New Star Wars Accessories Discovered

Toys N Bricks has found new LEGO Star Wars key chains and magnets in the March 2011 LEGO Store calendar.

It would seem that we can now have Cad Bane and Boba Fett guard our car keys, while snowbound Anakin, Talz, and a Clone Pilot can keep the kids artwork secured to the fridge. With the new policy the magnet set minifigs will be glued, but the heads, helmets, and accessories will come off. 

You can also employ the methods of Akunthita to liberate said figures. The tutorials can be found in our collection, but do read our disclaimer first.

A copy of the March calendar can be found on Toys N Bricks. A quick perusal shows that March is Star Wars month in celebration of the LEGO Star Wars III video game. There are some interesting deals to be had, as well. It looks like we will also have a new catalog near the end of the month. I guessing the LEGO CITY Space sets will be included.

Quick Hits: Lower Prices, New Minfig Galleries, and Safer Mods

A quick round up of events before calling it another day...

Toys N Bricks is reporting that the prices of LEGO key chains and magnet sets are being lowered in Canada. Key chains are dropping $0.50 to $5.49 CAN, and magnet sets are shedding $4.50 to $15.49. This appears to put these more in line with current US MSRP. You can see the full story at Toys N Bricks.

Huw has placed yet another minfig gallery up at Brickset. Several galleries have already been uploaded, the most recent being the Spider Man figs. When you get a chance, check the all out. A great alternative to BrickLink or Brickpedia when looking for minifig reference photos.

Finally Akunthita has put up a nice tutorial on how to more safely mod a Castle/Kingdoms crown at The Brick Blogger. There are several tips that are handy for any type of similar modification of LEGO or custom parts. Do take a look when you get a chance. Also, take the time to read our customization tutorial disclaimer before performing any alterations.

That's all for now. Good night to all in Minifig Nation...

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Minifig Nation

Hot Bath Removal Method for 2011 Magnet Sets

Akunthita put so much work into this, I feel compelled to post...

I'm certain by now that folks have heard that LEGO will be gluing minifigs to bases for all future magnet sets. Heads, accessories, and technically arms can still be removed, but the legs are glued to the base and the torso is glued to the legs (and the ankle bone's connected to the leg bone...).

There have been a variety of methods explored to safely 'liberate' the figs from their bondage. Akunthita has literally explored them all, but has found the most success with a hot water bath technique. I'll leave it at that, and highly recommend you visit Akunthita's site TheBrickBlogger.com.

I'm considering this a tutorial, so you should read our customization tutorial disclaimer before performing any of the recommendations provided within.

Rumor Mill: 2011 Space Theme and Glued Magnet Sets

Over the past few weeks, there's been a lot of discussion on two topics, discussion that many would not have seen unless they read the comments. I thought it might be interesting to bring some of the findings to a forefront, specifically relating to a new 2011 Space theme and a possible reason 'why' the magnet sets are now glued.

The first rumor started a few days back (for me) when FBTB posted their invite to the LEGO meet-and-greet at this year's US Toy Fair. There were two minifigures pictured that had not been 'designated' to any known LEGO sets. I guessed that the female spacer and green alien (pictured here) may have been attached to Series 5 of the Collectible Minifigures, but I'm starting to doubt that prediction now.

It seems that the Sci-Fi community on Eurobricks has been debating this for a little over a month now when someone shared this description of a set seen in a pdf given to dealers for 2011 sets:

'Also, there was some strange battlepack for what seems to be a new theme replacing Space Police III, something along the lines of Alien Invasion or something, I can't recall the name exactly. Saw 2 aliens, different heads but a rather disgusting colour of green with 2 what seems like Power Miners suited soldiers and a Civilian-like figure.'

At the time, the forum members didn't have the recent pics, but speculation started that this could be an 'Alien Invasion' theme. The pictures seem to corroborate with the description above. Also, note the female spacer has a logo on the torso that looks like the letters 'ADF' - Alien Defense Force, perhaps?

