Set Review: 70817 Batman & Super Angry Kitty Attack
Tuesday, May 19th, 2015 at 8:05pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager
It's time for another review of a 2015 set! Today we're looking at 70817 Batman & Super Angry Kitty Attack from the LEGO Movie theme. This is the smallest boxed set based on the film that LEGO has released, weighing in at only 115 pieces and retailing for $9.99 USD. So is this set free from any negativity of any kind or is there no consistency to be seen? Read 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.
This set has a pretty small box, so there's a lot to cram in there. You've got the LEGO logo, the LEGO Movie logo, the set name, age range, piece count, etc, and somehow enough room leftover for an image of the set. Front and center, we see that Unikitty is ANGRY, and is ready to take down that Micro Manager. Batman and the Skeletron seem like they're more or less along for the ride.
On the back, we see the characters in action, with the Micro Manager trying to take on Angry Kitty by itself. Along the bottom, with a cool film-reel motif, we see some of the set's action features and our two heroes standing triumphant.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
With only 115 pieces, this set goes together quickly. Angry Kitty is kind of a build, but is together before you know it. The main chunk of the set is the Micro Manager, who, like most of the similar models, features a lot of SNOT techniques. There are a bunch of SNOT brackets included that make it go together quickly, but between that and the action features, I do feel like there was a little more complexity here than in most $10 sets you see. It was a straightforward build but an engaging one.
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.
Parts exclusive to this set include the 1x3 red plate with Angry Kitty's eyes and eyebrows (not pictured), the 1x3 red brick with Angry Kitty's mouth, Batman's head (not pictured), and the 1x1 round tile in transparent brown (it looks like trans-black to me, but I defer to Brickset). Other uncommon parts include the red unicorn horn, Unikitty's tail and torso with the angry paint job, 1x1 flame yellowish-orange (Keetorange) plates, and the 1x1 round plate with a hole in black and dark red. Most of these were only available in Emmet's Construct-o-Mech, which was the only way to get Angry Kitty before this. That version has a different face though, so it's still somewhat unique.
Apart from the rare pieces, Batman would be glad - the rest of the set is pretty much black and very, very dark grey. You get a good selection of SNOT brackets, bricks, and plates, as well as some click hinges and other decorations. Nothing too fancy, but it could be a pretty good part pack.
The set has two minifigures, Batman and Skeletron. While the torso, cape, and mask have all been used before, this version of the Caped Crusader is techniquely unique because of his head. The expressions seem to fit the movie perfectly, which is great. His gun is a nice accessory too, and of course you get a couple of Batarangs. Skeletron is pretty basic and has appeared in other sets as well. He's a grey skeleton with a robotic head.
Angry Kitty is probably the main reason most people will pick up this set. It's great to get her in a cheaper set, since the Construct-o-Mech from last year was fairly pricey. The face has the perfect expression and the printing on it and the body is well done. It's definitely a great addition to anyone's Unikitty collection.
The Micro Manager is pretty solid and looks good from most angles. I'm not a big fan of the tile and Technic axles sticking out the back, but without them you have no play features. I think it captures the aesthetic from the movie well and I enjoy the slight asymmetry.
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?
Considering the small size of the set, there are a good number of play features. They're pretty much all in the Micro Manager, which makes sense since it's the only thing in the set you really build. His arms and thrusters are moveable, giving him some okay poseability. The axles in the back allow you to launch out his eyes, which become flick-fire missiles. Finally, if you push down on the tile, the top of the head explodes, recreating Angry Kitty's destruction of a Micro Manager.
The last feature gets to the root of this set, which is the roleplay. All four characters feature in the finale of the movie and this set helps you recreate the scene in a small package.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Cheap way to get Angry Kitty and Batman
- Great characters
- Engaging build
- Functional play features
Cons
What's not to like?
- You still have to buy the Construct-o-Mech if you want the both versions of Angry Kitty
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For $10, this set is pretty much a no-brainer to me. You get two of the main stars of the movie in unique forms exclusive to the set and a cool build of a Micro Manager. The only reason I'd say to pass on this is if you already have the Construct-o-Mech and a bunch of Batman figs from DC sets, or if you didn't like The LEGO Movie (and if that's the case, what's wrong with you?).
Thank you everyone for reading and watching our review. We welcome all feedback in the Talkback, as well as any questions you might have. Keep checking back on BZPower, where we'll have more set reviews and LEGO and Bionicle news!
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