The LEGO Store April Calendar is now available, and it highlights two LEGO Store promotionals that fans will be eager to have. Other than the availability of the LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Pod (5005376) now set in to stone, we now have another April promotional which pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of the LEGO Minifigure. Other than the much awaited LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 18 that commemorates the anniversary of the iconic minifig, next month will also feature the LEGO Minifigure Factory (5005358). This next gift with purchase (GWP) set comes in at 86 pieces and will be available from April 1 to 15 or until supplies last for a minimum single receipt purchase of any LEGO products worth $75 and above.
Based on the above image from the LEGO Store April Calendar, the LEGO Minifigure Factory features a conveyor type build including several nanofigs based on characters from the Classic Space sets, a police officer, and one that looks like to be from Ninjago. It also includes a minifigure wearing a yellow shirt which I suppose portrays the operator of this conveyor build. It also has a red cart, supposedly for the minifigure operator in transporting the nanofigs. Italian LEGO fan site Mattonito also gave us another glimpse of this promotional set which confirms the idea that LEGO Minifigure Factory will also make use of its cardboard packaging for its background art and deco, similar to its other promotionals such as the LEGO Seasonal Easter Bunny minifigure (5002249). The latter GWP will be offered this March from the 16th to 31st.
On a personal note, I wish LEGO could have thrown in some additional pieces to recreate the background in a typical vignette fashion. It has a lot of potential (and unique nanofigures) to be a nice collectible set similar in scale to those of LEGO’s seasonal ones. All in all, the concept behind this set is nice, but I hope LEGO could have offered more.
