With the movie release of Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War on the horizon, superhero moviegoers have their attention firmly focused on the exploits of the super-soldier and his former colleague Iron Man. Have you picked a side yet?
Pieces: 523
Set Number: 76049
Minifigures: Captain Marvel, Space Iron Man, Space Captain America, Hyperion, Thanos (Big-fig)
RRP: £59.99/$59.99
Back in March, LEGO released three companion sets inspired by the events from the upcoming blockbuster; Black Panther Pursuit, Crossbones’ Hazard Heist, and Superhero Airport Battle. These particular sets have obviously had a great deal of attention over the past few weeks, leading up to the film’s release, but LEGO also released a couple of other sets based on the comic book characters outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which are definitely worthy of any fans time.
The two sets, Iron Skull Sub Attack and Avenjet Space Mission, both still feature Cap and Iron Man but there is no civil war to be found, no #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan, just Team Avengers. The latter set should catch the attention of Marvel fans fairly quickly due to the inclusion of one particular big bad who just happens to be the central villain of the entire MCU and main antagonist of Avengers: Infinity War, the mad titan Thanos.
With a less than budget-friendly price tag of just under £60, my first impressions prior to getting hold of the set were less than positive, how could they justify the price with only the one vehicle and a handful of minifigures, some of which are unknown to the mainstream audience? Then I started building and it soon became clear that this set has a lot to offer.
Minifigures
The set actually contains a good selection of minifigures for the price and so a great opportunity for Marvel fans to bulk up their LEGO superhero line-up. With LEGO Marvel regulars Captain America and Iron Man getting brand new variants, Captain Marvel and Hyperion both making the debut in minifigure form, and the first physical release of Thanos in a LEGO set, there is a great deal on offer for collectors to get excited about, let alone younger superhero fans.
Starting with Captain America, his space-suit variant is based on the classic look minifigure that has shown up in other non-movie related LEGO Marvel set, with a much lighter blue used for the suit similar to that from the comics. The legs piece is standard with no additional printing but the torso offers impressive detail both front and back, with a design inspired by the WWII Cap outfit it features a military-style brown belt along with a modestly sized star and the standard red and white stripes.
The headpiece is unique to this specific variant and while it features many of the key details we’d expect to see on Captain America, like the ‘A’ symbol, there are a number of differences compared to the standard minifigure to show that the character is wearing a space version of his costume. Rather than having the whites of his eyes showing through the helmet, this minifigure clearly has a visor, visible thanks to the blue tint over the eyes holes. The back of the helmet also features additional printing of what looks like metallic reinforcement, no unsurprising given the hero needs to survive in space.
The minifigure also features a couple of additional pieces, the first being a small breathing apparatus piece around the neck not unlike what you’d find in one of the LEGO City Fireman sets. Cap also has a rocket pack which connects on to the back of the figure via a transparent two stud piece which again attaches at the neck. The small jetpack looks fantastic, a very simple design using similar pieces to those used for lightsaber hilts in the LEGO Star Wars collection as well as star-branded single stud pieces attached to each booster.
Iron Man’s space-variant, also known as the Mark 39 suit, is a highly detailed minifigure with white and grey replacing the standard red and yellow primary colours. Very similar in detail to the Mark 42 Iron Man minifigure, the design covers the legs and torso, featuring armour detail across the entire front and torso back. The chest reactor is front and centre as expected with hints of gold mixed in with the white and grey to add an extra level of impressive design.
While it may be in white with the gold rather than red, the helmet piece is identical to the modern movie-inspired minifigures, constructed of two individual components which link and allow the front of the helmet to flip up and reveal Stark’s face. The headpiece is the same used for a number of Iron Man variants, again based on the movie incarnation played by Robert Downey Jr. and featuring two different faces, one sombre, the other looking rather aggressive. The minifigure also features additional pieces on the hands and feet to simulate the Iron Man suits booster rockets, as well as a two stud rocket pack on the back.
While she has appeared in LEGO Marvel’s Avengers previously, this is Captain Marvel’s first outing as a physical minifigure and I’m so glad that they went with the Ms Marvel version and not Mar-Vell. For anyone that isn’t that familiar with the character, the female version of Captain Marvel is actually the second incarnation of the hero. US Air Force Special Operations Colonel Carol Danvers took on the persona of Ms Marvel after developing powers from being exposed to alien radiation. When the original Captain Marvel died, Captain America convinced Ms Marvel to take on the title and continue his legacy.
Being a new addition to LEGO, both the legs and torso pieces have unique character specific printing. As with most female LEGO characters, we get the unnecessary additional lower-abdomen curves as well as the impressive, yet simple costume design. The detail features a red sash at the waistline which continues on to the legs piece, the Captain Marvel chest emblem and a red and gold neckline which continues on the back of the torso.
Interestingly, the minifigure comes with two separate headpieces, one is a generic female head to depict the character unmasked, the other provides Captain Marvel with her red mask and features pupilless eyes and an open mouth. The hairpiece has been used a number of times with different characters and in different colours, this time in blonde.
Hyperion is probably the least known of the included characters to the mainstream, having not featured in any previous LEGO sets or the Marvel movies. The character has actually featured in the comics since 1969 and a number of variations have cropped up over the years, the majority of which are villains. The minifigure appears to be based on the original Hyperion, an Avengers villain with ties to some of the biggest of the bad from across the Marvel universe.
