Brick Empire: July 2013

Pirate Captain - Series 8 Minifigures

Lego Pirate fans will love this gruff captain with his golden hook and saber.

Although at this point I’ve got more pirate captains than I do ships, this blinged out buccaneer was a necessity out of principle for my love of the pirate series. He’s got a gold hook and sword which immediately caught my eye, and his hat has a gold jolly roger painted on as well as what look like gold studs. This captain looks a little more grisly than most standard pirate captains with worn belts on his torso and a permanent snarl on his face. I’m surprised they didn’t give him any sort of feathered companion as they usually give captains, but I guess all the gold makes up for that. The captain’s hat has a red plume which is the ‘new’ style (as opposed to the 80’s/90’s ones), which although it makes for more dramatic windblown posing, I prefer the old variety of plumes personally.

Red Cheerleader - Series 8 Minifigures

The Cheerleader's bright smile and Pom Poms make her a fitting addition to the town folk of Lego Minfigures.

I got the Cheerleader in a trade for some accessories since my friend had duplicates. I like cheerleaders as much as the next guy (I don’t think that’s what I meant), but I wouldn’t go too far out of my way to get a hold of this minifig since I’m not super crazy about the Lego townfolk any more. And my sister’s obsession with Bring it On back in the day certainly doesn’t help. That being said, the Cheerleader is very cheery with her ecstatic expression and long ponytail hair. The pom poms are pretty cool, and the print on the uniform are nice as well, from the white socks to the skirt detail. Since this is a red cheerleader I wonder if we’ll see a red football player soon?

Aztec Warrior - Series 7 Minifigures

The Aztec is another historical favorite that also fits nicely into the period series of the past.

Deep in Central America in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, a faint sound grows louder over the great pyramids. As sound becomes more pronounced, it becomes clear that there are people screaming… for joy as the city gathers to watch the ancient ball game, Tlachtli! As a New Mexican I grew up learning about the native people of the Latin ‘New World’. The Aztecs were some brutal dudes, so needless to say I had to have this guy in the collection. He comes with an ornate headdress, shield, and spear (new model with the rubber/vinyl spear head). The body has some nice detail, and just like the Mohawk, those abs. His face is half masked in green war paint which is also awesome. He looks like he’d be buds with Achu from the Adventurers Jungle series.

Bandit - Series 6 Minifigures

Western fans will love the Bandit for his black revolvers, black hat, and black heart.

Everybody loves the western Legos, and many have asked when they’ll return. Although it’s not a set, the Bandit is a pretty legit looking gunslinger to hold us over. With dual black pistols, bandoliers of ammo, hat, and bandana, this guys one mean hombre. Underneath the bandana the Gunslinger sports one of the manliest lego ‘staches to date. I would make a cliché Dirty Harry quote, but that would be neither appropriate or original so I’ll just say ‘I’m your Huckleberry”.

Gangster - Series 5 Minifigures

This prohibition era Gangster fits the part well with his mafia equipment and Film Noir demeanor.

After a foolishly large fleet of Lego ships arrived at my door, I had accumulated enough ebay bucks to purchase this wise guy. Another theme that I’d like to see, but probably won’t (although Adventurers got close) would be one from the 1920’s/30’s era. The fedora is awesome. Pinstripes, although they stop at the legs, are awesome. His face is hilarious with the pencil mustache and Italian eyebrows ready to sling some wit. The violin case opens and closes and fits the revolver. My biggest disappointment is that Lego didn't give us a tommy gun which would have been quite doable after seeing the paintball gun, but then again, the pistol barely fits in the violin case.

Mermaid - Series 9 Minifigures

Lego improved on the rigid aesthetic of their previous batch of mermaids with this Series 9 release.

One of the local stores has minifigs locked down tight, and who can blame them with all these jokers running around ripping open packages, so I got this one by chance when a checker didn’t let me comb the box. Fortunately it was a win. With a fleet of pirate ships in my bay… living room, it wasn’t right to not have a mermaid teasing the sailors. I like this mermaid better than the first round Lego released, since those straight tails were a little awkward. The Mermaid comes with a star fish, which sort of irritates my OCD side with it’s one handle shaped tentacle (of course I know why it has to be there). The mermaid’s hair is pretty cool as well as the overall tail design, but she is a little flat on the front side… easy now, let me finish! With the curvy fish tail back of the lower half, the completely flat front side is a little awkward looking. They remedied this issue with the Medusa from series 9.