76042 The SHIELD Helicarrier

Love it but where is Coulson, microfigures look great.

amazing

Tt looks quite big, but it´s a little pricey. I don´t know what it will cost in Finland, but most likely more than 350€.

OMG I didn't think I'd be that bothered, but WOW. This looks incredible. Unlike the ridiculous amount of grey used in huge Star Wars sets, this has a lot more colour adding interest throughout the build. I LOVE the fact that although it's microscale, they've included figures which adds a whole load more play value instead of just a display piece. But...what a display piece it is.

Bravo Lego...I have a feeling this will pay off.

Impressive stuff. And they managed to spell "shield" correctly this time :D

Designer video is live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O422YCyzjs

This looks like a great parts pack to build your own sea-faring WW2 aircraft carrier, particularly with those printed deck pieces.

Interesting that you can add power functions.

in other news, TLG to shortly announce stock shortage and price increase on the power function components...

this looks epic! timetostartsaving

Disappointed. I was expecting something in the spirit of the B-Wing or Slave I, meaning, very clean. This just looks like their normal sets would. There seems to be almost no attempt to SNOT the build, and I don't know, but that bottom looks too big. Of course, we are missing Coulson, but that's somewhat forgivable. But, yeah, I just was expecting it to live up to the price (like the UCS Falcon, or Slave I, etc.), and I just don't think it did.

Why are they called microfigures? Those are minifigure trophies, like the Jack Sparrow voodoo doll in the Queen Anne's Revenge. The Games Microfigures are larger in scale and blockier.

They are nanofigures!

I sooooo want this as the model itself looks amazing. Bit disappointed in the minifigure selection. Glad to see Hill does actually have the Shield logo printed on her right arm, couldn't see it at first.
I wanted Coulson.....

Hmmm £270.00 for Maria Hill.....yep totally worth it.

I do *not* get all the Coulson adoration! Sure, he was a main-ish character, but even so...

Seems overpriced, but what else is new?... Thankfully, I have no interest in Super Heroes, but it does look really cool!

They love me! They love me not. They love me! This is a great model, but, as we all knew, pricey. And the lack of Coulson is horrible. Anyways, I love the use of nano figures, and will definitely be getting this!
And yes! The large plates are printed! I thought they were overusing stickers in this set, but wow!

@ BooTheMightHamster: .............Half of the geek world is now against you. (just kidding. Maybe.)

Yeah, after seeing that bottom....we're back to the "Why doesn't LEGO pay attention to the bottom of ships" thing.

Look at the control panels and the yellow barricades. Is that the first official use of the clip-to-plate technique?

COOL!

@Trandoshan.
Yeah, I noticed the clipped pieces in the video. That is really cool that they're "expanding their horizons". (Which we've probably all already done anyways)

OMG, that's really huge...

And it's nice from TLG to include also some minifigures.

The Minifigures look AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too bad I can't get it, too much money :(

Any idea on a release date?

Is it bad that I like the nano/microfigures significantly more than the normal marvel figs? :P I am not a big fan of the normal Iron Man fig--I think his helmet looks really clunky--but I love the mini Iron Man! Also, now we have three scales for him! Micro, Minifig and Hulkbuster! :P

I think it looks cool. Not something I would get, as there are too many other sets that will get my money. Looks like the runway is 8x16 tiles with giant stickers, and I like the trophy-size figures.

@TitanArch the runway pieces are printed

@thehornedrat I doubt the website will go down on release day, but it wouldn't be unusual for it to "not work properly" :)

I think this has probably confimed what the ant-man figure will be like in his summer set.

Completely priced out of the market by this, I am.

Oh man, I hope there are several competitions around the web to win one of these, because there's no way I'm going to get away with buying one.

FOR ANYONE WANTING TO GET THIS, APPARENTLY MARCH HAS A DOUBLE VIP POINTS.

Best to get it then :P

This set looks like it was made with all age groups in mind, and that's good! Cool set, not worth the money.

I was pretty impressed, well, really impressed. Then I saw those microfigures. AWESOME. Love that idea, and they look phenomenal.

Nice...
Just wish there was a Thor and Hulk minifig and microfig...

