New to star wars minifigure collection - Any help / beginner tips?

[Marshgray]

Hello, I just recently found my old Death Star (Set 10188) and saw all of my old minifigures I used to have. Over the past couple of months I've been getting back into Star Wars and I thought a good way to have something to show for it is a minifig collection. I started looking at websites like Bricklink and even Ebay to find minifigures and felt intimidated by the choices and price. So far I have 29 minifigs and one (an old Boba Fett) coming in the mail. I am 16 and just recently bought a car and have to deal with fixing it and gas, and I am kind of limited by how much money I can spend on minifigs. Should I just slowly add onto it one minifig at a time, or buy battlepacks or sets of minifigures? All help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

A picture of my set so far (might be low quality, black figure up front is a protocol droid and in the back is Darth Vader and Darth Sidious)

[Dosenbrot]

Hello and welcome to Eurobricks!

I suggest you should start with choosing which faction you want to collect. (I guess you are more into the Imperial Faction, but could be wrong.)

The current Battlepacks are a good choice for making an army of Rebels/Imperials (or Resistance/First Order) . Buying a figure once depends is a bit more expensive, especially if the sets they are in are already discontinued.

I always buy Battlepacks, they mostly have the best prices for the minifigs you can get.

I hope this helps you a bit with deciding what to buy.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Dosenbrot

[Marshgray]

Hello and welcome to Eurobricks!

I suggest you should start with choosing which faction you want to collect. (I guess you are more into the Imperial Faction, but could be wrong.)

The current Battlepacks are a good choice for making an army of Rebels/Imperials (or Resistance/First Order) . Buying a figure once depends is a bit more expensive, especially if the sets they are in are already discontinued.

I always buy Battlepacks, they mostly have the best prices for the minifigs you can get.

I hope this helps you a bit with deciding what to buy.

Haha I do have a lot of Imperial figs, mostly because almost all of these came from the Death Star set I had... I'm mostly into older sets and minifigs from the prequels. I really want to get some of those Kashyyyk scouts that are green, but they cost like $20 each and I'm hesitant to buy those... Because I'm into the older versions of minifigures means they're probably discontinued and more expensive... But thanks for the help & I'll definitely check out some Battlepacks!

Edited January 2, 2016 by Marshgray

[General Hux]

Haha I do have a lot of Imperial figs, mostly because almost all of these came from the Death Star set I had... I'm mostly into older sets and minifigs from the prequels. I really want to get some of those Kashyyyk scouts that are green, but they cost like $20 each and I'm hesitant to buy those... Because I'm into the older versions of minifigures means they're probably discontinued and more expensive... But thanks for the help & I'll definitely check out some Battlepacks!

Definitely check out this battle pack first! You'll get four great looking minifigs ( two scouts / two phase two clones ) and a decent vehicle for under twenty dollars brand new.

LEGO Star Wars 75035: Kashyyk Troopers

[Marshgray]

Definitely check out this battle pack first! You'll get four great looking minifigs ( two scouts / two phase two clones ) and a decent vehicle for under twenty dollars brand new.

LEGO Star Wars 75035: Kashyyk Troopers

Thank you for showing me that but I was looking for the older versions... With a solid green body. This one:

EDIT:

Found one for a good price, $16 so that should be good.... But yeah Ill also look at battlepacks too for newer characters and stuff... Thanks for the help

Edited January 2, 2016 by Marshgray

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

Collecting minifigs can be an expensive hobby, especially if, like me, you like to collect figures in new condition. Some people like to army build, but I actually find the clone troopers and such of little appeal, and I like to focus on collecting main or iconic characters. I basically made a list of my wanted figs in an excel spreadsheet, and slowly attended to it. Often, a new version of a figure was released that was better than one in my wanted list, so some figures in my list were replaced without me even purchasing them. Eventually I got to have a small wanted list of around 10 figures, but only after a really good year in which I was able to purchase several figures at once. My best piece of advice is construct your collection as money allows, keep a wanted list, and most importantly if there is ever an exclusive or rare figure that is released and you want it (and can afford it), get it as soon as possible, because you want to avoid paying premium prices for retired figures. Good luck!

