesty, is one of the more uninspired characters in the Series. His character is based off a Retiarius, a fighter which typically did battle with a trident and a net.

The net of course, is a curious omission from the minifigure and doesn’t help its historic accuracy. His design is fairly generic, determined face, muscular bare torso, loin cloth and a pearl gold trident.

He comes with a afro-textured hairpiece, which appears in dark brown for the very first time, which is a small consolation.

While the Roman Gladiator’s character might be uninspired, I do like a few of the design details on him, namely his boots and a shoulder pauldron which bears a bronze lion printed on it.

Here’s a look at the back printing.

Unfortunately, the Roman Gladiator doesn’t even come close to being as interesting or unique as the original Gladiator from Series 5 with his undeniably cool shiny bronze grill helmet. I’d definitely wager my money on the gladiator with the cooler gear in a fight to the death.

In every Minifigure Series there’s bound to be one or two duds and it so happens that the Roman Gladiator is unfortunate enough to fill that role this time round.

I think if he had come with a net, it might shift my opinion slightly, but as it stands a boring uninspired character with no redeeming accessories just don’t quite cut it when the other minifigures in this set are mostly exciting.

How To Find One: The Roman Gladiator should be very easy to find, just feel for the trident which has a long narrow pole and splits into the three prongs.

Minifig Rating: 1/5

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Connoisseur“I’ve never seen one finer than this! I rate it a 6 out of 10.”

The ever-critical Connoisseur is the world’s greatest master of good taste. His vast knowledge extends to fashion, architecture, cuisine, and which colors go well with which other colors (black and white with a hint of red are the best, of course). All of the most successful artists, designers and interior directors go to him for advice and opinions, and he is more than happy to share his personal appraisals of their work.

The Connoisseur may be hard to please, but if he likes what you’ve done, then you can be sure that you’ll have a lifelong fan – that’s why he’ll only eat baguettes freshly baked by the Gourmet Chef. Want to know the secret to a positive review? Make something that will impress his beloved French bulldog. Try showing them your latest custom LEGO® brick creation and see what they have to say!

The Connoisseur is a character based on your quintessential Parisian snob, someone who considers themselves exceptionally cultured and pooh-poohs anyone who doesn’t know the difference between a macaron and a macaroon.

Attired in a smart beret, and a small red scarf tied in the most pretentious fashion and a striped t-shirt, which is almost like a French uniform or something. He’s carrying a baguette because cliches are funny.

He’s got a funny face, with a wispy handlebar moustache and an expression that screams “my hors d’oeuvre are not sophistiqué enough. Do you even Omelette Du Fromage?”, or something along those lines.

Here’s a look at the back printing.

Of course, the best thing about the Connoisseur isn’t the actual minifigure itself but his adorable French Bulldog! I’m a big fan of LEGO animals and LEGO have been really knocking it out of the park when it comes to releasing moulds of new dog breeds lately.

The LEGO French Bulldog is incredibly cute and is a treat for dog fans and LEGO animal lovers. The size, facial features and the way his large ears stick out is just really adorable and he even has a small white spot on his forehead.

I also like his stubby tail!

You’re really only buying the Connoisseur to get the French Bulldog.

While he may fit the cliched Frenchman caricature to the tee, which is kinda hilarious in its own right, the very fact that he comes with the French Bulldog is bound to make him quite a popular Series 17 character.

How To Find One: The Connoisseur is pretty easy to find, all you have to do is feel for the baguette piece which is quite large, long piece with one curved side and a deep ridge on the other side.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Yuppie“I’m really building up in the world!”

Selfies? Apps? Emojis? This guy’s never even heard of them. Zooming straight out of the Eighties and into your heart, the Yuppie is the very model of a young urban professional on the rise. He likes his suits white and his shirts eye-searingly bright, and of course he wears his sunglasses both in the daytime and at night.

