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Custom LEGO printing by Minifigures.com

Today I would like to introduce you to another LEGO customizer in our featured customizers lists. Minifigures.com is a UK-based custom minifig shop, focusing on premium custom printed minifigures that they can ship all over the world. Recently I had the chance to check out their products personally, so I thought to share my review with you. 🙂

Minifigures.com Logo

Minifigures.com is a micro-business with only four people running it, based in the countryside of Hertfordshire, UK. It is a venture by the same people who run FireStar Toys, one of the largest LEGO minifig marketplaces, offering both genuine LEGO and custom minifigs and accessories. So while Minifigures.com is new, the people behind it are very familiar with the custom LEGO market. And whereas FireStar Toys is geared towards LEGO fans who are deeply into the hobby, Minifigures.com is focusing more on corporate clients and the gift market. In fact, they have already established a name for themselves; their clients include Pixar, Google, Fox Studios, Blocks Magazine and the London Excel Center. 40% of their orders are from outside of the UK, including mostly the US and Asia, along with emerging markets like China and Peru.

Minifigures.com Website

While their main target audience is corporate clients who are looking for branded merchandise or gift items, Minifigures.com also offer individual minifigures for collectors. Although their current selection is still small, they already have a nice collection of celebrities, TV and movie characters, sci-fi heroes and political figures. And I was told by Danny, who runs the company, that much more will be added in the near future, including new categories like horror, military and other popular genres.

Minifigures.com Minifigs 2

The main features Minifigures.com prides themselves on are the quality of their minifigures and their customer service. I will cover my experiences with both below, but first lets take a look at the Minifigures.com website. When I first visited the site my initial reaction was that it is very clean and easy to use with only three navigational buttons on top, then the list of minifigures they currently offer, neatly organized in categories. It is really not possible to get lost here – unlike the FireStar Toys website that is so chock-full of products, you can be looking around for a long time (it is an awesome website though with amazing items). While the minifigs pictured on the front page and the category pages are all digital images, if you click on the each characters, you can see the actual custom printed minifigure in detail. There is also a spin feature that allows you to turn the minifig around and see it from all sides, so you know exactly what you are getting.

Minifigures.com Minifigs

As Minifigures.com is a UK based company, the prices for the minifigs are listed in British Pounds, but they do ship all over the world. Shipping is a flat fee of £5.95 with global express anywhere with a 3-5 day delivery, or you can also choose standard mail which is cheaper, but also takes longer. Converting the prices from British Pounds to US Dollars, minifigs run between $20-$22, which is on par with the prices of other minifigure customizers who offer fully printed minifigs. The flat fee global express shipping converts to about $9, which is pretty high, but you get a tracking number and your package gets delivered very fast. I would say that if you are considering placing an order from outside the UK, it makes sense to get all the minifigs you want at once to minimize shipping fees.

Minifigures.com Review Sets

My package was shipped out very  fast and I was really surprised how quickly it arrived – if I remember correctly it was three days. Everything came in a sturdy white box to protect the minifigs. I got two custom printed figures; Michael Jackson in a red jacket with a microphone, and Stan Lee the legendary comic-book writer. I should mention here that the packaging of the minifigs is very impressive. They come in a sturdy plastic case with a custom-printed and full color card including the minifig’s name at the front and a little description about the character at the back.

Minifigures.com Review Sets 2

Although I really like the presentation and the packaging, one thing I was not happy about is that the clear plastic case is heat-sealed and it’s not possible to open it without damaging the package. I mentioned this to Danny, and his response was that “the packaging has been designed in such a way that it keeps the figure in place perfectly, even during transit. Unfortunately, this does mean that the figures are heat-sealed into the packaging in two spots along the side. We’ve done it this way as it enables the package to be opened without the use of scissors, making it a bit safer. It also increases the collectability of the figures as people are less likely to want to break the seal to open them, meaning the aftermarket value for the figures is much higher, almost making them an investment rather than just an impulse purchase.” As someone who likes to play with my minifigs instead of keeping them locked away, but also appreciates the nice presentation, I hope they will reconsider and come up with a packaging design that could be opened easily without damaging the case.

