“Random encounters with the unusual” is a repository for the oddities that me and Mrs J have encountered on our travels, which we find interesting or amusing in some way. Have a look, maybe you will find something interesting or amusing herein.

Wednesday 31 December 2014

Feeling for Lego Minifigure Series 13

Lego Minifigure Series 13 are due to hit the shops on the 1st January 2015, and to assist fellow hunters I have put together my third Lego Minifigure Feeling Guide, which gives an overview of:

1) the chances of finding a particular character in a box of 60 minifigures;
2) what to feel for when trying to identify each character in the blind bags.

As per my previous post on “Feeling for Lego Minifigure Series 12” I have not included a review of the bump/dot codes due to the regional variation in the codes. The best tactic to find the minifigure that you are after and to minimise the risk of getting duplicate minifigures is to stick to the tried and tested “feeling technique”.

Lego Minifigure Series 13 Character Distribution in a box of 60.

From a single box of 60 minifigures the character distribution seems to be:

Three of each in a full box:

Character #3: Unicorn Girl
Character #6: Paleontologist
Character #11: Fencer
Character #12: Samurai
Character #13: Disco Diva
Character #14: Hot Dog Man
Character #15: Lady Cyclops

Four of each in a full box:

Character #1: King
Character #2: Sheriff
Character #4: Snake Charmer
Character #7: Alien Trooper
Character #8: Egyptian Warrior
Character #10: Evil Wizard

Five of each in a full box:

Character #5: Goblin
Character #16: Galaxy Trooper
Character #9: Carpenter

A feeling guide for Lego Minifigure Series 13.

When hunting for Lego minifigures in blind bags, the best method for confidently identifying the character you want is by feeling the components in the packet and targeting the distinguishing components for that character.

To start off, once you grab a blind bag, shake it. Shake it well! Shaking the packet well helps to ensure that all of the small loose components drop down to the bottom of the bag. Once you have done this you need to feel the packet for the components that will help you to identify the character you want. Here is a quick look at what key components make specific characters easy to identify.

The Whole Gang.
Character #1 – King:

The King can be a tricky character to feel for. The best tactic is to look for the King's sword. You have to be careful however, as a number of minifigures have swords, but the pointy end of the King's broad sword and its hilt make it distinctive. If any doubt remains search for the King's beard, this piece has a hole in the middle through which the King's head attaches to his torso, so if you feel something like a Polo Mint in the bag, it may well be the King's beard.

The King.
Character #2 - Sheriff:

To find the Sheriff quickly look for his 2x2 tile. The Sheriff is the only character with a 2x2 tile and this distinctive piece is easy to find. Once you have found the 2x2 tile if any further confirmation is required look for the Sheriff's hat, which is unique in this series of minifigures.

The Sheriff.
Character #3 – Unicorn Girl:

The Unicorn Girl is easy to find if you look for her horn. The horn is a small tapering piece that will be found at the bottom of a well shook bag. The Unicorn's ears may also be felt for if required, but I found that the horn was so distinctive that feeling for the ears was not necessary.

Unicorn Girl. 
Character #4 – Snake Charmer:

The Snake Charmer has a 1x4 bar, which is easy to find and can be readily distinguished from the various swords in this series. Be careful however, as the Evil Wizard has the same piece. So if you find the 1x4 bar you now need to determine if you have the Snake Charmer or the Wizard. This is done by searching for the biggest item in the bag. This will either be the Snake Charmer's snake - a soft rubberised item - or the Wizard's Legs which is a 2x2x3 sloped brick.

The Snake Charmer. 
Character #5 – Goblin:

The Goblin can be tricky to find, start of by looking for his wide curved sword, which is similar to the Egyptian Warrior's sword. Once you find a large curved sword, you need to check for either the Goblin's roundish sack or the Warrior's shield to tell which character you have.

The Goblin.


