Welcome back, everybody! Continuing the crop of new LEGO sets I’ve been sent to review, we’re taking a look at the LEGO DC Comics: Scarcrow Harvest of Fear from the Batman range of sets!

The box is pretty darn huge and the reverse has a great image of the set in it’s entirety as well as showcasing the action features. This set is available from most retailers for £59.99.

The contents include 5 bags of 563 assorted pieces, two instruction manuals, a sticker sheet and even a mini-comic which has stories for both this set and the Killer Croc Sewer Smash set!

As always, we’ll take a look at the minifigures first and we’ve got quite the eclectic bunch this time!

Naturally, we’ll start with Batsy himself; looking rather tech’d out in his breathing apparutus and rebreather. As noted in my DC Mighty Micros review, Batman’s skin tone comes up much darker on the black but something I didn’t mention was the new capes. In the past they were made of a much stiffer fabric but these new ones, while softer, look garbage around the neck. A minor complaint to be sure but it does bother me a little.

The main antagonist of the set is Scarecrow and he looks exactly like his namesake. Not much to say really but his shabby attire and one-piece hat/hair are spot on.

The farmer is your hostage du jour and looks suitably sweaty and terrified.

Now we get into the weirdoes and one of the big draws of this set for me because if there’s one thing I love it’s obscure comic references and you don’t get much more obscurer than Killer Moth! This neon ne’er-do-well occupies the same tier of silly Batman villains as Kite Man and Crazy Quilt and I adore him. He’s goofy and bright and just makes me smile looking at him.

Blue Beetle is my favourite superhero. No, I’m serious. This B-list teenage hero is this millennium’s answer to Spider-Man and his comic series is one of my favourites so to see Jaime Reyes in all his glory as a minifigure? How could I pass that up? The detailing on his torso and face are perfect, with nothing out of line at all. He even comes with a unique neck piece to give him his signature silhouette and some cool techno bug wings. He’s a keeper!

The first part of the build is the little red tractor which is almost elegant in it’s simplicity.

I don’t know what it is about building a tractor out of LEGO but I strangely found it fun. Maybe because it’s so humble compared to the high-tech Bat-Copter or Scarecrow’s crazy combine harvester but I think it’s a neat little addition to an already cool set for me.

The Bat-Copter’s build follows the same kind of steps you’d expect for a helicopter but still throws a curve ball with the tail being geared towards having stud blaster’s pop out of the sides of the vehicle.

The finished Bat-Copter is a solid little vehicle and very typical of a Batman set so I’m sure you’ll have a blast with it although watch out for the stud launchers, they have a habit of going off inside the fuselage.

This is where the set gets weird and I am super down for that. There’s some intricate gear building involved early doors but that pays off later, trust me.

Yes. I love it. All neon green and muddy browns… If the red tractor was a simple and quaint machine, this behemoth is the Worzle-mobile from hell and it’s brilliant! It’s such a unique vehicle and fits so well for the Scarecrow and is easily the headline act of this set.

Scarecrow’s Harvest of Fear is an amazingly fun set and I’m not just saying that because I’m biased towards stuff with Blue Beetle, obscure villains, and agricultural nightmare machines but objectively as a toy set. The builds are fun and the vehicles have lots of play value with their action features and would go great with any number of the other DC Comics sets currently available.

While much of the LEGO Marvel Superheroes theme focuses on either movies or tv shows, there’s the odd set that doesn’t fit into those caegories and 76049 Avenjet Space Mission is such a set. While not quite based solely in the realm of comics, it’s also based on a vehicle in the LEGO Marvel’s Avengers video game!
76049 Avenjet Space Mission comes in at a whopping 523 piece count and retails for around £59.99. Included in the set are four bags of bricks, a Thanos big fig, a thick instruction booklet, a mini comic and sticker sheet.

Kicking off the minifigures is the Sentinel of Liberty; Captain America! This particular rendition of Steve Rogers is near identical to the ‘Scuba’ variant of the 76048 Iron Skull Submarine Attack set, just swap out the flippers for a jetpack.

Hyperion has been both hero and villain so seeing him here as Thanos’ lackey isn’t too far fetched plus it’s great to see more obscure characters, like Marvel’s own nuclear answer to Superman.

It wouldn’t be a Marvel set without the poster-boy for Avengers; Iron Man! This time decked out in a pretty sweet Mark 39 ‘Gemini’ deco, he’s the same old Iron Man you’ve experienced before but in a fetching white.

Fresh from the pages of her brand new series, Carol ‘Captain Marvel’ Danvers goes a long way to making this set a favourite of mine. I love Captain Marvel that much! While most of the minifigs have double-printed faces; Carol goes one better and includes an armoured face for when she means business.

