LEGO Series 26 offers ‘an instant dopamine hit’, but its timing is ‘tragic’

The LEGO community has rallied behind 71046 Series 26, calling the new Collectible Minifigures ‘an instant dopamine hit’ – but some have called out the series’ ‘tragic’ timing.

A brand new collection of blind-boxed minifigures is on the way in just over a month’s time, bringing 12 colourful spacefaring characters to shelves for the first time. This dozen incorporates a healthy mix of nostalgic references with some classic LEGO Easter eggs and brand new designs, offering a little something for everyone. Or at least, that’s presumably what the LEGO Group is going for here.

The question is: has it fulfilled its ambitions with 71046 Series 26? Let’s dive into some early reactions from the LEGO community to find out…

People are here for the nostalgia…

While the LEGO Group has shown some restraint in only devoting a quarter of this new series specifically to classic space subthemes, the nods to M-Tron, Blacktron II and Ice Planet 2002 are already proving to be the highlights of 71046 Series 26 for many. 

“My childhood Space sets were M-Tron, Blacktron, and Ice Planet 2002,” says redditor GearBrain. “To see those shapes re-imagined and updated is tickling my brain in such a fun way!” They’re not alone in their enthusiasm, either: “The ice planet fig is so hard,” adds Cailucci. “That penguin is so, so cool.”

The Ice Planet 2002 minifigure and its trans-orange chainsaw accessory are proving to be the stand-out elements here for most, in fact. “The instant dopamine hit that went through my brain when I saw that transparent orange was welcome!” adds foosbabaganoosh.

…but the series is just a little too late to fully capitalise

The LEGO Group’s return to those ‘90s subthemes may be welcome, but for some it’s just a little bit too late to properly reimagine the likes of Ice Planet and M-Tron – because the colours that made them so iconic in the first place are no longer in production.

The aforementioned trans-orange chainsaw included with the Ice Planet minifigure is not exactly the same colour as it used to be – though that isn’t stopping some from getting ridiculously excited about its return, as noted – while the M-Tron character’s printed visor stands in for the retired trans-neon green visor element.

“It’s truly tragic that this series arrived so late, since trans-neon green and orange are both retired colours,” laments redditor CaptainAction. “The M-Tron and Ice Planet revival figures aren’t the same without those iconic colours.”

If you like the theme, you’ll probably love them all…

Where most regular Collectible Minifigures series offer a wide spread of different characters, 71046 Series 26’s focus on space and space alone means that if you like the theme, you’ll probably like all (or at least most) of the minifigures.

“Amazing that I like every single one here,” says redditor M24Chaffee. “Although I like some much more than others there’s none I’d feel bad pulling.” That’s a sentiment echoed by plenty of fans, perhaps proving that blind boxes aren’t so bad when the contents are guaranteed to be great. “It’s a banger series,” added CaptainAction. “Themed series are kinda nice because if someone likes the theme, they probably won’t be disappointed no matter what they get.”

…but not everyone is into the specific execution

That doesn’t apply to everyone, though. A few people have expressed disappointment with either the selection of characters here, or the specific execution of the series’ nostalgic minifigures.

“I am a little disappointed,” says Flammberger. “A lot of these are pretty generic and boring. The one-piece Ice-Planet helmet looks like [poop emoji].” ResilentPotato chimed in: “I was counting [on] more classic ‘90s space guys. The Blacktron guy is weird and Ice Planet guy is weak. At this point I’m going to get the M-Tron and place it as a cameo among other M-Tron sets.”

There’s one other surprising omission here, which Jason Dylan picked up on over on our Facebook page. “Really wish they added a new classic spaceman colour,” he said. “The astronaut is really a wasted spot here to me.”

The LEGO Group has been drip-feeding us new Classic Space astronauts for the past few years, most recently in brown in 71037 Series 24, so you could reasonably have expected to see another – maybe in teal, or the new reddish orange – in 71046 Series 26, but no dice. There is a new pink SpaceBaby, though.

Also: it’s missing at least one retro subtheme

It’s less surprising to see some fans clamouring for other specific space subthemes overlooked by 71046 Series 26, although there’s nothing to say we won’t see another space-themed series if this one does well (and by all accounts it will, if these early reactions are anything to go by). But one particular theme has received a swell of support over on the LEGO subreddit.

“With the CMF Series 26 announcement, I’m disappointed we aren’t getting another of these guys,” wrote PrecookedDonkey, before sharing an image of the 1998 Insectoids set 6907 Sonic Stinger. Their post has received a couple of hundred upvotes so far, suggesting there’s some real interest in seeing this ‘90s subtheme return – but even if it did, it’s another one that would end up falling victim to the LEGO Group’s changing colour palette, given its heavy reliance on trans-neon green.

While breaking the news to fellow users on the colour’s discontinuation, redditor Askymojo added in quiet tribute: “It’s hard to believe, since it’s the greatest LEGO brick colour of all time.”

Let us know your thoughts on 71046 Series 26 in the comments below. You’ll be able to get your hands on them from May 1, 2024.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO using our affiliate links.