The Yuppie has a great job with lots of room for advancement, and he’ll be sure to tell you all about it over a long steak-and-lobster lunch meeting or a friendly game of miniature golf (as a Minifigure, he’s a little too short for the full-sized kind). Need to reach him? No problem! Just give him a buzz on his pager and he’ll call you right back on his expensive new mobile phone. It’s the latest thing, with a big antenna and buttons instead of one of those clunky old-fashioned dials!

LEGO aren’t kidding anyone, this isn’t a Yuppie. I’ve watched enough Scarface & Miami Vice and ploughed dozens of hours into GTA: Vice City to spot a drug kingpin when I see one.

The orange aviators, white suit over a pink polo shirt and oversized cellphone are unmistakable hallmarks of an 80s era drug kinpin, that’s more Tony Montana than 80s young urban professional.

I really applaud the Minifigures Design Team for actually getting the Yuppie approved, given its pretty obvious nod towards coke dealers. Kids will probably not get the connection, but parents are definitely going to put two and two together.

Here’s a look at Yuppie’s oversized 80s cellphone, which is made out of 3 pieces, a gray walkie talkie, printed speaker tile and a printed cheese slope number pad.

From photos, I actually thought the phone was a new piece, but I’m kinda glad that it’s actually made up of separate elements.

The Yuppie has some decent details such as arm printing for his rolled up white jacket. Here he is making calls to his umm, supplier.

If I were to make up a family friendly cover-story for the Yuppie, I’d say that he’s a dealer of the finest flour products from South America. He only provides the premium-grade, pure, umm, flour to his clients, which include the likes of Pablo’s Patisserie. That joke was shamelessly lifted from The Short News.

And in case you were wondering, the photo above is totally flour. Believe me. Wink.

Anyway, I like the Yuppie. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that LEGO would actually produce a minifigure that could walk right into a Scarface MOC, but here we are.

It’s fun and it properly pays homage to an 80s pop culture staple that I can’t really fault it. It’s slightly unremarkable from the accessory department but I do appreciate it when pop culture references are executed well in the LEGO minifigure series.

How To Find One: It’s going to be a tricky one with the Yuppie. You can try feeling for the walkie talkie piece, which has a small thin antenna and two studs attached to the rectangular body. Alternatively, you can also feel for the 1 x 1 square tile or the cheese slope!

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Battle Dwarf “Five angry trolls and a rock giant? Hah, what else d’ya got?”

The Battle Dwarf is a fierce warrior of the Boar Clan, a brave and proud family renowned throughout the land for their expert iron-forging. He carries the axe Gougetusk, crafted by his own hand, and the legendary war hammer Snoutsmasher, famed for its ability to flatten enemies with the force of a charging razorback.

The Battle Dwarf is as loyal a friend as he is ferocious an opponent, though his hearty back-slaps of comradery are almost as likely to knock you over as a blow from his hammer. The tattoo on his shoulder recounts the tale of how he once faced a fire-breathing sea dragon. He didn’t manage to slay it or anything, but just getting away in one piece was considered a great heroic achievement – and the encounter left him with his magnificent new hairstyle, too!

If the Roman Gladiator fills the slot of historical army builder type minifigure, the Battle Dwarf is here to fill in the “fantasy warrior” archetype. Battle Dwarfs aren’t a particularly new concept having been done in Series 5 before with the Evil Dwarf, but this guy has a few things going for it that sets him apart.

Firstly, the bright red mohawk hair and beard piece give him a bit of a unique look. I’m not a fan of the combination as it doesn’t seem very dwarvish to me. The mohawk is nice but the beard just looks off.

The Battle Dwarf represents the Boar Clan and is decked out with all sorts of boar symbols such as a fierce-looking bronze belt buckle. He also has a dragon/sea serpent tattoo on the right side of his chest, which extends to his arm which is pretty neat.

The most interesting thing about the Battle Dwarf is his weaponry. He comes with a standard axe, but the real prize here is a warhammer which has a boar printed on each side in bronze paint. It’s really small and quite nicely detailed for its size and fits the warhammer perfectly.

The warhammer is perhaps best known as Thor’s signature accessory, and this marks the first time it’s been released in a dark grey variant and should be a neat accessory for fans that are into medieval/fantasy weaponry.

