Lego 6862 DC Superheroes: Superman vs Lex Luthor!

Guess what I got for my birthday from the dear wife, when it isn't even my birthday yet?

That's right!  Yer looking at it! :D :D :D

She's been getting me stuff early for special occasions for a while now, so I just thought to tell her that she needn't, and said that I feel bad for opening presents early and all that.  Her response: I need to get it for you before you see it and get it for yourself!  Hah!  The bonus?  She also got me the Batcave!!!  (Review to come...)

Apparently, this Supes vs Lex set won't be brought into store until next month here in Singapore, so this is a happy thing for me to be able to have and review it early.  That and the fact that I love Superman and the wife likes Wonder Woman makes me a happy 33 year-old kid.  Add to that the excellent looking mech that is Lex Luthor's power armour and this is a must-have set!

It's been a while since I really wanted badly to open something that I bought or was bought for me and review it, so what are ya waiting for?  Jump, jump, jump!!! ;D

Oh and watch out when opening the box--the parts come in three bags: two bigger ones and a small one for the little bits. There's also a Lego comic book and of course, the instruction booklet--but the cannon-to-power armour power cable for the Lex's mech is not in any of the bags but directly in the box itself.  So don't go throwing way the box with glee before checkin'! ;)

Like: Purple and green pieces.  Purple and green pieces, people!  Besides being new(er) Lego brick colours, this has to be the most popular superhero colour combo right next to red, white and blue. Also, they are Hulk colours so you know you can't go wrong there. :P


Like: That Supes and Wonder Woman have detail on the back of their torsos.  Lego usually doesn't detail the back of minifgs, but Superman has his muscles and Diana has her half bare back and her gold belt.  Even Lex has the back of his suit printed on! :)

Like: That both superheroes have alternate faces.  There's a stoic and grimace for Supes, while Wonder W has a grimace and a smile!

Like: Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth!  It can actually "tie" stuff up--mech's fingers, other minifigs, a horse or two...It's made of soft gold-ish rubber, but is solid enough that it won't bend under a minifig's weight while the wielder is hanging off something.

Dislike: That Supes has no boots!  They gave Wonder Woman boots, but not Supes!  Also, my wife pointed out that Diana doesn't have here gold bracers.  You know, those she deflects bullets and lasers with.  Superman's boots I can sorta understand being missing, but Wonder Woman's bracers are an important part of her, along with her tiara and Lasso of Truth.  Both boots and bracers could've been painted on too, so this is a bit of a let down.

Like: The ball joints on Lex's power armour, all six of them.  They're all constructed the same way, but I especially love the ones at the ankles because the allow for all sorts of dynamic stances while being supremely stable at the same time.  Besides the ball joints, the ratcheted swivel/hinges on his hip/legs joints are also superb and they work super well with the ankle joints for some great posing! :)

Like: The great fingers on Lex power armour.  Each is individually hinged and pops on and off easily without losing any of it's tightness.  Each of the two fingers and a thumb on each hand are also tipped with Kryptonite--all the better to kill Superman, of course. ;)

Like: The great big fat Kryptonite gun.  There's a sizable chunk of Kryptonite encased in the gun between a couple of translucent panel pieces.  The whole assembly sits between the barrel of the weapon and the power cable connected to the back of his "suit."  There's also an awesome way for Lex to "grip"  the gun snugly, with a peg that can fit in the forearm of the right hand.  The "grip" itself then fits nicely in its palm, where the fingers can be wrapped around it.

Got it at just the right angle..,

Kryptonite chamber

Dislike: The gun is so heavy that the armour can't hold it straight out without the shoulder ball joint slipping.  And seeing that the ball-joints are all nice and tight, that means the gun and right arm combined are just a little too heavy.  Ah well, you can't win 'em all! ;)

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 9/10 - It's really great to finally see Superman and Wonder Woman in minifig form.  It's a pity Supes has missing boots and Diana has no bracers.  But as always, the paint on the minifigs is excellent, especially on Wonder Woman.

