Today we take a quick look at the contents of the LEGO Avatar set 75572 Jake & Neytiri's First Banshee Flight, a box of 572 pieces which will be available at the public price of 54.99 € from October 1, 2022.
It is difficult to evoke the universe of Avatar without mentioning the Banshees (or Ikrans in Na'vi language), these large birds that the Na'vi tame and ride on Pandora. LEGO therefore goes there with its interpretation of these creatures with a box by offering two copies to stage on a support made up of a few rocks, a waterfall and a little vegetation.
We could actually summarize the content of this set by simply saying that it's Ninjavatar, as the two birds are similar in their design, with their qualities and their defects, to the creatures declined until more thirsty than the regulars of the Ninjago range know well.
Both Banshees have an identical structure, only the color of the parts changes. It's a bit logical, they are two creatures of the same species. Nothing rocket science during assembly, it is dispatched in a few minutes and it will be possible to build the contents of the set with several people with three separate instruction booklets: a booklet for each of the Banshees, a booklet for the presentation structure.
This is a children's toy and the two creatures are made more "friendly" by an assortment of bright colors that make them a little less stark and threatening than in the movie. They are properly articulated with movable wings via notched attachments, an adjustable neck from bottom to top and a head fixed on a ball joint which allows a wide range of movement. This is more than enough to vary the settings and find a dynamic presentation solution that will give color to your shelves.
Regarding the fenders, the manufacturer takes a shortcut here that may disappoint some fans by dressing them with large pieces of flexible plastic. These elements are nicely executed with very colorful prints and a nice transparency effect at the ends but they are only printed on one side and are covered with the usual legal notice reminding us that this is a LEGO product. They are as usual at LEGO fixed via black pins which remain clearly visible on the surface, the effect is not of an exceptional finish.
The heads of the two Banshees are stamped, it is successful even if LEGO could have pushed the effort to integrate teeth of another color. The body of the two birds has also been designed to make it easier for the youngest to handle them with a sufficiently large protrusion, it is well seen and we will thus avoid grabbing the Banshees from above or by the wings with the risk of damaging the four flexible plastic inserts.
However, one could wonder if it's still LEGO with these pieces of soft plastic hanging on the wings, it's up to everyone to assess the relevance of the solution used here by LEGO when we know that the manufacturer is capable to produce wing elements in hard plastic as for example on the Ninjago dragon of the set 71762 Kai's Fire Dragon EVO
The small presentation base is embellished with a little vegetation but it is once again very far from what one would expect from a representation of the planet Pandora with its floating mountains embodied here by a few pieces placed in suspension . As for the other boxes, it will be necessary to combine the various pieces of rocks surrounded by some plants to begin to obtain something acceptable. LEGO adds a few phosphorescent elements in each of the boxes in the range, here five radioactive carrots are provided. You understood, there are no stickers in this box.
Under the rocks, there is a copy of the transparent element that also serves as a support for the helicopter in the set 75573 Floating Mountains: Site 26 & RDA Samson. This piece is here delivered in blue, it is perfect to embody a waterfall while having a discreet and stable support thanks to the embedding of its foot in the construction.
Two minifigs are delivered in this box, Jake Sully and Neytiri, and they are exclusive variants to this set. Complete collectors will therefore find it difficult to ignore, the others will probably be satisfied with a single copy of these two Na'vis.
I'm on the third set of the first wave of merchandise based on the 2009 movie and I still can't appreciate the facial expressions of these Na'vis: some look like Egyptian statues while others have in my opinion look a little silly with their mocking smile. The long thick legs and the big ears do not help but the hairstyles are on the other hand successful with their point of connection at the end of the hair. We will have to deal with it, LEGO has chosen its camp and the second wave of derivative products which will be based on the film expected in theaters in December 2022 will necessarily continue to provide us with Na'vis in the same format.
In short, the youngest will undoubtedly find something for them with creatures that may remind them of their Ninjago years and the beginning of a plant diorama that will have to be completed with other sets from the range. The connection clips are already provided at the foot of these mini-constructions and the argument to convince parents is therefore all found. Regarding the public price of this box, I have a little trouble seeing where the requested €55 is, but I'm not worried: these sets will inevitably end up being sold at a knockdown price one day or they will take advantage of an offer. promotion that will allow them to be acquired at a more reasonable and acceptable price.
Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 4th October next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.
