The Problem with Modern LEGO Minifigures... | Video Essay

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  • Опубликовано: 6 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 99

  • @yurisei6732
    @yurisei6732 Месяц назад +17

    I didn't have any problem with modern minifigures until youtubers told me I had to have a problem with them. Most of them look absolutely fine, and if lego was putting the UCS figures in normal sets, people would just start complaining that the UCS sets should have even more upgraded figures. All that matters to me is: does the figure do a good job of representing the character, does the figure look good on a shelf, and did I pay a reasonable price for it. As long as it has back printing and leg printing, the answer 95% of the time is yes. I'm not going to turn down additional details, but if the UCS set had come with the same Boba Fett as seen in the mech, I would not have had a problem with that.

    • @Greedo1977
      @Greedo1977 7 дней назад

      Thank you!
      The Sailbarge still has a better C-3PO than any death Star or master builder set before it

  • @NicE-yr2vx
    @NicE-yr2vx 2 месяца назад +66

    It would be interesting how much a piece costs Lego in production. For example one printed torso

    • @LegoManCam
      @LegoManCam  2 месяца назад +4

      Definitely, I tried explaining the concept of how it works in the video, but obviously it would be better to know the actual production prices of pieces

    • @NicE-yr2vx
      @NicE-yr2vx 2 месяца назад +2

      @@LegoManCam your video and explanation is great! But I guess its hard to know the costs.

    • @GothamClive
      @GothamClive 2 месяца назад

      That would be impossible to say because it varies based on the set. You have production costs per piece, but you also have the cost of putting them in a set, which means having more different pieces is more expensive and the bigger a set is the higher is the packaging and sorting price. This means having four figures with different prints in a set is much more expensive than four figures with the same prints. And a new face is more expensive than a face that's already used in a different set.

    • @GothamClive
      @GothamClive 2 месяца назад +1

      @@NicE-yr2vx PS: They still want as many different figs as possible because collectors go crazy for new figures. By now they could easily have the perfect Darth Vader print and include it in every Star Wars set, but that would be bad for business.

    • @MeanderingSlacker
      @MeanderingSlacker Месяц назад +1

      Let’s look at a 5 dollar blind bag and assume every time the thing changes hands or machinery, it doubles in price.
      Retail 2.50
      Distribution 1.25
      Quality/ precision .75
      Sorting and Packaging .38
      Printing 19
      Molding and molds 8
      I missed a couple steps, so probably even less, but not that much, but then again most things don’t cost that much before people.
      Based on some googling a generic 2x2 has about $0.0046 worth of abs in it.

  • @bacproduction7186
    @bacproduction7186 2 месяца назад +8

    My friend who worked on lego factory told me that lego treats minifigures the same way they do with any other pieces - they produce all the pieces in big amounts to reuse them in future sets, this is why they've included the wrong Boba Fett in newest set and this is also why the book of Boba Fett version comes with exact same helmet and jetpack pieces, despite them being inaccurate. This is also why in the past you could've get parts from CMF figures in build a minifigure, throughout different years I've managed to build some old cmf figures from parts acquired there.

    • @yurisei6732
      @yurisei6732 Месяц назад +2

      Exactly, if you know you're going to see the same minifigure come up in multiple sets, it just makes economic sense to produce all you'll need in a few production runs at the start. And the only people who are ever going to notice that the Boba Fett in their new set has slightly the wrong colour armpits are people who never feel joy anyway.

  • @spongebobdisneymariofan3715
    @spongebobdisneymariofan3715 2 месяца назад +86

