Review: 76215 Black Panther
Posted by CapnRex101,
76215 Black Panther was announced to notable contention in September. The creation definitely provides something unique to the Marvel theme, although many LEGO fans would evidently have favoured something more traditional, given the decidedly mixed response.
The substantial scale of the model is potentially surprising, particularly given its expensive price of £299.99, $349.99 or €349.99. Nevertheless, the Black Panther bust appears impressive and increasing its size, relative to the Helmet Collection range, has markedly improved the details.
Summary
76215 Black Panther, 2,961 pieces.
£299.99 / $349.99 / €349.99 | 10.1p/11.8c/11.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
76215 Black Panther looks good, but nowhere near good enough, given its price
- Excellent detail in some areas
- Impressive size
- Lacklustre detail in other areas
- Vastly overpriced
- No minifigure
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box and Contents
Predominantly black models sometimes look fantastic against the dark backdrop of modern 18+ packaging, but I find this example rather bland. The purple glow provides superb colour and the silver border is attractive, although not glossy, unfortunately. Inside, the 2961 pieces are divided between 33 bags, which are numbered between one and seventeen. There are two instruction manuals and a lone sticker, forming the nameplate.
The Completed Model
While the differences are sometimes subtle, Black Panther's renowned habit changes across his Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances. This model takes inspiration from the attire introduced in the original Black Panther film, distinguished by the metallic silver patterning around the face and the lightweight necklace, which vary from T'Challa's garb in Captain America: Civil War.
The model certainly looks good, faithfully recreating many recognisable details from the source material. Its large scale has allowed the set designer, Mark Stafford, to build those details rather than relying heavily on decorated elements and the structure's impressive scale is very apparent beside 76165 Iron Man Helmet, measuring nearly 47cm in height and approximate life-size!
Additionally, the depth of this model is greater than I envisaged, reaching 24cm with the plaque and gloves attached. While the base looks rather bland without any decoration, I actually prefer the bust in this format on display. Not only does it fit comfortably on shallower shelves, but the clean lines of the base are attractive.
Unsurprisingly, the construction is broadly similar to Helmet Collection models, albeit at a much larger scale. Rather than a hollow core, the structure is braced with beams crossing from front to back and side to side. Technic beams also pass through the centre, starting inside the base and continuing almost to the top of Black Panther's head.
An interesting and somewhat abstract tribute to Chadwick Boseman is also found inside, as tiles create the late actor's initials. These are a welcome addition to the model, although I think there was an opportunity to provide something more elaborate. Perhaps a vignette representing the Ancestral Plane and a T'Challa minifigure, wearing his robe from the film, could have appeared instead.
The plinth underneath the bust is simple, although I like the smooth curvature between the base and shoulders. However, the transition between the 1x3x2 inverted bows and the 3x3x1 quarter sphere elements across the front could be improved, while the exposed Technic brick appears awkward too.
I am satisfied with the relative simplicity of the shoulders though, which blends the blocky base with the realistic shaping of the head. Additionally, the ceremonial necklace hanging around the neck and shoulders looks superb. Its construction is basic, but these rubber tooth elements are absolutely perfect and the necklace hangs quite naturally.
Unfortunately, the necklace terminates immediately behind the shoulders, rather than continuing all the way around as it should. The shaping is reasonably effective, but I think a more complex combination of curved slopes and angled panels could perhaps have achieved gentler and more authentic curves.
The head is undoubtedly the focus of the model and is my favourite section. I think the balance between black and metallic silver is great, while the almost complete avoidance of flat surfaces corresponds with Black Panther's onscreen appearance. The continuous silver bands also look outstanding, covering no fewer than twelve separate panels across the face!
The seams are noticeable in some areas, although I suspect disguising these more successfully without using stickers or printed parts would be impossible. 1x1 quarter circle tiles form accurate texture beside the eyes and exposed studs provide a similar effect in other areas, which reflects the onscreen helmet design.
Tiny splashes of purple are sometimes visible, most obviously on the cheeks, above the metallic silver bands. These are odd because they do look out of place, but are only occasionally visible and resemble the suit when charged with kinetic energy, which the designer has confirmed was his intention. I actually find this surprisingly effective, even though black and silver colours alone would have been adequate.
