LEGO® Minecraft are taking a different direction in 2019 with the new subtheme BigFigs, which features yet another new scale of Minecraft build. 21148 Steve with Parrot, 21149 Alex with Chicken and 21150 Skeleton with Magma Cube will be released 1st January and we asked Jonas Kramm to investigate the new pieces that come in these sets.
The trend that LEGO® Minecraft sets are privileged to include new elements continues. Usually these are specific Minecraft moulds such as the tools and heads (which I’ve recently explored) but sometimes also includes pieces that aren’t so specialised, that will be used in other sets and themes afterwards as well. Let’s take a look at the new Minecraft sets called BigFig Series 1, and see what is new.
In the range of three BigFigs Series 1 sets we get a whopping five different colours, but in small volumes unfortunately, as listed here:
While this new mould wasn’t on many wish lists I guess, it is still very useful as it allows for new ways of implementing sideways ‘SNOT’ connections.
To see what the piece might inspire me to do, I had a short building session and came up with some quick builds.
I started with a pair of modern chairs.
My classic Super Mario Bob-omb makes use of the new mould to connect the eyes.
By using it in combination with the large inverted bracket, Angular Plate 1.5 Bot. 1X2 2/2 (Design ID 99207), it’s easy to change the building direction from upwards to sideways to upwards again.
And for this retro wind-up robot I used the pieces as the head.
To see the sheer size of these three weapons better, I placed them on a baseplate. I set them at 45° so that the studs match the LEGO grid. They have studs on the backside too, which are in the same locations, but are hollow studs instead.
There will be creative ways to use these big weapons for sure but we might explore these later once we have some more to hand. But maybe you already have some good ideas? Let us know in the comments!
In BigFigs Series 1 you get a different 2x4 tile in each set for the figure’s face (Alex: Element ID 6252609, Steve: 6253171, Skeleton: 6253168) and two smaller tiles for the eyes of the Magma Cube (6176367) and the chicken (6252693) but note that the tile for the Magma Cube was already used in set 21130 The Nether Railway.
To summarise, I think these three Minecraft sets contain some great universal pieces, although you only get the new pieces in rather small numbers. I recommend getting Steve for some good Dark Brown pieces and Alex for the Sand Green.
Tile 2x2 with vertical 1x2 plate (Design ID 41682)
First is the “Minecraft feet”, a piece that Elspeth already mentioned as one of the new elements in the Corner Garage. In these sets it gets used for a variety of different purposes, but primarily for the feet of the figures, what gave the piece this nickname.
In the range of three BigFigs Series 1 sets we get a whopping five different colours, but in small volumes unfortunately, as listed here:
21148 Steve with Parrot
- Two Dark Stone Grey [TLG]/Dark Bluish Gray [BL] (Element ID 6250018)
- One Brick Yellow [TLG]/Tan [BL] (6253003)
21149 Alex with Chicken
- Two Dark Stone Grey (6250018)
- One Bright Yellow [TLG]/ Yellow [BL] (6253273)
21150 Skeleton with Magma Cube
- Two White (Element ID 6250019)
- One Black (Element ID 6250020)
While this new mould wasn’t on many wish lists I guess, it is still very useful as it allows for new ways of implementing sideways ‘SNOT’ connections.
In the examples above you can see a few parts and techniques that had to be employed to get a similar positioning for the studs and tubes before the release of this new mould. The Minecraft feet make it much easier and also allow for connections on both sides of the vertical section.
To see what the piece might inspire me to do, I had a short building session and came up with some quick builds.
I started with a pair of modern chairs.
By using it in combination with the large inverted bracket, Angular Plate 1.5 Bot. 1X2 2/2 (Design ID 99207), it’s easy to change the building direction from upwards to sideways to upwards again.
And for this retro wind-up robot I used the pieces as the head.
Minecraft Big Weapons
Aside from the “Minecraft feet” the three sets also introduce three other Minecraft-specific weapon moulds:- a sword (Element ID 6249884|Design ID 41651) in 21149 Alex with Chicken
- a pickaxe (6253410|41654) in 21148 Steve with Parrot
- a bow (6249883|41657) in 21150 Skeleton with Magma Cube
To see the sheer size of these three weapons better, I placed them on a baseplate. I set them at 45° so that the studs match the LEGO grid. They have studs on the backside too, which are in the same locations, but are hollow studs instead.
There will be creative ways to use these big weapons for sure but we might explore these later once we have some more to hand. But maybe you already have some good ideas? Let us know in the comments!
Recolours
It was a pleasant surprise to find some very useful recolours of existing elements in two of these three sets.
- Angular Plate 1,5 Top 1X2 1/2 in Brick Yellow (Element ID 6249809|Design ID 99781). There are two in 21149 Alex with Chicken and in 21148 Steve with Parrot
- Angular Plate 1.5 Bot. 1X2 1/2 in Sand Yellow [TLG]/Dark Tan [BL] (6250168|99780). The very first bracket to come in this colour. Again, there are two in 21149 Alex with Chicken and in 21148 Steve with Parrot
- Brick 1X1 w. 1 Knob in Dark Brown (6251021|87087). The very first SNOT brick to come in this colour and there are two in 21148 Steve with Parrot
- Brick 1X2 With Cross Hole in Sand Green (6251021|31493). You get four in 21149 Alex with Chicken
- Plate 1X4 in Dark Brown (6252667|3714) . There are two in 21148 Steve with Parrot
Printed Parts
As in all Minecraft sets, decorated parts are always printed rather than stickered.
To summarise, I think these three Minecraft sets contain some great universal pieces, although you only get the new pieces in rather small numbers. I recommend getting Steve for some good Dark Brown pieces and Alex for the Sand Green.
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I definitely love that new bracket! In terms of the way it connects parts, it actually reminds me most of part 3956... though its much more compact form factor seems like it'll make it useful indeed!
ReplyDeleteAs for the weapons, while they seem much more specialized, I could see uses for them. The first one that comes to mind is connecting four of the bow pieces together to make a ring... or maybe just two of them, to form the semicircular holder for a globe!
Love the feet on your Bob-omb!
Will this thing please die!?
ReplyDeleteHaha - do you mean Minecraft in general or Bigfigs specifically?
DeleteMaybe the bow piece could be used to build bridges? I could also see it being used as a decorative element over an entrance.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, the chicken eyes tile looks like the most useful printed part, although perhaps it could be hard to find in big enough supply.
ReplyDelete