Review: LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 1 Minifigures

March 21, 2021 | 9

One of LEGO’s brand new endeavours this year is LEGO Vidiyo, its brand new music video maker theme, which was hatched through a collaboration with Universal Music. 

The new theme has given us a whole selection of new minifigures and elements, and today I’ll be reviewing LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 1.

I’ll be reviewing the Vidiyo app, and possibly some other Beatboxes as well.

For all intents and purposes, this is a pseudo-Collectible Minifigures Series – just Vidiyo-themed. It comes in blind boxes (RIP Blind Bags), there are 12 characters to collect, and you get a very familiar leafleft and collectible checklist in each box. 

LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 1 became available globally on 1 March 2021 from LEGO.com and most toy stores. 

Each blind box costs AU$5.99 (US$4.99 in the US and £3.49 and €3.99 respectively in the UK and EU). You can also find them at your local toy store, or on LEGO.com.

For simplicity’s sake, try and source from sellers who sell complete sets to save any headaches if you’re planning on getting a full set.

If you’d like to check out some of my previous LEGO Minifigure reviews, check out the Minifigure Series Reviews  section in the Review Hub. They’re what I would consider my favourite reviews to write!

Say hello to the new LEGO Vidiyo Blind Boxes, which are made out of cardboard – likely as it’s more sustainable/easily recyclable than the old blind bag format. 

This signals a massive paradigm shift for LEGO Collectible minifigures – in that it completely prevents people from “feeling” or identifying minifigures in blind bags, making these boxes truly “blind” and random.

Here’s a look at the character checklist – no numbers, but interestingly, a specific Beatbit that seems loosely tied to each character is assigned.

On the flipside of the instruction leaflet are instructions on how to assemble the minifigure’s Beatbits display stand, and tie-ins into the Vidiyo app itself.

Box Distribution

The good news, each box of Vidiyo Bandmates has 2 complete sets of minifigures, and I’ve been able to test out and confirm the following positions of minifigures in each fresh box.

Keyword: fresh box. One that hasn’t been tampered with.

This is pretty consistent from each fresh box I’ve been able to find, so the box distribution guide above will hopefully help you locate the characters you want.

RIP all those that rely on feel guides, and years of training their fingers to deftly identify minifigure blind bags. It’s truly an end of an era.

I am not a fan of this change – while I understand and appreciate the environmental benefits of recyclable outer packaging, there are still polybags on the inside AND it really messes with people’s ability to choose the minifigure or bandmate that they want.

I get that blind bags/kinder bueno surprise eggs are very addictive for children especially, but this feels especially anti-consumer.

Each Bandmate comes with a stand, that doubles as a way to display your Bandmate minifigure, and 3 random Beatbits – all printed tiles which I was quite surprised at how much I liked them.

About Beatbits

There are 104 unique Beatbits to collect – split between Bandmates, and Beatbox sets. They of course unlock all sorts of powers, effects and sound effects within the Vidiyo app once scanned.

I really like the Beatbits – the graphic design team has absolutely knocked it out of the park with these designs, and boy, will it be hard to not try to collect them all.

The 2 x 2 tile reminds me of album cover art, and music posters that I used to have decorating my room. I still collect CDs (and some vinyl) for fun, and these are a cute little reminder of a simpler time when music was tied to physical media, and didn’t just come from a streaming service.

Check out this complete checklist from New Elementary or Cheepjokes to view all Beatbits. I can’t vouch for the rarity calculations postulated by Cheepjokes – as far as I’m concerned, these are all pretty random.

Here’s the complete list of characters.

1. Werewolf Drummer
2. Red Panda Dancer
3. Discowboy
4. DJ Cheetah
5. Samurapper
6. Shark Singer
7. Banshee Singer
8. Cotton Candy Cheerleader
9. Genie Dancer
10. Alien Keytarist
11. Bunny Dancer
12. Ice Cream Saxophonist

If you click the name of each minifigure, you’ll instantly jump to the corresponding minifigure review! For the “feelers out there”, my reviews also contain a “How To Find One” section with actual tips on how you can best 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 that’s done, let’s jump straight into the LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 1 review!

Werewolf Drumer

First up, we have the Werewolf Drummer – a Bandmate minifigure who’s name cannot be any clearer of what his role is.

At the full moon, he/she turns into a monstrous Wolf, and skilled drummer, which he rocks out with 2 bone drumsticks.

Like any true rocker, the Werewolf Drummer is attired in a leather jacket, with some cool patches/buttons on them, including a skull, beam note and lightning bolt.

It’s great to see the return of the Werewolf head mould which hasn’t been seen since 2015’s Series 14 Wolf Guy, and 2012’s Monster Fighters Werewolf set.

The level of detail printed on the minifigure is quite remarkable – with torn pants, and a torn inner shirt, suggesting that the transformation wasn’t exactly smooth.

