Set #76021 The Milano Spaceship Rescue: This set is the largest from the Guardians of the Galaxy sub-theme and also I believe the largest set released in 2014. It’s a gorgeous looking set that is definitely a must own for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and here’s why.

Box/Instructions

Box: The team is showcased here in LEGO form in the top corner and on the side in their movie counterparts’ look, which is a nice nod. The front shows off the set superbly with the Milano taking front and center to a great looking battle in space against Ronan. Meanwhile on the back you get to see all of the play features in action and a few detailed interior shots of the model showing off the cockpit and the rear hold. As usual a terrific eye catching use of LEGO.

Instructions: There are a pair of large manuals in this set, number one is for Bags 1-3 and number two goes for 4-6, they are what you expect with each step easy to follow along with. You’ll also find the parts checklist at the back of the number 2 manual. There is also a sticker sheet and the standard comic book with the Guardians on one side and the X-Men on the other, all of which is not protected in cardboard. For a set in such a large box I expected there to be cardboard protection for the manuals, but there wasn’t any.

Parts

This set has tons and tons of parts, some of which may be useful for MOCs, others which are primarily useful for the Milano itself. Especially once you apply the stickers to the wings and stuff. I don’t see any rare pieces in this set though, most of it is fairly common, the rarest parts might be the large wing pieces used for Milano.

Minifigures

Drax: Drax looks impressive, he includes a double-sided torso print with the unique markings he had in the film, he also has arm printing and printing for the markings on the back of his head. He does not have double-sided facial expressions naturally, his single facial expression however will work well in any scenario.

For accessories he gets two knives and he is wearing the same pants as Star-Lord, which some might have thought to be a mistake at first, however once they broke out of their prison asteroid they did need to borrow clothes from Star-Lord, so this is screen accurate and makes for a semi-uniform look amongst the Guardians.

Gamora: Dressed in Star-Lord’s uniform, Gamora makes it look good, she has the same legs as Star-Lord and her torso has a unique double-sided print showcasing her curves and feminine shape, plus the collar is open to see her neckline. Her head is double-sided with a happy expression on one side and a determined/ready to do battle against the Sakaaran.

She comes with a single katana and her hair piece is the place over the shoulder style with some minor printing to give her visible pink strands similar to Wildstyle.

Ronan: The Cree Accusser is an excellent looking villain with a unique design and a great print for his costume. He has a double-sided torso print, the back of which is hidden by his cape, leg printing a unique looking head piece with the strange headdress he wears predominantly and a double-sided face with angry and neutral looking expressions.

For accessories he gets is large hammer which is built similar to other weapons of this type found in Hobbit or Chima sets. He also has the macguffin for the film, because at this point in the movie he’s retrieved the infinity stone and is prepared to unleash its power on the home planet of the Nova Corps.

Overall a great looking figure.

Star-Lord: Everything about this Minifigure is identical to the one found in set 76019 except for the torso, this version has a different print with his jacket being fully closed. All of the accessories are identical, the twin pistols, the extra space mask covered head piece and the print on the face and legs. He comes with a large weapon of some kind too built from a few parts of LEGO, I believe it is some kind of energy weapon or detecting sensor device, I’m not 100% sure what it’s for honestly.

The Sakaaran: The generic army builder of the Guardians universe this Minifigure is identical to the other two in the other two sets. He makes an ok enemy figure for your Guardians to fight against, however it’s still very weird looking.

The build

Bag 1: Star-Lord and The Sakaaran are in this bag as is all the pieces to build the small enemy craft that is threatening the Milano. This build is somewhat similar to the ship found in the Starblaster set, however there is enough different about the build to make it its own model. As it is slightly larger, you’ll be asked to apply stickers once again on this model’s cockpit window that are the same as the stickers on the other model in the smaller set.

Bag 2: Here we get to start on the Milano, this bag builds the entire interior of the ship and the basic chassis of the model’s central section where all the Minifigures can go. You’ll have to apply a sticker for the control panel, but other than that I don’t believe there are any others. Ronan is also in this bag.

As far as the build is concerned this section is relatively simple and doesn’t feature any difficult steps, a few minor instances of repetition, but nothing else that should hinder an experienced builder.

