Lego Minifigs Complete Series 5 Review!

I love Lego!  Say it with me!

All right, you don't have to.  But my wife does and we love to go feeling for minifigs together.  Back in January we found a somewhat untouched box of Series 3 in New Zealand and found three Elves.  When she got me the Star Wars Home One Lego set we built that together, along with the TIE-Advanced and Y-Wing set.  So it was natural that when I split a box of these nyum nyums with the Rangerlord that the wife and I immediately got to feeling out the 16 figures from this series.  It turns out we had 15 of the figures and were just missing the Zookeeper.  The Rangerlord had everything but he Graduate.  A shimmy and a swap later and we had our complete sets.

I tell ya, my wife's got a knack for this--she felt out he gloves of the Boxer and the ridged tail of the Lizard Man.  Me?  I just felt happy, as I always do when we do Legos together.  I also felt out the lone Gladiator.  Yes, thank you, thank you.

For those, who like me, want to get a complete set, splitting a box is definitely the way to go.  Take the half-box home, feel it up, crack it open, and sell on the remainder.  Better yet if you feel out another set and can sell it as such!  That's what I'm gonna do.  Or at least I plan to...

But for now, the review!


Gladiator (Myrmidon)

Like: With a sword, shield and helm, this guy's got it in terms of quantity in accessories.  Aside from the standard round shield, his sword is a unique short sword variant, while his helm is a brand new bronze-molded piece.  It's by far the largest, prettiest, ans shiniest helmet in the series and the face underneath is all Russell Crowe!

The other great thing is the paint.  The half-armor is nicely painted on the torso and top of legs as are his boots but the nicest touch comes in the form of the painted-on right arm armor.  This figure's s one of the best looking minifigs to date!

Not quite the best of Man vs Beast...

When feeling for this guy, other than his helm, it's best to confirm that there's a sword and a round shield.

Goes well with: The Spartan from Series 2 (Gerard Butler) or any random Lego animal to re-enact your fave man vs beast gladiatorial battle!

Minifig Rating: 9.5/10

Gangster (Mobster)

Like: The usable gun carrying case is cool but the what I dig the most are the snazzy pinstripes of his suit. There's something impeccable about it that screams mobster before you even get to the case, the pistol and the hat.  I also love the wide grin and the evil mustache on this guy--It's just the right amount of gangster!

Goes well with: Two-Face!  That's the first thing that comes to mind--that he'll be perfect as cronies for the Batman supervillain!  (Though it'll be tough finding those Batman minifigs unless you bought them up when they were still in stores some years ago.)   The mobster's the only gangster so far in the Minifigs series so let's hope they come up with more in varying suit colors like white (which is technically not a color but bleargh.)

Minifig Rating: 7.5/10

Clown (Small)

Like: That he's got a giant cream pie ready to chuck into someone's face.  Pure mischief!  I also like the bowler hat with the flower in front and the fact that he's a "dwarf" clown.  It's like Lego Yoda got into a clown suit to hide from the Emperor instead of running to Dagobah.  I also just love the overall colors--red, blue and gree--and the fact that his blue polka-dotted tie stands out from that!

Goes well with: The Clown from series 1, naturally! But like the mobster/gangster belongs with Two-Face, I imagine this clown (or more than one of him) as members of Lego Joker and Harley Quinn's gang!

Minifig Rating: 8/10

Dwarf (Evil)

Like: It's impossible to not like Dwarfs after Gimli in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.  (John Rys-Davies FTW!  Woohoo!)  But I love the "metallic-ness" of this guy.  The bronze fiend head on his shield stands out the most along with the bronze bits from his painted-on armor.  His helmet and axe-head are a nice, muted silver and with his black beard he seems darker overall than the dwarves previously released in sets.  And check out those feverish looking eyes!

Goes well with: The dwarves that have been released so far, of course.  He's another member of their ogre-slaying, ale-drinking, bellyaching band.  From the series, he goes perfectly with the elf from Series 3 and the Forestman/Robin Hood from Series 1. Heck, he'd go well with any medieval sets.  Ooh and let's not forget those goblins from the old Kingdom Lego sets.  Since this guy's name is officially "Evil Dwarf", then he could be the goblins' rightfully elected leader!

Minifig Rating: 9/10

Graduate

Like: His diploma, his motorboard (hat) and his graduation robes, which is a simply pieces that's cleverly cut out in front.  The diploma actually says "Certificate of Graduation" and the the motorboard fits at an angle on his head and has a nice molded tassle hanging off one corner.

Goes well with: Perhaps the cheerleader from Series 1?  Or maybe another thousand or so graduates! ;P

Minifig Rating: 7.5/10

Aerobics Instructor (Lady)

Like: That she looks really retro.  The flicked hair, headband and the pink tights are simply irresistible but I like the boom box the best--it's lilac! (It's also got sculpted-in speakers so yay!)

Goes well with: Erm...the 80s?  Or anything pink--so maybe for you're daughter's playset...

Minifig Rating: 6.5/10

Zookeeper (Female) 

Like: The monkey that fits on her hand and the over-sized banana are hilarious.  But other than that she's pretty "normal" as far as minifigs go...except...the buckles, buttons and key on here outfit--their all painted gold! :)

Goes well with: The Gorilla Suit Man from Series 3.  Big monkey, small monkey, big banana.  Ha!

Minifig Rating: 7/10

Detective (Sherlock)

Like: The working magnifying glass, the Sherlock cap and the Sherlock checkered designs on his front of his body and sides of his cap.  I also like that they gave him gray sideburns! :)

I did wish they gave him a half-cape though--Sherlock is the guy who can rock the look in Scotland Yard all day, every day!

