Review: 76321 Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene
Posted by CapnRex101,
4855 Spider-Man's Train Rescue is arguably the most memorable of the classic Spider-Man sets, inspired by the subway train sequence featured in Spider-Man 2. 76321 Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene finally returns to this iconic sequence in LEGO form!
Clearly, this set has enormous appeal to Spider-Man fans, offering four exclusive minifigures and potentially the best iteration of Doc Ock yet. In addition, I imagine this subway carriage will interest LEGO city builders, though its price of £44.99, $54.99 or €49.99 may be an obstacle.
Summary
76321 Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene, 393 pieces.
£44.99 / $54.99 / €49.99 | 11.4p/14.0c/12.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A fantastic recreation of an iconic Spider-Man 2 scene and great for LEGO cities too
- Good-looking train carriage
- Ample space for passengers
- Perfect Spider-Man minifigure
- Doctor Octopus' mechanical arms are better than ever
- Unsightly Technic axle holes
- Doc Ock and Aunt May minifigures could be improved
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Tobey Maguire's version of Spider-Man was recently reintroduced in 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle, so providing the same minifigure here would have been easy. However, a unique torso and double-sided head have been produced to mirror the scene from the movie, with damage across Spidey's chest.
Marvel minifigures are regularly criticised for excessive re-use and justifiably so, in my opinion, hence this makes a nice change. The metallic silver web pattern and eyes correspond with the onscreen character and the dual-moulded dark blue and red legs look good as well.
The alternative head features a smile and a fantastic strained expression, so you can recreate Spider-Man's desperate efforts to stop the runaway train. A reddish brown hair element is also included, plus various web accessories, although they are mostly intended for use attached to the train.
Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson were not actually present for the train rescue sequence in Spider-Man 2, but I am glad these characters are included, especially because Jameson also appeared in 4855 Spider-Man's Train Rescue from 2004. Both figures consist of existing parts, beginning with Aunt May's grey knitted jumper, which debuted in 10325 Alpine Lodge.
J. Jonah Jameson's torso returns from 21336 The Office, while both characters re-use heads from Harry Potter sets. I think Barty Crouch's face works perfectly for Jameson, though I wish May's double-sided head featured a frightened expression, rather than two smiles. Additionally, including a printed Daily Bugle newspaper for J. Jonah would have been nice.
The scene would not be complete without Doctor Octopus, whose minifigure looks impressive overall, but has a couple of issues. Though I can understand LEGO choosing reddish brown for Octavius' jacket, I think olive green would be more effective, capturing its visibly green tint in the movie. On the other hand, no LEGO colour is a completely perfect match.
Furthermore, the hair piece looks a bit strange on Doc Ock and I dislike his smiling expression, which seems far too friendly for this section of the movie. The angry expression is much better and the element was created for 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle, so using the same piece here makes sense.
While the actual minifigure could be improved, Doc Ock's mechanical arms have never looked better! Aero Blade accessories are brilliant for the three-fingered claws, featuring trans-red 1x1 round plates or smaller claws in the middle of each. Also, the articulation is superb and you can easily use the plates or clips to pose Octavius clambering over the subway train.
The Completed Model
New York City subway trains are quite distinctive and short of building one from pearl silver or metallic silver pieces, I think this rendition looks good. As usual for LEGO, the carriage should be longer, but its length of 23cm allows the train to navigate LEGO railway track and I still think the vehicle's proportions are plausibly realistic.
The door on the front of the train is not functional and would be much too small for minifigures, but it and the adjoining windows look fairly accurate to the movie. I like the trans-red and trans-clear lights, plus the stickered destination board, rightly displaying 'Bay Ridge'. The same board appears at the other end of the carriage.
The two studs on the door are included to attach Spider-Man, as shown below. The scale does look slightly strange, but it works well enough and I like the web accessories connected to both sides of the train, recreating Spidey's efforts to stop the runaway train by webbing it to buildings around the track. There are multiple attachment points for these elements along the vehicle.
However, I wish 1x1 bricks with studs on the side were used instead of 1x1 bricks with Technic axle holes. The latter arguably offer a stronger connection, but using studs would mean figures could be posed anywhere on either side. There are bars to attach minifigures though and a few angled minifigure stands are included, which can interface with the Technic axle holes.
When initially assembled, the bogies are attached to the train base using tan 2x4 plates. 2x2 turntables are also provided though, so you can build the model with articulated bogies if you prefer, which again means the train runs properly on LEGO track.
I like the 1x2 grille bricks used along the sides and the windows look reasonable, although the older train windows with rounded corners were better. Stickers are provided to add damage to the windows, but those, the web accessories and the scattered dark tan parts denoting broken masonry are all optional, should you prefer a clean subway carriage.