Minifigures.com Stan Lee

The printing on the minifigs is superb, and in fact better than LEGO’s own printing. You can especially see this on the skin-colored printing on the torso that actually matches the minifig’s head – unlike LEGO’s own, which often has the wrong shade (see the printing on Stan Lee’s neckline, and a little bit on MJ). Also note that the white shirt both on Stan Lee and MJ is actually white, without the color under it showing through. Also, extremely impressive is the tail of the jackets that falls over the hips; perfect color matching and alignment here as well, compared to LEGO’s own printing which is pretty bad at both. And, as you can see on MJ’s jacket and Stan Lee’s glasses, they can print metallic colors!

Minifigures.com Michael Jackson

Stan Lee has printing on the front and back of his torso and the head, and MJ has a front and back printed torso, head printing, and printing on his jacket sleeves (thus he is a bit more expensive). It is also nice to note that the printing is in line with the official LEGO minifig style, so although these minifigs are custom printed they blend seamlessly with other minifigures in your collection. As far as quality, you can’t get better than this. I also got this funny care guide for minifigures with my package.

Minifigures.com Packaging

Minifigures.com also offers something called Minibucks, which is basically a customer loyalty program similar to the LEGO VIP program where you earn points for future purchases. For every £1 you spend, you earn 1 Minibuck and every 50 Minibucks gets you £5 off your next order, which is like earning double VIP points. You are also able to earn Minibucks by signing up to their newsletter, and other ways may be offered in the future.

Minifigures.com Selection

All in all these minifigs are definitely top of the line. They are designed to be collectible but also built to be playable. If you are a LEGO fan who has everything and would like something unique and premium quality, or if you are looking for a very specific character for your own display, stop-motion video, or other project, Minifigures.com is an excellent place to look. These custom printed minifigures also make great gift items for others. Also, if you are looking for custom printed minifigs for an event or for your company, you can contact the folks at Minifigs.com through their website and they will walk you through the process of creating the characters you want. They definitely offer very personal service and want to make sure you are happy.

Minifigures.com Details

I hope this review helps you in case you are searching for custom printed minifigs, or a customizer who can print your own ideas. What do you think? How do you like these custom printed minifigures? Do you have a favorite? What other characters would you like to see? Feel free to share your thoughts or any questions you might have, and I will make sure Danny sees them and answers them for you. 😉

{ 25 comments… add one }
  • Strider January 28, 2015, 10:21 AM

    The Doctor! Too pricey for me to buy though, even if it is fair.

  • LegoGeek January 28, 2015, 10:33 AM

    I really like the Gama scientist, and Stan lee.

  • hippyman January 28, 2015, 11:58 AM

    Lego is coming out with a Big Bang Theory set, so Sheldon, Amy, Penny, etc, seem kind of redundant

  • Rob January 28, 2015, 12:07 PM

    These look terrific! After reading the review, I simply couldn’t resist adding a few new characters to my collection. Ordered me a King of Pop, Walter White, The Doctor and Charlie Chaplin. I can’t wait to receive them and look forward to seeing what they offer as their catalog grows!

    • admin January 28, 2015, 12:12 PM

      Rob, they will be great for your photography projects! I’m also looking forward to who else they are going to add as I really like the two I got. 🙂

    • Danny January 28, 2015, 4:26 PM

      Thanks Rob, much appreciated. We’re releasing two new figures very soon, the packaging has just been created and the figures are being photographed, if you sign up to the ‘Latest release newsletter’ we’ll be introducing earl bird subscriber discounts for the figures. It will also inform you as and when a new figure is released. We also have an RSS feed available if needed, although this will not feature the discounts.

  • Mr. Classified January 28, 2015, 1:37 PM

    Really amazing! If Danny would make a few Legend of Korra minifigs I would for sure buy them!

    • Danny January 28, 2015, 4:23 PM

      Its not something I’ve heard of before. But that kind of cartoony/ comic scene is something we are looking into. The hairs are causing us the biggest headache at the moment though as theres very few matches.

  • floridabrick January 28, 2015, 2:17 PM

    Ew, vegetables. My minifigs won’t eat em either.

