Subject:
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Re: Skeletons are Minifigs too
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.loc.au
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Date:
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Wed, 28 Jul 2004 11:53:38 GMT
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In order to achieve the loc.au monthly trivia quota, I offer the following
research insights on the Hogwarts Castle Mark 2 (set 4757).
Personal inspection of a built set reveals the following 9 items which might
(by some) be regarded as minifigs: Harry Potter, Hermoine Granger, Ron
Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Prof Dumbledore, Prof Trelawney, 2 dementors, 1
skeleton.
Now as has already been pointed out, LUGnet thinks there are only 8
minifigs, and points you to Peeron for the inventory.
Now on Peeron, it also claims there are 8 minifigs in the set, despite
having an inventory that lists:
* 10 minifig heads accessorised by 5 hairpieces, 2 hoods, 1 hat, and 1
goldfish bowl
* 6 minifig torsos accessorised by 2 capes, 2 capes with pointed ends, and 1
beard
* 3 skeleton bodies accessoried by 6 skeleton arms, 2 skeleton legs, and 2
dementor pogo sticks
* 5 minifig hips-with-two-legs and 1 minifig skirt, apparently
unaccessorised
Now the Lego classification purists among us, and heavens knows there are
enough of them out there on LUGnet, might prefer me to call the goldfish
bowl a Clear Plate 2 x 2 With Globe 2 x 2 x 2, the dementor pogo stick a
Sand Green Bar 2L With Two Clips And Top Antistud, and the minifig skirt a
Blue Slope Brick 65 2 x 2 x 2 with Centre Tube With HP Professor Trelawney
Dress Pattern. However, this is my posting, and I shall call them what I
like.
Now the Harry Potter purists among us, and heavens knows etc, might prefer
me to call the dementor pogo sticks something completely different, and
heavens knows what that might be but I'm sure you'll tell me, on the grounds
that pogo sticks are fun and dementors are not, so clearly whatever it is
that keeps dementors upright (or sidewise if SNOT mounted, I mention that
point especially for Richie's benefit to try to head off the otherwise
inevitable discussion of whether dementors could be SNOT mounted on the side
of a tidal-estuary frigate) isn't going to be a pogo stick. However, I am
pretty sure that even the Harry Potter purists among us will agree that J.K.
Rowling did not mention that dementors were levitated (or otherwise
competing with gravity) through the use of a Bar 2L With Two Clips And Top
Antistud, at least not in my copy of the book. And, of course, it is
entirely possible that prior to becoming a dementor, the entity later to
become a dementor may in fact have been possessed of all manner of sporting
items such as quidditch sets (very likely) and perhaps even pogo sticks, and
I think even the HP purists will have to agree that J.K. Rowling was very
silent on some of the specifics of the transition from non-dementor to
dementor in regards to the continued possession or otherwise of sporting
equipment. So, lets us agree at least temporarily that the dementors are
more likely to have had pogo sticks than Bar 2Ls.
Anyhow, enough of these distractions from my main point, there are 8
minifigs in the set according to Peeron but heavens knows how they come up
with that conclusion given their own inventory which would appear to support
either that there are 10 minifigs (if you are a head counter) or 9 minifigs
if you count the upper torso. If you start counting legs, you run into a
number of special cases, e.g. how many legs does Prof Trelawney virtually
possess beneath her skirt and how many legs does a dementor have (does a
pogo stick count as one, or are there two vestigal legs on a dementor to
enable it to balance on the pogo stick?) . Best not to bother trying to do
arithmetic with legs given these unknowns and imponderables.
Bricklink however appears to be right on the money, or at least right into
my money, as it lists the set as having 9 minifigs of 8 unique types, having
apparently been unable to spot the subtle difference between the two
dementors (I leave this as an exercise for the reader, although frankly
reading won't help you, better to buy the set and look closely at it, so
perhaps it is best left as an exercise for the purchaser). The 10th head is
listed not as a minifig but as merely a part, but what a listing it is,
describing the 10th head as a White Minifig Head Horror Skull Evil With
Eyebrows, clearly the work of one of the aforementioned Lego classification
purists or a careful reader of the works of J.K. Rowling who spotted the
reference to dementor eyebrows that I obviously overlooked. However, in
stark constrast to this precision in classification, the complete skeleton
(which is listed as a minifig) and possessing an identically eyebrowed skull
is described somewhat less imaginatively as Skeleton With Evil Skull (from
7409). Now for many of you looking for a quick answer, and heaven knows etc,
therein lies the solution to the cardinality of minifigs in this set, to
wit, the skeleton is from the set 7409 and therefore cannot be counted as
part of the 4757 set, thus yielding 8 minifigs. An excellent solution but
one that exposes an inherent contradiction, as bricklink proclaims there are
in fact 9 minifigs despite having carefully documented the skeleton as being
part of another set. Still it's an explanation that will sound convincing if
you say it quickly enough, preferably while wearing a white coat or
stethoscope.
An alternate solution lies in TLC itself. If you consult the S@H entry, you
will see it trumpet that the set includes Harry Potter, Ron WeasleyT,
Hermione GrangerT, Draco MalfoyT, Professor DumbledoreT, Professor Trelawney
and 2 dementors (which opens up the fascinating topic of why some names are
TMed and not others), but note the careful use of the word "includes", as
the set description also says "Discover the secrets of HogwartsT!", one of
the secret presumably being the existence of the skeleton. Not that it's the
kind of secret that will come as a huge surprise, unless of course you have
never previously encountered a Lego swivelling wall with a skeleton behind
it. Indeed, I almost wanted to ask for my money back as the set omitted the
mandatory falling axes and 2x2 blue brick. And furthermore, I would
appreciate the HP purists among us enlightening me as to the page reference
in which J.K. Rowling mentions this skeleton behind the swivel wall, or even
in the proverbial closet. Maybe that is the other secret of 4757, remember
it said "secretS", the second secret being the fact that the skeleton is not
in fact in the HP books. This is a rather compelling solution, as it
explains the LUGnet and Peeron count of 8 minifigs as being a well-meant
deception to avoid the "spoiler" of revealing the secret of the skeleton.
However, the truth lies in quantum physics, exemplified by Schrodinger's Cat
in the case of physicists, and heaven knows etc, or the skeleton of 4757 in
the case of the Lego enthusiasts. Put simply, from the point of view of an
observer, the skeleton either exists as a minifig with some probability or
does not exist as a minifig with the complementary probability, depending on
the position of the swivel wall, and thus we cannot count it as a whole
minifig. Quod erat demonstrandum, in the language of the physicist. Or,
perhaps, quid me anxious sum, in the language of Alfred E. Neumann.
Kerry
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Skeletons are Minifigs too
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| (...) Wohoo! And this is just an analysis of the figures. I can't wait for the actual review! (...) -snip- (...) A tidal-estuary frigate with lateral amidships dementors... now there's an idea... (...) You mean dementors are made, not born? Can you (...) (20 years ago, 29-Jul-04, to lugnet.loc.au, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Skeletons are Minifigs too
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| (...) What would we classify a Karen Carpenter fig as ? I'm with you, I would consider a skel a minifig, but I'm sure greater minds than ours have analysed this issue in death.....woops...depth. I would possibly consider anything with a detachable (...) (20 years ago, 26-Jul-04, to lugnet.loc.au)
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