Review: LEGO Build-a-Minifigure (BAM) Q1 2023 selection

January 15, 2023 | 7

It’s the first month of the New Year, and with it, comes an absolute boatload of new LEGO Build-a-Minifigure (BAM) parts and characters! There are 13 “official” new characters introduced in the first quarter of 2023, making this one of the biggest cohorts yet.

These started popping up at Build-a-Minifigure stations here in Australia this week, and as usual, I went on the hunt for these new minifigure parts to add to my collection, and to put this review together, to help LEGO fans keep track of the selection.

I had to hunt for what’s close to a full set, as there weren’t many pre-made blister packs available, but instead, more minifigure parts were distributed and found within the Build a Minifigure Stations themselves, which I much prefer.

But sadly, I visited 2 different stores, and wasn’t able to find all the new torsos I wanted, and missed out on 2 characters – which I’m not particularly attached to. Check out this post to see the “proper” BAM Q1 2023 character configurations.

This time, I free-styled a bit more based on what I was able to find, so enjoy this look at the Q1 2023 LEGO Build-a-Minifigure selection, and some of the more interesting torsos, prints and accessories!

What are LEGO Build-a-Minifigure (BAM) exclusives?

In case you’re new to this, LEGO have been releasing new (and sometimes exclusives) into Build a Minifigure (BAM) stations that you’ll find at LEGO Stores. These are usually released on a quarterly basis, and are an intentional strategy to attract LEGO and Minifigure fans in-store.

You can customise your minifigures, and select a wig/hairpiece, head, torso, legs, and one accessory for these 3-pack blister packs which cost US$9.99 / AU$19.99.

If you want to get your hands on these, check your local LEGO Store, or if you’re in Australia and can’t get to a LEGO Certified Store, you can order them from the LEGO Certified Store’s website.

Some stores also send these new characters pre-packed, but that depends on your local store policy.

Lunar New Year 2023 Build-a-Minifigure characters

The Lunar New Year is coming up, and to commemorate it, there are 3 new characters introduced, a boy and a girl dressed in traditional Chinese outfits.

The girl’s torso isn’t new, as it debuted in 2022, and the boy’s torso is also repurposed from the Monkie Kid set 80037 Dragon of the East, so feel free to skip these if you already have them.

To commemorate 2023 being the Year of the Rabbit, we do get this new and exclusive blue Rabbit, an all-new recolour! Definitely look out for the Blue Rabbits if you spot a Build a Minifigure station.

There’s a brand new Panda Suit minifigure, which is the most interesting of the trio. There are some subtle changes to the Panda Suit, including a new updated Panda headgear, and a half-zipped up fur suit!

Here’s a look at the back, with some tiny fur tufts for details.

If you like Pandas, this one is a great pickup, as it’s been some time since we’ve had a Panda Suit minifigure, which was last seen in The LEGO Movie Minifigures Series. As you can see, there’s some slight differences with the Panda headgear printing, most noticeably around the eyes, and with the pink ears.

Fireworks Suit Minifigure

Another interesting addition, is a new Fireworks Costume minifigure, which would fit in well with Lunar New Year, as setting off fireworks is a big tradition, but this could also easily double as a New Year-themed minifigure, especially with his orange martini glass.

He’s dressed in a Crayon Costume, which we first saw in LEGO Movie Minifigures Series 2, and has starry streaks printed on the front and back.

Here’s a look at the back of the “crayon”.

Here’s a look at the minifigure under the suit, which has a “new” torso, which was previously available only with purchases of the Meet the Minifigures book. He’s dressed in a bright pink leather jacket, with a skull t-shirt on the inside, and a “TOUR” design motif on the back.

A pretty good pickup if you don’t own the Meet the Minifigure Book as the torso is quite unique.

It’s a little confusing why LEGO would opt for a Crayon Suit, instead of the existing Fireworks Suit from LEGO Minifigures Series 18. Maybe the latter is a retired mould, and not in production any more!

