While Duplo sets generally offer little in the way of build experience to AFOLs, the introduction of Superhero themed Duplo sets has created something with wider appeal. This is the third Duplo set featuring Spider-man, but the first with Hulk. Beyond the figure is there anything much for an AFOL?

Figures

This set features three Duplo figures, Spider-man, Hulk and Sandman. All three have appeared as minifigures before, but the Duplo figures look a lot cuter than their system counterparts.

The Spider-man figure is the same as has appeared in 10607: Spider-Man Web-Bike Workshop & 10608: Spider-Man Spider Truck Adventure. which makes sense as the figure is as good of a representation of the character as we are likely to see in Duplo form.

Hulk appears for the first time as a Duplo figure but has previously appeared as big figs, minifigures and a Mighty Micro short legged minifigure. This version is comparible in size to the big fig versions but uses typical Duplo figure proportions. It could be said that Hulk would make sense at a different scale against the other figures, but considering the target audience, the new moulds required would be far too expensive so no real gain. The print on the legs is a little unconvincing, but it's nice that the figure designers have tried to add detail.

Sandman is perhaps not the best known Spider-Man villain but as we have already seen Green Goblin made as a Duplo figure, and most of the other big name Spider-Man villains would probably require new moulds to look convincing. I like the sand spattering print on the torso, and use brick yellow legs to give a half transformed apearance.

Parts

One thing that often draws me to Duplo sets are the printed parts. This set features a few unique printed parts, some of which might appeal to Superhero fans.

The brick with spider webs on the corners is a bit superfluous in my opinion, it adds a little detail but doesn't really impact the model.

The brick with a green radiation symbol, with green hinting at Gamma radiation, could be of interest to Superhero fans in general. The cracks also hint at breaking glass, which could make this useable in a system build.

The green slope with a screen depicting the Duplo Hulk's face and a scale, again suggesting a large amount of gamma radiation adds some nice detail to the set.

The Completed Model

The set has four sections, first (and containing no building required) and returning from 10607: Spider-Man Web-Bike Workshop is Spider-Man's Web-Bike.

The bike has some nice Spider-Man themed printing and some silver print to the rear to show the exhaust pipe. A bike like this gives an instant play feature for any child, considering the target age having something playable straight out of the box is a good idea.

Next up, a small build in a distinctly sandy colour for Sandman to stand on.

While not very detailed, a few brick yellow pieces is an easy way to allow kids to pose Sandman in more varied ways. These three pieces can easily be recombine in several different ways for easy playability.

The first sizable piece of building comes in the form of this little building with a computer and satellite on the roof.

There is room for a figure to stand at the computer, and the satellite dish can spin, but there's little else of interest in the way of play or build. The printed details do add for some potential story telling play but as is typical with Duplo there is nothing much to actually move or interact.

The last build is another small structure.

I can't really say much about this build as it's not obvious what it is meant to be at all. The colours and printed parts imply it's something to do with Spider-Man, but there's no feature to confirm what it's meant to be, perhaps a gate or doorway for a secret base? Your guess is as good as mine.

The set also includes some accessories for additional play.

The box images show Sandman carrying the briefcase, so it implies it could be something for him to steal giving Spider-Man and Hulk reason to give chase. There's a spanner for working on Spider-Man's bike, which is strangely shown mainly in Hulk's hand on the box. Maybe Bruce Banner has complete control at this point and needs Hulk's additional strength to lift the enormous spanner to help Spider-Man fix his bike.

The shovel is probably more of a joke about Sandman, and is only shown on the box not being help, but it does add more to play with. The long white flex piece is an excellent Duplo web shot for Spider-Man, as far as I can tell this is only the second use of this part, the first being used in 10827: Mickey & Friends Beach House as a wakeboarding line.

Like all Duplo it's comically proportioned, but it works very well without having required a new part made specifically for this purpose.

Alternate Build

The instructions for this set include an image of an alternate build:

This is fairly easy to figure out from the image, and doesn't use all the parts. I think these inspiration images are great for Duplo as they are easy to figure out and show ideas for new ways to use the same bricks to make something new.

Conclusion

This is a fun set, but like all Duplo sets is very simple. The target age will almost certainly love this set, and the figures are a lot of fun for adults. Ultimately for an AFOL I'd only recommend this for the figures if you are a Superhero collector, otherwise it could be great present for a young child.