50% Off Series 3 Collectible Minifigs at Target (US)

Toys N Bricks is reporting that Target has their collection of Series 3 Collectible Minifigures at 50% off in-store. Although stocks may have been picked through, this could be a good way to at least get a few figs at a decent price.

You can see the full story at Toys N Bricks.

Alpha Bits - B is for Bionic

I really like the set up of this shot using the Series 3 Space Villian/Cyborg by RDL. A nice blend of LEGO and other elements.

There really should be more shots of the Cyborg, and there really needs to be a Neo-Blacktron line...

You can see more great shots on RDL's Flickr stream.

Quick Hits: New Sets, Plan B, and More Arealight

A few bits of news coming across the wire today...

Toys N Bricks has more set pics for LEGO Cars (not the Duplo sets), CITY Harbor, Harry Potter, and the Sith Nightspeeder (above). Aside from more pics of the new LEGO Star Wars figs, there's not much else to report. Does anyone else think that the Hogwarts set is a little wierd?

UPDATE: A Modular Life has more LEGO Cars, Star Wars, Kingdoms, and Technic set pics collected from Kris Kelvin (he's the Eurobricks member who has been providing the shots). The Star Wars sets shown include Darth Maul's Sith Infiltrator, the Podracers, and Republic Frigate. The Kingdoms set is theMill Village Raid and has some great views of the printed horses, goats, chickens, and pigs!

Brickset correspondent Yellowcastle shares a 'Series B' dot code sheet for Series 3 Collectible Minifigures. We had heard rumors that the dot codes may have been changed with later shipments. Now you have the ability to find the figs you are looking for. The packages this pertains to should have a 'B' on in the batch code along the bottom where the dots can be found. You can find the form in all its glory on Yellowcastle's Flickr stream.

Finally, we have more details on the Arealight printed helmets. Bluce has been so kind to put up more shots of each helmet in 360 views (Hey! That's my job...just kidding). This is a fantastic way to see as much of these great products before you buy. I can tell you from personal experience that the helmet molds are fantastic. Bluce also states that he's still working on the Mando helmets which he will try to make available very soon. I highly recommend checking out the 360 pics of the printed products on the Arealight Flickr stream.

That's all for now. More as it becomes available...

Cygnet
Minister of Information
Ugly Duck Command Center
Minifig Nation

Quick Hits: New BA Freebies and Series 3 Contest

A couple of quick items before I get to more meatier posts...

BrickArms has announced that February's freebies are (drum roll please)...Jungle Camo. Johnny, tell them what they've won...

Johnny (in his best announcer voice): "Well Cygnet, orders directly from the folks at BrickArms may receive a one of a kind, randomly chosen weapon with jungle camo printing. Direct from Mr. Chapman's solvent inkjet printer, these freebies compliment any BAP collection and will leave the fanboys drooling for more. This offer will only be available in the US, as BrickArms does not ship internationally. Back to you Cygnet!"

Thanks Johnny. In other news, Eurobricks is hosting a Series 3 Collectible Minifigure building contest, quickly becoming a tradition among these fine folks. There are three categories you can enter - 8x8 vignette, interaction vignette, and the 'inappropriate minifigure adult special' (would I make this stuff up...yes, but that's beside the point).  All the rules and regulations can be found on Eurobricks.

That takes care of the bits and bobs of today's news. Now, on with the rest of the show...

Bring Out Your Dead...

This scene from chaosfish1 made me laugh. It seems having a common last name can even cause confusion in the afterlife (as in 'The Mr. Johnson you want is down the hall').

Great use of the Series 3 Mummy arm as a cast. I've seen this part used to great effect in recent weeks.

Read the full story for this shot on chaosfish1's Flickr stream.

Series 3 Collectible Minifigures in Canada

Toys N Bricks is reporting that Series 3 Collectible Minifigures are now available in Canadian Chapters stores and online for $2.95 CAN. Online orders above $25 CAN will qualify for free shipping.

MasterMindToys.com also has Series 3 at $2.99 CAN, plus they are running a buy 3 get one 1 promotion on Series 2 Minifigs.

You can see the full story at Toys N Bricks.

Finally, a quick look at our Series 3 Rollout Map would suggest that Kaboodles and Wal-Mart in Victoria, BC and another Wal-Mart in Vancouver have had sightings.

