I was on the fence about Minifigures Series 26. Growing up, I was not a classic Space fan. I loved Pirates and Castles. In fact, I have no space sets from childhood. Some of the characters look neat in Series 26, and I decided I wanted at least a few of them. But the nostalgia they should evoke is just not there for me. With that said, I was approached a while back by the developers of Brick Search. It is an app that scans the data matrix (QR-like) code on the bottom of the Minifigure blind box and tells you what is inside. Since I decided not to collect all of Series 26, and not to buy a full box like I did with Series 25, I figured it was a good time to put Brick Search to the test.
Brick Search is a LEGO® database app. It allows you to scan barcodes in order to look up sets and add them to your own personal list of owned sets, or create a wish list. It also allows you to download instructions for sets. However, it really stands out for its ability to identify Minifigures in blind boxes. Of course, this only works on Series 25 and 26. And on Series 25, it only works with the larger data matrix codes, not the original smaller ones from the early boxes of minifigs. You can check out my Series 25 review for more details on that. As for Brick Search, it really simplifies the identification process. You open the app, click the camera icon at the bottom of the screen, and place your data matrix code underneath it.
Brick Search made identifying Series 26 far easier for me than the method I used for Series 25.
The app worked perfectly with Minifigures Series 26. I scanned every box I could find at Toys R Us. I set aside the characters I wanted based on the information the app gave me. Afterwards, when I got home, I opened them up. Every single one was exactly what Brick Search predicted. I got every character I wanted except for the Android Nurse. Toys R Us was sold out of those… looks like I’m not the only one using the app. With that said, Brick Search will make future quests to find her much easier. So, who did I get from Minifigures Series 26? Let’s take a look.
Alien Beetlezoid
This character is a little creepy in a fun way. It wasn’t apparent to me from the advertising that its head is very reminiscent of the creatures from the Alien movies. I like this character a lot more than I thought I would when LEGO® first released images of it. I actually bought a few of them so I could have a little army for a future MOC project. He’s got a recolour of the same legs we saw on the Harpy in Series 25, as well as a recolour of the Lady Bug Girl wings from Series 21.
Ice Planet Explorer
Truthfully, I was drawn to this character because of the robot penguin. However, I do actually own one Ice Planet set that I have never built. I got a great deal on it from Facebook Marketplace a few years ago. I also liked the throwback to Ice Planet in the 2022 Lunar New Year Ice Festival set. When I finally get around to building my Ice Planet ship, these two newer characters will make fun add-ons.
Retro Space Heroine
Again, I was drawn by the animal. I love the robot bulldog. However, I also own the Retro Space Hero from Series 17. This new heroine has a similar style helmet, though hers has a ponytail coming off the back. I thought these two characters would go really well together. I was also inspired to create some kind of project around the two of them.
Imposter
This minifig is a clever idea. One side of his head shows a face with the faint outline of a screen around it. The other side is what you see in the picture, an exposed alien. It reminds me of Men in Black. I really wanted this for the alien micro-figs though. They are awesome, and you get three of them.
Orion
This is kind of a weird inclusion in Minifigures Series 26. I doesn’t really fit well with the aliens and spacemen… While space related, a minifig based on a constellation seems like an outlier in the group to me. But it is a welcome outlier. Orion is a meaningful constellation for me. I learned to identify it when I lived in Africa and seeing it today reminds me of those starry African nights.
Alien Tourist
Of all the Minifigures in Series 26, I wanted this one the most. It’s adorable. However, I wish it came with the shorter, movable legs and not the stumpy un-moving ones. I wanted a desert look for this photo, kind of like Roswell, New Mexico or the Area 51 site in Nevada.
Spacewalking Astronaut
This is arguably the most unimaginative Minifigure in Series 26… it looks like it’s right out of a City set. But that is why I like it. It goes really well with the other astronauts I have from 2015 and 2019 waves. It even goes well with the astronauts from the NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander set. I never collected the classic Space sets, but I have collected a lot of the more modern City space sets. I really like them.
Of course, I am still on the hunt for the Nurse Android. The boxes I found at Toys R Us had already been pilfered and re-arranged. I scanned every box there to no avail. I’m sure I’ll find her eventually though. What are your favourites from Minifigures Series 26? Did you collect them all? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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4 responses to “Minifigures Series 26 x Brick Search”
I ended up getting all of them except the UFO fan and the alien tourist (I may still get the tourist later).
I also used Brick Search and scanned every one they had at Wal Mart until I got what wanted. The absolute must-have for me was the Ice Planet explorer. I had so many Ice Planet sets as a kid, so it’s a little dise of nostalgia. An unexpected favorite is the Beetlezoid. The rest are just fun.
The beetlezoid was an unexpected favorite for me too. I bought a few of them.
As much as I love space and have the Saturn rocket and Space Shuttle I have no interest in retro space so was going to give these a miss. I love your photography though!
Thanks! I’m a bigger fan of the real-life inspired space sets too. This is the first time in years that I am not collecting a whole series.