Review : LEGO Marvel 76131 Avengers Compound Battle

Today we quickly tour the LEGO Marvel set 76131 Avengers Compound Battle (699 pieces - 119.99 €), the most expensive box of the series of sets vaguely derived from the movie Avengers Endgame.

The set directly references the film's final battle as evidenced by the presence of Thanos and his most trusted Outrider at the Avengers troop headquarters. Unfortunately, those who saw the film obviously understood that this box has little to do with the scene in question.

A small precision to temper the a little lying side of the product: LEGO does not refer directly to the movie Avengers Endgame in the official description of the series of sets marketed around the release of the film and is satisfied with a very vague "... Kids can recreate the thrilling action of the Marvel Avengers movies with this LEGO building toy ...".

The designer of the set, undoubtedly a Danish cousin of Jean-Michel Apeupré, therefore offers us here a LEGO CITY police station made up as the Avengers' lair with lots of stickers. Everything is there, the police car, the police helicopter, the cell for the prisoner with escape function, the break room, etc ... For the youngest, a playset is always good to take, but there are other ranges for this type of simplistic construction that allows you to invent stories of police and thieves.

The construction delivered here is therefore a playset as Kenner did so well in the 80s. On the one hand, a facade with large bay windows and a garage with a sliding gate and on the other large openings to allow placing the characters and vehicles in the various spaces provided.

Why not, except that in the scene of the film, the Avengers headquarters is already a pile of rubble before Thanos and his armies even land. To correct this detail, you can simply empty the contents of the bags on the living room table, you will get a playset a little more faithful to the state of the combat zone seen in the film.

As it is a playset, LEGO obviously does not forget to provide us with something to distract us: Everyone knows that Nebula never travels without his pocket helicopter and that Iron Man loves to ride around in his convertible. function. Again, there is certainly plenty of fun for the little ones, but there is no helicopter or Avengers vehicle in the scene of the film.

The helicopter and the vehicle are models that one has the impression of having seen a hundred times in the LEGO CITY range. LEGO has tried a diversion by adding a large rotating cannon on the nose of the chopper and two Stud Shooters in the back of the car, but the discerning fan won't be fooled by these elements.

In case whoever opens this box has any doubts about the range to which it belongs, LEGO provides us with a nice sheet of stickers with logos of all sizes that transform the building into the headquarters of the superhero troop and two machines supplied as company vehicles. There is even a huge sticker for the helipad platform, a story that Nebula knows where to land before going to fight with her father.

If the construction delivered in this box is only a vague reference to the final battle of Avengers Endgame, we still have the minifigs to try to make the link between this derivative and the film. Failed, or almost. Captain Marvel's minifig is identical to the one already seen in the set 76127 Captain Marvel and The Skrull Attack but the character's haircut bears little resemblance to Brie Larson's in the film's final scene.

Iron Man is here delivered with the MK85 armor and LEGO has chosen to provide two arms in Pearl Gold instead of pad printing red arms. The solution works pretty well but LEGO forgot to add some armor elements to those golden arms. The arms are directly matched with the front face of the helmet but the golden tint pad printed on the legs is not in the same tone and somewhat spoils the overall consistency of the figure.

Nebula is here supplied with the Quantum Suit already seen in several boxes. No female version of the torso, all the characters who wear this outfit are equipped with the same torso and the same legs.

Fortunately, the head of Nebula is very successful, it takes the design of that of the minifigure delivered in the set 76081 The Milano vs. The Abilisk (2017) with a different and original facial expression.
Finally, the Ant-Man nanofig is provided here in a version Quantum Suit rather successful.

The set also allows us to obtain two large new figurines: Hulk and Thanos. Too bad for the Hulk, we have to be content here with a simple variant of the usual figurine and we will probably never have a Professor Hulk to add to our collections.

Regarding Thanos, we cannot blame LEGO for alternating between shades of blue and purple for the character's minifigures, even Marvel does not know which foot to dance on according to the films in which Thanos appears. The hammer provided is also not in the movie battle, and the Infinity Gauntlet only comes with the Time and Space Gems. In short, if you counted on this box to get all the stones, it's a failure.

The Thanos figure is okay, the armor is molded directly onto the character's body, and the shoulder pads reduce arm mobility a bit. Nice pad printing on the chest, a few pieces of armor on the arms but nothing on the legs and it's a shame. We may also regret that Thanos' helmet has really been ultra-simplified in a LEGO version. The character deserved better.

I'm not giving you the usual verse on the unique Outrider delivered in this set, it's in four out of five boxes of this wave of derivative products.

In summary, this box may find its audience among very young fans whose parents can afford to spend 120 € in a playset barely more successful than a product from the LEGO CITY range, but I think the movie Avengers Endgame deserved a more serious treatment from LEGO.

Those who will answer me that the content is deliberately sloppy so as not to reveal anything about the film will in my opinion simply be wrong. The sets were released BEFORE the film was released and regardless of their content, it is only possible to notice the presence of a possible spoiler AFTER watching the film. the content of the sets therefore does not change anything for those who have not seen the film and only disappoint those who have seen it.

There will also be those who will defend the theory of "It was Marvel who purposely gave only very preliminary info about the movie to LEGO"I can't believe it, when could some guy at Marvel say to the LEGO designers:"... then, at one point Nebula arrives in a chopper and Iron Man tumbles in a convertible to face Thanos who is armed with a giant hammer and who has lost four of the six stones ..."?.

I am convinced that LEGO makes its own choices and that the content of the sets is above all dictated by commercial constraints that go far beyond fidelity to the universe reproduced: Two stones only so that children claim other boxes from their parents; A gray Hulkbuster because kids love robots; a motorbike because it's cool; a Quinjet because you always need at least one in the catalog; a playset in the LEGO CITY style because children like it and if you can sell them the same thing more expensive, it is always more margin. I am summarizing, but I think I am not far from reality.

In short, it's missed, it's too expensive, it's irrelevant. There remains some never-before-seen Iron Man armor and a Thanos minifigure which is arguably the most faithful element of the set. It's without me, except in promo around 100 euros max.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the May 28, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

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