My Avengers team is growing little by little with Captain America who has just joined the Hulk and Iron Man ... The three minifigs are the work of Christo, and Captain America is really superb. The shield is silver, and the minifigure is perfectly screen printed.

LEGO must release its official version of Captain America in the LEGO Super Heroes Marvel range by mid 2012. A prototype of the minifig was also presented at San Diego Comic Con in July 2011.

The shield is covered with a sticker on this prototype, but it should be screen-printed in the final version, or in any case it would be better if it is, otherwise, the community risks crying scandal ....

Two new mini sets have appeared: This is the 30056 Star Destroyer et 30058 STAP. Little information about them, nothing in particular concerning the mode of distribution of these mini sets which will undoubtedly have to be bought on Bricklink for a few tens of dollars.

We already have a Star Destroyer in mini format in the Star Wars range with the set 4492 released in 2004 and whose design seems to me a bit more successful than this one ...
We have also been entitled in the past to a Battle Droid is EPPS with the set 30004 released in 2009.

Nothing very innovative then, but if like me you like minis, you are probably already checking on Bricklink if they are already referenced ... and they are: 30056 Star Destroyer & 30058 STAP. No seller is yet offering them for sale. Wait & see ...

We had already had a vague intuition on this subject: The new version of C-3PO suffers from some serigraphy problems. On the different visuals of this minifigure that we have seen so far, we had the weird impression that C-3PO, just crashed on Tatooine with R2-D2, was looking elsewhere ...

This is due to the new serigraphy of the eyes of this minifigure, which on some copies is very far from being centered unlike the one presented above by Huw Millington on Brickset (with beautiful photos to see in his flickr gallery). And this variation in impressions is not an isolated case. Many AFOLs already report burrs and other offsets on the serigraphs of minifigs in the Super Heroes range.

In the past, screen prints were not always perfect, but it seems that these problems are more and more present. We have all had in our hands a minifigure that is poorly screened or whose printing is slightly offset with an overlap of colors. Nothing serious in itself. But on C-3PO, this shift induces a completely different facial expression than the minifig. And I find it all of a sudden becomes much more awkward ....

I put below an example of a minifigure whose gaze is completely distorted by this shift, admit that it is very average ... 

I'm enjoying these two photos posted by Huw Millington (Brickset) on his flickr gallery to come back to the great novelty of this set 9492 Tie Fighter : the new conical piece on astromech droids.

R5-J2 is one of those droids decked out in this dome that opens up new possibilities as to the models that may be offered in the future. This droid, seen a few seconds in theEpisode VI: Return of the Jedi, was assigned to the second Death Star.

In 2012 we will also be entitled to R5-D8, another droid equipped with the same dome, in the set 9493 X-Wing Starfighter. This Droid was in the service of Jek Porkins and his X-Wing during the Battle of Yavin ( Episode IV: A New Hope).

The series of astromech droids are easy to distribute: those with round dome are of class R2, R3, R4, R8 or even R9, those with flat conical dome are of class G8, R5 or R6 and those with pointed conical dome are of class R7.

In the R5 series, the best known models are arguably R5-A2, seen around Mos Eisley on Tatooine in theEpisode IV: A New Hope, R5-D4 bought by Owen Lars from the Jawas in the same episode or even R5-M2 seen during the Battle of Hoth in theEpisode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

In fact, the different episodes of the Original Trilogy are peppered with astromech droids in many scenes and some don't even have a specific name or bio.

So many models, which could now become reality and integrate our collections of minifigs even if they are not necessarily significant in the Star Wars universe.

By the way, if you like astromech droids, go to this site, you will be served ....

With the release of the new sets of the LEGO Super Heroes DC Universe 2012 range comes the procession of new minifigs of characters already seen at LEGO and that the oldest of us know well. Most of them are reissues of minifigs released in 2006 in the Batman range.

These minifigs released in 2006, 2007 and 2008 are now sold on the second-hand market at often very high prices, and many of you are wondering if it is worth spending a few hundred euros to acquire these versions. while LEGO offers re-editions of these characters.

eric_maniac, photographer of minifigs in his spare time (see his flickr gallery), will help you to make up your own mind with these pictures featuring each new minifigure and its version of 2006. If for some the new version embodies an era or a different vision of the character, for others we go quickly take into account that this is above all a refreshment, often welcome.