Here’s a look at the back printing, which has more of the fur-lined belt travelling across his waist, as well as some muscle definition.

The Battle Dwarf doesn’t hold a candle to the far superior Evil Dwarf from Series 5, but the small touches such as the excellent body printing, and the new warhammer slightly soften the blow. The red mohawk will be quite useful for minifigure customisers.

I definitely won’t be buying multiples of him – if the Battle Dwarf had a bit more to offer in terms of weaponry or armour, I would’ve reconsidered, but the lack of originality in the overall design concept make this a no for me.

Oh, as a small consolation, I did find a really good use for the Battle Dwarf’s red mohawk and mutton chop moustache – I was able to make a Sheamus (WWE Wrestler) custom minifigure!

How To Find One: Try feeling for the Battle Dwarf’s mohawk, which has a very distinct rubbery texture to it. Alternatively, you can feel for the Battle Dwarf’s thin stick. The only other minifigure in Series 17 with a stick is Rocket Boy, which you can easily eliminate if there’s no massive Rocket Costume in the bag.

Minifig Rating: 2/5

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Elf Maiden “Hark! I sense adventure on the horizon!”

Most Elves are content to keep hidden within the woods of the Elflands, but the Elf Maiden has decided that her calling lies beyond their fabled borders. So with sword and shield in hand, she has set out to seek adventure in the great unknown, searching for villains to thwart, towns to protect, and princes or princesses in distress who could use a helping hand.

The Elf Maiden is clever, quick to make friends, and very determined. Once she sets herself on a path, she always sees her course through to the end. If she has only one regret, it’s having brought an enchanted golden singing sword along on her journey. The tunes are nice for long walks, but it’s really hard to get it to stay quiet when she’s trying to complete a stealthy quest!

Unlike the Battle Dwarf, the Elf Maiden manages to take a familiar concept and make it feel fresh. Firstly, she has the novelty of being a female fantasy-type warrior character is a big plus.

The Elf Maiden combines the elegance and grace of an Elven princess with the understated strength of an Elven warrior. She has an elegant, flowy periwinkle blue and purple dress which has a leafy pattern and details across the fabric.

It’s a bit hard to see in the photos, but the printing of her dress is actually slightly reflective, which gives her minifigure a very nice shimmery look.

She also what seems to be a silver pauldrons to give her some semblance of armour and she’s armed with a pearl gold longsword and a heater shield which has a floral coat of arms.

Here’s a look at the Elf Maiden’s shoulder printing, and a better look at her hairpiece. It’s the first time that we’ve gotten a female hairpiece with Elvish ears in the yellow minifig skin tone.

She also has a silver pin in her hair which looks great.

I can’t be the only one who thinks that the Elf Maiden bears a striking resemblance to Arwen from Lord of the Rings. The similar colour scheme makes me suspect that the Elf Maiden’s design was recycled either from an unused Arwen design. The pin in her hair also looks almost identical to Arwen’s Evanstar pendant to be a coincidence.

I have a soft spot for Elves and really quite like the Elf Maiden. While her outfit doesn’t really seem like she’s dressed for battle, despite being armed with a sword and shield, there’s something about her elegant appearance that radiates strength. I also really love her shimmery dress which elevates the Elf Maiden to a new level.

How To Find One: The Elf Maiden is really easy to identify, just feel for her sloped dress piece which has a blocky triangle shape.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Butterfly Girl “Look at me! I’m a butterfly, wheeee!”

The Butterfly Girl is an energetic, pint-sized aspiring entomologist who loves flowers almost as much as she loves bugs. Nothing fills her with more joy than putting on her butterfly wings and flitting all around the meadow, watching her insect friends as they fly from blossom to blossom drinking nectar.

The Butterfly Girl hopes to one day have a pet caterpillar. She’ll raise it from an egg and bring it all of the best leaves to nibble on as it grows. When it finally emerges from its chrysalis as a brand-new butterfly, she’ll let it go to fly free outside. But until she’s old enough to have a pet of her own, she’s happy to imagine stories about her adventures as the biggest and best butterfly in the whole world!