It is very likely that no one will 'really' know until February what sets these figures are actually attached to. I'm personally hoping that if there's an Alien Invasion theme there will be some soldier figs in dark or sand green to represent a military defense for planet earth (those pot helmet molds from Toy Story have to be reused somehow). We may also see Naval military minifigs using the new sailor elements from Series 4, and don't be surprised if the Radioactive Man from Series 4 doesn't make an appearance in these sets along the way.

The second rumor deals with 'why' LEGO decided to glue the magnet minifigures to their bases. A lot of the initial response was along the lines of, 'the license partners are unhappy', 'they were hurting set sales', and 'LEGO/Lucas/Disney/WB is just greedy'. Although along some of these lines, there may be more detail on why one license partner was unhappy, specifically Lucas. Even to point the finger at Lucasarts is not quite fair, it seems that Lucas has an agreement with Hasbro relating to the sale of 'action figures'.

What I have heard is that because the minifigures could easily be removed from the magnets, this crossed the line in the eyes of Hasbro as being on 'their turf'. Lucas not being a business and not a charity, asked LEGO to change practices. LEGO agreed, but it would be a logistical nightmare to have some magnet sets glued and some not. Hence, why all magnet sets starting with Pharaoh's Quest will be glued.

I have to believe that the magnets were having a negative impact on set sales. I used to track the prices of minifigures on BrickLink. I noticed that minifig prices would drop on BrickLink by 30% to 40% once a magnet set featuring that fig debuted. Good old supply and demand. LEGO may have jumped the gun and not managed the rollout of the magnet sets sufficiently, however. Magnet sets should not debut in the first wave with the sets that feature them. If anything, they should come out in the late second wave or third wave of play themes. Why would you buy any of the pricer sets when on the same day they launch, you can buy all the minifigures in a $14.99 USD magnet set?! Prince of Persia was the first set to do this, and the same thing has happened with Harry Potter. I'm certain if timed right, the economics of the magent sets would have worked! There is a silver lining to all of this...we will likely see more 'battle pack' offerings in the future across all lines.

That's all for now. Looking forward to continuing the conversation...

Update: Glued Magnet Sets

One of our readers posted this in the comments section of the original post. Thanks to Daz Hoo for the additional information...

Patrick Bégin, a LEGO Ambassador representing QuéLUG, got official word from LEGO on this subject :

"All Extended Line minifigure magnet sets will as of Jan 1st 2011 be glued.

Based on new requirements, the magnet base and the minifigures will have to be permanently fixed together on LEGO Star Wars magnet sets.

To ensure a consistent consumer experience across all LEGO minifigure magnet sets we have chosen to permanently fix the minifigure to the magnet base on all magnet sets moving forward from Jan 1st 2011 (incl. Pharaoh’s Quest launching Dec 1st). This decision has been carefully considered and was not taken easily as we know that many consumers will obviously not like this change."

Update: Magnet Set Minifigs May Not Come Off

I don't want to jump the gun, but I have some news about both the latest LEGO Pharaoh's Quest magnet set and, potentially, future magnet sets.

I just opened magnet set #853168 and the minfigures are glued to the bases. Not only that, the torsos are glued to the legs! The only parts that will come off are the heads, hair, hats, and accessories. Darren, a reader, had asked me about this earlier, but I dismissed it as previous magnet sets were not set up this way. It sounds like Darren was right.

I then called the US LEGO Customer Service line. They said this was the first instance they had heard about this for the Pharaoh's Quest line; however, there were rumors of considering this for future licensed sets.

So although this is coming from LEGO Customer Service, I'm considering this a 'rumor' until we know for certain. The associate I talked to stated there was talk of the 2011 licensed magnet sets not allowing you to remove the minifigs. Are licensing partners upset that people were buying magnet sets over play sets? Who knows, but this is important news to consider when buying these products in the future.

If official word is released regarding this development, I will let you know. In the meantime, I'll be taking my magnet sets back to the store after the weekend.

New LEGO Pharaoh's Quest Magnet Set

I just returned from the LEGO Store to see what new 2011 sets were in. Their selection of Pharaoh's Quest was quite good with around 5 sets available. In addition to the standard sets, I found magnet set #853168 and a new key chain.

