The Life of Kane- Bricks: 71000- Minifigures Series 9

I've been trying to cut back on my Lego purchases and only desired about two of this series, but have now wound up with 10 of these collectible minifigures. Most of these were obtained through feeling packets at the Lego shop at Chicago Watertower Place. This was my first time there and I was happy to see that there was a big bin of mystery packets to choose from and being among my fellow Lego fans, I didn't feel odd standing there rifling through them, though I was the only one doing so at the time. Sadly during that trip, I wasn't able to get the one figure I wanted (Battle Mech), and I had to eventually order that online. The Chicken Suit Guy kept popping up quite a bit though, even though I don't think it was suppose to be a common figure. Scroll to Additional Images to the bottom for a view of the back of the leaflet and loads of other alternate views of the figures.

Waiter (1)- Thinking of putting him with my Lego Small World (LSW), representing Italy, but this is a bit of a stretch and he would do well in general Lego City situations. The key thing to feel for in his packet is the wine bottle. His other accessory, the tray, is cute and snaps on perfectly over his hand but it's the little printed detail of the grapes on the wine bottle that makes this figure desirable. Our waiter is wearing a typical suit, smoothed black hair, and a mustachioed grin. See Additional Images for an alternate view.

Cyclops (2)- Always nice to have an interesting monster character, and he will go in nicely with my LSW collection for Greece. When looking for him in the packet, be sure to feel for his spiked club and head covering. His legs sport a torn blue loincloth while his torso is bare excepting a detailed goldish belt, which continues onto the back of his torso. His head covering has two ears, a white horn on the top, and a bit that slightly juts out for the chin and two teeth. Further adding to his detail is his doubled sided head. On one side, his eye is half open and he is smiling while on the other, his eye is wide open in shock or fear. A mouth and two jutting teeth are printed on both sides, so he need not wear the head covering. When the head covering is on either side of his head, the molded frown suggests a more vicious creature. This guy was obviously made with a lot of care. See Additional Images for more views of his head.

Roman Emperor (5)- All Hail Caecar! Entirely purchased for my LSW collection, our Roman was easy to locate in a packet due to his square tile accessory. This tile is cleverly printed to look like a scroll with the words "Vini, Vidi, Vici". The feet portion of his legs suggest sandals and the rest of his body is printed with a maroon toga type outfit secured by a gold broach near his right shoulder. His wrinkles, grey eyebrows and frown give him an angry and aged look. His white hair is printed with gold leaf detail that wrap around the sides and back of his head. Lovely detail overall. See the bottom of the post for a closeup of the gold leafing.

Chicken Suit Guy (7)- Bawk! Seems every series now has a suited guy, and this one is pretty good to go with Easter/Springtime themes or in a Toy Story setup. Our man is easily definable through a packet by his wings instead of arms and the shape of his head covering. The wings have a textured molding to show feathers. The head covering is quite impressive with eyes, a yellow-orange beak, and red comb and waddle. In the opening, the suit-wearer is giving us a wide toothy grin. See Additional Images for side view of head covering.

Roller Derby Girl (8)- Very detailed and cool-looking, she's sure to be featured in one of my next Lego stop-motion animations. Probably the best way to tell this minifig from the others while still in the packet is her lack of any bulky accessories. She comes simply with two small roller skates and a helmet. The skates snap onto the bottom of her feet and are just adorable (see pictures below). Her blue helmet compliments her outfit and the center is printed with a red star. Roller Derby being a rough sport, she is wearing both knee and elbow pads and a rough and ready to go expression. Go get 'em, number 49!

Mermaid (12)- After a little research, I discovered that the first writings of these creatures were from what is now Iraq, so my mermaid will be representing that country in my LSW. Her curved light blue mermaid bottom half should be a giveaway if you're looking for her within a packet. Her blond hair is also quite defining, as is the orange starfish that cleverly has one end molded to fit within her grasp. If you scroll to the Additional Images section, you can see the silver scale detail on her lower half, and the shell bra, conch shell necklace, and bellybutton details on her human torso. The mermaid bottom is the same piece as used on Series 7's Ocean King, but with more flattering detailed scales and in a feminine colour.

Battle Mech (13)- My must have of this series as I have animation plans for him. His packet-defining peieces are his torso armor and helmet though he could be confused with the Alien Avenger. His legs and torso both feature nice design detail, so he is acceptable without his torso armor. His head is also printed with more detail than the silver bit you see with his helmet on, so check out the pictures below to see him in all his detail glory.

Mr. Good and Evil (14)- Lego's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is packed with fun printed detail. He's pretty easily found within his packet due to his top hat and purple fluid-containing flask. His whole body is totally split between his two personalities. The right side features clean black trousers, an elegant torso-printed suit with pocket watch, and an expression that shows fear, if not anger. The left side, however has torn trousers, tattered belt, and ripped portions on the suit and hat. His left hand is even a monstrous green as is his face which further features a glaring green eye and evil barred teeth. Very cool concept, Lego Group.

Forest Maiden (15)- My second favorite of this series as she seems very Lord of the Rings like. She's one of three ladies to have a dress leg piece, so look for that and her large shield. This shield is printed with a lovely gold-outlined tree that resembles the Tree of Gondor. Being a warrior, she also comes with a large bow and arrow. Her hair is long with braided detail and is made of a more flexible rubber material than usual hair pieces The forest green dress features belt and coin sack detail, which you can further explore in the bottom section of this post.

Plumber (16)- The plunger accessory is probably the only reason to buy this figure, and it's luckily very easy to locate in a packet, being made of soft rubber. His blue hat is also different than common baseball caps and seems more like a military style cap. He's wearing blue overalls and a white tee, all with small printed details such as pockets, a zipper, and buckles. The printed design on the torso continues on the back, which you can scroll down to see. You may be put off by his stubble print, but I think it's as endearing as his friendly smile.

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