Bag 3: First you get to build Drax, and then you begin adding onto what you started in the previous bag, as is common with this style of build. You start to bulk out the ship’s profile here and the engines will be added on at this point. Everything starts to take shape and looks very impressive. Making the front curved area of the ship might be a little finicky to get the parts to align just right, but nothing else should be too difficult during this portion of the build.

Bag 4: Here’s where Gamora comes in as the last Minifigure to be built. You’ll also get to make the left wing of the ship. This is a somewhat involved build and I found the numerous vanes/wing sections to be a little bit irksome in order to attach them in the right way so they look like they’re supposed to. Applying the stickers to them is also a bit frustrating, mostly for getting them aligned just right so they look proper.

Bag 5: Making the right wing section is similar to the last bag, only mirrored/reversed. If you had trouble with the previous section of build you might find a few areas of this build to be equally frustrating, not impossible though with careful attention to how each part fits together. Once again the stickers are a nuisance.

Bag 6: This final stretch of the build involves affixing a few more pieces to the model to finish off the final product, while the biggest element of this build is the top piece of the cockpit to close up the ship. Everything here is much easier and less finicky compared to the past two bags, and once you finish it the model is complete and looks spectacular.

The completed model

The Sakaaran Ship: Basically I’d call this one a throwaway model, it’s designed to match the style of the previous model found in the Starblaster set, only it’s somewhat larger to accommodate both villains found in the set. Ronan just stands outside on the front of the ship, which is really odd. It has a pair of twin pressure based missiles to fire and that’s about all of the play features. It’s not the reason to get this set, but it does give you something to fight against, even if it is horribly out of scale with the Milano.

The Milano: This model of the Milano as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy is extremely enjoyable and impressive, it is the best of the three sets in my opinion because it is the flagship set of this Sub-Theme for the MCU LEGO sets. The design is very interesting with angular front section built in such a way as to be aesthetically pleasing, there are a lot of wings in the back that do not move, save for the one in the middle to angle it as you wish.

The interior can hold four Minifigures in four seats, one where you can find the tape deck to play Star-Lord’s awesome mixed tape, two seats behind the pilots section and the pilot’s seat, which is build up instead of being your standard LEGO chair piece. You’ll find a few clips inside the ship too to store accessories, one of which already has a fire extinguisher.

To access the interior section you can lift off the central section of the ship including the cockpit section. Overall this model just really stands out for me, it’s one of the best vehicles from the Marvel Super Heroes theme I’ve built so far, that might change once I finally nab a Quinjet set. You have two flick-fire missiles under the large wing sections and two stud launchers on either side of the cockpit, that’s about it for the play features.

Overall opinion

I adore this set, it’s one of my all-time favorites from the Marvel Super Heroes Theme, while many sets have great Minifigures this is one of a select few that includes a very impressive build, unfortunately the villains have such a lackluster ship to stand against the Milano that it is a bit unfair as the Guardians can easily wipe out Ronan and reclaim the infinity stone.

One thing that is unfortunate is that, while you can get Rocket inside the Milano with his shipmates there is no real room for Groot. He’s too big and you can’t really cram him into anywhere. Other than that this is a really stand out set and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I picked this set back up in September from lego.com/shop, and built it the very next day. After finishing building and displaying the models, I can say without a doubt that it was my favorite set I bought all year, and no doubt one of the best sets from 2014, even for the slightly over-expensive price.

Box/Instructions

The most important thing you need to know about the box is that it is very big, measuring about 21'' long and 11'' wide, and it takes every single inch of the front of it for the design, which is very vibrant and colorful and a good preview of what is inside. As for instructions, the set comes with two massive instruction booklets, with cardboard to keep them from bending in the box.

Parts

One of the main reasons I bought this set was because of the parts. I am not a MOC builder by any means, but building with the new pieces from this set was very enjoyable. The Milano Spaceship model consists of mostly blue, yellow, and gray pieces, but includes many other colors as well. Inside the ship is where the real fun is at. You can build a radio, fire extinguisher, cockpit with a chair for Star-Lord, and a interior with more chairs for his teammates. There's even an extra for Rocket Raccoon!

As for the Necrocraft, it's small but really well made, and many MOC builders will enjoy the dark red pieces from the build. The model includes two transparent red spring-loaded shooter missiles and a roomy cockpit.