New Series 3 and Ninjago Items Up at BrickLink Store

I just finished putting up a few Series 3 Collectible Minifigures and Ninjago items on The Ugly Duckling BrickLink store.

I price competitively, so this may be a great opportunity to pick up some fantastic figs at low prices. I also charge flat rate prices for shipping, so buy all you want, the shipping charge will stay the same*.

All this an more can be found on The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink.


*Please make certain you read through the store terms page before buying.

The Life of a Monk

Akunthita has created a series of vignettes depicting 'The Life of a (Buddhist) Monk' utilizing the Series 3 Sumo Wrestler and a collection of custom accessories from Si-Dan and BrickForge. Each vignette tells a story, so it's both fun and educational.

You can see more on Akunthita's blog (theBrickBlogger.com).

Series 3 Collectible Minifigures Now in Singapore

Both Modular Life and Smashing Bricks are reporting that the new 2011 LEGO sets have arrived in Singapore, including the Series 3 Collectible Minifigures.

It seems that Series 3 has now reached every corner of the world!

Check out the full reports at Modular Life and Smashing Bricks.

More UK Retail Locations for Series 3 Collectible Figs

Toys N Bricks is reporting that LEGO Series 3 Collectible Minifigures can now be found at WH Smith and The Entertainer Toy Store in the UK.

You can find a dot code 'cheat sheet' here, but don't forget to validate the contents by feeling for important elements. Reports suggest that the dot codes are not always reliable.

You can see the full story at Toys N Bricks.

The Knight's Blackwater Military Contractor

After only discovering KJ (The Knight) in the past month or so, the one thing that always draws me to his creations are the textures. The paint treatments he uses adds depth and warmth to each piece to take it beyond little pieces of ABS plastic and add life to the whole. The combo of the Si-Dan goggles and Series 3 ball cap are inspired. 

I also really think that TLG needs to start making more short-sleeve shirts for minifigures. We need a third choice to go along with the long sleeve or muscle shirt options.

See more pics of this and other KJ's creations on his Flickr stream.

Quick Hits: Two for the Road

A couple of really quick pieces of news...

Series 3 Collectible Minifigures are now appearing in Canadian Wal-Mart stores. The prices are listed at $2.86 CAN. Thanks to the folks at Toys N Bricks for the news.

Huw continues to diligently upload his minifigure collection onto Brickset. The most recent collection to go up is LEGO Batman. I really wish LEGO would realize that the reason the original sets didn't do well was that their timing with the video game was flawed. Those of us who returned to LEGO after the sets ended are looking for a minifig superhero fix!

That's all for now (see I said it would be quick). More as it happens...

Cygnet

Minister of Information

Ugly Duck Command Center

Minifig Nation

Series 3 Alert - Target Valentines Day Seasonal Asile

Tervlon gave me a shout to let me know that Target is starting to put out their Valentines Day seasonal items and Series 3 Collectible Minifigures seem to be part of the planogram.

I don't know which specific Target store this corresponds to, but according to Flickr master Tervlon is in Virginia (US). It would also seem that the days of $1.99 Collectible Minifigures in the US are over.

You can see more on Tervlon's Flickr stream.

FireStar Toys Now Has Series 3 Minifigures

UK based FireStar Toys now has the LEGO Series 3 Collectible Minifigures in stock. You can purchase exactly the one you want instead of having to go blind or feel your way through. Not only that, but you can also pick up a variety of additional custom accessories to further customize your ABS superstars. BrickForge has the bows and blades to further enhance your Elvish army. Si-Dan's got the goods to take your samurai to Shogun, and BrickArms will be happy to upgrade your Alien and Cyborg armies. Take a look at all that FireStar Toys has to offer!

Remember use voucher/coupon code 'KV882256' to get an additional 10% off your order at checkout.

Quick Hits: Aussie Series 3, Contests, and How-to's

A lot to report this morning...First up Bricks Down Under is reporting that Target Canberra Centre has Series 3 Collectible Minifigures in stock. This is the first reported sighting of this of Series 3 in Oz. The site provides the standard dot 'cheat sheet', but with all the questions swirling around, I'll be interested to hear how accurate they turn out to be. See Bricks Down Under for more details.