With a price of £270, why doesn't it include power functions instead of something you can add. Sorry not very impressed.

Love the micro figs. I hope LEGO makes more sets with them. Star Wars would be perfect and mini towns.

Can't get too much better, eh? Unless they released a Minifigure-Scale Helicarrier! :-D

Won't get this, too expensive, though it looks good.

VERY good.

@Trandoshan
They have used the technique to have minifigs to hold tiles and I think it was been done before but I don't remember where.

According to the WSJ article, this ship is about 80cm long.

I love the nanofigures and the ship looks really good. I was expecting it to have a more UCS feel - too many gaps; but still looks great. The price also seems a bit high; reminds me of the UCS Super Star Destroyer price. Coulson would have been a nice addition. The printed runway tiles are awesome.

I had to look up what a "Coulson" was.

Seriously? Anyone cares about that throwaway character? Besides, what would he even look like - he's so bland I doubt Lego is going to mold a new receding hairline piece.

That Scarlett Johansson, uhhm I mean Black Widow, has such a cool new hairpiece. I absolutely adore that minifig! Her face is the same as the one included with the first Quinjet set, other than that she looks very similar to the previous version of her, even though her torso and leg printing is now different, nonetheless very cool! That minifig is my favourite of the bunch included. Maria Hill is also a very nice minifig, but why doesn't she and capt.A. have leg printing? It is a €350 set! Would it be too much to ask to have TLG design all minifigs with front and back torso printing, as well as leg printing?! Well at least she has arm printing, that is very nice! Never been a big fan of the character capt.A., or the Lego rendition of him, but he does look nice, with his fleshy head and hairpiece. Never understood why they never gave the masked capt.A. minifig a blue GI helmet with an 'A' printed on the front, instead of of the lacklustre bold 'stud-head'. Anyway I like this one better than the one I have from one of the Avengers sets from 2012 I have that included him with his motorcycle.
TLG might as well have charged an extra €50 or something, and include all those powerfuntions for automatic rotor movement and lights IMO.
Those NANO-figs are really wicked! Love them. @LostInTranslation is spot on! That is the only proper way to define and refer to them IMO.
The model is really nice , though I feel it would have been much better if they covered up more, if not all those studs with tiles and other 'greebling' elements for the exterior, as well as cover up the technic bars. I like the set despite all my criticism, but I don't know if I like it enough to dish out the huge sum TLG is asking for it as it is.

DanRSL - They did build a two-season (and running) TV show around him, after his central role in Avengers 1. Not exactly throwaway anymore.

For $350? Pass. I will check it out in person at my local LEGO store, but I am underwhelmed. It seems as if I am in the minority though.

@Sastrei

Yikes...

I have zero interest in the Avengers and I don't collect minifigures. But - and I'm quoting Janice from Friends here - OH. MY. GAWD. I feel like I had my first Legogasm looking at this thing. I'm amazed they took on an Ideas project that was so big and did justice to it. I think the sales of this thing will dictate whether they ever take on such a big Ideas project ever again.

Awww, @Trandoshan beat me to asking about the 1x1 tiles in the clips! I guess it's not illegal because of the angle they're at and that they're small and not connected to anything larger?

This set does look very impressive! I wonder if I'll be tempted to get it. Hmm.
It looks full of really nice touches, very nicely made with all the different angles.
And the price for a licensed set with that piece count seems reasonable too, what exactly is wrong with less that £300 for 300 pieces? Sure plenty are small, but there are some pretty big pieces too, it seems pretty good for what we might hope for value-wise.

I'm a bit puzzled by @The BrickKeeper saying it doesn't have SNOT, I can see plenty of studs that aren't top facing.
Has SNOT developed two distinct meanings? One where studs are moved in every different direction, another where studs are hidden and the surface is smoothed. To my mind the first is SNOT, the second needs a different name.
And I guess wedge plates are the last difficulty in studless smoothness, there's no way to get the angles without them, and no way to smooth them over without leaving corners. I can't see a remedy beyond new wedge tiles, and that seems a bit of a silly solution somehow.
I guess the choice has to be smooth angles with studs or pixelated lines and smooth surfaces, and on a micro build the choice is easy isn't it? We've got to put up with the studs.

