Lego Ideas 21331; Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone: "Cubing around at the speed of none"

There are certain franchises where the moment a new game comes out, the announcement catches my attention. Sometimes it's for the high quality tied to the IP; other times, it's a mixed bag that I can't help but see where the coin landed. Sonic the Hedgehog is one of those franchises. One moment, you could be playing a finely tuned, beautifully designed game; the next, you could be playing a glitchy, broken mess where you wonder how it got through certification. Even re-releases aren't immune to the coin toss, with games like Sonic Genesis for the Game Boy Advance being a horrible port of the original Genesis/ Mega Drive game, and last year's "remaster" of Sonic Colours (see the Mediaholics RAWs channel if you want to see a small selection of the issues I came across while playing the Switch Port). There are many reasons why the Sonic community is an Internet Punching bag, but for better or worse, Sonic still lives on. Though it didn't make his 30th birthday, Lego did put out a set themed to the iconic Hedgehog and with Lego Super Mario still refusing to give the vocal minority of the community Minifig scaled sets, and we can use this to see if it's something we actually want. Welcome to the Green Hill Zone!

Right off the bat, there is a bit of controversy to this set. Due to this being a Lego Ideas set, it started life as a project pitch that Lego fans could vote on to get it to a review process. Those who have been keeping up with the reviews process for Ideas sets would know that while this was a Sonic set themed to Green Hill Zone, it wasn't themed to the original Sonic the Hedgehog game but rather one of the more recent retreads to the zone in Sonic Mania. The inclusion of two Hard-Boiled Heavies and the Death Egg Robot were the most significant elements to this theme that were dropped to make it based on the original zone. Personally, I think this change is for the better, as it makes things more consistent. Because of how frequently used Green Hill Zone as a level theme is, keeping it a bit more generic handles many level tropes for Sonic. This can easily represent Green Hill Zone from Sonic 1, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Generations, Sonic Mania or Sonic Forces, Splash Hill from Sonic 4 Episode 1. Some may confuse it for Emerald Hill from Sonic 2, Neo Green Hill Zone from one of the Sonic Advance games, get a second copy, add another layout, and you can make this into the Green Hill Stage from Super Smash Brothers, or make a tube and call it Windy Hill Zone from Sonic Lost World. Though it does suck to lose things like the Flickies and the Death Egg Robot, I think this change is overall for the better. Does that make the set good, though?

There are some frustrating elements to it, the way the ground was done is quite tedious, and some of the uses of stickers is infuriating (particularly for the loop, as two parts need three stickers each). Even with those issues, it's hard to deny how good the set looks. When looking at Green Hill from a 2D perspective, it's a beautiful set, representing a nice miss mash of elements iconic to the stage and series. As tedious as it was to put all those 1x1 plates on, the ground looks beautiful, perfectly representing the checkerboard dirt of Green Hill. I love how they handled elements like the tree the floating rings (though it would have been nice if those were gold instead of yellow). The simple but effective mechanisms for the spring and checkpoint are nicely done, and the Motobug and Crabmeat look amazing when next to Sonic. The set encourages customization, with things like the stage built in interchangeable modules and optional alternate stickered plates for the item boxes and Motobug's head. I'm not surprised that the original fan designer has put out a set of instructions for alternate stage elements like a spike trap, a Buzzbomber, and other aspects of terrain to help expand it further if you purchase a second copy. It has a feel to it like the Architecture Great Wall of China in that regard. The main issue I have with the end result of the look is that I wish it were a little wider. Not including the decorative tiles on the side, the ground is four studs wide, which looks fine straight on for most positions where you can put Sonic, though it makes certain elements look cramped when you see the stage from other angles. There's not much space to get past the tree, especially the checkpoint. Perhaps six studs wide could have looked better? Unfortunately, the curse of taking something intended to be flat and bringing it into a three-dimensional world. The only other minor complaint I have is that something representing Sonic curled up in a ball would have been a nice touch, as there's another way to display your Sonic.

