Lego Minifigures Series 8 Robot Review

Lego Minifigures Series 8
Evil Robot
1 1/2 Inch scale
By: Lego
$2.99

Lego has been cranking out these blind bag minifigures since 2010 and they’ve really added a whole new genre of toys to the collectible market. Lego’s concept isn’t one that’s wholly original to them, but since their introduction into the marketplace, dozens of imitators have come along. For the most part I’ve avoided the minifigure craze, but Lego’s series 8 got me to buy a few. Thankfully, I managed to snag the ones I wanted.

Packaging:
Since these are blind bag minifigures, they are packed in a pretty basic bag so that you don’t know which figure you are getting. Apparently there are “bump codes” which are little nearly invisible bumps on the bottom of the package that people have determined reveal which figure is inside. I didn’t have any bump codes handy and instead did the old fashioned “smash around with your fingers and hope to get the right one” method.

I really wanted the “Evil” Robot, so I managed to do a pretty good job. I would say he’s moderately easy to figure out by pressing around on the bag. Just feel around for the big helmet.

Inside is a little sheet giving you a rundown of who’s in the series. You could also use it as a checklist. Nifty!

Sculpt/Paint:
There’s not a ton of sculpting or paint on this guy, but what there is works well enough. Lego has managed to take their basic “Lego man” platform and create a canvas with it that is remarkably adaptable. The Robot works better than some things, but Lego also took some interesting liberties with this figure.

To start with, his helmet is removable. Underneath we have the basic Lego head, but with a very scary looking face. He looks pretty neat just like this. Another neat addition is that one hand is gone and in it’s place is a claw. It’s a simple variation, but something Lego doesn’t often do, thus making this figure really seem unique.

The claw is pretty cool. Part of me wishes both hands were claws, though. There’s some detailing on the claw, but also lots of trademarks and stuff. The other hand is a basic red Lego style hand. It has a decent contrast.

He has some good tampo work, though I don’t know that it necessarily evokes a classic robot. It seems a bit more modern to me. As usual these tampo applications are strong and durable. Scale wise he’s a good fit with Kre-O and Character Building figures. Not that it should be any surprise. Lego figures have pretty much dominated this scale for decades.

Articulation:
You get the basic Lego articulation here with swivels at the neck, legs, wrists and arms. It’s not going to impress anyone, but it’s what Lego figures have had for eons. If you’re familiar with that, you’ll not be surprised with what you have here.

Accessories:
One of the things that makes the Lego minifigures a better value than some other toys is there accessories. Here we have a tiny, single figure and yet it comes with some stuff. That’s pretty good these days as often $10-$15 figures don’t even come with anything.

The Evil Robot gets a space age ray gun. The gun also has a translucent red bar/ray that you can plug into it. This gives you the effect of a firing laser. Of course you could also find other uses for it as well. Perhaps it’s the Robot’s power source.

You also get a plain black Lego brick stand. Nothing fancy, but it works.

Value:
At $2.99 in most stores, this is about the best value going today. These figures are small and not particularly articulated, but they have a certain aesthetic to them that works. Lego has made some pretty creative choices here and guys like the Robot are just downright fun.

Score Recap:
Packaging – 2
Sculpt/Paint – 7
Articulation – 5
Accessories – 6
Value – 9
Overall: 7

Lego gets a pass in a lot of areas that normal figures wouldn’t. Obviously nobody is buying these for the packages. Still, I applaud them for having something that’s sort of visual and yet, is easy enough to try and figure out what’s inside without being TOO easy. The figures themselves aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but at $3 or so, they’re cheap to collect and fun to chase down. That’s pretty much all you can ask for in something like this. Plus, this little Evil Robot is a fun desk toy.