Review: 76311 Miles Morales vs. the Spot
Posted by TheBrickPal,
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released to acclaim in 2018, prompting LEGO to produce various characters from the animated film soon afterwards, such as Gwen Stacy and Spider-Man 2099. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse followed in 2023, with a similar response.
The movie was initially overlooked by LEGO, perhaps not anticipating its huge popularity. However, they have finally answered fan pleas with an upcoming minifigure series, as well as January's 76311 Miles Morales vs. the Spot.
The set depicts a scene from early in the film and looks superb, albeit rather expensive. Furthermore, it can connect to the recently released 76317 Peter Parker's Apartment and 76324 Spider-Man vs. Oscorp to form a mini modular street, which is fun. However, the value of the model on its own does not seem very promising, so it is worth taking a closer look.
Summary
76311 Miles Morales vs. the Spot, 375 pieces.
£44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 | 12.0p/13.3c/13.3c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Despite some flaws, this set is a great representation of a memorable scene
- Desirable minifigures
- Solid police car model
- Detailed shop
- Fun play features
- Overpriced
- Some of the minifigures could be more accurate
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Miles Morales has appeared in numerous sets since 2015, beginning with 76036 Carnage's SHIELD Sky Attack. The character has only become more beloved in the years following, aided by his major role as the Spider-Man of Earth-1610 in the Spider-Verse films. That is the version of the character to appear here, so it is fair to say that expectations were high for this figure.
I think that the minifigure looks fantastic overall, featuring the familiar graffiti-style spider symbol on his chest. I do not think the blue highlights should be so prominent, but that is up to personal opinion, as in the film they are only noticeable depending on the shot.
The new hair piece is perfect, and Miles also features an exclusive head, with a smiling expression on one side and a nervous one on the other; both seem appropriate.
Spider-Man is accompanied by Gwen Stacy, the Spider-Woman of Earth-65, who Miles develops a close friendship and budding romance with. Her inclusion here is curious, as she doesn't appear in any scene with Miles, Jefferson or the Spot until later in the film, and never visits the bodega featured here.
Furthermore, the reused head and hair pieces are awful, looking nothing like the animated portrayal. The torso details are accurate, though, and I am glad she is included regardless.
Neither Miles nor Gwen have any arm or leg printing, which is unfortunate, but expected at this point.
Both Miles and Gwen include alternate heads for their masks, which look great. Each also has accessory holders for their webbing.
Miles' father is Officer Jefferson, who gets caught up in the first encounter between Spider-Man and the Spot. I am pleased to see him here, though the torso - featuring a medium blue shirt and black vest - is not accurate to the scene and, from what I can remember, this outfit doesn't appear in either film.
The hat shape, legs and exclusive head are all true to the source material and look good, but I would have liked an alternate hair piece to be included, too.
The destruction of the Alchemax super-collider in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse permanently altered scientist Johnathan Ohnn, turning him into the portal-infused villain known as the Spot. I love to see obscure comic book characters in LEGO form, so it is awesome that his presence in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse allowed the first-ever minifigure of the character.
The Spot's splotches of portals appear all over his body, which are accurate to the film and look great, although side arm and side leg printing would have been nice to see. Overall, he is a simple but effective minifigure.
Reference
Source - Marvel Database
Source - Sony Pictures Animation
Source - Sony Pictures Animation
Source - Sony Pictures Animation
The Completed Model
Following a meeting with Miles' guidance counsellor, Jefferson leaves Brooklyn Visions Academy only to find Miles and the Spot fighting in his police car, giving chase after they are whisked away by the Spot's conjured portals. The car is included here and looks very good to me, with accurate coloring and shaping, as well as red and blue police lights.
The car has a width of six studs, allowing for suitable detail on the front and back bumpers. I appreciate the stripes and PDNY logos on both sides, as well, though the logos would have been better as prints instead of stickers, of course.
The roof of the car can be removed with ease, revealing the interior with space for two minifigures, which is always a plus.
As mentioned before, the four police lights on the roof are accurate, although there is the addition of an antenna, which seems odd, as the vehicle in the films does not have one.
The back also looks good, with more angular shaping compared to the front.
Before the encounter in the police car, Miles first finds Spot trying to rob a New York bodega. The model appears mostly accurate to the film, but with some creative liberties due to its scale. The overall design looks great, with a striking mix of yellow and dark red pieces.
The angled door is also accurate to the film and looks nice, as well.
A freezer is located to the right of the exterior in the film and has been incorporated into the model, with a hidden play feature which will be discussed later. I particularly enjoy the evidence of Miles having visited before, with a Spider-Man mask on the door, webbing, paint, and his iconic name tag.
There is not much inside, except for some 1x1 pieces to represent ice.
A new flexible web piece was introduced this year and can be attached to the front of the building to trap the Spot, as shown here, or on the minifigures' accessory holders. The dark red masonry bricks on the right side of the building also look great, with some tan to break up the pattern a bit. A 1x2 brick with two Technic holes can be found at the bottom, which allows the bodega to be connected to the aforementioned summer sets. An upcoming article will show how that works, so stay tuned!
The signage at the top is one of my favorite aspects of the model. The colors and labels mostly appear as they do in the film. However, it was slightly annoying trying to line up the stickers, so printing would have been preferable. That said, the struggle was indeed worth it!
There is no roof to the model, which is a little bothersome, but some spare plates should do the trick for one, and I understand that the studs allow for compatibility with 76317 Peter Parker's Apartment and Miles' apartment in 76324 Spider-Man vs. Oscorp, which is welcome.
The interior features a lot of detail for such a small footprint, but due to that it also feels slightly cramped. However, the bodega is crowded in the film, so this could be considered a good representation! One can imagine a more expensive model allowing a bigger floor plan, but that would not have necessarily made the set better, so I think this layout suffices.