Printed 2x4 tiles form textured eyes, matching the source material precisely. Ideally, the bands surrounding the eyes would be narrower, but their shape is broadly accurate. However, I am disappointed by the panels above the eyes because they are each connected with a single clip and sometimes wobble, disrupting the continuation of the metallic stripes.
The back of the head is less interesting, comprising various large curved slopes. The resultant shape looks reasonable, but some transitions between parts are clumsy and the realistic texture combinations from the front are missing. The ears are nicely detailed though, integrating several trans-purple 1x2 plates to introduce some contrasting colour.
The crossed-arms Wakanda Forever salute became an immediate icon following the first Black Panther film and is loosely recreated here. Two gloves accompany the bust and are arranged to evoke the salute, albeit without actually crossing over. The symbol is certainly recognisable and further distinguishes this model from the existing helmets, although I am not convinced this was necessarily.
Several trans-purple elements decorate the base for these gloves, which are each supported by only one ball joint. The curvature of the plinth for the bust continues and I like the texture on the front, although this would have been another opportune place for a T'Challa minifigure from the Ancestral Plane. Instead, a sticker forms the Black Panther nameplate, which should definitely have been printed.
Each glove is constructed very similarly to 76191 Infinity Gauntlet, as expected. The streaks on their backs are accurate to the onscreen gloves, while the pearl silver teeth decorating the wrists look superb. Ideally, they would curve around the wrists, but their role in providing some colour is more important.
Drum-lacquered silver 2x2 double wedge slopes represent claws, again corresponding with the costume from the film. These look marvellous, especially in combination with the fully articulated fingers and thumbs. However, the ribbed structures on the back of each glove should continue along the fingers, so re-using the design from 76191 Infinity Gauntlet with essentially no updates is disappointing.
The palms are nicely finished, even though they are almost completely hidden when the gloves are connected to the Black Panther bust. Metallic silver highlights continue to good effect, but I dislike the inexplicable use of dark azure and red pieces to secure the nameplate. Even though they are concealed from the front, they are incredibly conspicuous from behind.
Overall
LEGO has produced a varied selection of direct-to-consumer sets recently, which has resulted in some fantastic and unexpected designs. 76215 Black Panther was definitely unexpected and looks quite impressive on display, including some creative construction techniques to avoid the need for excessive stickers and closely resembles Black Panther's onscreen garb.
Even so, substantially smaller models have proven enjoyable and the level of detail here comes nowhere near justifying the price of £299.99, $349.99 or €349.99, which is absurd. 76178 Daily Bugle costs the same and provides a far better experience in every respect, although I do favour the Black Panther bust over 76210 Hulkbuster. Ultimately, both are deeply underwhelming.
120 likes
88 comments on this article
*Ahem* Trash
Definitely a bust.
Unwanted trash set.
A nice representation and the crossed hands are a smart/thoughtful touch for this particular character. But the lack of a minifigure (or two, one with T'Challa in a regular suit as he's seen or in his white robes) is glaring. And the cost is outrageous for what it is.
Looking at new stuff and thinking "whatever" must be a symptom of getting old. Is it?
This set looks fantastic to me. It's over-priced, I can't justify it, but I wish I could because this design all works for me.
Saw this in person, and I did not like it at all. The size put it into an "uncanny valley", too small to be life-sized, and too big to an attractive scale model. It looked like the picture you would see for a child sized costume.
Something a third the size, in line with the other helmets would have been fine. Is Disney pressuring Lego for an endless stream of massive sets?
Not sure why they've done this as Black Panther has limited popularity despite the good performance of the movies, and a very overpriced bust set isn't something that'd appeal to most fans. Making it a niche product to a niche audience.
Its well done, but not something thats on my, or other people I know who are Marvel fans to buy lists.
I would definitely buy a Black Panther helmet set to go with the other helmets, but this is too big.
350 eurobucks giant bust: no minifig
10 eurobucks set 76204: minifig
who is the target audience for this? marvel fanboys that don't care about credit card debt?
I wish they’d do a Darth Vader bust, this size, detailed, etc.
Would sell out in a day.
Fingerprint and dust magnet!
