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Guide to feeling for LEGO Disney Minifigures

by Thita (admin) on June 9, 2016

in LEGO Minifigures

(Written by William)

I intended to get this guide ready earlier for identifying the LEGO Collectible Disney Minifigures, but a couple of things got in the way. First, my wife Sarah and I just bought our first home. Between the remodeling and moving, there was no time to look for the minifigures. Second, by the time I was able to search for this series, most of the stores I depended on were completely sold out. Nevertheless I kept searching, and finally found them. It’s better later than never, so let’s take a look at how to feel for these very popular collectible minifigures within the blind baggies! 🙂

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Aladdin: Feeling for this minifigure is relatively simple. First find the lamp. It kind of feels like a tiny oil can. Then check to make sure that the minifig legs are the normal variety, because the Genie also has the same lamp. There are only three Aladdin minifigures in a full display-box, so he is one of the rarer characters. However I do recommend trying to find him, because he is a very useful minifigure for custom LEGO creations even outside Disney.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Alice: This is another very useful minifigure that would fit well with most medieval, fantasy and even modern settings. The skirt is a good piece to feel for, but it could be a bit challenging to identify because it’s a new element. So if you are not sure how to feel for it, look for the bottle, or the 1×1 round tile. Both are easy to identify and will get you Alice. There are only three Alice minifigures in a full display-box, so this is another rare character.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Toy Story Alien: I would suggest that you start by finding the short legs first to narrow down the possibilities. Then go feeling for the head. Make sure you feel around the head carefully to find the small antenna. Otherwise you may mix him up with one of the other big-headed and short-legged characters in the series. There are four Aliens in a full display-box, so you should have no problem getting one.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Ariel: This is one of the easiest minifigures to identify in the series. Find the fishtail and you’re done. However that big hairpiece can really throw you off as it is a new large piece, and feels quite strange. But if you have the fishtail, you should have no doubts. (I should note here that Alice’s hair fits pretty loose on her head – not the best design.) There are only three Ariel minifigures in a full display-box, so she is one of the rarer characters.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Buzz Lightyear: This is the new version of Buzz, with a regular minifigure head, instead of the specialized headpiece from the LEGO Toy Story sets a few years ago. While there are a couple of unique large pieces here, there are so many unusual large elements in this series, in my experience it’s more reliable to feel for the two small wings. They are very rectangular and flat – almost like a LEGO book piece. But you can also try to locate the helmet portion of the suit. It feels like one half of a globe element. There are only three Buzz minifigures in a full display-box, so he is one of the rarer minifigs.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Captain Hook: You’ll probably locate his massive hair and hat piece first, and wonder what it is. It is a brand new, and very unusual piece that is difficult to identify without being able to compare it to anything else that we already know. The brim of the hat will have a funny knob on one side, while being smooth on the other. If you think you found a strange piece that might be the hat, try looking for the sword. It is very thin, feels like an antenna, but bendable. There are three Captain Hook minifigures in a full display-box, so he is also rare.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Cheshire Cat: Star by finding the short legs to narrow down the options. Then try to see if you can find the tail. It’s rubbery so it will bend a bit and feels different than normal LEGO elements. The head is similar to that of the Alien and Stitch, and they also have short legs, so looking for the tail can really set the Cheshire Cat apart. There are three Cheshire Cats in a full display-box, making this another rare character.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Daisy Duck: Start by looking for her bow. It feels a bit like a small bone piece. There are only two minifigures with a bow, Daisy and Minnie, so once you found the piece, start checking out the head. If it doesn’t have big round ears then you found Daisy. There are only three Daisy minifigures in a full display-box, so yeah, she is rare too.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Donald Duck: The best piece to look for to identify this minifigure is the small hat. It feels a lot like the LEGO roller skate piece, and would set him apart from Daisy Duck, who has the same headpiece. Also, note that both Donald and Daisy has a small tail that you attach between the torso and leg-assembly. This is a small rubbery piece that is hard to identify. If you run into it and can’t tell what it is, just ignore the piece and try to find something else to identify. There are three Donald Duck minifigures in a full display-box, so match the number of Daisy Ducks.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Genie: Just like with Aladdin, the best item to look for is the lamp. If you do find the lamp, check out the leg piece. If it feels normal, it is Aladdin, if it can’t move and has a little swirly section, it is the Genie. There are four Genies in a full display-box, so this minifigure is quite common – you should have no problem finding one.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Maleficent: Find the dress-slope and you are done. This is one of the easiest minifigures to identify in the series, because that dress-slope is a very obvious square piece – unlike all the strange big pieces in the other packages. This minifigure comes with a beautiful headgear, but it is best to just stick with identifying the slope. There are only three Malificent minifigures in a full display-box, so she is one of the rarer ones also.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Mickey Mouse: Mickey is a bit tricky. Start by locating a head with large round ears. Make sure it doesn’t have short legs, because then it could be Stitch. Finally check if there are any accessories so you don’t mix him up with Minnie. If the head is big, has large ears, the legs are normal, and there are no accessories, you found Mickey. There are four Mickey minifigures in a full display-box, so you should be able to find one.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Minnie Mouse: Here, again, go for the head with large ears. Then look for her bow, which feels like a small bone element. You can further verify by finding the skirt piece to differentiate her from Mickey Mouse. There are four Minnie Mouse minifigures in a full display-box, so she should be easy to find also.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Mr. Incredible: First locate the 2×2 tile. This is an easy piece to find. However Syndrome also got a 2×2 tile, so you need to be able to differentiate them. This can be done by feeling for the hairpiece. If the hair feels unusual, it is Syndrome, if it feels like a normal minifig hair, it is Mr. Incredible. There are four Mr. Incredible minifigures in a full display-box, so he is pretty common.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigures Peter Pan: Look for the two knives. They are attached by a small bar, forming a “U” shape. This is another minifigure that is going to be very useful for medieval and fantasy settings. Unfortunately there are only three of them in a full display-box, so it’s one of the rarer minifigure in the series.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigure Series Stitch: The big-eared head is easy to locate, but there are so many big-headed minifigures in this series, you will need to confirm that this minifigure also has short legs. The other short-legged, big-headed characters are the Cheshire Cat, and the Toy Story Alien. So make sure you don’t mix Stitch up with those. The ears should be big and longish. There are four Stitch minifigures in a full display-box, so he is plentiful and very adorable.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigure Series Syndrome: Just like with Mr. Incredible, start with finding the 2×2 tile. Once you got that, look for the hairpiece. The hair feels very weird. Essentially, if you run across a minifigure hairpiece that feels basic, that’s Mr. Incredible. Anything else is this guy. There are four Syndrome minifigures in a full display-box, so he is also common.