    In terms of modern LEGO minifigures and budgets, I can notice this with this year’s LEGO Harry Potter sets, more specifically, the Hogwarts Castle sets. For example, the Hogwarts boathouse set comes with 5 minifigures: 4 students in their pre-ceremony robes and Professor McGonagall. Out of the four students featured in the set, only Neville has a new face print. Meanwhile, Professor Mcgonagall is a brand new figure with arm printing and printing on the back of her dress piece. This year’s Hogwarts Castle: Potions Class set comes with 4 minifigures: 3 students and Professor Snape: the latter which comes with arm printing. Finally, this year’s Hogwarts Castle: The Great Hall set comes with 11 minifigures if you count the mountain troll, which has an entirely new molded piece for the figure. Six of the figures in the set, all students, use existing parts. Meanwhile, the other four regular minifigures, Professor Dumbledore, Quirrell, Professor Vector, and the Fat Friar have new prints. Dumbledore, Professor Vector, and the Fat Friar all come with printed dress pieces. Dumbledore even comes with arm printing and printing on the back of his dress piece. I believe that the designers of the newer LEGO Harry Potter sets are currently saving their budget on Harry Potter sets by reusing parts for the student minifigures , and creating very detailed versions of Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall. Some figures do not need new prints, therefore, this allows them to save their budget to create better minifigures that need new prints. Most of the figures in this year’s Burrow set may seem under-detailed, since Molly Weasley is the only figure in the set to come with both arm and leg printing, but at least they gave us new printed faces for six of the figures, even for Molly Weasley, who before, used to have the same face used for Helga Hufflepuff from the 2018 micro-scaled Hogwarts Castle set. The budget is still different for every LEGO theme, since one theme may have a higher number of repeated minifigures throughout the sets than another theme.

    • @BrandonScott-mi5pz
      @BrandonScott-mi5pz 2 месяца назад

      GREAT LEGO MAN CAM THE PROBLEM WITH MODERN MINIFIGURES VIDEO ESSAY,

    • @yokaiwatcher8500
      @yokaiwatcher8500 25 дней назад +1

      To be fair with the students at least, the whole reused minifigure parts thing makes a certain amount of sense for HP specifically. They have a school uniform after all, though less reused face print and or new hair molds every once in a while would be pretty nice.

  • @Imperialofficer07
    @Imperialofficer07 2 месяца назад +31

    You have some good points, the thing you didn't include though and should be included is the economics. The fact is that prices of things go up in five years. Heck, the price of movie tickets was $8 in 2015 and slowly became $15 in 2020.

  • @InazumaDash
    @InazumaDash 2 месяца назад +35

    This explains why the collectable minifig line costs so much now. They are often super unique. Pay a little more than twice the price and you can get a little Ninjago thingy and 3 figs. One is clearly better value for a kid, but an adult collector probably wants a more detailed fig.

    • @Greedo1977
      @Greedo1977 7 дней назад

      4€ really isnt expensive in my opinion

  • @ZCFilms
    @ZCFilms Месяц назад +2

    Does anybody else hate the new stormtroopers from the last couple years? I want them to bring back the 2018 version.

    • @pivomanslovensko
      @pivomanslovensko 9 дней назад

      I have a couple stormtroopere from the imperial armored marauders i bought a while ago. Im probably going to exchange/sell them cuz they look goofy

  • @RandomZ689
    @RandomZ689 2 месяца назад +13

    In all my life of being a Lego fan this is the first video I've ever come across to actually describe the process and cost of making Lego sets

  • @chlumbis
    @chlumbis 2 месяца назад +54

    biggest problem for me is that they crack when put on studs. Not being able to print on shins comes at a close second

    • @HondaOhnaka
      @HondaOhnaka 2 месяца назад +20

      I mean... the stud cracking is kinda unavoidable.... plastic may crack when they expand... i'd rather have minifigures sturdy on studs than not

    • @JPOG7TV
      @JPOG7TV 2 месяца назад +4

      I haven’t experienced this issue with newer Lego yet
      I just keep most of it in a cupboard that doesn’t get too cold or hot so the plastic doesn’t expand too much
      Still this is an issue that Lego does need to solve as kids will probably be disappointed if their mini figures break on them

    • @chlumbis
      @chlumbis 2 месяца назад +1

      @@JPOG7TV yeah, makes buying older lego a hassle

    • @BrandonSmith-q5p
      @BrandonSmith-q5p 2 месяца назад

      They dont crack. Thats just a myth

    • @krelium2717
      @krelium2717 2 месяца назад

      @@HondaOhnakacheck out piece 93095 (via bricklink is easiest) when minifigs are put on those, they wont crack and the joints of the legs will stay smooth forever too. Since recently i put all my figures on them

