For those that don't know, Lego has been put out 4 sets of 16 minifigures each. Series one and two had an extra bar code on the back which could be scanned to find out which minifigure was inside. Lego realized people were picking and choosing, so they took the extra bar code off starting with series three. There are some tiny raised dots that supposedly indicate what is inside (not always correct), so most people resort to the touch method.
Back to the story. Before we headed to the store I looked to see if there were any feeling helps and didn't find any, so while this is not regular fare for my blog, it is a public service announcement to assist those attempting to feel which minifigures are hiding inside those little orange series 4 packages. Sammy is helping me explain.
Artist - We could tell this best with the palate. It is small, flat, and roundish, with a handle on the back.
Soccer Player - We found this by the trophy and cone piece.
The Monster - The head piece is easy to find - big and flat on top, head hole at the bottom.
Kimono Girl - The dress/skirt is the easiest way to tell this. It's a pretty big piece.
Lawn Gnome - The long fishing pole and handle. He also has shorter legs.
Hockey Player - The hockey stick and body armor piece (it goes over the neck onto the body).
Ice Skater - Harder to tell. Little skate pieces.
Musketeer - The hat is a dead giveaway. Also the sword.
Punk Rocker - The guitar is long and forks at the bottom. The hair is an odd shape as well, small and curves on the bottom side.
Sailor - The hat is easiest - round with a lip around it (edge of the hat folded up).
Crazy Scientist - He has rubber hair, so the points are hard to feel. If you find a big rubber piece, you got him. Also the beaker.
Street Skater - Skateboard piece is easy. The wheels should be off, and they feel like little dumbbells.
Surfer Girl - The surfboard is big, and if you find her hair it has the knob on the top.
Hazmat Guy - The helmet is a big piece. Besides just a head piece, it has the front/back that slides over the body attached.
Viking - The helmet is really different, and you can feel the round shield and ax handle.
Werewolf - I would usually find him by his hair (like the elf's hair from series 3), then feel for the small bone.
My hands ache after all that package feeling (we went through 3 cases, mostly full), but supporting my Lego genius is great quality time. Plus, I since he's not a big fan of reading, I use these little guys as reading incentives. We have a couple friends we help and swap with now. Feel free to join us!
LOL!
ReplyDeleteI was in a store yesterday "examining the Lego packets" and a family came up beside me and started doing exactly the same thing.
The lady behind the counter wasn't impressed but she obviously doesn't realize the lengths parents go to for their kids :0)
We winged it since it was our first go at purchasing series 4 and ended up with the artist and the soccer player.
Next time I might print this page out and take it along with me to the store.
Cheers
Inger
Oh I just found this too, a crib sheet for series 4.
ReplyDeleteBrickset is a great resource ;0)
http://cf.minifigcollector.com/images/bumpcodes-series4.png
LegoCity - We searched for an Elf at Wal-mart for about 45 minutes, and the session I wrote about was for over an hour easy at Toys R Us. The workers didn't seem too bugged (though one joked they should start charging a feeling fee).
ReplyDeleteBrickLife - The dots are helpful, but not exact. A friend grabbed two Elves (according to the dots) from series 3, and one ended up being the Hula Girl. Looking at the dots, they were exactly the same. I've heard that if they go through the machine a little off it can change a lot.