LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 review

LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 is the latest in-house collection of characters from the LEGO Group, and it’s got some good ones…

Kicking off 2024 is the latest collection of 12 minifigures to assemble, and from the images alone there’s a lot of excitement about a few of those included here, so let’s take a detailed look at LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 and see which ones live up to the hype – and which hidden gems may fly under the radar.

— LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 set details —

Theme: LEGO Minifigures Set name: 71045 Series 25 Release: Jan 1, 2024

Price: £3.49 / $4.99 / €3.99 Pieces: 9 (but may vary) Minifigures: 1 per blind box

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 —

LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 will be available from January 1, 2024 at LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and at select third-party retailers.

— LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 characters —

Before we head into a character-by-character review, we do need to acknowledge that as was the case with the recent Marvel series, LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 sticks with the blind-box packaging that has really hampered everyone’s ability to identify preferred characters in store as before with the blind bags, and in some cases even find minifigures on sale that haven’t had the boxes completely ripped open.

The LEGO Group has addressed the frustrations and issues and communicated that any possible change that may happen won’t be seen for at least a few more waves of Collectible Minifigures. So, with blind box packaging still in use for the meantime, we have to once more talk about it within the context of reviewing LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71045 Series 25 – more on this later.

One other thing to note: the characters are reviewed in the order they came out of the 12-pack box provided for review purposes by the LEGO Group, working from the bottom up.

Mushroom Sprite

Here’s an oddity for a new character in the Collectible Minifigures theme. Mushroom Sprite is nicely designed and would certainly be a draw in its own right for that simple outfit topped off by a novelty headpiece that works so very well. However, exactly because of that mushroom/toadstool-like dome, this is a minifigure that is significantly overshadowed by what it might mean for LEGO Super Mario.

A lot of us cannot help but look at Mushroom Sprite and think about a minifigure Toad, and then a Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and so on… but if you can dial it back to focus on Mushroom Sprite herself, you’ve got a fun little minifigure that marks a nice continuation of the oversized novelty forest food-inspired headpiece people, after 2022’s Forest Elf from Series 22.

Triceratops Costume Fan

They’ve got to drop the ‘fan’ from these costumed character names, because it’s getting a bit goofy. It’s the only thing that doesn’t work about this dressed-up dinosaur, mind, because as was the case with 71037 Series 24’s T. rex Costume Fan, Series 25’s Triceratops Costume Fan is an excellent minifigure with a unique headpiece, printed arms, legs and tail, for an all-round design that – although not entirely collectible beyond having one of these – captures the fun of real-life dinosaur costumes that have been on the rise in recent years.

And, we will happily admit after complaining about 71034 Series 23’s overkill it is this sort of minifigure that continues to show that the previously-thought-extinct trope of costumed characters may still have legs.

Film Noir Detective

Whilst there are some clear headliners in 71045 Series 25, Film Noir Detective shouldn’t be overlooked, particularly for introducing a new creative direction for the theme that could offer related follow-ups in future series. Film Noir Detective is entirely designed in greyscale to act as a loving and wholly relevant tribute to the film style first developed back in the day before films were in colour.

The colour palette works brilliantly and adds an extra level of creativity and imagination to where such a character could go in LEGO play. Not to mention, that hat is something else, really nice. Good luck ignoring the red herring.

Pet Groomer

The Pet Groomer is nicely designed, capturing the sort of dog-(or cat-)obsessed owner we’ve all met before (or might be, for that matter). Whilst it is not specifically stated that Pet Groomer is also this dog’s owner, the fact the Collectible Minifigures team has worked into their respective designs a resemblance between them gives us cause to believe so and earns both extra credit here.

The hair piece is interesting for including a visible hearing aid (a cochlear implant), which ticks a very nice box for representation, which the LEGO Group continues to deliver on in recent years. Including a cochlear implant on a minifigure helps to give greater visibility to an everyday item that deaf and hard-of-hearing people use, which in turn can provide better understanding, familiarity, communication and confidence.

Additionally, this piece is – as you would hope for a Minifigures character – completely exclusive at the time of launch to this minifigure. It isn’t to be confused for a similar, shorter-hair version in reddish brown that appears in the upcoming City set 60404 Burger Truck.

Even with everything going for this character, and there’s a lot to admire about the design of both groomer and dog, we can’t help thinking that they would be just as at home in a City set – is there enough to separate them from that aesthetic to sit within this Minifigures series? Perhaps – just – not.

E-Sports Gamer

Not every minifigure in a LEGO Minifigures series is a winner and although E-Sports Gamer comes with a shiny gold trophy to suggest otherwise, we have to say she probably falls into this category for 71045 Series 25. The design, colour choices and accessories are all pretty cool and very on-point for such a character, whilst as a concept it feels topical and on-the-nose to be included in such a line-up for 2024.