  • @reneeljaiek9430
    @reneeljaiek9430 2 месяца назад +10

    You’re absolutely right about lego making those “mistakes” on purpose they are not the only ones tho if u look at hasbro or the dragon ball s.h figuarts line you can see the same thing. They make an almost perfect figure with one obvious flaw or missing an accessory, in a year or 2s time they’ll release said character again w the issue fixed or the missing accessory added but then their will be a new problem w the figure to keep you collecting

  • @notgray88
    @notgray88 Месяц назад +4

    I think the more realistic reason is simply that Lego isn't a bunch of hyper-obsessed Star Wars nerds and doesn't care about the difference between episode of 5 and 6 Boba Fett cuz to them it's the same character

    • @notgray88
      @notgray88 Месяц назад

      The average consumer isn't going to care if they get an episode 5 or an episode 6 Darth Vader in their Star Destroyer set because the differences are minimal at best

    • @camoking3609
      @camoking3609 Месяц назад +3

      literally this, the Mech-set is a more modern and detailed figure then the old skiff version, so why not just use that it'll be cheaper to make because they already have the parts AND the kids and collectors get a more detailed Boba Fett minifigure, with the character chances being so minimal only those hyper obsessed fans would care about the difference

  • @hiddendesire3076
    @hiddendesire3076 Месяц назад +4

    I’m totally fine with the Animal Crossing figures. Granted, I do wish they gave us those Mystery Bag series once again for figurines. Hell, even a series of Camper Vans for the special NPCs like KK Slider (which granted we already have), Digby, etc.

    • @TheMarioBrothers
      @TheMarioBrothers Месяц назад +2

      the Animal Crossing figures are amazing.

    • @Josue_S_6411
      @Josue_S_6411 Месяц назад

      I just wish they had Minifigures for the human characters, like the Villager from Super Smash Bros.

  • @trollinmace
    @trollinmace 2 месяца назад +10

    seems a bit tinfoil hat to me. honestly if i put myself into the mindset of a money hungry corporate executive, im not thinking that far ahead. cutting costs by including a minifigure thats already being produced instead of making a new one with new prints thats only SLIGHTLY different is 100% what they did here. it gets them money RIGHT NOW which is what they all want. giving us a poor figure now and selling us a better one later is a smart idea but i honestly dont think thats whats going on

    • @patricktrainor2004
      @patricktrainor2004 Месяц назад

      Interesting point, I thought that at first too. However when I look over at a set like the No Way Home final battle, Lego made Doctor Octopus with a grey trench coat instead of his iconic green, Arm printing is missing on the spidermen and Green Goblin has no hood, Leg Printing or his Iconic Helmet. Leads me to believe they are saving more detailed versions for potential future sets. I'm sure there are many other similar instances like this especially in Marvel and Harry Potter.

  • @FBPMonkey
    @FBPMonkey 2 месяца назад +11

    7:40 that boba fett came out in the cloud city mbs set with an angry clone face. The fig you showed had the exclusive face print in the Ucs slave 1 in 2015. Good vid 👍

  • @calebharch7229
    @calebharch7229 2 месяца назад +81

    Collectors ruin Minifigures.
    My fun little star wars fig is hard to play with when I know it's valued at hundreds of dollars.
    You can say the same about old Lego sets in general.
    Fuck collectors, just let me enjoy my hobby.

    • @CloneCommanderCrater1102
      @CloneCommanderCrater1102 2 месяца назад +36

      I'd less so say that it's collectors and more so say that it's resellers/investors that are the problem.

    • @GassedFEIN
      @GassedFEIN 2 месяца назад +11

      It’s not collectors. Plus being older I’m not gonna play with legos. Only display them. So yeah I’d like to keep the figs as good as possible. Not to re sell. But because some are a little more rare. I wanna keep that collection, and figs nice. For my own personal value that’s it.

    • @revengeofthesith.
      @revengeofthesith. 2 месяца назад +8

      then play with them? nobody is stopping you

    • @landonisbathazarcalrissian
      @landonisbathazarcalrissian 2 месяца назад

      Lego ist mostly a collectors Brand now

    • @bewilderbeastie8899
      @bewilderbeastie8899 Месяц назад +2

      @@landonisbathazarcalrissian I think that's actually part of the problem :/

  • @stopmotionanimations17
    @stopmotionanimations17 2 месяца назад +45

    I'm surprised that the Lego Star Wars designer could release the Clones vs Droids Battle Pack for only $30

    • @Fire_2000
      @Fire_2000 2 месяца назад +9

      It's because droids are far cheaper than true minifigs.

