Lego Collectible Minifigure Series ( CMF ) Quality Issues & Poll

[jaisonline]

*** I added a poll so BrickBlogger can pass along our observations to their LEGO Ambassadors reps.  ***

Please participate.  You may select multiple issues when voting.  Many Thanks.

[jaisonline]

I'm interested to hear / read the thoughts of fellow BrickPicker members about this topic.

Personally, I have noticed some quality diffs between CMFs and minifigures included in sets. Mainly less clutch power for headgear accessories (such as hats and hair) .

Please click the link below and leave feedback.

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http://thebrickblogger.com/2017/02/lego-collectible-minifigures-quality-issues/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thebrickblogger+(TheBrickBlogger)

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Over the years there has been concerns about the quality of the LEGO Collectible Minifigures. It is well known that the Collectible Minifigures are made in China, rather than in Billund, Denmark, or the other main LEGO factories. Since 2010, when the first series of Collectible Minifigures was released, LEGO fans detected differences in the quality and color or the plastic, clutch-power, and more. To respond to these concerns LEGO did make some changes to bring the Collectible Minifigures closer to the standard of minifigs, but some of the complaints continue to persist.

LEGO Ambassadors were asked to collect feedback from their communities in regards to some of the most recent LEGO Collectible Minifigures (like The LEGO Batman Movie and LEGO Disney characters). So if you have examples of quality issues with the Collectible Minifigures, please list them in the comment section below, and I will forward them to LEGO via the Ambassador Forum on your behalf. Here is a list of problems that other LEGO fans have reported compared to regular LEGO minifigures.

• Dull plastic colors
• Plastic is more translucent
• Colors are different than in regular LEGO sets
• Loose joints
• Weak clutch-power of the torso and feet
• Loose headgear and hairpieces
• Misprints
• Missing or mixed up parts and/or accessories
• Plastic seams are rougher and more visible

If you have experienced any of these issues in recent Collectible Minifigure Series, or you have noticed other problems, please list them in as much detail as you can. If you have any pictures to demonstrate the issue, that would be also very helpful. You can either post them at a picture sharing site and then link to them in your comment, or you can email them directly to me (just use the little envelope button at the top of the left-hand side-bar). And of course if all your minifigures are excellent, and you haven’t noticed anything unusual, you can report that as well. I’m sure LEGO would be happy to hear if your minifigs are happy and healthy. 

[Phil B]

Also here: http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/8581/what-are-the-common-quality-issues-seen-in-collectible-minifigs

[KShine]

I think that they have resolved the issue of the collectible minifigs being of noticeably lesser quality - by lowering the quality of the regular LEGO minifigs.

The problem has been solved.

[thebrickdad]

Tell me about it. My youngest built 70319 Macys Thunder Mace recently and the soft plastic helmet plume doesn't stay in Macys helmet top at all. The clutch power is awful.

[fuzzy_bricks]

8 hours ago, KShine said:

I think that they have resolved the issue of the collectible minifigs being of noticeably lesser quality - by lowering the quality of the regular LEGO minifigs.

The problem has been solved.

It seems that if my kids play with any recent minifigures the bodies will end up cracking on the sides where they attach to the legs and the arms seem to crack at the hands.  I doubt this is exclusive to us and would be interested to see if other people have this same issue.  I've watched them play and they don't seem rough on them, certainly no rougher than I was and I don't remember any, from when I was younger, having that issue.  I bought a used lot, where the kid mutilated almost every figure, hands pulled out, arms out and those bodies and arms weren't cracked, and these would have been from 6-7 years ago.

[waddamon]

Same here, never had so many cracked figs.

[jaisonline]

*** I added a poll so BrickBlogger can pass along our observations to their LEGO Ambassadors reps.  ***

Please participate.  You may select multiple issues when voting.  Many Thanks.

[TheOrcKing]

I must be incredibly lucky to not have a single problem in any of my Collectable Minifigures ....and I have a lot of them.

[jaisonline]

2 hours ago, TheOrcKing said:

I must be incredibly lucky to not have a single problem in any of my Collectable Minifigures ....and I have a lot of them.

no problems at all? wow.

