{"id":13958,"date":"2011-08-15T02:40:59","date_gmt":"2011-08-15T07:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=13958"},"modified":"2012-04-16T03:48:10","modified_gmt":"2012-04-16T08:48:10","slug":"vault-review-lego-minifigures-series-5-decoder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=13958","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review: LEGO
Minifigures – Series 5 (+ Decoder)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Over the weekend our local ToysRUs received their first batch of LEGO Minifigures Series 5. I\u2019d been anticipating this for the last couple weeks, making sure to visit each time they got a new truck in. Friday night paid off and I spent way too long deciphering dots and crinkling baggies. Man, I miss those barcodes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 This time around the LEGO Group has made decoding by the dots a bit trickier.\u00a0 The figures are now being produced in batches and the dot patterns are changed between each batch.\u00a0 You can find the batch number stamped in the area where the dots appear.\u00a0 Our cheat sheet is based off of batch #125B1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This series is colored in a dark blue packaging, and like usual, Toys R Us is the first to get the new series in. But there\u2019s a little different setup this time. It seems TRU and The LEGO Group have made arrangements to carry these figures specifically on the endcaps of the LEGO aisles. Instead of boxes TRU is putting them on pegs, similar to Target. But the good news is they\u2019re back down to $2.99 here.<\/p>\n

Click here to go directly to our Printable Decoder<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unless otherwise noted, the figures below all have new heads, torsos, and legs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
#1 Boxer<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nI like the Boxer way more than I thought I would. He\u2019s got a brand new headgear piece, but my favorite part is his gloves. I expected they would just make giant gloves to fit over his hands, but instead they created new boxing glove hands that replace the normal minifigure hands. This way they don\u2019t look cartoonishly big. Hopefully we\u2019ll see a guy in another color or trunks and gloves for him to spar with soon. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: This one\u2019s a bit hard, but you can feel for the larger gloves on his torso piece.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#2 Cavewoman<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThis Cavewoman is pretty cute for a Stone-Age gal. She\u2019s kind of got a puzzled look on her face, like she\u2019s trying to figure something out. I also like the little dirt smudge on her cheek. Plus, she\u2019s got that Pebbles Flintstone vibe with her red hair tied up with a bone. There\u2019s also a great cavegirl bikini printed on the front and back of her torso, and that little onyx jewel she\u2019s wearing is a nice touch. She\u2019ll make a great date for the caveman of Series 1. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for her large club.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#3 Egyptian Queen<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThe Egyptian Queen is a great LEGO representative of Cleopatra with her shining gold jewelry and white dress. She also makes a great partner for Series 2\u2019s Pharaoh. I just wish she came with more than just a green snake. A LEGO ankh would have been pretty cool, or even just a new scepter. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: It\u2019s very easy to feel for the large sloped brick that\u2019s the bottom of her dress.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#4 Small Clown<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nI\u2019m really curious how many circus themed characters are going to be made. This Small Clown fits in great with the regular Clown and Ringmaster from previous waves. Plus, he comes with pies to throw at people. You\u2019ve got to love that. Also, his bowler hat is a great new piece and I can\u2019t wait for it to appear in more traditional browns and blacks. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the round serrated edges to his pie.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#5 Evil Dwarf<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nI had no idea this dwarf was evil until I checked the LEGO website. But I guess not all dwarves are happy just digging through the earth for a living. I really love these fantasy dwarves. It\u2019s just too bad that their sculpted beards cover up most of the great printings on their faces and chests. This guy has an all new armor pattern and face, but you can\u2019t see most of it when he\u2019s wearing everything. The Evil Dwarf comes with a double bladed axe and a shield with a new pattern. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: This one\u2019s a bit difficult, but you can feel for the stick to his axe handle or his winged helmet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#6 Ice Fisherman<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nSomeone at The LEGO Group is obsessed with fishing I think. This is the third series in a row to include a fishing character. Not that I mind, I just think it\u2019s odd how many we\u2019re getting. But it makes much more sense for the Ice Fisherman to have a fishing pole instead of a gnome. Plus, I really like the hood on his parka since he can actually turn his head in it. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the long and thin fishing pole.