So I had made all my big purchases. I bought a LEGO castle because I had always, always dreamed of having one when I was a kid. I'm not sure if it was a thumbs up or middle finger to my younger self, but it satisfied me. I had it set up in a little diorama for over a year before I moved into this apartment. I bought the dwarven mine set which is universally hailed as one of the finest LEGO sets ever produced. And was it ever awesome. I bought an orc warship which instantly brought up images of Warcraft II. I got the castle advent calendar and the amazing jester minifig that came with it. I got Indiana Jones, Short Round, and Prof. Henry Jones. Basically I built up a reall cool collection. But I stashed it away and declared my LEGO phase well over with.
Then LEGO shows their 2010 lineup, in particular the special minifig blind package lineup. Let me post that for you.
That is an absolutely EPIC lineup. A LUCHADOR! A hairy caveman with custom hair, a 50s style retro robot, a zombie and a friggin clown with massive red wig! I must, must, MUST have these. Looks like I'll be ponying up some dough for these once they hit the shelves in the next few months. I've heard there's a way to read the bar codes to figure out what each blind box contains, meaning I can get the ones that I want.
The new lineup of castle sets has been shown and it's no longer fantasy style, it's back to "kingdoms". While I liked the idea of fantasy creatures such as dwarves, trolls and orcs I'm anticipating their move back to knights vs knights. I don't know that I'll buy any sets, but I'll... y'know... look at them and stuff.
Oh that sense of wonder and awe of the simple things in life, the eternal grasp of the imagination that I will never give up. It'll make me a good author when I get off my ass and do it! Until then I guess I'll just buy LEGOs and build more stories in my head.
TATA
Before LEGO ever acquired the rights to Indiana Jones they had their own adventurer IP. His name was Johnny Thunder. As is the common rule, the name Johnny is AWESOME when paired with any sort of cool last name. Despite the scarf, Johnny Thunder rules.
Just look at that motherfucker. He'll beat you down and take the vitae from you, V:tM style. White Wolf gonna krunk you up! Cape, hair, cape, pale skin, eastern European noble outfit. Awesome fig.
If ever there was an iconic minifig, this is the guy. Rocking the pegleg/hook combo. Bonus points for badass jolly roger hat. The eyepatch completes the pirate checklist. The definitive LEGO pirate, this fig screams swashbuckling highseas rum-induced murder!
Acquiring the Star Wars liscense was something that could only have been dreamed of when I was a kid. Now LEGO Star Wars certainly has to be one of their top selling brands. The best part about that deal? LEGO fucking Vader.
Most attempts at space in the LEGO universe were with flamboyant, futuristic outfits. Aliens vs spacemen sort of vibe. This dude, however, is from the Town line. Which means he's accurate. The white spacesuit is cool, but the best part is the visor. When it comes down over the face it provides a sweet effect that makes this fig look like a true astronaut.
While there have been more detailed wizards since the release of this one, it gets the spot simply for nostalgia factor. Plus when it came out this wizard was the coolest thing around.
It's the LEGO Robin Hood. With a lot of forestmen to choose from, I choose this all green one as my favorite. The forestmen in general were very cool. They were anti-authority. They had a subtly coolness.
I'm not even totally sure why it was that I liked this figure so much. The bright orange visor and skis that came with him were unique. The whole color scheme just worked. And his white eyebrows and mustache just worked for the figure.
This guy is awesome. Give him a sabre and a horse and he'll kick anybodys ass. He has a gentlemanly look, but an air of authority. Just a brilliant minifig.
It's a freaking ninja! Enough said
One of the best looking liscensed minifigs. This is Sean Connery as Prof. Henry Jones. Highly detailed face. Plus extra points for being one of the best characters in movie history.
The enemy of the equally cool Aquaraiders. The color scheme is working for this bad guy. The neon hook just screams both villain and badass. Plus the underwater breathing apparatus rocks.
This is one of the best minifigs of all time. While the focus for so long for LEGO Castle had been knights and their opponents, this figure steps outside that into the back story. Getting away from the battlefield we now see a calm side to the knights. The knights at home if you will. Oh, and check out that awesome jester's cap.
This was the first figure I owned that had something printed on the legs. Add a cool painted face, and a crazy tribal mask (with feathers!) to the mix and this is a classic minifig.
There were spacemen and there were their opponents. When it came to their opponents, the insectoids were the best. The green, black and grey look just reeks of awesomeness (to steal a line from E & C). The helmet/shoulder combo is wicked. The whole figure works.