Posted By Adam White on Mar 8, 2021 | 2 comments

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 this partnership is LEGO VIDIYO, a combination of sets, Minifigures and a music-based app. As well as a range of BeatBox sets, the VIDIYO theme also includes a series of collectible Minifigures. The first series includes 12 unique characters and various BeatBits. So let’s crank up the beat and get the band together as I take a look first series of LEGO VIDIYO Bandmate Minifigures.

Product Description

Inspire kids to direct, produce and star in exciting music videos with LEGO® VIDIYO™ Bandmates (43101) and app. With 12 characters to collect, all inspired by different music genres, this band of toy minifigures includes dancers, rappers, guitarists, drummers, singers 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

Unlike other Minifigure series, each of the Bandmate Minifigures includes a buildable display stage with a 2×6 plate. This is used to connect three BeatBits. These are printed 2×2 tiles, which unlock special effects in the LEGO VIDIYO app. 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

As well as each Minifigure including a display stage and three BeatBits, they all have unique accessories each with a musical connection. Although many of these are uniquely coloured for the VIDIYO theme, none of the elements are new. Accessories include microphones, records, boomboxes, a saxophone, a keytar, pom-poms and bone drum sticks. The characters are also tied to certain bands. Some of these are connected to the currently available BeatBox sets, with others possibly pointing towards future sets.

Cotton Candy Cheerleader

This character is one of only a couple who doesn’t act as singers or play an instrument. The Cheerleader has a very similar appearance to the N-Pop Girl from The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Minifigures, with the same hair element used. Her outfit is themed around ice creams, with sprinkles and the pastel colours often associated with ice cream parlours. She includes two pink pom-poms. Band – Candy Pop

Icecream Saxophonist

This anthropomorphic dessert is another rather unique character. In place of a standard head is a specially crafted ice cream head. This looks like a scoop of ice cream topped with chocolate spread and cherry. The ice cream theme continues onto the torso, which looks a little like melting chocolate. The legs have the pattern of an ice cream cone. All these combine to create a tasty-looking Minifigure. He plays the saxophone. Band – Candy Pop

Discoboy Singer

This disco-loving cowboy is probably the most generic of all the characters in this series. The singer has some great print detail, with his outfit similar to what line dancers would be kitted out in. Accessories include a dark blue cowboy hat and microphone. Band – Discoboy

Alien Keytarist

This keytar playing extraterrestrial is one of the most unique of all the characters. It features a new hairpiece with a pair of antennas. It also has a single eye, which makes it look a little odd compared to standard Minifigure characters. The keytar is a recoloured version of the element introduced with the Series 20 Eighties Musician. Band – ETDM

Genie Dancer

Back in 2012, one of the earlier Minifigure Series featured a Genie character and a new tailpiece. Which is used here with silver print detail added. There is an odd mismatch between the tail colouring, which is pink and the connected area on the torso which is green. It appears to be a mistake but doesn’t affect the character much. Her instrument of choice is a tambourine, created from a 2×2 round tile with a hole. Band – Fantasy Folk

DJ Cheetah

This character is one of a few based on animals and uses a new mould for the head. This is paired with a tail element to create a stylised cat-like character. The combination of the yellow fur of the cheetah, with his flash of blue hair and his jazzy outfit, results in a colourful character. The DJ’s accessory is a vinyl record, created from a 2×2 round tile. Band- Tropicon

Bunny Dancer

Although there has been a couple of rabbit-like characters in other LEGO sets and Minifigure series, this character uses a new element for the head. The white of the bunny’s fur works nicely against the pink and turquoise colouring of the outfit. This could also be considered a backing dancer-type character as it features a boombox. Band – K-Pawp

Warewolf Drummer

When he’s not howling at the moon, the Werewolf likes to grab some bones and knock out a beat on the drums. This Minifigure uses a classic element for the Werewolf’s head, also found in Monster Fighters sets and past Minifigure series. The Werewolf’s punk connections are shown in his tattered outfit. Band – Monster Metal

Banshee Singer

The Banshee is well known for shrieking, making here the perfect choice to a singer. Her ghoulish appearance is nicely achieved with the hairpiece commonly associated with Bellatrix from the Harry Potter sets and the wispy tail section introduced with the NINJAGO theme. Her otherworldly look is completed with an expressive face and pale green skin. Band – Monster Metal

Shark Singer

There have already been a couple of sea creature Minifigures, which have used a similar element for the body. However, this character uses a brand new element for the Shark’s body and head. It’s far chunkier than the Shark Suit Guy and Orca Minifigures. If he looks familiar, it is because he’s included as graffiti in the LEGO City Skate Park set. Band – Pirate Punk

Samurapper

Compared to some of the other characters, this samurai-theme rapper looks a little plain. But he has a great mixture of parts. The samurai headgear is a recoloured version of the most recent take on Garmadon’s helmet. This is combined with a piece of breather gear around his neck. The low-key look of the character means the print detail on the outfit is stepped up a little, with plenty of intricate details on both the torso and legs. Band – Samurap

Red Panda Dancer

Another creature character and the second to use a new head mould. This is the exact same one used for the Cheetah, obviously in a different colour and with different print detail. Although it feels a little lazy to use the same head shape for two characters. He’s also the second character to include a boombox accessory, which is in the more traditional grey colouring. Band – Samurap

Overall

Even if you have zero interest in the AR app side of the VIDIYO theme, the Minifigures offer a unique set of characters. They might not have exciting new accessories like other Collectible Minifigure Series, however, there are a number of unique elements introduced for the actual Minifigure parts. These include a couple of heads moulds and are joined by plenty of recoloured pieces. The BeatBits are obviously tied to the app but they offer a great array of printed elements that are perfect for integrating into MOCs. The biggest disappointment with these Minifigures is their packaging. They come in boxes, which are impossible to tell what is inside, at least packets could be felt when safe to do so. Although a full box appears to include two full sets, they need to be made more readily available. Apart from that, the first series VIDIYO Bandmates offer a decent selection of fun and unique characters, as well as cool printed tiles.

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