    • @dannybrezelhorner2715
      @dannybrezelhorner2715 Месяц назад +1

      ​@@Fire_2000 with how fragile they are I absolutely believe it

    • @Fire_2000
      @Fire_2000 Месяц назад +6

      @@dannybrezelhorner2715 it's more to do with the fact that there's no printing and they use common parts

  • @Brickster6745
    @Brickster6745 2 месяца назад +6

    Molly Weasley looks so good with arm printing in your thumbnail love the video ❤

  • @Sparker1947
    @Sparker1947 Месяц назад +1

    I miss lego chima mini figs. They are solid!

  • @spoopyweeb326
    @spoopyweeb326 2 месяца назад +8

    I always prefered the classic 1990s to late 2000s Lego prints. Simple and more Lego. All of these detail on modern minifigs just doesnt do it for me as much as classic

    • @KRBrickBot
      @KRBrickBot 2 месяца назад +3

      Many 2000s pieces and minifigs have halftone gradient prints indicative of the era, quite the intricate detail we don't see today with flat lineart.

  • @itspizzabox
    @itspizzabox Месяц назад

    I hope someday we can get a duel-molded Steve and Alex figures for the Minecraft sets. Seeing them with long sleeves irks me lmao

  • @Willkutcherisbetter
    @Willkutcherisbetter 8 дней назад

    So glad you brought up the boba print

  • @walrusdarko9596
    @walrusdarko9596 Месяц назад +1

    The Tom Riddle’s grave set is very cheap and have good minifigs and prints

  • @izer0z
    @izer0z Месяц назад

    i believe leg prints are done in one pad for hips and legs (but additional prints for the sides of legs)

    • @LegoManCam
      @LegoManCam  Месяц назад +1

      Yeah you're probably right on that one, hopefully my explanation still makes sense

    • @izer0z
      @izer0z Месяц назад

      @@LegoManCam yep! i'm also pretty sure this is why legs often come in sets bent back slightly, exposing the edge of the print

  • @tobywareing6435
    @tobywareing6435 2 месяца назад +2

    8:20 They have been doing it with Vader for ever now. Episode 3 Vader in the meditation chamber set and the newer tanative IV.

  • @solembum78
    @solembum78 2 месяца назад

    I think they should introduce some new basic parts for bigger figures. There are characters like Hulk and F4 Thing that would be too big in their Big Fig form (which I hate), but way too small as regular minifig. I think they need to create some new type of torso or armor piece that would allow for some bigger and stronger human characters. There are some custom pieces like that already made by custom manufacturers

  • @anothergol
    @anothergol Месяц назад

    Meanwhile, China produces fully articulated minifigs that allow for posing just like Lego displays them on their promo 3D pics. And they come in 5x cheaper sets.
    In fact, other brands do a better job at enhancing Lego's stuff than Lego itself. Some very old, retired parts (like the 2-3 prongs hinge plates) still exist in foreign sets, and were taken further.

  • @LavenderMike77
    @LavenderMike77 8 дней назад

    My main complaint with figs these days is that they're TOO detailed, especially those in licensed themes. Since they pack so much stuff on a very small surface, it makes them look cluttered and on top of that, it bumps up the price for no reason.
    The same goes for a lot of sets as well. Too many small pieces for builds that could just have less detail and still look good all for the sake of costing more. It feels really scummy to me.

    • @Greedo1977
      @Greedo1977 7 дней назад

      Very interesting opinion!

  • @DrewBricks
    @DrewBricks 2 месяца назад

    The theory about delaying better minifigs is interesting. Bo Katan comes to mind. She was a big draw for buying the Mandalorian Fang Fighter. Fast forward a couple of years, a much better Bo Katan minifigure releases

    • @bewilderbeastie8899
      @bewilderbeastie8899 Месяц назад

      That made me genuinely mad, actually, lol. I got the Fang Fighter just for her, basically

  • @WaltWalnuts
    @WaltWalnuts Месяц назад

    I just want the classic Vader helmet back.

