Here is a Thursday thought for you: Minifigures Series battle packs. Why hasn’t the LEGO® Group done these yet? Chase characters are a thing. From the last few series, the Orc, Falconer, Dragonborn Paladin, and now the Wolfpack Beastmaster come to mind. Army builders want them, and resellers know it. Consequently, both groups pilfer the Minifigure series boxes and gobble the characters up. The result is that most people miss out or have to pay Bricklink markups to get the minifigs they want.
I am not trying to put down the army builders. That would be hypocritical. I have a hoard of Orcs and Falconers. I also have a handful of paladins, and I recently ordered a full box of Series 27 so I could have three Beastmasters. But, I am not a fan of resellers buying all the chase characters and jacking up the prices.
For the record, I am not against resellers in general. I just don’t agree with price gouging. You want to make a dollar or two on a Minifigure, fine. I’ll support you. You want to make a 300% markup? That’s greedy. Did you know the average price for one Wolfpack Beastmaster is currently about $20 CAD on Bricklink? The LEGO® Group has a unique opportunity here. They know which characters people are after. Why not offer them in bulk once the demand data is out there?
The Wolfpack Beastmaster averages about $20 CAD on Bricklink as I write this. The Dragonborn Paladin and Orc go for around $15 CAD each.
I propose releasing Minifigures Series battle packs in between official series. This way, the LEGO® Group can find out which characters are popular after a release. Subsequently, they could release just those characters in limited run battle packs for army builders. If fans know the battle pack is likely to come, they might not hoard, allowing people who only want one to buy when the series comes out.
Battle packs would also dilute the market. If the character is readily available in bulk, resellers could not charge so much for it. The LEGO® Group themselves would also make a direct profit from the battle packs, not just a sliver of the profits from a Bricklink resale. Not to mention army building would become easier and cheaper. It’s a win all around, except perhaps for the resellers. But, that’s just a random thought on this lovely Thursday.
Would you buy Minifigure Series battle packs? Is there a Minifigure I didn’t mention that you would like in bulk? Let me know what you think in the comments or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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6 responses to “Minifigures Series Battle Packs… A Thursday Thought”
This is a great idea! Like you, I’ve no objection to people making a small profit on reselling but it is not fair that people/companies with the means to grab all the desirable figures at launch are able to deprive genuine collectors and distort the market.
It would be interesting to see if Lego would be willing to make an official statement on the subject….
Yes, I’d like to hear the LEGO Groups thoughts on this… But they don’t often reveal their inner workings or process… At least not clearly.
yes please! what a great idea. you should send it to lego.
im one of those people who just want one. ive been to a number of storesd already and have not found a single beastmaster.
i dont wanna pay 20$ for one in brinklink :/
most im willing to pay for was 15$ for the falconer and the orc each.
on another note, this actually caused me to look around and ive seen not lego custom minifigures around, which brought me to a rabbit hole of militay lego alternative sets.
what are your thoughts on those?
I think battle packs would solve a lot of issues. As for military alternatives, I have not looked into them much at all… I know they exist, but they never piqued my interest enough. I have too many collections on the go already 😂. Just as a general opinion, I have no issues with them. There are some major military enthusiasts out there, why shouldn’t they be able to show it through the LEGO hobby too?
Forest men and women, more Black Falcons, Raven Knights, Wolf Pack variety packs, medieval king and queen with princess and prince, other medieval knight packs, ninjas (original type), samurai (original type), Spanish conquestadors, U.S. calvary, Orks as mentioned above. Etc.
I like this idea.
Tom, thanks for thinking of it and suggesting it.
Cheers. Cobra64
Quite the list😂. I’d probably buy all of them though.