REVIEW: Lego Minifigures Series 8 - Vampire Bat

Produced by Lego | Released 2012

Lego Minifigures Series 8...?

OK, yes, we know Series 9 is out and on shelves but from what we can gather, it seems like many stores - including a few local to That Figures Towers - haven't received their updates stock yet. And as Series 8 includes some rather cool figures - many of which still seem quite relevant (more on that in a minute) - we thought ''why not?''

So here's our look at the Series 8 Vampire Bat.

Vampire Bat

As with all Lego Minifigures, the Vampire Bat is based upon the core Lego figure, transformed and transmogrified with the addition of new color/paint/tampo work and accessories.

As you can see, in this case the unique parts come in the form of winged arms and a hairpiece featuring large, bat-like ears.

Although the arm/wing pieces are cool and despite the fact that they don't physically limit the figure's shoulder movement, you will find yourself limiting his poses due to their presence, as moving them from anywhere beyond the vertical makes the figure's arms just look odd.

See?

Color-wise, the figure is relatively plain. Which is fine for what he is but I'd have liked to see some extra tampo work on his leg pieces, perhaps in the form of clawed feet or something. Still though, the remaining transfer work is nicely designed and applied, as you'd expect from Lego, with his beady, evil red eyes and tufted fur being neat touches.

Final Thoughts

The Minifigure Vampire Bat is a recolor of the Monster Fighters character of the same name. Where he was brown, the blind-bagged version is midnight black. Which you prefer is simply a matter of taste (although the brown one - with a quick leg switch - makes a great Man-Bat for your Batman-related adventures) and as far as I can gather, there's no difference (color aside) between the two figures.

Initially I was a little disappointed, not so much in the figure, but more in the fact that I managed to pick-up two Vampire Bats (I should have consulted this guide to figure it out!) but as I posed them I came to realize that the Vampire Bat works well as an individual figure but also as a ''group of'' figure. He's unique enough to look cool among the line-up of Minifigures but also has enough anonymity to work in multiple instances and multiple appearances. The Monster Fighters can battle them as Lord Vampire's minions (or, thanks to his similar coloring, as a bat form for Lord Vampire). They make for a great tribe of Bat People in the Legends of Chima line. And they could even serve as a new, mystery race encountered by the Galaxy Squad. You see, just as individual Lego pieces can be used to create whichever new buildings or vehicles a child sees fit to use them for, so too these figures can be used to create whichever  play scenarios a child can imagine. And that's cool by us.

A fairly simple figure but one that also has a lot of play potential.

Final Score: B

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