The Lele Movie Series 2 KO The Lego Movie minifigs

Toy collecting is an expensive hobby and there are times when you can't keep up. I've had to kick the plastic addiction for the past year or so and am only coming back to it now. One of the things that has been keeping me going however is some fantastic bootleg minifigures that have been turning up all over. There are several different "brands" from China, but the best ones are usually from DeCool and SY (or Sheng Yuan, I believe). Generally, these two are the most faithful to the original LEGO designs and have appropriate accessories included. There are several other companies, like JBL and IQ, that also sell characters from various franchises, but I've been burned more than a few times with those.

Lele is one of those companies that I used to avoid, but they've come out with some pretty good knock offs lately. One of the sets that impressed me was their Lego Movie set from earlier this year. It included 8 characters from the movie, but none of the main ones.

With series 2, we finally get one of the big ones, Emmet.

I'm still hoping that one of the bootleggers will come up with a Wyldstyle and a Morgan Freeman. I can get a Batman from one of the numerous Batman sets I have, but in this set we have another 8 characters from the movie; Emmet in his construction outfit, Sombrero Guy, Where's My Pants Guy, Barista Guy, Panda Suit Guy, Robot Davy Crockett, William Shakespeare, and Abraham Lincoln.

Each one comes individually packed a little 5"x3"x2" box with some very deceptively convincing artwork featuring images from the movie and a logo for "The Lele Movie." All 8 in the set come in a display box similar to the one that you see the original blind bags housed in on the toy store shelves. It's really nice for a knock off considering that you are likely never going to keep these mint-in-sealed-box (MISB). Once you open each box, you'll find a little baggie containing all the parts you'll need to build each character. Hopefully.

I'm not going to kid you, these are knock offs. If you buy enough of these, you'll get a few with missing arms, or two left legs, or some incorrect accessory or color. Thankfully, this set was complete.

There isn't much to really say about the set except, "EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!"

There are a few issues with color, like Emmet's "hair" being the same color as his hard hat (red) instead of brown, or Shakespeare's pate being painted a different color yellow from the official LEGO shade. It's Yellow 109 c, dammit!

All the accessories were there, too. Shakespeare gets a play and a pen, Barista Guy gets a coffee to serve, and Where's My Pants Guy gets... well, pants. Panda Suit Guy even gets a little panda teddy.

If you're at least passingly familiar with the LEGO minifig, then you know the drill when it comes to articulation. You get 7 points; Neck, shoulders, wrists, and hips, all swivel joints. That's better than a lot of figures in larger scales that I could name. At 2", it's just enough to make them crazy fun, and if you have a ton of them and a LEGO base plate or some small flat pieces to act as figure stands, you've got an afternoon!

Personally, I like displaying them with the small, plain black stands that come with the DeCool minifigs and locking them in a clear display case from Daiso. They just look so nice as a set. I'll have to get a few more to accommodate these 16 LEGO Movie figures, but it was totally worth it.

Next stop for these guys? My desk at work!