My favourite printing detail is the back of Werewolf Drummer’s leather jacket, which has this awesome Wolf howling against the moon while lightning strikes – a very bad-ass motif.

The Werewolf Drummer is pretty neat – personally, I really like LEGO Werewolves so it’s good to see LEGO bring back this headpiece and update it slightly – I love the white eyes which gives off a very sinister vibe!

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Red Panda Dancer

LEGO’s Collectible Minifigures have long been known to house and introduce Animal Costume minifigures, but Vidiyo has just short-circuited that, and went straight to give us anthropomorphic animal minifigures instead – such as the Red Panda Dancer.

Red Pandas are a great animal (although not technically Pandas), so credit to LEGO for choosing to turn one into a LEGO Minifigure, but I can’t deny they that these animal-shaped moulded heads are a little odd and will need some getting used to.

Again, the printing on the Red Panda Dancer is incredibly detailed – I like the Panda motif on his purple tracksuit, and bumbag across his chest, as well as an oversized blingy pendant.

Here’s a look at the back printing which has a giant lizard destroying a city – yet another Beatbit reference. I also really liked the Red Panda Dancer’s segmented tail!

While the moulded head is cool, and I really like how far LEGO’s moulding technology can stretch, something about some of these Vidiyo animals just makes me feel uncomfortable – like they’re not quite minifigures, which is weird because I like Chima and Fabuland.

These new animal heads… I’m not too sure, they just look a little too odd for me.

Minifig Rating: 2/5

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Discowboy

Did you know Old Town Road is almost 2 years old? Thankfully, both disco and cowboys are timeless, and they come together to form the Discowboy minifigure!

The Discowboy knows how to have a good time, and is an excellent callback to the Cowboy from Minifigures Series 1, except this one is down to party and boogie to your favourite disco tunes.

You can’t tell from afar, but looking closer at his cowboy shirt, which has some excellent tassels on them, reveals some sparkly sequins, stars and horse motifs stamped throughout.

You absolutely know that he will dazzle all over the dancefloor.

The Discowboy minifigure is a pretty tame minifigure, but for kids (and adults) still obsessed with Old Town Road, he makes for a pretty good vessel to bring your Disco Cowboy fantasies to life.

Shame they didn’t give him some facial hair ala Billy Ray Cyrus as that would’ve been perfect.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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DJ Cheetah

Next in the line of bizarre humanoid animals, we have DJ Cheetah, another anthropomorphic character. Like the Red Panda Dancer, DJ Cheetah uses the same special moulded head, which takes a bit of getting used to for me.

I do like the bright colour palette, with DJ’s blue spots, lime green shirt, and pink pants – a very psychedelic and vibrant mix.

I really enjoyed DJ Cheetah’s groovy colours – the mix of pastel colours are very aesthetic, and I also liked the use of blue/aqua spots on his tail.

The bright shock tuft of hair on DJ Cheetah’s head is also a pretty neat feature.

You can’t expect a DJ to function without some vinyl to spin and scratch on, and you get this excellent baby-blue coloured record with a palm tree sunset design on it.

Really neat, and it does make me think of how different the theme would be if Beatbits were based on vinyl records instead.

That said, I feel the same way about DJ Cheetah as I do the Red Panda Dancer – the aesthetic and weird “not quite LEGO” animal heads makes it hard to form an emotional connection to them in the same way I would with minifigures with regular heads.

Minifig Rating: 2/5

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Samurapper

I really want to be in the room/brainstorm where LEGO Designers came up with the concept (and name) of the LEGO Samurapper.

A portmanteau combining Samurai and Rapper, the end result is exactly what you’d expect – a rapper (complete with a breathing apparatus??) decked out in an ornate purple Samurai helmet that we last saw in the LEGO Ninjago Movie theme,

I really like the torso design, with the magenta jacket, under which he has a teal shirt with a roaring tiger graphic on it that’s very reminiscent of French luxury brand KENZO’s iconic designs.

I also dig his steel-tipped shoes.

The back of the Samurapper’s jacket is also neat, with a tiger-stripe design and more Vidiyo script letters.

Here’s Samurapper’s face without his breathing apparatus – unfortunately his accessory is a little lame, just a silver microphone. It fits his character, but I’d really have liked more accessory variety.

That said, the entire concept of a Samurai Rapper is pretty comical, and I’m a big fan of just how absurd his purple Samurai Helmet looks like and really like his torso design.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Shark Singer

Someone at LEGO has GOT to be a secret Street Sharks fan, as I refuse to believe that the Shark Singer isn’t an homage to Streex. The connection goes even deeper – as Streex was commonly depicted in roller blades, and the Shark Singer was famously teased in the LEGO City Skate Park set.

