(Written by William)
The LEGO Collectible Minifigures mystery bags are back with Series 11! And with that comes a whole new round of sore fingers trying to identify the minifigures. Hopefully we can ease some of the pain by giving you tips on what to feel for in each bag. This should cut down the time it takes to identify each collectible minifigure in this series. It should also be especially helpful for those who only want a few specific minifigs and don’t want to just blindly grab random bags.
Before we get started, I do want to point out that my technique of feeling for the minifigures usually involves ignoring the larger elements. I found that these pieces are more deceptive to the touch when it comes to identifying them. So typically I will suggest looking for smaller elements that can be identified more precisely. So let’s begin! 🙂
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Barbarian: Despite that the Barbarian is one of the few minifigs in this series with hair, it is easy to mistake it for a helmet or mask. Especially the Welder’s mask feels really close to the Barbarian’s hair. So it comes down to finding the two swords. The hilt of the swords is their most distinct feature, with the flat blade having some flexibility.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Bavarian Lady: Normally I’d suggest looking for the pretzel, but with the Mountain Climber’s rope being quite similar, you’ll actually have a better chance identifying her by looking for her hair-piece. It is a bit rubbery and feels very unique because of her two braids. They kind of feel like bunny ears! So try to find that piece first.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Constable: You’ll probably run across his helmet with no problem, however making sense of the helmet is another issue. Therefore, his billy-club is the thing to find. The problem though is that it is small, straight and can hide easily. But if you do find a small, straight piece with a bit of a ridge in the middle, that’s probably it.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Diner Waitress: The skates on this minifig will definitely catch you off guard as will the ice cream top. Her hair is so close to the Scientist’s that it’s not worth your time trying to identify it. And the goblet feels very similar to the beakers the Scientist has. All that leaves is the platter. If you have a Waiter from the earlier series you can give yourself something to practice with; the platter is oval and very flat, except for one bump in the middle of one side.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Evil Mech: If you got the previously released Battle Mech from Collectible Minifigs Series 9, this one is almost the same minifigure. The nice thing is that it also comes with a cone and megaphone piece to make up the gun. The cone can get a little tricky to make out, but if you stick with trying to find the megaphone, you’ll be in good shape.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Gingerbread Man: The head of the Gingerbreat Man is really unique. It’s a fat round element that feels like a chunky chewable vitamin. Of course if you ignore the large elements like I do, you will more than likely find the coffee mug. The mug is surprisingly easy to make out so you should have no problem finding it.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Grandma: Normally, the cat would be a great piece to look for, but if you’re not careful you can mistake it for a minifigure torso as you are feeling through the baggies. All that really leaves for good identification is her basket. Just keep in mind that it is rubbery, which makes identification a slow process. The Grandma minifigure is very rare, only two per full box, so feel lucky if you find her!
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Holiday Elf: Take your pick; pointy hat, teddy bear, 2×2 tile, or 2×2 brick. They are all distinct and easy to find, making the Holiday Elf one of the easiest minifigures to identify in the series. I personally go with either the 2×2 tile or 2×2 brick to confirm that I have the Elf. This minifig will likely be very popular for the year-end holidays, so try to get one while you can.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Jazz Musician: There’s no getting around the fact that you need to find the saxophone if you would like to identify the Jazz Musician. The hat is too close to the Scarecrow’s hat and the Jazz Musician doesn’t have much else to feel for. Fortunately, the saxophone feels pretty much like how it looks, so it shouldn’t be a problem identifying it.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Lady Robot: This is nearly an exact copy of the Clockwork Robot from LEGO Minifigures Series 6. Among its elements the two that really stand out are the neck-bracket and the square head. The turn-key is unique, but it tends to be hard to pin down while feeling through the baggie. I personally go for the neck-bracket for clear identification.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Mountain Climber: The rope is a unique piece, but it can be mixed up with the Bavarian Lady’s pretzel if you are not careful. Therefore, the pickaxe is the way to go. It is large without being confusing, and really hard to miss with its unique and easy to identify shape. Also, there is no other piece within this series that is similar to the pickaxe.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Scarecrow: The crow is like Tonto’s from the LEGO Lone Ranger sets, but it’s the pitchfork that will lead you straight to identifying this minifig. It’s big yet simple design can only be confused with the Tiki Warrior’s spear. Just take some time to feel out what’s at the head of the tool before you drop the baggie in your shopping-basket.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Scientist: With all her parts and accessories being very close to the Diner Waitress’ you’ll need to take some time to find both of the bottles. Finding only one bottle can get confused with the Diner Waitress’ goblet, so be careful there. But when you do have two bottles identified it’s fairly sure you got the Scientist.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Tiki Warrior: With a large rubbery mask, this fig can throw you for a loop. Plus the bone that goes in his hair is a bit weird when you find it. So it all comes down to the spear. It is the original spear design so it won’t bend at the tip like the new version. Hopefully your LEGO collection has exposed you to enough of the classic LEGO spear that you will have no trouble to find it.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Welder: Even though he has a lot of special equipment, the Welder can still be best found by the simple 1×1 round brick. His mask feels like other head accessories, and his torch is too thin and rubbery to rely on a tactile approach to find it. Just make sure that the 1×1 round brick is not the Evil Mech’s cone and you’ll be fine.