  • Ninja of Stealth January 28, 2015, 2:25 PM

    Stan Lee? that’s awesome! I’m going to go check this website out!

  • Ninja of Stealth January 28, 2015, 2:38 PM

    Well now I know where to buy classic minifigures! I have a question though Admin, if you where trying to purchase one of these in US dollars would that work, And how if it did?

    • admin January 28, 2015, 2:43 PM

      When you are checking out you will have two options; either pay with Credit Card, or PayPal. I have chosen PayPal, which will automatically convert your dollars into British Pounds (and tell you exactly how much you are paying in US dollars). There is nothing you need to do; it’s a fully automated process. Credit Cards work pretty much the same way, however some cards may charge extra for foreign conversions, so it is best to check with them. But with PayPal (and with most credit cards) it’s a breeze. 🙂

      • Ninja of Stealth January 29, 2015, 1:12 PM

        that’s awesome with the PayPal thing! Thanks Admin!

    • Danny January 28, 2015, 3:33 PM

      At check out enter your address and calculate the shipping (choose your option) the final price will be calculated and shown, well before any payment details are taken. Simply then enter this amount (currently shown in British Pound Sterling, £) into either Google or a free currency conversion site such as xe.com

  • jabber-baby-wocky January 28, 2015, 4:26 PM

    Danny, if you see this, can you print Classic Space logos on other color torsos than what LEGO offers? (Like for example the Classic Space logo on orange or light blue torsos?

    • Danny January 29, 2015, 3:27 AM

      We’ll look into it 🙂

  • David Tennant Lover January 28, 2015, 5:15 PM

    Uh did any of you notice that all the figures here are exactly like firestartoys.com ? Literally they are the same! They copied them! Also please do a review on Fire Star Toys, they make really cool custom lego figures, parts, and more!

    • admin January 28, 2015, 5:19 PM

      David, please read the article. Fire Star Toys is run by the same people. 😉

    • Danny January 29, 2015, 3:25 AM

      Thanks for the concern, we’re actually the same company! We launched a custom printed figure range on Firestar and they become so popular we decided to dedicate an entire website and brand to them, as they tend to get lost amongst the 17,000 parts we have on Firestar. Minifigures.com has been designed from the ground up, with the customer experience in mind at all stages. Its mobile and tablet friendly, easy to navigate etc. etc. But yes we’re the same company behind it all.

  • David Tennant Lover January 28, 2015, 5:21 PM

    But, I will order if you make the tenth Doctor Who (David Tennant) lego. You should wait though because lego Cuusoo is reviewing two lego sets that are Doctor Who. And if you made a lego The Amazing Spider-Man 2 green goblin figure I will buy 50billion of those! Also a suggestion is to make Five Nights at Freddy’s figures due to popularity. Trust me, Five Nights at Freddy’s lego figures will sell like hot cakes.

    I’m changing my username to “David Tennant Worshipper” now, just to tell you all.

  • David Tennant Lover January 28, 2015, 5:22 PM

    admin thanks for answering. I guess I read to quick!

    • admin January 28, 2015, 5:28 PM

      No problem, I often read too fast too. 😉

  • BLProductions January 28, 2015, 6:20 PM

    Pretty neat minifigs. LEGO really needs this kind of printing quality. I’ve noticed several times that prints don’t line up, not even on LDD. I won’t be ordering any, however, partly b/c I don’t need any custom minifigs, partly because I don’t have the money right now, and partly b/c there aren’t any of particular interest to me. Not that they aren’t very nice, though. 😉
    Also, Ninjago, Ultra Agents, City, and Juniors are up on LEGO Shop US. Some of the prices are surprising, given the number of minifigs. Could be a sign of lesser minifig quality…. 😕 But a few prices are irritating, especially the UltraCopter, which is at $80! It’s not worth the price in my opinion, like the MechDragon from last year. And speaking of dragons, I can’t wait for pics of the summer Ninjago sets! 🙂

  • rainey January 28, 2015, 9:48 PM

    I’ve got 2 sons in law who would love the Dr. Who and Stan Lee characters but the prices are just tooooo stiff.

  • Chris January 28, 2015, 10:21 PM

    Wow that looks great! Too expensive tho XD

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