The new year brings us a new series of LEGO’s long-running Collectible Minifigures, with Series 24 dropping January 1. In keeping with the last several series, this 24th numbered wave includes 12 unique characters in blind bags. The lineup this time doesn’t have a specific theme, unlike the prevalence of holiday-themed characters in 71034 Series 23, instead getting back to the basics with a variety of characters from a wide range of themes. 71037 Collectible Minifigures Series 24 will be available for US $4.99 | CAN $5.99 | UK £3.49.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Unboxing the case and packaging
Just like Series 22 and 23, this new wave comes in a brown cardboard box with glued tabs over the retail display case. The packaging this round is dark pink, and each case holds 36 figures–or exactly three complete sets of the 12 characters. Although a switch to boxed figures rather than feelable blind bags has been rumored for a while, the standard mylar plastic packaging is still present heading into 2023.
As traditional, each character includes a black display stand.
Football Referee
Although not available in time for the world cup, a football (or soccer, if you prefer) ref is a good addition to anyone’s collection, as LEGO has made plenty of football players before, but refs have been rare. The soccer ball with the traditional black pentagons hasn’t been seen since 2016, so it’s great to have it back.
Robot Warrior
Space robots have long been a staple of the Collectible Minifigure series, and this new sand green-armored one is a solid entry, sporting a new helmet piece and a brick-built blaster. The printing is detailed throughout, with both arms, legs, and even both sides of the head printed (the back is an exhaust vent).
Brown Astronaut and Spacebaby
LEGO knows its audience, that’s for sure. There’s no reason for this figure to exist except to help pad out all of our ever-growing rainbow of Classic Space figures, and I’m not mad about that. The main figure is exactly what you expect; a Classic Space torso rendered in reddish brown, paired with matching air tanks and an old-style helmet, and of course a standard smiley head.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t include the full rainbow as it can be completed right now. Airtanks and an old-school helmet in purple are coming in another 2023 set that I don’t have my hands on yet, but brown makes the eleventh color for the classic space torso, and is the sixth color to be added in the last decade (along with green, purple, pink, orange, and light-bluish grey).
Carrot Mascot
Costumed characters are consistently among the most popular figures in the CMF series, though personally they’ve never held much interest for me. But I will admit that they’re largely well done, and the carrot is no exception, introducing a new huge carrot-suit element. The carrot is hard plastic with a rubbery green leafy bit molded into the top. The only System connection on it is the anti-stud inside where it attaches to the minifigure’s head. Mr. Carrot appears to be a street-corner advertiser, as he holds a lovely black sign for a farmer’s market
Falconer
After the Brown Astronaut, the Falconer is the figure I was most excited to get my hands on, as the Black Falcons are to Castle fans what the classic Spaceman is to Space fans. We’ve gotten plenty of Black Falcon revivals over the years, notably the recent 21325 Medieval Blacksmith with two neo-Black Falcon knights. Despite the name, however, this is the first time we’ve ever gotten an actual falcon. The printed torso and legs are both new, and the torso features a printed cape on the back.
The falcon is a new element that’s similar to the existing seagull, but is molded with regular ABS rather than the rubbery material the seagull uses.
T-Rex Costume Fan
As I already mentioned, I’m not super keen on costumed figs, and the T-Rex guy seems underwhelming right from the start. The big T-Rex head is a new element, as is the rubbery tail which adds to the dozens of existing minifigure tail elements. An extra tail is included.
Orc
Just in time for LEGO’s upcoming Dungeons & Dragons license, we get an orc warrior ready to tackle any adventure. The most interesting aspect of the orc is the new molded chin element, which attaches to the neck and covers the lower half of the minifigure head, providing big teeth and pointy ears. The orc has a ponytail on top and carries a massive sword and an oval shield sporting a version of the Fantasy-Era orc crest.
The orc’s battered cape is a new design made of the same thicker, softer fabric as the Falconer’s cape. The orc’s head is single-sided, but the front is fully printed despite being mostly covered by the chin piece. An extra brown 1×1 for the ponytail is included.
