Five tips for finding the Series 26 minifigure you want

The hunt for LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 26 is almost on. Follow these top tips and you’ll get your hands on what you want faster than you can say Spacewalking Astronaut.

Series 26 will be released on May 1 but it’s never too early to start planning how to get the minifigures you want – whether that’s one of each of all 12 or a whole fleet of Robot Butlers. Try and gauge how many of each minifigure you’ll want by reading this rundown, or read this minifigure-by-minifigure account of the Series 26 range.

1. Use the Brick Search app’s minifigure box scanner

Scannable data matrix codes were introduced with Series 25 and they are back again. The Brick Search app has a scanner that can read those codes and show you what minifigure is inside the box – removing the need to weigh it, stick a camera into one of its crevices, carry around a long list of numbers or open it first. 

Series 26 codes have been confirmed for boxes in North America, and the Brick Search team is working on verifying codes for boxes distributed in the UK and Europe too.

All you need to do is download Brick Search, open the scanner – the big blue button at the bottom of the screen – and point it at the data matrix code (not the barcode). You can get Brick Search here for Android, here for iOS or see it in action here:

2. Pre-order from The Minifigure Store

The Minifigure Store are taking pre-orders for a full collection of all 12 Series 26 minifigures – that’s one of each, guaranteed. They’d arrive in clear plastic bags, rather than in the boxes, as The Minifigure Store would open the boxes first and divvy the minifigures out between pre-orders, and costs £59.99.

Alternatively, you can pre-order a box of 36 mystery boxes from The Minifigure Store, which should guarantee at least one of each different Series 26 minifigure. A box of 36 minifigures is priced at £124.99, with free UK delivery on orders of £50.

3. Shop till you drop

Blind boxes mean no one really knows which minifigure is inside the box before they use the Brick Search scanner – and that includes the retailers. The LEGO Store, for example, might have an excess of Alien Tourists, or maybe John Lewis has more M-Tron Powerlifters than they know what to do with.

Scout around different retailers and see what they have on the shelves – a bit of legwork could be all that stands between you and that haul of Ice Planet Explorers.

4. Keep your ear to the ground

Word will get out if the local supermarket has a glut of one Series 26 minifigure or another – the LEGO community is a chatty one. And nowhere is news better spread than social media, particularly local LEGO Facebook User Groups.

Joining the LEGO Facebook User Group for your area could be a good way of keeping up with the latest gossip, including where the Series 26 minifigure you want has been spotted.

5. Got, got, need…

What could be better than a good, old-fashioned swap shop? If there’s a LEGO event coming up near you, or there’s people in the LEGO community you know and trust, and they’ve got a surfeit of the minifigure you want – and you’ve got the minifigure they want – why not arrange a swap? Everyone’s a winner!

Of course, take care with who you arrange to swap with – make sure you trust them and they won’t claim they’ve got the Robot Butler, take your minifigure and do a runner. Use your best judgement, only deal with people you have faith in and be safe!

The best way to get the Series 26 minifigure you want is still using the Brick Search app’s minifigure box scanner. Download Brick Search for Android here, iOS here or search Brick Search in the app store on your device.

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