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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload

(Written by fikko3107)

If you have been reading my previous posts (click on my name above to find them) you probably know that there are three things I specialize in: LEGO digital media, LEGO polybags, and building my own LEGO robots. Today I’d like to show you a series of videos produced by Marvel (really Disney as they own Marvel now), called LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload, which I discovered courtesy of the UK-based LEGO blog Brick Fanatics. So let’s check them out! 🙂

LEGO Marvel Maximum Overload

In the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload mini-movies you will see Loki features prominently, probably to hype-up the recent release of the new Marvel movie titled Thor: The Dark World (which I personally enjoy quite a bit, especially because I’m a fan of Loki’s rather trolling quotes). Before we go any futher, I’d like to show you a frame from the first episode of the mini-movie that I think could pique some interest:

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Maximum Overload

The LEGO Super Heroes image above (also taken from Brick Fanatics – original article here) shows a billboard with the LEGO version of the main characters of the upcoming Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, due out in August 2014. (Speaking of Marvel movies, did you see the post credits of Thor 2? If you haven’t watched it yet, be sure to stay through the credits to catch the first and second post credit scene!) The billboard shows Star-Lord, an intergalactic peacekeeper who relies on an element gun and/or double Kree Submachine guns, Rocket Raccoon, a humanoid raccoon with a penchant for guns and roller-blades, Gamora, an assassin trained by Thanos’ father, and Drax the Destroyer, a really powerful guy you do not want to upset. Interesting thing is that Star Lord is played by Chris Pratt, who also voices Emmett, the hero of The LEGO Movie. As there will be LEGO Super Heroes Guardians of the Galaxy sets, you could say Chris Pratt will have two LEGO incarnations in 2014 alone!

There are other things of interest in regards to LEGO; such as a possible design for the Falcon, Thor’s winged helmet, The Wizard, Klaw, Red Skull, Super Skrull and The Abomination. But we’re not here to talk about them; we’re here to see those Marvel videos! See if you can spot these cameos as you watch them! Oh yes, just one more thing; let me give a brief summary of the plot of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload. Loki meddles with the mortal world again, this time by throwing snowballs called Norn Frosts to various villains, causing their powers to “overload” (and turn them to slaves of Loki), hence the title of the video series. Also, Spider-Man is being angst-y due to not getting recognition, and he needs to walk home all the way to Queens! 🙁

MAXIMUM OVERLOAD – EPISODE 1 – This episode is titled “A Faceful of Danger!”, where Loki Norn-Frosted Doctor Octopus – apparently to destroy Spider-Man. Doc Ock attacks a S.H.I.E.L.D base, so, naturally,  Nick Fury enlists Spider-Man’s help. But can he prevail over a powered-up Doc Ock who can stretch his tentacles limitlessly?

MAXIMUM OVERLOAD – EPISODE 2 – This episode is still with Spider-Man, and is titled “Slaughter on the 23rd Floor”. Here the stakes are higher with a Norn-Frosted Venom. Who, unlike Doc Ock, instantly attacks Spider-Man. Can Spidey beat the brutal Venom?

MAXIMUM OVERLOAD – EPISODE 3 – The third mini-movie is titled “Obnoxious Mandarin!”. Here we only get a pinch of Spider-Man and, as suggested by the title, mostly focus on Iron Man. Tony Stark (oddly using a Mark 6 suit, but with the properties of Iron Man 3 styled suits) battles a Norn-Frosted Mandarin, who’s vehicle seems more enhanced than himself. Also, Tony gets a little – well, a lot of – help from Pepper in the Mark 42 suit. But is that enough to triumph over the cunning Mandarin?

MAXIMUM OVERLOAD – EPISODE 4 – This episode is titled “Operation Doofus Drop!”. It features Iron Man, Iron Fist and The Hulk against a Norn-Frosted Abomination (unfair, I know). Iron Man is mostly just helping civilians, whereas Iron Fist… just simply doesn’t feature as prominently as others. It’s also the only video with Spider-Man absent.