Conservationist
The perfect accompaniment to LEGO’s recent City safari theme, the Conservationist evokes memories of Steve Irwin. The bright green torso has double-molded arms with black lowers, and features an animal rescue logo on the back that matches the ballcap. The legs are double-molded in tan and brown, and printed to make some fantastic-looking khakis with boots.
The Conservationist’s head is double-sided with open- and closed-mouth smiles. But the real highlight here is the koala, which is beautifully designed and super cute. The koala has two attachment points, with an anti-stud on the bottom as well as arms able to grip a rod, which it uses to hold a eucalyptus leaf (a lime green carrot stem, a first for that color).
Potter
We’ve gotten plenty of different real-life professions over the course of 24 series, but there are multitudes more to draw on. The Potter isn’t one I’d have thought of, but it’s a lovely addition to the arts and culture of any LEGO City. The Potter includes one wholly new element, a wrapped towel which she wears to protect her hair. Her torso and legs are printed with an apron with a pocket full of tools and splashed with slip.
Her accessories are a small potter’s wheel made of common elements, and a bowl and goblet in dark orange, new colors for both and only the second color for the bowl, which has previously been exclusively in white. Nicely, an extra bowl is included.
Rococo Aristocrat
I always love when Collectible Minifigures series include characters from eras where we’re unlikely to ever get full LEGO sets or themes, and the Rococo Aristocrat is a perfect example. I can hardly imagine LEGO making a Louis XV theme, yet here we are with a noblewoman straight out of Versailles. My wife is convinced she’s based on Carlota from the 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie, and I have to admit there’s a stunning resemblance. She features the second-ever use of the 2×4 footprint dress piece, which previously was exclusive to the Queen in Series 15.
The Aristocrat’s massive hairdo is also new, and she features a double-sided head with smiling and surprised expressions. She’s also got her pet, a white chihuahua, which is a new color for the dog.
Rockin’ Horse Rider
Moving over to the world of cuteness, the Rockin’ Horse Rider is an adorable little girl riding a miniature rocking horse based on the full-size LEGO horse. It’s the perfect pairing to go with Series 23’s stick horse carried by the female knight. She’s one of the few figures in this series to have a single-sided head, and she sports an awesome shirt with a rainbow unicorn design.
A minifigure slides easily onto the rocking horse with enough clutch to not fall off, and the rocking horse is properly balanced for gently rocking. It’s got a single anti-stud on the bottom and a black 1×2 jumper tile is included to attach it to the display stand. As fun as this figure is, it feels like it should have included at least one accessory for her to hold.
Newspaper Kid
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! The Newspaper kid has your fresh paper hot off the presses, and looks perfect for a role in Newsies. The paper is a new design with the word EXTRA! printed huge above an image of the classic policeman from Series 18, and a smaller headline that I can’t quite make out. He features a short-sleeved shirt with suspenders, and a patched pair of short poseable legs.
The Newspaper Kid has a single-sided head, and carries a common satchel and a dark brown slingshot, a new color for it. Up top he’s got a newsboy cap, which is a lovely new element that is sure to find lots of use in historic and Steampunk builds.
Conclusion and recommendation
Series 24 is another very solid entry to the Collectible Minifigure lineup. It’s got multiple top-notch figures that are sure to appeal to adult fans, especially the Brown Astronaut and the Falconer. Others like the Rococo Aristocrat, Conservationist, Orc, and Robot Warrior are great designs with interesting new elements. The rest of the figures range from decent to underwhelming, with the T-rex Costume Fan and Rockin’ Horse Rider both feeling like a comparatively poor value with their lack of accessories. If you’re willing to overlook that, however, the parts you do get are well-designed. All in all, Series 24 is worth picking up to round out your minifigure collection. If you have the ability, I’d recommend buying a full case and splitting it with two friends, ensuring you each get one full set of all 12 figs.
71037 Collectible Minifigures Series 24 will be available starting January 1 for US $4.99 | CAN $5.99 | UK £3.49. They may also be available from third-party sellers on Amazon and eBay.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.