Rounding out the bunch — emphasis on round — is a somewhat portly big fig of the Mad Titan, Thanos. He looks spot on to his video game appearances but regrettably suffers from the same problem as many big figs and that’s that they constantly look downward.

The first parts of the build are Thanos’ hover-boots and the minijet. The hover-boots are an odd choice, mainly because they seem backwards no matter what way they face but also because they’re not Thanos’ most infamous form of transportation. The minijet is a pretty bare-bones, build-by-numbers affair that’s nothing to right home about but I do dig how the wings lock into place with a satisfying click.

The main fuselage is where the action is as everything connects to this skeletal frame in one way or another. There’s a small cargo bay where Iron Man is stored before he needs to be launched and the turbine wings really do it for me.

The final part of the build is the primary cockpit, which connects to two ratchet joints on the fuselage, giving the whole Avenjet the feel of a Quinjet. Oddly, the main cockpit has a fire extinguisher in it. I mean, sure, a space ship should probably have one but it seems like such a random addition to the set. Throughout the build there’s been sticker applications and, maybe it’s just me, but there’s something about putting the Avengers logo on stuff that makes me smile.

The completed Avenjet is a fantastic-looking and surprisingly robust model that’s full of play features. The detachable minijet, the storage for Captain America’s gear near the engins, Iron Man’s shuttle bay deployment and the five flick missiles. For more added firepower, both the minijet and Thanos’ hover-boots include stud shooters.

Overall, I found the build experience pretty enjoyable and the minifigures definitely add a bunch of character but can I recommend the set for £59.99? Not really. Yes it’s a fun set and there’s plenty of play value here but I would probably recommend waiting for a price drop.

Companies attending SDCC to peddle their wares often have a whole host of exclusive goodies to give away or to sell you and since I’m not in any position to attend, I thought I’d give my thoughts on a few items that I’d love to own personally. First up; DOMO-KUUUUUUUN!

Funko Booth #5343 – Metallic Domo Batman
Funko is always on hand to peddle more variant vinyls than you can shake a stick at, this year alone has so many that I’ve lost count. Has to be around 50-60 at least but this one caught my eye for a number of reasons. Firstly, Domo, because Domo is always funny and because it’s Domo dressed as Batman. SOLD. With numerous Pop Vinyls from TV, Movies, Comics and Pop Culture, I’m sure you’ll find one to tickle your particular fancy.

Bluefin Tamashii Nations Booth 3545 – S.H. Figuarts Power Rangers Samurai Metallic Figure Set
Boy, that’s a mouthful. I love S.H. Figuarts (despite not owning any) for their articulation, generous accesories and overall aesthetic. This set includes complete team of Rangers (many of whom had never seen a regular retail release in the US), with all their extras and accesories from their respective single releases and in a shiny Metallic paint? How can you pass up such a great set of figures for the sum of $200. It may seem steep but importing the regular female Rangers can command that price alone sometimes so it’s a damn good deal!

Hasbro Booth 3329 – Marvel Universe Deadpool Corps Special Edition Figure Set
Deadpool is big, tacos are delicious and exclusives are awesome. Throw them all together and you have a 6-‘Pool team of figures in exclusive taco-shaped packaging and a lovely Mexican food truck box to keep them in. Granted this is an extremely silly exclusive set for the sum of $49.99 but that’s why I love it so! Chimichangas!

LEGO Booth 2829 – Marvel and DC Superheroes Minifigures
Did you really expect anything less from me? LEGO released a bunch last year and this year they have 4 more to giveaway over the course of the event. Green Arrow takes cues from his TV appearance, Spiderman is chockful of lovely detail and Spiderwoman is a neat, relatively obscure, Avenger to throw into the group. The only misfire is black-suit Superman which appears to be the exclusive du jour this year because of Man of Steel but ends up looking dull compared to his more colourful comrades. Anyone who sends me an Arrow, Spidey or Spiderwoman wins my undying affection and a super-special-awesome shout out in a video!

Bluefin Distribution Booth 140 – Dragonball Z Exclusive 3 Piece Scouter Set
Do I need to explain why I need this? DBZ was a huge part of my first exposure to anime and DBZ Abridged is my favourite comedy series on YouTube so why do I want one of these awesome Scouters? Muffin Button. Also because they’re $25 and come in 3 different colours. They’re very limited so if you’re lucky enough to nab one, be aware that I am super jealous.

So that’s what I would conceivabley be spending my money on at SDCC, how about you? Any of you attending or not, what would you love to get and what leaves you cold inside?