Review : LEGO Marvel Studios 71031 Collectible Minifigure Series

Today we are quickly talking about LEGO Marvel Studios minifigs 71031 Collectible Minifigure Series, 12 collectible characters sold individually in bags at the public price of 3.99 €. I ordered and received three boxes of 36 sachets that I have to sort through to share their contents with a few friends, so this is an opportunity to give you some very personal thoughts about this collection of characters.

Know first of all that out of three boxes sorted, only two, those of Minifigure Madness, allow me to obtain three complete sets of 12 characters. The third box, bought from Ticketmaster, contained only two complete sets with four copies of Captain Carter and only two copies of T'Challa Star-Lord. The distribution is therefore not always guaranteed contrary to what I have read in some reviews and the seller obviously has nothing to do with it.

As you already know, this series of 12 characters is based on four Marvel series all broadcast on the Disney + platform: Wandavision (Scarlet Witch, Vision and Monica Rambeau), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes), Loki (Loki and Sylvie) and What If ...? (Captain Carter, Zombie Captain America, T'Challa Star-Lord, Zombie Hunter Spidey and "Thamora").

Some fans may see in this selection of characters only products derived from secondary content less attractive than the blockbusters usually available in theaters. But the health crisis has passed through there and these very successful series have frankly gained in visibility and popularity in part thanks to the regular postponement of the last theatrical releases which gave them time to create the event and find their audience.

Many are also those who would have liked to have the right to a little more content around the series concerned and there is ultimately only What If ...? who took advantage of two "classic" sets with the references 76194 Tony Stark's Sakaarian Iron Man et 76201 Captain Carter & The Hydra Stomper. The series Wandavision, Loki et The Falcon and the Winter Soldier did they deserve better than a few sachets? Maybe, but in the end we would have paid a high price to get the same characters probably associated with sketchy constructions based on vehicles or pieces of walls without much interest.

You don't have to look at these different minifigs for very long to see that LEGO has put the package on this series by using all the printing and molding techniques mastered. This technical debauchery for a series of characters in sachets is nothing new, as LEGO is undoubtedly seeking, as often, to give value for their money to those who agree to spend € 4 for a simple character without additional construction. The bar is set very high with these 12 new sachets and everything sometimes goes up to visual overdose: pad printing of the arms, legs on two sides, metallized areas, two-color injection or even new molds.

We find on some of these minifigs a level of detail rarely reached and those who are used to the sometimes minimalist minifigures of the LEGO Marvel range may be surprised by discovering the very accomplished finish of those offered in this collection. There is for example here only Monica Rambeau and Sylvie to be equipped with neutral legs whereas it is the norm in many boxes of the range. For the rest, we can conclude that the official visuals do not lie to us about the appearance of these different minifigs, which is not always the case.

We will also remember the attention to detail for each of these minifigs with a real resemblance between the characters seen on the screen and their plastic versions, accessories or references included. The hair of Captain Carter and Monica Rambeau is particularly successful and the figurine of Peggy Carter seen in the set 76201 Captain Carter & The Hydra Stomper suddenly seems bland. Vision may be a little too "gray" but it was difficult to give relief to the figure without using a few shades a little darker than those of the outfit seen on screen.

Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes both come with the same shield, those who have seen the series which revolves in part around the Steve Rogers estate will understand why. The version of Captain America provided here is really very faithful to the character's outfit in the series, we even find the drone Red Wing attached to the back of the character. Monica Rambeau is holding her red drone / helicopter in her hands, Loki is accompanied by Throg who only makes a brief appearance on the screen and Lokigator is in the same bag as Sylvie. The latter is a little minimalist without its horns but the reference has the merit of being there.

These 12 minifigs are not free from technical faults for some of them with, for example, some burrs on Captain Carter's face, pad-printed jacket sides on the hips which are not fully compatible with Loki's torso or even shields whose colored circles are not perfectly centered on some copies, but overall it is quite successful.

Once again, LEGO demonstrates all its technical mastery and confirms that the mediocre result sometimes provided in some sets is only a marketing and financial choice. This series of 12 very successful characters will satisfy the many collectors who do not bother with the constructions usually offered and who are content to acquire the different characters individually via the secondary market.

If it was necessary to choose between faithful figurines and with an exemplary finish sold alone and a few more minimalist minifigs accompanied by a handful of bricks, many would not hesitate to do without the ships and other vehicles provided in exchange for molds. unpublished which allow to refine the appearance of the characters and of some patterns on the arms or the legs of their favorite heroes. Some of the characters delivered here may seem dispensable, especially the variants from the alternate universes developed in the animated series. What If ...?, it's up to everyone to assess the interest of the five characters who are not from the usual continuity of the MCU.

Upon arrival, there is plenty to do a second or even a third series of 12 characters based on the four Disney + series already discussed, and I hope that LEGO will not hesitate to offer us something to supplement a little. plus our collections with other figurines of the same barrel, even if the gap between the "classic" figurines and those delivered in bags widens a little more on the occasion of this brilliant demonstration of all the know-how of the manufacturer.

Note: I am bringing into play a complete set of 12 characters. Deadline set at 6th October, 2021 next at 23pm. 

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.