Review: 76262 Captain America's Shield
Posted by CapnRex101,
Captain America's shield has become an icon of the character and the broader Marvel universe, so has sometimes been discussed as potential inspiration for LEGO. Speculation intensified as 76209 Thor's Hammer was introduced last year, given the comparable subject.
However, the shield's shape presents significant design challenges and 76262 Captain America's Shield therefore seems incredibly impressive. The curvature and colour scheme appears very accurate in official images, but some have expressed concerns about the building experience, which is bound to be repetitive.
Summary
76262 Captain America's Shield, 3,128 pieces.
£179.99 / $199.99 / €209.99 | 5.8p/6.4c/6.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
76262 Captain America's Shield looks magnificent, but the minifigure could be better
- Impressive on display
- Accurate curved shape
- Clever building techniques
- Inevitably repetitive construction
- Lacklustre minifigure
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigure
An exclusive Thor minifigure accompanies 76209 Thor's Hammer, but this version of Captain America is not unique, unfortunately. Inspired by Avengers: Age of Ultron, the minifigure has appeared twice before and looks good, but this was an ideal opportunity to produce either his classic World War II attire or the white-accented stealth suit from Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Nevertheless, the torso is highly detailed on both sides, featuring textured padding and various reddish brown straps. The metallic silver star on Captain America's chest looks great and I like his helmet as well, in combination with the printed chinstrap. Moreover, a medium nougat hair element is provided as an alternative.
The double-sided head displays determined and cheerful expressions, both of which look nice. Naturally, this minifigure comes equipped with a decorated shield, but Mjölnir is an unexpected addition, again raising questions concerning the costume chosen. Given the inclusion of Mjölnir, Captain America should be dressed as he appears in Avengers: Endgame.
The Completed Model
Captain America's shield looks absolutely stunning. The model measures 47cm in diameter, which is roughly a quarter smaller than life-size, but retains outstanding presence on display. Although the shape appears simple, it comprises 36 tessellating panels and the gaps between them are minimal, almost vanishing when viewed from a distance.
The curved shape thus looks impressive, contrasting with the angular design of 76209 Thor's Hammer. The two accessories are not in scale, but their similar sizes ensure they look superb together on display. However, I wish the display base underneath Mjölnir was nearer in style to the black structure supporting the shield, which would truly unify them.
Fortunately, the printed plaques do match between the two models, featuring the Infinity Saga branding. The name on the plaque is strange though, simply reading 'Captain America' rather than 'Captain America's Shield'. Also, the Captain America minifigure could have been better integrated to avoid partially covering the plaque, but I like the character's dynamic pose.
The display stand consists primarily of Technic elements and resembles the base for 76193 The Guardians' Ship, with a pair of Technic beams reinforcing the vertical support. The shield then rests neatly in a slot immediately behind the plaque and leans against the back support, so is presented at an attractive angle. Even though there is no actual connection between the shield and the base, the assembly feels secure.
Of course, the nature of Captain America's shield results in considerable repetition during its construction. This process is not as tedious as I expected though because the frame and the curved surface are assembled separately. The frame involves building lots of small structures repeatedly, but I prefer this to duplicating larger assemblies, like those in 10276 Colosseum.
Building eighteen pairs of alternating panels is inevitably less enjoyable, although their design is ingenious. Each panel is connected to clips around the edge of the frame and to studs towards the middle, so they feel secure. Additionally, the alternating use of plates and wedge plates on each segment leaves only tiny gaps when completed, taking advantage of the plates' geometry.
As a result, the concentric bands of red and white look excellent, perfectly in proportion with the central blue circle. The prevalence of studs across the front attracted some criticism when this set was revealed, but I like their consistency. Given the use of wedge plates, some studs were bound to be visible and embracing them definitely gives the model the desired LEGO aesthetic.
The star in the centre, by contrast, is smooth. The pentagonal shape is unusual, but clever use of hinge plates and 2x8 spike elements has created the desired angles. These pieces are not actually connected to the blue panel behind though, instead wrapping around the pentagonal boss in the centre. Without any direct attachment, there is a degree of movement, but the star is more than secure enough for display.
However, the star emblem projects from the surface slightly and does not follow the contours of the shield. This is certainly not ideal, but building a five-pointed star is already difficult, so I can understand why angling its points may not have been possible. Moreover, the gaps behind the star are relatively well hidden from the front, unsurprisingly.
The frame on the back is similarly concealed on display, although I find this ring structure quite striking. Whereas the hammer released last year was obviously designed to be held, the shield is intended purely for display, so lacks a handgrip on the reverse. This is disappointing, but does not surprise me because including a handgrip of sufficient strength would be all but impossible.
