We recently updated the set lists on the blog! This post is just to show you that we have updated them.
We might've missed some minifigure sets that came out since the last update (around August 2020). There haven't been as many new releases probably because of the pandemic and Lego's aggressive legal attacks. Nonetheless, we've still been enjoying the hobby!
Things to note:
We added the Chengyi minifigures under the Kopf set list.
We added the KDL minifigures (probably a KORUIT rebrand) under the Koruit set list.
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As you all might already know, there are various minifigure brands out there from China. They have different designs and ways of producing the figures which result in a lot more choices for us. Additionally, it's hard for us collectors to keep track of all their releases.
To help, we compiled a list of all releases of the popular minifigure brands. We'll also leave a bit of description/review/comments on the brands below.
XINH has one of the largest minifigure releases among the Chinese brands. Recently too, they've been known to produce good quality minifigures.
Some potential issues: weird face prints, the older releases are not as good, unique molds are not as defined/sturdy/well-made
POGO probably has the most designs but they usually focus on quantity over quality. Though recent figures have shown improvement, a number of their releases used poor printing and plastic quality.
Some potential issues: poor plastic/print quality, no extra hands for recent releases, poor baseplate quality, thin capes
Lele was one of the big 3 when knockoff brick brands were starting to grow. (Sheng Yuan and Decool were the other two.) They used to focus on boxed sets and minifigures but have expanded to the market that POGO and XINH target. (This list does not have the boxed sets, just their single-sale-online minifigures.)
Some potential issues: unreleased/unmade previews, inconsistent quality (some figures are great while others are bad), repeated releases from their boxed sets
DLP is a sub-brand of the popular Sheng Yuan brand. They mostly make minifigure-only sets and are often only available to be bought as a set. Traditionally, they are boxed figures but online retailers often do not include the boxes. Quality has been great though.
Some potential issues: hard to find, repeated releases from Kopf (Kopf sometimes rebrands DLP figures)
Kopf started out as an online store that simply sold other brands. They then started to rebrand those figures and eventually started to produce figures themselves. Recent Kopf figures have been of good quality and good designs. This list also has DA minifigures (allegedly Dargo, another boxed-set brand).
Some potential issues: inconsistend quality (due to different manufacturers in the past), repeated characters from other brands (Kopf and WM usually strongly compete which result to same characters being available from both with highly minor differences)
WM also started out as an online store that eventually started to make their own minifigures and their own designs (some of them). Recent WM figures have been of good quality with many original designs (as in not copied from other designers). This list also has MG (Megao) minifigures which is allegedly a sub-brand of WM.
Some potential issues: inconsistent quality, repeated characters from other brands
A relatively new brand that only makes minifigures. Has been loved by fans since they first previewed. Additionally, their designs are (supposedly) original; they do not clone designs made by other minifigure designers.
Some potential issues: recent figures have not been as good as their first few releases due to changes in manufacturer, their original molds are sometimes out of scale (larger than usual for minifigures)
KL released minifigures around the time POGO and XINH started to become popular. They made decent quality minifigures but eventually stopped releasing anything new due to unknown reasons.
Some potential issues: uhh, they don't release anything new anymore; they're current figures might just be old stock
There are numerous minifigure brands out there. Arguably, these are the easiest ones to find outside of China. Most designs are rip-offs from TLG or other 3rd party minifigure designers but we've also seen innovation from these brands (especially KORUIT with their all-original roster of designs and WM's recent custom molds and prints).
Do remember that the best quality will always be from Lego. Additionally, you'd be supporting designers if you purchase real Lego minifigures instead. These alternative brands are really for those who cannot afford the real deal as they are undoubtedly expensive especially for 3rd world countries where these minifigures sell well.
When it comes to knowing where it's best to purchase from, I would argue that it's from the Kopf Store and WM Store in AliExpress. Currently though, there's a ban on minifigures (this has happened before) and so it will be more difficult to find the figs you want, but that's the point of these recently updated set lists; with these, you will be able to see pictures and their codes that you can to browse AliExpress.
Here are AliExpress affiliate links that sell minifigures:
Using these links will support and give my blog a small commission at no additional cost for you when you purchase anything.
I also recommend checking out herobloks.com which is another database with a huge catalog of LEGO, custom LEGO, and knockoff minifigures!
TL;DR - Look through the set lists' pictures, find the figure you want, get the code, search AliExpress/tell your favorite store the codes of the ones you want, then purchase as usual.
Hope this database of alternative, knockoff, bootlego, clone, or whatever you might wanna call them, minifigures helped you out. Let us know if there are any figures or names we missed!
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