[Zelgazra]

4 hours ago, TheOrcKing said:

 

I must be incredibly lucky to not have a single problem in any of my Collectable Minifigures ....and I have a lot of them.

 

 

2 hours ago, jaisonline said:

no problems at all? wow.

 

I'm not a CMF guy, so I have no constructive input, but I can at least place an estimated observation. Do these types of problems (cracked parts etc) occur straight out of the package? I'm going to hazard a guess that TOK isn't actively playing with his collection. If you build the figure once, put it on the stand and stick it on a shelf.... one would hope it's going to be in fine shape a year or two later.

I would guess that is pretty common practice for AFOLs in general, which cuts out a large portion of the population here. Only those BPers with kids actively using the Lego figures will have much valuable input I think?  

[Sharkbait]

I don't seem to remember any issues with my CMF either. But I am also only displaying them vs playing with them. 

I do have plenty of cracked torso/arms on my minifigures from the 80's/90's though.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Sharkbait

[jaisonline]

please remember to vote so your voice will be heard by lego.

'm going to pass along our counted votes by topic to the brickblogger website.

[Curtis]

I'm not surprised to hear about cracked CMFs. I've noticed that the plastic isn't as pliable feeling. It's more rigid, almost brittle feeling. I'm guessing the chemical blend is different, or off at the factories that do CMFs. It's probably a cost issue. Cut back on this bit of ingredient here, that bit of ingredient there and profit margins increase by x%. Business wise it makes sense I guess.

[Rodeogeorge]

Voted! Thanks for putting this together. Clutch power seems to be a common issue.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

Without sounding "politically incorrectly biased" which country were they all made in? All my worst minifigs and discoloured bricks (getting worse!) were from sets made in China, the source of ALL our problems it seems?

[TheOrcKing]

On ‎2‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 4:15 PM, jaisonline said:

no problems at all? wow.

Admittedly I do not play with my minifigures same as many children do or perhaps even as I used to around that age myself although there are some exceptions like when building mechs in particular ....or my T-Rex must go on another rampage. Ha. In any case I have not found or had anything close really to the discrepancies a number of people (here & elsewhere) have stated comparing the minifigures in the collectables line with ones from box sets. Not saying "perfect" but good condition all-around.

[jaisonline]

Thanks for those who voted.  

I passed along the results to The Brick Blogger admin.

[Huskers1236]

I've never really had issues with clutch power with any CMF's, but the pieces ARE noticeably different from those made in our Mexico plant.  The heads are almost an entirely different color of yellow, and the print is nowhere near as good as other lines. 

Also, I'm not sure if it's the packaging or the parts, but when you open a bag there is a distinctive smell that comes out as well.  Not a bad smell, but an odd smell that doesn't smell like Lego or toys in general.

[Salimr]

I have had a few issues with figures but never stopped to realize the only figures with issues were my CMF figures. Thanks for this post. 

I guess I should have analyzed my data better.

[boliramirez]

35 minutes ago, Huskers1236 said:

I've never really had issues with clutch power with any CMF's, but the pieces ARE noticeably different from those made in our Mexico plant.  The heads are almost an entirely different color of yellow, and the print is nowhere near as good as other lines. 

Also, I'm not sure if it's the packaging or the parts, but when you open a bag there is a distinctive smell that comes out as well.  Not a bad smell, but an odd smell that doesn't smell like Lego or toys in general.

"Our Plant" ?   Do you work at Lego ???  ?

[Huskers1236]

6 minutes ago, boliramirez said:

"Our Plant" ?   Do you work at Lego ???  

[jaisonline]

FYI from the Brick Blogger...

http://thebrickblogger.com/2017/02/lego-collectible-minifigures-quality-issues/

February 13, 2017 at 10:23 PM

UPDATE: Thank you all for sharing your experiences and reporting issues you have found with the Collectible Minifigures. I have submitted all your comments, as well as the poll results from the BrickPicker community.

While it was not part of this survey, I have also reported your concerns about minifigs cracking in regular LEGO sets. Hopefully all issues will be addressed soon. Thank again for your participation! ?

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