Character #6 – Paleontologist:

The bone and the fossil are the key to finding the Paleontologist. The bone can be discerned by its bulges at each end, the fossil is a 1x1 round tile which is unique to this series.

The Paleontologist.
Character #7 – Alien Trooper:

The quickest way to find the Alien Trooper is to look for the 2x2 round "radar dish" that forms the end of his weapon. Failing this, look for his gun or his head. The Alien Trooper's distinctive head has Cthulhu style tentacles.

The Alien Trooper.

Character #8 – Egyptian Warrior:

The Egyptian Warrior can be found by his wide curved sword, which can be confused with the Goblin's sword. So once you have found a wide curved sword it is time to look for the Warrior's large shield, which is square at one end and pointy at the other. This will help you distinguish this character from the Goblin, whose other distinctive part is his sack.

The Egyptian Warrior. 
Character #9 – Carpenter:

The Carpenter can be found by his plank, which is a 1x4 flat tile and is unique to this series. His saw is also rather distinctive and has a similar profile to a 1x4 part, but has a textured handle and a tapering blade.

The Carpenter.
Character #10 – Evil Wizard:

The Evil Wizard's Legs are a 2x2x3 sloped brick and are very bulky in the blind bag making them easy to find. The wizard also has a 1x4 bar which is easy to distinguish from the other minifigure's swords, but be careful, as the Snake Charmer has the same piece. The Evil Wizard also has a "light saber hilt" as part of his staff and people familiar with the style of these components should easily be able to feel them.

The Evil Wizard.
Character #11 – Fencer:

To find the Fencer it is a case of looking for his sword. Unlike the other swords in this series, the Fencer's sword is long, thin and round in cross-section. It also has a round hilt and a small round ball at the tip of the blade, so it is relatively easy to distinguish from the other swords in the series.

The Fencer.
Character #12 – Samurai:

Like the Fencer, finding the Samurai is a story of swords. The Samurai has two long thin swords, which unlike the Fencer's sword have a curved profile with a flat blade. The Samurai also has an armour piece that can be searched for, but be careful not to confuse this with the Galaxy Trooper's armour piece.  

The Samurai.
Character #13 – Disco Diva:

I found the easiest way to find the Disco Diva was to focus on finding her microphone, which is a small component with one bulbous rounded end and a one tapered end. The Disco Diva's microphone is significantly different to the Unicorn Girl's horn that you won't get confused.

The Disco Diva.
Character #14 – Hot Dog Man:

What can be said about the Hot Dog Man? This great character has a humongous body piece, the hot dog and bun, which is a single piece and very easy to find.   

The Hot Dog Man.

Character #15 – Lady Cyclops:


To find Lady Cyclops you need to look for her club. The bulbous club, with its spikes and its handle is relatively easy to find.  

Lady Cyclops.

Character #16 – Galaxy Trooper:


The Galaxy Trooper has two blasters which can be distinguished by their twin barrels which are round in profile. Shaking a blind bag well will mean that these blasters fall to the bottom of the bag and are easy to find. The Galaxy Trooper also has an armour piece which can be looked for, but be careful as the Samurai has a similar armour piece.
  
Galaxy Trooper.
I hope this Lego Minifigure Series 13 feeling guide will help some fellow Lego hunters find the characters they want with ease and help to remove the curse of getting duplicates of characters by buying the minifigures totally blind!

Happy hunting!


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5 comments:

  1. Would you mind posting a picture of one of your Goblins, please?

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    1. Russell, I will do this week when I get my Goblin! I felt for all of the characters in one go at the shop, but unfortunately I got a second Egyptian Warrior instead of the Goblin. The curved sword caught me out and I did not do the Goblin's sack versus Warrior's shield check!

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  2. Good guild, i felt foul to the Galaxy troopers body armor and ended up with two.

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  3. The Goblin has now been added. The nicks in his blade really help to distinguish it from the Egyptian Warrior's blade!

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  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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