Edited January 2, 2016 by BrickHat

[Marshgray]

Collecting minifigs can be an expensive hobby, especially if, like me, you like to collect figures in new condition. Some people like to army build, but I actually find the clone troopers and such of little appeal, and I like to focus on collecting main or iconic characters. I basically made a list of my wanted figs in an excel spreadsheet, and slowly attended to it. Often, a new version of a figure was released that was better than one in my wanted list, so some figures in my list were replaced without me even purchasing them. Eventually I got to have a small wanted list of around 10 figures, but only after a really good year in which I was able to purchase several figures at once. My best piece of advice is construct your collection as money allows, keep a wanted list, and most importantly if there is ever an exclusive or rare figure that is released and you want it (and can afford it), get it as soon as possible, because you want to avoid paying premium prices for retired figures. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice man, keeping a spreadsheet for my wanted figures is a good idea... I too think that finding my favorite figures is better than just making a huge army. Where do you hear about exclusive/rare figures? Does Lego sell special packs that they discontinue or do you have to get them from other companies that give them out as promos?

Right now on my list would probably be Count Dooku, Mace Windu, Jar Jar Binks, the old General Grievous, and maybe one day getting the old Jango Fett with his clone/son.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Marshgray

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

Thanks for the advice man, keeping a spreadsheet for my wanted figures is a good idea... I too think that finding my favorite figures is better than just making a huge army. Where do you hear about exclusive/rare figures? Does Lego sell special packs that they discontinue or do you have to get them from other companies that give them out as promos?

Right now on my list would probably be Count Dooku, Mace Windu, Jar Jar Binks, the old General Grievous, and maybe one day getting the old Jango Fett with his clone/son.

You're welcome, dude! Yup, it's even easy to copy paste from Bricklink onto a spreadsheet directly including the Bricklink codes and the names of the figures, because of the html on the webpage.

About the exclusive/rare figures, I generally am up to date regarding news on my favorite Lego themes, by checking this website, Brickset, and From Bricks to Bothans. I also once went through the whole Bricklink minifig catalog of every theme I really liked to decide which figs made it onto my wanted list. Now, I only need to keep adding whatever new figure appears that I decide that I want. Also useful is to keep a spreadsheet of the figures you own, so as to avoid buying duplicates (it can get confusing if your collection grows beyond a certain point). Some exclusives are like the upcoming Silver Centurion pre-order exclusive for Lego Marvel, which I intend to buy as soon as it appears on eBay and prices settle. That's Marvel, but the same generally applies for Star Wars. Keep in mind figures like the Boba Fett from 75060 are exclusive to a single set and will probably fetch high values once the set is retired. That guy is my top wanted Star Wars fig at this time, and I'm just waiting to see if the price drops any further.

The figs you mention on your list are good choices (glad you're not a die hard prequel hater). Jar Jar never made it to my list, though. If you want to get the original Jango Fett, be prepared to pay a highish price for it. I got mine about 5 years ago for $65, and that was a good price at the time.

Edited January 3, 2016 by BrickHat

[Marshgray]

You're welcome, dude! Yup, it's even easy to copy paste from Bricklink onto a spreadsheet directly including the Bricklink codes and the names of the figures, because of the html on the webpage.

About the exclusive/rare figures, I generally am up to date regarding news on my favorite Lego themes, by checking this website, Brickset, and From Bricks to Bothans. I also once went through the whole Bricklink minifig catalog of every theme I really liked to decide which figs made it onto my wanted list. Now, I only need to keep adding whatever new figure appears that I decide that I want. Also useful is to keep a spreadsheet of the figures you own, so as to avoid buying duplicates (it can get confusing if your collection grows beyond a certain point). Some exclusives are like the upcoming Silver Centurion pre-order exclusive for Lego Marvel, which I intend to buy as soon as it appears on eBay and prices settle. That's Marvel, but the same generally applies for Star Wars. Keep in mind figures like the Boba Fett from 75060 are exclusive to a single set and will probably fetch high values once the set is retired. That guy is my top wanted Star Wars fig at this time, and I'm just waiting to see if the price drops any further.

