LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 76080 Ayesha's Revenge: My Thoughts

This was probably my most anticipated Guardian's of the Galaxy set simply due to the new Yondu minifigure. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the rest of this set. It contains 323 pieces and costs £30/$30 which is a very respectable prise. It also contains 3/4 minifigures (If you count Baby Groot) and all of which are exclusive; Yondu, Star Lord, Ayesh and Baby Groot in his ravaged outfit. I think Star Lord is probably the weakest as he is very similar to the version we saw in the 2014 sets. Despite this he still has a decent jacket print and jet pack build so I cannot complain too much. Ayesha looks great with the gold head and hair and the rest of her is adequately printed. Yondu, however, looks fantastic. His new fin piece looks very cool and the face printing is pretty accurate to the film.

There are 3 main builds in this set; the mining ship, the Sovereign ship and a little portion of the planet on which the Guardians face off their final battle. First off, the mining ship is what takes up most of the piece count and I think it looks very good. It is pretty accurate (if scaled down) to the real thing in the movie. The two printed dish pieces on either side look great and the overall shape is something I haven't seen before. The two dishes at either side open to reveal a storage unit, a fire extinguisher and a wrench which are small yet welcome additions. Another thing that I think is unique about this model is how you load a minifigure into this. Instead of opening the cockpit like you normally would, you have to slide out the main bulk of the model to reveal a gap to put the minifigure into. I think this is a wise choice as you do not need any connector for the cockpit which makes the overall thing look cleaner. My only qualm with this model is the spring-loaded shooter which seems a little clumsily attached but it can easily be removed so this doesn't bother me too much.

Ayesha's remote-controlled drone is the smaller ship in this model but I do not think this at all hinders it. It continues the cool gold colour scheme and has some cool shaping to make it look sleek. There is a stud shooter on either side which adds a nice bit of extra play value. Although this build is simple, I think it appropriately displays the vehicle we see in the movie. Finally, the section of planet adds a nice bit of context and scenery to this set which is nice. Despite being simple and small, this build has a very fun play feature that I think is very well hidden. If you push down on the red stud, it will pop up the little bit on the top. The idea is to put Ayesha on this piece and then utilise the feature, flinging her into the air and "defeating" her.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic set that lived up to my expectations. The builds are all very aesthetically pleasing and also are very accurate to the movie. However, the highlight for me are the minifigures. Yondu and Baby Groot are my personal favourites but Ayesha and Star Lord are also very good. If you enjoyed the movie then I would definitely recommen this set to you as it is great value and a great set in general.

LEGO Spider Man Homecoming 2017 Sets: My Thoughts

Starring Tom Holland, Spider-Man: Homecoming is the latest MCU film releasing this summer. To coincide with this blockbuster, LEGO have revealed two sets that tie in to this film. These are ATM Heist Battle and Beware the Vulture. My opinions of these sets are not yet definite since they have not released but, from these images, I am going to say what I think about these two sets.

First of all, let's start with the smaller of the two; ATM Heist Battle. This contains 185 Pieces and 3 Minifigures. To start off with, this is the cheapest way to get the new Spider-Man minifigure which is fantastic and has great detailing on the arms, legs, head and torso. The two other minifigures included with this set are also cool. They are two bank robbers but with Avengers-themed masks on. Although they are not necessarily vital characters to the plot (as far as I know yet) they are still a nice inclusion as the Hulk and Captain America are quite nice to get.

The build I think is good but not great. It is relatively simple bank build as you would expect from a set with 185 pieces but it doesn't really have anything special about it. One thing that is nice is the amount of play features in such a simple set. You can break the window down, steal the ATM from the bank and open it up to reveal the money. It is nice to get some play-value in a set of this size and because of this I can see this appealing to younger children. Despite that, I think this is an overall decent set. The minifigures are pretty good and the build is also relatively good. I will probably be getting this when it releases this summer

The other set releasing in this wave is Beware the Vulture and it contains 375 Pieces. Firstly, the minifigure selection is fantastic in this set. We get the new Vulture minifigure, the Shocker, Iron Man in his new suit and Spider-Man. Although Spidey is the same version as in the cheaper set, the rest of the line up is fantastic. I love the use of the new Iron Man helmet on Vulture and I think he looks great in general. The Shocker is also a nice (if obscure) inclusion and the new Iron Man suit is a fresh  look. I honestly think the minifigures are going to be what sells this set to a lot of people as they do not disappoint.

Despite the minifigures being the Stars of this show, I also think the build(s) look great. The truck looks pretty standard and the stud shooter in the back adds a bit of fun value. However, my favourite part is Vulture's jet pack-thing that we see him using in the trailer. Although it is a little oversized, I think the use of the shield pieces to create that sharp look at the front is very clever. Overall, this set is the stand-out for me and is one I will definitely be looking forward to.

In conclusion, I think this short line is a very strong one. My only issue is the fact that it is so short. I wish they would release 3 or 4 sets like they would normally or at least for one of the sets to be a larger one. Although these two sets are fantastic, I am just left wanting more as I feel there was more, even from the trailer, that could have been set-material and we just haven't seen that yet