Set Review: 76021 The Milano Spaceship Rescue
Thursday, July 24th, 2014 at 10:41pm by Benjamin, BZPower Reporter
This set is hooked on a feeling of being awesome.
This review is coming to you at lightspeed, thanks to Star-Lord and his new friends in keeping the galaxy safe! Equipped with some sharp weapons and Star-Lord's Element Gun, the Guardians of the Galaxy take to the skies in the new set The Milano Spaceship Rescue. Just who or what are the Guardians rescuing? Will they survive the encounter against Ronan the Accuser and the Sakaaran? Read the review, and watch 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.
The box is quite large. One of the biggest sets I have had the pleasure in reviewing. The box size is befitting of its 665 piece count, which is boasts on the front along with the various minifigs you will get. Surrounding the action shot of the Milano swooping in to encounter Ronan on the Sakaaran's ship while Star-Lord flies around outside are all the usual bits: Age suggestion, set details, and the appropriate logos and an image of all five Guardians in the corner.
The back of the box shows off some cool features of the set, including playability amongst conflicting minifigs, the new spring-loaded missiles, and various details about the ship (more on that later).
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
The Sakaaran's ship comes in bag #1, and while small packs a punch. The design is interesting, using slopes previously seen in rock-like structures to give it texture, and has fins that face the front at an angle instead of sloping back like one might expect from spaceships. The best part is playing with the spring-loaded missiles as soon as they are attached.
I've said it before but I'll say it again: This set is quite large, which is fantastic! The Milano ship has a modest base, similar to the Avengers' Quinjet set, but it soon starts to take a shape of its own in order to accommodate the large angled wings and extra features such as guns and engines. The wings especially use some interesting techniques to give them the proper angles while keeping the smooth look.
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.
One of the reasons I was so excited to pick this set up was because of the great assortment of pieces, especially in blue and Keetorange. But the highlights include a few silver wing pieces, as well as some great angles and Technic pieces to help everything flow. Of course, the control panel with alien text and the cassette tape tile can not be forgotten. Rounding out the new pieces include Star-Lord's helmet, the Sakaaran's blaster, and the new spring-firing missile, among a few others.
From all angles, the Milano is a space-worthy ship. The design seems fairly accurate to the actual ship seen in the upcoming film, but with a few LEGO modifications of course (like fitting minifigs). The wings really help round everything out, but it is the little details that make it stand out, drawing the eyes all around to every feature. Such attention to detail means that Star-Lord's tape deck and speaker system is fitted into the Milano too!
The Sakaaran's ship is a small little thing that contains the new spring-loaded missiles. I assume the ship is fairly movie accurate, since it is barely seen in promotional material so far. Details like the rocky slope in the back and a nose for Ronan to stand on the front seem important. Especially odd is how the wings point forward and up, which is something I noticed in a movie poster. While I can not complain about the extra, new and cool pieces, the ship seems like an afterthought for conflict playability than something essential.
Star-Lord the minifig likes to show off, supplementing us with a few variations. He has a mask (which somehow means he does not need a spacesuit in space?), he has a hairpiece, and he has quite a few accessories. The big gun as seen in a movie trailer is a nice addition, and maybe it has a key role in the movie (assuming Rocket is not around to blast things). He also has two Element Guns and the silver orb everyone is after. Plus he can fly with Iron Man-like foot jets, all the while looking cool in his uniform jacket and pants.
The other figs also take a spotlight, unfortunately for Star-Lord. While we seen the Sakaaran in the other two Guardians sets, Ronan, Gamora and Drax are seen only here. They all have something big to hold and have a look on their faces that mean they will not mess around. Drax has tattoos on the back of his head, but everyone else comes with a second face option to show more emotions. Speaking of Drax's tattoos, the movie tattoos contain skulls, so here they are LEGO skulls!
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.
There is a handful of conflict added to the set, since it comes with antagonists and a bad guy ship. Star-Lord gets to use that big gun to take care of things. The Milano also has enough room for our three heroes of the set, plus a fourth chair in the back (presumably to keep any prisoners they take). Plus that tapedeck in the back means they can jam all the way back to Knowhere.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Five new minifigs
- Impressive ship look and build
- Conflict playability
- Great pieces—new and old
Cons
What's not to like?
- Sakaaran's ship is less impressive
- Price-to-piece ratio is lacking
I feel that if you are a big Guardians of the Galaxy fan, or will be once the movie premiers, this set is an essential. The price tag or storage space might change that fact, but overall the Milano is a large, respectable ship that contains a great number of key minifig characters. Building it is fun, swooshing it around is a must, and hanging it from your ceiling like a model would be really cool. Just do not let the Sakaaran or Ronan get their hands on the special orb (Infinity Stone?)!
Let's hear those smooth sounds of the Draxophone!
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