Set Review: 6865 Captain America's Avenging Cycle
Sunday, May 13th, 2012 at 1:56pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager [Source: Ta-metru_defender]
The Avengers movie is in theaters, so what better time to take a look at some of the tie-in sets? Today Ta-metru_defender looks at Captain America's Avenging Cycle, the smallest of the bunch. Is this a set fitting of the First Avenger? 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.
So you know how the DC Sets had that cool blue detailing? The Marvel ones have these dynamic red highlights. In the top right we have a Lego-fied version of the Big Four that adorn pretty much every piece of Avengers-theme merchandise this summer. It's a cool touch.
The main picture is Captain America driving out from the set information towards the other side of the box, nonchalantly tossing his shield at the bad guys behind him/to his side. Also, flick fire missiles are flying. Go figure.
The back of the box is still red, this time with shots of the set in action. Apparently Cap makes a VREEEE sounds when he jumps off his bike. I tried to jump off a bike but all I did was scrape my knees. No fancy sound effect. Anyway, the other thing of note is the 'normal' Avengers quartet in the bottom right corner. In case you forgot what they looked like, I suppose.
But who cares about the box? It's what's on the inside that counts!
Out pops two baggies, the instruction booklet, Captain America's bike, and the sticker sheet.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
The build's really straightforward. Snap the minifigs together, put together the Space Jet Ski, Cap's bike, and the turret emplacement thingy and you're done.
Nothing terribly interesting; it's together before you know it. But that's not why you bought the set now, is it?
('Cuz if it is, dude, bummer.)
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.
Alright. Minifigs. That's why you bought this set.
As you're well aware, you get Captain America and two Bad Guys. The Foot Soldier (right) and General (left).
People, these minifigs are gorgeous.
Our dear First Avenger is brimming with details on his torso. The appropriately patriotic striping's there. His helmet looks great too (but sadly misses the side wings). He's got back printing, which, again, is just too perfect. Even the back of his head has printing too! One look at him and you know who he is. Sadly, there's no unmasked head but, hey, can't have everything I suppose.
Now, the bad guys. The Quinjet's box says they're aliens (as does other supplementary material I've read) but my bet is they're people brought from another realm/world that Loki's using to… not important. Back to minfigs. These two, like Captain America, are beautifully detailed. They've got back printing on their torso and head and have leg printing too. They've got this insectoid-ish design going on that, from what I've seen, matches up with the movie. Each 'fig has an individual head too, so no duplicates. These two are really cool.
There are also some interesting weapon things that are either brand new or from Ninjago. They're used as detailing for the Space Jet Ski in this set but also make for cool weapons (as the General demonstrates).
Let's move on to the rest of the set.
First off, I know it costs me major AFOL street cred, but I like stickers on sets. So hah.
The turret thing is what it is. Bricks on a plate with a flickfire launcher too. Not much more to it. Moving on.
Cap's Avenging Cycle (which I guess might be inspired by the one he briefly rides in his movie) - not much to it, it's a bike with some details, like a clip on the back to hold his shield and the SHIELD logo on the front.
And yes, I know I didn't put the clip on all the way. I can see it too.
The Space Jet Ski's pretty cool, actually. The tilted wings give it a unique shape and the details are nice too. In these pictures you can also see the gun thing the General has. As a whole, the Space Jet Ski isn't bad, just, well, nothing to write home about.
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?
Well, the set's pretty simple when it comes to playing with it. You can wheel the bike around, swoosh the Space Jet Ski around your room, and flick to fire those missiles.
And that's about it with the functionality, really.
Younger fans will, of course, love having Captain America beat the ABS out of the villains though. You can't ever go wrong with that.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Captain America
- Alien General
- Alien Footsoldier
- Really, they each deserve their own bullet point
- The Space Jet Ski's kinda cool
Cons
What's not to like?
- $13 for 72 pieces is a bit steep (but then, we get three beautiful minifigs).
- Avenging Cycle and Turret are rather unremarkable
- No Steve Rogers head
Ultimately, whether or not you should get this set depends on whether or not you want the minifigs. Captain America can only be found in this set (the General too, but that's not who you care about) so that was a major factor in my purchase of it. Beyond that, the $13 price point makes it prohibitive for any other purchasing reasons.
If you get this set get it for the minifigs. Duh.
Iron Man and Thor not included in this set.
And that wraps things up for this review. Please be sure to thank Ta-metru_defender for taking the time to review the set in the Talkback, along with any other questions or comments you might have. Stay tuned right here on BZPower for more Avengers and other LEGO reviews and news!
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