To me this bust just occupies the same uncomfortable niche as the Hulkbuster - a large toy but at the price of a premium collectible. For an adult in the market for a Black Panther collectible for their home of office, why would they choose this - which looks merely OK - when they could buy a Hot Toys figure or a collectible statue or even an art print?
I'm not sure Lego totally understands how to reach adult audiences, or they have OVERestimated just how much non-AFOLs are willing to pay for their products. They aren't having the best track record on D2C sets this year...
@yellowcastle said:
"Definitely a bust."
Close the section and delete all comments after this one.
I actually really want this as it’s got a heap of black and purple parts, and the silvers nice as well. It’s such a shame it’s so overpriced, even the people who buy for parts can’t scavenge anything from this. Hopefully a Black Friday sale….
@Tuzi said:
"350 eurobucks giant bust: no minifig
10 eurobucks set 76204: minifig
who is the target audience for this? marvel fanboys that don't care about credit card debt?"
To be fair, that's a trend overall, not a specific problem with this set. Lots of LEGO is more expensive now, some of it understandably, some less so (and reasonable people can certainly disagree on where to draw that line exactly). The Razorcrest 75331, Hogwarts Express 76405, Bowser 71411, all recent sets that priced themselves out of my range. Hulkbuster 76210 is too pricey too, although that actually has design issues that would've turned me off even at a better price.
In my examples, the Marvel sets are higher price per piece than the other sets, but there have always been some lines higher than others. Now all of them are a lot more than the price per piece just a couple years ago on something like the awesome 1989 Batmobile 76139.
Paraphrasing your comment to "Who is the target audience for this? People willing to spend more than I had grown accustomed to?" is a sentiment I absolutely share, LEGO's rising prices have frustrated me too.
I think it looks great, even more compared to that other $550 thing, but he insane price is a factor that makes it an easy pass. Another factor is the size. Instead of being in the same size as the previous helmets, they just opted for a giant one out of nowhere. They also missed opportunities, like a vignette (as mentioned in the review) and an exclusive minifigure.
Unfortunately it ends being another case of set made uniquely to build status for the Lego brand and get some money from people ready to buy anything they think is "luxury". This set, like the Hulkbuster, lacks a "Lego soul". It is just a product.
I've said that when it was first announced and I'm gonna repeat it: The hands look just weird and are in the wrong position. That contributes a lot to this looking extremely non-human. other than that - yes, of course the price. When is this not the issue with LEGO these days? The irony here likely is that they could have sold a ton more of these packages because people would want the many new Black elements, just not at this price. For 200 Euro I could have seen a lot of people jumping on this.
yet another marvel paperweight
@WemWem said:
"To me this bust just occupies the same uncomfortable niche as the Hulkbuster - a large toy but at the price of a premium collectible. For an adult in the market for a Black Panther collectible for their home of office, why would they choose this - which looks merely OK - when they could buy a Hot Toys figure or a collectible statue or even an art print?"
Exactly. Just looked and can get a movie accurate lifesize bust for $300.
Of all the sets available why would anyone choose this over literally anything else?
I literally cannot make out any initials in those tiles
I love the tribute!
Price/part isn’t outrageous, but factoring in the tiles should have dropped the price a bit.
But overall, as a way to honor CB’s memory, I definitely feel like this was well done (as expensive as it may be)!
Can't help but think that there is a very fine line between a tribute to a deceased actor and cashing in on the legacy of a deceased actor, and the more cynical part of me sees a cheaply-designed overpriced bust of a character with said actor's initials in it as leaning too far towards the "cashing in" side. Hoping this does not become a trend as the new BP movie drops, but I think we're going to see a lot more "tributes" that are just there to make big bucks fast.
The designer did a good job executing the vision, it's the vision itself that is baffling.
Don't have the money to buy every Lego set, so I cheer when they make sets I donut like.
@yellowcastle said:
"Definitely a bust."
I laughed. Thanks for that one :)
I think lego marketing department concluded that afroamericans are not yet much into lego and they should be. So they decided that it's a perfect opportunity as Wakanda Forever was supposedly massive hit amongst this demographic. They chose to produce a massive, expensive dust magnet. But it's a statement. Its a centerpiece. Was it a good choice tho? I doubt it. Also it's quite funny how few people own this set according to brickset database.