Additionally, including a handgrip would encourage people to swing the shield around and its constituent panels, though strong, are not designed for that. Even so, there are some Technic axles around the core of the shield and they can be gripped fairly easily, so you could carry the shield from here, albeit without swinging it around too much.
Overall
Despite the unavoidably repetitive building experience, 76262 Captain America's Shield looks fantastic and achieves far greater accuracy than I envisaged before the set was revealed. The curved shape is appealing and avoids gaps to a remarkable degree, while the decorative star is also surprisingly complex.
The absence of a handgrip is disappointing, but understandable because the shield is heavy and not completely rigid, unlike 76209 Thor's Hammer. However, the minifigure is poor, as a couple of Captain America's most memorable costumes have yet to be released in minifigure form. Also, the price of £179.99, $199.99 or €209.99 feels rather expensive, although not totally unreasonable for a model of this size and visual presence, in my opinion.
115 likes
56 comments on this article
These are Lego plates, yes.
(In all seriousness, I would have preferred that tiles have been used where possible. I can't swear that this would make it better or worse, but the shield is an iconically smooth item, so the studs really, really hurt my brain on this one. Mjolnir has *some* studs, but they kept it visually smooth where they could and it greatly helps.
Let's face it: Lego's limitations really stand out where they're trying to make an organic shape.)
(Edit: I acknowlegde that the number of angled plates in here would make a uniformly smmooth surface impossible unless Lego wanted to also start making angled tiles. This is particularly apparent in the outer ring, which I'm only just realizing uses an angled plate on the right edge of each section. Still, the while and inner red rings could have at least used 1x6 tiles with consistency and still look okay. So, argh.)
I strongly suspect we will see similar discounts to that of 76215-1 . :/
The tessellation of the wedge plates is very impressive. Most people would not have thought of alternating the wedges in this way to keep the gap to a minimum as it reaches the edge. An elegant solution. The pentagonal star mount is also rather clever with the clips and bars arrangement behind. This set is not for me but I do admire how the challenges have been met.
Great thorough review.
Quick question, is there a way to hang the shield on a wall for display?
Great template for a starship Enteprise saucer, not a bad looking set either.
The back reminds me of Tony Statk's ark reactor. Which should also become a set.
I just don't like that there's no wall mount. If I got it,I would've displayed it like that.
@CapnRex101, I was about to congratulate you on the subject matter for the 4th of July, but now I am very disappointed the time stamp on it has the 5th.
@legoDad42 said:
"Great thorough review.
Quick question, is there a way to hang the shield on a wall for display?"
I had the same question. I suppose some cleaver MOCs will address this!
In regards to the suit he’s wearing, it does seem similar to the one he wears he in the final endgame battle, right? So I don’t think it’s that questionable of a choice. Of course, a WWII outfit without the hammer would have been much preferred. Plus leg printing would be good.
I agree with others that wall-mounting this would be ideal. Seems like that would have been relatively easy to accomplish, but maybe not.
It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?
@chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Plausible answers:
- Web-shooters.
- Wolverine claws/mask
- Magneto helmet
Unlikely longshot:
- Hulk hands
@chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Hulk's purple shorts :D
@chrisaw: Maybe they'll give Marvel's Distinguished (or Dreaded, depending on how they feel that day) Competition a chance with a Batarang?
The Brickset listing for this set does not include the minifigure.
I'm quite surprised they even offer it here.
I predict unprecedented discounts in order to move that thing. If it gets 50% off or more I might consider getting one as a parts pack.
Good grief, this will have the be the most repetitive and boring build Lego have ever produced. Nice final product but what a struggle to get there.
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
" @chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Plausible answers:
- Web-shooters.
- Wolverine claws/mask
- Magneto helmet
Unlikely longshot:
- Hulk hands"
Just buy two of 70839
When Captain America throws his mighty shield
All those who oppose his mighty shield must yield.
Unless you're a plane
or a bomb
or a block of ice
or a brain-washed buddy
or a Spider-Man
or Tony Stark
or straight-up Thanos
@Rimefang said:
"The Brickset listing for this set does not include the minifigure. "
It won't until bricklink has published the inventory.
@BillingsBrix said:
"When Captain America throws his mighty shield
All those who oppose his mighty shield must yield.
Unless you're a plane
or a bomb
or a block of ice
or a brain-washed buddy
or a Spider-Man
or Tony Stark
or straight-up Thanos "
or a version of yourself
or the Dora Milaje
then you don't necessarily have to yield.
I'm left-handed, where's the left-hand version (so many right wedge plates).
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
" @chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Plausible answers:
- Web-shooters.
- Wolverine claws/mask
- Magneto helmet
Unlikely longshot:
- Hulk hands"
The wolverine helmet is rumored for this year.
