As a longtime fan of both LEGO® toys and Star Wars (don’t worry, I still hate the prequels), it’s only natural that I’d collect many of the LEGO® Star Wars building sets. While there’s plenty to love about them, there’s also an equal number of things to gripe about. The 800-pound gorilla in the room is the often-high price of the toys, but we’re going to focus more narrowly on a specific part of the LEGO® Star Wars that really blows the financial aspect out of proportion, and that is the miniature figures (commonly known as minifigs).

Collectors knew from the get-go that not only would it be great to have LEGO® representations of their favorite Star Wars ships and locales, but also the legendary characters that the saga has given us. While the cost of various sets goes up considerably over time (after they’re phased out of the primary market), the prices of the minifigs alone really rockets up into the stratosphere. I’ve known more than one fan who has purchased a $50 set, then turned around and sold one of the minifigs inside for $20 or more! Many times, LEGO® will purposefully place a random, exclusive minifig in a set just to boost its collectors’ value. A perfect example of this is the Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive Booster Ring. Kit Fisto never flew that ship, yet there he is along with the set. And as expected, he’s quite sought after!

While it certainly makes sense from a business standpoint, from a “I just want some cool minifigs to display” standpoint, it pisses me off to no end. It’s not like the minifigs are rare; LEGO® produces a ton of each set. It’s just a combination of slick marketing and collector retardation that’s driving the value of these things up, and like many other collectors’ items, I can’t stand that shit. Look, I can understand when a highly-detailed statue that they only made five thousand of sells for a high price. But a tiny plastic figurine, of which tens of thousands were likely created, commanding prices over $15? Please.

I’ve been trying to bolster my droid collection lately, and one of the items that tops my list is a black astromech droid that came with the Imperial Star Destroyer. For a few tiny pieces of black plastic…we’re looking at around $12-15. Ridiculous! I suppose I could tide myself over with the key chain…