Goes well with: Watson...uh,...Jack The Ripper!...Yeah, they haven't made (or might ever make!) those guys yet.  Perhaps he'll fit in nicely with the monsters of the Series--The Werewolf, Dracula, and Frankenstein.  It kinda has a Scooby Doo mystery feel when you put them side by side.

Minifig Rating: 7.5/10

Boxer

Like: The big red gloves that replace his hands!  You could actually remove them and give any other figures you own a big red boxing glove.  (Joker, anyone? :D)  His head gear is also very well done and a good size and I do like the painted-on shorts top.

The other thing I love is the gold in this minifig!  The patterns in his shorts-top, his shorts stripes and...his mouthguard!  Usually Lego keeps there faces "generic" or minimally painted to maximize re-use.  In this case, they took and existed smirk head and gave it a little swish of gold.  Perfect.

Oh and when you're "looking" for this guy, it's the gloves on the ends of his hands you want to feel for. ;)

Goes well with: Other athletes in the series (Karateka, Sumo, Tennis Player, Baseballer, etc.)  But best of all, another boxer!

Minifig Rating: 8/10


Lizard Man (Guy in Godzilla Suit)

Like: The bright green!  The fig is completely cast in this color except for his yellow head, which is under the huge (and cutesy-scary) mask anyway.

The tail and mask are also quite ingeniously done to fit like it's a complete piece, with the tail and its spikes hanging from around his neck like any sort of Lego backpack would.  The spikes and the teeth are also painted green ans silver respectively.

Full beast!

Also, the figure is devoid of any other details except for his transferred-on tummy scales, which I find pretty funny, as if the guy made the suit and only had enough money to make a rockin' mask and some fancy stomach decor.  Oh and eyes as well.  Nicely transferred on eyes.  Heh.

If you have a blank black head (like those you find is stormtroopers) the Lizard Man can truly become fully beast!

Goes well with: Guy in the Gorilla Suit from Series 3, Captain James T. Kirk (to re-enact everyone's favorite fight scene ever!), and even in any medieval sets as part of an acting company!

Minifig Rating: 8/10



Ice Fisherman

Like: At first I thought: Great. Another fisherman and another minifig I'm ho-hum about.  There was already one from Series 3 and he was highly sought after because he was the shortpacked minifig.

But this guy is different.  The only thing that he shares with the Series Fisherman is the rod and the fish.  Otherwise he's got more of a theme--he's arctic!  At a distance, he might look pretty plain but that's because of the uniform kaki color of his parka and stuff.  Up close, his fur-lined hoodie is excellently painted, as is the detail on the front of his body and his legs.  I'm actually liking this guy a lot more now that I've had a good look at him!

Vader spared no life forms on Hoth...

Goes well with: Fisherman from Series 3.  Or better yet, any of your Hoth themed Star Wars Lego!

Minifig Rating: 7.5/10

Snowboarder Guy

Like: Yeah, the snowboarders don't really do it for me.  Maybe it's because I don't come from a place where you can do any snow sports at all.

Maybe it's because I spent too long in Minnesota.

But when you look at the minifig itself, the only things that stand out are his snowboard and his goggles, the latter of which is painted on.  His board is nice enough and there's also his snow cap, but that's devoid of any detail.

Goes well with: The helmeted female Snow Boarder from Series 3.

Minifig Rating: 6.5/10

Lumberjack

Like: Where do I start?  This guy's got a lot of painted detail, starting with his painted red and silver axe-head.  Then there's his dark red cap with the little squirrel on the white panel on the front.  His torso and arms are checked all round too, and we know it's rare to have minifigs' with designs printed on their backs!

Goes well with: Werewolf (Red Riding Hood thing) or take off his cap, give him some wild upturned hair and some claws and you have lumberjack Wolverine!

Minifig Rating: 8/10


Egyptian Queen

Like: That she's got a lot of "make up" on, just like anyone who wants to look glamorous for the masses might.

In minifig terms, it's gold all over the front of her dress, complemented by the tiara on her head.  I especially like the hair with the tiara painted on it. 

The snake she comes with is just funny because it's probably something an Egyptian Queen would never hold!

Goes well with: Pharoah from Series 2, Mummy from Series 3.  And any of the figures and sets from the Egyptian/Mummy series.  I don't think any of the sets have a Pharoahess yet.

Minifig Rating: 7.5/10

Royal Guard (Bobby)

Like: His hat (of course!), and his gold bits including his buttons, buckles, and chin strap. Th ehat is the distinctive piece because it's three times the size of his head and looks like a large dead animal, as it should! :P

Goes well with: Whitney? (I kid, I kid.  That joke's a few years too late.)  This guys goes well with more guys like him.  Duh.  Better yet, if you have a Buckingham Palace built out of Lego then you've now got the guards to, well, guard it!  Oh an let's not forget about Sherlock (The Detective).  These guys are both Brits, so they must go together! :P

Minifig Rating: 7/10

Cave Woman

Like: The bone and the hair it sits in.  The thing with this figure is that her "clothes" are almost yellow.  But while he won't look naked, it does look weird, like she's some sort of Frankenstein Monster.  What I do like is that she has an obsidian shard necklace.  But it's hard to spot among the stitches of here clothes.

The other thing that intrigues me is the rubbery hair.  I like the softer look of it--it's not shiny and is a great shade of light brown because of the material used. It even looks like it could have been given a light wash, but that's a trick of light on the rubbery material.

Having the bone be removable means that you have a nice little doggie bone.  It also means you can hold all sorts of stuff in the hairdo: a lovely pink bow, a fishing rod, an axe, a lightsaber...Crap just tends to get stuck in your hair when you don't have shampoo to wash it out with!

Goes well with: Caveman from series 1 of course, and I dunno...throw me a frickin' bone?  Lol. :P

Minifig Rating: 6.5/10