Minifigures

There are five minifigures in this set, with four being exclusive. I'll start with my least favorite and move up to my most favorite.

The Sakaaran

I've honestly never been excited by the Sakaaran minifigures. They're boring, a little too dark for my taste, and are in every single GotG set as well. Plus the one in this particular set takes the place of what could have been a Rocket Raccoon, or even another exclusive minifigure.

Star-Lord

Although Star-Lord also appears in the Starblaster Showdown set, the one that appears in The Milano Spaceship Rescue has different printing on it's torso and legs, plus a space blaster which can be held on to with both hands, although somewhat awkwardly. It places next to last on my list however because the character itself is not exclusive, though it still obviously had to be included in this set.

Ronan the Accuser

The main baddie in the movie, Ronan the Accuser is presented well in his Lego form, which is why he is one of the most sought-after minifigures from 2014. The headpiece is well made, and the printing on the face and torso is cool as well. Ronan also comes with his famous Cosmi-rod and the Power Stone, very nice additions to the figure.

Drax the Destroyer

Drax the Destroyer is one of the most detailed comic book characters of all time, and Lego made sure to get him right, with red tattoo printing on his face, front and back torso, and even arms. Even if you don't care for the rest of the set, Drax is a minifigure worth collecting all on his own. He comes with two standard daggers.

Gamora

One of only two female figs from the franchise, Gamora is a must have. The printing is extremely detailed, especially on her torso and head, and the hair piece could not be any better. Female minifigures are especially rare in the Superhero sets, and in my opinion are a good edition to any collection. This one perfectly replicates the alien bounty hunter from head to toe, and comes with two standard swords.

The build

Building this set takes a long time, as it is very large and requires a lot of advanced building techniques, some of which I had never seen before, especially how you attach the wings. There are also a lot of stickers to go along with this set, and I have never been fond with those. However, as long as you are a relatively experienced builder, putting this set together will be a blast, from the first step to the last.

The completed model

The completed build of both the Milano Spaceship and the Necrocraft are both amazing and they each deserve a paragraph of their own, so that's what I'm going to do here.

The Milano Spaceship

One thing the box doesn't tell you is that the Milano spaceship is very wide, with a wingspan of just over 17'' long. It is also very detailed with a sleek outer design and build, leaving hardly any gaps on such a complex model. The roof of the ship is completely detachable, so that you can access the inside very easily, and the model also includes two stud shooters, two flick-fire missiles, and adjustable wings.

The Necrocraft

Although it isn’t the main part of the set, the Necrocraft is definitely not overshadowed by it's counterpart. Whereas the Milano has it’s stud shooters and flick-fires, the Necrocraft has two spring loaded shooters. It also comes with adjustable wings, just like the bigger ship, and an opening cockpit which fits perfectly when closed.

Overall opinion

Overall the Milano Spaceship rescue is a must buy, and will be an excellent addition to any Lego fan's collection, even if the piece count doesn't quite match up with the price (665 pcs. for $75). The Milano is very, very cool just by itself, one of the most well-designed models I have ever seen, and the Necrocraft plus the exclusive minifiugres just add on to the fun and overall awesomeness of this set. Even Star-Lord himself would be proud.

I picked this set up back in August from the Lego store in Nashville, and built to that night. This set is absolutely one of the best, if not the best, sets in the Marvel theme, and one of the best sets of 2014.

Box/Instructions

The box, in all of its cardboard glory, doesn't even scratch the tip of the iceberg for how great this set is, but tries. (On the box it looks a lot smaller) The box shows the Milano fighting the Necrocraft, and Star Lord battling Ronan. (Which, for the record, never happened in the movie) It shows multiple, but not all of the features in the set on the back, and has the actual cast of the film on the side, with their Lego comic alter-egos in the top right corner of the front.

Parts

The set has over 650 bricks and pieces in it, and contains quite a few pieces in new yellow/ orange colors. (Although some may have appeared in Chima sets) It also has the new spring loaded missiles, along with the new stud-firing guns, and the specially molded Star Lord and Sakaraan guns. There are many large pieces for the ship, like the technic plating in back,and the large wing pieces too, along with a large transparent blue canopy windshield. The set has the dark grey round-bottomed pieces that appear under the hull of every other Marvel ship, (see 6869 and 76022) and also has large pices with transparent ones inside or under them to portray jet thrusters. There are also a ton of blue and grey pieces, and make for a great assortment of bricks.