➡ LEGO Minifigures Series 11 Yeti: Big Star Wars fans may think they have found a Wookie head piece. Frankly, its hard to argue against how it feels quite similar. However, since I typically ignore the larger elements, I am bound to find the popsicle. Thankfully it is really hard to think of the popsicle as any other piece, nor is there another element in the series that is similar, so it is really easy to identify.
One way to quickly identify the above mentioned parts and accessories is to first shake the baggies so that all small parts fall into one corner. This way you can identify them quickly. It is also a good idea to have a printout of the minifigures with accessories that you can look at as a reference while you are searching for the minifigs you want. You can go through a whole box of Collectible Minifigures quite quickly following these simple methods, and as a bonus you will also improve your tactile skills! 😀
Hope this helps with your LEGO Collectible Minifigure hunting! They have been showing up at Toys’R’Us, Wal-Mart, Target, and other retailers, and are also available at LEGO stores and at the Online LEGO Shop. If you have your own tips and tricks on identifying them feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉
And you might also like to check out the LEGO Minifigures section for more news, reviews and discussions, or choose from the following posts:
I was waiting for this to come round 😀
I’ve got the yeti, welder, and mountain climber so far and guessed all of those correctly barely knowing the series 🙂
Nice! I’m just waiting for my TRU to carry them! 🙂
Ah, I remembered when I got the Gingerbread Man and Yeti early from WHSmith’s. I had to hastily feel for them, and although my sister wanted a scientist, I figured she’ll settle for a Gingerbread Man. The cashier was totally bewildered by what I’m doing, asking questions like “How do you know what’s inside?” and occasionally asking “Are you done?” Ah, that was great fun.
Yeah it’s always fun to feel the bags 🙂 but I must say I feel awkward when your standing in front of the cashier and they’re staring at you……..
LOL! That sounds like fun! Here store employees are very used to it. When I go to TRU to get mine, store employees and other shoppers ask me to pick out their favorites as well. So it is always like 5-10 of us around the boxes. I pick and identify them and give them to people who want them. 🙂
Admin,
What is TRU?
TRU = Toys’R’Us 😉
AHHHHHH THANK YOU
Cool guide! I really want the Holiday Elf, the Barbarian, and the Scarecrow.
Great article, I found the Female Scientist pretty easily. I didn’t have much time to feel so didn’t find the Yeti or scarecrow yet. I’ll have another TRU trip soon.
i wondered when this will come. i might have a feel tomorrow, if i have time to get a new speedor. i played with my speedorz today they r the starter set and the ravan that are new retired HAHA
you should do bump codes instead
Laval, bunp-codes are very unreliable, can change from box to box, and are hard to identify. This method is MUCH faster. 😉
I was lucky my TRU in Belleville Ontario took 5 box out at the same time. Took me an hour and 3 box to have the whole collection. The rare one goes so quick
Nice! Yeah, some of them are very rare and hard to find. Some of the previous series had 3 full collection per box, this one only got two. 😕
Thank you for the help admin! Hope I get the ones I want the next time I go shopping!
yeah, these are cool! or in this case awesome!
Thank you for this great guide!
I have found that although the various parts for waitress are difficult to identify, the sheer number of parts is a clear giveaway. If you find more than three small parts, you can be quite sure you have a waitress in hand!
I have also found that the scientist’s bottles are easy to distinguish from the waitress’ glass or the Evil Mech’s cone, if you try to pinch around the slimmest part – then you can feel the top (if bottles) the bottom (if glass) or nothing at all (if cone).