 

Alongside the badniks, you get a Dr Robotnik/ Eggman in his Egg Mobile and a little display stand for Sonic and the seven Chaos Emeralds. While the original game only had six, the emerald piece is likely very cheap to produce, and Sonic 1 was the only game to have six Emeralds; every other game since had seven (or seven collectable items of less than or equal to power). The stand is a nice little touch, and the action stand for Sonic gives him a dynamic pose while on the stand with the emeralds. Another missed opportunity might be the lack of a Super Sonic minifig, but it doesn't feel like a huge loss when in hand. Robotnik is a bit of a mixed bag. I love how they handled the Egg Mobile; it's a beautiful recreation of the sprite. The Eggman himself, though, not so much. Robotnik's sprite was always going to be difficult to replicate, he is, after all, a ball with limbs and a head, but the overall look feels wrong when standing on his own. The legs look good, but everything from the hips up doesn't do it for me. The fan designer has gone on record saying it was for stability reasons, something that I could see when putting it together, as it is a very stable, durable build. I just feel like there could have been other ways to handle elements like the head. I'm glad this wasn't a Bigfig like it was in Lego Dimensions, though the Bigfig scaled Eggmobile does look good in that game.

Looking at this set and comparing it to Lego Mario, I'm glad that Mario went in the direction it did, as it does lead to a wider variety of things in a consistent style. However, if Lego Mario were a line built in this style, I would likely lose my mind with all the repetition in assembly, thanks to how sprite-based games are made, especially in Mario. Does that make this a lousy set, though? No, quite the opposite. On its own, Lego Green Hill Zone is excellent, a nice collector's piece for fans of the consistently inconsistent speedster. I just don't think this has the potential to be a future line in this state (even if that would mean missing out on Lego Tails, Knuckles and Amy).

Lego Super Mario 71391: Bowser's Airship Expansion Set: Behold, the airship that shouldn't be able to fly!

The Lego Super Mario Course Building sets have certainly been interesting, haven't they? At the time of writing, I've gotten almost every set put out at general retail for the Lego theme (not counting the ones released on January 1st). Within a year and a half, there have been almost 100 Lego Super Mario sets (when counting the character polybags as individual sets), the bulk of them have been for the course builder, and the majority of them have not been good sets on their own. That's not a bad thing, of course, as the sets are intended more for play, with the more sets purchased, the more variety you can make in your courses. That is the point of the gimmick, after all. However, what if a set didn't have to rely on the gimmick? Is that even possible?

Surprisingly, yes. Even though it's built around the play functions for the course builder sets, Bowser's Airship, the flagship (pun not intended) Lego Mario set of 2021, does find a happy compromise between the Course Builder requirements and an engaging, compelling set on its own. While you will still need either the Mario or Luigi starter packs to unlock the instructions, you could ignore all the other sets in the theme afterwards as you don't need them for this set (unless you want to include it in the course builder). The design of the build itself is really well done, capturing the look of the iconic vessel perfectly, to the point where this could potentially work as a minifig scaled Airship (if they ever do cave into the vocal minority's demands and make Mario Minifigs). I love the intricate details around the back of the ship, how the two Bowser heads were built, and how seamlessly the gimmicks intergrade into the set without any significant compromises is all absolutely brilliant. It gives the Airship a unique presence, something that I felt was missing from the 2020 flagship set, Bowser's Castle. 

There's very little to hate when bringing in the Course Builder elements if you're a Mario fan. A new starting point is given to you in the form of a black cannon which seems to be inspired by the cannons from the New Super Mario Bros games. When inserted in the cannon, you can hear an aiming sound effect play as you hinge the cannon up and down to aim it. Taking Mario or Luigi out of the cannon to start the level will have the first play a cannon blast sound effect and unique voice clip depending on the brother ("Here We Go!" for Mario and "Wahoo! for Luigi), like how they would be launched in the NSMB games. Once those finish, for the remaining 88 seconds (the cannon gives you 90 seconds on the clock), you hear the Airship theme from coming out of the Mario Brothers speakers. It's hard to tell what version of the theme due to the mixed quality of the file used; however, it is unmistakably the Airship theme. Using a hidden action tile on the ship, Mario or Luigi will play the World 5 theme from Super Mario Bros 3 when piloting the Airship (a "steering wheel" will also be exposed when either brother is put inside to complete the look). While random, it's hard not to smile at it as it's a lovely feature that doesn't compromise the build in any way.

