Set Review: 71011 Collectible Minifigures Series 15
Sunday, March 27th, 2016 at 8:28pm by Benjamin, BZPower Reporter
They're invading your house, they're taking up all your shelf space, and you're completely OK with it. They're LEGO's Collectible Minifigs! You know the drill: These bags show up at the toy store, and you have two choices: Feel for what you want or grab a handful randomly. Whatever your tactic, presenting all sixteen CMFs Series 15 for your collecting pleasure. Read, and watch, the review to see if this wave is worth seeking out. We'll also be giving away a full set in the video!
A big thank you goes to LEGO for sending BZPower these to review. The CMFs have been a staple of my LEGO collection since their incarnation, but I have never had a whole set. I'm ecstatic to be able to share my opinions on this wave with BZP. These usually sell at $4 USD in their individual packets, and are ''random'' aside from being able to feel for certain element shapes. I'll talk about what to feel for in this review, too.
This wave's bag color is shiny orange. As usual, a handful of the characters are crowding around to be seen. Once you buy some and open them up, the minifig's parts, a black display plate, and flyer will fall out. And then you have your minifigure! Let's see what we get....
Janitor
The Janitor comes with a fancy new mop piece, and a mustachioed minifig head. The arms are also dual-molded for sleeves. I'm sure multiples of this minifig will be handy in almost any MOC—every Brick Bank, Star Destroyer, and haunted firehouse needs to stay clean!
There are four Janitors to a big box of minifigs, so the odds of finding him are good. Feeling for the mop handle and the texture of the mop would be good, and feel for the hat too.
We all know there's only one reason LEGO made the mop piece.
Jewel Thief
The Jewel Thief reminds me of Catwoman from the Batman sets, or a sneaky spy. The black outfit suits her, and she has a trusty grappling hook to get in and get out. It is always nice to get another jewel in my collection too. The bandit mask is a nice touch with some superhero reusability. The black hair is also a favorite, as that is a fairly new mold.
There are three Jewel Thieves to a box, making her a little harder to find. Feel for the radar gun and grappling hook.
''That's not yours!''
Flying Warrior
The Flying Warrior is one of the most impressive, perhaps because of all that gold, and perhaps because of all the pieces that come with him. Unfortunately that means he is not holding anything, like a staff or sword. All the parts are gold, except his arms, hands, and head. The armor and helmet are new molds, and I would love to see the helmet molded in silver and put in a Thor set.
There are four Warriors to a box, making him fairly easy to get. Feel for the armor, and then check with the wings. The helmet is also a telling shape.
''We just going to wait here or are we going to go battle!?''
Faun
The Faun is one of the coolest minifigs lately, simply because of the digitigrade legs! This new mold gives him the hoofed-foot look, which easily makes the character. The fancy horned hair also is neat, along with the printed flute bar.
There are four Fauns to a box, so it should not be too hard to get him. Feel for the new molded legs, especially if you find the flute but need to make sure it isn't the knight.
It's all faun and games...
Queen
The Queen comes with the same fabric pieces the King did in a previous wave. She also has a very poofy dress slope piece. Furthermore, her styled hair allows for a crown to sit atop, looking very majestic. I was disappointed she wasn't holding a scepter or goblet to pull a scene together.
There are three Queens to a box, making her rare. The dress slope will give her away automatically though, as there are no other large pieces amongst the figs.
''Great job ruling the kingdom.''
Ballerina
The Ballerina utilizes a new piece in her tutu. This ruffled plastic piece is just odd enough to inevitably be used creatively by some clever builder. In the meantime, it will sit on her hips as she practices her sets. It does not allow her arms to completely rest at her sides, but that is not a concern. Her bun hair also has a flower printing on it.
There are three Ballerinas to a box, making her rare. Feeling for the tutu is your best option.
''Keep balance!''
Laser Mech
The Laser Mech is a fresh take on a recurring minifig. We see the mech head and armor used again, this time in different colors of course, but the ''brain'' of the Mech is a simple wavy blue line. Plus the armor has some printed transparent wings attached to it, looking super-cool. He also comes with a sci-fi sword as seen in Ninjago sets.
There are three Laser Mechs to a box, making him rare. Feel for the armor, wings, and sword.
''Who's ready to take over the galaxy?''
Astronaut
The Astronaut brings back some Classic Space from his voyages! Not only is there the Classic Space logo on his shoulder, but it appears on his double-sided flag! I assume he plants this on every territory he visits in the name of exploration. Let's just be sure not to leave him stranded on Mars.
There are four Astronauts in each box, allowing for an easy find. Feel for the square flag and then the bar.
We're 'nauts about space!