Yet, the issue (as felt slightly less with Pet Groomer before) is LEGO City, a theme where we’ve seen quite a few very similar character designs pop up in the last 18 months or so, meaning that for everything that is good about E-Sports Gamer, not much of it feels unique enough to this character, and certainly not unique enough to take up a coveted spot in a 12-strong Collectible Minifigures series.

As an aside, the torso design is slightly frustrating too, for it could have somewhat rescued E-Sports Gamer from this position. As it is, what might have doubled as a collectible torso that could be repurposed into a Black Falcons character, or perhaps with that sports logo been fashioned into a different sports shirt, like a football shirt, isn’t so versatile with that annoying sponsor on the back of it.

Goatherd

And breathe. The goat is back. Seemingly, the only thing very many of you were interested in reading about this last two years has been updates from the LEGO Group about when they are going to bring back the goat, after years out of production. Well, after a bit of subtle teasing in recent months, they have answered and delivered in the form of LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25’s Goatherd, complete with a plain white version of the returning mould of the animal, with printed eyes and horns. It’s an understated but very cute design, perfectly capturing the look of the creature – we understand why you’ve all missed this little guy for so long.

The goat is actually only the accessory as the character here is the Goatherd, who shouldn’t be overlooked at all, for fashioning a design somewhat between what a traditional goatherd may wear and something that would fit right at home in a LEGO medieval setting. The head, torso and legs combine nicely for this character and all offer versatile use elsewhere for LEGO Castle fans in particular. The Goatherd minifigure just needed to include a goat to be a win, but instead the design team has – as they always do – taken care with the character design and what we have is one of the highlights of Series 25.

Fitness Instructor

We cannot stop thinking that we’ve seen this lady at our gym, which is always a sign of some of the best LEGO minifigure design there is. Fitness Instructor is an instantly relatable, fun and story-driven character that is very well-realised thanks to a design approach that delivers on the details without overselling the minifigure beyond its purpose.

Dual-moulded legs for shorts; the double-sided expressions between the energy felt at the start of a workout and the sweat that covers you towards the end; the choice of colour for the torso combined with a branded sports bra and well-defined abs; the beautiful and colourful tattoo down the arm; and the printed kettlebell weight – all these are subtle but character-building details that come together to perfectly capture that dedicated gym-goer and have you look at her and immediately see someone you know.

Well-timed for those of you wanting January inspiration to join a gym too. Just look at those abs.

Harpy

The Harpy is one of the most fabulous and flamboyant minifigures we have seen from the LEGO Minifigures theme in a while, and that’s saying something. Every aspect to this character is colourful, vibrant and big, and it comes together nicely to create a very eye-catching and unique minifigure. Only trouble is, through such a specific design, this one will polarise LEGO fans and a fair few of us may not be too keen on very many doubles of this one.

Train Kid

Title of cutest of the series clearly goes to this little dude in his train outfit. The costume is nicely realised with detachable wheels at the front and back and enough features in the mini-build to offer up a pretty accurate outfit when worn, and something more than passable as a mini-train engine when not worn – it is a shame there’s no carriage behind too.

The minifigure design itself is versatile enough to be used for an engine driver, complete with recoloured cap, but like the Triceratops Costume Fan and Harpy, Train Kid is the sort of character you’d be happy to receive once but not twice.

Fierce Barbarian

Fierce Barbarian is an example of something familiar to what we’ve had before and something that stylistically ties in with more than one recent or active LEGO set on shelves. Yet, unlike with Pet Groomer and E-Gamer where the feeling is they are too indistinguishable from the City line to be Collectible Minifigures characters, Fierce Barbarian stands apart from the likes of the Vikings we currently have in Ideas, and the medieval folk you can find in Icons.

This is because beyond offering up a new and exclusive hairpiece and a new colour combination of the dual-moulded sword from DREAMZzz, this character is covered in great detail throughout its design which importantly has been very well executed. That last point is a distinction that elevates the very best Collectible Minifigures above regular minifigures you can find elsewhere – the quality of print, how the colours are rich and the details very accurately printed. Fierce Barbarian is a collectible and higher-quality minifigure because of this.

Sprinter

One of the highlights to LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 is certainly the double-leg amputee Sprinter. We have recently had in City a single-leg prosthetic blade on a character, but the prosthetic blades on both legs takes this Sprinter to a new level of design with that same detailed and quite intricate mould. The complexity of the design for the legs can’t be overstated for capturing a certain look and functionality of the prosthetics, translated into LEGO form in a way that the minifigure is still able to stand and balance in various poses.

Some minifigures offer intricate printing, others novel characters, and others new moulds – it’s the latter here that really makes the Sprinter shine. The running outfit, medal and mini-podium complete an authentic look for the character, alongside what we believe is a new hairpiece. As an aside, the head included in our review copy is a production error and actually comes from the new City Space line, rather than being the exclusive head for this character.