Further Action Tiles include one for a Goomba wearing a Pirate Hat, one for a new to this set, Rocky Wrench that uses the hole to pilot the Airship to hide in and poke out of thanks to the inclusion of a POW Block (another action tile object). Finally, in terms of minions, you have Kamek and his broom, both of which the brothers can interact with, either by getting coins from a defeated Kamek or by riding his broom to collect more coins. While some Mario characters translate better to Lego than others, given the aesthetic they go for, I still love all of these guys, with Kamek probably being my favourite in the set. 

 

Alongside being a gorgeous display piece, the Airship itself can act as a three-phase boss fight in the Course Builder system. Two hidden tiles, one under one of the propellers and one on the Bowser head at the ship's back, act as the Airship's main health points. However, by opening the ship up, you can expose a mechanism to "fight" the robotic Bowser hand you see in games like New Super Mario Bros U (sadly, you'll need to build your own overly long arm for it). However, the mechanism is quite clunky when using the arm's mechanism for exposing the Action tile when it is still attached to the Airship. Realizing this, the designers included a way to take the two propeller mast towers and give you enough parts to create a mini level using them without needing to fumble around with the Airship in the time limit. It's a great compromise to help keep the set looking as good as it does when compressed up and as the Airship. 

Unfortunately, this kind of style probably won't be carried over into future sets. With a lot of iconic areas of Super Mario revolving around locations and geographical/ architectural design, it'll be harder to bring those elements into the course builder style in a way that can keep them looking good on their own. That being said, this does give hope for designs like The Odyssey and Starship Mario (as tempting as it is to say the Comet Observatory, that would probably be on a similar scale to the Mario 64 Question Mark Block's world builds). This set isn't just some bits of the ground around a contraption; this looks like Bowser's Airship. Anyone who sees this will know that this is Bowser's Airship, and the playability that it comes with makes the build even better. Without a doubt, this is one of, if not the best, course Builder set in the Lego Mario theme, and one I recommend getting to anyone who's a fan of Mario. 

As a final note, it should be said that this review was a collaboration project with Toy Reel, a YouTube channel and Facebook page dedicated to toy collecting in all it's forms, focusing on the Australian toy collecting scene. You can find their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ToyReel/ please check them out, they're a great group of people with a passion for toys. Until next time, "Bye Bye".

Lego Creator "Expert" 10261; Roller Coaster: Would love to see official inverted pieces.

During 2018 and 2019-2020, while I was recovering from a broken foot and broken ankle, respectively, a specific type of video on YouTube caught my interest, Theme Park History videos. Videos detailing the history of (mainly) American and European theme parks, their significant rides, and the trials and tribulations of maintaining said rides. As weird of an interest as it sounds, it was fascinating for me, mainly because I've always been interested in learning how things work. But it did give me an interest in becoming a theme park ride operator? Not really, there isn't a lot of prime real estate for theme parks where I live, and the two that I have gone to would be seen as subpar to someone who's used to places like the Disney parks, Universal Studios and Alton Towers. However, one side effect of that was that it renewed interest for me in the Lego Creator Fairgrounds sets, an unnamed sub-theme of Creator Expert. Thanks to COVID, I explored that interest a little with three of the five sets released so far. The Haunted House, the Ferris Wheel, and today's subject matter, the Roller Coaster. 

 

Regarding the title of this review, "Expert" is a bit of a stretch with this set. There aren't any complicated structures in the build. However, some interesting pieces in sections, particularly with the stand roofs and the internal mechanism to get the coaster going, are intricate. Still, the overall structure of the coaster is very basic. As with the Daily Bugle a few weeks ago, the bulk of the set is repetitive, building columns and cross beams in a way that would be necessary on a real roller coaster, but comes off as excessive on something this small. Unlike the Bugle, though, it doesn't feel as repetitive as it actually is, thanks partly to the differences in the structure of the column pieces. The same, however, cannot be said for one of the last parts of the build, the chain for the lift hill. You're connecting 203 of those chain pieces to pull off the mechanism, which feels as tedious to do as it sounds. However, it is a necessary evil as there was no other way to pull the launch mechanism off. I don't expect Lego to make an electromagnetic launcher any time soon. That would lead to a lot of pain and misery for everyone (in some cases quite literally). 

