2017 has been a solid year for comic book movies so far, and two of the best examples of the genre have been The LEGO Batman Movie and Wonder Woman. The former is a celebration of everything Batman, and the latter may be the purest superhero movie in years. Truly, they're excellent films in their own ways.
And what better way to celebrate that cinematic excellence than with sweet LEGO sets? Yes, our favorite toy building block company has released some brand new sets to tie in to DC Comics' latest cinematic offerings. They're very different sets, but both are great in their own ways and well worth seeking out the next time you're wandering the aisles at Target.
Wonder Woman Warrior Battle
This set is awesome. It's part of the DC Comics Super Heroes line, so maybe it technically isn't "movie merchandise," but I'm still counting it. The set is catalog item number 76075. It contains 286 pieces to build Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor minifigs, Steve Trevor's plane, and a huge Ares figure. There are three bags of pieces, a sticker sheet, and two separate instruction guides to construct the set. It retails for $29.99.
The two minifigures included are lots of fun and have some nice details. They each have two separate expressions you can choose from, which makes play and display a lot more fun: Diana has both a serene smile and "warrior yell" face, and Steve has a standard LEGO smile and a "holy crap I'm flying a plane and going up against a demigod WHAT AM I EVEN DOING HERE" face.
Steve's minifig is actually pretty generic, as it could easily be a part of any set and and fit in as "handsome soldier." Of course, "handsome soldier" is pretty much what Steve is, so it makes sense. In a nice touch, he comes with both some molded hair (that makes him look like he has a receding hairline, but there you go) and a flight helmet with moveable goggles. He also comes with two pistols because he needs something, I guess. Pretty basic figure, but still a good one.
Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is as awesome as you'd expect. She also has some beautiful molded hair and, in one of my favorite touches in the set, a cape and molded hood. The cape is a little stiff, but it works well with the hood to recreate one of the more memorable looks Diana had in the movie. Her accessories also include a sword and shield, the latter of which is pretty nicely detailed.
Most impressive is the detail that went into the figure itself. She has he trademark gauntlets painted on each arm, and the design work on the torso of the figure is fantastic. She has her signature red and blue costume as well as some brown straps going this way and that. And it's not just on the front of the figure, either; they could have easily just left the back a blank red to save on time and costs, but no, it's just as detailed as the front. Truly, Diana is one of the best minifigs I've seen in a while.
And then there's Ares. I'll just say right up front that he looks nothing like he did in the movie, but that's ok because this guy is awesome. The build is pretty complex, and I was impressed by how much detail went into creating his ram skull helmet. There are lots of really unique pieces used in the construction, and having posable horns and jaws is a great touch.
This guy was truly a blast to put together. It's a complex build, like I said, but it's never frustrating. Every new piece I assembled made me giddy as I could see the God of War coming together. Even placing stickers, something I'm not always that fond of, was a delight. There's a mixture of traditional LEGO bricks and more advanced pieces for his hands and sword. His legs can move, too, so even this giant buildable figure can still move and be posed like a normal minifig.
And make no mistake: this dude is massive. He towers over the other figures, and his durable design makes him easy to hold and pose. He's almost like an action figure, truth be told. Great design and great build.
As if the awesomeness of Ares wasn't enough we also get a solid airplane to build. This was the part of the set that caught my eye first, as I love that classic, simple design. Like Ares, this plane is a ton of fun to build and makes the set an even greater value.
The plane itself is nicely designed, but it doesn't take inspiration from one particular model that I can tell. Then again, I'm not a historian, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Still, it appears period-accurate, and like the rest of the set its true appeal is in the details. It's quite long with a single-seat cockpit, and it has a spinnable propeller, movable tailfin, and "flick fire" missiles. All in all a solid vehicle.
At thirty bucks, this set is a bargain considering how much you get with it. Ares or the plane alone would make for fine inclusions in a LEGO set, and getting both in one is just ridiculous. There's lots of play value here, and if you're more into displaying the sets they're ideal for that too. This set is pretty hard to find, so if you find it, get it. It's worth it.
Bane Toxic Truck Attack
We all saw The LEGO Batman Movie, right? If you haven't do it. It's great.
