Review: LEGO Marvel Superheroes Hulkbuster Smash-up (76104)
It is the first day of the Lunar New Year and I thought I’d punch out a quick review of the LEGO Marvel Superheroes Avengers: Infinity War Hulkbuster Smash-Up (76104) set before all the festivities start.
Just a bit of back story, I managed to find this set and the LEGO Marvel Superheroes Avengers: Infinity War Outrider Dropship Attack (76101) selling at a local toy store ahead of the March release. There have been reports too of Infinity War sets being sold at Target stores around the United States too.
Now that is out of the way, onwards to the review! **Potential Spoilers Ahead!**
Unboxing
This is one of the mid size sets from the LEGO Marvel Superheroes Avengers: Infinity War wave and consists of 375 parts.
It is split into only four numbered bags which can be easily assembled in about 45mins if you’re going at a leisurely pace. I could see this as a pretty good set for speed build challenges.
There is a sticker sheet which is understandable as it keeps costs down while providing a nice collaborative activity for the parent and child.
Build Experience
There are two builds for this set, the Hulkbuster (Infinity War version) and Proxima’s cannon turret which actually shoots LEGO ball projectiles.
As I mentioned earlier that it would take approximately 45mins to build this if you’re taking your time (I stopped a few times to take photos along the way) but I could totally see someone breeze through this in under 20 minutes if they were speed building.
There are some intermediate techniques, like building with studs sideways, employed along with some Technic and Bionicle elements thrown in might pose a slight challenge to beginner builders.
It is a small set that is quite fun to build as repetition is not common occurrence. The ‘hand chopping” mechanism utilises the LEGO gold ring (Gollum’s precious) as a washer which I thought was quite interesting. Don’t think I ever encountered that before in a build (if anyone knows otherwise, do drop a comment!)
I thoroughly enjoyed the build as it can be completed over a nice cup of tea (or hot chocolate) and the result is multi-point articulated Mecha figure.
Minifigures
There are four minifigures in this set and it is one of the highlights of the Hulkbuster Smash-Up set for me. It includes Bruce Banner, Falcon, Proxima Midnight and an Outrider.
This Bruce Banner minifigure actually appears in the LEGO Marvel Superheroes The Ultimate Battle For Asgard (76084) set that was released last year. It retailed for SGD$99.90 so being able to get this minifigure for a lower price point was a bonus.
He has two facial prints which the second could suggest that Bruce tries to control his Hulk form sometime during the movie.
This would be the first time we are seeing this torso print for the Falcon minifigure and it is also the first time we are getting brick built wings for Sam Wilson as well.
There is even a 4pc redwing that detaches from his backpack which looks a lot smaller than it’s previous iteration in LEGO Marvel Crossbones’ Hazard Heist (76050).
The Outrider is basically the cannon fodder for the film but the torso and face print turned out actually quite intricate.
He sports a new type of minifigure harness which has four bars for you to attach things to through clips. He kind of reminds me of a black Carnage minifigure.
Design
The Hulkbuster in (76104) looks heftier as it has been upgraded with the new elements released since its previous outing in the The Hulk Buster Smash (76031).
It uses some large figure elements to add to the aesthetics like the dark red rounded shoulder pads (21560) that was first seen in the Boba Fett Buildable Figure (75533).
As I mentioned earlier about the Falcon’s Redwing uses the right and left 1×2 curve plate with corner cut (29119/29120) which actually allows it to blend into the his overall wing design.
There a couple of cool play features in this LEGO Marvel Superheroes Hulkbuster Smash-up (76108). Proxima Midnight’s turret actually fires off these LEGO balls, quite accurately I might add.
LEGO included a couple of extra one in case you lose them but do try to keep track of where they ricochet off and don’t aim it at any human or animal.
The Hulkbuster is also designed with a “hand chopping” mechanism which is basically built into the chassis with a dial at the back.
It is also possible to ‘lock’ the arm by removing the 2×2 round tile with hole in the center and attach the 2×2 round brick directly onto the back.
Value
The Hulkbuster Smash-Up (76104) retails for SGD$69.90 here in Singapore which is the exact same price as the previous Hulkbuster Smash (76031).
I find the minifigure selection pretty good in this set as it has an updated Falcon, a brand new Proxima and although Bruce Banner is already available in another set, it is still SGD$20 cheaper to get this one than the The Ultimate Battle For Asgard (76084) which retails for SGD$99.90.
Conclusion
A decent starter set for getting into Mecha building with a little something for set and minifigure collectors alike.
Pros
- Adequately priced (SGD$62.90 after 10% store discount)
- Upgraded Hulkbuster design
- Minifigures are very collectible
Cons
- Will be hard to find on launch day due to popularity
(And yes, I’m aware that the shoulder pads are upside down but the photos have already been taken and I haven’t had the time to reshoot them!)
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[…] it was by pure luck that I managed to get the LEGO Marvel Superheroes Avengers: Infinity War Hulkbuster Smash-up (76104) set recently, I thought I’d do a quick comparison with the older Hulkbuster from […]