Minifigures

There is a cast of characters in this set, with three exclusive minifigures and one variant, along with the Sakaraan, who appears in every other Guardians of the Galaxy set this year.

Star Lord/ Peter Quill: This variant of the ex-criminal turned hero has his jacket closed, unlike the one from 76019, which has an open jacket and a satchel. Perosnally, I like the one from 76019 better. This version looks a little uptight, but he's still cool. He has his red leather jacket one, along with matching pants, and can have either his head, which is double sided (one smirking face with stubble, one angry face with stubble) or can wear his signature helmet from the movie, with rumpled orange hair on top. But he's not the best character in the set.

Drax "the Destroyer": This minifgure, who is possibly one of the greatest and most detailed minifigures of all time, looks like a walking Day of the Dead clebration. He has multiple Lego skull head tattoos all over, along with many swirls and lines of the red tattoos that cover his grey skin. His head, which is also grey with tattoos, has a normal solemn expression on it, and his pants are that of Quill and Gamora in the set. He comes with two grey Bowie knives.

Gamora: Another minifugre exclusive to this set is the adopted daughter of Thanos, Gamora. She has green skin, and shares the common female hair with Lego Marvel Super Heroes theme predecessor Black Widow, only hers is black with a pink stripe. She has a reversible head, with one side smiling and the other raging and prepped for battle. Her torso is her red leather jacket and grey stripes, and she, just like Drax and Peter Quill, shares the legs with maroon and grey stripes to match the suit. She is equipped with two silver ninja swords.

Ronan the Accuser: The pawn of Thanos and Kree enthusiast Ronan makes his Lego debut in this set, and wields a gigantic hammer for crushing minifigures who get in his way. He dons a black cape and special helmet, one made just for his character with dark grey and black linings and color. His torso is a chain-mail like armor, with what appears to be the blood of his former adversaries or sacrifices on it, and he also has blue hands, as his skin and face are blue. On his face, there is a marking to represent a strap to hold his helmet, and also heavy black markings that look like eyeliner. He is a great minifigure for any Marvel collector like myself.

The Sakaraan: This alien warrior of Ronan's makes an appearance in this et, being one of three. He dons a black hood, and his detailed alien armor and face rival even the 2012 Chatauri, making a great minifugre. One side has one eye open, and the other has both white eyes owed open and angry. He wears what appears to be a dark grey set of armor, and wears a dark grey and black mask over his mouth. He also comes with a custom gun, which is really nice, and has spots for a stud on each side of it.

The build

The build took me juts under an hour and a half, with the time for each bag going down with the last few. It is not very challenging, but does require a bit of expertise in some parts to form weird angles, like with the wings and wingtips in the back. The set's hardest parts would be the inside detail, or the wing build. Also, there are quite a few stickers that go with this set, which are a bit unfavorable. The time lapse itself may vary for different experienced builders.

The completed model

As I said before, the box doesn't do it justice. As a matter of fact, it rather undersells it. It is actually much bigger than it seems. I saw it at the store on display, which actually sold it for me, but we don't all have that opportunity. The ship itself is about as big as the 2012 Quinjet, and has a lot of playability features. It has a very detailed inside featuring seating for four, and includes a stereo system, a couple of spots for weapons, (I actually discovered the spots for Gamora's swords a couple weeks later, as they are practically hidden in back above the radio) and also has a nice pilot seat, with a computer control panel. There are also hidden missiles underneath the wings, and lowering stud-firing guns in the front. Many of the wingtips and plates lower and raise in the back, and can be adjusted manually. Whenever you want.

Overall opinion

As with many Marvel sets, my verdict is yes, get it. But this set is over the top. It touches base on a lot of great points, and as I said: it's one of the best sets of 2014. The minifgure selection is amazing, and the features included in the set are hard to rival. The size of the model is great for the price, and the instructions are pretty easy to follow step by step. You also get three out of five of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which is perfect for collectors. The special pieces in the set are also good for collectors who are into that sort of thing. The set also looks nice on display. I love this set, and I think you will too.