And re. @bezley and the stupid grey in Star Wars: I wonder what effect the source material being grey has on that.... Seriously, do you want a Millennium Falcon in blue or a green Star Destroyer or something?
My last two buys were UCS Slave I and Sandcrawler and my favourite set's the Imperial Shuttle. There's not all that much grey overall in them! :P

Holy crap $350, I just got btfo.

Big deal! Coulson is just some guy in a grey or black business suit with a tie. I don't care they did not include him. He may be an interesting character in the marvel universe, but not a very exciting minifig. And anyone can easily MOC a coulson him/herself with some 'city' themed minifig elements etc.
ps.
This new Hawkeye is also a really outstanding minifig!

That is a really great use for the CMF minifigures trophy. You could do a very nice minas tirith in that scale...

Nothing I can afford this year on top of the sets I already want, but very cool. Don't think it will fit in the standard lego store display cades! ^^

I think that this set looks really good. They had to make it smaller. The ideas project is enormous and would have cost like $5,000 US. Do any of you know if these figures are unique? I cannot tell?
I have been trying to keep a list of all of the new figures from the upcoming sets

http://www.minifigpriceguide.com/Unreleased-and-Prototype-Lego-Minifigures.html

Hate to be the killjoy here but I am thoroughly disappointed with this one. I think it should have been a mixed-scale, like the Minifig mixed-scale Death Star from Star Wars. The microfigs are kinda pathetic and the minifigs are all too mainstream (I'm sick and tired of Monday-Thursday Coulson not being in a Monday-Friday set!) - I was seriously hoping ... er, praying ... for an Agent Phil Coulson minifig. Now we get basically three minifigs from the Ultron sets, a new Nick Fury (who looks little like in the movie) and Maria Hill (whose presence isn't enough to recover this sinking helicarrier). Kick out the microfig-minifig combination and use either one or the other, and I could accept it. But I guess, considering what Lego has done with giants in Star Wars, this model leaves me wanting.

awesome!!!

^^^Oops! Yeah, that wouldn't be so great! :P

Awesome going to buy it. I do not care what it is going costs in South Africa

What are the dimensions for this ?

^ HELLA BIG by VERY HELLA BIG

The Lego giveaway better be the winter soldier minifig when it gets released for VIPs only, if not I'll have to wait until they release him.

and add me to the list of those disappointed not to see Coulson included in this

Maybe this is what that winter soldier fig I saw floating around'll be a promotion with. Unfortunately that means I'll never get him (and then take him apart Becuase dark Jedi...)

The Emporor Hologram in the most recent Star Destroyer is almost the same scale as these Micro Figures. I love them. Also, THIS SET IS GLORIOUS!!! I cant wait to get two and modify the heck out of them. Both will get the lights and motors treatment and one will get a bunch of guns tacked on like in Winter Soldier. This is such a great model with essentially Two Different Scales at work in the same set. I think there is plenty of space to mod the interior to fit a Minifig bridge scene. High Five to Marcos Bessa. Great designer.

It's not as large or as detailed as I would've liked, but already I'm choking on the $400 price tag. That's the price of an Xbox One, and between that and a Lego set, I know which of the two I'll enjoy more. As cool as this set is, I don't like the Avengers, and was absolutely bored sitting through the first half of the movie.

Also, I know my father will be a little heartbroken that Lego didn't include a Coulson minifigure. He loves the Marvel Agents of Shield tv show.

Wasn't planning on buying this set, but it does look really good! If the price wasn't so high I would probably be buying this.

Hmmmm... I could take it or leave it at that price. It looks a little too small. Very nice build though. If it were $100 cheaper or even $50 cheaper, it'd be a day-one purchase for me.

This is THE. BEST. SET. EVER. PERIOD. How am i gonna get the money to buy it? :( It's gonna cost equivalent of ~500$ here in Poland

Great set, just way too expensive for me to be able to afford. The only thing I didn't like about the set was not the lack of Coulson, but the nanofigures- I'd have much preferred microfigures. Although on second thoughts, then that would make my microfigure collection incomplete, so I'm glad they didn't...

