LEGO Marvel Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 76080 Ayesha's Revenge review

Three years ago we got our first LEGO taste of Guardians of the Galaxy, but will the new range live up to high expectations? Price: £29.99 / $29.99 / €34.99  Pieces: 323 Available: Now With Marvel ready once more to give us an adrenaline-packed, retro-tinged dose of Star-Lord and comrades in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 in a few weeks, the LEGO Group has released three new sets to coincide. In the first of these reviews, Brick Fanatics takes a closer look at set 76080 Ayesha’s Revenge to see what fans might have to look forward to. In The Box This set is split into three numbered bags, along with two separate instruction booklets (which seems a little pointless), a small sticker sheet, and the usual Superhero ‘comic’ with stylised cartoon versions of all three Guardians of the Galaxy LEGO sets. The Minifigures Like in many Marvel Super Heroes LEGO sets, the minifigures will be a big draw for collectors, and I’m pleased to tell you they don’t disappoint. We get three-and-a-quarter minifigures here, including the set’s namesake Ayesha, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, Yondu and the absolutely adorable Baby Groot. Ayesha has a blue and gold jumpsuit which looks good, but nothing special with printing extending down to the legs. The most interesting aspect of this minifigs is her double-sided pearl gold head and hairpiece which I’ve not seen in any other set before. Star-Lord appears here in an open red leather jacket with a grey top and belt buckle print underneath but disappointingly, compared to the previously released version of him, features no leg printing, instead left in plain black. Nonetheless his new hairpiece works well and he is a great minifigure to have, especially if you missed out a few years ago. My favourite minifigure from this set though is Yondu who, after playing such a prominent part in the last film but not having a version in the last Guardians sets, finally gets LEGO representation. He looks great in his Ravagers uniform and bright blue face and hands. The likeness is spot on, and to top him off (literally) he has an excellent trans-red mohawk hair element. He comes with a golden arrow accessory, which is perfect, as he certainly made quite a feature of it in the last film, so I look forward to seeing what he uses it for in the next one. Last, but not least is Baby Groot whom I suspect will be a wallet magnet for many fans. Using a microfigure-scaled mould, but with a Groot-shaped head and 3.18 bar clippable hands, he looks amazing, especially the amount of detail they printed for his red zipper jacket at the size he is. The Build LEGO sets shouldn’t be just about the minifigures though, so what else are we actually getting to build in the box? There are three models to build altogether starting with a piece of red rock landscaping. Having not seen the film at time of review I might turn out to be incorrect with what things are, but it looks like a piece of rock with a red button play feature. Maybe it’s the red button Rocket tells Baby Groot not to touch in the trailer. Here, if you press it, it pops another piece of the build off, simulating a small explosion perhaps. The next model was quite a fun little thing to make, and although didn’t take long, made use of some nice techniques for detailing and SNOT building. Judging by the box art I’d say it’s a drone of some sort, likely controlled by the remote found in Ayesha’s hand. It’s armed with two stud blasters and uses the Mixel hinges to create poseable arms which help stabilise the model on flat surfaces. The colours used are nice - especially the medium nougat parts and the pearl gold quarter tile pieces which will prove very useful for MOCers out there. Currently the 1x1 medium nougat cheese slopes only appear in two other sets – Assembly Square and the Beast BrickHeadz set – but I’m sure will become more readily available in due course. The third and main model of the set is the very unusual-looking orange vehicle. Again I can’t say for sure what it is exactly but it looks like a cross between a one-man submarine, a spaceship and possibly a mining/excavation tool. Judging by the printing on the 8x8 dish on the side (yes, you read correctly, it’s NOT a sticker) which reads TIVAN, I’m going to say it’s a futuristic mining ship. In Guardians of the Galaxy, the character known as The Collector has a real name of Taneleer Tivan. He controls the Tivan Group who set up a mining colony on Knowhere so I’m assuming this ship possibly gets stolen at some point in the film by Yondu. Again, all my own speculation, and probably completely incorrect if Iron Man 3 sets are anything to go by… No matter, as this vehicle is fantastic. Never mind how much you enjoy Star Wars, there comes a point where the colour scheme is just no longer very interesting. This set is very much a feast of colours for the eyes with many of the components sure to add use in future builds. The shape in the first instance is very round and bubble-like making use of some terrific elements. The most prominent of these are the aforementioned 8x8 printed dishes on either side, and an orange bubble canopy with the catchy official name (according to BrickLink) of Windscreen 10 x 6 x 3 Bubble Canopy Double Tapered with Square Front Cutout. This was really fun to build, and as soon as I realised it had a sliding part that would go into it, I enjoyed the build even more. The clear cockpit bubble at the front can’t be moved, so to insert a minifgure into the pilot seat you slide back the top of the ship with a very smooth and satisfying movement. You can also fold out the side panels to uncover a storage area on one side and a fire extinguisher and spanner the other. If this wasn’t enough in terms of play features, there is a spring-loaded missile shooter underneath which is presumably used for mining purposes in the future, but can also be used for destroying those pesky remote-controlled drones. I, for one, can’t stand flick missiles, but I will never complain about getting a spring-loaded shooter or stud-blaster in a set (unless completely superfluous to the intended design). Conclusion Film tie-in sets can be hit and miss, but this set is a joy to build and…ahem…play with. The main set build experience was nothing remotely challenging for even a casual LEGO builder, but the end results are both aesthetically and ergonomically pleasing. The use of stickers was so minimal and easy to place that it didn’t cause the usual pains involved. Throw in two smaller builds and some excellent minifigures, and for a price point of £30 you have a pretty decent set. Time will tell if it’s close to the source material but, as a standalone playset, the LEGO Group has succeeded on all accounts. This set was kindly provided for review by The LEGO Group. 76080 Ayesha's Revenge is available now from shop.LEGO.com. You can help support Brick Fanatics’ work by using our affiliate links.