Amazon Attack Wonder Woman

Just check out the gold of her tiara (painted on her hair), the "W" on her chest and her belt.  Her stars are clean and sharp, while her hair is just the right size.

Supes has great printed musculature and a sharp "S", not to mention his yellow belt.  His "S" curl is also fantastic, though the rest of his hair kinda looks a little old school--it's just a tad too big, like he used a whole tub of Brylcream.  From the back it looks like something out of the 60s. ;P

Lex could pass for any regular minifig but his power armour is a thing of beauty.  Lego's mechs have always been very well designed and constructed (ExoForce fans you know what I'm talking about!) and this is no exception.  The use of curved pieces to form the legs and feet are my favourite parts of the mech, but there's plenty to admire from the Kryptonite gun to the two power packs on the back.

Poseability: 10/10 - It usually isn't this way with most Lego sets.  It's well and good if you have a Millennium Falcon or an X-Wing, but it can't pose--they weren't meant to, not like an action figure anyway.  With a mech like Lex's power armour, you get both a vehicle and an action figure.  And they didn't just give this "figure" the obligatory joints, oh no--its got some of the best articulation any action figure could have.

What's also impressive is that it doesn't have a "head" (doesn't need one because it uses Lex!) and has no knee joints, yet it can pose very dynamically without them! :)

Oh yes and throw in not one but three minifigs and you have a fight scene right out of the box.  As you can tell, it was hard for me to stop posing them in battle scenes. ;)

Backpack!

Fun: 10/10 - Lego is scary fun!  Why?  Because you could end up playing with it for hours and hours and still wanna play some more!  But what limits most sets is the number of pieces and the number of minfigs per box, for which this set doesn't lack.  That being said, the fun in Lego is the endless customizability.  In this case, you could expand on Luthor's power armour and make him two, three or even ten times its original size.  Ya just have to keep the instruction book handy in case your project goes awry and you need a reset.

Stompin' right foot!

Or if you're unhappy that its only got three fingers, then you can modify it to give him more.  You just have to find the parts, which are not difficult if you have a speciality Lego shop in your neighbourhood (or if your neighbourhood is the internet. ;P) You can give the mech knees, longer arms, a more well-armoured torso, wrists, or even a bigger gun. The possibilities for fun are endless!


Value: 8/10 - Branded Legos are usually costly but these Superhero ones seems to be coming at a discounted price right off the blocks. (Pun. Heh.)  The wife paid around S$45 for this set but I think it's well worth it--three minifgs, a giant robot and all three iconic DC characters making their first appearances in Lego form.  Lots of times certain characters an only be found in large or giant sized sets which cost a pretty penny, so this medium-sized box is well worth it.

But it's also the little things that make this set: Wonder Woman's Lasso, stars, and painted-on tiara; Superman's "S"-curl, muscles, and chest emblem; the translucent green Kryptonite chunk that powers Luthor's gun, the large feet and chunky legs of the mech, and the alternate faces for Supes and Diana--they're all worth every penny!

Overall: 9.25/10 - I'd take an arm and a leg (plastic or otherwise) for this Lego set - Yes, it's that good!  For Superman, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor fans (yes, I know you exist. ;P), it's a must.  For Lego fans, it's a must.  For superhero and Lego fans, it's a no-brainer!  Even if you're only mildly interested in the characters, Legos like these will only appreciate in value.  But it would be such a waste sitting in the box for a couple of years when you have beautifully rendered figures, a highly poseable and customizable suit of armour, and all the little things that combine the best qualities of action figures and Lego sealed up like the 40-year-old virgin's vintage Iron Man.

This set fulfils a childhood wish of mine to have superhero Legos of my absolute fave characters.  When they released the Spiderman and Batman lines, I was happy.  But they weren't my favourite superheroes.  Superman is.  And if he or Wonder Woman or Lex is your favourite, then like me, you'll find this one of the most satisfying Lego experiences you'll ever have! ;)