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Review of MB set 1935: Baxter Building Lab
MSRP: $30 - $40
Pieces: 250
Figures: Five
By now everyone knows that the Fantastic Four
hit the big screen on July 8 in true
blockbuster fashion. For my money the casting of Michael Chiklis as The Thing
is a master stroke, on par with putting Christopher Reeve in the blue suit back
in 78.
Just in time for the forthcoming film, MEGABLOKS offers this fine set. It comes
in a collector’s tin with good graphics and a posed still from the movie. The
logo for 20th Century Fox appears several times on the box, the tin, and the
instruction booklet.
The figures are of the same basic type as in the previous
Marvel tie-ins, rather than the
Pyrates figures; this is a good choice, since the FF figs are from the same
“universe” as the other Marvel stuff, so it would be weird if some were
super-detailed and some were not.
The Human Torch is entirely trans-orange with sculpted fire for hair, flames
coursing over his arms, and the generally corrugated look that he has in the
comics.
The Thing is the same excellent sculpt as in set 1906, and he’s
appropriately massive. In that set, however, he wore trunks or briefs, whereas
in the current set he wears long pants. In the 1906, the “4” ensignia was white
in a white circle, but here it’s black in a white circle, and a slightly
different font. I take this to mean that the 1906 matches to the comic book
incarnation, whereas the current version ties into the film.
The Invisible
Woman is a very clever design, with her legs, left arm, and most of her torso
in trans-white (clear) while the rest of her his opaque, as though she’s in the
process of becoming visible. (Or invisible. It’s one of those
half-full/half-empty deals.) I don’t yet own
Spiderman vs. Venom, but her torso may be the same as Mary Jane Watson’s from
that set. Sue’s head is a good sculpt, and she has blond hair and brown eyes.
If memory serves, in the comics she has blue eyes, so this confirms that the fig
represents Jessica Alba’s portrayal.
Mr. Fantastic is overall a good sculpt,
with heavily muscled torso and arms. He’s all blue except for his head, painted
boots, and ensignia. As a gimmick, he arms are stretchable.
Dr. Doom is all
green except for his mask, painted belt, and cloak-clasps. He has the same
muscled torso of Mr. Fantastic, and his head is also a good sculpt. As a nice
touch, his cloak fits to his neck in standard minifig fashion, but the clasps
(faux clasps, really) sit slightly forward, around his collarbone. This adds a
level of realism and makes it appear as though he’s wearing the cloak, rather
than holding it clenched about his neck-peg. The cloak is a softer plastic than
the overall figure, but it’s still pretty rigid.
A few minor quibbles: Although Mr. Fantastic’s arms are a nifty idea, they
don’t stretch all that much, and they hardly work as minfig arms at all. It
would have added to the cost, but I’d have liked an extra non-stretching torso
for Mr. F. Likewise, a non-invisible Sue Storm would have been a nice extra.
Perhaps a figure-pack will be released later that includes these? Who knows?
The set features two main structures, each of which stands on a white 20x24
baseplate as seen previously in the Command Ops
Secure the Dam set. There are few new elements, but clever use is made of
existing pieces, and the new parts that do show up are very good. The new
elements include a matched pair of orange, barred gates (broadly similar to the
jail cell door from the Western sets of a few years back). Also new is a piece
similar to a 1x3 slope 33 brick without the 1x1 brick, as well as a version of
that piece with two studs on the slope. This set also comes with a “healing
tank” (the containment tank from the
Alien Agency sets, but in different colors) and a tank/pipe/cylinder element in
solid dark blue that appeared in Secure the Dam (in orange with a blue
base). A particular surprise to me was the return of the cactus arms, also from
the Western series. Here they’re orange, and they’re used as pipes connecting
to the healing tank. A very clever resurrection of an old piece!
Other pieces of note:
4 dome elements 2x2 (orange)
4 ladder/fence elements 1x3 (orange)
1 wall element 12x5x1 (pale gray)
2 wall elements 12x5x1 (dark gray)
1 wall element 6x5x1 (dark blue)
6 wall elements 6x5x1 (dark gray)
1 wall element 6x5x1 (trans-smoke) (I love this piece!)
1 rail element 1x12 (black)
1 rail slider element 1x4 (dark gray)
2 male:male connectors 2x2 (black)
1 decal sheet
etc. etc. Good stuff!
The instructions are clear, using both 3D views and overhead shots as needed.
Also featured are the standard graphical inventory of parts needed for each step
and the “ghosting” of parts used in previous steps. Very nice and easy to
follow.
The set is fun to build and, when complete, offers a high level of playability:
the aforementioned orange gates enclose a holding cell; a figure can be placed
in the healing tank; a “sub atomic scanner” uses the 1x12 rail to create a
sliding bed not unlike an MRI. Another nice detail is a breakaway wall composed
of a number of 2x4 and 2x2 bricks capped with tiles. When stacked together,
these form a solid-looking wall, but they can be smashed down by Dr. Doom, The
Thing, or whomever (maybe
Willie Lumpkin,
if he has a postage-due package?)
The large number of basic elements in this set should allay concerns that
MEGABLOKS is abandoning the brick-based playset. Instead, they’ve demonstrated
once again that creative use of existing elements (albeit in new colors!) can
yield wildly new structures and play possibilities.
On the whole I’m thrilled with the Marvel license, and I look forward to
whatever else is in the works. Maybe a Hulk set? Heck, MEGABLOKS is
headquartered in Canada; maybe Alpha Flight?!?
Dave!
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