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    Discuss This Story ReviewThursday, July 24th, 2014 at 2:10am by Jason, BZPower Reporter

    It's time for another BZPower set review! Today BZP Reporter Xccj critiques 76014: Spider-Trike vs Electro. Is this worth slinging you way to the store for, or did they blow a fuse when they made this? Read on to find out.

    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

    Image of Box Front Image of Box Back Image of Contents

    The front of the small box shows a chase in progress, as Electro zaps his way down the street with Spider-Man in hot pursuit. In addition to the regular details (Ages 5-12, 70 pieces) there's also an Ultimate Spider-Man logo in the bottom right corner, to remind us which cartoon this is based off of. The back of the box shows Spider-Man leaping in for the final confrontation, complete with comic style sound effects. (SWOOSH! BZZT!) The play features are also indicated, and there's a small advertisement for the LEGO Marvel Video Game.

    Inside, you get two bags of parts and 1 instruction booklet. There's also a single sticker which you use to apply a spider symbol onto the front of the trike... so it's nice that the entire thing isn't lathered in stickers.

    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

    Image of Build 1 Image of Build 2
    Image of Build 3 Image of Build 4 Image of Build 5 Image of Build 6
    Image of Build 7 Image of Build 8 Image of Build 9

    There's not much to say about the build. I took a new picture for every five or so pieces, so it's pretty evident how it goes together. I guess the technic tire frame is nicely integrated into the otherwise system design.

    Set Design
    Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.

    Image of Pieces

    You only get 70 parts in this set, and when it retails for $12.99 USD, you know it's a bad value. None of the elements are particularly rare either. Among the pieces that come in less than ten other sets are the technic suspension piece, the 4 clip element, the 1x2 curved slope in blue, the jumper plate in medium blue, and the Barraki eye piece in white. Of special note is the electricity piece, which comes in a quantity of five in this set. So the parts aren't bad, per say, but the selection is still a little meager considering the cost.

    Image of Figs Front Image of Figs Back Image of Figs Action

    The minifigures, however, are spectacular. Or ultimate, if you want to stick with the cartoon's adjective. Spider-Man has excellent printing on both the front and back of his head and torso, and is instantly recognizable. Sure, he is the same figure that's appeared in all the other Spider-Man sets of late, but outside of polybags, this is the cheapest set to get him in. And don't deny that an army of Spider-Men wouldn't be appealing; I'm sure Norman Osborn has entertained the idea before.

    Of course, the unique figure and primary reason to pick up this set is Electro. He has white and blue electric printing on his torso (front and back) and legs, plus a mischievous smile on his head. But the coolest part about his is that his head and arms are transparent. Specifically, they're transparent medium-blue, otherwise known as transparent fluorescent blue or the-color-Kopaka-Mata's-eyes-came-in blue. This is the first time we've seen a figure with a full pair of transparent arms (although there was one Star Wars figure, and lots of Chima figures this summer will have transparent arms and legs.) Still, this is a really cool color usage and totally works for this minifigure. But there's still one other benefit of transparent medium-blue!

    Image of Electro Glow

    The above picture was taken under a black light, and the transparent bits really stand out. That's because transparent medium-blue glows very well under a black light, much better than any of the other shades of transparent blue. (And this might be why LEGO calls the color transparent fluorescent blue.) Sadly, the electricity pieces utilize the other shade of transparent light blue, so they do not glow with Electro under a black light.

    Image of Vehicles Front Image of Vehicles Back

    Onto the vehicles, if we can call them that. Electro has a small stand with electricity busting out the bottom. It's a simple design, but the electricity pieces can be tilted to allow for decent stability. And I guess we should be happy that they even gave Electro something to ride on. He also has a green diamond that he must be stealing, because why else would he have a web slinging hero after him?

    Spider-Man, however, get's the Spider-Trike. Don't you remember it in that one particular form of Spider-Man media? I think he used it to help Iron Man face the Mandarin in his flame throwing lawn mower of doom... you don't remember that? Eh, must have missed that episode. (But seriously, I don't think this vehicle ever appeared in a show or movie or comic book, so it's odd to be included here, except for the fact that they just had to give Spider-Man some sort of vehicle, even if he doesn't need it.)

    Odd source material aside, the trike's not a bad design. It has a decent balance of red and blue, and the main seat can be tilted at an angle to make it more� angular. The technic suspension pieces also allow for a little bit of a bounce, and the base is otherwise pretty sturdy. To be fair, with four wheels it's not really a trike, but it's not the worse vehicle that a hero could have. However, for the price of the set, it does still seem lackluster.

    Playability
    The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?

    Image of Side Chase Image of Electro Down Image of Electro Escape

    I suppose the main playability factor is role play, where Spider-Man takes on Electro. Although, to be fair, both characters can get by just fine without their vehicles, so it makes me wonder if a landscape piece might have been a better inclusion here. As is, Spider-Man doesn't even have a piece of web to sling with. At least Electro has electricity pieces to spare!

    The Spider-Trike has a few play features. The first is wheels, which can roll, in case that wasn't obvious. Is also has two flick fire missiles attached to the side. The white Barraki eye pieces are probably supposed to represent globs of webbing, so I guess Spidey does have a bit of a weapon. Finally, there's a launch feature that can shoot Spider-Man out of his seat and into action. This is achieved by smacking the nose of the bike. This also explains why the trike's seat has been tiled over, in order to keep Spider-Man loose and reach to be ejected. Honestly, I almost missed this last feature, but while it only throws him head-over-heals for a few inches, it's still more effective than the flick fire missiles, for me anyway.

    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

    Pros
    What's to like?

    • A few good parts, like the electricity pieces
    • One of the cheapest way to get Spider-Man
    • ELECTRO: The primary reason to pick up this set
    • Trans-Medium Blue minifig parts that looks good under a black light!

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    • None of the pieces truly unique (outside of Electro)
    • Not a lot of pieces for the price of the set
    • Another generic Spider-Man fig?
    • Where did they come up with the Spider-Trike?
    • The price

    Image of Night Scene

    I wouldn't call this the worst set ever. The figs are good, the parts selection is decent, and the vehicle is mildly tolerable. But it is not worth the $12.99 USD price. It's like they took most of the production cost to make a really good Electro to the detriment of the rest of the set. I wouldn't recommend this set at full price, and unless you're after the figs or specific parts, I think you could easily go for one of the other Super Hero sets and get a better play value. I got my copy for 20% off, and even that wasn't quite worth the cost of the set. If you plan to get this at all, wait for a decent sale. But if you do pick it up, it's always worth it to see Electro under a black light!

    Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to BZPower for more LEGO related news, including more set reviews!

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