MAXIMUM OVERLOAD – EPISODE 5 – The last episode is titled “Assault, Off-Asgard!”. All villains captured in the previous videos manage to break out through a joint effort, which keeps the heroes busy. Thor, realizing it’s all Loki’s doing, takes Iron Man and “The Angst-y One” (Spider-Man) to fight Loki. Loki in a desperate effort consumes large quantities of Norn Frost, empowering himself greatly. Can the heroes triumph over Loki and his army of villains? And will Spider-Man ever stop being so full of angst? 🙄

And that’s the end of the episodes. What do you think? Did you enjoy them? And which characters do you hope to see in future LEGO Super Heroes sets? Feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the LEGO Super Heroes section for more news, reviews and videos, or select from below:

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Best LEGO sets – Christmas shopping guide

If you have a LEGO fan in your family, you know what they want for Christmas; more LEGO! That was an easy answer. LEGO has been an incredibly creative and educational hobby for children, teens and adults for several generations. But which LEGO set to get? That question is more difficult to answer. Of course the best way to find out is to ask for a LEGO wish-list. However in many families Christmas is about surprise gifts, not about fulfilling orders. So which are the best LEGO sets this year? Let’s take a look and find out what LEGO sets to shop for! 🙂

LEGO Holiday Shopping

Shopping for LEGO fans is actually quite easy. It is not like buying a sweater; if you get the size, style or color wrong, it is all wrong. When it comes to LEGO to know what is on the recipient’s LEGO wish-list is a bonus, but even if you don’t know, with LEGO you can’t go wrong; there is no such thing as a bad LEGO set. For a LEGO fan any LEGO set will be greatly appreciated. Even if you accidentally buy a duplicate of something they already have, they will love to get the extra parts for free-building! 😀

Chritsmas LEGO Shopping LEGO Stocking Stuffers

The only thing to look out for is making sure you are not buying a “clone-brand” instead of LEGO. There are many companies making inferior quality products that are imitating the LEGO brand, hoping that uninformed parents and grandparents will accidentally pick those up instead of genuine LEGO. In fact, they go as far as imitating the color-scheme and box design of real LEGO sets, and their products are often placed in the same isle right next to LEGO! Many LEGO fans despise these brands and would be quite disappointed. The only thing you need to do in this regard is check the box for either the LEGO or DUPLO logo (DUPLO are larger bricks for children under 3 years of age). These are the only two brands LEGO makes. Of course LEGO has sub-themes like LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Super Heroes, LEGO Technic, LEGO Friends, etc., but you will always see the red square LEGO logo displayed on the box.

LEGO Winter Village Holiday Set

So now that you can relax and know that all LEGO is good LEGO (as long as it is real LEGO), let’s look at what is available this year that you might consider getting for the LEGO fan in your family or for your LEGO-crazed friends. Below you will find helpful links to recommended products.

THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR FAMILIES: “The family that builds together stays together.” For many people LEGO is a family affair. This is especially true where the parents also grew up with LEGO and they appreciate the educational and creative aspects of LEGO, along with the family bonding experience. If you are Christmas shopping for a family like this, you probably already know what aspect of LEGO they are into; perhaps they have a giant LEGO City layout in the basement, or LEGO Star Wars sets all over the living room, or a huge LEGO castle is taking up their dining-room table, or they set up a LEGO village and train around the Christmas tree every year. If your budget allows it, I would recommend getting a larger LEGO set for this family that everyone can enjoy. Good candidates are:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Sets for Families

THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR BOYS: If you know their wish-list, or the LEGO theme they like to build, get something that would fit that. For a lot of boys LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Chima, or LEGO Ninjago is the rage, so any set within that theme would make a great Christmas gift. Also, the LEGO Creator line is excellent for kids who like to build and design on their own. These sets are mostly priced in the $10-$50 range, so they are quite affordable:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Sets for Boys

THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR GIRLS: LEGO started a brand new theme just for girls called LEGO Friends. If you are Christmas shopping for a girl who is already into LEGO Friends, you can’t go wrong with any of the currently available sets. There is a great selection available in the $10-$50 range. Please note though that not all girls are into LEGO Friends. Some prefer the more traditional LEGO themes. If you know what they like, get something from their favorite LEGO theme, or you might still want to surprise the with a LEGO Friends sets as they come with many interesting colors and accessories not available in other LEGO sets. Girls also tend to like the LEGO Creator houses and other sets that are not centered on conflict:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Sets for Girls

THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR TEENS: LEGO shopping for teens is a bit more challenging (I guess shopping for anything for teenagers is challenging). First of all, make sure they are still into LEGO. Even kids who have been building with LEGO all their life, once they hit their teens other pursuits will likely take up their interest. However this is not true for all teens; many of them will continue the LEGO hobby, and in fact take it much more seriously with designing their own LEGO creations with astounding skill and creativity. This in fact can lead them to a future career in architecture, engineering, design, robotics, art, programming, or even landing a job at LEGO. If the teen you are shopping for is on their way out of the LEGO hobby I would suggest one of the excellent LEGO books available from No Starch Press that may rekindle their interest, or if they are still deeply involved with LEGO there are many LEGO sets specifically designed for teens. Good candidates are:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Sets for Teens

THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR ADULTS: As more than one generation grew up with LEGO and continued the hobby in their adulthood, it became obvious that LEGO is not just a childhood toy, but can become a lifetime hobby. The many adult LEGO fan-sites, blogs and forums with thousands of members, and LEGO conventions all over the world, are a testimony of the thriving adult LEGO fan community. LEGO has responded to their adult fan-base by releasing LEGO sets specifically targeting adults. These are usually very large sets with complex building techniques and intricate details – things that would be too overwhelming for a child to build or pay attention to. Adult oriented LEGO sets are more expensive too, in the $100-$400 range, however there are also smaller sets that adults would appreciate:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Sets for AFOLs

THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR GRANDPARENTS: Yes, LEGO has been around long enough that there are fans of the brand who are grandparents themselves. And grandparents deserve gifts too! Especially if they are fun grandparents who are into LEGO! They would likely appreciate the same LEGO sets as adults, but there is also something else I would recommend for them; LEGO books. Older LEGO fans have likely seen it all, built it all, even have it all, but they can still get inspiration from LEGO books that share amazing LEGO creations or delves into LEGO’s long history:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Modular Buildings

THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR CO-WORKERS: You may be working with someone who is a LEGO-nut. Perhaps you have not seen their whole LEGO collection and know exactly what LEGO theme they are into, but you can get them something funny and LEGO related that fits in the office:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Set for Friends

THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR YOUR BOSS: Yes, your boss may be into LEGO too! Or perhaps you are the one who is known as the LEGO geek, and you want to surprise your boss with something from your hobby:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Sets for Your Boss

THE BEST SMALL LEGO SETS (UNDER $10): If your budget is small but would still like to surprise a LEGO fan, or you are just looking for LEGO stocking-stuffers here are some ideas:

Shop for LEGO Christmas Sets Under $10

THE BEST LARGE LEGO SETS (OVER $100): These are the best of the best LEGO sets, mostly recommended for teen and adult builders, although some younger kids may like them too. If money is not an issue, any LEGO fan would be very happy with these sets. Here are the best of the currently available large LEGO sets:

Shop for the Best LEGO Christmas Sets

Again, as I have mentioned, there is no such a thing as a bad LEGO set, and LEGO fans would appreciate any gift that would enhance their hobby. These are just some guidelines, in case you don’t know where to start. I hope it helps out in your Christmas LEGO shopping! Also, if you have your own suggestions, feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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