Review: 70901 Mr Freeze Ice Attack
Posted by CapnRex101,
The quality of DC and Marvel Super Heroes sets varies quite dramatically but I think the most consistently impressive models tend to be released with a price of around £19.99 or $19.99. 70901 Mr Freeze Ice Attack is one of three sets based on The LEGO Batman Movie which are available at that price point and I therefore have high expectations for its success. Furthermore, the enormous popularity of Mr Freeze seems likely to draw many people to this set over others of a similar size so I hope it does not disappoint!
Minifigures
Batman often dons a specialised suit when going into battle against Mr Freeze and it is somewhat surprising that he does not wear such attire here, particularly since an Arctic Batman outfit appears in the first trailer for The LEGO Batman Movie. Nevertheless, this standard version of the Caped Crusader is among the best yet in my opinion, with a brand new utility belt element around his waist and an expressive double-sided head with a grin on one side and a grimace on the other.
His torso printing includes some muscle definition and a bat symbol but his legs are left blank which looks a little odd beside the highly detailed Robin and Batgirl minifigures when the three heroes are displayed together. Batman is armed with a batarang as well as a flamethrower which consists of just four pieces but looks quite impressive.
A generic Security Guard is included and he greatly improves the play value of the set, serving as someone to be rescued by the Caped Crusader or to assist in the defeat of Mr Freeze. He is equipped with a full breathing apparatus and has a new head which is printed with a reddish brown moustache as well as two expressions, one smiling and the other frightened.
The torso design is relatively simple but it looks perfectly satisfactory and incorporates some nice details such as a tie clip, an identity badge and some storage compartments on the belt. This guard wears the same uniform as another in 70910 Scarecrow Special Delivery and is armed with a rifle which seems unlikely to be of much use against the might of Mr Freeze!
Mr Freeze has been reimagined on numerous occasions and this design borrows elements from a couple of different sources. His domed helmet is reminiscent of the version from Batman: The Animated Series while the bulky cryogenic suit is more like that worn by the character in Batman: Arkham Origins. I think this combination looks great and the colour scheme strikes a perfect balance between dark and medium shades of blue.
The torso printing is partially obscured by a large armour component and this features a metallic silver panel on the front which I like very much. More metallic silver details are printed on Victor's chest and legs alongside some tubing and a blue belt. This is my favourite of the four Mr Freeze minifigures released to date but it does suffer from one minor drawback.
My only criticism of this figure relates to his freeze gun. An accessory has been designed to be held by the mech but none is included for Mr Freeze to carry which is rather disappointing. The minifigure is able to grip the large weapon but it looks ridiculous and I think a small freeze gun should have been included to increase the play value, even if it was very simple in its design.
The Completed Model
Mr Freeze's exosuit occupies the majority of the 201 pieces in this set and I think it looks quite impressive, with an attractive colour scheme and some nice details formed using small parts. The model only measures a little over 11cm in height but it is scaled very nicely beside a minifigure and feels like an appropriate vehicle for Mr Freeze as he is often portrayed as wearing a suit which greatly increases his height and strength, although not usually to this extent.
The mech offers a reasonable amount of articulation, with ball joints at the knees, hips, wrists and shoulders as well as a rotation at the waist. Elbow joints would have been appreciated but the large boots allow you to display the model in an impressive variety of different poses as they are relatively heavy and therefore anchor the feet in place. The thighs look a little too narrow in relation to the boots in my opinion, although this aspect of the design is totally subjective and I like the splash of black introduced by the 1x2 grille elements on the side of each leg.
There is an equal level of detail to be found when the exosuit is viewed from the rear. The short hoses which run on either side of the driver are excellent and I like the blue plastic inside which represents a cryogenic liquid of some kind. Tanks full of the same liquid are mounted on the back of the figure and this section can be hinged down to provide access to the cockpit.
A new element forms the core of the mech. The specialised nature of this piece may bother some people but it allows a minifigure to stand in a relatively confined space and there is room for a control panel as well. The same component is used in the new Nexo Knights Battle Suits and offers great versatility with numerous connection points so I look forward to finding out where else it might appear in future.
The new hand element is mounted on a Technic ball joint so could be connected to any Technic pin and includes some lovely moulded details on all sides. The hand is designed to grip anything with the diameter of a standard bar and I expect it will appear in other colours quite soon as it seems unlikely that it would be designed for this set alone. Mr Freeze's gun is scaled perfectly with the mech and I think it looks great. The combination of black, dark bluish grey and trans-light blue is very effective and the stud shooter on top is integrated nicely with the rest of the weapon so could be mistaken for a scope.
A block of ice is included to trap any minifigure unfortunate enough to find themselves in the sight of the freeze gun. This is a simple model but the trans-light blue rock elements look very effective and you can easily place the figure inside as it hinges open for access.
