The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are in full swing, which is the perfect time to take a look back at the time the LEGO Group made officially licensed Olympian minifigures.
Did you know the LEGO Group made a Collectible Minifigures series based off team Great Britain (GB) in 2011? A decade old, few LEGO fans who aren’t ardent minifigure collectors are aware of 8909 Team GB. This Collectible Minifigures series was created in partnership with the British Olympic Association for the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
Because this Collectible Minifigures series was only available in the UK, the series has only gone up in both value and collectability. This Collectible Minifigures wave only contained nine minifigures as opposed to the usual sixteen at the time. Each blind bag minifigure retailed for £1.99 and came with a gold medal accessory as well as a printed display stand. That is where the similarities end – you will find that each minifigure below is quite unique.
Brawny Boxer
The boxer comes equipped with a decorated blue boxing helmet, as well as a pair of blue boxing gloves. His face print depicts a smiling face as well as his mouthguard. As you will see with many of these figures, leg printing is highly detailed. Not only are the front of the legs printed, but the sides are as well.
Stealth Swimmer
The swimmer is one of the simpler figures, but still looks good. His face print features some goggles for swimming laps and the print on his white swim cap is sharp. The drops of water printed on his legs, torso and head make it look as if he just emerged from the water.
Relay Runner
The relay runner features more great leg printing, depicting his shorts, shoes, and leg in between. The printing on both the front and the side of each leg line up perfectly. The runner’s face features beads of sweat, shared by only two other minifigures in this series. Included as an accessory is a four-stud long baton.
To get Blocks, the ultimate LEGO magazine for fans, every month – at a discount and earlier than the shops – order a 12-month or 24-month subscription. Direct debit payment options are available too; to find out more get in touch via subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks.
Judo Fighter
While the judo fighter features no extra accessories, she is the only one of these minifigures to feature back printing. A black belt is printed across the torso, waist, and legs. She also features an extra fierce expression, ready to take on the Olympic games.
Tactical Tennis Player
The tennis player has already worked up a sweat, as he too features sweat printing on his face. He is equipped with a silver tennis racket element and sports neat black hair on top of his head. His legs receive side printing as well.
Flexible Gymnast
The gymnast’s torso and leg prints capture her leotard decorated with Great Britain’s insignia. She is the only minifigure to feature a brick-built accessory- a balance beam. Made from two 1×1 bricks and one 1×4 plate, the beam is simple yet effective. Furthermore, the beam offers extra poses for the gymnast.
Wondrous Weightlifter
The weightlifter stands out from the rest of the athletes with his bright red outfit. He wields a large blue dumbbell which stands out. Like all but one of the nine Olympic minifigures, he sadly features no back printing. The accessory makes up for that.
Horseback Rider
No, the horseback rider does not come with a horse, but she is still a great minifigure to get. It is important to note that these minifigures were made before dual-molded legs even existed, so in this case it’s actually just printed detail.
Agile Archer
The archer came ready to shoot some targets. A black bow is held in his gloved hand, and a chest guard/protector has been printed onto his torso. His best features are The Superman hair element in a new colour and his aiming expression with one closed eye.
If you would like to acquire this series of Olympic athletes, buying and selling sites such as eBay or Bricklink are the only way to go. On Bricklink, for instance, you could purchase complete sets of all the minifigures, buy them individually or even purchase unopened blind bags.