I previously reviewed Starblaster Showdown (76019) and provided a bit of preamble to the little Guardians of the Galaxy lore that I do know, and although I'm still frankly surprised that we've managed to get an official Minifig of Ronan the Accuser before someone like, say, Daredevil or even the Winter Soldier, but who's to say how marketing minds work, right? But we're not here to discuss the relative obscurity of one Marvel character versus another, so let's just move on from that.

I don't really have any knowledge of the exact plot (such at it is) of the upcoming movie (at the time of writing this), so if this set represents any specific event from the film (unlikely), I don't know what it is. What I do know is that I did like the Milano Spaceship design from the trailer when I first saw it, and when the first announcements and lo-res pictures of this set started trickling out, I couldn't help but be impressed by LEGO taking on the challenge of turning the very slick and untraditional Milano into a retail set. It's a beautiful-looking build even if you have no interest in Marvel or Guardians of the Galaxy whatsoever.

This is a rare licensed set in which the Minifigs might not be the primary draw - possibly due to their aforementioned obscurity - but they'll still be inevitable must-haves for the die-hard Marvel collector, and they're still pretty cool for more casual folks. At the time of writing this review, Brickset erroneously lists only three Minifigs when there's really five: Star-Lord (WHO?), Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Ronan the Accuser, and a Sakaaran goon. Completionists will definitely want Gamora and Drax; Gamora is unfortunately a bit boring, but Drax has one of the best torso prints I've ever seen to date and is surprisingly funny considering how violent he's supposed to be (see: the little Minifig skull tattoos). His light grey skin tone is slightly questionable as he seems a bit more green to me, but perhaps its the best colour LEGO could choose from it's available options (sand green might have done the trick IMO). Peter Quill does appear in Starblaster Showdown, though his torso print is new, which is nice. The big highlight for me, though, is Ronan the Accuser, who has a unique headpiece and looks awesome all around, but I'm a little biased because I really like his character. Last and least is the Sakaaran, who I suppose is handy for blowing up in a pinch.

The Milano, to me, invites strong comparisons to the Avengers' Quinjet (6869), which up till now has been unquestionably my favourite Marvel build. Fortunately, the Milano holds up very favourably against this comparison in terms of size, building techniques, playability, and finished product. The challenge in creating the Milano is undoubtedly the heavy use of curves and nonperpendicular angles, which is achieved through a very clever and efficient use of Technic connectors, hinges, and a handful of specialised pieces which are bound to find secondary lives in MOCs for years to come. The bold blue and yellow colour scheme further adds to its distinctive nature, which makes it stand out strongly as a display piece as well. Some may fault the heavy use of stickers, but they're easy enough to apply in this case and generally do add a lot to the overall feel of the set. It really is a very fun build with almost no repetition, and its even instructive in a way as to the methodology behind creating angular designs with limited space.

The "bonus build" is a tiny Sakaaran ship that serves mostly as piececount buffer since it's not going to be doing much damage to the Milano. It's not a hideous build and, as I mentioned in my Starblaster review, reminds me vaguely of Insectoids from years back, but it's pretty unmemorable overall. You do get some of those nice new spring-loaded blasters, which are pretty cool for shooting at your cat, but there's not a lot to say about it otherwise. Cleverer people than me will probably end up combining several of these enemy vessels into something far more impressive.

This set is an extremely strong entry into the world of LEGO Marvel, and the look and feel of the Milano is so unique and cool that it's worth your while if you're simply interested in spaceships as a whole. It goes without saying that this set is the ultimate treat for fans of "Cosmic Marvel" and practically sells itself to that demographic. LEGO Silver Surfer when?

Box/Instructions

Pretty easy to follow.

Parts

Amazing vivid colors on part of the Milano and the Sakaaran ship is different than the one in Starblaster Showdown.

Minifigures

The remaining line up of characters from the movie (Ronnan is amazing, Gamora is great as is Drax, Star Lord is the same as his other set which is great). The Sakaaran is great however I would have included Ronan's second in command as well.

The build

Inventive and refreshing.

The completed model

Another ship joining the Slave I, Millennium Falcon and the rest of my Lego universe at the Mos Eisley Cantina.

Overall opinion

A great experience to be had and an amazing display model as well, if only could have also included a mini Groot.