Team Steve and Team Tony don’t face off on the big screen until May 6, but the battle has already begun on my desk, courtesy of LEGO’s trio of Captain America: Civil War sets. Expect really big things.
Originally published 3/14/16. More Civil War Toy Time coming later this week!
Before you watch the video up top or read any further below be warned: some folks have complained that the presence of a certain character in one of the three sets—sets that have been in catalogs since December and are now available in stores across the country with the blessing of Marvel and Disney, spoil the appearance of a character in the upcoming movie.
I don’t agree. Firstly, movie-based LEGO sets aren’t known for their accuracy, for one. And secondly, it’s an official product available at every Walmart, Target, Toys’R’Us and the few K-Marts that give a damn anymore. If the character was supposed to be a secret, someone has failed spectacularly.
Still, making silly people sad is no fun, so they should stop reading now.
On March 1, along with fresh offerings from their Star Wars, DC Super Heroes, Ninjago, Elves and Speed Champions lines, LEGO released $130 worth of LEGO Marvel Captain America: Civil War sets. Let’s take a quick look at them from cheapest to most expensive.
Ringing up at $19.99, Crossbones’ Hazard Heist is a set that involves Crossbones heisting some hazards. It features Crossbones’ jacked-up Jeep (not an official name), Black Widow’s kick-ass motorcycle (probably official name) and Falcon’s back-mounted drone.
Aside from some stud-launcher weapons and a couple of cases that fall off the back of the truck (action feature falling!), the Jeep is so much wheeled scenery. The real stars of the set are Falcon’s awesome hair and one of the cheapest Black Widow minifigs available.
For folks keen on playing with their LEGO, the $19.99 set offers a lot of play value for the price, though it’s kind of awkward having a signature Captain America villain without a Captain America to fight.
To score a Cap to counter Crossbones’ hazard heist you’ll need to drop $30 on the second of the three sets.
It’s another vehicle-centric set, but when one of those vehicles is a jet for the Black Panther, then I’m down. The Black Panther Pursuit set’s centerpiece is that beautiful black and purple jet being piloted by the king of Wakanda himself.
I love the jet, green interior and all, and T’Challa ain’t too shabby himself. The decision to give him a circular cat-eared crown instead of a Batman-style cowl or molded head is interesting, especially considering I ended up with an extra crown in the box and keep putting it on top of my LEGO Spider-Man’s head.
Steve Rogers is looking dapper in his missile-launching Taskforce Jeep, smaller and less detailed than Crossbones, but a lovely shade of blue. He’s the first of two Caps between the three sets, which is great. The more Cap, the better.
Here’s James “Bucky” Barnes on his stupid little bike. I hate him. Good thing we get another one of him in the final set of the batch.
If you have to get one LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Captain America: Civil War set HOLY HELL IS THAT GIANT MAN?
Yes, it’s Giant Man. The air traffic control tower is nice. The luggage caddy vehicle is cute. The new blue Quinjet is great. The $80 Airport Battle playset comes with those three things, along with a masked Captain America, Iron Man, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Winter Soldier and Sharon “Agent 13" Carter minifigures, but I bought it for the supersized Scott Lang.
Okay, and the micro-sized Ant-Man.
Rather than just upscale a normal LEGO minifig, Giant Man is constructed brick-by-brick, sticker-by sticker. His faceplate is screen printed, but the rest of him is all stickers and normal bricks. His hands look a little bit weird, but they also let him do this:
He’s my new best friend. We’re going to have so much fun together.
The rest of the set is pretty nifty.The blue Quinjet is packed with folding bits, features a nifty undercarriage missile pod action feature and comes with wheels (not many LEGO flying machines do these days). It lacks a fire extinguisher, but I’m sure one could be cobbled together out of common LEGO materials around the house.
The air traffic control tower gives minifigures plenty of places to perch and ponder the pink discs they may be holding.
It’s got some crates, which are nice. There’s a lever that makes bits of the wall blast away, perfect for simulating property-destroying hero battles.
Plus I spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure out if the minifigure of Sharon Carter looks like actress Emily VanCamp or if Emily VanCamp looks like a LEGO minifigure. I’m still not sure.
It would be an excellent set without Giant Man, but come on . . . Giant Man.
Despite his appearance in the LEGO set and hints the movie producers have been dropping for ages, I’m still not sure if Scott Lang’s going to grow up in Captain America: Civil War. Being able to go giant-sized really changes the dynamic of the character and increases the potential for bad CG.
Either way, I’m happy to have him on my desk.
The LEGO Captain America: Civil War sets should be on store shelves across the U.S. right now, or just snag them from the online LEGO Shop.
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