Last year the LEGO Group announced a new partnership with Universal Music Group, which would see LEGO® sets combine with music for the first time. The result of the partnership gave use LEGO VIDIYO and caused a riptide of hatred from a vocal section of the AFOL community. In fact, the theme has done so poorly, it’s been ‘paused’ so it can be reworked for a possible return in the future. But before its departure, VIDIYO has one final gig – the second series of Bandmate Minifigures. There has been so much confusion around the release of new characters, over the past few weeks they have been cancelled, only releasing in certain regions and not releasing until 2022. But they have been released and can be found in LEGO Stores and from LEGO.com. Thankfully I’ve managed to get a full set so here’s a closer look at the LEGO VIDIYO Series 2 Bandmates.
Product Description
Inspire kids to direct, produce and star in exciting music videos with LEGO® VIDIYO™ Bandmates (43108) toys and app. There are 12 characters to collect, all inspired by different music genres. This second series of fun toy minifigures includes dancers, DJs, singers, guitarists and more. Play starts right away as kids bring their character to life within their video, using the app.
Unlock exciting effects with BeatBits
Each Bandmate has a distinct personality and comes with 3 BeatBits. Scan the BeatBits in the app to unlock effects, sounds and more as kids direct their music video. With a regularly updating choice of songs, kids can enjoy a new music experience every time they play.
BeatBits
As well as featuring a Minifigure character and accessories, each Bandmates box also includes three BeatBits. These are printed 2×2 tiles, which unlock special effects in the LEGO VIDIYO app as well as acting as sort of record covers. Each Minifigure includes a unique Special BeatBit which is relevant to each particular character, there are also two random BeatBits, which may vary.
The Minifigures
Regardless of your thoughts on VIDIYO, the Minifigures are great fun. Many of them include unique elements or recoloured pieces. Accessories include microphones, records, boomboxes, pom-poms and glow sticks. Admittedly the accessories aren’t as impressive as the first series. But they do offer some cool Minifigures parts, include a couple of brand new pieces. The characters are once again tied to the various fictional VIDIYO bands. With links them to other Bandmates, as well as past BeatBox and Stage sets.
Carnival Dancer
The Series 21 Minifigures featured a Cabaret Singer, which introduced a feather topped headdress. This has been repurposed for the Carnival Dancer, where is paired with the shoulder armour first used on Praetorian Guards. This element has been recoloured in orange and it is only found on this particular Minifigure. The dancer’s outfit is very colourful, thanks to the sharp print detail and is one of only a couple of characters with print on the arms.
Puppy Singer
The animal-based characters offer the most unique heads and ones I doubt will be used beyond the VIDIYO theme. They are also a little tricky to place what creatures they are as they look very similar and use the same base head with different print details, but this character is a dog. I love the detailing on the trendy suit the Puppy Singer is wearing, especially on the torso. The Bowie-like face print over one eye.
DJ Rasp-Beary
As names go, Rasp-Beary has to be up there as the best ever! But it’s also an interesting character in terms of the parts used to create it. The legs are both transparent pink, with the head being covered in a transparent pink casing, which is filled with a solid colour core. This gives it an unusual but cool appearance. It’s partly let down by the minimal detail on the outfit, especially as it’s just the torso, which could have been jazzed up a little more.
Discowgirl Guitarist
Another nicely named character is the Discowgirl, who is certainly giving off some country vibes. Mainly thanks to her cowgirl hat and ponytail, which is achieved with the same element used for Jessie in the most recent Toy Story sets. Leaning into the disco vibes are a set of pink rollerskates, she certainly mashes up the music genres. The print detail on her out is nice, especially the checkered pattern with flows from the torso to the legs. The white guitar fits the character well, it’s just a shame two characters in this series have one.
