YEAR OF RELEASE: 2010
MSRP: $2.99 (USD & CDN)
As hinted at in my review of the Series 2 minifigures, here is my review of the Series 3.
Series 3 follows the same pattern as Series 1 and 2. 16 individual minifigures with unique accessories in "blind" packaging so you don't know what you are going to get. Unlike series 1 and 2, series 3 saw the removal of the secondary barcode that made identifying the figure without opening it, and the increase of the MSRP in the US to $2.99. The removal of the second barcode however was tempered by the discovery of hidden bumps along the bottom of the packaging that helped to identify the figure inside. My eyes must be pretty bad as I had better luck manipulating the pieces inside the package and identifying them by feel.
Here's a picture of a sealed package. Series 3 packaging was green as opposed to blue for series 2, and features a group shot of some of the figures.
Let's crack this bad boy open and see what's inside. Ah, what a coincidence, its the pilot, the one figure I needed to complete this set. Each figure comes with a black display stand, and an insert that shows a picture of each figure available.
Here's the insert unfolded, showing us the complete set of figures. Prominently displayed at the bottom is the choking hazard warning.
Here's the pilot after being assembled. He has a backpack (or is it a parachute?) and a helmet with goggles. I love his aviator jacket and big mustache. Very macho.
And now the rest of the figures in order. First up is the fisherman. Apparently early shipments of Series 3 were short fishermen, spiking their value on the secondary market. They must have fixed the problem though, as when I ordered my batch from shop@home, I got 2 of them. The flash of my camera kind of blurred out his white beard, which is not quite as long as the Santa beard were are used to. He comes with a pole and fish.
Number 3 is the Indian Chief (or Tribal Chief or Native American Chief). He comes with a spear and a very impressive Head dress. The detailing on his torso and legs are very impressive also.
Next up is the Samurai. I really don't understand why LEGO would design a figure with such a nice torso design and then cover it up with something, in this case the armour. It reminds me of the old Knights Kingdom set "Citadel of Orlen" where they gave Orlen this really cool torso design and then gave him a beard down to his waist. But I digress. The Samurai has a sword, helmet and armour. He looks pretty good.
As we move on, we come to the first of only 3 females in this set, the snowboarder. I really like the snowboard itself, decorated the way it is, and the purple helmet. I guess LEGO is still predominately a boys toy, hence the lack of female figures. My daughter loves LEGO though, and keeps asking for more girl figures.
Ah, the "evil" spaceman. He has definitely had a hard life. He's lost his arm, leg and eye, all on the same side! No wonder he turned to evil. The helmet and torso are reminiscent of the old blacktron line.
Next up is the Sumo Wrestler. He comes with a trophy, similar to the one the Karate master had in Series 2, only this one appears to be a darker colour, maybe bronze? This in probably my least favourite of this set.
Next we have the mummy. I like this version of the mummy, I just don't understand why he's carrying a giant red Scorpion. :) A nice figure.
Now for the most (at least according to peoples comments on line) desired of all the figures from this line, the Elf. I was impressed how they did the ears (they are kind of hard to see here, but they are attached to the hair piece). The highly detailed torso front and the shield are amazing. I know some people were disappointed he didn't have a quiver for his arrows. I guess it all depends on what you plan on doing with him. Quivers can be acquired on line if you really want one, but you'll have to lose the cape to put one on. I actually bought a second one of these for MOCing at a later date. He is very cool.
The Tennis Player is next. The tennis racket is about the only really interesting thing here, other than the fact its a female figure. If I remember correctly, she suffers from the "no paint on the back of the legs" syndrome a lot of the CMF's suffer from. Its kind of weird seeing the yellow representing her legs vanish as she turns around.
The racecar driver. He comes with both hair and a helmet. I love the smirk on his face. It says "I'm cool, feel free to worship me." I like the detailing on his suit and helmet. I like how he is driving for team Octan, the same company logo that is on the tanker truck set from last year.
Now we come to perhaps the oddest figure in this set, the man in the gorilla suit. You can't really tell from this picture, but apparently that suit is very hot, as there are beads of sweat rolling down his face. The gorilla head has holes for his eyes to look out, and there is a zipper running down his back. He comes with a giant banana. As I was assembling this guy, I had an epiphany (that means revelation). The CMF are all going to a costume party! It now makes perfect sense!
The space alien is next. I love this guy, he looks so goofy. He comes with a gun similar to the space man in series one and the space villain from this set, only his beam is purple in colour.
The hula dancer is the final female in Series 3. She comes with some kind of shakers (not sure why) and a grass skirt. The skirt is ridiculously hard to get on, as the holes are supposed to fit over the leg studs, and as you can see, doesn't fit very well. The hair piece is very nice with the flower in the hair. The torso printing is only on the front. I guess the top of her outfit is held on by Velcro or something. :)
Only 2 more to go. Second to last is the rapper. He comes with a microphone, a boom box and a cap. I love the boom box, and the hat is very nice too. Not to sure about the glasses he's got on, but the over sized necklace is perfect for a rapper. Gotta have the bling!
Last we have the baseball player. He comes with a baseball bat and a cap with team logo on it. All we need now is another one with a different uniform and we can start making teams for a game.
And here we have the whole gang (the gorilla guy is now wearing the head). I was a little skeptical about this line when I first saw the pictures of it a few months ago, but after getting them, I am very glad I did. Since these are currently available at Walmart in Canada, and at various places in the US, I say get them now. And to all the Americans who are upset about the increase in MSRP, you have my sympathies, but we Canadians have been getting gouged for years on LEGO prices, so it was nice for once to catch a break.
