Collectible Minifig Packs No Show @ Toy Fair

[Staff]

The Collectible Minifig Packs were a no show at Toy Fair this year. LEGO decided to pull them at the last minute, only to bring them out again for the regular show attendees (i.e. buyers and I suppose "real" press). No satisfactory reason was given, at least none that made any sense to me.

ANYWAYS, all griping aside, the press kit did come with a pic of the series 2 selection. Some stats:

Series 1:
» $1.99 USD
» $2.99 CAD
» Available in June

Series 2:
» $1.99 USD
» $2.99 CAD
» Available in September

Pardon the poor photo, but I did the best I could with my camera and available light and cleaned it up as much as possible. Check it out below:

---
Permalink: http://www.fbtb.net/2010/02/14/collectible-minifig-packs-no-show-toy-fair/

[banthafodder]

Disco Stu is my new fav in this series. Metallic purple arms=awesome

[yankeeken]

What is the guy in between the vampire and the mime suppose to be? I thought he was suppose to be an aviator, but he has handcuffs.

[skyward72]

I wonder if there will be any chase figures?

[Draykov]

What is the guy in between the vampire and the mime suppose to be? I thought he was suppose to be an aviator, but he has handcuffs.

I was thinking motorcycle cop a la CHiPs.

[the dutch guy]

did they give any official statements regarding what they're going to cost in other countries, or just the US and Canada?

[jedi_master_sal]

Ah shoot! From that pic I want:
Spartan, Witch, Body Builder, Egyptian, Dracula, Mime, Maracas Hombré.

Anyone else buying these and gets those ones I listed and doesn't want them, shoot me a PM and let's make a deal.

-Sal

[Draykov]

You'll probably want to start thinking about getting in on some of this, Sal: Hot Trading Guild Action

The following is from this thread:

Yes, the trade forum will probably have a dedicated thread for these. Everyone who wants to trade can post in it, and they can list their haves and wants all color coded for easy browsing and a note if they mind shipping internationally. That's my suggestion for it at least.

sounds like you just volunteered to manage the thread.

thanks, don!

Interestingly, this is also how Don became FBTB's official bear bait on camping trips.

[fredjh]

I wonder how mixed the boxes of these will be.

I mean... should I buy them a week apart? At different locations?

Should I buy like 20 or 30 all at once, or will that just give me 20 or 30 of the same one?

[MShiels]

Interesting, the dealer price list here in CAnada shows them for 2.99 each, not 2.49.

[MenacingVitamin]

OK, am I wrong or does that weightlifter's barbell include two 2x2 round jumper plates?!?

[Daz Hoo]

I wonder how mixed the boxes of these will be.

I mean... should I buy them a week apart? At different locations?

Should I buy like 20 or 30 all at once, or will that just give me 20 or 30 of the same one?

Representatives from LEGO stated that each box (which will contain 60 packs) will be filled randomly and that, in each serie, some minifigs may be rarer than others. That means boxes will not necessarely have an equal amount of every minifig pack.

In short, in order to trully get what you want (say, one of each), you might have to buy multiple packs or pay a problably much higher price on the secondary market.

[fredjh]

That's what I mean... let's say I buy a whole box, or even two. Am I likely to get the complete set? I realize I'll get more of some than others, I think that's a given.

I really like the figures, but the whole "Pokemon" approach to selling them is a turn off.

[onions]

you could always trade your extras to get the ones you want. i have a feeling with the community as large as it is, it would be quite easy to acquire a complete set by trading.

[Jabba the Taff]

Are you feeling lucky, punk? If there's 60 box, 16 figures, then surely - but surely!! - each one must appear once. Those numbers give Lego plenty of leeway to put 1 copies of some, 2 of some and 3 of some in a whole box. Could they be a nasty as to leave some of the figures out of the boxes completely?

This is all speculation of course, I'm just choosing to believe that Lego may be in the business of being in business but they're not that nasty. I hope so anyway because buying whole boxes the way I completed my Garbage Pail Kids collection!

[Daz Hoo]

Well, like others mentioned, there's 60 packs in one box, and 16 different minifigs in the serie. Although the odds aren't bad in finding all 16 in one box, there's no garantee.

And for the "Pokemon" method used by LEGO to sell those, well, you can't blame them for using a proven sale method. Afterall, LEGO is a business...

[jedi_master_sal]

You'll probably want to start thinking about getting in on some of this, Sal: Hot Trading Guild Action

Yeah, I applied and someone sent me a PM. Within it said this:
1) Send a PayPal Money Request to the Trading Guild e-mail
Your request must be sent to the following address : fbtbtradingguild@gmail.com
Please don't forget to cancel this request after you have been approved.

I've sent off the request.

[Draykov]

Are you feeling lucky, punk? If there's 60 box, 16 figures, then surely - but surely!! - each one must appear once.

I'm with Jabba...and don't call me Shirley.

[Prince Kahuka]

Although the odds aren't bad in finding all 16 in one box, there's no garantee.

I don't know how reliable he is, but "homoludens" over at Eurobricks said:

...in Nuremberg I heard a lego rep saying a few times that there is at least one of each figure in a case/display box.

[Tyrant]

Well, in another "random" product I buy (Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures), the cases seem to be pretty reliable about their content. One case will have half of the rares, 1.5 of each Uncommon (1 copy of half of them, 2 copies of the other half), and 4 of each common. That is how every case I ever bought (and I bought them for several sets) broke down. So, while the product can be random, the packing on the case level doesn't have to be absolutely random.

If LEGO goes a similar route, that would mean a case should have a specific breakdown. The random part can be which order the boxes go in the case, and therefore which order they end up on the shelf. I hope that makes sense. The overall content of a case can be fixed but the location within the case of each figure doesn't have to be fixed so when they are put out you are still essentially shotting in the dark (but you know that case, at one point, had the entire set). If that is the way LEGO chooses to go.