(Written by William)
The #21358 LEGO Ideas Minifigure Vending Machine has been on my short list to buy as soon as it was revealed, and I guess other people felt the same, as the set kept going in and out of backorder. Also, the $179.99 price tag did give me pause. Eventually, I was able to get it for review, build it, and share my thoughts with you.
What interested me the most was the mechanism of the machine, but the set is also very popular with minifigure collectors. An amazing 16 minifigures are included in the set! The bottom line is that the set has some rather compelling features. But is it $179.99 good? Let’s find out!
LEGO MINIFIG VENDING MACHINE – THE MINIFIGS
I don’t plan to go over every minifigure in the set, as it has been out long enough. It’s easy enough to find information on all the characters. Some might even point out that several of the minifigures have duplicate copies, like the spacemen and knights. The interesting thing is that even when the minifigs repeat, they still have some unique features like accessories or male/female versions. Although the differences may be minor, the bottom line is that you get 16 distinct prizes in the machine.
This brings me to the matter of value. The best comparison is the LEGO Collectible Minifigure Series. They come in sets of 16 different characters. Granted, the LEGO Collectible Minifigure Series offers more variety, including larger elements like costumes, surfboards, and spears, but overall, it evokes the same novelty as this lot of characters.
Generally, even bland LEGO Collectible Minifigures hold their retail price of around $4.99. So, if we say that the vending machine has a full set of normal minifigures, that would equate to an $80 evaluation. That means the machine itself would need to be worth around $100, and with new elements like the prize bubbles, 90-degree curved clear wall panels, and a novel mechanism, I think the set lives up to its price.
LEGO MINIFIG VENDING MACHINE – THE MECHANISM
One way I like to judge a mechanism is by examining all the challenges it needs to overcome. So, let’s identify the challenges in this set. First, it needs to only operate if it has a coin inserted. This brings up three challenges of its own. The crank cannot move counter-clockwise; it can’t move clockwise unless it has a coin, and it has to be ready to receive a coin.
Next, the machine will need to drop one, and only one prize. Then, the machine needs to be able to reload itself to repeat the prize dispensing action. Finally, for convenience, you need the machine to have a nice way to retrieve prizes and spent coins, plus adding in that ratchet sound wouldn’t hurt either. Would you believe it? LEGO designers managed to do all this with only two rotating sections!
Before detailing how this was all done, I do want to point out some smart design decisions in general. When moving an object, like a prize bubble, it is very handy to visualize the path it will need to travel. While building the set, I noticed LEGO designers colored this path in black. This means the designer can easily look at the model in action and follow how well the design follows the path. Pathing will never be a solution to a problem by itself, but it is a fantastic tool to diagnose any issue and thus quite useful.
As for the working elements, the set has two rotating sections. One is horizontal while the other is vertical. There are other elements that move and interact with these two sections, but these additional features are passive and only react when the conditions are right.
Let’s start with the horizontal section. This contains the handle you turn, the coin slot, and two gears. Additionally, the coin slot has a latch that prevents the section from turning clockwise unless a coin pushes it out of the way. The coin slot also has a small chute off to the side, allowing the coin to exit the machine.
Moving along the section, we come to the first gear. This gear has a LEGO Technic T-connector pressed into its teeth. The connector is held in place with a rubbery lift-arm element. This setup lets the gear turn freely in a clockwise direction, but it will bind up the gear if you try to move counter-clockwise, plus it makes a ratchet sound as it clicks against the gear’s teeth. And the final gear is what turns the vertical section.
The vertical section has a few elements, but is fairly simple. First there is a circular platform with a wedge section cut out. This wedge section is just large enough to admit a single prize bubble. The other two elements are two cams with rubber lift-arm connectors sticking out in different directions. These cams help push the prize bubbles along in order to reload the wedge with a new bubble. In case this doesn’t make sense, check out the accompanying video where I try to highlight these elements while the model is partially built.
LEGO MINIFIG VENDING MACHINE – FINAL THOUGHTS
With this set, my major reservation was the price. With all the expensive sets that are out there, can this one really stand up and be worth the $179.99 asking price? Frankly, I’ve been building sets recently around the same price point, the Shelby Cobra, the Transformers Soundwave, and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and I have to say this one feels better than all of those.
It looks great from every angle. It has more interesting minifigures than others at this price point. It has a mechanism that is interesting to build and fun to play with, but not impossible to construct. It has some new parts like the prize bubbles and clear panels that give some unique build options. And it does all this while giving some serious nostalgia vibes.
Then there is the collector angle. All the minifigures are collectible and nostalgic in their own right. Builders will love the repeat elements, making this set a great parts pack. And since it is an LEGO Ideas set, it probably won’t have a long shelf life before it is retired. Honestly, I’m considering picking another one up as an investment to sell later down the line.
Overall, I highly recommend this set. Your collection would have to be extremely specialized for it not to be a good fit. For instance, if you only collect cars or trains or LEGO BrickHeadz, this set might not be for you, but even if you only collect a certain IP like Star Wars, you can replace the minifigures with Star Wars characters. Even the side panels of the machine wouldn’t be hard to decorate in the style you prefer. In short, this is a prize you want for your LEGO collection! If you want to check it out, it’s available at the LEGO Ideas section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Minifigure Vending Machine? Do you have the set already? Feel free to share your thoughts and own reviews in the comment section below!
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