There is some reassurance knowing all of our first and initial impressions are correct: very overpriced and overall undesirable by most.
Something to scare the kids with.
I actually quite like this set. The price feels too high, though, so if I’ll be waiting for a discount.
I love your idea of putting a vignette inside. Does seem like they're banking on fans' willingness to pay for anything with a Marvel label on it. It's a fine design, but for that price (which isn't really far off from the usual 10c/pc + license tax), they really should have gone the extra mile with the minifig and extra features. I compare this to the 71374 NES--also somewhat niche, but a top-notch design, coupled with functionality and fun little extras that didn't even need to be there but are.
I think calling the set trash is a bit overly harsh. It doesn't look bad by any means! However, at this price point, I believe harsher judgement is appropriate. Being able to see purple panels under pieces might be appropriate for a MOC, but this isn't a MOC. It's meant to be a luxury display piece. If a statue from Gentle Giant had holes in it so I could see inside the statute, then that would be unacceptable.
Scaling this one up to such a degree really does hurt it. Sure, it might be necessary for the shaping, but the huge size just raises the cost and makes mistakes more likely. The $60 busts can get away with some oddities because there isn't nearly as much at stake compared to something the price of a new videogame console.
Well, this set is a bust.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Well, this set is a bust."
You must be new here.
I guess I'm going against the majority on this one.
I got this set, and I liked the build. It however did have some downsides to it, with there not being a minifig was one, and the price another. I had gift cards so that took some of the sting out.
Overall, the head and base construction was unique and is solid, however the necklace and the hands are not.
I am a Black Panther fan, so I'm a little bias.
Hard pass.
Great review. Thanks for the straight dope, Cap'n.
It’s a good model and representation of the source material. As something produced and sold by a fan, the price is reflective of the effort involved, the cost of the bricks, and the exclusivity of the piece - so not outrageous (and if anything is actually a good buy). But this isn’t a one-off piece from a dedicated fan. And as a production set from LEGO it’s ridiculous. I don’t think this will be as bad a seller as some are predicting, but it does shine a light on the problem of LEGO doing production runs on what are essentially top-drawer fan-produced models, and putting on a price tag which is based on an exclusivity which simply is not there. I feel I could have written the same comment for the hulkbuster. Or the piano. Or the typewriter. I’m really tired of LEGO trying to turn their toy into a collector’s piece, and expecting fans to keep tapping to pay. These are all cracking good models, they’re just not priced in any realistic way. Eventually people reading this will snap, and decide that there are other things they would rather spend this kind of money on. At least that’s how it feels to me.
I don't care one bit for the film or character, but I can't deny it looks pretty impressive. And I actually like what they did with the hands. It doesn't seem like a terrible set to me. And for once I kind of like the color puke inside! The biggest problem I think is the price, which is just outlandish for what you get. I mean, just compare it with Bowser: at a RRP of €270 (and store prices already around €200) that seems like a steal. I don't see anything in this set that warrants the much higher price.
I had a great time looking at these pictures of this amazingly big model. Now I'm going to do something else. And I didn't spend a single cent!
That's about as much enjoyment I could personally get out of this set.
Maybe read the instructions if I have time to burn or something.
Because let's be real, I personally would get bored of looking at this black slab of a model pretty fast.
For that money I would rather spend a bit more and get the castle. Not that I can afford that or have the room, mind you. But with the castle you have so many details to at least look at.
With this you're just going to see dust and fingerprints.
You're buying the equivalent of three separate sets here:
estimate each gauntlet around $65 = $130
leaving $220 to cover the bust
@bananaworld said:
"
@Murdoch17 said:
"Well, this set is a bust."
You must be new here.
"
*stereotypical old man voice* "I've been here since February 2009, back from before they even recorded such things! I can remember when the Brickset Forum was invented, and when the first LEGO Movie set 70808 reveal caused much confusion. I recall when they switched from blue background to white, and I will die on the hill that says Blue was superior. Now, get off my lawn!" ;-P
What's the record? Am I close? lol
@Murdoch17
You're doing better than me; I haven't got past shaking my fists at clouds!
I saw this built up in our local LEGO store, and it looked amazing. I would absolutely display it in our house. That being said, and while I don't have an opinion about whether or not it is "over"priced, I won't be paying $350 for it.
