Review: LEGO Minifigure Series 17
Finally, I collected all the characters of the LEGO Minifigure Series 17, it was a slow process to find them all, and now it is the time for my review.
The LEGO Minifigure 17 was released in May 2017 and it included 16 unique minifigures, the standard number of characters for the Collective Minifigure Series, till Series 21 where LEGO reduced the characters to 12.
As for the other series, the minifigures are in the usual single bags in a light blue background and they cost 3.99 EUR in Europe per bag.
In each bag there is the usual leaflet: with the 16 minifigures on one side, and some instructions on the other. A special characteristic of this Minifigure Series 17 is the presence of a mysterious character where you can see only the silhouette.
As for the other Series Review, I will introduce all the minifigures with my thought, link and reference with other sets and series.
Moreover, you will find here below the direct links to each minifigure. However, you can also scroll the page and check all of them. Finally, I leave for the ens some conclusion, so don’t forget to read my summary and leave me your feeling of this Minifigure Series 17!
As usual, for each minifigure I have included my personal rating in a 1-5 scale: 1 I really don’t like it, 5 I really like it.
Pro Surfer
The series starts with the Pro Surfer.
The guy is a variant of the Surfer Guy of Series 2 and the male version of the Surfer Girl in Series 4, moreover, with the recent release of Series 21, there is a Paddle Surfer Girl.
The minifigure has a black suit with red details and a wave logo on it.
The back is quite simple with the continuation of the details from the front.
The face and the hair create a nice expression, however it is nothing special.
Finally, the most remarkable part is the surf accessory with the shark printed on it, which became available also in some LEGO store Build-a-minifigure area.
In general, the minifigure is quite similar to its predecessors, I appreciate that there is a boy and girl version among the minifigure series. However, the Surfer is becoming really common, and further similar minifigure are in different LEGO CITY sets.
Minifigure rating: 2/5
Strongman
The strongman is really a funny and unique minifigure coming from the circus of the 19th century.
The body has the print of the typical leopard tabard, which continue on the back and on the legs. The legs have also the print of the black boots. It really represent the dress of the ancient strongmen.
The face is of course concentrated with the moustache piece as for the Mariachi from Series 16.
This strongman can be also considered an ancient review of the Weight-Lifter from Series 2.
Finally, the accessory is the barbell of 100 each side, that the minifigure can hold in one hand!
I like this strongman, it add an old-fashion style to the collection.
Minifigure rating: 4/5
Gourmet Chef
The Gourmet Chef is the third character of the Minifigure Series 17.
Despite, the chef is one of the classic minifigures, it is the first time the combination of the long hair and chef hat. It has also the typical gourmet chef white jacket with black trousers.
The face is happy and smily. As accessory, there are a strawberry cake and a whisk, appeared for the first time.
A very similar minifigure is also available at the LEGO House Restaurant, where the character has a big pan and carrot and the back side of the torso has the a dedicated print.
I used a similar part also to create Mirella, one fo the Minifigures of my Piadina Brick MOC.
Despite the simplicity of the minifigure, I like it very much and I found very effective.
Minifigure rating: 4/5
Corn Cob Guy
It is the time to corn harvest with the Corn Cob guy.
The minifigures with special costume are one of the main characteristics of the Collective Minifigure Series and the Corn suit is one of them.
The minifigure is quite simple with green torso and legs without any print on it. The face has some funny moustache.
However, the central part of the minifigure is the corn costume, which makes it really unique.
I like the Corn guy very much, it is funny and it is suitable for humorist photos and scenes.
Minifigure rating: 4/5
Veterinarian
There is also a Veterinarian in this Minifigure Series 17.
The girl wears a green medical uniform, with a very nice print of a stethoscope and the badge printed on one leg.
There is a single face as all the minifigures in this collection. In the future, the same face and hair will be used for the minifigure of Rachel in Friends.
The back is quite simple, but with the continuation of the print of the torso.
I like that this veterinarian has a rabbit as animal and not the usual cat or dog. The rabbit is in one of its first appearances, and it is quite different from the rabbit version of the Friends Theme.
I am not really impressed by this minifigure. It is nice, but quite simple.
Minifigure rating: 3/5
Hot Dog Waiter
Time for lunch? Here we have the Hot Dog Waiter, or also mentioned as Hot Dog Vendor.
It is a clear reference to one of the most famous LEGO modular building: the Diner.
The guy the stereotype of an American waiter, with red and white apron printed on the torso and part of the leg.
