After a painfully long wait, LEGO Ideas 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine is finally here and ready to join LEGO collections across the world. But what is the point of this set? Is it a model that puts the fun in functional? Or is it all about those sweet, nostalgic LEGO characters?
21358 Minifigure Vending Machine is a LEGO fan’s nostalgic dream, with 16 minifigures representing many different realms of retro LEGO themes, from Classic Space astronauts and Castle knights to minifigures showing off their love of Paradisa and Fabuland. The minifigure selection is about as perfect as it could have been, I think. There’s always going to be that one thing that could’ve and should’ve been included, but as far as minifigure rosters go, 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine does a pretty good job.
Where the set starts to lose me is the whole ‘vending machine’ concept. It’s novel, it’s fun. I won’t deny that. But I’m left wondering just how much value the vending machine will actually have as a display piece and how much use the intricate mechanism will actually get.
The display problem
The minifigures in 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine are, by necessity, the standouts of the set. The actual vending machine is a LEGO engineering marvel and looks fantastic, but fans would be a lot more hesitant about the £149.99 / $179.99 / €169.99 price tag if the minifigures weren’t so desirable. Which leads to the big snag with the set for me – if the minifigures are so desirable, why would I want to keep them stuffed inside the vending machine?
It’s a fun gimmick, turning the nob and getting one of the super-cool minifigures to come out. But what about when I want to display the new Kraken knights in my 10332 Medieval Town Square? Or when I want the Classic Astronauts to take a turn in 10497 Galaxy Explorer? Their capsules in the vending machine are then left empty. But if I keep them to fill the capsules, then they’re sitting disassembled and hidden from view.
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The obvious answer here is to have the minifigures I want on display, on display. Then any unwanted minifigures can populate the vending machine. My problem there is that 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine basically becomes a £149.99 / $179.99 / €169.99 storage unit for my 16 copies of Tatooine Luke that I don’t want to remember I own.
The price is easily reconciled by the fact that the vending machine is a much more appealing display piece than a £10 storage container. But if the endgame is storage, why pay significantly more for the same function?
LEGO collecting is subjective
My reservations regarding 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine really boil down to personal problems I’d have with a copy of the set. It doesn’t mean that I think the set is bad by any means — it’s a beautiful build and the minifigure selection is near perfect. The ultimate point of the set and what it would end up accomplishing as part of my collection simply raise important questions about the value of LEGO sets and how subjective those questions truly are. After all, what’s the real difference between 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine and 70620 NINJAGO City on display if both end up sitting there, untouched most of the time? If there’s a definitive answer, it’s not one I’m sure I’ll ever find.
If 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine becomes a best-selling set and beloved by fans, that’s great. I’m more than happy for people to find their favourite set in something that I don’t have much desire to buy myself. To me, it’s a high price tag for a minifigure pack and a storage container. An excellent, eye-catching storage container, but still just a place for me to stash unwanted minifigures. Maybe on a discount it’d be tempting enough for me to pick up, but for now, I’ll let the fans itching to get their hands on it have their moment with the set. It is a great set. Just not one entirely made for me.
What are your thoughts on 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine — perfect set, or dust collector? Let Blocks know on any of our social media channels. And if the set does tickle your fancy, consider purchasing it via our affiliate links to help support the work we do at Blocks magazine.