  • @TerrorSyxke
    @TerrorSyxke 2 месяца назад +2

    Man my first few lego sets were just better value than stuff now, howd the battle packs get so more expensive mannn, and the city sets too, smaller and more expensive

  • @gasonfeist7238
    @gasonfeist7238 2 месяца назад

    Can't believe normal sized legs aren't truple molded yet like some short legs.

  • @Faktor13
    @Faktor13 2 месяца назад +10

    Giving customers sub par quality while there is online products with higher quality... Not a great way to please the customer

    • @Greedo1977
      @Greedo1977 7 дней назад

      I dont think there is Higher quality, maybe more printing, but worse quality

  • @datguy8460
    @datguy8460 2 месяца назад

    ig this make sense as to why we got mauls scimitar in the new maul vs qui gon set instead of the naboo royal starship even though the scimitar is nowhere to be seen in the movie (i think)

  • @divius98
    @divius98 2 месяца назад +1

    For 80 dollars tho. It should have an accurate fig

  • @MissZojaji
    @MissZojaji Месяц назад

    when I spent hundreds of dollars on a single set I expect the minifigs to come in the best possible quality. lego tends to disagree there

  • @scootswain9683
    @scootswain9683 Месяц назад

    this video could have been 30 seconds. “the problem with LEGO minifigures is I don’t like the gray they used on the Boba Fett playset for children”

    • @LegoManCam
      @LegoManCam  Месяц назад

      ahah, I think there's a bit more to it than that, I was mainly trying to help educate people around how a minifigure is made. Mostly in regards to the section in the middle where I discuss budgeting etc

  • @Мясникхохолов
    @Мясникхохолов 2 месяца назад

    In my personal opinion, mini figures reached their peak in the early 2010’s

  • @arghjayem
    @arghjayem 2 месяца назад +4

    lol it’s ironic because I avoid minifigure sets at all costs! I prefer larger non minifigure scale builds. The only exception being the UCS AT-AT which I have packed full of a complete compliment of Snow Troopers in their seats ready to fight the rebels! 😂

  • @phorchybug3286
    @phorchybug3286 2 месяца назад

    I only care for the figures if it's a design i really like. Like Garmadon or Sonic.

  • @iamsully
    @iamsully 22 дня назад

    Lego is making billions and billions and all they’re doing is reusing other pieces and we have no leg printing and things like that ! And I feel like people just getting used to it like "oh nice this time we have leg printing!" I mean come on ! It’s a minifig that cost even less than 1$ dollar for Lego to make so it should always be like that. I like Lego very much but I don’t like this mindset about reusing over and over and over and not listening to fans who want different minifigs for Marvel and things like that. We don’t want modern minifigs only for serie minifigs lmao. And I’m not even talking about the price that changes every month with Lego and we still have no great minifigs for all set… unbelievable.

  • @grov508
    @grov508 Месяц назад

    They look too accurate. Doesn't even look like lego anymore.

  • @GassedFEIN
    @GassedFEIN 2 месяца назад

    Kayne fig in the thumbnail?

  • @theworldofblardalough2546
    @theworldofblardalough2546 2 месяца назад +1

    I have a graphic novel available and reading lego magazines really helps me out. I would love reviews ❤ maybe it becomes so popular I can design lego characters from my story

  • @isjosh8524
    @isjosh8524 Месяц назад +1

    Only problem I have with Lego is the horrendous price

  • @RicardoAndreSanchez-Gomez
    @RicardoAndreSanchez-Gomez 2 месяца назад +2

    First it’s always a good day when you upload

  • @nickj7335
    @nickj7335 Месяц назад

    Valid

  • @TheGW923
    @TheGW923 2 месяца назад +1

    In terms of the intentionally including worse minifigs angle, I think it’s much easier to explain it using Hanlon’s Razor. The Star Wars fig designers are just incompetent.
    The mech set is based on his ROTJ appearance, but the figure is ESB. If they had just properly matched the figure to the set in the first place, there would have been no issue reusing it for the skiff set.
    As a LEGO employee with access to weekly sales reports along with sales expectations, you have to realize LEGO is a really stupid company. It’s easy to believe that they must be all knowing because of how successful they are, and as a result to attribute negative stuff to malice, but the truth is often that they’re just dumb.