The minifigure’s legs and torso pieces feature a thoroughly detailed recreation of the character’s red and gold costume, including printing for the gold boots that the character wears. The torso design, while simple, perfectly portrays the character and features a large gold belt, large chest emblem and low neckline exposing the top of his chest. The character’s costume also features short sleeves which are represented here by the dual colouring on the arms.
Interestingly, Hyperion was originally based loosely on Superman and so features a similar headpiece and hair, though lighter brown rather than Clark’s black. The minifigure also features a cape, though the shape is different from the standard we see with figures like Batman and Superman and instead is designed to sit to one side and over one shoulder. The only disappointment with this figure is the material used with said cape, it is the old paper style rather than the more modern material capes that have cropped up in recent DC Superhero sets.
While all of the other minifigures are fantastic in their own right, the main draw for Marvel fans will always be the inclusion of Thanos. The mad titan is slowly becoming a bigger part of the movie universe having made appearances in both Avengers movies as well as Guardians Of The Galaxy and so he’s becoming much more well known in the mainstream. Now, the big bad finally makes his LEGO debut having appeared in LEGO Marvel’s Avengers earlier this year.
Technically not a minifigure, but a big-figure, larger type of LEGO figure which has become more popular in the last few years for recreating the larger characters from the superhero franchises such as Hulk, Gorilla Grodd and Darkseid. The characters are created using character specific moulds while only the arms are detachable pieces.
The Thanos LEGO recreation is nothing short of perfection, the big-figure dimensions suit the character brilliantly and so the overall recreation is extremely loyal to the comic source material. While lacking much in the way of printed details on the body, every aspect of Thanos has been recreated his, from the gold and blue costume to the wrinkled chin marking, it’s an extremely successful transition into the bricked world.
The big-fig himself might not have much in the way of standard LEGO bricks, but Thanos does come with a fairly extensive add-on, rocket boots. The boots, an interesting little build on their own, feature some impressive and colourful detail including stud shooters which actually fire, adding a level of interactivity which becomes part of the figure as a whole rather than as a separate weapon.
The Avenjet
Despite an impressive cast of minifigures, the Avenjet is the main attraction of the set and a surprisingly fun and lengthy build. In my opinion, having had less than impressive first impressions, the image on the set box does not do this aircraft enough justice. It is incredibly well designed, with intricate detail that goes above and beyond its price range, the 500 plus pieces are used brilliantly.
It’s a three-part build which will take a good deal of time to construct, beginning with the back cockpit area (which I honestly thought was the front at the time), then the main bulky hull, before completing the front half of the fuselage and connecting them all together. I could spend paragraph after paragraph moaning about stickers while describing the build, which only built up the excitement of seeing the finished model if I’m honest, but you guys know how LEGO works so let’s take a look at the finished model and what you can expect from play time.
The first thing to note is that the design is incredibly sturdy, you can feel the weight of those 500 pieces and know straight away that you’ve been given your money’s worth here. As a LEGO collector myself, there are certain models which I tend to keep away from my children, mainly because I obviously want them to stay in one piece, but the Avenjet is so well constructed that I had little issue handing it over for play time, and FYI the kids loved it and here’s why.
The jet is built with interactive play in mind, and not just in the standard LEGO sense, this has a plethora of little features which will keep the younger LEGO fans happy for hours. Both cockpits can open and there is more than enough space to seat your favourite minifigure comfortably, but that is fairly standard stuff. Where the Avenjet brings the WOW factor is the fact that it can actually split into two separate – and still awesome look – aircraft. The back cockpit area has its own wingspan and is connected to the main hull via a two-pin handle on a hinge at the rear and a couple of studs on the front. If you unclip the front studs, the smaller jet can be lifted into a launch position and the slid off – it’s a great design and one that works extremely well for those with a good imagination during a space battle.
Detaching the smaller ship also reveals a hidden section at the middle of the fuselage which has an exposed two-stud brick on a hinge and just enough space to clip a minifigure in and hide them until they’re needed. The Avenjet isn’t short on weapons either, as you’ll find five flick missiles under the main body and wings, as well as two stud shooters on the top of the rear cockpit. Storage is obviously important, especially when you’re lugging around a large circular shield or rocket pack, the great news is that this has been catered for as well with a couple of exposed clips on the back.
The Set Overall
Overall, the Avenjet Space Mission is a surprisingly impressive set, featuring an array of set exclusive minifigures, as well as one of the most fun LEGO Superheroes aircraft I’ve ever come across.
While Thanos is sure to get the set the attention it deserves, it is the Avenjet itself which is the real star of the show, the model was designed with interactivity in mind and that has been brought to life perfectly – this set is going to get a lot of play time from young LEGO Marvel fans.
The price tag might seem a little steep at £60, but I promise you that very few other sets in the same price range will have as many exclusive characters, build time or fun packed in.
This set was provided for review purposes. However, all reviews reflect the authors own personal views and are not influenced in any way.
THE GOOD
- Five set exclusive minifigures (including Thanos)
- The Avenjet looks stunning and is exceptionally fun to build
- The amount of interactivity, there’s so many little things on the jet to enhance play time
THE BAD
- Lots and lots of stickers
- Thanos seems to lean forward slightly when the rocket boots are attached
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