Just rewatched the movie again. Good timing. I have nothing to say about the set. Lol.
It could of been at the scale of the other helmets.
It should of included an exclusive minifig. And I think the absence of one shows the customer segment the product idea design leads have set the target for. Marvel IP collectors that don't necessary care its made of Lego or cheap knock off bricks.
@GBP_Chris: It doesn't read as "cashing in" to me, since Lego, as far as I can see, made no mention of the tribute in marketing, and it's not visible in the finished model.
It's a great Lego sculpt. The designer did a great job.
It actually looks better without the arms, Just the bust and put the plaque there (it's on one of their lifestyle official photos).
It looks great like that.
If anyone's worried about dust. Get display cases.
Also this one even without a case is very easy to dust and clean. Just do every couple months.
@Sandinista
"I literally cannot make out any initials in those tiles."
There's a tall narrow 'C' then you see a tall 'B' with the top and bottom corners off. The 'B' looks like it's attached to a backwards 'e'.
I like when they do this. If I remember, when I built the Helicarrier, it had the flag of the country the designer is from within the build.
@yellowcastle said:
"Definitely a bust."
Just like 76210
It looks great I think, but even better without the gloves. Ideally this could’ve been sold at a cheaper price point without them.
@thor96 said:
"I think lego marketing department concluded that afroamericans are not yet much into lego and they should be. So they decided that it's a perfect opportunity as Wakanda Forever was supposedly massive hit amongst this demographic. They chose to produce a massive, expensive dust magnet. But it's a statement. Its a centerpiece. Was it a good choice tho? I doubt it. Also it's quite funny how few people own this set according to brickset database."
As an African American, I own hundreds of Lego sets. I have friends and family that collect, build, MOC, and support the Lego community. Black Panther was a huge hit within the African American community and with American's in general. How well this set sells will be based upon its merit.
Lol, I really do appreciate the more and more careful introductions to these reviews. :) …Fun to read. - Brickset team continues to do well, even if they’re dealt a hard hand (set).
Interesting review, I don't actually agree with your conclusion, personally, I think this is a great looking set, albeit overpriced.
Mr. Horse has something he’d like to say…
“No sir, I don’t like it!’
I saw this in my local Lego store, I actually thought it was pretty impressive in person.
But while I like the movie, I would never spend $550 on it. That being said, would I be interested in a different character of the same type build? Probably not.
@tm76 said:
"It could of been at the scale of the other helmets.
It should of included an exclusive minifig.
..."
Off topic: why do people nowadays often write "of" where it should be "have"?
Is it some weird glitch in the auto-correct of some devices of people who don't proof-read before posting, or some type of slang I have not heard of yet?
In any case, it feels very strange while reading the message.
@AustinPowers said:
"Off topic: why do people nowadays often write "of" where it should be "have"?"
It's coz people don't speak proper like!
They say could've and should've so think it sounds more like 'of' than 'have'. Blame today's declining educational standards!
@Zoniax said:
"I saw this in my local Lego store, I actually thought it was pretty impressive in person.
But while I like the movie, I would never spend $550 on it. That being said, would I be interested in a different character of the same type build? Probably not."
It's $350- for the bust. The UCS Hulkbuster is the $550- kit.
@sjr60 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Off topic: why do people nowadays often write "of" where it should be "have"?"
It's coz people don't speak proper like!
They say could've and should've so think it sounds more like 'of' than 'have'. Blame today's declining educational standards!
"
Or it may be un undeliberately filled in word suggested by a mobile text editor.
Although, also in Dutch, it seems that linguistics are something hardly anyone cares about anymore.
Burf. I think I'll stick to vehicles, buildings and trains, thank you very much.
If this was cheaper, say £200, or money was no object, I'd get this as it appeals to me, I like the look of it. I find it quite compelling.
Black blob.
@Wrecknbuild said:
" @sjr60 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Off topic: why do people nowadays often write "of" where it should be "have"?"
It's coz people don't speak proper like!
They say could've and should've so think it sounds more like 'of' than 'have'. Blame today's declining educational standards!"
Or it may be un undeliberately filled in word suggested by a mobile text editor.
Although, also in Dutch, it seems that linguistics are something hardly anyone cares about anymore."