Peter, nice tipd about the the Waitress and the glass! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Nice guide again, I love these. Here in our local household items store they have a toy section where they have this box full of these bags, variating from series 1 all the way to series 10. They’re often on a discount, and the store employees are indeed staring at me like “what are you doing to our merchandise?” Wich is fun from time to time. They don’t have series 11 as of yet, though when they do, I’ll definetly try to get that cute scarecrow.
Cross, I would love to have a store like that near me! 😛
awesome!, just another small tip from a random minifig fan (obsessor) the evil mech is the only minifig in series 11 that has a bodypiece/chestplate, and that is easily distinguished by the shoulderpads and the bulkyness of it, just dont get it CONFUZLED with the tiki guy’s mask, they are both bulky but a closer feel (haha) will clarify the differences.
in other news: I NOW HAVE AN ARMY OF SPACE/ROBOT/TECH/THINGS!!!! WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO
Thanks for sharing that, good tip! I really like the mechs myself. 🙂
thanks to your tips I was able to find the grandma, the gingerbread guy, the barbarian, the elf and the yeti at my local TRU. Prior to reading your tips, I just grabbed one and it was the waitress which I didn’t want. Still feeling for the Evil Mech and Scarecrow.
Nice! Good luck with finding the remaining two! 😀
Just got the Mech as my first figure! I think I might start collecting these toys!
I felt the bigger round piece which was the gun (I thought it might be the yeti head). Good luck!
These are the best ones they had so far besides mr.gold
Maybe you can add the bump codes too, if it canwork
Maybe you can add the bump codes sometime when you can.
Admin, if you can, you can add the bump codes (dot codes)
Jack, the bump-codes are very unreliable as they can change from batch to batch and also by region.
I’ve been trying to get my hands on the Constable, but the problem is I’ve already twice mistakenly thought I’d found the helmet and the billy club only to accidently end up with the Welder.
Just got my first Lego mini figure ever today, Evil Mech!!
Next I want the Scarecrow or the Tiki Warrior ( or the Grandma)..
Thanks for making this guide!
You are welcome, and happy huntin’! 🙂
I’ve been trying to get my hands on the Constable, but I seem to keep confusing it with other things. After trying to find his club I ended up with two welders, and when I tried to find the helmet instead I accidentally got another scientist.
John, make sure you shake the baggies before you start feeling for the parts. This way you will get all small parts into one corner. For example you mentioned you accidentally got a scientist. If you would have gotten all the parts in one corner you would have noticed that there were two identical bottles – the constable has only one accessory. Also, with the welder you would have noticed that torch is made of two parts.
I think you are on the right track, just need to varify what you are finding. I highly recommend taking a printout of all the minifigures with you, and use that as a visual guide to verify what you feel. 😉
Finally, a useful guide. Now i can start to hunt scarecrow, tiki warrior and scarecrow. I tried to look for grandma’s baggies and ended up with barbarian’s hair piece
Marco, it takes a little practice, but I’m sure you will get the hang of it. When I first started feeling for minifigs I was absolutely horrible at it. I just never used my fingers for seeing before. But now I’m a lot better. Even when you know what you order (like if you would buy the minifigs on BrickLink), it is worth to feel trhough the bag before opening it. This gives you an opportunity for some more practice. 😉
Thank You!!! I was just able to find the grandma, mountain climber, gingerbread man, welder, elf and lady scientist! I was also able to identify the yeti, the policeman and several others.
Mary, glad you had a successful hunt! 😉
Thanks for the guides, they are great! I went to three stores to find all of them before the new series came out (my first complete set, yay!) and the granny and Yeti are probably my favourites in this series. Their colours are lovely! I couldn’t resist getting her twice when I was lucky enough to finally find two of her and will get her a grandpa when possible.
Man! I mistook Barbarian’s hair as Evil Mech’s Helmet. I really want Evil Mech. 🙁
2 weeks ago I bought my first Lego set in decades. The new Pirate Ship. I love it…. Since then I have been looking at the mini figs. I bought some today. All series 11. Your guide has been most helpful in identifying them. I have lots of extras/ doubles and triples. I’m more than willing to trade……
Fred, thanks for sharing! Enjoy your Pirate Ship and minifigs! If you would like to trade some of them best to do it is locally to save on the expense/hassle of shipping, and it is also a fun way to meet other local LEGO fans. 🙂
My brother always wanted the evil mech now I can finally buy him the minifigure! And I also wanted the gingerbread man. Now I can get it thanks to your tips!