    • @GothamClive
      @GothamClive 2 месяца назад

      Ever heard of Dunning-Kruger? Not having the perfect fig is a good business practise. They could easily have the perfect Darth Vader minifig by now and include that in every Star Wars set. That would be cheaper than having new Darth Vaders all the time. But then nobody would buy a set because it has the new Darth Vader. New versions of the same character is often a reason to buy for collectors.

    • @TheGW923
      @TheGW923 2 месяца назад

      @@GothamClive Everyone who ever brings up Dunning Kruger is themselves falling victim to it.
      They do have the ‘perfect’ Darth Vader fig by now. Ever since they gave him arm printing in 2020 they’ve included basically the same Vader figure (only changing the head underneath) in 10 sets. There is no new Darth Vader all the time.
      For LEGO, it is ‘cheaper’ to reuse a figure. They ‘save’ on the initial production cost every time they produce more of the same and put it in a new set. This is why they often spend more to make more detailed versions of characters they think they will reuse a lot. For example, look at Beskar Mando. They made that torso with arm printing and included it in 9 sets. They reused the BOBF Boba body 3 times, they reused the Vader body 10 times. The Boba fig from the set in question is itself a more detailed print that got reused.
      Your comment doesn’t make sense regardless since it contradicts itself. “Not having a perfect fig is a good business practice” but also “New versions of the same character is often a reason to buy for collectors.” Which is it? According to the latter, they should’ve made a new, more accurate Boba Fett for the set as a draw to collectors (the same figure is available in a $15 set already). According to the former, it’s a good business practice to reuse the inaccurate figure. These two opinions can’t coexist here.

    • @GothamClive
      @GothamClive 2 месяца назад

      @@TheGW923 They have a total of 22 original trilogy Darth Vaders. Whenever a set with a new one came out collectors have bought that set to have them all. They would have sold way fewer sets if they had started with a perfect one. That's why not having a perfect fig is a good business practice, since new versions of the same character is often a reason to buy for collectors.

    • @TheGW923
      @TheGW923 2 месяца назад +1

      @@GothamClive LEGO Star Wars started in 1999. They were not making new Darth Vaders to sell to collectors, they were consistently updating a popular character as the quality of everything involved with LEGO improved over the last 25 years. The amount of collectors who specifically go after every minor variant of a figure is comparatively very small anyway, they are not driving sales in the slightest.
      Again, if this were even remotely true, they would not have reused the same Darth Vader figure ten times over the last four years.
      In the first place the 22 number isn’t even correct, there’s only been 19. Secondly, if you get rid of variants that are just a head change or a change in material on the cape, there’s only ever been SIX different OT Vader figures. In TWENTY FIVE years. On top of that, one of those is the light up lightsaber version, and one of them is just the arm printing version without arm printing. So in reality, there’s only been four. (Chrome Vader is excluded for being a promo, as well as 20th anniversary Vader for being a recreation of an old fig with a logo slapped on the back, non-canon and Christmas Vader’s have also been excluded)
      Have YOU ever heard of Dunning Kruger? You have nothing even remotely approaching any idea of what you’re talking about. Please do some level of research on things before you try to speak on them.

    • @GothamClive
      @GothamClive 2 месяца назад

      ​@@TheGW923 The quality of face prints has improved 5 times during the last 5 years and the made several breakthroughs regarding capes? That they just change the heads is an indication that they do so to claim it's a new fig. They have over 70 Harry Potters. That's a lot of progress they made. Do the random collectible plates in the new Harrt Potter sets show their progress in printing plates? Do you really think it took Lego over 20 years to find somebody who could draw a good Darth Vader print? That's really silly.

  • @calebharch7229
    @calebharch7229 2 месяца назад +1

    I'm so glad I don't really care about Minifigures.
    To me they are simply decoration for the part I love most, the model.

  • @superjumpbros64
    @superjumpbros64 2 месяца назад

    Mmmm

  • @superslayerguy
    @superslayerguy Месяц назад

    Too cartoony