We’re back for round two of this year’s LEGO Superheroes Mighty Micros and this time it’s Marvel that’s up to bat with a trio of terrific sets.

We get a nice mixture of franchises showcased this time with Spider-Man, The Avengers and X-Men all getting the spotlight! Let’s get started with Marvel’s golden boy himself…

Spider-Man! Scorpion! A match up that doesn’t happen nearly often enough in my eyes because Scorpion is a pretty cool villain, design-wise.

The Spider-Man minifigure is much like last year’s but with an all-new, all-different wince! Or a wink. I suppose it depends on your perspective. Scorpion, meanwhile, looks like an adorably cartoonish version of his minifigure in the LEGO Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle. Both minifigures also come with an animal accessory tied with their theme.

In terms of the karts in this set, I’d initially written the Spider-Man one as uninspired until I realised that it was a simplified version of the infamous Spider-Buggy and I kind of walked back that opinion. It’s cool but still not as cool as Scorpion’s brutish claw-tank-thing! This thing is essentially a box on wheels but between the claw-like appendages and integrating Scorpion’s own tail pieces for the vehicle’s stinger is pretty clever.

Over with the X-Men, we have the comically mismatched Wolverine and Magneto. We don’t see the X-Men often enough in these sets so it’s great to see them here (and I’m hoping next year will see Deadpool in a mini-chimichanga delivery truck).

The minifigures are just as adorable as ever but, in an ironic twist, even more-so because Wolverine is an immortal, ninja-slaying samurai Canadian and Magneto is a holocaust survivor who has a mad-on for a human genocide. These two characters, out of all of Marvel’s characters, should not be this cute.

Again, their associated karts are hilarious! Wolverine is flying around in a shrunken Blackbird jet and Magneto has a giant magnet on it! They’re both really fitting with the characters and exemplify the tongue-in-cheek humour that I really like about this line.

Finally, with The Avengers and in the spirit of the future movies, we have Iron Man vs. Thanos. Earth technology versus space magic. Tony shouldn’t be looking anywhere near as cocky as he is.

In terms of minifigures, Tony’s Iron Man design is so simplified that it looks like a Halloween costume and he’s not helping his credentials by bringing a spanner to an Infinity Gauntlet fight. It’s no wonder that Thanos has the kind of manic glee on his face that comes from a sadistic villain who knows he’s going not only murder the hero but wipe him from existence. Quip your way out of this one, Stark.

The karts are equally laughably one-sided as Iron Man’s is a variant on The Flash’s from last year but with a quartet of repulsor jets. On the other hand, figuratively and literally, Thanos has used the Reality Gem to conjure up a kart shaped like the Infinity Gauntlet! That’s decadent and arrogant on a truly cosmic level but if I had a complaint, it’s that the gold used for this kart isn’t uniform, with some blocks cast in a metallic gold while the rest are a dull, lighter gold. It’s kind of the same problem that Wonder Woman’s jet faced but still, it’s a brilliant show of Thanos’s silly side and that’s saying something from a cosmic villain who once pestered D-Tier hero Hellcat in a ‘Thanos-copter’.

Once again, the creativity of the LEGO Marvel Superheroes Mighty Micros line shines through again with a brilliantly clever and fun set of builds. You can purchase these online and in stores for £8.99 each and I highly recommend picking them up for yourself or the Marvel fan in your life!

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.

I’m certainly hooked on a feeling and it’s the feeling I’ve had ever since this movie was announced and that feeling was that this would easily become my favourite of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Why? Well, I’ll get into that but check out the trailer and then we’ll talk about that.

The Guardians of The Galaxy in this movie are obviously based on the second team of the same name. In the comics, they were formed by Star-Lord as a proactive response to galactic threats, made up of ex-cons, space magicians, assassins and a celestial madonna. During their tenure, they’ve fought mad kings, the space-church, and the eldritch abominations of the Cancerverse. They were an absolutely great team and they’re one of my personal favourite team books in the Marvel stable so what do I think of the jump to silver screen?

The Dashing Rogue

Despite humble appearances, Star-Lord is the leader of this merry band of misfits. A child of the 80’s who hasn’t been back to Earth since then. Accompanied by his trusty walkman (his only connection to his home), Peter Quill finds his purpose amongst the Guardians. I don’t know Chris Pratt other than his roles in this and The LEGO Movie but I’m really digging him, he’s a funny dude so I suppose I should watch Parks and Rec, right?

The Assassin(s)

Gamora is the adoptive daughter of Thanos (the purple, chinny geezer from The Avengers) and is an absolute badass in all ways. Zoe Saldana is no stranger to sci-fi nor playing sexy space women, having previously played Uhurua in Star Trek and swapping the blue hues of Avatar‘s Neytiri for green. I’d use this space to also talk about Drax but apart from having a boner for vengeance, he’s never really been an interesting character and he’s being played by shite-bag Royal Rumble winner Batista. Highlight of the trailer for him was getting a one-armed choke spot from Ronan The Accuser.

The DPS and The Tank

Okay, okay, I’m done with the D&D analogies but seriously, each member of this team serves a particular function and these two are no exception. By far two of the most bizarre and outstanding members of the Guardians are Rocket Racoon and Groot; one a genetic experiment that created a tiny furry sociopath and the other is Groot. Bradley Cooper will be the voice of Rocket and I think that’s a fine choice, even though we don’t hear him speak in the trailer. Vin Diesel provides the voice and motion capture for Groot, a sentient tree-like creature who usually speaks only three words “I am Groot” but his meaning is always known by the crew (or they’re just casting their own ideas about what he says onto him.) The two have a genuine friendship in the comics and I’d like to see that play out.

Nebulous Villains

My biggest desire for this movie was that they flesh out the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a more literal sense. We’ve seen what Earth has to offer but now we get to see some intergalactic baddies! Nebula is played by former Doctor’s Companion Karen Gillen. She appears to be just as much an assassin as Gamora and Gillen has alluded to a “complex” relationship with Gamora. Other villains include Korath the Pursuer (played by Djimon Hounsou), Yondu (Michael Rooker) and Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser.

Sound of the Police! Whoop-whoop-whoop!

Not only are we getting an all-star team of good guys fighting an all-star team of bad guys, we also get an all-star team of other folks thrown in for good measure! The Nova Corps are an intergalactic police force and have some serious acting chops in their ranks. Glenn Close will be portraying Nova Prime Rael while John C Reilly is Rhomann Dey and Peter Serafinowicz another Nova Corps officer. Brilliant!

So that’s Guardians of The Galaxy and I am hyped! One of my favourite teams, backed by this immense cast and a damn good director shows that despite being the wild card for phase two, Marvel isn’t doing it half-cocked. It’s fully embracing the sci-fi and the silliness and will no doubt be a big hit with the fans. With mainstream audiences however? I dunno. Wait and see. Guardians of the Galaxy will be released August 1, 2014.