Possible explanation for duplicate LEGO Dungeons & Dragons codes surfaces online

One possible explanation for the duplicate LEGO 71047 Dungeons & Dragons box codes appearing in Europe has surfaced online, pointing to a potential production error.

71047 Dungeons & Dragons’ 12 new minifigures are available now in LEGO Stores and through all good third-party retailers around the world (except for Australia and New Zealand, where they’re apparently launching in October). And as with 71045 Series 25 and 71046 Series 26 Space, you can use the Brick Search app’s minifigure scanner to find your favourites or collect the entire series.

There is one slight wrinkle in Europe, though: a handful of the data matrix codes on the bottom of each box appear to be married up with multiple minifigures. The Brick Search team has received multiple reports of an additional code that could belong to either Szass Tam or Tasha the Witch Queen, for example, which is separate to each of the unique codes for those characters. 

Further reports on reddit and in comments on Brick Fanatics now suggest that there are other pairs of minifigures sharing the same code in certain cases of 71047 Dungeons & Dragons boxes. The issue comes from the two sets of codes used in the EU: while there are two distinct sets of codes, some of those used for specific characters in one set are being used (perhaps in error) for different minifigures in the other set.

For example, commenter Abd El states that one of the two codes tied to the Dragonborn Paladin has been used for the Mindflayer, while a code later used for the Gith Warlock has also appeared on Dwarf Barbarian boxes. As with Szass and Tasha, that makes identifying the character inside from the data matrix code alone next to impossible – but only if you find that specific doubled-up code (instead of a single character-specific code).

The problem then is seemingly not with Brick Search’s ability to scan the codes, but with the LEGO Group’s use of those codes on 71047 Dungeons & Dragons boxes. But there may be a solution: over on reddit, user JinansBreath claims that the duplicated codes can be differentiated by the production numbers beneath the data matrix codes.

They purchased a full case of D&D minifigures (36 boxes) which are all but guaranteed to include three full sets of 12 minifigures. Having already opened three of every other minifigure, they were left with zero Dragonborn Paladins, zero Mindflayers and six sealed boxes. Simple maths suggested three of each character would be among those packs – but they were all scanning as Dragonborn Paladins.

“The only difference was a small code below the [data matrix code]; one read 225S4 (left) and the other 125S4 (right),” JinansBreath explained on reddit. “The box with 225S4 was the Mind Flayer, and the box with 125S4 was the Dragonborn Paladin. The scan is correct, but the minifigures are in the wrong box; it’s a fault with production rather than the apps.”

Abd El also states that all instances of mixed-up codes they’ve seen share the same production numbers as each other, reaffirming that it’s apparently only certain production runs that are affected. If that is the case, it might be possible to tell apart codes that belong to two minifigures by examining their production numbers.

The Brick Search team is currently working to verify this, and Brick Fanatics has already reached out to the LEGO Group for further clarification on the use of codes across 71047 Dungeons & Dragons.

You can help navigate duplicate codes by getting in touch with the Brick Search team if you come across any 71047 Dungeons & Dragons boxes that aren’t scanning as expected. All you need to do is email photos of the base of the box, along with the character scanned and the character inside, to andrew@tiromedia.co.uk.

These rare production error boxes are reportedly only showing up in the UK and Europe at the minute, and it’s worth remembering that the Brick Search team has already verified full sets of working 71047 Dungeons & Dragons codes for the UK, Europe and the US, so you can still scan with confidence. (The Brick Fanatics team used Brick Search just yesterday to find a complete series of 12 minifigures at the LEGO Store.)

Head here to learn more about Brick Search’s minifigure scanner, or tap straight through to download the app on Android or iOS.

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