This year marks the 40th anniversary of the LEGO® Minifigures and to celebrate this landmark achievement, the series 18 crew are ready to party! We’ve joining in those celebrations by taking at early look at the new gang of characters, which will hit stores on April 1st. Series 18 includes 17 new characters including one very special chap only included in each box of LEGO Minifigures Series 18 once. So grab a slice of cake, pour yourself a fizzy drink and pop on a party hat, for our review of LEGO Minifigures Series 18: Party!







LEGO Minifigures Series 18 Review

Spider Suit Boy

“The Spider Suit Boy isn’t really into parties, but he loves any chance to surprise, or even scare, his fellow Minifigures.”

The Spider Suit Boy may not be the most colourful minifigure, but he certainly has a lot going on. Two new elements are used to create the spidery suit – a spider body pack piece and a new helmet element. The spider body is made from the rubbery material often used for pointy pieces and connects via the neck. I’m not sure if it’s by design, but this back section doesn’t sit flat to the back of the minifigure. The spider head is accomplished by a new helmet style hood, once combined with the rest of the minifigure is really does look like a spider of sorts. The head element has two different face prints, with the non-scared one being one of the best in the series, with just a hint of a fang, poking out of the Spider Suit Boys mouth.

Race Car Guy

“The Race Car Guy likes to do everything fast. He’s sure to be the first one to arrive at the party!”

Nothing says party like a wacky costume and the Race Car Guy certainly fits the bill. A standard race car driver is transformed with a new race car element that connects between the legs and torso, it even has working wheels. It’s a fun concept but the car looks a little too much like a Kinder Egg toy, it would of been nice if it looked a little more LEGO like, but considering it’s sized that may have been a little difficult to achieve without looking odd. But a real missed opportunity is the livery of both the driver and the car, Octan is a much loved in world LEGO brand and would of looked great splashed on the car and race suit. That being said the print detail is great, with stuff on the legs, torso, car and even the helmet, not to mention the killer sideburns of the head. Plus the ace little nod to Rocket Racer from the LEGO Racers games.

Flowerpot Girl

“The Flowerpot Girl decided to bring the colours and beauty of a garden to the anniversary festivities.”

Simple yet effective, at first glance the Flowerpot Girl may seem a little plain compared to some of her other Series 18 chums, but she has two brand new elements and they make for one great minifigure. The obvious stand out new piece is the plant pot, this has two holes in the top section, which sits over the legs, the torso is then popped over the top. The allows for the legs to just stick out below the base of the pot. The other new element is the Flower petal hat, again simple with minimal detail but the petals and leaves are perfectly sculpted. Although you can’t really see it that well, a fun little stem is featured on the torso, which is a great bit of detail. The Flowerpot Girl also has two different facial expressions, one happy and the other a little sad.

Dragon Suit Guy

“The Dragon Suit Guy loves to make things hot and puts jalapeños or hot sauce on everything. EVERYTHING. He’s even brought a bottle of hot sauce to heat up the celebration.”

The mighty dragon has appeared in many different forms an across a number of LEGO themes and now he has arrived in Minifigure form. The Dragon Suit Guy has more than a passing resemblance to the Red Dragon from the 2013 return of the Castle theme. The dragon head is a brand new piece and has two holes at the top, in which two black horn pieces can be connected. It’s a pretty detailed new piece, that includes the sculpt and print detail. The wings are a recoloured versions of those used on the Monsters Series Gargoyle. The tail connects atop the legs and between the torso, which has great dragon scale print detail. The Dragon Suit Guy is another series 18 character to include two different expressions, roarsome and smiley.

Birthday Party Boy

“The Birthday Party Boy is thrilled to join the celebration and can’t wait to see all his favorite Minifigures.”

The Birthday Party Boy is one of only two short legged and he’s also one dapper little dudes. Despite the short legs, they feature print detail to resemble shorts and shoes. The torso is awesome and has an air of LEGO VP of design Matthew Ashton about him. Fun fact this minifigure is actually based on the son of the head of LEGO Minifigures, who herself is the inspiration for the Series 13 Diner Waitress. Beyond the great graphic design on the minifigure, a 2×2 box is include, this is a little like a shortened create box element. So although it looks like a 2×2 brick, it’s actually hollow with a 2×2 tile acting has the lid. There’s also a 1×1 printed tile, which is you look close enough is actually a packet of LEGO Minifigures Series 1. The new cowlick hair style is a nice addition. You’ll also notice a new balloon element, this is a single element, with the balloon part sculpted to look more like an actual balloon, compared to past efforts.