@legoDad42 said:
"Great thorough review.
Quick question, is there a way to hang the shield on a wall for display?"
No, which I find strange, but it could be modified with a hanger element in the middle quite easily. The weight of the shield may require two.
@oukexergon said:
" @CapnRex101 , I was about to congratulate you on the subject matter for the 4th of July, but now I am very disappointed the time stamp on it has the 5th."
Today was the embargo date, but it did occur to me that yesterday would have been fitting.
Lmao no way, this set still baffles me. I bet if you go to Bricklink and buy the parts of this thing you will save like 60-80%.
@MisterBrickster said:
" @ResIpsaLoquitur said:
" @chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Plausible answers:
- Web-shooters.
- Wolverine claws/mask
- Magneto helmet
Unlikely longshot:
- Hulk hands"
Just buy two of 70839"
And build one as the mirror image.
We’ll probably get Speed Champion hub caps soon..
@ao_ka said:
"Lmao no way, this set still baffles me. I bet if you go to Bricklink and buy the parts of this thing you will save like 60-80%."
Eh, I wouldn’t be too sure. With shipping and sellers having limited inventory of each piece, your costs can balloon quickly on Bricklink and, if anything, you’ll only have saved a few bucks.
@chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
If no Doom helm around the release of either FF or Secret Wars, Latveria riots
WWII outfit wouldn’t make any sense unless they paired it with the WWII shield, which would have made a much more interesting subject. This? While a technical achievement to be sure, it looks about as exciting as watching paint dry in a rainstorm.
@PurpleDave said:
"WWII outfit wouldn’t make any sense unless they paired it with the WWII shield, which would have made a much more interesting subject. This? While a technical achievement to be sure, it looks about as exciting as watching paint dry in a rainstorm."
He had this shield during WWII, so it would make perfect sense.
Baffled it wasn't a new and exclusive minifigure or two included
I like it. I don’t mind a repetitive build if it’s mainly large plates and bricks. It’s the little tiny fiddly 1x1 things and Technic if used in a repetitive manner that does my head in.
The light-on-dark printing on the minifig seems suspiciously good, but I've been hurt before.
too tedious :(
Ok so.... who's going to order the pieces in grey to build the USS Enterprise from Star Trek?
It's the wrong shape, it should be an octagon.
Oh, and the red should be black.
And that star. tsk tsk, it's supposed to be a big lime B.
@monkyby87:
Look, I gotta be honest here. If I sat down to watch this with a copy of The Great Gatsby cracked open in my lap, I’d wake up to Rip Van Winkle telling me some princess just spent a month hacking her way through 100’ tall hedges to reach me. All I remember is he had one of those spade-shaped shields. And that I don’t ever want to watch that movie again.
@chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Hulk's shorts that we can wear.
@Jackaroo1701 said:
"Ok so.... who's going to order the pieces in grey to build the USS Enterprise from Star Trek?"
I guess no one, since the Enterprise (actually none of all the many iterations over the years) has this shape of saucer.
The TOS Enterprise saucer was mainly flat, with some sections even indented (even more pronounced on the movie version). The TNG Enterprise-D had a very complex oval shape that is even harder to replicate in brick form (I have the BlueBrixx version, and while it looks awesome overall the saucer has some areas that could have been improved with new moulds). And all the others are variations of those two general shapes.
So no, this shield looks very little like the Enterprise.
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
" @chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Plausible answers:
- Web-shooters.
- Wolverine claws/mask
- Magneto helmet
Unlikely longshot:
- Hulk hands"
- Spider-Man’s old web shooter
Time for some "Lore Time"-time:
The prototype for the famous round shield was given to Cap as a gift from then-prince T'Chaka of Wakanda, to replace his weird little heater-shield when the Red Skull destroyed it. The shield was made of the fictional element of Vibranium, which is lightweight, has near-limitless absorptive properties, is almost supernaturally durable, and does indeed make for a pretty great frisbee.
It was then handed over to the government for further research, and during a series of experimentations, the Vibranium was blended into an alloy with steel and Adamantium. The shield that was created with this alloy was then given back to Cap by FDR, and he's used it since.
When Cap was literally put on ice, his shield was frozen with him; when the Avengers thawed him out, he was instantly able to use it to fight them (Superheroing 101: whenever you meet a new friend, be sure to punch them in the face as hard as possible first). Over the years, thanks to Tony Stark being Tony Stark, the shield was tinkered with several times to have it include a targeting-system, communications, a flight-control system and other gadgetry which Cap would eventually remove, opting for good old gumption instead, Steve Rogers being Steve Rogers.
When Thor's evil uncle returned from exile during the 'Fear Itself'-crossover, the shield was broken and reforged using Uru-metal, the same stuff that Mjölnir was made of.