The figs you mention on your list are good choices (glad you're not a die hard prequel hater). Jar Jar never made it to my list, though. If you want to get the original Jango Fett, be prepared to pay a highish price for it. I got mine about 5 years ago for $65, and that was a good price at the time.

Yeah I'm definitely not a prequel hater, I enjoyed it very much... and yeah I will definitely look out of exclusive sets and stuff and try to find out which ones I cant buy and stuff... Thanks for the help

[Lobot]

Hi Marshgray, and welcome to Eurobricks!

As you've probably found there's a huge range of minifigures available, so it can be quite daunting especially if you've not been collecting for a while. I agree with the previous posts; I'd have a good look through the Bricklink catalogue and possibly create a wishlist or a spreadsheet. You may find some bargains on Ebay etc if you're lucky, but personally I'd either try to buy heavily discounted sets (which can be as cheap as buying the figures sometimes!) or source the individual figures from a reputable seller on Bricklink. Most stores have specific weight bands for postage costs, so it's usually best to find a store with several figures that you want and you can potentially save considerable amounts by ordering in larger volumes when you can afford to.

As for exclusives, there's usually a 'curve' to the price; they usually start at a premium, gradually fall for a while and then finally starts to climb again as the available supply diminishes. So, it's usually just a case of watching the 'market' and buying at the optimum time! Good luck with your collecting!

[Marshgray]

Hi Marshgray, and welcome to Eurobricks!

As you've probably found there's a huge range of minifigures available, so it can be quite daunting especially if you've not been collecting for a while. I agree with the previous posts; I'd have a good look through the Bricklink catalogue and possibly create a wishlist or a spreadsheet. You may find some bargains on Ebay etc if you're lucky, but personally I'd either try to buy heavily discounted sets (which can be as cheap as buying the figures sometimes!) or source the individual figures from a reputable seller on Bricklink. Most stores have specific weight bands for postage costs, so it's usually best to find a store with several figures that you want and you can potentially save considerable amounts by ordering in larger volumes when you can afford to.

As for exclusives, there's usually a 'curve' to the price; they usually start at a premium, gradually fall for a while and then finally starts to climb again as the available supply diminishes. So, it's usually just a case of watching the 'market' and buying at the optimum time! Good luck with your collecting!

Thanks, I made a spreadsheet and listed all the sets that the figures come from, the ones I picked are often times an older version of another figure which means the sets will be extremely expensive.. Ill post the picture of the spreadsheet so you can take a look.. The total is way too high for me, but over time I can do it. I've spent that much on certain things before and if I tackle it piece by piece hopefully I can have them all and start collecting new sets and figs

Here's the picture:

The prices might be off because I was looking at Bricklink prices for the cheapest "New" figures they had for each... If prices seem totally wrong please tell me so I can change it

Edited January 3, 2016 by Marshgray

[Rogue Angel]

What is your intent? Are you looking for 1 of each, or will you be creating builds that involve the figures? The battle packs are the best way to get troopers in large quantities, and the 2016 lineup is the best selection of battle packs in quite a while.

Greedo, Han and Yoda all seem overpriced ( unless your heart is set on the original cantina version). I would wait on Finn, since he just came out in another set, and is sure to be in more.

You will want to consider your timeline. If you need to have all these figs by next month, go for it, but if you will be collecting for the next couple of years, I would wait on some of the more common characters (Yoda, Han, scout trooper, etc.) Especially if you are also planning to buy sets. If this is the case, I have would focus on the figs from 2015 and 2014, as well as the figs from recently discontinued sets that are more uncommon (Endor Leia, Shadow stormtrooper, etc.)

[Marshgray]

What is your intent? Are you looking for 1 of each, or will you be creating builds that involve the figures? The battle packs are the best way to get troopers in large quantities, and the 2016 lineup is the best selection of battle packs in quite a while.

