An ethical question

So let's say that you go to a store and are looking for blind packed toys. In the store, staff members have already identified and pulled out the rare figures so they can buy them later. Another staff member sees this and notices that you can't find the blind packed figures you want and offers to let you buy some of the figures pulled by the toy collecting staff members.

Would you be in the right if you buy these figures? Does the fact that you are a customer mean that you should get priority over staff for merchandise? Does the fact that the staff member didn't buy the toys right after they identified them play into this in any way? Are you taking figures from another collector who just happens to work in the store?

Just some stuff to consider. In an unrelated note, I finally got a Rocket Kid minifigure.

Disney minifigures

I've stopped following you news, so these came out of left field to me. They're kinda cool. I like the new pieces they have to make for these figures, but I don't know how much I want to get more of them. I kinda just want to find a Donald and then stop. The problem is that squeezing to find a Donald is super hard because his accessories and body and head are almost identical to Daisy's. Super easy to screw up. Thank god they didn't do Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Lego minifigures series 15

I'm getting a little bored with Lego minifigures, possibly due to 15 blind packed waves of annoying squeezing. I still want the semi-stereotyped Asian figures (hence the kendo guy), the people wearing costumes (hence shark guy) and weird looking pieces (hence the queen with a giant poofy dress). 

But considering what a pain in the butt it was finding the shark guy I would totally be cool if Lego only did these things once a year. 

Lego Ideas: Doctor Who

Oh what, I'm not going to buy this? The only thing that would make me more certain to purchase it is if the Dalek figures had Fu-Manchu mustaches. 

I'm also really thankful that this set probably got the ball rolling on including Doctor Who in the Lego Dimensions game.

But I gotta say, the booklet inside about how the set came about is a nice touch.

Double Decker Couch

You know, considering the Lego movie minifigures cost $3 a piece if you were lucky, $15 for a set with 5 movie characters, a car and a ridiculous over the top movie prop is an amazing deal. (The double decker couch, not the waffle.)

Plus sad Unikitty is adorable. And she comes with a second head!

Batman and Super Angry Kitty Attack

New Legi movie sets? A year after the movie came out? Who says there aren't upsides to cynical corporate money grabs? 

The great figures in this set are happy Batman and Super Angry Unikitty. I've really wanted a Unikitty figure for a while but couldn't justify paying the prices of the other Unikitty sets just for Unikitty. Then this basic level set which only runs for $10. For 3 figures and a robot build, this set is actually cheaper than 3 blind bad Lego minifigures. Great deal!

Hot Dog Guy

Hey, so new set of Lego minifigs are out. I've learned from past waves to only get the ones I REALLY want when they first arrive and then wait a few months for them to drop in price. So I picked up Hot Dog Guy because of how unique his costume is. The others, even the Ethnic/Cultural stereotype figures, can wait until the drop in price. I know, I'm shocked I didn't pick up the girl in the Unicorn Costume too.

Goth Girl

So... This figure is clearly based on the new spooky girl archetype that has become popular lately. Not quite goth, not quite cynical, but someone who knows is familiar with the darkness but still retains her childhood innocence. Think characters like Emily the Strange, Lenore, or really all of Monster High. Pale white face, black hair with straight bangs, black clothes with a hint of girly lace. This is the kind of character they put on Hot Topic lunch boxes.

And they made a Lego figure of it. Lego is trying to reach out to subcultures! First the hippy, now this! Next up, Lego figure of a Juggalo!

Mongolian

I'm at a point where $4 for a Lego minifigure seems like a lot to pay. This the 12th wave, so the novelty factor is almost completely gone. But one thing Lego still produces in these sets that I'm compelled to search for, squeeze to find, and then purchase is minifigures depicting over-the-top portrayals of Asian people that could potentially border on the racist end of the spectrum.

This wave that honor goes to the Mongolian. Is it racist: not really, it plays into another ongoing theme in these waves: warriors theoughout history. Still, gotta love any Asian action figure with Asian facial hair.

(A quick reminder: I am an Asian American and I find toys depicting Asians to be fascinating in what they potentially say about how Western culture views Asian people.)

Pig Costume

So hey, Walgreens has series 12 of the Lego minifigures. This wave was kinda uninteresting to me, but there are a couple I want. The main one was this guy: man in a pig costume. Fortunately he's one of the few I could identify through the squeeze method.

It's a nice figure. One note, the apple doesn't have a hole at the bottom to fit on any Lego pegs, so the figure has to hold the apple by the stem. Minor quibble. Because really the main feature is that this is a man in a pig costume. Or a hybrid pig-man, like island of Doctor Moreau style. Probably the pig costume considering that previous waves have had people in costumes before. Apparently Lego has some weird Halloween costume fascination. And in that way Lego and I are the same.

Let's Go

Mario told me about a new Lego based Hot Wheel toy. Then I found it later that day. So let's see how it does.

Sadly, the studs that are meant to keep the figure sitting down aren't very good. The figure is very loose and if you tried to do a loop the loop, it would easily fall out. It doesn't fit the foot studs either.

The stunt stud on the back of the car is a little better. There's a tighter fit and I could see the Lego staying on during a loop.

Much better are the hand holds on the front and back of the car. The Lego figures really grip onto them and there's no sensation that it might fall off.

Follow Up

I'm a slave to my collector's impulse.

Simpsons Lego Blind bags suck and why do they do this to us?

