Introduction

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of my favourite MCU films.

With such great contents in polybag for $10 AUD, I had to pick this one up.

Packaging, contents and build process

The polybag is a decent size - 20 cm across, and 19.5 cm tall. There are 55 pieces inside, some of which were packaged in a smaller, separate bag. The instructions are on a piece of folded paper.

I put the model together within five minutes at a leisurely pace.

Minifigure

Shang-Chi is included with all three LEGO sets based off of the film, so of course his minifigure is here as well. His gold staff is more accurate in colour to the film that the brown one that he uses in other sets. He does not come with any ring elements though, so that's a bit of bummer unless you have The Lord of the Rings sets which included said ring elements (Fortunately, I do.)

His torso is the only exclusive element on this figure, and it has very accurate details on the front and the back. Unprinted legs work fine in my opinion, but I would have like to see some white strips printed on the toes to represent the soles of his sneakers, though that would probably not be worth Lego's effort, unfortunately.

The only real issue with this figure is the light nougat skin tone, as Shang-Chi was released before LEGO developed medium tan for their colour palette. First used in 2022 on figures like Tala Durith and Cassian Andor, I think medium tan would have been perfect for Shang-Chi.

Shang-Chi could potentially appear in future MCU instalments so hopefully LEGO will release an updated figure with the correct skin tone and perhaps printed legs.

Model

For a polybag model, I think the Great Protector is a great build. The overall silhouette of this model greatly resembles that of 76177 Battle at the Ancient Village. While this model doesn't have nearly the same amount of shelf presence as its larger counterpart, I think it still serves a great desk topper.

The model has an amazing degree of articulation across its body, replicating the curves of 76177 but with smaller ball joints instead of Technic snap hinges. The Protector's hands do look slightly disproportionately small, but they make good use of handlebar elements. Dark red was a good colour choice for the underbelly of the Protector, and the whole model rests nicely on a decorative splash of water.

The Protector's head has some gray horns and wisps of dark red, and a hint of a beard on the chin. I like that the mouth is able to open and close.

Included in this set is a modified 1x1 plate, which allows for Shang-Chi to be displayed atop the dragon. Gray looks slightly out of place on this model in my opinion, but it somewhat blends into the gray of the mini ball joints, as well as providing a good way to pose Shang-Chi.

Overall

As a polybag, I think this set has many strengths. Not only does provide an inexpensive way to collect the main character Shang-Chi's minifigure, it also replicates the larger model at a much more convenient scale and will brighten up any dull desk.

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I hope you found this review informative and helpful.