He has a single face and a very American style white side cap with a red line decoration. The details of the apron continues also in the back side.
The Hot Dog guy has a blue tray with the hot dog and a cup with a straw.
I like this vendor or waiter, it is elegant and full of details. However, it is a bit unstable because the hotdog and the cup parts cannot be connected on the tray. So, unfortunately, if it shakes all the parts fall. Anyway, all in all I like this character and I like the link with the modular Diner set.
Minifigure rating: 4/5
Butterfly Girl
We have here a young girl in a butterfly costume.
The minifigure is a young girl, with the short legs. The torso has a light blue vest with a butterfly printed on it. Then, the small legs are well printed with different scale of pink.
Moving to the face, the girl has a coloured flower on the chick and the hairpiece has some printed flowers. Of course, the most remarkable part is the butterfly wing piece which connects at the neck like a backpack.
Finally, as a accessory, the girl has a bunch of pink flowers.
There are some nice prints in this minifigure, but I admit, I am not a big fun of this kind of minifigures and I prefer the animal costumes with special parts.
Minifigure rating: 3/5
Roman Gladiator
From the ancient Rome, here it is an historical Minifigure a Roman Gladiator. In particular, it is a clear representation of the Retiarius gladiator.
Just a brief historic note, the Retiarius was a gladiator equipped with a trident, a net and a dagger (pugio). In the arena, the Retiarius gladiators fought against the Secutor gladiators. the latter were armed with a gladio sword and a big shield, then they wear a big helmet and a metal armour. Retiarius and Secutor gladiators represented the fisherman and the fish, respectively.
So, after this short introduction to the character the prints on the torso of the minifigure is much clear, the Retiarius gladiator was almost naked and without an helmet. His only protection were an arm and a shoulder guard on the left, as printed on the minifigure torso. Then, the legs with a brown print it could represent the light protection on the legs. Anyway, they should not be confused with boots, because the Retiarius fought barefoot. On the shoulder there is also the lion insigna.
As anticipated, the minifigure has no helmet, but just short male hair, and this is the first minifigure with short curly hair piece.
I think that this minifigure can be coupled with the Gladiator of Series 5, which well represents the secutor. I don’t have the minifigure, yet, but you can see it in my post on the list of minifigure series.
To conclude, I like very much the historical minifigures and I found quite accurate. It is a pity that the net is missing, but I appreciate the printed details.
Minifigure rating 5/5
Connoisseur
In the Minifigure Series 17, there is also a reference to the French culture with this connoisseur.
It is a nice stereotype of a Parisian man, with a black and white stripped shirt and a red foulard around the neck: all printed on the torso. Then the face has the characteristic French mustache and a disappointed expression. The hat is a kind of coppola hat, that I think it is more linked to the south Italian traditions rather then the French ones.
Then, there are two unique elements that refers for sure to France and Paris: the baguette bread and the French Bulldog.
They are both at their first appearance but in the future, LEGO will use the baguette in several sets.
Finally, I like the presence of minifigures linked also to specific countries to enhance their tradition. On the other hand, it is a bit a pity that the hat is not the most famous french beret. Anyway, in general I really appreciate it.
Minifigure rating: 5/5
Battle Dwarf
The next minifigure of the Minifigure Series 17 is the battle dwarf: a great reference to the fantasy world. I figure it as a kind of trollslayer or dragonslayer: one of that fearless dwarfs devoted to kill the most dangerous and terrible creatures of their worlds.
It is dressed with a reinforced belt printed on the torso and some fabric trousers.
Then, on the arms he has some reinforced bands and tatoo.
The great characteristic of this minifigure is the face with a printed red beard and two hair piece: a rubber red beard and stinging red hair.
As a battle dwarf, he his armed with a battle axe and a warhammer.
Just for completeness, there was already on Series 5 another Dwarf warrior.
To conclude, I like very much this Battle Dwarf, it remembers me the long nights of D&D RPG with friends.
Minifigure rating: 5/5
Retro Space Hero
This is one of that kind of minifigure that I am expecting in a Minifigure series: it is a Retro Space Hero. It looks like a bad guy of a Flash Gordon movie of the ’60s.
The prints and the color combination with a sand yellow and a sand green recreate very well the Retro Space.
The headgear is an helmet designed for a movie in the early period of Space.
It looks like a villain mostly because of the gun and the face with a snicker. The gun itself is really a master piece and again in the same retro time. Finally, the minifigure is completed with a cape.