Shark Singer is a bland name for what is otherwise a really interesting concept and design – a bulky teal shark with a bright coral mohawk, and the biggest, cheesiest grin I’ve ever seen on a minifigure, let alone a shark.

The printing on his torso and legs is superb, with all sorts of underwater creatures adorning his all-black leather outfit. There is a starfish, scallop, fish bones and a neat skull and crossbones necklace.

I was really impressive at the design of the new shark headpiece – with the lightning stripes down the back, chewed off fins and tail, and the mohawk on the back.

It’s really large as well, and I also like how it looks kinda goofy and not intimidating at all thanks to the abrupt flatness of his face combined with a full mouth of sharp teeth!

More undersea goodness is printed on his back, which is mostly obscured by the headpiece.

LEGO sure have come a long way with sharks, and this is by far the zaniest one yet, and I love how different these shark variants all look.

Big fan of Shark Singer, and one of the standout minifigures for me – especially since he’s teal-coloured as well! Shame that his accessory is just a plain old microphone like so many other Bandmates.

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Banshee Singer

The Werewolf Drummer isn’t the only paranormal-themed minifigure in Bandmates Series 1 – we also get a Banshee Singer.

The Banshee Singer looks like she just walked out of a Hidden Side (rest in peace) set, and sports a really cohesive combination of elements – from Bellatrix Lestrange’s hairpiece, to the sharp shoulder armour (from Disney’s Jafar) and the ghost/spectre legs.

The Banshee Singer’s design is especially aesthetic, with the blend of different shade of greens, and I am an absolute sucker for the marbled, trans-green spectre legs.

Having a Banshee be a singer is a no-brainer, but like most other Vidiyo characters, I would’ve liked some extra accessories as the singular microphone just feels a little plain.

That said, we now have our frontwoman for our all-ghost band, the Shrieking Studs! There small but passionate subsection of LEGO fans who love paranormal-themed minifigures are going to love adding the Banshee Singer to their collection.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Cotton Candy Cheerleader

It’s re-assuring that the N-POP Girl from the LEGO Ninjago Movie has found alternative employment as a Cotton Candy Cheerleader – I was beginning to worry that her career prospects tanked after the flop that was the LEGO Ninjago Movie.

Bright and bubbly, the Cotton Candy Cheerleader exhibits the sugary sweetness that her name suggests, and I really to see what LEGO MOC designers do with these pale pink pom poms. I also like the cotton candy printed on her torso.

There are some really nice (yet subtle) printing details along the side of her legs – I love the speckles on her skirt, and her socks, which look icing near her feet!

Here’s a better look at the back print and her two-toned pigtail hair.

Here’s a comparison with the N-POP Girl from the LEGO Ninjago Movie Minifigures series! Don’t they both look adorable?

The Cotton Candy Cheerleader is a pretty fun minifigure – not entirely original but has some interesting parts, and her hairpiece is a fun one, especially if you don’t have the N-POP Girl.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Genie Dancer

Next is another LEGO Vidiyo-fied character – the Genie Dancer. This isn’t LEGO’s first foray into genies, but I really like the fantasy/magical features on the Genie Dance.

For starters, the colour scheme is unique in an otherworldly way. Her torso design has Middle Eastern/Indian influencers, and the biggest surprise of all – printing on her genie legs/tail!

I was genuinely surprised that LEGO could print on these genie legs. Unlike other Vidiyo minifigures, the Genie Dancer comes with an exclusive accessory – a tambourine! This is the first ever LEGO tambourine and I’m pleased we get a new LEGO musical instrument.

There’s a lot that the Genie Dancer does right – the magenta hairpiece is a cool new re-colour, the printed genie legs in purple are fantastic, and the LEGO tambourine is the cherry on top of a very appealing cake.

LEGO fans who have been wanting a new genie minifigure – your wishes have finally come true in utterly magical fashion – the Genie Dancer is undoubtedly one of the standout minifigures in the series.

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Alien Keytarist

The Alien Keytarist is another fun, slightly out of this world character introduced in the Vidiyo theme. The colours are bright and vibrant, with orange that contrasts quite nice against the purple.

The Alien’s cyclops eye, and all-new hairpiece which has 2 orange antenna popping out of the hair, and big smile come together quite nicely in a rather novel way – cheery, happy, well-natured aliens are a bit of a rarity in LEGO as they’re often depicted as enemies or villains.

Here’s a look at the back printing, which has more of that very aesthetically pleasing, futuristic 80s aesthetic design.

The hairpiece is pretty neat, but I was a little disappointed that its made out of the rubbery plastic material, as opposed to rigid plastic.

As his name suggests, the Alien’s instrument of choice is the keytar – the result a keyboard having a baby with a guitar.

This is the second LEGO keytar ever (after Series 20’s 80s musician), and comes in a delightful shade of teal.