Farmer
The Farmer is an essential part of the LEGO City scene. Minifigs have to eat, after all! He comes with a pitch fork and a spotted pig, ensuring he has plenty of work to do. The hat is pretty cool too. Maybe in the next wave we will get a wife so everyone can make that classic farm painting.
There are three Farmers in each box, making him rare. Feel for the pig, but make sure it is not the skunk, and feel for the pitchfork too.
''Here, piggie piggie piggie!''
Shark Suit Guy
Continuing the trend of minfigs in costumes, LEGO has made a shark suit mascot. I have no idea why this one is so popular.... He is pretty cool with his new arm fin molds and he headpiece with tail. And the minifig is showing some sweat, which is pretty funny and might come in useful if putting characters in stressful situations.
There are five Sharks to a box, making him common. Search for the large head piece or the minifig torso with odd arms.
At this point I admit that I have no idea what LEGO is thinking when making the distribution. It used to be that the statistically popular figs had more rarity, while the probably less desirable figs had a higher distribution. I am seeing the inverse with these figs, which is pretty fantastic since most everyone wants the Shark Suit Guy but the Farmer and Queen might not be at the top of everyone's list. That said, there are still a few figs that do not follow this, so I guess we will just be thankful that some things are appearing more than expected for now.
''Party!''
Kendo Fighter
We have had numerous sword fighters in the past, but the Kendo Fighter keeps the trend of everyone being different. His mask is reminiscent of the Fencer, but it is a different mold. His torso is also adorned with some great armor. He also comes with two tan katanas, which are a first for this color I believe.
There are five Kendo Fighters to a box, making him common. Feel for the sword hilts and the grilled helmet.
''Ready to train?''
Frightening Knight
The Frightening Knight is well adorned with pieces. From his shoulder armor, helmet, plume, shield, and new mace part, he is ready for battle. We have gotten a variety of heroic and sinister knights in LEGO history, and this one seems a little more unruly. The tooth sticking out of his lips makes me wonder if he is related to Axl at all. As I said, the mace is a new part that sticks onto a bar.
There are four Knights to a box, making him fairly easy to find. Feel for mace, the point in the shield, and the shoulder pads.
''Let's not make a MACE of things.''
Animal Control Officer
The Animal Control Officer is a neat idea. We have gotten some park rangers in other sets, but her duty is to take keep watch of the wildlife. We see here that she found a skunk and can apprehend it with the new net piece, but her double-sided face shows the skunk is not too happy about that, and now neither is she. The arms are double-molded and she has the park emblem printed on her shoulder.
There are three Animal Control Officers to a box, making her rare. Feel for the net.
''Gotcha!''
Clumsy Guy
I feel sorry for the Clumsy Guy getting banged up in a few places, but being a LEGO minifigure it just looks comical! Let's hope he did not slip on a banana like his shirt is sporting. However much we want to blame LEGO for this guy's demise, it is great seeing someone that can use a helping hand. His cast is even dual-molded and printed on the side. The crutches a new mold that should be interesting to utilize too. I think the head wrap is new too.
There are five Clumsy Guys to a box, making him common. I suspect he will be a popular choice. Feel for the crutches.
IMG 60
''Need a hand?''
Tribal Woman
The Tribal Woman has some great pieces to her. LEGO has made a few Native American figs before, but this one is especially detailed. The hair has a pinhole for the feathers, the printing looks great, and there is a new piece—a baby wrapped up tight. Furthermore, the baby fits on the woman's back through a bracket.
There are three Tribal Women per box, making her, and that great baby piece, rare. Feeling for the baby is your best option, along with the braided hair, bracket, and feathers.
''What a cute baby!''
Wrestling Champion
The Wrestling Champion is a winner and knows it! If his tough grin does not show his bravado, his champion belt and golden trophy prove his toughness. He sports a mullet and dual-molded legs, but even better are the side printings on his legs and arms. We have seen a few other wrestlers in the CMFs before, but they keep being different enough for our collections.
There are four Wrestlers in a box, making him fairly easy to find. The trophy will be your easiest thing to feel for, plus the long textured hair along with the absence of anything else for him.
''Winners!''
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
With such an assortment of figures with differing chances of getting each one (unless you're really good at feeling and the store has a fresh box), putting together a definitive pros and cons list will not reflect the variety in this wave. It is worth mentioning that there are five female figures here to the eleven males, which is a fairly standard ratio now even though there are plenty of opportunities to make it an even split. The handicap guy is something fans have responded to well, pairing well with the upcoming wheelchair figure. The Shark Guy is pretty fun. We get a couple of animals. Everyone has their favorites, though most of the popular figs come with large odds in favor of fans. Basically, there is a little of something here for everyone, which is the best thing to be said about any Collectible Minifigure Series.