As a new dad to a baby girl, I cannot wait till she gets older and gets into all sorts of girly things. Butterfly Girl is an adorable and accurate take on a young girl who’s really into butterflies. She’s got a light blue tank top on with an illustrated butterfly on it, and has what I believe are flower stickers on her cheek and pins in her hair.

She has a good-natured smile and comes with a blonde ponytail hairpiece that first appeared with Wyldstyle from The LEGO Movie. Her hairpiece has those little flowers printed on it which is a cute little touch.

Butterfly Girl carries a small bouquet of pink flowers. I believe that this is the first time we’ve gotten the 3-pronged flower stems in lime green which makes for a nice variant of this relatively new accessory.

Butterfly Girl’s most defining feature is her butterfly wings which are an impressively designed new accessory. Firstly, they’re huge and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were made out of solid hard plastic.

The wings are translucent which give them a really cool visual effect and they’re quite thick which was a nice surprise.

Butterfly Girl is hopelessly adorable and carries with her an air of playful innocence. The design of her minifigure is simple yet extremely cohesive, accentuated by the butterfly wings which are one of the most impressive LEGO accessories ever designed.

As many parents, uncles or aunties can relate with Butterfly Girl’s adorable character, I can imagine that she’ll be one of the most popular minifigures from Series 17. She’ll make a great gift for young girls that are big fans of LEGO. I know I’m buying a few to give out to my friends’ daughters.

For a young girl who is into butterflies and girly things, it must be a really nice feeling to have LEGO create a minifigure that they can instantly identify with.

How To Find One: The Butterfly Girl’s wings are the easiest indicator – they feel quite hard and rigid with a rough X-shape that has rounded edges. The wings are also quite thick you can also feel for the neck bracket which sticks out quite awkwardly.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Veterinarian “Just hold still and I’ll make it all better.”

The big-hearted Veterinarian has empathy for all the creatures of the LEGO® world, from fuzzy puppies and kittens to mutant killer whales, laser-guided cyborg sharks and police alligators. There’s just something about how caring and patient she is that calms animals right down, no matter how big or scaly or pointy-toothed they may be.

Once her patients are relaxed, the Veterinarian gives them a thorough check-up and treats anything that might be wrong. She’ll be happy to recommend some healthy treats so you can spoil your favorite furry friend, too. Animals love the Veterinarian, and often leave unexpected presents outside her office door. She doesn’t mind the carrots that the rabbits drop off, but she isn’t quite as fond of the owl pellets on her welcome mat when the local wizard is in town!

Like the Connoisseur, the Veterinarian is yet another way for LEGO to slip in a new animal mould into circulation. She comes with a new non-Friends Rabbit mould which is pretty neat if you’re like me and have quite a large collection of LEGO animals. More on the rabbit earlier.

The Veterinarian minifigure has a pretty simple design. She’s attired in aqua-coloured scrubs which has a printed stethoscope that hangs from her neck.

I quite  like the Vet’s design – it’s fairly generic and could totally pass off as a surgeon or nurse. Only a small nametag with a paw print on it gives any indication that she’s an animal doctor.

Unfortunately, the female silhouette where the minifig has a noticeable slimmer waist does restrict re-using her torso on a male character which is a bit of a letdown.

The Vet has a new-ish hairpiece that’s modelled off the one from Series 10’s Trendsetter in a new shade of light brown. It’s one of the nicer female hairstyles and the colour works so much better in dark brown.

Here’s a look at the new LEGO rabbit which I’m not that big a fan of. The Rabbit’s shape is a little off, especially the ears which are fused together.

The posture is also a little odd as the bunny seems to be in a crouched position which makes its limbs quite hard to identify. It’s a small element, so I do get that it’s a little challenging to get things right at this scale.

If they had coloured the insides of the ears, I think the rabbit’s appearance would improve by quite a bit.

I do like the that the Rabbit has a more neutral, non-Friends overly cutesy look. See above for comparisons with other LEGO rabbits. I still think the baby rabbit has the slight edge.