I love all the "looks like not enough brick for the money."

Whenever I see that I know it's from a person that just doesn't buy LEGO, or maybe hasn't for very long.

Perhaps they don't teach division anymore in school? Sure it's not at the magic 10cents/piece ratio, but it ain't bad for a giant licensed set. I was never interested in this set, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

I love it, I just hope I have enough spare cash come March...

Nice, but priced about $50 too high for the U.S. price. They could create an entirely new collectors market if the microfigures spread to SW. I'm passing on this one.

So cool but costley.

I wasn't impressed by the UCS Slave I pics and video, and I saw it in the flesh and was blown away. I think we should all reserve final judgement until we've actually seen it, I've a feeling it'll be bigger than the photos make it seem.
(And no-one's spoiling the mood by saying they don't like it, we're all entitled to react however we'd like!)

Very Cool Set. Instant Collector Item! The nanofigs make it very valuable as the first of it's kind and the type of military sky-fi set will never be repeated again in Lego unlike starwars set which often get the "repeat, repeat, repeat" again treatment. When the Avengers Movie-verse series finally ends this badboy will be 3 or 4 times more valuable for comic book collectors. I think this one is priced for limited production so save for this one if you are on the fence.

As for the missing agent Coulson, take a 71002-12: Saxophone Player, replace his saxophone with a gun, put a new head and hairpiece on him and enjoy :-)

About the microfigs... bleh! They look like cheap hasbro game pieces from a board game. I loved the old style microfigs, because they can be turned around and used as elements for moc'ing stairs and railings on buildings.

Honestly, the overall set is awesome! The minifig lineup is a bit lackluster, though I do like the Captain America minifig. But I do hope that this style microfig does not become a trend :/ new mould, though, sells me on the idea I'm wrong.

Wow......but I hope these MiniFigures are new and not run of the mill ones..????

Wish they would put as much design and creation effort into their non-licensed, traditional lines other than the Expert modular sets.

I'll spend my money on the modulars.

Anyone else thing the microfigure Nick Fury's moustache and chin make him look like a smiling, cuddly teddy bear?

I'm amazed they didn't add 4 more pieces to total it up to 3000 and put another £5 on the price tag

Looks awesome. Too bad they didn't include Coulson!

For those wondering where that comes from: he stars in the spinoff show Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

To buy this day 1 of VIP or to wait and buy it for double vip points a month later. Hmmm.

im buying it but love love coulson in it.
i would even settle for a polybag with him released at the time

Wonder if you could buy two sets and wodge them together for a decent scale model...
Probably wouldn't support its own weight.

So. Do the collector brigade think this'll be a 'buy it and stash it for a few years' in the hope that it becomes the next 10179?

Most certainly a "buy and stash". The Avengers Series is this generations star wars trilogy. This set is the first of it's kind. No doubt it will be a profitable or at least meaningful commemorative. It will be even more saught after when they see how fast these dissappear and the regret from the community from not buying it when they had the chance.

it's not based on the ideas project, right?

^It's a neat set. I'm too thinking if this becomes another 10179, but I doubt it 2008/2009/2010 were the glory days of sets to stock up. I would only buy it to stash it and wait for it to EOL and speculate with it.

Would love to finally be able to get my hands on some older sets.

I have no idea what this thing is.

Why no Coulson minifig? Why?! He is a big part of the Avengers movie

OH MY G-O-S-H! That's OUTSTANDING! Only three quibbles:
1) Where's Coulson?
2) The price tag... it burns...
3) Which movie is this based on? AOU? That would explain Widow's hair and no Coulson, but the carrier itself looks very much like the one in TWS and SHIELD was disbanded in that movie. Not to mention, Fury shouldn't be wearing an eye patch. He threw that away in TWS.

So I think we can conclude this is a Winter Soldier set with AOU Iron Man thrown in for good measure.