In conjunction with the DVD and BluRay release of the movie tomorrow, LEGO have rolled out a bunch more sets that tie in to the movie. One of those is the Bane Toxic Truck Attack set which is just... man, this thing is great. It's catalog number 70914, and it includes 366 pieces. With that, you build Batman and Mutant Leader minifigs, a Bane big figure with Venom backpack, a Whirly-Bat, a miniature "toxic waste silo" with bombs, and a super-rad Toxic Truck. Like the Wonder Woman set, there are three bags of pieces, a sticker sheet, and two separate instruction booklets. The set retails for $49.99.
It also has one of these guys, which is great because I didn't have one.
Just wanted to share.
The figures themselves are a lot of fun and go a long way in contributing to the charm of the set. Batman is a pretty standard figure, equipped with a Batarang and two expressions ("scowl" and "grimace"), but what's really nice is his cape. Unlike the cape for Wonder Woman, which was pretty stiff and had a paper-like quality, Batman's cape is nice and soft. That makes it a lot easier both to get on him and position and pose him.
The Mutant Leader is awesome, simply because it is the Mutant Leader from The Dark Knight Returns in LEGO form. So if you've ever wanted to reenact the "operating table" scene with minifigs, have at it. What a world, guys.
Oh, he also comes with a torch, which is a nice touch.
Bane, who is one of the larger "big figures," is just great. He has that cool hybrid design from the movie, with the luchador mask from the comics and the big woolly coat from The Dark Knight Rises. Like other big figures, his legs don't move, but his arms and hands do so you can still do quite a bit with him.
Bane's backpack is where the set starts getting really fun, though. This thing is super-detailed and a fun build in itself, with moveable parts and those long snaking tubes. There's also a miniature silo with canisters of what I can only assume if Venom. It's the easiest part of the set to forget about, what with the cool vehicles and figures you construct, but it's a nice piece that adds some play value. The design is pretty cool, especially with the clear green plastic used for the canisters, and you can simulate an explosion with a little catapult feature. And come on, that biohazard warning with the LEGO head skull and crossbones is brilliant.
The Whirly-Bat is the smaller of two vehicles you build, but that doesn't make it any less awesome. Like the inclusion of the Mutant Leader, it's crazy that we're getting a Whirly-Bat LEGO kit in 2017. Its design is a little loose (there's a random Batarang that attaches to one side), but it's a great little compact design. The big propeller overhead gives it a nice retro feel, and Batman fits nicely in the seat. It has wheels, too, and rolls pretty well, so aerial combat isn't even necessary.
It's that truck that really makes this set, though. That thing is packed with all sorts of great details and features, and its instructions stretch across the two booklets.
As a vehicle on its own, this is a great build. It's big and sturdy, it rolls really well, and it resembles a real vehicle well enough that it's almost realistic, while still having some design elements that keep it firmly comic booky.
My favorite touches are the Osito pendants on either side of the front windshield, the nicely detailed crosshairs for the gatling gun, and the big waste canister that attaches to the back. The overall design is just fantastic, though, making for one of my favorite LEGO vehicles I've ever constructed.
It's a complex build, too, but Bane was a good helper.
A very good helper.
Once together, there's room in the driver's seat for the Mutant Leader and a platform for Bane to operate the gun from. About the only drawback to the set is that gun, too: it's a cool design with some neat bullets that you build with different types of studs, but those things are a bear to get "loaded." The gun is one of those that will fire a stud automatically once you turn the chamber a certain way, and the individual holes are so close together that it's easy to accidentally fire off a round on either side of the one you're loading.
Still, it's a minor complaint. This set is great fun with inspired character pieces and unique but equally great vehicles.
Overall: Two great sets to represent two great movies. Amazingly enough, the one featuring the daughter of Zeus and an evil demigod is the more "grounded" of the two, but both sets are great builds and well worth their respective price points. I hesitate to pick one over the other since they're so great and so different, but I'll say that if you find the Wonder Woman set, go ahead and pick it up. It's a lot harder to find than the Bane set and well worth the hunt. Either way, though, you can't go wrong. One represents possibly the most pure superhero movie in recent memory, and the other is as crazy and silly as its respective source material. All I know is with LEGO sets this great, it's a good time to be a DC fan.
Once again, thanks to LEGO for providing the sets for review.