All in all, not a bad minifigure – happy, smiley Aliens are a nice change from the usual evil bugs, or mischievous cyborgs, and who doesn’t love an 80s obsessed Alien Keytarist?

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Bunny Dancer

Here’s the final anthropomorphic animal minifigure in Bandmates Series 1 – the Bunny Dancer. Embodying 90s fashion, with a vibrant colour palette, I still feel the same way as the other animals – the animal heads just make me feel uncomfortable.

It isn’t a bad minifigure design, and the moulding and printing on the Bunny Dancer’s head is top-notch, but they’ll take a while to get used to.

The teal boombox is a great re-coloured accessory that thankfully isn’t a microphone.

Here’s the back printing of the Bunny Dancer, which also gives you a look at the magenta tuft of hair in between her ears.

I think I finally realise why the designs just don’t land with me – why do these furry animals have hair on their heads? Just bizarre!

That said, I don’t quite mind the Bunny Dancer – LEGO have done bunnies before, and her head isn’t as weird looking as the Red Panda or DJ Cheetah as her features and proportions aren’t as exaggerated.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Ice Cream Saxophonist

Last buit certainly not least, we have the Ice Cream Saxophonist. If you thought anthropomorphic animals were bizarre, how about a living humanoid ice melting ice cream cone?

I love just how bizarre and unique the concept is, complete with the insanely well-moulded ice cream head, with the chocolate fudge topping, which has a literal cherry on top.

The torso and legs are amazing as well – with waffle cone legs held up by suspenders, and a body slathered with more chocolate fudge, and sprinkles. Add M&M buttons and you have a very tasty dessert.

Here’s a look at the back and arm printing of the Ice Cream Saxophonist, which is super impressive, and it also gives you a better look at the size and shape of his head.

I just love that the designers managed to incorporate the melting sections on the head which are just inspired.

Bandmates series 1 sees very few risks being taken (outside of weird animal minifigs), so the Ice Cream Saxophonists bold and wacky design choice stands out even more, and represents a suitably sweet ending to this review – what more could you want for dessert?

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Final Thoughts: As their name suggests, Bandmates play the role of supporting characters and backup dancers in the Vidiyo Music Video Maker app – when scanned, they dance alongside your avatar, gyrating to the beat.

They’re not the main characters in this wacky new Vidiyo world, and most of the minifigure designs show – while I do like the cohesive musical-theme that these characters are based off, and the wild colours, I was left wanting a little more.

From the lack of interesting accessories, to simple re-colours of existing characters, there isn’t a lot of innovation in terms of the Minifigure character lineup, save for a few outstanding entries like Ice Cream Saxophonist and the Shark Singer.

It’s probably a good thing that while they may feel like a LEGO Collectible Minifigure series, it be kept separate from the main theme as the bar is set really high for CMF.

What did surprise me was just how much I liked the Beatbits. The artwork and design prowess that has gone into them are just sublime, and I love that we get to see the talents of LEGO’s Graphic Design team put to excellent use with these quirky LEGO takes on physical media.

I guess they do play the part of “accessories”, and I know I’ll be a sucker to collect as much as I can.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about Bandmates series 1. It’s crystal clear that LEGO funelled the most unique and promising designs into the more expensive Beatboxes (for $$$), and a lot of the characters here just feel like an afterthought.

That said, there are some gems such as the Ice Cream Saxophonist, Shark Singer and Genie Dancer, and while the animal minifigures don’t do it for me, they might bother other fans less.

I also don’t like the new form factor of these blind boxes, and I would like LEGO to make it easier to identify just which minifigures you want to get – the box distribution and location is handy, but in practice, unless you come across a freshly opened box, you’re most likely gambling with the outcome.

Series 1 suggests that LEGO have a few more Bandmates up their sleeves, so I hope they pick up their game in Series 2 and 3, because Series 1 will probably end up pretty forgettable outside of a handful of characters.

If I were to rank my top 5 minifigures for this series, they’d be:

1. Ice Cream Saxophonist
2. Shark Singer
3. Genie Dancer
4. Banshee Singer
5. Alien Keytarist

With so many great LEGO sets and options on the market, I can’t quite recommend getting an entire set – just focus on getting your hands on the ones you want.

Overall Rating: 2/5 ★★✰✰✰

That’s thoughts on LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 1! I hope you found the review useful. I’ll be reviewing the Vidiyo app in full soon.

Spoiler warning: it’s embarrassingly terrible.

I’ll also try to maybe squeeze in some Beatbox reviews as I bought a couple of them, so keep an eye out those!

LEGO Vidiyo Bandmate Minfigures are now out worldwide, and you can get them for AU$5.99 (US$4.99 in the US and £3.49 and €3.99 respectively in the UK and EU). You can also find them at your local toy store, or on LEGO.com.

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