Minifigures - Where there is a twin Headgear option

SeniorHypnoticDial

I've been working on some of the 2023 minifigures for inventory purposes and whilst most run to the order of first built in the Build Instructions, there are a few that do not follow that rule. An example is the Park Ranger from 60394-1.

The BI has the minifig first built with the Hair option, yet the minifig listed on Brick Owl follows the main picture where the Park Ranger is on the quad with the Helmet and goggles.

Whilst this is not a reason for the format of the minifig to be in certain order, both Bricklink and Rebrickable list the first built (Hair) option and effectively stops any link from Brick Owl to the sites being accepted.

My question : does Brick Owl have a preferred minifig rule for the order of the parts to be listed - or is it just really down to the submitter at the time? Or perhaps better still is there merit in both headgear options being listed on Brick Owl?

Many thanks for any replies.

Calibrick

That's a great question, I've run into that too! Interested to hear the answer.

Lawrence

Our preference is for how they're listed in the instructions, but sometimes we don't notice if they're submitted differently

mfav

The 3-in-1 Creator set 31119 has different minifigure assemblies for each of the three builds. I would guess that all are "legitimate" assemblies but would "break" whatever convention or programming is available to the database to handle that situation.

SeniorHypnoticDial

Thanks Lawrence, appreciate your reply - the Park Ranger, as you'll know has now been fixed - Thanks for that.

There are a couple more from the 2023 minifig - they are from Set: LEGO Skate Park Set 41751
Both Liann (BOID: 119727) and Luna (BOID: 144653) have the same issue - Helmet headgear in place of Hair.

SeniorHypnoticDial

Hi there mfav - good point on the 3in1 sets from the Creator theme. But would it not be the case that there is the main build (the Ferris wheel for 31119), then there are two alternative build options. At a guess and I don't really know this, if you had to write a rule then the main (or primary) build is the rule to follow for the minifig options?

Just my thoughts, for what that be would be worth.

mfav

@SeniorHypnoticDial As a buyer or seller, I would like all options available. I don't see any reason to not have the figures in all the configurations shown in the 3-in-1 and I also don't see any reason to not have the figures include or exclude any "utensil" that may be associated with it: footwear, backpacks, weapons, and so on.

I suspect that for whatever reasons the powers-that-are end up being constrained to some degree by whateverthehell BrickLink is doing at any given moment. If you are a seller trying to sync between platforms, then there has to be some degree of parity there. I don't know what the implications might be if you have a minifigure assembly existing here that doesn't have a companion existing there.

The headgear, as you have noted, gets into this fuzzy area. All the Stuntz figures have a non-helmet headgear and a helmet headgear. There is a character in the Monkie Kid 80026 set with a hair piece, panda head, and rollerskates. Being able to list those figures with one headgear, the other headgear, or both headgear (three possible record entries) I would find acceptable if not preferable. The reasons "why not" would have to be put to the system administrator. I'd guess it would mess up a set inventory…but it possibly could be listed without connection to the set inventory.

The BAM prebuilt figures (which can vary in configuration from store to store) that have shown up over the last few years don't technically belong to any set. I do think those are listed here but not there. Example: https://www.brickowl.com/catalog/lego-man-in-bear-costume doesn't have a companion on BrickLink. That being the case I would think that the system here is capable of having multiple or "variant" assemblies…whether the variant assemblies are something that management here wants or doesn't want…I'm not sure I have ever seen a position articulated.

Maybe it is that the alternate assemblies simply haven't been added here. Maybe it is a situation where a recent development in the real world doesn't fit into a database schema that was designed twenty something years ago.

Lawrence

@mfav If users like they can create a minibuild, so they can sell any combination of minifigure parts as a minibuild in their store

Lawrence

@SeniorHypnoticDial I've reset the figures from 41751

mfav

@Lawrence So does that minibuild listing go into the greater catalog, or is that restricted to the one store? Put another way, is that listing generally discoverable, or do I have to stumble across it in somebody's specific store? And does the listing persist after the item is sold?

Lawrence

Yes you can see the mini builds if you click on the browse button at the top of the page

mfav

@Lawrence Thanks. A potential point of improvement there would be to have the minibuilds include an inventory. I clicked on a dragon and wanted to see the parts, but no inventory.

Lawrence

They can include an inventory, but it requires a user to create one

mfav

@Lawrence I'm now seeing some do and some don't. Thanks again.