The broken windows and masonry definitely create a sense of action though and even without studs on the sides of the train, there are still plentiful options for posing characters. Doc Ock is particularly fun to pose, helped by the aforementioned anti-studs and clips on his arms.
Two sections of the roof are removable to access the interior, which is good enough, but could probably be even easier. There is a surprising amount of room inside and you can comfortably place six figures on the bench seats, plus two more at either end. Blue is quite a vibrant colour for the seats, though understandably so on an otherwise grey model.
Stickers form the controls at both ends of the carriage, applied on 2x4 curved slopes. One has been damaged, caused by Doc Ock and corresponding with the film, while the other is pristine. You could easily remove one of these consoles if you wanted to link several carriages together and the bogies do incorporate 2x2 coupling plates for that purpose.
Overall
There are a number of appealing Marvel sets this summer and 76321 Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene is one of my favourites. Despite areas for improvement with Doc Ock and Aunt May, the minifigure selection is excellent and I particularly love how Doctor Octopus' arms are designed, allowing maximum articulation.
The train is impressive as well, especially with accessories attached to create a dynamic scene. A slightly larger and more detailed model would have been ideal, but I think this is a fun toy and one easily adapted for LEGO City environments. The only problem there is the price of £44.99, $54.99 or €49.99, which makes it expensive to assemble a longer train, but for Super Heroes fans wanting to recreate this sequence, this is a wonderful set.
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41 comments on this article
Those Technic '+' ports are just like all the action placements on the Avengers Tower, and they should work well with posing minifigures on the train car. That being said, they are easy to modify by just turning them sideways if you don't like them.
Also, this is a great base passenger car for a locomotive to pull. I may need a few of this set. To offset that cost, sell the extra minifigures!
I'm rarely one to say a minifig "needs" arm or leg printing, but it would have been nice to get a Tobey Spider-Man with hip printing like in the original 4855.
I really like this set! I haven't seen Spider-Man 2, but I have watched the train sequence before (which is awesome). I'm definitely planning on getting this set sometime in the near future.
Is Spider-Man's mask head piece the same one from 76261?
For some reason, I first saw the "battle damage" on Spider-Man as stuffing sticking out from a torn teddy bear. Now I can't see it as anything else.
This was our last, best shot of ever getting an official Joey Diaz minifigure
Might pick this up if it dips to $40. Could use it at Christmas with the Spidey advent calendar.
Ah, the scene that really cemented the whole "hero is conveniently unmasked so the actor can get more face time" trope in superhero films.
@BabuBrick said:
"I really like this set! I haven't seen Spider-Man 2, but I have watched the train sequence before (which is awesome). I'm definitely planning on getting this set sometime in the near future.
Is Spider-Man's mask head piece the same one from 76261?"
Yes, it is the same
@The_Boba_Brick said:
"This was our last, best shot of ever getting an official Joey Diaz minifigure "
Finally a man of integrity just like me.
@BillingsBrix said:
" @BabuBrick said:
"I really like this set! I haven't seen Spider-Man 2, but I have watched the train sequence before (which is awesome). I'm definitely planning on getting this set sometime in the near future.
Is Spider-Man's mask head piece the same one from 76261?"
Yes, it is the same"
Thank you.
It's too bad there aren't more generic passengers and the conductor. Despite the fact that the entire scene is so inaccurate to the NYC subway system (there are no elevated trains in midtown - they had to film it in Chicago!) I love this set as much as I love the movie it's from.
I actually like Doc Ock's smiling expression. The character's smarmy, falsely cordial nature really sets him apart from most superhero villains and remains a major reason why he's still one of the best bad guys in cinema of the past few decades.
While it's nice to get a Spider-man 2 set again, I wish this was a bit more in terms of detail and presentation, but it's already overpriced so I guess it's preferable to getting a $100 subway train.
This is an iconic scene.
Would this fit on the tracks in the Reeves Batcave?
I don't particularly like this rendition of Jameson, and it's entirely because of the hair. J.K. Simmons' wig in that movie very much had the look of someone with grey hair who used Grecian formula: black (or very dark brown) on top and grey on the sides. Having an entirely reddish brown hairpiece doesn't particularly give the same look
I like it and it is on my wantlist, but I will definitely wait for a sale if it ever comes. I remember loving the movie when it came out and this scene is "iconic."
I think the scale works well for LEGO, but not if you want a scale model. The figures are decent enough. I don't love Aunt May's face or Jameson's hairpiece or even Doc Ock's face. But you take what you can get.
Now the question for me is do I build it or just piece it out like I end up doing with every set I buy...
"You have a train to catch."
@AuntMay said:
"Haha, I'm in danger."