I admit, I was not very attracted by this Retro Space Hero at the beginning, but after the review, I have reconsidered it a lot and it deserves a nice score. For the lover of Space Theme or Retro Space, it is a must have minifigure.
Minifigure rating: 5/5
Yuppie
We have here the Yuppie guy.
The character is quite simple: the white dress with torso and legs is completed with a purple shirt and short sleeves.
There are no special prints in the back.
It is a cool guy with a special face with mirrored sunglasses and a nice hair style. The accessory is a grey radio refined with a printed tile and a printed slope.
All in all I don’t see any special feature that justifies it in the series, even if it can be considered the male variant of the Trendsetter in Series 10. However, this kind of minifigure looks like a character of the LEGO City theme and for this reason I don’t give them a high rate.
Minifigure rating: 2/5
Rocket Boy
I am a Space Theme lover and here we have a boy dresses in a big rocket costume.
The masterpiece is of course the rocket costume which remembers the Tintin starship.
However, the character has also a special LEGO Space theme shirt, a grey one.
The face has a happy expression. Hair are of course missing, but as an accessory there is a LEGO Classic Space logo drew and coloured by the boy. It is nice to see then the evolution with characters in other Series where there are both the costume and hair part: an example is the Airplane Costume Girl in Series 21.
As described in the bio: its dad is the Astronaut of Series 15: a nice crossover between series, hopefully soon a Space mum will arrive!
So, to conclude, I really like this minifigure, because it is full of details and references to the LEGO Classic Space Theme. Moreover, the rocket is a unique piece that can give ideas for scenes and small funny photos.
Minifigure rating: 5/5
Dance Instructor
Directly from the TV series in the 90’s here we have the Dance Instructor.
However, it has a nice and funny face with a blue band, and a nice hair, which are still quite unique.
The torso has the typical print of a sporty costume which continue also on the legs, and it is completed with leggings. In the arms are printed the wristbands.
Finally, the accessory is a sport bottle obtained with a 1×1 round brick and a round 1×1 tile with bar and pin holder. I admit that I like this combination of parts for the bottle and you can see it in several sets and MOCs.
Again, also this Dance Instructor looks like a variant of the Fitness Instructor in Series 5.
Finally, despite the nice color and print, I think it is one of the minifigure that you can find in any LEGO City set and I have the same consideration as the Yuppie.
Minifigure rating: 2/5
Elf Maiden
Here it is a minifigure coming from the Fantasy world of Elves: the Elf Maiden.
It is a combination of a standard minifigure torso with a slope brick, that I found quite bizarre, coupled with a sword and a shield.
The color combination of light blue and sand pink creates a nobile atmosphere around the Elf.
The face is quite unique and recalls the elves, and the hair piece is unique with elf ears and very long hair.
The accessories are a golden sword and a decorated shield, which confirm the nobile nature of the Elf, with a ritual atmosphere.
This is the female variant of the Elf in Series 3, even if the previous Elf is clearly a ranger.
To conclude, I really like this Elf minifigure, even if I found a bit bizarre the golden sword. I was expecting some less martial accessories.
Minifigure rating: 4/5
Highwayman
Last but not least the Highwayman: the secret minifigure of the Minifigure Series 17, as immediately visible in the leaflet.
Also for this collection, as for the Series 18, I bought each single bag and the Highwayman was one of the first minifgures I found!
The minifigure is quite mysterious with a dark dress and a black cape, a black tricorne and a dark handkerchief. In particular, the torso is fully printed with the dress which continues also on the legs.
The face is quite dark and angry and it has two grey guns as accessories.
In my opinion it looks like as an ancient highwayman in the ‘800 or early ‘900 centuries.
It is my favourite minifigure of this series, and it deserves a very high ranking and it is since I found it that I wanted to prepare a small diorama. I hope I will do it one day.
Minifigure rating: 5/5
Final Thought of the Minifigure Series 17
I made my personal review of the LEGO minifigure series 17, despite LEGO released a few years ago. I was still in my dark age.
There are several nice minifigures but on the other hand, other minifigures are not really significant and as I wrote, some of them will be appropriated also in a LEGO City set.
Anyway, my personal top 5 is as follow:
However, I would like also to mention the Battle Dwarf and the Elf Maiden, because they are quite unique, as most of the other characters, but they can be used for some specific fantasy diorama.
I hope you enjoyed reading and I really appreciate if you can leave me a comment below or even your top 5 of this Series 17.
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Thank you for reading Bricksphere and enjoy LEGO!