Once again, the prices on Bricklink for the 2006 minifigs are high, especially if one is looking to acquire a new version. It is often necessary to add substantial shipping costs in the case of a purchase abroad and the final cost can be discouraging.

Click on the photos to view a large version.

So for Batman, we find the 2012 version (Gray Suit) alongside the bat001 version from 2006 (Gray Suit) supplied at the time in the sets 7779, 7780 et 7782 and sold around 20 € on Bricklink (New). To get the 2012 version, you will need to acquire the set 6860 The Batcave or the set 6857 The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape because the minifig of the set 6858 Catwoman Catcycle City Chase comes without a cape. If you want to acquire a gray and blue version, the bat022 version (Light Bluish Gray Suit with Dark Blue Mask) from 2007 delivered in sets 7786 et 7787 is currently sold more than 50 € on Bricklink.

Regarding the versions Black Suit, that of 2012 ( 6863 Batwing Battle Over Gotham City et 6864 Batmobile and the Two-Face Chase) advantageously replaces the 2006 minifigure (bat002) seen in sets 7781, 7783 et 7785. The yellow belt is more intrusive on the 2012 minifig, but the torso design is thinner with a smaller logo. If, however, you prefer the 2006 version, it is available on Bricklink for a little over 13 €.

Robin is provided in two different versions here: The 2012 Red Robin available in the set 6860 The Batcave cannot be compared with that of 2006 (bat009) delivered in the set 7783 and sold around 20 € on Bricklink.

On the side of the villains, the new versions bring their share of changes that update these characters well and make them more attractive. Poison Ivy, The Joker or The Riddler are delivered in more colorful versions, and significantly more detailed. However, some will remain fans of the 2006 versions, also seen in the LEGO Batman video game released in 2008.

To get these three minifigs on Bricklink, you have to count about 16 € for Poison Ivy (bat018 seen in the set 7785), around 30 € for the Joker (bat005 seen in sets 7782 et 7888) and a little over 10 € for the Riddler (bat017 seen in sets 7785 et 7787 ).

In 2012 version, these 3 minifigs are available in the set 6860 The Batcave for Poison Ivy, in sets 6857 The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape et 6863 Batwing Battle Over Gotham City for the Joker and the set 6857 The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape for the Riddler.

The case of Catwoman in 2006 version (bat003 seen in the set 7779) is particular: its price on Bricklink exceeds 30 € (new minifig) and the differences between the two versions are not such as to justify the purchase of the old version.
For less than 15 € with the set  6858 Catwoman Catcycle City Chase, you get Catwoman and Batman. The screen printing on the chest of the 2012 version, however, adds a perspective effect around the waist that I do not find particularly successful. Either LEGO does without this type of trompe l'oeil serigraphy, or it will be necessary to produce and market torsos adapted to female minifigs as we already find on certain customs.

Regarding Two-Face, nothing to compare here, the costume presented is different and the two minifigs correspond to two distinct eras of the character. The 2006 version (bat004 seen in the set 7781) whose face I prefer to that of 2012, is sold more than 18 € on Bricklink.

The Two-Face henchmen are matched to each version concerned, with the same cap. The 2012 versions benefit from a nice serigraphy than the 2006 version (bat006 seen in the set 7781) did not have.

Should You Buy Previous Versions Of These Minifigs: The answer is yes if you can afford it and are a die-hard and compulsive collector. Otherwise, settle for the sets from the new range, the minifigs offered are more detailed and more attractive.

If you are only looking for minifigs from this new range, you will already find them for sale for a few € on eBay or Bricklink. As usual, their price will vary in the future depending on the number of sets in which they will be present over the life of the range. In general, the more a minifig is present in different sets in the range, the cheaper it is sold on the second-hand market. It is also necessary that it is the same minifigure, without variant of color or serigraphy.

Special thanks eric_maniac for permission to use his photos.