(Written by William)
When I first heard about the #76313 LEGO Marvel Logo set, I was initially excited. I liked the idea of an art piece for Marvel, and having some iconic minifigures seemed like icing on the cake. However, I had to pause at the $99.99 price point.
I mean, from the pictures, it is just a rectangular box with one word built into it and five minifigures. Only Hulk is sort of rare since he’s mostly released as a maxi figure. There needs to be more to this set, right? Well, let’s find out!
LEGO MARVEL LOGO – THE WORD
The word is Marvel, and boy, a lot of work went into it. It is nothing new to have words built out of LEGO. However, trying to match the font styling of a given logo requires a much higher degree of detail work. I think that LEGO designers had to keep scaling up the model until they had the right pieces to make the font look correct. Each letter measures twelve studs tall or ten bricks high. The width varies because each letter takes up a different amount of space, but these are pretty sizable letters.
Additionally, in order to position every angle just right, there is a wide range of sideways building techniques to mount all the elements. Much of the middle consists of brick-built wall sections laid on their sides in order for some studs to be slightly off by half a plate’s thickness.
LEGO designers used tilt hinge bricks with the 2×2 tops turned sideways in order to act as brackets. Bars and clips are used in areas where studs couldn’t fit. Some of the letters have sideways sections mounted to other sideways sections. The “E” is the sole letter built as a single unit and added to the sign. Every other letter is cobbled together by putting separate units close enough that they look like they are connected.
The end result is a master class in sideways building. The thought behind planning out all the connections and then figuring out how to reinforce all those connections seems almost over-designed at times, given how simple and straightforward the end result looks. So, despite its unassuming appearance, this will keep builders entertained.
LEGO MARVEL LOGO – THE MINIFIGURES
It is nice to see these minifigures in quasi-action poses. You just kind of wish they did more. Well… they do. The box shows the Marvel logo by itself and then the minifigures attached to it, but I didn’t realize the model transforms from one to the other.
Turns out LEGO designers had a lot of space to work with behind the logo. With it, they created five platforms that burst out of the logo, revealing Earth’s mightiest heroes. And I do mean burst. Walls on the side fly off and sometimes come apart with the force of the action. The top left and right sections catapult a plate each in a random direction that is sort of frightening. Only Iron Man in the center pops up in a civilized manner with a lid that folds back. (Watch the video below to see how the action features work!)
As complicated as each mechanism looks, they are actually all built around four main principles. First, there is the stand. This is the arm that the minifigure is mounted to. Next, there is the guiding arm. This helps direct the stand to move in a certain way. Third, there is an activation arm, which moves the mechanism. And finally, there is a trigger to engage the activation arm. For Iron Man, it is a lid you flip back, for the other four, there are two buttons on top of the model. Each button controls two minifigures.
The end result is probably the most dramatic art piece I’ve ever built from LEGO. The minifigures tearing through the model are such a perfect match for their brand. I do wish there were more minifigures, given the price, but what they do is pretty epic. Though I do feel bad that Hawkeye got left out of this lineup.
LEGO MARVEL LOGO – FINAL THOUGHTS
This is one cool art piece. I personally love Marvel, so I know I’m biased, but this thing really packs a punch. With that said, you’ll have to be just like me and be an adult fan of LEGO who loves Marvel in order to feel the price is worth it. It is definitely a niche model for the super fan. It will not be hard to see this one eventually go on sale.
When it does, there may be a bigger audience for this set. Builders looking for a lot of red elements will have a field day with this model, and the Hulk minifig is pretty cool. But I don’t think this is a great candidate for collectors/resellers looking for a set that will gain value. If you want to check it out, it’s available at the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Marvel Logo? Do you have it already? And what do you think of the building techniques and action features? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