Vampire Knight

Who knew there was space for more than one goat in LEGO Minifigures Series 25? We are already blessed with the furry companion that comes with the Goatherd character, and now in the form of Vampire Knight we have a credible contender for a G.O.A.T. minifigure. It may seem hyperbolic to say so, but there’s so much that points to this being one of the very best minifigures that the LEGO Minifigures line has ever created.

Why? Every single aspect of Vampire Knight’s design is of the highest quality and works both individually and for an even greater sum when all combined. The leg, arm and torso printing is – as we’ve pointed out with Fierce Barbarian – not only so excellently designed, but just as equally well executed in application meaning solid and clear colours that really pop the all-round design.

This translates the same to the dual-sided head, of which remarkably both sides actually work so well even when generally hidden under a large mask thanks to some clever colour detailing around the eyes. Then there are the accessories, including the large axe, printed shield, double-sided top-quality printed cape, and the reimagined, sleek and rather menacing helmet topping off the character’s design so brilliantly.

All these elements are excellent in their own right and expertly come together to create an eye-catching and really fun character design, and one that also manages to serve up a healthy dose of nostalgia for being a modernised version of a notable character from 1990s LEGO Castle history (Basil the Bat-Lord).

Combined with the versatility of all the various parts and pieces in this minifigure for LEGO Castle fans and the fact this is one character that very easily (and importantly, for the blind box element) translates to army building, Vampire Knight is the best minifigure in LEGO Minifigures Series 25 and one of the very best to have ever come out of the theme.

— LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 price —

LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 is packed with a line-up that offers a lot for a wide number of LEGO fans, including a few that will be highly, highly desirable from day one and very, very collectible ever after. Yet, we cannot talk about the price as being ‘only’ £3.49 / $4.99 / €3.99 per minifigure when in reality it isn’t. If you are after one character, or two, you want to build up a mini army of one in particular, or you are aiming for an entire line-up of 12 (and can’t find the 12-pack box – they aren’t that common in the wild), then the very best of luck to you to a) be able to purchase any of what you intend at the first time of asking and b) actually get to stores in time before all the boxes have been ripped apart.

As mentioned, the blind boxes are here for at least the next couple of Collectible Minifigures series while the LEGO Group works out if there’s a better way forward, but regardless, while this concept remains in place we have to continue to talk about it so as to most fairly and objectively review LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25.

And as a concept it is unfortunately so misjudged. These truly blind boxes detract from the experience of collecting such wonderful characters, they detract from the quality and beauty of the work that is put into each minifigure, and they turn a previously fun, casual and cheap shopping experience into the maddest of dashes that yields the most expensive of stashes.

Such great minifigures are more than worth their face value of £3.49 / $4.99 / €3.99 each. But that’s a nothing number because so long as they are sold in blind boxes the cost per desired minifigure to you will hardly likely be just that. While we wait for the LEGO Group’s solution for future series of Minifigures, best wait a few months and these from Series 25 will be on BrickLink for something around RRP, if you don’t mind waiting for the second-hand market, that is.

— LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 pictures —

— LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 pros and cons —

LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 is another strong selection from the Collectible Minifigures team, delivering one of the most varied unlicensed collections we have had in years to cater for any number of LEGO fans, which is something no other theme can ever come close to offering.

Within the line-up are some instant classics and a few that in years to come will be just as equally collectible, each of which demonstrates some of the finest design work that goes into these unique characters. There are a few that admittedly you don’t want doubles of, or that would have found as much life in a City set, but in any case, you’ll find yourself not so disappointed with any of this dozen, at least first time around. What you’d want more than one dog groomer for though we can’t imagine.

And that’s really the only negative here – the likelihood of doubles and unwanted purchases piling up as we navigate the current reality of blind-box packaging while the LEGO Group considers if there’s a better eco-friendly solution that offers the same collector-friendly flexibility to identifying what’s within each pack. In the meantime, though, series like these require patience while the secondary market catches up, or a higher budget to account for the completely random nature of collecting.

LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 pros	LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 cons
The goat is back	Still a fair few in this line-up you’d not need or use doubles of
Vampire Knight is one of the very best ever	Characters like E-Sports Gamer and to an extent Pet Groomer feel like a waste of a spot in the line-up
Something to really appreciate in more than most	The true quality of the minifigures is somewhat lost behind the blind box issue

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 —

LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 are – caring about which ones you get to one side – at the bottom end of the budget and most easily compared with any of the key chain minifigures you can pick up for a similar price. If you want nicely designed minifigures within a set, there are similarities between a few of the characters in this series and what you can currently find in the LEGO City theme.

— LEGO Minifigures 71045 Series 25 FAQs —