I think the big complaint being about the minifigures SHOWS how terrible most Super Hero sets actually are and that they are purchased only for the figures. This being a $350 set, it seems silly to buy it only for the figures. Now I agree, you want something to push your want/need for the set over the edge so you can get it, and figures will help you do that. But it's actually a good thing the figures aren't very exclusive. That means, you can enjoy this set for what it is. A great rendition of a large scale set. Plus, how much could most of those figures really go for in the aftermarket. Three of them will be in sets this spring (Cap'n's head and hair are already released). Maria Hill looks like a good print job, but she isn't exactly a desired figure, is she? The actress, beautiful. The figure, who cares?

But I love the mini quinjets. Those look good. I like the overall design of the build. The printed runways is neat, but I don't see any other uses for them outside of another runway, especially with the one that has the shield logo on it.

I like seeing the dark bley pirate ship hull on the bottom. That may come in handy down the road.

For the price, I will definitely pass. If it were cheaper, I'd consider it. But since I'm not made of money, I will have to focus on other things I want more..like minifigures...

O_O Oh dear me, i must have this. X_X Don't know where i'll get $350 though... xD

@Trandoshan- I know! They used that technique for the control screens in the inside too! I thought that was illegal. I know they use it for minifig hands to hold plates, but i never expected LEGO would EVER do something like this. Well, good for them i guess for branching out.

SET = WOW!!!!!!! AWESOME!!!! price = not awesome :(

Of course, you US people could buy this in Canada (only $317.18 at the exchange rate for today) - already 10% less at how weak the their currency is now.

This is going to look amazing next to my Super Star Destroyer. But my wallet... ouch!

Great... now I'm going to have to sell my xbox to buy this...

Cool set and I like the new microfigs. It's also VERY interesting that Lego has again made the total piece count just barely under a multiple of a thousand. It seems they want to make it seem huge but not TOO big for when parents look at the piece count to see it is "too many for a kid".

Unfortunately, I will be playing EOL chicken with this set for probably most of it's lifetime. The big price tag hurts just looking at it. I will have to start saving now.

Are the pieces used to clip the computer screens on a new mold? it looks more sturdy for the newly used clipping techniques than the original base clips.

Nowhere on the box do I see "boat does not float" :-)
Also, not sure if this is just a minor thing, but the Avengers in the top right corner aren't Lego minifigures, as is the case with the other sets.

And the Australian AFOLs in the audience will need to take out a second mortgage to afford it ...

I like the idea of the Helicarrier, and there is something adorable about the nanofigures (look at Nick Fury! He *does* look like a teddy bear) if not a little strange, but there's no way I can justify spending so much (I'm guessing for Aussie fans it'll be upwards of four or five hundred dollars) on that Maria Hill minifig, which is really what I'd be buying for.

I'm actually a big fan of the nanofigures - I think that's one of the best things about this set, but also one of the deficiencies (the fact that only four of the main characters are molded in nanofigure form). The ship is cool, and the minifigures are really nice (I especially like Captain America and Black Widow), but they seem like an afterthought/marketing ploy for a not-quite-nanofigure scale helicarrier.

@CapnRex101 or @Haw what are the dimensions of this set?

This set looks absolutely fantastic. I love how many microscale builds there are and the nanofigs are definitely a plus. Now where can I find $350...

cool

Great model! Big comic fan and always loved the Helicarrier in its various styles through the comics (Kirby's original still my fav!).
This movie one is just great. Someone mentioned what movie...I'm guessing it's an amalgam. Like this one has the spinning turbines from The Avengers movie (while Cap's Winter Soldier movie had them with repulsor tech use for the engines and alot more turret artillery featured).
The Shield micro- figures uniforms I don't remember from the comics and they didn't look like that in the movies or tv show? New incarnation since they purged Hydra from their ranks?
All figs seem Age of Ultron from the movie pics I've seen of Widow, Cap and Hawkeye. Couldn't find Nick Fury's costume though.
Regardless, just looks like a fun, involved build...love the micro builds, the figures display and love to see it with the power functions and lights. A must get for me but $350...ouch! I still need to get the Tumbler. Gotta' buy Tumbler on the double ViP points month then use some of that extra cabbage to put into the Helicarrier. Plus a new shelf to display this puppy!