➡ LEGO Disney Minifigure Series Ursula: This is a very unusual minifigure with some really strange new elements. Adding to the confusion could be all the other new large pieces in the series that are hard to differentiate. So it is best to bypass all of that, and go for the simplest piece. Find her trident and you’re done. There are three Ursula minifigures in a full display-box, so she is rare.

This series is full of many large and unusual elements that are hard to identify. There are also very few accessories that are normally easy to feel for. So you may need to take a bit more time to find the minifigures you want. It is also a good idea to have a printout of the characters with you as a reference, so you can visualize them as you are searching though the bags. On the positive side, you will further enhance your tactile skills.

Hope this guide helps with hunting for the LEGO Disney minifigures! They should still be available at some LEGO retailers, and you can also get them on BrickLink or eBay. 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:

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Using pieces from LEGO Minecraft The Village

by Thita (admin) on June 8, 2016

in Building Techniques

(Written by Geneva – gid617)

After having been available to LEGO VIP members for several weeks, the #21128 LEGO Minecraft The Village set is now released to the general public. Though I spent several hours building it according to the instructions (with a few friendly delays from “helpful” younger siblings), I decided to go ahead and tear it apart and see what else I could build from the included parts. I was especially curious about using all those medium-dark-flesh color elements that are so abundant in the set. 🙂