Birthday Party Girl

“The Birthday Party Girl is excited to be the youngest guest at the party. In fact, she is brand new!”

The Birthday Party Girl, is similar to her male counterpart, although she is quite a sharp looking. Just like the Birthday Party Boy, a box element is included which features print detail and houses a couple of tasty sweet treats – a doughnut and a jammie biscuit. The balloon is featured agin but in a different colour, you’ll notice it has an odd looking grip at the bottom of the balloons string, this is to allow it to be held by a minifigure hand and not to have the rest of the string in the same thickness.

Elephant Girl

“The Elephant Girl has been waiting all year to dance in her costume at the big party, and nothing’s going to keep her from having fun – not even that mouse!”

The Elephant Girl has definitely been inspired by Dumbo, where else can you find a ballerina jumbo. Although the body is quite plain, the new elephant head piece makes it a fun addition. The ballerina skirt is the same as the one used on past Minifigures such as the Ballerina and The LEGO Batman Movie’s Fairy Batman. As cool as the elephant hat is, the brane new mouse elements just trumpety trumps it. The old mouse element has seen better days, and looks very dated these days, this new one has coloured detail. Which helps to define the eyes, nouse and tail. It’s one of my favourite of the new elements introduced with this series.

Unicorn Guy

“Swords! Wizards! Goblins! Glitter! The Unicorn Guy is bringing an epic quest for the other party guests to enjoy.”

The Unicorn Guy is pretty much a recoloured version of the Series 13 Unicorn Girl. Instead of white, the torso, tail, legs and head piece are all now in pale blue. He also includes a golden sword and a pretty cool old school shield, featuring a unicorn motif. I prefer this blue version compared to the white one, and the sword and shield ass to the Unicorn Guy’s coolness.

Firework Guy

“Who likes countdowns? The Firework Guy likes countdowns! No matter the theme of the occasion, he’ll find a reason to 3-2-1 … explode with good cheer!”

Another new element is introduced with the Firework Guy, but despite the cool new rocket piece, which sits over the body of the minifigure, it’s one of my least favourites. The face print doesn’t seem to fit the character and it’s a shame that the after burner flame, doesn’t extend down the legs a little more.

Cowboy Costume Guy

“The Cowboy Costume Guy is a total goofball! After all, he did come to the party dressed up as a cowboy riding around on a horse.”

When the Series 18 characters where first rumoured, the one wearing a horse costume sounded quite intriguing and thankfully is better than I imagined. It’s a clever use of elements to create the overall look, with a tail sitting over the top of the legs, both of which are coloured brown. Then a brand new element styled on the classic LEGO horse, sits over the shoulders but hangs over the front of the torso, like an apron. This too is coloured brown so when combined, it looks like a rearing horse. At first getting the head to sit flush against the torso is a little tricky, but once the horse piece is wriggled around the head slots in nicely.

Cat Costume Girl

“The Cat Costume Girl is a friendly feline who just adores parties. She gets to climb on all of the furniture and make new friends!”

The Cat Costume Girl brings back memories of the Legends of CHIMA characters, with the new head piece made to just about resemble at cat. Although hidden behind the mask, the head print is made to look like a feline as well with whiskers and a nose printed upon it. Both the legs and torso arms use the recently introduced dual mould peices. The lower part of each is actually made from a completely different colour ABS. As an added bonus you get a newly recoloured blue fish.

Party Clown

“With his hat full of balloons and fun, the Party Clown is here to be the wacky and whimsical life of the party!”

Jelly, ice cream maybe a bouncy castle, all these things scream party, but you can’t get anymore party than a colourful balloon modelling clown. You certainly wouldn’t lose this chap in a crowd, with his lime legs and hat, which is a recoloured Penguin top hat piece. The torso is a mixture of orange and purple, with a material piece used to create the clowns wacky coat tails. But by far the best part of the Party clown is the impressive new balling modelled animals. There are two included, one pink and one green, both in transparent. They are great new pieces, which I can’t see cropping up much elsewhere.

