Watch out for splinters – hands on with LEGO Originals 853967 Wooden Minifigure [Review]
A surprise announcement, a pop-up LEGO art gallery launch in London, and the start of a new line of LEGO products — 853967 Wooden Minifigure has had quite the introduction to the world. We’re not sure we’d call this a “set” as such, although it does feature a handful of regular LEGO bricks as well as the titular 20cm tall oak figurine. LEGO themselves describe the figurine as a “blank canvas” for personalisation and creative decoration. Whatever you want to call it, the wooden figure is available from Nov. 3, 2019, for VIP members, and Nov. 8 for everyone. It can be purchased from the LEGO Shop online for US $119.99 | CAN 154.99 | UK £109.99.
(EDIT: The wooden figure is also available from LEGO in bundles including a discount of up to $30 US when combined with various other LEGO products, including one 1,500-piece Classic set.)
The box
The packaging is classy-looking and sturdy. Unlike most LEGO sets, the box is not sealed with stickers, the top simply slides off. Overall it feels premium and high-end, in keeping with the price point and the more adult target audience. The front of the box is printed with the colourful Originals logo down the left edge, and the figure itself on the right. The reverse features another image of the figure, some dimensions information, and a whole bunch of safety warnings in different languages…
The interior of the box is colourful and bright, with the figure nestled into a cardboard insert. It’s secured in place with rubber bands, so you’ll need scissors to free the figure from its restraints. (Or you could just use your teeth, like I did.)
The insert also provides a home for a polybag containing an assortment of 29 brightly-coloured bricks, and a 26 page booklet. The bricks offer a variety of fairly standard parts, including 5 2×2 round bricks — the perfect size to fit the wooden figurine’s hands. It’s not a great selection of parts, but it’s enough to build some simple accessories — the booklet suggestions include an ice cream cone, a guitar, and a camera. More bricks would obviously have been nice, but let’s face it, nobody is buying this thing for parts, are they? As well as accessory suggestions, the booklet outlines some of the thinking behind LEGO Originals and the choice of the minifigure as the first release. It also profiles two artists and showcases how they decorated their figures.
At this sort of price point it would have been great if LEGO could have included some sort of exclusive brick element. Surely an exclusive printed 2×2 or 2×4 tile wouldn’t have impacted on costs too badly? Feels like a missed opportunity to have added more cachet and collectability to the Originals line right from the start.
The figure
The wooden figure stands 20cm tall and 10cm wide at its shoulders. See the image below with the figure alongside a regular minifig to get a better idea of the scale. (For the avoidance of doubt, the minifigure isn’t included in the box, it’s one of mine). Unsurprisingly, the big figure perfectly captures the proportions of the regular-sized incarnation — even down to the LEGO logo on top of the head stud. Other than the bright yellow plastic hands, the figure is put together from what appears to be 8 pieces of oak, and glued solidly. The hands are able to turn at the wrist, but beyond this the figure has no articulation.
The wooden sculpture’s rear also captures the detail of a regular figure. The four anti-stud holes in the back of the legs are present and correct. The only difference in the legs is that the feet are flat, without the holes on the original.
Overall the figure is an immensely satisfying object. It’s a hefty chunk of wood, pleasantly smooth to the touch, but with a noticeable grain. Fiddling about with the figure, the wrist joints offer a similar level of resistance to movement as regular minifigure hands, meaning they should be able to hold items at angles without drooping. Whilst it might have been nice to have more articulation, and some have complained about the mix of wood and plastic, I think the hands are a nice touch — giving a bit of poseability and more options for personalisation, but without simply creating a wooden facsimile of a normal minifigure.
And that takes us to the root of the questions around this product. What IS it? And who is it for?
Ornament or blank canvas?
Since the figure’s announcement, there has been some sniping from fans that the figure is too expensive for an “art piece” ornament, or not articulated enough, or too boring in its plain wood. However, I think these critics are missing the point. This isn’t supposed to be an ornament straight out of the box, and nor is it supposed to be a “toy” to be played with in a way which would make more articulation relevant.
I believe the figure is supposed to act as inspiration, an object which invites personalisation and customisation. Sure, it’s an expensive canvas, and some have said they wouldn’t spend the money on something they might “mess up”. In that case, if you’re not interested in permanently modifying or painting or cutting this piece to make it your own, then maybe this figure is not for you. And you know what? That’s ok. In the same way as not every LEGO theme is for every builder or every fan, maybe the LEGO Originals line isn’t for everyone either.
Should you get one?
The answer to that question comes down to two things… Do you have the money? And are you willing to take a risk on permanently modifying the figure to create your own art?
If you’ve got the money, but you’re worried you’re not the arty type, then maybe it’s better to spend the cash on something else. Because if you don’t modify the figure, and just leave it plain, it’s not the most exciting display piece. And if you’re the sort of person who wants to experiment with creating figure art, but are worried this is expensive, then there are cheaper alternatives available. For a start, maybe check out the blank figures from brands like Funko Pop.
However, there’s something uniquely inspiring about the shape of the iconic LEGO minifigure. Like the 2×4 brick before it, it’s become a signifier of a particular type of light-hearted creativity and play for millions of people. The opportunity to take this icon, modelled in an interesting, sustainable, and premium material, and use it as a canvas for your own art? I think that is incredibly exciting.
My recommendation? Don’t buy this if you’re not going to do anything to it. But if you’re willing to take a creative risk, then get one of these, and go do something awesome with it.
What am I going to do with mine?
Eventually I’m going to paint mine, or cut it in half with a saw and give it brick-built innards, or burn it with a blowtorch, or leave it outside in the rain until mould starts growing on it. Or something like that. I haven’t decided yet.
In the meantime, I couldn’t resist building a couple of little scenes with it. First up, a bunch of carpenters at work…
And then, an experiment in building at a different scale — a woodworker, his tools, and his latest carving…
853967 Wooden Minifigure is available starting Nov. 3, 2019, for VIP members, and Nov. 8 for everyone. It can be purchased from the LEGO Shop online for US $119.99 | CAN 154.99 | UK £109.99.
(EDIT: The wooden figure is also available from LEGO in bundles including a discount of up to $30 US when combined with various other LEGO products, including one 1,500-piece Classic set.)
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of the figure for review. Providing TBB with product guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
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