Lego Series 12: Four figures, Three standouts, Second thoughts, First Impressions

So the new series of mini figures has become available in this part of the country (the Midwest) and I stopped by Toys R Us just yesterday to pick up a few random packs from Series 12.

Yes, "Series 12". NOT "Series 13" as evidently the set that featured all Simpsons characters prior to this one, is not part of the official series run.

 I really love the variety and themes that Lego puts into these. If anything, I find myself gravitating to collecting these more than the sets. Sure some of it could be the cost, but I really like action figure collecting, and the minifigs have such a wide spectrum to them, it's become a sub collection I love filling out at any chance I get. Now, onto the four minifigs I randomly got...

The Wizard

"the Wizard" came with a wand, a fabric foil stamped cape, wizards hat, and a two piece staff. (Only 5 hours later, did I notice that I was supposed to COMBINE the two wands to create a STAFF... sorry, I was excited, I had a new photo booth I had just put together to use for this very update! I also evidently left off the top of his cloak as well...)

Such a Dumbledore sort of feel to this particular figure (from the first two Harry Potter movies, when he was portrayed by Richard Harris). The little details like the robe folds and the foil pattern on the cape, stand out on this particular minifig.

Piggy Guy (Cosplayer Pig)

The head sculpt of the mask and the green apple are the two accessories that came with Piggy Guy.

I know that Lego has officially named this one Piggy Guy, but I prefer Cosplayer Pig. I think it tends to follow the pop culture references of the rest of the series more if it is their homage to cosplaying. This, I believe is also the first minifig that has this much of this particular shade of pink plastic used throughout.

The Life Guard

The Life Guard came with two accessories, binoculars, and a floatation device (not pictured).

 This figure is probably the weakest of the four that I picked up in this round. There is a lot that Lego got right with the design from the front. But the disconnect happens for me in a one two punch in the form of the fact that there is not one bit of musculature detail for his back (I mean, all that effort on the detail on the front, and then a giant block of cheese back?). Then, the second part comes in the fact that the beach shorts work from the front, complete with stitching, drawstrings, his initials, an embroidered patch... and you turn him around and BAM you got a Benny Hill moment in the form of  thong action from the back.

I get it, because of the connection holes, they decided to not put any graphics on the back of the legs, but the look is a bit jarring, and something of a shortfall considering how on Bart Simpson (who did not have connector holes, to be fair) DID have wrap around shorts.

Although I did not get into this particular series (I would much rather prefer a Futurama set), I was really impressed by the faithful design cues that Lego kept from the original character designs. I love the slingshot in his back pocket.

 The Swashbuckler

Packaged with a foil, a foppish hat with feather, and a lot of swagger.

The forth and final minifig pack I opened up was the Swashbuckler. I never did pick up the Musketeer figure from Series 4 (which as a diehard fan of the stories of Alexandre Dumas, is just shameful of me...), so this was a very welcome surprise pick.

Now, as you can see, on this minifig, they added BACK detail. The figure looks much more finished this way, and in this case, they very well could have left the detail on the shirt off on the back, but the sash and shirt look so much completed this way.

So there's my take on the first four minifigs I've gotten from this series. The good news is that the variety in this set is still as wide as ever, and there are some genuine standouts in the set.

The whole cast of minifigs out now in Series 12.

Until next time!

- Mario, the Artisan Rogue

@theartisanrogue

the Rogue Hobbyist