All in all, I do like the Veterinarian for its versatility and utility. The subject matter isn’t the most unique or interesting, but the fact that her outfit can easily be repurposed in a non-Veterinarian setting is a big plus for me. Her light brown hairpiece and the LEGO Rabbit are also great additions to any collection.

How To Find One: The Veterinarian is one of the more challenging minifigures to feel for in this series. The Rabbit has quite a hard to distinguish shape, so I don’t recommend feeling for it. Your best bet would be to try and feel for her hairpiece, which has a wide split in the middle and two sharp pointy ends.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Dance Instructor “The most important thing is that we’re having fun!”

The joyful Dance Instructor knows how great it feels to throw on some colorful, stretchy clothes and move around to all kinds of music. She’s always trying to create new dance styles, but none of them have quite caught on yet, probably because she’s the only one who can keep up with her own dancing. If you want to see her really cut loose, just put on a tune with a strong beat and stand back!

Unlike her friend the Fitness Instructor, who insists that her workout moves be followed exactly, the Dance Instructor prefers to see everyone getting into the sound in their own unique way, dancing and grooving and having a fun time just like her. If she isn’t out dancing, chances are she’s just taking a water break – good hydration is super important, after all!

The Dance Instructor is modelled after Jazzercise and fitness instructors from the 80s that were well known for their trademark bright leotards with intense colour blocking and big hair.

Her hairdo is one of the most 80s thing ever, the volume of curls is out of this world and is quite possibly one of the largest LEGO hairpieces ever created. The curls are a little bit too over-defined that it looks like a wad of wet noodles, but I guess that was how things were in the 80s.

The Dance Instructor’s outfit is a cornucopia of colours with a bright pink leotard, a black off-shoulder top with a multi-coloured lightning design and zebra tights.

She also comes with a water bottle, which is made up of two elements, a transparent 1 x 1 round brick with printed H20 logo, and one of those new 1 x 1 round tiles with the handle which works brilliantly as the bottle’s mouthpiece.

Here’s a look at the Dance Instructor’s back printing as well as another view of her curls.

While the Dance Instructor is pretty good looking, with a wild, colourful design and a unique new hairpiece, it just feels too similar to the Fitness Instructor from Series 5. The concept is the same, with the loud leotards, big hair and even the same sweatband which makes it seem like they were quite lazy when it came to recycling the design.

The Dance Instructor is definitely a slight improvement, but there’s a severe lack of originality with her. Also, is it just me or is this like the 3rd character concept that’s had a remake treatment from Series 5? I’ve currently got the Dance Instructor, Battle Dwarf and Gladiator in my deja-vu minifigure category.

How To Find One: The Dance Instructor’s huge hairpiece is pretty easy to feel for. It’s large, and has a roundish shape, and the curls feel like really rough ridges.

Minifig Rating: 2/5

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Gourmet Chef “The chef’s new special is sure to please your palate!”

After training abroad for years, the Gourmet Chef has finally become the head chef at a fancy restaurant. Thanks to her travels around the world, she has learned to excel at making dishes from every country, continent and region. She even knows a few recipes from other planets and alternate dimensions!

Each of the Gourmet Chef’s carefully prepared creations is a perfect balance of ingredients that make it both perfectly delicious and perfectly nutritious. She’d make them perfectly filling too, but she wants to make sure you still have room for dessert – her pies are a specialty guaranteed to leave diners’ taste buds demanding more!

The Gourmet Chef is another simple minifigure that’s based on a common occupation – a chef, which makes her a great addition to your LEGO City. Female chefs are also quite a rarity – according to Brickset, she is only the 5th female chef in LEGO’s history!

Her character is slightly misleading, and I think that she should have been called a Pastry Chef, given the focus of her accessories. The Gourmet Chef has a basic chef’s uniform with six large black buttons.

The Gourmet Chef sports a new chef’s hat which has hair fused into the mould and also sits at an angle, which gives it a much more natural look. Here you can see how the hat and her hair looks from behind which is tied up in a neat bun.

