With the after-effects of earlier lockdowns still affecting me, work still not entirely returning to normal yet, I was itching for something big to build. At first, I was torn between the Mos Eisley Cantina and the Ninjago City Gardens. The former because I'm a big Star Wars fan, and out of the sets at that size in the Star Wars IP, it's the one that's got the closest chance of having somewhere to go in my room in its current state. The latter because it looks like an exciting build, with a lot of interesting uses of parts. The only thing holding back the Gardens from winning was that it doesn't look good on its own. Its main companion pieces haven't been on shelves in years and have skyrocketed in price as a result. Then, this set gets announced. Though it doesn't quite scratch the complexity as the Gardens would, it's of an IP I'm more interested in, it looks good on its own, and there's a possibility of there being more in the future. So, plans change, and so this set came home. After building it over the weekend, was it worth it?
Starting with the minifigure selection, and the best way to describe it is "is there a Spider-Man minifigure you've wanted? Chances are it's here.". Out of all the characters that have been in the Spider-Man subtheme of Marvel Superheroes, the minifigures missing are:
- Miles's regular costume (let me explain in just a moment)
- Vulture
- Spider-Man Noir
- Spider-Girl
- Iron Spider
- Iron Venom
- Ghost Rider
- Stealth Suit Spider-Man
Most of them, if not all of them, are still easy to get. The characters included in the set are:
- Spider-Man
- Ghost-Spider
- Mysterio
- Venom
- Miles Morales (using a look drawing inspiration from Into the Spider-verse, along with the recent PS4/PS5 Spider-man game (if only he had his backpack and cat to finish the look)
- Sandman
- Carnage
- Doctor Octopus
- Green Goblin
- Spider-Ham
- Gwen Stacy
- Peter Parker
- Robbie Robertson
- Aunt May
- Ben Urich
- Black Cat
- Blade
- Firestar
- Betty Brant
- The Punisher
- Daredevil
- J. Jonah Jameson
- Amber Grant
- Bernie the Cab Driver
- Ron Barney
That is impressive, with many of those minifigs appearing for the first time in physical Lego. However, some corners were cut to pull it off. The civilians/ alter-egos often reuse parts from other minifigs, and some characters like Green Goblin and Mysterio missing pieces to complete their looks; it's hard not to be impressed by the result of it all. Especially when put on display in and around the building, it's hard to notice the cut corners, and cases like the reused parts are only noticeable if you're very familiar with Minifig pieces. I can only imagine what the minifig list could have been if all of the requests were approved, as according to the set designer, 60 characters were at least being considered at one point.
As for the building itself, there are two big negatives it has in my mind. I am not a fan of stickers, so all the excessive sticker detail, especially on small tiles, is frustrating. If you're not a fan of sticker details, you are going to hate this set. The other issue is that it's a very repetitive set to build, thanks to builds like the windows, a process you're repeating 30 times throughout the build. If you're looking for something intricate, you're not going to be finding it here. While some exciting mini builds, like a vending machine, photocopier, and the Sandman stand, the main build isn't that exciting. Once it's done, though, it's awe-inspiring and worth the slog of a build process to get to. It's one of the tallest builds I've done so far, perfectly fitting for a New York Skyscraper, and the intricate details that reference as many Marvel and Spider-Man comics, shows, movies, and games are a delight for fans of the character. There's lots of space for displaying Minifigs, and with the even balance of heroes, villains and civilians, you can set up very dynamic moments. I could see this set also benefiting from a light kit, thanks to all the windows in the building. That being said, I dread to think of the wiring pain associated with such a task. Though I have one minor nitpick, I wish there were a recording floor considering all the news broadcasts and podcast references in the set. The only major issue I have with the set is accessibility on the ground floor for hands. For the sake of stability of the set, it's tough to get your hands and minifigs inside the lobby of the building, which is a shame when you consider how easily accessible the rest of the floors are, thanks to removable roofs and walls. A necessary evil, but it feels like a glaring issue when compared to the higher floors.
While this is an easy recommendation for Marvel fans, I'm torn on if it's a good recommendation for general Lego fans or general consumers. While the end result is excellent, the process of getting to that point I can easily see as an issue for people, as it was an issue for me over the 10-12 hour build time over two days (not counting breaks for food, keeping video rendering going and other house responsibilities). If you're willing to push through the repetitiveness, you'll be left with a great looking display piece. However, the issue comes from if you're ready to place 347 windows, 67 beams, and 231 1x2 rails. If you can push through the repetition, and especially if you enjoy Marvel, I readily recommend this set. But if you're not into Marvel, you're probably better off getting something else. I've got a few other Lego set reviews to come in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for those. But while those will be on Wednesdays, the usual schedule will resume for Sunday, resuming with a set of Horrorcons.
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