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#7 Fitness Instructor<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThis Fitness Instructor looks a lot like the Pop Star from Series 2. Is this a future look at her after her career\u2019s downhill a bit? What I really find odd about this character is how much she reminds me of the 80\u2019s. I don\u2019t know why, I just get that vibe from her. Maybe it\u2019s all the garish colors? Even her boom box is a bright purplish pink. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the rectangular boom box with its textured speakers.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#8 Gangster<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThey did a great job of giving this Gangster a wiseguy face. With his pencil-thin mustache and mischievous look, you know he\u2019s up to no good. I also really like his pinstripe suit. You don\u2019t see too many of those in LEGO fashion. The Gangster comes with a revolver and an empty violin case. The machine gun\u2019s too big to fit in it, but it looks like it can hold a LEGO violin. I wonder if we\u2019ll be seeing that new piece soon. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the thick and oddly shaped violin case.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#9 Gladiator<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nI\u2019m really surprised by how historically accurate this Gladiator is. The tampoed armor on his body looks fantastic, and they even printed the customary manica armor going down his right arm. The two new pieces in this set are also terrific. There\u2019s his short gladius sword and his large fish-shaped murmillo helmet. Not only does the helmet have great sculpted details, but you can even see his eyes through the holes in the faceplate. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the short sword or the large helmet with its jutting fin.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#10 Graduate<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThe Graduate is one of those character\u2019s I never would have thought of making. Dressed up in his nicest sweater and slacks, his graduation robes are a fabric piece that goes around his neck like a cape. I actually really like it and would rather see the Harry Potter characters in this rather than a cape. The Graduate also comes with a brand new mortarboard with a molded tassel hanging down and diploma to hang on his wall. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Try to feel for the small square shape of the mortarboard hat.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\n\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
#11 Lizard Man<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nMy second favorite figure in series 5, after the Gladiator, is the Lizard Man. His bio is one of the funnier ones because he loves dressing up in costume and trying to destroy cities, i.e., Godzilla. This guy\u2019s head and tail piece are completely new, and awesome. The tail piece even sits loosely around his neck peg so that it completely covers the yellow part of his head that sticks down below mask. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the serrated and slightly curved tail.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#12 Lumberjack<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThe Lumberjack is my third favorite character in this series. I really love his new axe piece. I also love the great printing they did on his shirt to make it resemble flannel. Then there\u2019s his baseball cap with a beaver printed on it, how much more winning can you get? The only thing this guy is missing is a shotgun and a beer. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the axe.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#13 Royal Guard<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThe Royal Guard has a pretty basic LEGO body except for his hat, and oh what a hat it is. Similar to the bearskin hats in real life, these LEGO hats are humongous on their tiny heads. They\u2019ve also got a nicely sculpted furry texture to them. The guard\u2019s body has a nice uniform printing on the torso. He also comes with a brown modern rifle, which you don\u2019t see often. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the large hat, it\u2019s hard to miss.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#14 Detective<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nLEGO may call him Detective, but they can\u2019t fool us. We all know this is Sherlock Holmes in brick form. I really love the look on his face, like he\u2019s studying a clue. His only new piece is his trademark deerstalker hat, which has a nice checkered pattern. He also comes with a magnifying glass. But I\u2019m a little disappointed they didn\u2019t include his trademark Inverness cape. It would have really made the figure perfect. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the unique shape of the magnifying glass.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#15 Snowboarder Guy<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThe LEGO ski trails are starting to fill out with the Snowboarder Guy. He\u2019s a great addition to the Snowboarder Girl and Skiing guy from previous series. He\u2019s got a pretty casual look about him though, and doesn\u2019t seem as hard core as the other two. No new pieces here, but he does have that cool knit cap in a new color and his own unique printed snowboard. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the long curved snowboard.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#16 Zookeeper<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\nThis Zookeeper is so dedicated to her job that she came with an animal! We\u2019ve had LEGO monkeys before, but not a little chimpanzee like this. This little guy is molded one piece, but he can hold things between his head and raised hand. She, or maybe it\u2019s the chimp, also comes with a banana. She\u2019s also got some nicely detailed printing on her uniform. Decoding Tip<\/strong>: Feel for the curved banana.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n