Grammar pedantry is a schtick of mine (correcting less\fewer is the hill I will die on, after having had to give up trying to educate people on 'that' Vs 'which').
...but, even I have had to admit that language evolves; the mistakes people commonly make today are the English (or any language you like) of tomorrow. Education has little to do with it, because most language-exposure happens outside of the classroom. (My twopenn'orth: time spent drilling grammar rules into children is an appalling waste of that time which could otherwise be used helping them to think critically and weigh both sides of an opinion.)
Whenever you're horrified by how someone writes or speaks now, just imagine how shocking your writing & speech would be to our 19th Century forebears.
We can easily make a Top 5 worst Lego sets of 2022 now )
@bananaworld said:
"
@Wrecknbuild said:
" @sjr60 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Off topic: why do people nowadays often write "of" where it should be "have"?"
It's coz people don't speak proper like!
They say could've and should've so think it sounds more like 'of' than 'have'. Blame today's declining educational standards!"
Or it may be un undeliberately filled in word suggested by a mobile text editor.
Although, also in Dutch, it seems that linguistics are something hardly anyone cares about anymore."
Grammar pedantry is a schtick of mine"
Mine too, but in this case I wouldn't call it either grammar pedantry or evolving language.
It appears to rather be a technical fault (voice recognition software not being able to identify dialects correctly) coupled with laziness (people not proof-reading before posting).
Anyway, moving on, before my inner A. J. Rimmer starts gaining the upper hand...
@Brent007 said:
"I guess I'm going against the majority on this one.
I got this set, and I liked the build."
Not really.... There are more Brickset members who have quietly got the set than those who have loudly expressed their dislike here!
Discount/Parts harvest
@sjr60 said:
" @Brent007 said:
"I guess I'm going against the majority on this one.
I got this set, and I liked the build."
Not really.... There are more Brickset members who have quietly got the set than those who have loudly expressed their dislike here!
"
According to the brickset database:
98 members own this set
474 members want this set
You are right. 98 is more than 72 minus a few.
Sets like this SHOULD NOT include an exclusive minifigure *looking askance at the ultra-mega-super 76210 Hulkbuster*.
Including a non-exclusive minifig is fine because the people for whom a set like this is intended aren’t buying for the minifigure, they want a big display piece. Basically, including an exclusive minifig is rewarding someone who doesn’t care.
Collecting a licensed property is all about the minifigs of your favorite characters. The vehicles and settings are awesome to have, but without the characters to man vehicles and populate settings, what’s the point? Exclusive minifigures in sets in which most collectors aren’t normally interested is a slap in the face to the people who loyally collect the product.
@MutoidMan said:
"Sets like this SHOULD NOT include an exclusive minifigure
(...)
Collecting a licensed property is all about the minifigs of your favorite characters. The vehicles and settings are awesome to have, but without the characters to man vehicles and populate settings, what’s the point?
(...)"
I absolutely agree with you that 'exclusive' minifigures should be more widely-available in less expensive sets, though, sadly, I see why they include exclusive minifigs in big-ticket sets that need their high prices tempered with a pot-sweetener.
I don't agree that collecting a licensed property is all about the minifigs though. I really like Star Wars, but don't really give a fig (ha) about the minifigs; the point for me is the awesome spaceships!
@MutoidMan said:
"Sets like this SHOULD NOT include an exclusive minifigure *looking askance at the ultra-mega-super 76210 Hulkbuster*.
Including a non-exclusive minifig is fine because the people for whom a set like this is intended aren’t buying for the minifigure, they want a big display piece. Basically, including an exclusive minifig is rewarding someone who doesn’t care.
Collecting a licensed property is all about the minifigs of your favorite characters. The vehicles and settings are awesome to have, but without the characters to man vehicles and populate settings, what’s the point? Exclusive minifigures in sets in which most collectors aren’t normally interested is a slap in the face to the people who loyally collect the product."
In some ways I agree, but I think carefully chosen minifigures are an appropriate addition to larger sets.
Including an extremely desirable character and keeping them exclusive to the biggest and most expensive sets would be wrong, but a minifigure like T'Challa wearing his Ancestral Plane robes would be a nice bonus, in my opinion. I think Ultimate Collector Series sets usually find the right balance.