So, since the Simpsons Lego minifigures cost more than other Lego minifigures, are still blind packed, and have unique headsculpts that make them look not less like Lego minifigures and more like knock off block-figures, I am not excited about the Lego minifigures. (The sets I'm on the fence about.)

My problem is the same that I have with some of the newer minimate propeties, where they change the head sculpts so much that they lose some of the characteristics that are intrinsically unique to the minifigure design. If all Lego minifigures have certain elements that define them as a minifigure, then changes to that could drive away people who are attracted to those elements. (And apparently I am one of those people.)

And while the Legoized versions of the Simpsons from the Simpsons Lego special may not look as nice or accurate as the figures that were actually made, I sort of respect them more as being more representative of what a Simpson Lego figure should look like.

And that's my really long way of explaining that I'll probably skip over most of the Simpsons minifigures, although I will pick up a Homer and a Bart out of curiosity and Grandpa Simpson because I mistook the bags when I was trying to identify the figures while squeezing them. But heck, I'll take him if it means I have three generations of Simpson men.

I'm torn on whether I'll get any of the other minifigures (although I kinda want a marge for the sheer batshit insanity of the design) but I may have to wait for them to be on sale. (Although, Toys R Us charges the same $4 they've always charged for minifigures, Target has upped the price from the previous $3. But Toys R Us does buy 1 get 1 40% sometimes. Bleh. Numbers.)

Here

I'm moving right now so not many toys that I can actually look at.

So here's a sexy Lincoln Lego minifigure.

Things I want that were shown as a thing at Toy Fair 2014

4" Twilight Zone figures

 (picture via Toyark.com)

1 Big Bang Theory figure with it's apartment diorama

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Skeletor's staff as a plush toy

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Jay and Silent Bob minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Kill Bill  minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Sin City Minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Booker Dewitt figure from Bioshock Infinite

  (picture via Toyark.com)

six inch scale Jabba the Hutt

  (picture via Toyark.com)

talking Strax plush toy

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Also... LEGO SIMPSSONS MINIFIGURES ARE BLINDPACKED GODDAMNIT!

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Holy crap, they made Lego MODOK

But he's part of a $50 set where I don't want any of the other Legos enough to pay for them, so I'm not buying it. I doubt they'll sell MODOK as a single figure, and ebay is going to be  prohibitively expensive. I hope they make a keychain.

Lego Movie sets

I bought some Lego Movie stuff yesterday because when you see a sign that says "$15 off any Lego Purchase of $60 or more" and you've already decided you're buying $48 in Legos you accept it as a sign that you need to buy at least $12 more in Legos. If you don't understand why that is, give it a moment, or learn basic math. (This was at Toys R Us, so if you really want $15 off Lego Movie stuff, that's the place to go.)

First off: Lego Ice Cream truck. I don't know how I feel about this "transforming" element some of the Lego Movie sets have, but whatever, I GET A LEGO ICE CREAM TRUCK! I'm a huge fan of Lego trucks, so any new variation really gets my attention.

Then there's the basic sets. Which are still pretty costly. Which makes sense because they're a licensed set... but is also really weird because that license is owned by Lego. Anyway, I went with the one that has Robot cowboys and some a hang-glider made out of Old West signage. Because I'm sure the Old West Signage can be reused somehow.

Then there's the minifigures. OH GOOD LORD THE MINIFIGURES!

Minifigure Lincoln!

Minifigure Shakespeare!

Minifigure Robot Secretary!

Minifigure whoever the hell this is! Just kidding! It's a robot Saloon Girl!

Minifigure Crazy Cat Lady who I only got for the cat and the fanny pack!

Minifigure Man in Panda Suit Who has Kidnapped a Panda Child

Minifigure Lincoln in front of  a Stargate!

Lego Minifigures series 11

I'm pretty sure that these ever more frequent minifigure series are what's slowly causing my disinterest in Legos. Remember how I was super enthusiastic about Legos? That's no longer the case. And I blame the exhaustion of trying to collect the blind packed minifigures. It's not enough to find them in stock, now I've got try and figure out what's in each bag?

Instead of being happy to buy some Legos I end up being disappointed by my Lego purchases. Even if I get everything I want, the whole process is under a cloud of potential disappointment. And that process, the squeezing, the guessing, that's a tedious process that I now associate with the Lego brand.

Also, the blatant racism is kinda getting to me. The island dude has a bone in his hair? What? I don't demand historical accuracy, but I'd ideally like there to not be a reliance on stereotypes of other cultures. Hair bones should only be used with cavemen.

Lego minifigures series 10

So these are some more of the Minifigures from Series 10 that I picked up. I'm getting tired of how often the minifigure series are being released, but the ancient warriors and their insane details still appeal/amuse me. Pretty much I've resigned myself to only getting the ancient warriors (It's like time travel battle royal) and characters wearing weird costumes.

Minifigures in costumes are hilarious.

Old Man

Found some series 10 Lego minimates and the only one they had that I wanted was the old man. Look at him, he looks like any old nerdy shopkeep from a sitcom. "You darn kids."

His newspaper though creates an interesting possibility. It's called the "Old Times." Is it a newspaper for old people? Or is it a newspaper that prints news articles from the distant past, allowing older folks and hipster to relive their nostalgia. Or even odder, does this guy live in a city actually named "Old"?

Meanwhile, I can't decide if this guy looks more like Saul from Coming to America or Wally from Mission Hill.