The key chain was of the main mummy baddie, the boss man himself, but no other characters were available from what I could see. I believe the key chains standardly retail for $4.99 USD.

The magnet set features Jake Raines with a pistol, an Anubis Warrior with khopesh sword, and a Mummy Warrior with scarab shield. I would provide pics, but I need to wait until I get home. I'll try and update later tonight. $14.99 USD was the retail price, and a nice way to pick up the Anubis warrior on the cheap.

Another nice feature was that the magnet bases were tan and had the new map tile attached to the front. Now I don't know what I would do with three, identical map tiles, but it's a nice change to just the studs showing.

I bought a few of the magnet sets, so expect to see these figs on sale at my BrickLink store once their inventory logs these items in.

More as it becomes available...

TRU Bricktober Concludes (CAN/US)

My coverage of the Toys R Us Bricktober promotions have been nearly non-existent. I mentioned the first week of the promotion before I left and was then out for two of the subsequent weeks. This weekend kicks off the final for this promotion in the US and Canada.

If you would like to see the details of the various sales and offers this week I would recommend Toys N Bricks, who I often turn to for LEGO sales information in North America. They currently have the Canadian sales info up and will likely have the US details up later today.

What is of more interest to me are the vintage minifigure magnets that have been available each week. You are eligible to take one of these home if you spend $20 in the US and $35 in Canada (while supplies last, of course). This week's offering is a LEGO Castle Black Falcon knight. The past offers have been for a LEGO City Fire Chief, a Western Cavalry Colonel, and a Pirates Imperial Soldier.

The offer is available at the TRU website and in stores. Do pay attention to how deals stack online. If I recall correctly, the free minifig offer may not combine with other deals and require additional purchases to take advantage of both.

(Via Toys N Bricks)

New HP and Star Wars Magents/Key Chains

(Click to Enlarge)

Originally seen on A Modular Life, the Singapore LEGO blog has pics of some new Harry Potter and Star Wars magnet sets and key chains. This has since been added to the Brickset database by Huw, so you know it's official now...

We knew magnet set 853037 featuring Anakin, Ashoka, and a Senate Commando was coming. There are also key chains featuring Anakin, the Commando, and a Clone Pilot, as well.

The surprise for me were the Harry Potter magnet sets featuring the new minfigs! Set 852982 features Harry in Quidditch uniform, Dumbledore, and Hermione in Hogwarts uniform, while set 852983 contains Harry and Draco in Hogwarts uniforms plus Professor Snape. I'll be interested to see if these figures have the dual-sided heads or not. These could be a good opportunity to get the new Dumbledore and Snape figs without having to buy a $120 set!

A few HP key chains are included as well. As we get more details, or better pics, we'll let you know. We'll also let you know when these hit Shop at Home.

(Via A Modular Life and Brickset)

New Star Wars Magnet Set and Max Promo

Toys N Bricks is reporting that Star Wars magnet set 85037, featuring Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker, Senate Commando, and Ahsoka minifigures, are now appearing in LEGO Stores in the US. Likely to retail for $14.99 USD, the Senate Commando is the real draw here, given that the other two minifigs have been available in many other sets previously.

If you do decide to hit one of the stores, also note that there's a promo for a free Max minifigure key chain with purchases over $35 dollars. In store you will need the coupon found in the most recent, free LEGO Club magazine. Call to confirm your store has these in stock before heading out.

You can also take advantage of this offer at LEGO Shop at Home online with coupon code MX09 (US) or MXCA (Canada).

(Via Toys N Bricks)

ABP Alert: New Star Wars Magnet Set

A quick hit from Toys N Bricks. A new LEGO Star Wars magnet set has been seen in the wild featuring Anakin, Ashoka, and a Senate Commando. The Commando is the real draw here as Anakin and Ashoka have been widely available in other sets. In fact you could potentially buy the set (they usually retail for around $14.99 USD) sell Anakin and Ashoka and keep all the Commandos. Magnet sets are typically exclusive to LEGO Stores and Shop @ Home. Considering this is a first pic (and rather official looking too, don'cha think?), expect to see this for sale in the next four to six weeks.