Given that minifigure seems unlikely to appear anywhere else in the future, the question is: would you rather the minifigure was produced and people would have the option of buying the set or minifigure if they wanted, or it was just not produced at all?
@CapnRex101 said:
"(...)
would you rather the minifigure was produced and people would have the option of buying the set or minifigure if they wanted, or it was just not produced at all?"
Ooh, I've heard a similar argument used to justify limited edition (read: artificially scarce) releases before.
(I think I may have even used it myself to stick up for a "honestly, not" regional exclusive which I benefitted from; not my finest hour...)
@yellowcastle said:
"Definitely a bust."
Comment of the year right here. Well done - the pun is amazing.
@CapnRex101 said:
"In some ways I agree, but I think carefully chosen minifigures are an appropriate addition to larger sets.
Including an extremely desirable character and keeping them exclusive to the biggest and most expensive sets would be wrong, but a minifigure like T'Challa wearing his Ancestral Plane robes would be a nice bonus, in my opinion. I think Ultimate Collector Series sets usually find the right balance.
Given that minifigure seems unlikely to appear anywhere else in the future, the question is: would you rather the minifigure was produced and people would have the option of buying the set or minifigure if they wanted, or it was just not produced at all?"
I’m taking a page out of James T. Kirk’s playbook and not accepting the no-win situation you presented.
Bro Thor, anybody?
How about they produce Ancestral Plane T’Challa in a set about the size of 76200 Bro Thor's New Asgard? They could even include his father, T’Chaka, in his Black Panther suit and in Ancestral Plane garb. Add the tree and the panther spirit, and they’ve got my money, your money, and a lot of other people’s money.
@bananaworld said:
"I don't agree that collecting a licensed property is all about the minifigs though. I really like Star Wars, but don't really give a fig (ha) about the minifigs; the point for me is the awesome spaceships!"
As a longtime fan of sci-fi ships, I completely understand.
I keep hoping LEGO will do a minifig-scale Earth Defense Directorate Thunderfighter, complete with Buck, Col. Deering, Twiki (with an additional head wearing a pilot’s helmet so he can make suckers eat lead), Dr Theopolis, and Dr Huer.
A fool and their money are soon parted
From all perspectives, I don't see this as a Lego set.
1. It's a movie based merchandise
2. It's having inflated pricing likely due to the small demographic for this set and still the revenue is needed
3. It's unfortunately to me, not a Lego set and does not carry anything that the brand is promising, it's 'something' that appears to be made with Lego Plastics, that's all
Well to make it clear, even if I'm a fan, I would probably prefer to buy a real merchandise. But, nowadays, there seems to be a market whereby any item carrying brands that are popular enough, collaborate, and it will expect to sell.
Worthy subject. Too expensive. Should have done more fitting tribute to actor/character- like minifig vignette inside bust, instead of just initials.
It looks scary lol saw it at the shop.
@madforLEGO said:
"A fool and their money are soon parted"
AFOL and their money are soon parted ;)
(or is that what you were getting at?)
@LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
"Just rewatched the movie again. Good timing. I have nothing to say about the set. Lol."
Then why the heck did you comment?
@snackyfrench said:
"Worthy subject. Too expensive. Should have done more fitting tribute to actor/character- like minifig vignette inside bust, instead of just initials. "
Again, including a minifig vignette is fine as long as it isn’t an exclusive minifig. Buyers of this type of model don’t normally care about the minifigs, and people who collect minifigs don’t normally care about this type of model because you can’t play with it or integrate it into any sort of a diorama depicting any happenings.
When do we get a review for the 75337 AT-TE?
I feel the price might have been justified if the set had the option to be a mask and you had the face below. I know it would get backlash on how similar or dissimilar it would be, but the option would be interesting.
Grammar is often neglected. I was never taught during school, it was something that teachers assumed you knew. I don't notice and I find it hurtful when it's all readers use to criticize writers for, because it's not something that you can fix completely.
Then again, I find it annoying when conscious is mistaken for conscience and no one uses discrete properly, but I suppose that should be classified as spelling, not grammar.
After watching the Black Panther movie I now understand where this idea came from. Does not make it any better, though I can see why they did it.