LEGO Brick Suit Guy

“The LEGO Brick Suit Guy’s favourite thing to do is put together LEGO sets, one brick at a time! Even at a party.”

One of the most anticipated of the Series 18 characters is the Brick Suit Guy (and girl) we’ll be taking a better look at them both a little later, but for now the main body of the minifigures is actually a 2×3 brick, which can have legs slotted into the base and the head piece sitting just below the surface of the actual brick piece. His red coloured costume is compliments with a blue 1×1 square tile.

LEGO Brick Suit Girl

“The LEGO Brick Suit Girl is bringing her unlimited creativity to the birthday bash.”

The Brick Suit Girl is very much like her male counterpart, with a blue basis for the brick and a red 1×1 tile. The dimensions of the outfit match that of the brick it’s inspired by and as you’ll see later, it can easily be added to certain other LEGO elements.

Birthday Cake Guy

“The celebration for the 40th anniversary of the modern LEGO® Minifigure calls for a very special cake with an unexpected surprise inside.”

You can’t have a birthday without cake, so thankfully someone invites the Birthday Cake Guy. Unlike the Race Car Suit driver and Flowerpot Girl, the cake does sit between the legs and torso. Instead a entire Minifigure can be added to the inside of the cake. I love the detail of splashed icing over the minifigures suit and legs. But from the looks of things, he’s having a great time, despite the mess. Has there ever been such a happy looking Minifigure since Benny the Spaceman!

Cactus Girl

“Cactus Girl thought she was making an interesting and one-of-a-kind outfit to wear to the party. Maybe she should have thought more about the downsides of such a pointy ensemble.”

Another simple Minifigure, but still an interesting one. The Cactus Suit Girl is on just a handful for Minifigures to not have standard arms, instead she sports two cactus arms. These can be twisted although not in the same way as normal Minifigure arms. Once again there are two different facials expression to choose from. The sculpture of the main body is also quite impressed. Cue Pickle Rick minifigures within days of it going on sale.

Classic Police Officer

“Here he is, the birthday boy! The Police Officer was one of the first modern LEGO® Minifigures ever!”

And finally the chap who started it all, forty years ago. The Classic Police Officer was one of the first LEGO Minifigures ever released and by today’s standards, he maybe considered a little plain, but this is exactly what they looked like back in the early days. It’s a great inclusion in the series and I love the little 1×2 printed tile to represent an early LEGO set. The Classic Poilce Officer will be a much sought after chap, as he only appears once in every box of Series 18 minifigures. They only way to guarantee getting one is to open a complete box and get feeling.

Overall

With each new series of LEGO Minifigures, the LEGO Design Team seem to outdo themselves and you would expect them to have run out of ideas, but they have come out swinging for the 40th anniversary of the Minifigure. The new elements are great and it will be interesting to see where they appear next. The additional of an orange baseplate is definitely welcomed although it would of been nice to have the LEGO Minifigures 40th anniversary logo printed on it or even included in a tile. Despite a few minor gripes, this series of LEGO Minifigures is a fitting and fun way to celebrate the 40th anniversary and it’s always nice to have a non-licensed series after so many recent ones being based on movies. Please note double printed heads do not contain two separate pieces, these are only shown above for to illustrate both designs.

As mentioned above the box only includes one full set due to the rarity do the Classic Police Officer, but these are the total number of each character:

LEGO Brick Suit Guy x5

LEGO Brick Suit Girl x5

Party Clown x3

Firework Guy x4

Birthday Party Girl x3

Dragon Suit Guy x4

Spider Suit Boy x4

Birthday Cake Guy x4

Cactus Girl x3

Cat Costume Girl x3

Race Car Guy x3

Flowerpot Girl x4

Cowboy Costume Guy x4

Elephant Girl x4

Birthday Party Boy x3

Unicorn Guy x4

Classic Police Officer x1

Thanks to the LEGO Group for supplying us with a box of LEGO Minifigures Series 18 to review. The opinions expressed within this review are those of our own and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Images & Words ©BricksFanz.com