Greedo, Han and Yoda all seem overpriced ( unless your heart is set on the original cantina version). I would wait on Finn, since he just came out in another set, and is sure to be in more.

You will want to consider your timeline. If you need to have all these figs by next month, go for it, but if you will be collecting for the next couple of years, I would wait on some of the more common characters (Yoda, Han, scout trooper, etc.) Especially if you are also planning to buy sets. If this is the case, I have would focus on the figs from 2015 and 2014, as well as the figs from recently discontinued sets that are more uncommon (Endor Leia, Shadow stormtrooper, etc.)

I want to only have one of each and I definitely will have to buy them when the time comes, it will probably take a couple of years for me to get all of these.. And my heart is set on the original cantina version so I will probably just get those. I am much more into the original figures rather than the newer ones, imo the new faces and bodies have too much print on them and it takes away from it... But yeah thanks for the help and Ill look into the recently discontinued ones and buy those before they get much more high in price... Thanks!

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

Funny. This is what "Han Solo (Old)" means to me.

[Sneakguest]

I don't undertand why they have to be new though, you find them essentially cheaper used. According to my experience, you actually get cheaper stuff on bricklink than you do on ebay, especially considerig shipment cot if you buy many the same time. You can find some really cheap figures, usually used but also new ones on some of the Eastern European bricklink store. When I check my wanted list on BL, I always check Russian and Baltic BL stores even if they are not top 20 of the ones how have the majority of my items considering how much cheaper you can get some of the stuff

[took9]

The minifigurepriceguard can help to compare the price and style of the minifigs:

http://www.minifigpr...STARWARS.0.html

Some minifigs are really a kind of art, they have a nice plain expression. Unfortunately these are always the most expensive and older ones. Under $20 I can recommend the old T-16 pilot, Luke Dagobah, old Boba Fett and Darth Vaders Apprentice.

And it is also important to know that there will be a lot of fake sw minifigs (latest ones) in future.

Edited January 6, 2016 by took9

[Jedi-Bendu]

Sometimes keeping an eye on used (incomplete) sets is also a good way to get great figs.

For instance: I wanted the battle damaged Vader, Vaders Apprentice and Juno Eclipse from the Rogue Shadow set.

Buying all 3 loose will cost you +-$ 30 (?).

Last year I found a used set (which was -except for the box- 100% complete) for 35. Figs in mint condition.....and I got a Rogue Shadow ship as a bonus

[Marshgray]

Funny. This is what "Han Solo (Old)" means to me.

Haha, I meant old as in older than the newest one... For me the one I included and many others are more nostalgic because I was a kid around the time those sets came out when they were simpler but still had the tan faces...

I don't undertand why they have to be new though, you find them essentially cheaper used. According to my experience, you actually get cheaper stuff on bricklink than you do on ebay, especially considerig shipment cot if you buy many the same time. You can find some really cheap figures, usually used but also new ones on some of the Eastern European bricklink store. When I check my wanted list on BL, I always check Russian and Baltic BL stores even if they are not top 20 of the ones how have the majority of my items considering how much cheaper you can get some of the stuff

Yeah I got my Boba Fett from Bricklink and it was used... Sometimes the used ones arent so bar, it isnt like they are chewed, most of the time they only have a little wear on the print which I can deal with.

Sometimes keeping an eye on used (incomplete) sets is also a good way to get great figs.

For instance: I wanted the battle damaged Vader, Vaders Apprentice and Juno Eclipse from the Rogue Shadow set.

Buying all 3 loose will cost you +-$ 30 (?).

Last year I found a used set (which was -except for the box- 100% complete) for 35. Figs in mint condition.....and I got a Rogue Shadow ship as a bonus

Thanks man, I think that I will definitely look at the figurines I had in the chart and see which ones come together in a set and see if I can get some of those for cheap.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Marshgray

[Marshgray]

Just an update for the people I talked to before: I received my kashyyyk minifig which looks awesome and about a week ago I bought a battlepack for a cheap price (about 5 bucks cheaper than normal) and so I received them both yesterday and they look awesome. Here's the picture:

Edited January 9, 2016 by Marshgray