Lego Minifigs Series 2 - The Spartan

As you might or might not have noticed, I've tried out a new format for reviewing Lego minifigs with Series 3's Elf.  I've tried in the past to review them like action figures, but I think it's unfair to take something that is an iconic toy in its own right and lump it with the larger genre of action figures.  It's really and apple-oranges scenario--a minifig will always be a minifig, not an action figure.  99.9% of the time, they have the same points of articulation, dimensions, and skin color. (Now it's yellow or beige for flesh, but you know what I mean.)  So I've decided it's fairer to compare minifigs with...other minifigs! ;P  And that's what my new review format will reflect.  It'll be a Lego/minifig rating system of its own.

So without further ado, I bring you a one of kind minifig with a theme that Lego has never explored yet: The Spartan! (From Series 2.) 

There are so many minifigs out there now that I get excited seeing one that I've never seen before.

This guy is one of them.  The Rangerlord and I scoured the land but all the Spartans had somehow been swiped.  Then on one of his numerous overseas rangings, he finds one for me.  And I think he offered to get me more but I turned him down the, thinking that one Oozer of Machismo was enough of a testosterone overload.  Well, I was wrong.  And here's why...

Pieces: The Spartan has got a beautifully molded parts: a shiny gold helmet, bronze/brown round shield, and gray spear shaft with a lighter gray spear tip.  All these are molded in their respective colors.  He's made from a yellow body head to toe, except for the torso, which is a similar shade of bronze/brown to his shield.  The Lego capes/cloaks are also made of hardened, colored cloth.  And it looks like the new material they're using for the capes are made of a tougher material that doesn't crease as easily as before.

Paint: This is where he shines.  He's got dark red sandals, matching skirts, and helmet crest.  His armor is sharply painted in gold outlined with black, while his face just screams King Leonidas, which in turn is screaming "Thissss issss, SPARTAAAAA!!!" (Cue shower of saliva.)

Unique Features: Gerard Butler here sports a new rubber tipped spear that a massive improvement over the standard issue all-plastic ones from before.  The haft and the spear tip are now separate pieces, with the top of the haft ending in a clear ring at the top end.  The spear-tip is made of a a softer plastic, which is probably a new safety feature but also gives the weapon a great two-tone look that Lego spears have lacked so far.

Lots of minifigs now have two faces on their heads so that you can switch 'em to your taste.  But there's no relenting for the Spartan, who has a mug that you can only define as the kind that will induce perpetual hernia.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 8/10 - He'd smack me in the head if I said he looked pretty.  So I'll say he looks every bit a warrior.  It's as if I popped in 300 in into the Blu-Ray player and he stepped right out of a screen, right through Legoland, and into my photo studio. Heh. :P

But he's no Elf, though.  He's a man; a gruff, hairy man with simple armor, a skirt, sandals, a bushy beard, and no undergarments..  Ok, so I can't really qualify that last thing, but that's how I imagine him to be when the Legos come alive when I go to sleep at night.  He probably doesn't shower much either.

Fun: 8/10 - You don't need a whole army of these guys for him to be cool.  Just a handful would be great.  You could then switch out the heads (there can only be one King Leonidas aka Gerard Butler ;]) and you'd have your own band of spear-wielding, ab-crunching heroes!  So it's a *good* thing that I decided to get all of one single Spartan... -_-

Value: 8/10 - Gerard here's got a big-ass crested helmet, brand new spear, a bronze shield and a crimson cloak.  What more could you want?  He's a Spartan!!!  But also because he's a Spartan, there are no designs on his helmet and his shield, which looks like it could use a decal/sticker--it just looks a little bare.

Overall Minifig Rating: 8/10 - As far as Lego minifigs go, this is one of the best.  Sure, he's barely wearing any accessories except for his cape and helmet, but the best minifigs capture the imagination with good torso paint and great head-top piece.  The best part about him is that you can easily build your band of Spartans with just a few of these guys--swap out the heads and you instantly have different warriors.  The bad part is that he's highly sought after.  He's only a 3-of in every box, making him pretty tough to find compared to other figs with 4 or 5 in each box.