 

The big selling point of this setback in 2018 was the new track pieces and the new cars to go with them. I love these pieces in concept as it allows for a more streamlined process in creating roller coasters among other motion-based Lego sets. The big problem I have with them, though, is that they feel limited when you consider the possibilities of coaster design. You have six main elements to play with here, a straight track (with a mix of snort and long rail pieces), a flat turn, a gentle incline and two variations of a sharp incline, one straight and one with a curve to level off at the top or bottom. It's a solid variety, but I don't see them being useful if you want to create coasters with more exciting layouts. Inversions with these would be tricky at best (I think designing a loop would require bending the plastic), and getting the cars onto more extreme angles would be impossible. With the way the cars themselves are designed, I also don't think an inverted coaster would be possible. It's a shame, as a Lego Roller Coaster has infinite potential to it, both for creating rides and indulging in real-life Roller Coaster Tycoon and making roller coaster themed death traps for riders. While the lack of elements isn't inherently this set's fault, it was the one to introduce the concept after all; it's a little disappointing that the catalogue hasn't been expanded to include pieces to pull off these kinds of ride elements. Maybe someday we'll be able to make coasters with inversions out of Lego without needing to break the rules.

 

As mentioned before, the Expert branding doesn't make a lot of sense here because for as big of a set as it is, in terms of part count and general footprint. The bark of the coaster is worse than its bite, but the result is impressive to see. Automating it works mostly well; it depends on any minor defects in the pieces due to the reliance on friction. It looks great alongside the other Creator Fairgrounds sets, though with the current selection of track, you're not going to be making a wide array of track designs any time soon. But, like with real theme parks, the best way to hide repetition is with varied theming. That is a task far easier to accomplish with the wide variety of parts at a builder's disposal.

Lego Art 31203: World Map: Should we be worried the Arctic Circle isn't here?

Debuting last year, Lego began to release sets under the Lego Art branding, designed like a well-known form of fan-made creation, Mosaics. The fundamentals were pretty straightforward; each set comes with nine 16x16 plates that builders and artists put a collection of 1x1 dots on to form an image. Each set has instructions and pieces for a few different pictures that can be made alongside the box version. I was, and still am cynical of, the ones that encourage multiple purchases to get either a combination build or to complete a whole image (such as The Beatles), primarily due to the price not encouraging multiple purchases. These are $180 each, after all. So it was a surprise to see something as big as a World Map launch in this line almost a year after the theme launched, dwarfing the rest of the theme and having the most pieces of any Lego set so far. Over 11,000 pieces to pull off a customizable map of the world. It became a group project at my house due to its sheer size. While it has one of the best price to part ratio of any set to date, potentially forever, sometimes bigger isn't better. What you see is what you get, after all.

 

What you get is a simple build but a mentally taxing one for those who don't find comfort in these projects. For someone working on this build alone, they would be placing down 10240 1x1 dots. Each of the continents is studded, so you can place markers (of your choice though 40 1x1 cone pieces, along with many spare tiles are provided to help make some) on the rough locations you've travelled to. The ocean is a rough bathymetric representation of the world's oceans by default. However, the designers encourage you to fill in the negative space of the map with whatever you desire. Due to this, along with the ease of rearranging pieces of the world to change what countries are in the centre, the map is one of the most versatile Lego Art sets. Customization is baked in and encouraged compared to other sets (though nothing stops you from giving Darth Maul an evil villain moustache). From a distance, the map is beautiful when finished; the trouble with it comes pre-built into the issue many people have with making mosaics. I consider myself to be a pretty fast but patient builder. When I build, I like to focus on the build, give it my full attention, and because of that, the build process for this one was mentally draining due to the constant reliance on the instructions to make sure I put each of the ten colours of dots in the right place for my map pieces. You can't autopilot your way through the set. While it's possible to form some of the more significant landmasses, the oceans require your attention all the time, making the process of putting said 10240 dots feel a lot more draining. 