Is this published as ideas project or as normal Super Heroes UCS set? I am just wondering … a grand piano at the Friends grand hotel - Creator changing seasons … the UCS helicarrier. I know that Lego explicitly states that it might happen that the same idea is created by the designers in parallel - but 3 times. According to my opinion the lego fans that created that ideas and spend a lot commitment to gather support should at least get a picture in the construction manual and a free set or something (even if it would be the case that the designers had the same idea without knowing - It does proof that the fan's ideas were excellent), I mean that can't all be a coincidence….

Maybe it's because I'm not a boy, but it doesn't do anything for me. Sorry lads. :)

Wow! I want this so bad. Alas, I'm pretty sure the New Zealand price will make my eyes water :-(

I would be honest, when I first saw this, I thought that this could just possibly be my favorite lego set. LOVED the MCU, and this is just, perfect for me. However there are some flaws that I had noticed, mainly the price tag. I would never had imagined that Lego would officially release this set at that price, and the fact that the conversion to Singapore dollars, well, makes it worse...Licensed themes are typically pricier, but that is an understatement for this case. If it included power functions, then it would be more understandable I presume.
My overall impression of it is actually that it is fragile. Notice that in the designer video the designer himself did not really interact with the model? There was no removing from the stand, moving it around etc, which makes me think that this model may actually be more fragile than we imagine.
On the plus side, Lego really outdone themselves this time by perfectly capturing the look of the Helicarrier, and the play function of the rotating rotors are innovative as well (How many 90 degree gear-turns would this model contain?). The cherry on top of the cake imo was the minifigure display stand, which includes a brick-built version of the SHIELD eagle! Loved it. I really do not have much issue with the minifigures, but the more the merrier, and a Coulson would have really topped it up. The microbuilds and nanofigures are really creative too, and somehow the opening of interior to access a walkway function reminds me of a certain UCS set... =P
Probably going to give it (VERY reluctantly) a pass, due to the price. =[

Why does the Nick Fury microfigure look like he has an animal's face?

350 euro :'(

I hadn't thought of him not picking it up...either it is more fragile and thus a display piece only, or it is just heavy/bulky enough to not swoosh it around (which would also be disappointing).

But just looking at it, it doesn't really look like a play set. It is a display set only. Which is odd considering this was supposed to be a child's toy, yet other than using bricks I don't see how it is a toy. And at that price, children won't be able to buy it with pocket money, and it seems most parents don't buy their kids much above $100 for large purchases (based on most retail, non-exclusive sets)...

If I ever have a lot of extra money, I'll pick one up. Methinks a lot of people are like that..which makes me wonder how long term sales will be on it.

Did you see that little clear cart high on the right on the "N" on the Design Logo in the video? You think that could be part of the Fairground Ferris Wheel?

@chrichrichri
It may seem like that, but many lego sets go into preliminary design two, three, or four years ahead of release.

When I saw this set for the first time on the March store calender I thought this was 'meh' Now that official pictures and a designer video have been released I can say I does look really great but something about it still doesn't look right...Marcos Bessa has done an impressive job with this largest set to date. This will be an iconic and popular LEGO set. Is the first LEGO D2C (Direct to Consumer) Marvel set, and will be loved amongst Marvel fans.

This set contains a unique display stand like the one included with The Dark Knight Tumbler but with an additional S.H.I.E.L.D. logo which is brick built. The display stand holds five Minifigures: Captain America (with mask), Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Hawkeye and Black Widow. The biggest problem with the Minifigures is that we don't get Coulson or Bruce Banner. We should have Hawkeye and Black Widow replaced with Coulson and Banner beause those two are already in the Avengers: Age of Ultron sets. I don't see what other sets Banner and Coulson could fit into besides this set.
I have a feeling they want us to spend a certain amount at the LEGO Store, purchase a Marvel video game or get them with a Marvel Blu-Ray.

This set contains Minifigure Trophy's of Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and eight Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This new concept has people with various opinions: Some say they are a cheap replacement for actual Minifigures, they bring to life the scale of the Helicarreir and others says they are a cool concept. I like them but they don't do much for me, I'd rather have them displayed in the interior than the exterior. This set also has several different micro builds to set the scene and scale such as 3x Quinjet's, 3 x planes, 2x forklifts, 4 x barriers and other similar vehicles.