Sea Captain

For some really solid parts, we have this Sea Captain, with the dark green rain jacket, and rain hat from 21335 Motorised Lighthouse, as well as the inclusion of the LEGO Lute which we first saw in Series 22’s Troubadour, and in 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle.

Glad the lutes will be somewhat easier to obtain, and that the outfit from the Motorised Lighthouse also becomes much easier to re-create.

Strawberry Shortcake Costume

For those with a sweet tooth and enjoy creamy cakes, we also get a new Strawberry Shortcake Costume minifigure! She comes with a candy cane, another accessory that I’m glad will be much more accessible (after showing up with Series 23’s Sugar Fairy).

The cake suit is elaborately printed, and I love the graphic design of the strawberries and the buttercream on the outside. I’m quite partial to strawberry shortcakes, so I really appreciate this element being created!

Here’s a look at the back printing of the minifigure – the front and back of the torso share the same yellow and pink psychedelic swirl.

It’s a great companion to last year’s Chocolate Cake Costume minifigure, and it does suggest that we’ll likely see more cake-themed minifigures from BAM in the future!

Small Clown

A new and exclusive minifigure is this small clown, with a gorgeous new two-toned Harley Quinn hairpiece, in pink and coral which is an all-new recolour.

The torso is also new and excitingly, there’s a new brown French Bulldog to be found! I can totally see the French Bulldog being a really popular accessory because of how cute it looks, and how popular animals tend to be.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for this adorable Frenchie!

New Red Boat Costume

I couldn’t find the appropriate torso for the new Red Boat Costume minifigure, so I just slapped it on the small clown, but here’s a look at a red variant of the large boat costume that we first saw in Series 23’s Ferry Captain only months ago.

It’s a really cool new accessory, and very large, so it feels like you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck if you select these new red boats as your accessory.

Rabbit Magician

I’m not sure this is a magician, but she does have a snazzy new teal suit jacket, with a pink lapel and bowtie, which is a brand new torso.

It’s the Year of the Rabbit, so the return of Series 6’s Rabbit Suit headgear in Build a Minifigure Stations is a very welcome move.

Morning Glory Costume Minifigure

With Spring approaching for those in the Northern Hemisphere, we get a new flower-themed minifigure, this time taking inspiration from the Morning Glory family of flowers.

We get a new recoloured flower headgear, as well as some really nice printed details on the front and back of the torso.

We’ve had one previous Build a Minifigure flower exclusive, and together with Series 18’s Flowerpot Girl, it looks like a colourful minifigure garden that’s continuing to bloom.

Orange Brick Suit Minifigure

And last but not least, my pick of the Q1 2023 BAM selection – the all-new Orange Brick Suit minifgure! This will likely be one of the most popular minifigures from this wave, especially for LEGO Minifigure fans that have been diligently collecting these Brick Suit minifigures.

If you’re new to these Brick Suit minifigures, the brick suit is actually the entire torso, and you can select your own legs, and heads to complete the minifigure.

This is LEGO’s 6th Brick Suit Minifigure colour, and now that we’ve got so many of them, I really like how this series is coming together, especially when paired with same coloured wigs.

The Blue and Red ones were from LEGO Minifigures Series 18, the Green is from Series 20, and Teal and Bright Light Blue were from Build-a-Minifigure stations in previous waves.

And they look so good when the Brick Suit minifigures are all clicked and attached to one another!

And that’s it for the LEGO Build-a-Minifigure (BAM) Q1 2023 selection. With so many new characters, it almost feels like a complete LEGO Collectible Minifigures series, especially with the wealth of interesting recoloured elements.

That said, 13 is a big number, and I don’t think its necessary to collect ’em all, but instead, pick and choose which exclusive/new torsos and accessories that stand out to you, and hunt those down instead of completing them according to the official configurations.

To check out past releases, check out my older Build-a-Minifigure exclusives reviews!

What do you think of the Q1 2023 BAM minifigures? Have you seen or picked up any of these in the wild yet?

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