Blog

Into the Blue

This batch really is an impressive haul. I have spent many hours going through the minifigures trying to match up all the heads and torsos, legs and hair pieces. I think I am finally ready to lay them all out on the table and list them for you. As you are aware from the previous blog (part 3) I received a big blue bag of Lego for my birthday a couple of months ago and I have been sorting through it. This bag included a whole host of boxes and fairly intact sets. It also included a lot of minifigures.

Marvel-lous

I mentioned in my previous blog about the hulkbuster set and the 4 figures that came with it. Well they were all here, and not only them, there were a few more too. Initially I saw a couple of iron man suits, one classic red one and a white one. I already have the Space Iron Man figure and although there was the face plate for Scuba Iron Man that was all I found of him. I was pleasantly surprised to find Yondu from Gaurdians of the Galaxy but after searching the sets he appears in I wasn’t able to find the Star Lord or Baby Groot (aww) to go with him.

A real Gent

I kept searching through the heads and I found several with headset prints on them. Several were for Star Wars figs but one stood out and, after much searching, I discovered it belonged to none other than Agent Coulson. I’m really pleased with this as he is a brilliant Marvel character from the early films and the TV series Agents of Shield. I knew there was a Coulson figure out there but I didn’t expect to find or own him. Checking the one set he comes in I found Justin Hammer (in a garish stars and stripes Iron suit) is also in the set. I am happy to say that Justin is now part of my collection.

Zooming In

I showed the instruction manual for Speed Force Freeze Pursuit (who comes up with these names?) that was in the bag and mentioned how much I would like Zoom (reverse (yellow) flash) I was not disappointed as all the figures from that set are present. This includes the poorly named Killer Frost but also the really very cool Cyborg minifig. These are staples of the DC universe and will look very good in my display frame.

The Jedi and The Sith

I opened up the sealed Star Wars box and built the figures, but I also found an Obi-Wan from the Duel on Naboo set that I mentioned. That’s right, the one where I hoped the Darth Maul was included. Unfortunately I didn’t find Darth Maul or Qui-Gon. I did find a storm trooper and a winter Wookie (I think its from an Advent Calendar). I was searching through the sets and I built up the Artic Exploration set (more about this later) when I found a couple of unopened bags, numbered 3 & 6. I figured both were for the artic set, but when I built the set only bag 6 was required. So I was left with an unopened Bag with the number 3 on it. I wasn’t sure which set it went with. I was carrying it upstairs and I peered more closely into the still sealed bag looking for any clues as to the set it held when I spied some legs. Yes Legs! In an unopened bag, that meant that there was probably a figure in there. I moved the pieces around inside the bag and saw a torso. It was black, and looked vaguely familiar. Then I spied a head. a black head with red markings on. That is right, this was the 3rd bag in the Duel on Naboo set, including the much sought after (by me) Darth Maul with the little head piece for his horns. I was ecstatic. This batch includes lots of good figures (Coulson, Yondu, Zoom) but this was a real find.

A very cool set of Figs

As I alluded to earlier there was most of an Artic Exploration set (Artic Mobile Exploration Base 60195-1) already built and all the figs that go with it. I spent the best part of an hour putting it back together. I didn’t find all of the last vehicle (the crane arm is missing) but all the rest was there and it is built and looks good. The figures themselves are ok, they are all dressed appropriately for the artic – I’m missing one fur lined hood. The stand out figure is the frozen climber, with his dark blue face and hands. These figures show the simply beauty of minifigs. They are all different figures, each a character of their own but they have a strong theme that runs through them, linking them all together. I’m not sure how or where I will display them, but if/when I do they will look pretty cool.

Ninjagone

Oh for a hat. The fun of collecting minifigures from second hand job lots can be frustrating at times. You can search through a pile of torsos and legs, matching them up with painstaking referencing of the many figures that utilise those parts. You can search through the catalogues and cheer when you find the figure that has that torso. Using that new solid reference point to search your pile for rest of the minifigure parts. You spot the legs and click them together with the torso and smile. Then check the long stack of heads, focusing on the distinguishing features like smiles, eyes and facial lines only to find the exact head you need. You now have a nearly full figure, and all you need is a hat. Then try as you might, search as you will, delving again and again into the huge pile of Lego that you bought you fail to find the hat that would finish the figure. It can be frustrating and is a bitter juxtaposition to the joy of finding an Agent Coulson or Darth Maul

Then there’s the rest

What is left over when you go through all the figures and pick out the most unique ones? Well in this job lot there are a lot of city folk left. A whole host of them, fire fighting volcano explorers, red-necks, holiday campers and racers too. Although I don’t display my general figs in my frames I do have a decent collection and, as a completist at heart, I’d love to one day fill up a frame with old school policemen or firemen and townspeople to show them off. They might not be as instantly recognisable as your Darth Vaders or Spidermen, but they are part and parcel of the Lego universe. Some would argue they are more important, making up the backbone of the minifig world. There was a very plain and basic minifig long before there was a blue faced, red mohawked alien. I’ll file these away and scoop up the rest of the left overs (hats, hands, torsos, legs and heads) and put them in boxes, maybe when I get another job lot in the future I’ll find the piece that completes a fig.

In Conclusion

Wow, what a couple of job lots. I have enjoyed the past three months of sorting through these and picking out the best bits. I have been thrilled with the special finds that add to my collection in ways I didn’t expect. I have been disappointed not to find some figures that might have been included, but overall I am very happy with the job lots. They have added a load of Lego to my collection, a selection of sets and a plethora of people. I’m looking forward to sorting the best figs into the frame with their companions. I know for certain that my Super Heroes section is going to expand, not to mention my Indiana Jones, Star wars and Lord of the Rings sections. All in all this has been a very good birthday job lot. A big thanks goes out to my amazing wife for finding these and having the strength to put up with buying her aging husband Lego. Roll on next year 🙂