Eurobricks is holding a Harry Potter Original Wizard Contest. It would appear that this contest takes a purist approach according to the rules, so start sorting through your collection. The prizes are a bit of a mystery, but entries must be in by February 1st. Check out the thread on Eurobricks for more details.

If you recall, Victor (eclipseGRAFX) had an amazing Star Wars MOC a few days ago with amazing lighting an digital effects. He provides a detailed behind the scenes tutorial on the CABG forums. You can see just how much work went into this creation and hopefully have it inspire your works of your own.

More coming later today, so stay tuned...

Cygnet
Minister of Information
Ugly Duck Command Center
Minifig Nation

Question - Are the Series 3 Dot Codes Being Rotated?

One of our readers recently recounted her frustrations with the dot codes on the Series 3 Collectible Minifigures. After opening a pack and comparing the dots to various 'cheat sheets' there didn't appear to be a match. The reader raised the question if TLG might be changing the codes from batch to batch?

Unlike the bar codes which would be difficult to change (it's part of the pack print), the dots could be rotated from batch to batch to throw people off track. TLG would only need to know the batch number and the specific dot codes for that batch to keep track of inventory. The nature of the dots would be easy to change as well.

I thought this was an interesting question to be elevated to the collective problem solving capabilities of the community. If anyone has any insight or thoughts on this, please let us know in the comments.

LEGO Series 3 Collectible Minifigures Now at Argos (UK)

Huw and his Howling Commandos at Brickset are reporting that the Series 3 Collectible Minifigures have established a beach head at Argos in the UK. It seems Argos will let you reserve items and pick them up in the store, a nice feature!

Also, if I understand correctly, the box ratios appear to be different in the UK. Instead of only having two Fishermen per case there are now three. The Space Alien count went down to three from four per case as a result.

See additional details at Brickset.

Series 3 Collectible Minifigures at AU Shop at Home

This just in from blacks bricks blog, it would seem that the Australian LEGO Shop at Home now has LEGO Series 3 Collectible Minifigures available. It seems that LEGO decided to up the price to AU $4.99 this go round.

You can see the full story a blacks bricks blog.

Happy New Year and 2011 LEGO Shopping

I want to extend a Happy New Year to everyone in the Minifig Nation! I hope that everyone has both a fun and safe celebration tonight. Thanks to everyone for making 2010 a fantastic year, and hoping that 2011 is even better!

As we approach midnight in many countries, LEGO Shop at Home should begin to offer the new 2011 products including Series 3 Minifigures, Ninjago, and even the new LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley, just to name a few. If you still have a little bit of holiday money still burning a hole in your pocket, click over to LEGO Shop at Home today. You can find the link to your country here (US | Canada | UK).

The Ninjago Master Wu key chain offer should be affect in all three countries with orders of a sufficient size ($75USD & CAN | 55 GBP). I received a LEGO 2011 Catalog in the mail yesterday. The catalog mentioned that code 'SW51' needed to be used at checkout to receive the keychain; however, the information on the website does not mention the code. Just be certain that the key chain has been added to your order before finalizing check-out.

Also head on over to BrickArms tomorrow morning as the Modern Combat Pack Version 2 should be available for $16 USD.

Custom Crazy should also be open for business too! I'm expecting other announcements tomorrow, so it could be a busy day.

It looks like we'll have lots of ways to bring in the new year with a bang!

Those Darn Dots! Frustrations with Series 3 Cheats

Just as the AFOL community patted themselves on their collective backs for cracking the Series 3 dot codes, it is turning out that the system isn't always reliable.

Victor wrote to let me know that even with the cheat sheet in hand, he felt the codes didn't always get the job done (the baseball player codes didn't seem to be terribly accurate). I'm posting an improved cheat sheet above (click the image for a larger view) from phamjod which originally appeared on FBTB. This adds the placement of the creases on the bag to aid identification. This sheet seems to be 'better', but you may still face challenges. I'll work to update the link in the guides, but at least you will have this for now. 

This has only been confirmed for the US to date. A cheat sheet for the UK/EU has not materialized to the best of my knowledge.

With January 1st, the official launch date of Series 3, a day away, I hope this will help you find the figures you are looking for.

Remember that if you question the dots on your package, you can always try to 'feel it out' through the bag.

Happy hunting!