In general I’m not so interested in how a LEGO set turns out after wading through the instructions. I’m more curious about using the official set as a springboard for my own creations, using the same pieces and/or techniques. So I wanted to combine the parts that came with the LEGO Minecraft The Village set from my perspective as a LEGO artist – if I can lay claim to the title. For a more traditional review check out: LEGO Minecraft The Village Review

#21128 LEGO Minecraft The Village Layout

That said, let’s take a bit of general look at the set itself, before we see what its components are useful for. Building it was slightly tedious and repetitive, but there are sections – notably the opening roof of the butcher’s building – that are pretty clever and interesting. And I would be the first to admit that the farm in the center is really cute! But the real punch of the set would have to lie in the choice of colors; particularly medium-dark-flesh. The Village includes several Minecraft minifigures, which are kind of cute with their blocky heads, and really are an interesting cross-over between the completely block-oriented Minecraft world, and the somewhat more versatile LEGO world.

#21128 LEGO Minecraft The Village Details

As a LEGO fan who knows virtually nothing about Minecraft, my first impression upon seeing this set was less than amazing. It appeared blocky, full of studs, and no section jumped out to wow me. Sure, it’s huge – which is great – but it just seemed like there must be a cooler way to use 1,600 pieces.

However that’s the beauty of LEGO; you don’t have to stick with what’s pictured on the front of the box. This set is a goldmine of basic LEGO elements. The sheer quantity of dark-grey, light-grey, brown, and medium-dark-flesh is really impressive. And there are lots of other intriguing pieces; plant parts, printed tiles, and clear bricks – to name a few. So I tried to put together a couple of my own custom LEGO creations, to whet your appetite for what else these parts can be useful for.

The insane amount of medium-dark-flesh bricks was probably what struck me first about this set. With my background in medieval LEGO creations – and with the help of those masonry-bricks – a castle-style building was definitely in order! Please note that I have also added a number of pieces that are not part of the LEGO Minecraft The Village set.

Another somewhat rare color that is present in the LEGO Minecraft The Village in large quantities is bright-green. There are ten 12×6 bright-green plates, which is enough to build quite a sizable footprint.

There are also a good number of plant parts – particularly in brown. These are always useful to add a bit of flare to a LEGO model.

I used both bright-green plates and brown “flowers” in this beachside vignette. Again, please note that the rest of the parts aren’t from the LEGO Minecraft The Village set.

Also remarkable are the transparent pieces; quite a few clear windows and several bricks in green and blue. I was not able to find a use for these right off the bat, but I’m sure they will come in handy someday!

The amount of 2×2 jumper-plates in this set is another very striking collection of pieces. Jumper-plates are very useful for offsetting and being able to turn other pieces attached to them.

In the picture below you can see me using those jumper-plates at the top of the wall section to create some decorative details. And I also took advantage of all the medium-dark-flesh elements for the floor and wall.

Last but not least, there are quite a few pieces included that are unique to the Minecraft theme, or this set in particular. Fortunately, they are still generic looking enough to use them in other applications. For example the blocky printed patterns on the tiles could work as screens or cushions, and the bases for the Creeper and Enderman just take a bit of creativity.

Here I have used the green piece from the Creeper in a micro space-racer, although with applying so many stickers it has become all but invisible.

There were quite a few other pieces in the LEGO Minecraft The Village that caught my attention, but this is just a smattering in the hopes that you will be inspired to build your own creations with whatever LEGO pieces you have on hand. If you are considering getting this set, its usefulness as a parts-pack is certainly a point in its favor. Most of the pieces would be appropriate for almost any genre of building, and the large quantities of unique colors sets LEGO Minecraft The Village apart. It is available under the LEGO Minecraft section of the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? What is your impression of this set? Have you considered what uses you might put its pieces to? Does this brief overview inspire you to do some building on your own? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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Guide to feeling for LEGO Disney Minifigures

Using pieces from LEGO Minecraft The Village

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