 

Part of that comes from the instructions for the build, where each piece of the map is two pages. One page showing where it is on the map and where you put the Technic pins in to connect it, and then the other showing a 1:1 picture of the map piece, with numbers relating to the colours to show where each piece goes. If the instructions were laid out with things like a part list (like other Lego set instructions) and divided the map between more pages, such as how the Lego NES handled the instructions for the TV screen, I think it would help with the process. However, while it might work for the 3x3 pieces, when you're working with a set that has almost five times the number of plates to fill, it's not going to work as well scaled up. 

A representation of all the places in the world that I've been too... I don't do a lot of traveling...

 

While this looks good as a novelty, I'd be hard-pressed to recommend it over a regular map. The scaling of the map means that some locations are outright missing, mainly smaller islands (I wasn't the best at Geography, but last I checked, Hawaii had four islands). But I dread to think of what a version of this map would be if it did have those islands and how much bigger it would be due to that. As a novelty item, it works very well, and the customization baked into the brand leads to this being a very versatile map. Still, if you want something for navigation, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Lego Spider-Man 76178; Daily Bugle: A giant skyscraper for your quaint city

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.

Lego Super Mario 71360; Adventures with Mario: The Miyamoto Effect truely has no limits

That's not always a good thing though...

To say that this theme has been controversial would probably be an understatement. What many assumed would be a simple, easy, almost free money for Lego and Nintendo theme quickly turned into quite the debate. "Too many specific pieces", "The electronics are unnecessary", "It's going to look awful to display", "It's too expensive for what you're getting" (though that last one is justified), "Why can't it just be a normal Lego set?". Hopes for Minifig scale display sets like Peach's castle were quickly dashed by the reveal, and many weren't happy. Me? I honestly had a feeling something like this would happen. This is a Nintendo collaboration after all. When have those made sense? I could see why people weren't liking the look of it though, but now that this is out, were those criticisms justified? At time of writing, right now I only have the Adventures with Mario set, the set you need to get the most out of the theme, and will from this point out be referred to as the "Starter course". There are some things I can bring up about the rest of the wave in terms of criticisms (I'm not personally a fan of how they handled the powerups for example), but until I can get some first-hand experience, the bulk of this review is going to be focused on the Starter course.

Lego Ideas 21322; Pirates of Barracuda Bay: Dammit, they ate the monkey!

Pirates wasn't something that interested me as a kid. It did when I was younger, alongside Medieval with a toyline I honestly don't remember the name of. But around the time I got into Lego themes like Bionicle, my interest in things like Pirates drifted away for an interest in machines. The only time I got back into Pirates was the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but with the state of those movies, that didn't last very long. In all seriousness, how many variations on Undead Pirates can they come up with? When I saw this though, I was interested as due to being bound to crutches twice in two years due to my own stupidity, the attempts to kill time have given me an interest in older Lego themes, and seeing how people reimagine them, which this set basically is. Welcome, to Barracuda Bay.

Lego Ideas 21318 Tree House (With Light my Bricks addon): This is just takes Glamping to a whole new level

One thing that is nice to see about the models presented on Lego Ideas is the abundance of original designs that aren't tied to any theme or licence. Things like the Dinosaur fossils, Ship in a Bottle, and Old Fishing Store being a few examples of the original concepts that make it through, highlighting an interesting level of creativity as there aren't any limits to what they could be. One of the more recent examples of this is one of last year's sets, which as the name states, is just a treehouse, though one of the most impressive looking treehouses I've seen ever. How well does it hold up on closer inspection though?

I will say this now, this review is going to be focused on the Autumn colours for the set. A nice bit of detail is that the set comes with enough leaves that you can have a Spring/ Summer look with a set of green and dark green leaves, or an Autumn look with a set of dark yellow and two tones of brown. To those in the northern hemisphere, March, April and May are Australia's Autumn, or where I live it can be called "I don't know if I want to be Summer or Winter yet" due to how rapid the temperature changes can be, especially in March. So for now, the copy of the set that I have is using the Autumn leaves. It doesn't change much about the set in terms of functions, it's just aesthetical preferences.

Lego Batman 76119; Batmobile Persuit of The Joker: I thought the dead face was meant to be Joker's thing

No joke, there was a point in time when Joker had his face removed, and hung onto him loosely.

