Reception
In the April 1975 issue of Airfix Magazine, Bruce Quarrie complimented a new range of ancient military horses and ponies, commenting, "All the new horses are in the correct proportions recently adopted by Minifigs, and each is in itself a work of art ... The only real complaint we have is that the Moorish ponies look more like hairy horses." Quarrie did not like the new science fiction line, "most of which defy description though some look rather like Coco the Clown on a bad day. These figures are all rather crudely executed and do little justice to the fine detail of which Minifigs have proved themselves capable." However Quarrie called a new line of American Revolution figures "undoubtedly amongst this firm's best yet, with some remarkably delicate undercuts and details such as straps and other accountrements. Every figure is cast in a notably realistic stance, though some lend themselves more to the diorama than the wargames table."[6] In the December 1976 issue, Quarrie complimented Minifigs on a new line of ancient figures, calling them "quite superb, without a doubt vastly superior to anything Minifigs have ever done before. Cut by a new designer, the traditional Minifigs 'Harry Secombe' chubbiness is practically gone, and the overall detail and individual character is excellent ... it strikes us that Minifigs should perhaps let [the new designer] have a go at improving several of their other ranges." Quarrie was also impressed by a new Napoleonic line, writing, "these too have a far greater air of individual personality than previously. Similarly, their horse mouldings continue to improve, although they still tend to be rather narrow-shouldered and broad in the posterior."[7] In Issue 48 of The Space Gamer, Spalding Boldrick called the production quality of Minifigs "variable", noting, "The quality of casting is always first rate, and detailing is always clean and crisp, but the style and imagination of the figures varies so much from line to line that it's almost as if they were being produced by different companies. For example, I've always found their old 'Official D&D' fine to be dull and unimaginative, but their 'Valley of the Four Winds' series is excellent in both imagination and execution. The Greyhawk series is somewhere in between, but largely quite good." Boldrick concluded, "One drawback to almost all Minifigs figures: everybody tends to look alike, as though the entire world suffered from a high degree of inbreeding."[8]
In a retrospective review in Warning Order, Matt Irsik recalled, "Although not quite Lord of the Rings sanctioned figures, Minifigs were the closest thing. For years and years no D&D gaming group went forward without using Minifgs miniatures for orcs, kobolds, knights, and many other things. They were a great deal money-wise, readily available, and back then there weren't too many other choices ... Great for back then, but they haven't stood the test of time."[9]
