In every aspect of the partnership between the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder, it’s always Batman who has stolen the limelight. I’ve even felt that the recent LEGO Batman Movie reinforces this pattern, one that spans the entire 76 year franchise. Robin warrants a bit more visibility of his own, and these LEGO builds are the exactly what’s been long overdue. Elvis Lawrey builds not 1 but 6 vehicles that are well deserved by Robin, all in a predictable but appropriate red and black color scheme. My favourite has got to be the menacing tank. Hop over to Elvis’ Flickr album and salivate over the details behind each build! Click to see the vehiclesTell all your friends! Marvel has been churning out one hit movie hit after another, and Dr Strange was another winner. Their refresh of timeless superheroes also inspires LEGO builders like Letranger Absurde to recreate these iconic characters in bricks. Geared up in his Cloak of Levitation and equipped with the Eye of Agamotto, there’s little that Dormammu, the supervillan on the big screen can do to outwit the brilliant Doctor.
My favourite part of the build is actually how the nose cone elements in yellow are used to construct the gloved hands, and the white streaks of hair represented by radiator grille parts. LEGO’s new BrickHeadz may the latest fad, but French builder Jimmy Fortel is showing us they don’t have the market cornered for adorable superhero characters made of bricks. The Chibz characters, designed by Jimmy, are a bit larger than BrickHeadz and can incorporate great brick-built expressions into the faces as well as more detail on the bodies. Jimmy’s started off with 3 each from Marvel and DC, and has more planned. What killed the dinosaurs? Whether you love him for his puns or hate him for the same reason, Mr. Freeze is an excellent counterpoint to the broody Bat of Gotham. So buckle up readers and get nostalgic for icy puns because it’s time to review Mr. Freeze Ice Attack (Set 70901). This set retails for $19.99 and has 201 pieces. Based on LEGO’s standard pricing of $0.10 per piece, this price tag is pretty much spot on.
It comes with three minifigs (Batman, Mr. Freeze, and a Security Guard), Mr. Freeze’s Exosuit, a power plant console, and a minifig-sized chunk of ice. Interestingly, this set combines with two other new Batman sets: 70900 The Joker Balloon Escape and 70910 Scarecrow Special Delivery. The end result is a mega-set that looks like the power station from the opening scene of the LEGO Batman Movie. Read the full review after the jump LEGO’s new line of BrickHeadz characters are available now for LEGO VIP Program members on the LEGO Shop online. These sets will be available to the general public beginning Wednesday, March 1. LEGO’s VIP Program is free to join, and you can sign up online, so you can still order your BrickHeadz today even if you’re not already a VIP member. You can check out our reviews of The LEGO Batman Movie sets and Marvel Avengers sets if you’re not sure which one you want to buy first. Also revealed today are two new characters from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Included in the instruction books and on the boxes for 41595 Belle and 41596 Beast are images for none other than Captain Jack Sparrow (41593) and a new character: Captain Armando Salazar (41594). Click here to see the BrickHeadz for sale now! If 1960s Classic TV Robin saw this build, he’d say the same thing! Batman fan Havoc has done a beautiful sculpt of the Caped Crusader. I particularly like how Batman’s pointed ears are made from 16×4 Triple Curved Wedges. It gives Batman a pointed, sharp, brooding look that fits his persona. Quickly Robin, to the Batmobile! A few days ago we reviewed the first four LEGO BrickHeadz characters, all from The LEGO Batman Movie. Today we’re moving on to the second four characters in BrickHeadz Series 1, the Marvel characters. We get Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, and The Hulk. Like all the BrickHeadz, they will retail for $9.99 USD, and they’re available beginning Feb. 15 for LEGO VIP-card holders both in LEGO stores and from the LEGO Shop Online.
As we mentioned in our last review, each of the characters’ boxes are numbered for Series 1, with the DC characters being 1-4, the Marvel characters 5-8, and the Disney characters 11-12. The back of the Disney character boxes reveal what the missing two characters are, but LEGO has asked us not to show them yet, although images are available elsewhere. The use of symbolism and abstract elements is a style frequently used in the arts. While using LEGO as a medium of expression is something we see quite often, overt symbolism is less common, but Vincent’s LEGO creation is a great example. It looks at a world where Batman takes a break while chaos reigns and the helpless cry out for our hero—depicted by the bat-signals shining brightly calling out for their savior. While the lower section shares a view of Bruce Wayne relaxing in his Bat Cave, the mid-section cleverly showcases his enemies creating disorder. We loved what we saw when we got our first look at LEGO’s new BrickHeadz theme, but how do they stack up in the brick?
The LEGO BrickHeadz will be available to LEGO VIP-card holders in LEGO stores and the LEGO Shop Online beginning Feb. 15, and they’ll retail for $9.99 USD each. We’ve got our hands on all 10 of the characters that LEGO has announced so far, and we’re keen to show you what we think. We’re starting off with a look at the four DC characters, all from The LEGO Batman Movie. (Read our review of the movie here.) As the days count down to the release of The LEGO Batman Movie on 10 Feb 17, we wanted to keep your interest piqued with our latest movie tie-in set review, 70912 Arkham Asylum. Containing 1628 pieces, this is the largest set in The LEGO Batman Movie theme at present with the associated largest price tag of £139.99 / $149.99 / 149.99€, which equates to a price per piece of 8.6p / 9.2c / 9.2c, respectively. This set is rated for ages 12-16. This is the third LEGO incarnation of Arkham Asylum and the biggest, though only just. The first was back in 2008 with 7785 Arkham Asylum, which has 860 pieces, 7 minifigures and a £59.99 / $79.99 price tag.
The second, 10937 Batman: Arkham Asylum Breakout, was a 2012 set with 1,619 pieces, 8 minifigures, and a £129.99 / $159.99 / 159.99€ price tag. Finally, we have this latest release which nudges into the lead with a part count of 1,628, but has no less than 12 minifigures (well 13 if one includes the statue minifigure). Germany’s Nuremberg Toy Fair is the largest Toy Fair in the world, and where toy manufacturers go to show off their new products to potential buyers. As in previous years, LEGO has a large presence with a lot of new sets. Thanks to our friends at Promobricks, we’re able to bring you the first look at some of what LEGO has planned for the rest of the year, including Architecture, Creator, Technic, City and more. In a few weeks we’ll be covering the New York Toy Fair and bringing you close-up, hands-on coverage of these new sets and more. Don’t miss other upcoming LEGO sets we’ve announced, including: Summer wave of The LEGO Batman Movie sets