LEGO Marvel Minifigures Series 2 Weight Guide, and correcting other identification myths

August 14, 2023 | 44

There has been unprecedented interest in the upcoming 71039 Marvel Minifigures Series 2, which is set to be released on 1 September 2023 but has already starting showing up in stores in North America.

Update: LEGO Marvel Series 2 six-pack boxes are now available from Amazon.com if you’re in North America. 6-pack boxes typically have 6 unique minifigures in them, and very low chances of doubles, so they’re usually a good way to start your collection.

Please consider using my affiliate links as I may receive a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work I do on the blog!

Check out my review of LEGO Marvel Minifigures Series 2 to see more from the series and each character in-detail!

With early reviews starting to show up, I’ve been getting a heap of questions about this new series, including the million dollar question: how do you ensure you get the minifigures you want. There’s also been quite a number of unsubstantiated rumours and techniques floating around, there is a need to clear the air and reduce misinformation surrounding the new format.

And no, the codes are not reliable.

Protip: Get your news and analysis from trustworthy sources.

With LEGO Minifigures and Marvel fans ready to go out and hunt for their favourite minifigures, fans who haven’t been keeping up with LEGO news will be encounter these new blind boxes, which have replaced blind bags, hereby eliminating the ability to “feel” for your desired minifigures.

Here’s a look at the LEGO Marvel Minifigures Series 2 blind boxes, which will be the first LEGO Minifigures series to come in these new cardboard boxes. They’re fully recyclable and LEGO have done a great job here with the packaging and for eliminating all single use plastics.

Learn more about LEGO’s sustainable goals and why LEGO made the shift from blind bags to these recyclable blind boxes.

Here is everything we know about LEGO Marvel Minifigures Series 2.

✅ CONFIRMED: There are 3 complete sets in each sealed box –

Here’s a look at each sealed box. Most LEGO fan media who have received early boxes, including yours truly have confirmed that their boxes included 3 complete sets, so this makes it easy for you to split complete boxes with your friends and guarantee getting a full sets of Marvel Series 2.

Do note that there are rare instances where LEGO’s packing gets this wrong, and boxes end up jumbled, but it is reliable most of the time.

❌ DEBUNKED: You can identify minifigures based on their location in the box

Previous LEGO Minifigures series had more or less pre-determined positions in each box, which gave the rise to Box Order guides. These were fairly reliable (although not 100% as blind bags can move and shift around) and proved useful for fans to hunt down their desired LEGO Minifigures and confirm via the feel method.

Unfortunately, this box order method is no longer reliable as I and others have independently confirmed that boxes are now jumbled randomly, and their positions will not tell you what’s in it.

Be careful of seeing photos of people sharing their box orders and trying to copy them as it’s most likely to not be reliable.

✅ CONFIRMED: Using weight guides to determine what minifigures are in boxes

I’ve shared the above diagram which are my findings (averaged across all blind boxes) of the weights of each minifigure in their blind boxes.

With no identifying codes or markings, this is the closest thing you’ll get to determining what minifigures are in the blind boxes, without having to open them, and a method which I highly recommend using.

You’ll need a precision scale for this, preferably one that can measure milligrams.

I used this one that I got from Amazon Australia, and there are similar alternatives from Amazon.com as well.

The variances between some minifigures are incredibly minute, with milligrams being the difference between some characters, so you’ll need a sensitive scale, and regular kitchen scales might not be up to the task.

Important note: The weight of the cardboard boxes are variable, and they’re not 100% consistent, so you’ll need to match the weight to the numbers I shared in the guide.

It was great to see Ashnflash test out my guide, and from his results, it was fairly reliable, and I stand by my results.

The only potentially tricky one is She-Hulk and Beast, who both weigh approximately 19.0g each.

You could take a 50-50 shot, but I recommend shaking the box to tell these two apart. Beast has many small elements in the box, and will rattle and shake a lot louder than She-hulk.

❌ UNRELIABLE: Using codes found on the box

There has been a LOT of confusion about this, mostly due to an article shared by The Brick Fan on the potential that these codes will tell you what character is in the box.

Unfortunately, this is not a reliable method as I and many others have corroborated his findings and there’s no distinguishable pattern to be found. YET. There may be a rhyme or reason to these codes, but if there is, there hasn’t been found yet, and I wouldn’t rely on one to be found.

Why?

Because these are factory batch codes!

There are 2 series of numbers, the one in blue, and the one in red.

The blue series is a manufacturing code, telling you the date and location of where these minifigures were packed, and there’s an easy way to read them BUT there’s been a cheeky change thrown in this year.

Usually, on most LEGO sets, the first 2 digits denote the week in which it’s produced, the alphabet after that is the location of factory, and the final digit is the year.

There’s been a small change, in which a 5th number is added to the string at the start, and I’m not 100% sure what it’s for, but you can still use the last 4 characters to work out that in this photo above, it was manufactured in the 25th week of 2023, in Kladno, Czech Republic.

The first number ranges from 1-7, and I’m not sure what they mean at this stage, because it’s the first time I’ve seen a manufacturing code with the added number. In all honesty, it’s probably the day of the week given there’s 7 digits…

LEGO’s factory letter codes are:

B = Shenzhen, China
G = Possible China
H = Nyíregyháza, Hungary
M = Billund, Denmark (normal sets)
O = Billund, Denmark (Exclusives Iconic and store promotions)
Q = Purkersdorf, Austria
R = Ciénega de Flores, Mexico
S = Kladno, Czech Republic
T = City Stationary China

There is also another string of numbers in red, which might denote the batch code for that specific blind box.

LEGO have batch codes and more randomised strings all over their sets, from inner polybags, and batch codes on the tape that holds boxes shut. Once you figure out how to read them, you’ll begin seeing them everywhere and it’s a fun exercise to figure out which factories your LEGO comes from.

BrickNerd have a fascinating article on some of these codes, and how they denote the expiry date of sets!

There could be a way to determine which minifigures are which based on specific batches and combinations, but it hasn’t been uncovered yet, or maybe there’s the potential to do so in future series.

In conclusion, the only reliable way to determine what’s in a LEGO Marvel Series 2 blind box is with a precision scale. That’s all we know for now, and don’t get distracted by someone who tells you otherwise, or if you’ve read on sites that don’t do their due diligence on this.

There may be a new discovery on codes, but so far, no one has cracked it yet, if there is one to find.

Or… you could always just buy a complete box, trade or split a box up with a friend to guarantee getting all characters in a set. Or head to eBay or Bricklink where resellers will undoubtedly have a field day.

Good luck finding a Moon Knight at retail price without precision scales!

I also recommend checking out Ashnflash’s video on this. He’s been lucky to be in North America and has tested my Weight Guide out, and also debunked some of these other theories.

We’ve been collaborating and exchanging notes on this, and it’s hard to find fault in his scientific method!

In case you missed it, do check out my review of LEGO Marvel Minifigures Series 2 to see more from the series and each character in-detail!

As always, let me know your thoughts or theories in the comments!

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