\nClick for Printable Version<\/em><\/caption>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>Even though the barcodes have been removed from the packages, there are still ways to root out what’s inside. On the bottom on the back of each package is a series of slightly raised dots and the stamped batch number that they correspond with. Each figure has its own unique set of dots. They can be difficult to see, but we have compiled a new cheat sheet to point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n

This decoder is for Batch #125B1<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you save this decoder and print it from a picture viewing program “as is” (no enlarging\/scaling to fit) it should print to scale with the packages to let you compare between the decoder and the packages easier.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although there are a couple of accessories I wished they would have added to the wave, this is a pretty decent wave all around. This is the first wave where we haven\u2019t had a monster-like character though. Hopefully they\u2019ll get back to that soon. My vampire, werewolf, Frankenstein, and mummy need more friends.
\n-Vault<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the weekend our local ToysRUs received their first batch of LEGO Minifigures Series 5. I\u2019d been anticipating this for the last couple weeks, making sure to visit each time they got a new truck in. Friday night paid off and I spent way too long deciphering dots and crinkling baggies. Man, I miss those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[126,34,10],"tags":[1144,2577,544,1151],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-3D8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16587,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=16587","url_meta":{"origin":13958,"position":0},"title":"Vault Review: LEGO Minifigures Series 6 (+ Decoder)","date":"February 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"LEGO Minifigures Wave Six has been showing up all over the last couple weeks. Thanks to my local ToysRUs I was able to snag a complete set with relatively little hassle this time around. We have our decoder ready to go, but this time it\u2019s we\u2019re doing things a little\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lego"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10415,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=10415","url_meta":{"origin":13958,"position":1},"title":"Vault Review: Lego Minifigures – Series 3 (+ Decoder)","date":"December 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s Christmas time, and you know what that means: Lego Minifigures Series 3 (#8803)! Just in time to be the perfect stocking stuffers, this 3rd release has a little something for everyone. But this time around it\u2019s going to be a little more difficult to find the specific ones you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lego"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21622,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21622","url_meta":{"origin":13958,"position":2},"title":"Review Round-Up (October 15th-21st)","date":"October 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Review Round-Up was interesting this week. We've got older toys I never knew existed courtesy of new addition Memories of ToyMorrow, Cool and Collected continues their King Kong barrage, and apparently IAT\u2019s the uncool kid on the block \u2013 I feel like the only guy not buying & reviewing Prometheus\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5750,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=5750","url_meta":{"origin":13958,"position":3},"title":"Vault Review: Lego Minifigures – Series 1 (+ Codebreaker)","date":"May 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I was never content with the complacent yellow faces Lego men had when I was a kid. I still remember the first time I saw the Pirates theme in the 90s. These Lego men, although still smiling, now had beards, stubble, and sideburns \u2013 not to mention an occasional hook\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lego"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18742,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18742","url_meta":{"origin":13958,"position":4},"title":"Vault Review: LEGO Minifigures Series 7 (+ Decoder)","date":"May 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Usually I first see and pick up my set of minifigures at Toys R Us, but this time it seems they\u2019re hitting all the stores at the same time. The first ones I found were at Wal-Mart, but over the next couple days both my TRU and Target also got\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lego"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31512,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=31512","url_meta":{"origin":13958,"position":5},"title":"Ant-Man Toy Week! LEGO Marvel Ant-Man Final Battle Review","date":"July 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Lego"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13958"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13958"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13969,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13958\/revisions\/13969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}