Definitely a great set for us Chicagoans, especially those of us looking to make a city modeled after Chicago. It's already rare enough for Lego to give railroads any love, and this just so happens to be a CTA 2200 series rail car. I'm planning on getting upwards of 8 of these... looks like I'll end up with a lot of extra Spideys!
I love the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, so I will most likely be getting this.
@ShilohCyan said:
"I'm rarely one to say a minifig "needs" arm or leg printing, but it would have been nice to get a Tobey Spider-Man with hip printing like in the original 4855. "
I would agree, however with how the torso is designed with its printing, the hip printing on the original is depicted on the new one's torso.
I would say making the arms duel molded and it's even better! Perfect if they put some web printing on the red parts of the limbs.
So, Harry Potter became Doctor Octopus after defeating / killing Lord Voldemort?
Some track with some small elevation would've been good too.
But then it'd push the price.
Still a must get for me.
Good review. Shame about the price. I have zero interest in Spiderman but wanted to get this (ideally two) as passenger carriages for my city railway.
Hopefully it goes on sale.
The improvements to Doc Ock's arms over the years remind me of the contrast between the 2007 General Grievous (https://brickset.com/minifigs/sw0134a/general-grievous-straight-legs) and 2010 version (https://brickset.com/minifigs/sw0254/general-grievous-bent-legs-tan-armor)
It wouldn't surprise me if there are people who want the figs but not the train car and end up listing the car without the figs on BrickLink.
@EtudeTheBadger said:
""You have a train to catch.""
Someone pointed out in the comments on just2good's review that it's a shame that the control lever is printed and not an actual piece, so you can't really recreate that that scene.
I love it! The old one had more than just the train and it's not perfect, but the execution is well done. And I'm just happy they made this!
"Listen... to me now"
I am a fan of this film. Glad to have bought the blu-ray recently in a charity shop and found that it had an extended cut of an extra 9 minutes - though I'm not sure I noticed the extra scenes. Still, highly enjoyable, even if you're not into super hero films.
I like this set, but £45 is crazy. I just can't 'see' the cost in the set. I'll keep an eye on it though - 33% discount would probably do it - then I might buy two!.. and some track... and some buildings.. and some passengers..
I don't think the Technic axle holes are that bad, they're kind needed for the some of the play features to work. I don't think there's no way for Lego to win this one. Remove the technic axle hole bricks for better looking model, but you have less play features. Keep the technic axle hole bricks for more playability, but without the play features on it looks not as good.
Luckily, 1X2 Profile Brick in Light Bluish Grey is incredibly common, so for anyone that does care enough, it's almost a complete non-problem
@jonwil said:
"It wouldn't surprise me if there are people who want the figs but not the train car and end up listing the car without the figs on BrickLink.
"
It could work the other way around, too. My idea is to sell the minifigs and keep the train.
I have a strange fascination for this movie (is it Alfred Molina?) and I love that we get a NYC subway car and a reissue of 4855 - but I don’t like how the train car is executed. It should have some small windows on the side to simulate the doors (like the old one had) and I think the interior is fine in blue (don‘t NYC subways also have blue seats?) but the seats are very badly arranged. Perhaps benches would have been better.
This set's great! Good car build, as well as some fresh new minifigure designs. What not to like?
@ADBrickhead said:
"Would this fit on the tracks in the Reeves Batcave?"
Theoretically it would- the track spacing seems right. The main concerns would be having a long enough track to fit the whole train and ensuring there was enough clearance under the footbridge. Of course, since this is Lego we’re talking about these aren’t insurmountable problems.
@Scott1 said:
"Definitely a great set for us Chicagoans, especially those of us looking to make a city modeled after Chicago. It's already rare enough for Lego to give railroads any love, and this just so happens to be a CTA 2200 series rail car. I'm planning on getting upwards of 8 of these... looks like I'll end up with a lot of extra Spideys!"
I'd go with a 3200 as that probably easier to add side doors with the current parts available. Too bad lego did give the passengers any way to get on or off safely
This set is really hard to like when you look at it next to the 2004 version of the same scene
Does it have magnets to connect to other cars to make an EMU?
Can this car be connected to a City train ?
@Night_City_Dream said:
"Does it have magnets to connect to other cars to make an EMU?"
No, it does not. You'd have to get your own magnets.
@CedBricks said:
"Can this car be connected to a City train ?"
Not without modifications.
@Brickerika said:
"I don't think the Technic axle holes are that bad, they're kind needed for the some of the play features to work. I don't think there's no way for Lego to win this one. Remove the technic axle hole bricks for better looking model, but you have less play features. Keep the technic axle hole bricks for more playability, but without the play features on it looks not as good.
Luckily, 1X2 Profile Brick in Light Bluish Grey is incredibly common, so for anyone that does care enough, it's almost a complete non-problem"
You can just turn the pieces 90 degrees and hide the technic holes entirely so it's all good!