Vampire Bassist
The Vampire Bassist is another character with an excellent combination of parts and print detail. The hairpiece is unique to the VIDIYO theme, having been used on two other characters. The version here blends two colours, which makes it look even better than previous versions. This is paired with a great guitar element, which looks like an axe and is currently exclusively found in the VIDIYO theme. She also has print detail on her arms with one featuring a tattoo.
Dragon Guitarist
This is another character who reuses a part introduced in other VIDIYO sets. The dragon head is similar to the one first featured in Series 18 Minifigures, which was the basis for the new head included in the Metal Dragon BeatBox. It’s been recoloured in a nice pale blue, which has nice silver detailing printed on it. It also reuses the wings from the Metal Dragon, now in a shimmering light blue. These look great with the pale purple used on the body. Not colours normally found together in LEGO sets. The Dragon includes a white version of the guitar element.
Karaoke Mermaid
The Mermaid is crafted from various recoloured pieces including the chopstick pinned hairpiece, which was used for the NINJAGO Movie version of Misako. Being a mermaid, it obviously features a tail section in place of legs. The Minifigure includes the best print detailing of any character in this series, with little koi carp woven into the design. The Karaoke Mermaid includes a Boombox and a mic.
Slime Singer
The Slime Singer is by far my favourite character, yet it’s oddly simplistic in terms of the printed detail. The standard Minifigure head is blank and the body merely features wavey flows of slime. But these are paired with a single transparent green arm and leg. Along with a unique new head element, which I guess would technically be classed as a helmet. This obviously looks like a blob of slime and is transparent as well. The Slime Singer includes a simple mic for his accessory.
Zombie Dancer
Zombies are always welcomed by LEGO fans, the playful take on an undead menace is more cheeky than chilling. This is the first time we’ve had a musically inclined Zombie. The shabby clothing often associated with Zombies works extremely well for the Monster Metal band. The print detail is great and even extends to the accessories which include a pair of headphones and a cassette tape, which uses a 1×2 tile.
Alien Dancer
The Alien Dancer makes use of a new element used for the first series of Bandmates. This is a recoloured version of a hairpiece with a pair of antennas sticking out of it. Compare to other characters, the Alien Dancer is rather basic, the torso and leg designs are quite simple and the glow-sticks seem a little too long for what they are meant to represent.
DJ Captain
The Pirate Punks are represented by DJ Captain. This nautical-themed disc jockey features a uniquely coloured version of the tricorn hat with a ponytail. She also has a hook hand torso, making her the only character without standard hands. The Punk Pirates have an odd colour scheme, which blends shocking pink, black and turquoise, all of which is featured in DJ Captain’s outfit. She includes a 2×2 round tile, which has previously been used for a member of the Tropicon band.
DJ Beatbox
Finally, DJ Beatbox has to be one of the most unique of all the VIDIYO characters. In place of a standard Minifigure head, DJ Beatbox has a miniature version of the case used in BeatBox sets. It’s an impressive little element and it gives the character a sort of Daft Punk-vibe, which is continued with the outfit. The mix of gold, silver and black combines well. The accessory is a 2×2 round tile, which represents a white vinyl record.
Overall
Thinking of these as just another series of Minifigures is more sensible than an extension to the VIDIYO app. The digital interactive aspect of VIDIYO really is broken. What they do offer is a collection of really cool looking characters. The unique heads moulds and are joined by plenty of recoloured pieces. Many of which I cannot see being used elsewhere. The BeatBits offer a great collection of printed elements that are perfect for integrating into MOCs if nothing else. As with the first series, the biggest disappointment with these Minifigures is their packaging. The boxes make it impossible to tell what is inside, which is less an issue at present, as they are only available from LEGO stores and online. When ordering online, you’re only able to order 20. If you’re lucky, you’ll get all 12. I ordered 20 and got 11, with someone else ordering the same and getting all 12 in one hit. Thankfully, they had the one I needed and very kindly sent it to me to complete my collection. I fully understand the limited release, but it would make more sense to allow people to order a full, sealed box. The Series 2 Bandmates will launch in North America on November 1st.
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