(Via Toys N Bricks)

Collectible Minifigs and Star Wars at Store

I have a final wave of 13 LEGO Collectible Minifigures from Series 1 up on my BrickLink store. I've priced the figures at $2.99 USD apiece and flat-rate pricing*. Both the accessories and minifigure stands are included. The figures include the following:

• The Caveman
• The Clown
• The Dummy
• The Tribal Hunter
• The Magician
• The Wrestler
• The Forestman
• The Robot
• The Nurse
• The Zombie
• The Deep Sea Diver
• The Ninja
• The Spaceman
  

I also have six copies of magnet set 852947, featuring Kit Fisto, Bariss Offee, and Captain Jag. Kit and Bariss come with their lightsabers, but the magnet stands are not included with these figures. Head over to my BrickLink store and check it out.

*See store terms page

LEGO Space Magnet Promotion

I received the Summer 2010 LEGO catalog this past weekend, and there were a couple of notable items.

The first involves the gentleman on the right. If you spend $75 on Shop at Home, LEGO Stores, or through the catalog, you get this spaceman magnet for free. As with other magnet sets, the figure can be removed from the magnetized base.

Now, and this is important, if you are ordering online you must enter the code "USSM" at check-out. In the past the promo items have been automatically been added to your order once conditions have been met. I talked to one of the customer service representatives on Saturday who said that you might not be able to use other coupon codes, like Brickmaster, and the promotion code, so be aware.

The second item of note is that the new Star Wars magnet set featuring Kit Fisto, Bariss Offee, and Captain Jag should be available soon. As of this morning it is listed as 'sold out' online, but the catalog says, "Order now! Available to ship July 1st." Another call to LEGO customer service and they say it isn't sold out yet, it just hasn't been activated.

Finally, the set 10213, Shuttle Adventure, is now up for sale. Also set 10212, Imperial Shuttle, is on line and listing availability on September 1st! Perhaps that's when we can expect the rest of the Star Wars Summer sets too!

(Via LEGO.com)

New Magnet Sets Appearing at LEGO Stores

There are two new magnet sets scheduled for release. The first is a Star Wars number featuring Kit Fisto, Barris Offee, and Captain Jag. Barriss Offee has been a hot item on the secondary market. The average BrickLink price for the month of May was around $16 USD, only appearing in the limited edition set 8091, Republic Swamp Speeder. This will be a great opportunity to score three SW figs that have only been available in pricier sets.

The second magnet set is currently showing up in LEGO stores in Europe. Magnet set 852948 is a collection of female minifigures from Agents, Pirates, and City/Town. The figures are specifically Dyna-Mite (agt024), Pirate Woman (pi101), and a City/Town figure that may be new.

It would seem that LEGO is making an effort to produce more female minifigures. In Jonathan Bender's book, LEGO A Love Story, he throws out that there's only 1 female minifigure for every 18 male ones. Upcoming sets like Harry Potter look like they are trying to narrow the gap.

(Via Toys N Bricks and Brickset)

LEGO Toy Story Magnet Sets

In a surprise turn of events (to me at least) Nannan reports over on The Brothers Brick that there are a series of minifigure magnets for the Toy Story line.

This is a great opportunity to get these highly sought after figures if you don't want their corresponding sets.

The minimum prices currently listed on BrickLink are $8.55 for the Alien, $6.32 for Buzz, and $4.50 for Woody(3/4/2010). Obviously an influx of these magnet sets could bring prices down (ye old supply and demand), but at MSRP of $14.99 you could turn a small profit. I will post if our store puts these up for sale (I see a trip to the LEGO Store in my future).

As I may have mentioned before, there have been some quality issues in the past with minifigure related items that are separate from the main sets. If you read Nannan's post, it would appear that quality has improved. That would bode well for the recently released vintage minifigure collection; however, the quality issues for that set remain in question. I have put forth inquires into the matter and will let you know what I hear back.

(Picture from LEGO.com)