2018 LEGO Marvel Sets: A Retrospective (Part 2)

And we’re back for Part 2 of 2018 LEGO Marvel sets! In the previous article, I discussed three of the six Infinity War sets, and now, we will finish examining the wave with the final few ones. So without further ado, let’s get into it!

Corvus Glaive Thresher Attack (76103)

This was our first play-set of the entire 2018 LEGO Marvel wave. I sadly skipped out on this one, and I definitely regret doing so. We got re-use of the same 2016 version of Vision, which was fine as his outfit hadn’t changed since then, considering that he’s an android. But it’s safe to say that he remained a really detailed minifigure all around. The Black Panther minifigure from earlier on in the year was also re-used, which was also fine. Again, we got another Outrider which was fine.

Shuri was a great inclusion as she didn’t make an appearance in the Black Panther sets. A new hairpiece was created for her, and she also got an accurate face and torso print. Finally, Corvus Glaive was another great minifigure, using a tattered cape piece. His face print and weapon added to his menacing look. He was also one of Thanos’ children. Just to mention, the Mind Stone was included in the set.

lego marvel 2018

 

The Wakandan wall had quite an aesthetically pleasing look. The black, gold, white, and purple all contrasted each other well, creating a very unique build. The sword pieces used, in my opinion, were an extremely clever building technique. Each of the windows had stickers, in addition to the door. The wall panel on the left side could be hinged back to give the build depth. Below the second wall to the left had a disc launcher, which could be shot at enemies. Towards the tower had an exposed Technic piece, which, when pushed down, opened the door. The walkway space on top was very small and could stand only a few minifigures at a time. The top of the tower had four stud shooters which could be angled and shot.

Inside had a small lab, with a table to keep Vision to extract the Mind Stone, and a computer setup. Behind the chair was a Technic beam which could be pushed forward to launch the Disc Shooters from the Disc Launcher. The Thresher build (made of the large, rigid, circular pieces) was a unique build – something different. Basically, by pushing down on the red brick-built button on the Thresher station, the Thresher would launch out onto enemies. I thought this play feature was just brilliant. Overall, this set was an unexpected surprise for a $40 USD Marvel play-set.

Thanos: Ultimate Battle (76107)

This $70 USD set was one of the most hyped things of 2018 in LEGO Marvel. We finally got our MCU Thanos. Although we got this character in 2016, he was still so hyped back then. But did it deliver? Well… LEGO really did us dirty. This Thanos looks inaccurate to his film counterpart. He uses the mould from 2016, with the whole armour piece. However, in Infinity War, he doesn’t wear armour for the majority of the movie – for literally only 15 seconds. But LEGO thought they could get away with cutting costs and re-using an inaccurate mould which is just downright wrong. I do go more into depth about this issue with my article, Bring Back the Glory of LEGO Marvel!

Anyways, the Mark 50 Iron Man minifigure was amazingly done and extremely accurate. We finally got blue printing in the helmet eyes and a new face with one side being his heads-up display. He had a brick-built back attachment which was a cool addition for the minifigure. The torso and leg print were impeccable. I can say the same thing about Gamora. However, Star-Lord was just a lazy re-print from the Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 sets. This set gave us the Infinity Gauntlet for the first time, with the Reality Stone. Basically, the gimmick is that you collect all the six Infinity Stones from the six LEGO sets and place them in the Gauntlet, which was fun for fans and was very profitable for LEGO.

 

The Benatar build was amazing and had quite a similar design to the two previous Milanos from the Guardians of the Galaxy wave. It had a beautiful orange and light-bluish grey colour scheme. Its cockpit windscreen could be opened to reveal two seats for minifigures. You could also pull up the entire front section to reveal the two previously mentioned seats as a speeder bike which could be deployed. It also had stud shooters on both sides and had the ability to adjust its wings. The midsection could be opened to reveal two more seats and a jumper plate to place the Infinity Gauntlet stand – also included in the set. As mentioned earlier, it could connect to the Thor’s Weapon Quest Pod which, again was a perfect play feature. But this set was a masterpiece and will remain one for years to come.

Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown (76108)

Last, and best of the LEGO Marvel 2018 wave, is the $100 USD Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown. LEGO usually nails these large sets all the time, and this one was no exception. Yeah, we got a repeat of the Mark 50 Iron Man, but the rest of minifigure made up for it. We finally received the MCU Iron Spider suit in minifigure form for Spider-Man. It had impeccable head, torso, legs, and sidearm printing. He received a neck-attachment piece for his four golden arms. The Doctor Strange minifigure was quite similar to his 2016 counterpart, with minor changes to his overall print work. He uses a different hairpiece this time too, along with a velvet cape.

This 2018 LEGO Marvel set also gave us the final two Black Order members – Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian. Ebony was a really detailed minifigure, using a glow-in-the-dark head. And yeah, his printing was great. Cull, however, was the star of the set. His head used a different mould and had a specially moulded pauldron piece. He had a cool print overall and came with his built-up weapon. Finally, this set had the Time Stone.

The build was perfect. The end. It would take me a while to rant about this build, so I’ll briefly discuss it. The building was able to open and close, kind of like a dollhouse, with one side consisting of the Sanctum Santorum, and the other – Peter Parker’s apartment. The Sanctum’s exterior stayed true to the movie’s iconic design, whereas Peter’s apartment was reminiscent of a typical New York building – especially with the staircase build and brick colour.

lego marvel 2018

 

 

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The midsection was very cool, with a few cardboard boxes, a trash can, a spiderweb and a postbox. This postbox had a direct reference to Daredevil, one of Marvel’s mature characters. The Sanctum didn’t have any exterior play functions besides the opening door. However, Peter Parker’s apartment did. There were two exposed Technic beams at the bottom and top floors which will be discussed later. The rooftop had a barrel which you could wrap Spiderman’s webbing around, and then spin it to deploy him from the roof.

Now let’s discuss the interior of the Sanctum. The bottom floor consisted of cleverly-built, dark green armchair. There was also a brown crate and a few swords, attached to walls. On top of the crate sat a magical weapon build which had been previously seen in the 76060 Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum from 2016.

The next level up had a chest, a few weapons hanging on the wall, some sticker detailing, and some magic-related pages on the floor. There was a Technic axle sticking out which was part of a play-feature, which when turned, would knock over a sidewall to reveal the Time Stone.

lego marvel 2018

Finally, the top-level had a very close resemblance to the previously mentioned 2016 Sanctum Sanctorum set, with the table with a candle, some bookshelves to the side, and the iconic window. The bookshelf builds were similar to before, in that it used the same building techniques, and consisted of the same items. On the floor, there were more letters and magic-related papers laying around.

The bottom of Peter Parker’s apartment had a mini pizzeria. Next to the oven, there was a handle to hold the massive spatula. There was a small counter with a printed cash register, and a cooked pizza. Right next to the window stood a barrel with a large Technic piece in the way. On the front, you would push down on an exposed axle which would blast open the window. The door had an ‘open’ sticker, and the window had a ‘Peppe’s Pizza’ sign. Finally, the wall opposite the counter had a sticker of a menu and a fire hydrant.

lego marvel 2018

The second level represented a mini apartment for Peter Parker. It had a messy computer/study room with a computer, a lamp, a jar, some books, and a paper drawing of Spiderman on the floor. There was a doorway which split the room into two. The other section of that level consisted of two boxes.

Finally, the top-level continued this messy-styled apartment. The first side had a bed with spiderwebs and other notes hanging everywhere around the room. There was also a pizza slice on the floor. Above the bed was a Technic contraption, to the side of the building, you’d push down on a Technic lever next to the spiderweb piece on the side of the apartment, which would blast the bedroom window open. The right side of the room was barren and had nothing to offer – or so it seemed!

lego marvel 2018

Basically, by pulling back on one of the exposed Technic axles on the front, you’d open up a trapdoor from underneath a minifigure. The roof had another Technic axle. This time, a minifigure was supposed to be attached to the front of the building on the roof, and you’d push down on the axle, launching the minifigure off of the roof. But yeah, that was the whole Sanctum. This has got to be one of the best Marvel sets of all time, and I sadly do not own it.

 

And that’s it for Part 2 of my LEGO Marvel 2018 retrospective! If I hadn’t made it clear already, I have only just looked through the Infinity War line from that year. There are still about 6 more sets which wrap up the rest of the year, including the Black Panther and Ant-Man and the Wasp wave. So for the first time ever, see you in Part 3! Peace.

 

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Set images from Brickset

Interior images of the Sanctum Sanctorum from Jangbricks

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