The Gourmet Chef comes with two great new accessories, a grey whisk and a new strawberry pie. The strawberry pie is pretty neat – it’s based off the pie that first appeared in the likes of Series 5’s Small Clown and Simpsons’ Krusty the Clown except that it has strawberry slices printed on it.

More LEGO food is always a great thing and even though it’s not a completely new mould, it still feels fairly new. I also really like that we finally have an easy to obtain female chef, to add to your collection. She’ll be a great addition to the Parisian Restaurant!

How To Find One: The Gourmet Chef is another tricky minifigure to feel for, so your best shot is to feel for the pie piece. It’s round, and the bottom has the tube protruding slightly and the edges have ridges to it. The top of pie is also shaped like a flat-ish dome.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Pro Surfer “No sea bass is going to out-surf me!”

The super-competitive Pro Surfer always wanted to be the greatest in the world. He used only the best gear from the best brands. He appeared in TV commercials and did plenty of product endorsements, but it always felt like something was missing. One day in the middle of a surfing contest, he saw some dolphins riding an enormous cresting wave…and to his eyes, it looked like a challenge.

The Pro Surfer rode that wave right out to sea, determined to show the dolphins that he could surf even better than they could. The wave just kept on going, and the Pro Surfer did too. Since then, in his wild ride around the ocean, he’s pitted his surfing skills against manta rays, flying fish and sunfish, and left them all in his wake. If he ever doubts himself or starts to wobble, he just looks down at the toothy shark face painted on his board, and it helps him get right back in the game!

Surfers have been quite a regular fixture in the LEGO Minifigures Series, but the Pro Surfer still manages to be a welcome addition thanks to his awesome new shark surfboard. The Pro Surfer is a much closer counterpart to series 4’s Surfer Girl than the easygoing Series 2 Surfer.

The Pro Surfer has a sleek black and red wetsuit, with a small wave symbol on the chest. The shark surfboard is undoubtedly one of the coolest surfboards that LEGO has ever designed, and I doubt they’ll ever top this one.

Despite surfers being quite commonplace in the LEGO Minifigures Series, the Pro Surfer manages to still feel fresh thanks to the shark surfboard. It’s literally that great of an accessory that it more than makes up for the lack of originality with his character.

Oh and it’s also nice to get another Luke Skywalker hairpiece.

How To Find One: The Surfboard is easy to find as it’s quite large and flat. It’s longer than a minifig’s height and is super easy to feel for thanks to its distinctive shape and size.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Rocket Boy “3…2…1…liftoff!”

The Rocket Boy totally loves outer space. Everything that he says, writes, draws and does is about rocketships and space travel. All of his dreams are about blasting off and having interstellar adventures with his favorite space explorer, the Retro Space Hero…or his other favorite, the Intergalactic Girl…or the Spaceman…or the Space Miner…

Whenever the Rocket Boy looks up at the night sky, he just has to run and get his space rocket costume and homemade flag. All dressed up for his next mission, he stands under the twinkling stars and jumps up and down, pretending that he’s zooming around the solar system in search of exciting new discoveries – just like his awesome dad, the Astronaut!

I’ve saved the best for last. Rocket Boy is a revelation and one of the best minifigures that LEGO have ever created. It’s also hands down my favourite Series 17 minifigure.

If Butterfly girl is a celebration of a young girl’s playfulness and innocence, Rocket Boy is the male counterpart. He’s a young space-obsessed boy with an adorably cute space rocket costume as well.

In his hands is a crude but charming hand-drawn Classic Space flag that’s one of the cutest things ever.

The Rocket Costume is too damn adorable for words. It comfortably fits over Rocket Boy’s body and has a small porthole for Rocket Boy to see out of. The Rocket is delightfully retro, with the red accents giving it a very playful vibe.

The biggest and most awesome surprise with Rocket Boy isn’t even the fantastic Rocket Costume, but what lies underneath. Removing the Rocket costume reveals a light-bluish gray CLASSIC SPACE costume.

Yes, you read that right, a Classic Spaceman torso in a brand new colour!