Marcos mentions that the 8x16 tiles are printed with a road design for your own micro scale creations.

The main features we don't know until we see the designer video is that you can turn all four engines and the same time with a simple crank of a lever at the back of the model. You can also add LEGO Power Functions and lights to make it more authentic. To be honest I think if they included the Power Functions and lights I would be happy with the price of £269.99.

One think I realised is that having several colours such as Black, Dark Stone Grey and Medium Stone Grey, Bright Yellow and Transparent Light Blue on the Helicarrier is that it makes it all colourful and bright. I think the profile of the Super Star Destroyer was spectacular and amazing was because the colour scheme of the having Medium Stone Grey as the primary colour and mixing it with the Dark Stone Grey in center made the model very clean. What I'm trying to say is the colours for the Helicarrier should have just been the two shades of grey but Medium Stone Grey as the primary colour. I'm not sure about the Black road with a Bright Yellow S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and the Transparent Light Blue for the engine area.

This set isn't just about small stuff this set measures 31 inches in length, I think puts it behind the original UCS Imperial Star Destroyer and the recent Super Star Destroyer as the longest LEGO model. I wonder if any kid or adult has any space for this...

Overall this set it is great. It has it's flaws like the colour variation. The model is an impressive recreation and would make a great gift for any adult or Marvel fan.

Teddy Bear Fury is killing me. A small payback for S.H.I.E.L.D. fans who thought that 'Shaft meets The Punisher' was a somewhat pointless change.

(CYNICAL RANT)
I can't help but see that Lego's favourite customer is a licensed theme fanboy conservative middle class who pays through the nose. An ongoing Super Heroes CMF series would allow poorer children to get their favourite characters in a variety of outfits while the movie costumes were exclusive to the sets.

The Super Heroes theme represents everything that disgusts me about spending money on Lego right now: Comic Con exclusives, ridiculous price tags, patronising junior versions and a lack of stock and lack of deals, not forgetting that online Lego shambles that was the New Year Sale. The toy for children is getting lost here, at least cater to the AFOL market by listening and responding with better releases and with more stock.

Like a financially divided society Exclusive 'deluxe' sets are for the wealthy while CMFs are cheaply made Chinese collectables, poor kids running out of money on swaps failing to get all the characters they want. If you are an average earner then you never quite collect all the sets you fancy (unless you mortgage the house or starve the family) and end up on Ebay fighting for a prized instant plastic antique from last year at an inflated price because over half the sets you chased hit the dreaded eternal discontinuation. This ongoing frustration is probably devoid from poor kids lives as they accept less and love the little they have that much more and devoid from wealthy kids lives as they mostly get the whole lot. I suppose this is a lesson in wanting and buying less but I can't help seeing that the whole Lego organisation is now more about exclusivity than play, learning and collecting. Stuff the children.

I have absolutely no idea what the story behind this is but it looks so cool. Must have.

i hope there whil be a promotion bus from marvels agents of s.h.i.e.l.d in the same scale as the helicarrier with a coulson minifigure.
sorry for bad englisch

^^^^ Don't worry, only about 30 of these will be sold to people wanting to display it. The rest will be sold to people who'll break it up and sell the parts. Those 8x16 printed plates you mentioned will go for a pretty penny a pop.

This will go in my collection, but upset at price, for a almost 3,000 piece set with 5 minifigs should be at 300 not 350

You've got to love those little forklifts.

Wickeeeed... And yes, thos microfigs look cool. Maybe will include Steve in the Minecraft series in the future?

is it true that this one is only available through the official lego store?
That is what i have heard when i asked a retailer when it will be available in stores

Looks like it'll be on-sale from the 19th Feb: http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/The-SHIELD-Helicarrier-76042

It's also listed as exclusive, so looks to be Lego shops only? (Or perhaps timed exclusive?)

Not worth $350 in my opinion. Not big enough. I do like that they included the microfigures to scale it though.

LLove it.