The rest of the pieces are devoted to a small section of the Gotham Energy facility which matches those included in 70900 The Joker Balloon Escape and 70910 Scarecrow Special Delivery. The red pipework, yellow railing and sand green walls are all in keeping with the design of the models in the other sets and I look forward to combining them for the upcoming review of 70910 Scarecrow Special Delivery.
Independent of the other sections this model provides a nice backdrop for the action in this set. The design is relatively simple but I like the antiquated computer monitor and the pressure gauge which are fixed to the wall alongside some indicator lights and a lever. It is worth noting that the gauge is nicely decorated with a sticker which includes some subtle 'G.E.' branding for the Gotham Energy facility.
The silo which is set into the floor can be hinged in relation to the rest of the model and this reveals a clip which will be used to combine the three parts of the building. There is little detail to be found when it is viewed from behind but you may notice some discolouration of the 1x4 sand green bricks. Consistency issues like this one are frustrating and sand green seems to be among the colours which are most vulnerable to the problem so I hope it can be resolved.
Overall
This is another strong addition to the range of The LEGO Batman Movie sets! The minifigure selection stands out as a result of Mr Freeze's inclusion and I like his exosuit very much indeed while the remainder of the set provides plenty of additional potential for play and display.
It would have been nice to see an alternative version of Batman included, or perhaps even another member of Batman's team given that the Dark Knight is also available in the sets with which this one can be combined. Nevertheless, this is a great set and I certainly recommend it, although perhaps not to the same degree as 70900 The Joker Balloon Escape which we reviewed recently.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review is an expression of my own opinions.
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18 comments on this article
Great review! Thanks! I'm looking forward to buying this set.
i love the mr freeze mech, i want it..
Terrific review Rex. I hope to be able to purchase all of TLBM sets when they arrive down under.
Awesome set. Great review!
Nice one. Thanks for the review. I'm liking the macaronni piping :o)
I honestly don't like this mech much at all. The arms are really skinny and un-pose-able, as well as very bland, and the legs are are almost just as bad. It's hard to get them, both the legs and arms, into many realistic poses. This is really the problem with pretty much all official Lego mechs, is their lack of pose-ability. It doesn't take many more pieces to make them look better, and pose better.
All in all though, this is a pretty cool set. Thank's for the review!
^These mini ball joints provide a far greater degree of articulation that most larger mechs. Take for example a recent Ninjago set, Salvage M.E.C.-- it's actually extremely difficult to pose that thing. You could see that in, say, Jangbricks' review of it.
^When the model gets bigger (and heavier) it is not always possible to use ball joints - the grip is just too weak.
^^ Part of that is the fact that in most larger mechs the knees are permanently bent, which could easily be changed with a couple ball joints.I really, REALLY love these smaller ball joints, because they do add a lot of pose-ability, but without elbows or knees, they are still really lacking in that area.
I'm absolutely going to get this set.
For anyone bothered by the lack of a flexible elbow on Mr. Freeze's mech, there is a simple enough solution. Just attach the lower arm to the upper arm by ONE stud instead of both and Voila! Instant elbow, and without the use of any additional parts! Granted, this makes the already skinny arm even skinnier, but I can only solve one problem at a time. ;-)
Ugh I want this so bad but then I'll probably need more sets!
When do the nexo Knight mechs come out?
With that dome and cowl, I'm hoping a classic Spider-Man villain Mysterio will see the light of day...
Not bad at this price point. Joker's lowrider and Clayface are definite winners for me though...
Good review. Before reading this I'd somehow not realized that the hose pieces in this set were new (despite reading other reviews of this set — go figure). I had assumed they were one of the classic 19M hoses used extensively in Bionicle and Hero Factory sets, rather than two shorter 10M hoses. Having a similar hose in a shorter size will be a major boon, I imagine!
The cockpit piece in this set should be very versatile, and the Nexo Knights Battle Suits showcase particularly well how useful a piece like this is, since it can pretty much fully enclose a minifigure without being too bulky or too fragile. Besides mechs, it could be useful for seats on an amusement park ride, spaceship cockpits, or a body piece for monsters and dragons. I even saw somebody on Facebook suggest using it in a Great Ball Contraption module.
The hand pieces in this set are also nice, and it's kind of disappointing that the Nexo Knights Battle Suits don't use those as well, since it would be great to have them in a more versatile color like grey or silver. The CCBS fist pieces used in the Battle Suits do lend them a nice cartoony look, but I still might've preferred smaller hands on them.
The new Mr. Freeze minifigure is a clever design that makes good use of that older glass dome piece from the Adventurers sets.
Good review overall!
Love this set! But then, I'm a sucker for mechs...
I bet the "cryogenic liquid" is liquid nitrogen as freeze is constantly seen working with that.