The shield would later be handed to a Danish toy-company where it was broken down again and reforged with ABS-plastic [citation needed].
@Fandabidozi said:
" @ResIpsaLoquitur said:
" @chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Plausible answers:
- Web-shooters.
- Wolverine claws/mask
- Magneto helmet
Unlikely longshot:
- Hulk hands"
- Spider-Man’s old web shooter
"
- Doc Ock's tentacles
- Stilt-Man's legs
- Star-Lord's blasters
- Lady Stilt-Man's legs
Surely the Tesseract will be the next mundane Marvel build.
@PurpleDave said:
" @monkyby87:
Look, I gotta be honest here. If I sat down to watch this with a copy of The Great Gatsby cracked open in my lap, I’d wake up to Rip Van Winkle telling me some princess just spent a month hacking her way through 100’ tall hedges to reach me. All I remember is he had one of those spade-shaped shields. And that I don’t ever want to watch that movie again."
Fair enough, but maybe don’t comment on it as such.
@Ridgeheart:
Squirrel Girl’s squirrel…
Ooh, and they could make Deadpool’s bag of, um…”powdered sugar” from the movie! On second thought, that one’s probably not gonna fly.
@ao_ka said:
"Lmao no way, this set still baffles me. I bet if you go to Bricklink and buy the parts of this thing you will save like 60-80%."
Did you check the part count? And there are almost no wasted parts, since I suspect finding places to mount multiple wall hangers on the back will be very difficult, which in turn means the stand is not a luxury but an essential.
I have no interest in Captain America's shield, but if built all in white, it could be a marvelous basis for a map of the moon, or Mars, or Jupitor, or...well, lots of things, really. And the plates are common enough that finding them in a wide range of colors shouldn't be hard. As a basis for Dots decoration it would also be fantastic!
Might actually get one, even though I'd also need to get those colored plates in white....
@Ridgeheart said:
" @Fandabidozi said:
" @ResIpsaLoquitur said:
" @chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Plausible answers:
- Web-shooters.
- Wolverine claws/mask
- Magneto helmet
Unlikely longshot:
- Hulk hands"
- Spider-Man’s old web shooter
"
- Doc Ock's tentacles
- Stilt-Man's legs
- Star-Lord's blasters
- Lady Stilt-Man's legs"
Wolverine's skeleton
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
" @chrisaw said:
"It really does look impressive. I don’t mind the studs at all, it’s inherently a Lego-fied version of the prop, so I want it to look like Lego.
We’ve had the gloves, Mjolnir and Cap’s shield. Question is, what’s next?"
Plausible answers:
- Web-shooters.
- Wolverine claws/mask
- Magneto helmet
Unlikely longshot:
- Hulk hands"
Well you were spot on.
Lego Australian Certified Stores just revealed Wolverine’s glove with claws:
https://lego.bricksmegastore.com/products/lego-marvel-wolverines-adamantium-claws?fbclid=PAAaZ0BH0sBbZ2ielwY6TBUKcCjLxmCIBFRvHzUOHJ5vF5fSsoPzGbzU7Kjf4_aem_AY36qypO0N74GN16pvOm7wjAJbxoFl5Yekrn5q1Z53aQVzrNOq_r8iDSflRwf7OKoPQ
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
"Plausible answers:
- Wolverine claws/mask"
Hold that thought a second, there ...
@chrisaw:
There's only so many times you can show the hand built up to the wrist before it starts to feel like a commercial promoting a concert by a one-hit-wonder band, where they just play different sections of the same song to trick you into thinking you remember more than that one song.
Weapon Xcuseme No
Quick Lore: Wolverine's claws were originally designed to be a part of his costume, rather than an actual part of his physiology, so if you don't want to see this as a severed arm, you're good to go.
For decades, it was assumed that the claws were a "gift" from the Weapon X-program that gave Wolverine his adamantium-coated skeleton, until the fall-out from the 'Fatal Attractions'-storyline revealed that even after Magneto had ripped all of the adamantium from Wolverine's bones, the claws were still/always there, as bone-claws previously covered in metal. Wolverine just didn't know this, because of the way comics portrayed his amnesia.
Those little chutes on the gloves were, for the longest, grafted into Wolverine's actual hands (sorry, I guess it's a severed arm after all), allowing the claws to slide bloodlessly in and out. He doesn't appear to have the chutes anymore, so now every time he pops the claws, he's basically stabbing himself through the hand before he stabs you, which is just incredibly unhygienic and very inconsiderate.
No mention of the gaps between tiles? I’ve seen far better MOCs built from bricks, with no gaps.
I think, if my nephew really behaves bad, I would give him this to build as a punishment. It really does look not exciting at all.