Which means that there’s now an official way to add a Light Bluish Gray Classic Space Minifigure to the lineup of colours. Seeing them all assembled together like this is really awesome and I love that LEGO are continuously finding new ways to surprise us with more Classic Space variants.

If you want to build your own Light Bluish Gray Spaceman, the hardest element to procure is definitely the helmet, which has only appeared in one minifigure – the Heroic Knight from Series 9, which is pretty pricey. Alternatively, you can try ordering the helmet on Bricklink but there aren’t a lot to go around.

As word spreads on building the Light Gray Spaceman… you can bet that Heroic Knights and these helmets will only get more expensive as more people snap them up. I really hope that LEGO releases some other minifig with a Light Bluish Gray helmet to address the supply.

Rocket Boy is simply a spectacular minifigure and is my favourite pick from Series 17. He has so much retro charm and exudes a sense of curiosity when it comes to space exploration that most boys who grew up idolising astronauts, rockets and spaceships will be able to relate to.

Rocket Boy is all my favourite things about the LEGO Minifigures Series rolled into one character, a fun, interesting character that is bursting with charm that you can’t really imagine being in any other LEGO set or release.

Rocket Boy is also going to be extremely popular and hard to get as he’s only a 3-of in Series 17, so good luck if you’re on the hunt for him! He was already going to be a popular minifig, but the grey classic space torso just propels him to a whole other level of hype and desirability.

How To Find One: Thankfully, Rocket Boy is really easy to find thanks to his large rocket costume. It’s shaped a bit like a bullet, and is quite large. Just don’t confuse it with Corn Cob Guy’s suit. Rocket Boy’s costume has a small nub on the top, which feels like a little ball, and is really easy to feel for.

Minifig Rating: 5/5 

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LEGO Minifigures Series 17 is yet another strong showing from LEGO with a decent and colourful lineup of characters. Is it their best Series of all time? Probably not as I still rate Series 16 as the best Minifigure Series yet.

I’d place Series 17 as second or third best, depending on how I feel at any particular time.

Series 17 knocks it out of the park with some really strong individual showings. Corn Cob Guy, Rocket Boy, Butterfly Girl and the Retro Space Hero are instant classics and one of the most memorable and likeable minifigs that LEGO have designed in a while.

Unfortunately, the rest of the lineup isn’t as strong. As I mentioned above, it feels like there are tons of recycled character concepts like the Gladiator and Dance Instructor, which seem like laziness from LEGO’s part.

There are good remakes like the Pro Surfer thanks to his sick shark surfboard, but I mostly felt like I had seen a lot of these design concepts before.

Another area that is particularly weak in Series 17 is the lack of many truly new and unique accessories. The Retro Space Hero’s raygun and Strongman’s barbell are the only ones that are truly new, as most of the other accessories are recolours or have a slightly spiffier paintjob.

The male to female ratio still could be improved, with only 5 female minifigures compared to 11 male minifigs.

That said, it’s still mostly great and feels like a fairly balanced Series with characters that will appeal to a broad selection of people.

While I’ve been quite critical on remakes, I do acknowledge that new fans to the minifigure Series might not have had the chance to get the older characters and are unwilling to pay the high prices that they command on the secondary market.

Series 17 also elevates the printing detail on the minifigures to a whole new level. The details are incredibly sharp and it does feel like a wider colour palette is being utilised which makes the entire set look great on display.

Oh and the animals introduced, especially the French Bulldog are always great additions.

LEGO should be very proud of another really strong showing and for introducing some really fantastic and soon-to-be iconic characters to the ever-expanding Minifigures theme.

I can easily recommend nearly the entire lineup, except for maybe the Dance Instructor.

If I had to pick my top 5 minifigs from Series 17, they would be:

1. Rocket Boy
2. Corn Cob Guy
3. Retro Space Hero
4. Butterfly Girl
5. Hot Dog Vendor

That’s all for my review of LEGO Minifigures Series 17. Congratulations on making it till the end and I hope you enjoyed the read!

I’d love to know what you thought of Series 17 and which ones were your favourite characters! Share your thoughts in the comments section!