Though I have not covered a lot of DC content on the two sites, it is not something I ignore (unlike some people in the whole "Marvel vs DC" battle). The truth is that I enjoy a lot of DC's animated content, from the animated movies of the old DCAU, to the silly one offs like Batman verses the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (yes that is a thing), to the shows on both extremes of the argument. Though I haven't seen a lot of Teen Titans, I'll admit I've gotten a lot of laughs from the Justice League Action clips I've seen, though some of the designs are questionable. In regards to the Lego side of DC, a lot of the DC sets fall into the same category as the Star Wars sets lately, in that it feels like I'm seeing the same sets over, and over, and over again, due to the reliance on Batman.

Objectively, this is not a surprise. He is the most popular superhero DC has, and thanks to the fact that his powers are all about equipment he makes, including vehicles, it only makes sense that he gets the lion’s share, to the point where the DC superhero brand started life as just a Batman line. Unlike a line like Star Wars, there is not a lot that could be done outside of what they are doing. Are there things I would still like to see? Of course, show me Batman Beyond sets and you have my money immediately, but even then, options are limited. A set like Queen Watevanabi (I think that is how you say that name), but it is full of translucent pieces themed around Lantern Constructs? The Fortress of Solitude? Invasion of Apokolips that gives an excuse to make minifigs based on characters that have not been done in Lego form yet, though the DC Supervillains teases, such as the Young Justice crew? ...Ok that last one might be cool, but I digress. With the focus on Batman though, every now and then you get something aimed at older audiences, such as today's subject, the new Batmobile.

Starting with the Minifigures, and the two we have are really the only two needed, Batman and The Joker. While The Joker Minifigure is well done, giving off a mix of the Tim Burton and DCAU designs, with the only big complaint I have with it being the green sleeves, it would have been great if they were in purple, Batman has some problems... Like with the Captain America Minifigure from the Avengers Endgame sets, and the Mercy from Overwatch, Batman's face suffers from a bad paint application. What helps hide it though is Batman's Cowl, as the eyes are still painted well. While it is avoidable, it is hard to deny that it is bad, especially because we have seen better prints done for this Minifigure before. I have heard reports that Mercy had four coats of paint, and it would be safe to assume that the same could be said for Cap and Batman; it leads me to believe that the paint quality went down this year, and I cannot help but wonder why.

As for the build itself, this is very reminiscent of the Batmobile from the Tim Burton movies. Not one for one, but within the ballpark that many are willing to look at it as such. The two big differences are the front, where the jet engine on the Batmobile from the movies are hidden by one of the new bat Sigel pieces, and the bat wings are completely off, due to the nature of the pieces used. That being said, I would not be surprised if people have already made modifications to make it more accurate to the movie. What I do like about the shaping of the Batmobile is that it is not much wider than normal Lego cars. I've heard that a lot of people stick to a 6-8 stud wide limit when designing Lego Cities, and this is roughly 8 studs wide (give or take two thanks to the rim covers on the wheels). The appeal is definitely in the shaping and not in the functions though, because while the shape and styling look great, especially with the silver details on the side, there are not a lot of functions. You can put a single minifig into the driver’s seat without needing to remove parts, there are two stud shooters, and the fire on the back spins as you drive. Nothing exciting, but there is not a lot of room to add more features without compromising the build. Maybe a steering system without the need of "Hand of God steering"? However, that would probably need new parts. The underside of the car is messy though, with large gaps that could have easily been filled in. The only other minor complaint I really have is that I would have liked somewhere to store Batman's Batterang. It is a small thing, but I really appreciate it when Lego vehicles have dedicated storage for Minifig gear, rather than just "try to fit it in the cockpit". None of these is deal breakers for me, just things to note. It should be said that this is meant to have some playability with the other sets in the wave, such as being able to drive through the Bat Cave, but I only have this set so I can't vouch for that feature.

There is not much more to say, this is a solid car, and a good price considering what you get. What issues I have with the build itself are minor, with the only big issue being Batman's head. This is something I hope is sorted out soon, because this should be inexcusable. How it keeps happening without official comments is beyond me. I hope that it is addressed in the future, because this comes off as cheap, lazy, and honestly, the kind of quality I would expect in a knock off.