Review: LEGO Marvel 76199 Carnage

Today we quickly go around the set LEGO Marvel 76199 Rampage (546), a new head to assemble and display on a shelf that will be available from May 1st at the public price of € 59.99.

The LEGO collection of helmets / heads launched in 2020 is regularly expanding with new creations and after the two new Star Wars references announced this year, it is therefore the turn of this set that allows you to assemble the head of Carnage and the set 76187 Venom (565 - 59.99 €) to join the ranks of the Marvel branch which until now consisted of only one reference, the set 76165 Iron Man Helmet (480 - € 59.99).

The heads of Carnage and Venom in the LEGO version are logically similar in many ways and it cannot be said that the building experience varies significantly between the two products. If we forget the language of Venom and the smooth finish of the temples, the major difference between the two construction lies mainly in the presence of a large handful of stickers used to texture the face of Carnage.

The assembly of this head is quickly shipped with a hollow skull on which we just apply finishing elements that give the final volume of the construction. Once again, the model's appearance is really based on an optical effect that only works from certain angles: the lower jaw is frankly forward and in profile, Carnage looks a bit silly. The set also looks a bit like a motorcycle helmet with its mention on which we would have painted a pattern. From the front and three-quarters, it's a little better with a mouth that seems better proportioned.

The designer has chosen to integrate here a black toothing which is a little difficult to exist without adequate lighting. The pink background of the mouth does what it can to make the teeth stand out but I am convinced that white or beige teeth would have been more suitable. The contrast between the red skull and the black mouth is interesting but Venom is doing much better on this point with its beige teeth which really stand out.

The character's eyebrows are also too prominent to convince me, with a relief which obviously reinforces the aggressive side of the gaze but which seems too coarse to me. The scale used and the desire to maintain a certain aesthetic consistency between the different products in the range is once again responsible for this finish which can appear very coarse in some places, it will be necessary to live with it.

Finally, the eyes of Carnage are here far from occupying a sufficient surface on the skull to be really faithful to the reference character. Depending on the comic book, the era and the artist, all these details vary, but there is still a general aesthetic that the LEGO version struggles to reproduce.

The stickers bring their share of details, it would have been difficult to do without these characteristic patterns. The background of the stickers is more or less in line with the color of the parts to which they must be glued, it was the union minimum for a pure exhibition product, due to the lack of pad printing.

Overall, I think the style exercise is not totally missed, although there are a few details that I think are a bit rough or too rough. The same product with white or beige teeth could have really convinced me and as it is I find that the mouth is visually too "drowned" in the rest of the construction. If we add the look a little too "slick", I think we miss out on what makes Carnage such a threatening creature.

LEGO will sooner or later offer us the Spider-Man mask by taking the top of the face of Venom and Carnage and possibly associating it with an assembly similar to the one seen on Iron Man's helmet for the bottom, the effect of collection between the three models will be there and fans should be happy with it. The visual consistency between these different models will save the furniture and make you forget the faults of each of these products.

With the arrival of each new reference in this range of exhibition products, the limitations of the format defined by LEGO become more present and the solutions used to respect the imposed scale and general aesthetics are not always at the service of the subject treated. It is up to everyone to see if this "collection" deserves to invest in it without restraint or if it is rather necessary to make choices and be satisfied only with the models which seem the most convincing.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 23th next at 23pm. 

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.