There are a decent number of connection points for minifigures, including in front of and behind the counter, next to the ATM, and on the portals above.
Upon entering the bodega, the Spot attempts to rob an ATM - or as he calls it, an "ATM machine" - by applying a portal on it and reaching in. The ATM looks just like in the film, with an 'insert card' screen and label above. I also like the different products on the shelf, and the security camera feed in the corner. An advertisement for a donut hangs nearby, which may be a subtle reference to the bagel that Miles hit Dr. Ohnn with in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse!
The Spot's plan to steal money from the machine becomes a huge problem, with his portals sending it flying around the store, then later through New York City. The grill at the bottom of the freezer outside can be pressed, launching the ATM off of the studs on the wall.
This is a great play feature, as it not only captures a memorable moment, but is fun to activate, too. Additionally, the ATM can be connected to the portals, simulating the action in the film and looking interesting for a display.
The Spot and the other minifigures can be positioned on the portals, as well, again allowing for plenty of play and display possibilities.
Overall
This is a great set. The bodega and car allow for the recreation of a fantastic part of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and some great minifigures are provided. Gwen is a good inclusion, too, but her execution could definitely be better. Fortunately, the missteps with her will be rectified very soon!
The glaring issue, as with so many sets nowadays, is the price. £44.99, $49.99 or €49.99 is simply too much for a set of this size and piece count. With that in mind, I can only recommend it at a substantial discount, unless you are a massive fan of the franchise.
Besides that, this is an enjoyable set on the whole. And with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse releasing in just two years from now, hopefully it is only the first of many Spider-Verse sets to come!
Thanks to CapnRex101 for the photos.
96 likes
56 comments on this article
Hey, called it.
I wish sets like this would come with a shop assistant.
Meat, fruit, AND veg? That's one comprehensive deli.
Wow, at first glance I thought it was a 25€ model... O_o
Spot, the dog? Spot, the cat?
It's so insidious that the rest of the set is behind the 130€ paywall. And then the Oscorp set is incomplete and you need to get the 50€ Peter's apartment set. This is so anti-consumer. I truly loath Lego for these business practices.
This set's police car really made me start feeling like LEGO should start making 5-wide windscreens for 6-wide cars.
@AustinPowers said:
"Spot, the dog? Spot, the cat? "
I don't spot any dogs or cats in this set...
@GirlWoman said:
"It's so insidious that the rest of the set is behind the 130€ paywall. And then the Oscorp set is incomplete and you need to get the 50€ Peter's apartment set. This is so anti-consumer. I truly loath Lego for these business practices."
I'm really not sure I agree with that line of thinking. These are all complete sets on their own. The ability to combine them all together is just a bonus, in my opinion.
Coincidentally, I literally just finished watching Across the Spider-verse. Like, the credits are rolling now.
As for the set, it's very good, but Gwen is very bad in this set compared to the CMF variant.
Not a bad set, but the Officer Morales figure is entirely recycled parts, other than the head (which is nice), and isn't actually that accurate. It's nice to get a movie version of Miles, but I hadn't even noticed the blue parts of the suit in the movie, and even now I see them more as shiny pieces of black material rather than sections of blue material. Gwen is a bit plain but accurate enough with the mask on. Spot, however, is the main reason to get this set.
The PDNY squad car is great and the exterior of the bodega looks really good as well.
So - I am happy to see Jefferson, I think he's underrated. Now that he's around, you can use the apartment from 76324 to recreate that emotional speech he gave to Miles, although given the layout of that set, he'll be delivering a heartfelt plea to his son from... uh, Eddie Brock's room? Okay, not ideal.
I disagree that the three interconnecting sets are "complete". I know that on the one hand, we're spoiled by massive modulars and high-quality, high-value Friends-builds, but on the other hand, *that is where the bar is, baby*. These half-sets, these side-builds, they do not meet that bar, and yet the price-tags suggest that if we only squint hard enough, then maybe, maaaaybe, maybe we can pretend that the bar is met? Pretty please, won't you give more money to these tiny struggling indie companies, prrrwease?
You say "detailed shop", I say "detailed sticker-sheet", and that isn't the compliment you think it is.
If you really want to give Spot some printed arms (and/or switch the position of his spots around), I suppose you could part out https://brickset.com/minifigs/blu006/, but honestly, do we really need ANOTHER set to complete this one?
Great review with usefull source pictures, just as I'm finishing converting the Jazz Club modular into a corner modular with this bodega integrated
I have no interest in the subject matter but the shop front looks good for adaptation in my town and the car also looks good, very expensive though...
Since it’s intended to connect up with other sets, I’m wondering if they’ll have places to put the portal too. A lot of Spidey themed sets fit them in for wall-crawling action, will they fit the Spot’s spots too? Something covered in that upcoming article perhaps?
Is there any chance we'll get some photos of all the buildings connected together, just to see what they look like?
@TheBrickPal said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Spot, the dog? Spot, the cat? "
I don't spot any dogs or cats in this set...
@GirlWoman said:
"It's so insidious that the rest of the set is behind the 130€ paywall. And then the Oscorp set is incomplete and you need to get the 50€ Peter's apartment set. This is so anti-consumer. I truly loath Lego for these business practices."
I'm really not sure I agree with that line of thinking. These are all complete sets on their own. The ability to combine them all together is just a bonus, in my opinion."
This is the first story of a building...it has no roof...it's literally incomplete and an unfinished build...
Having not seen the films, I was expecting (or hoping...) Spot was the old 7 Up mascot.
Marvel too like Star Wars is very expensive. $65 CAD for 4 minifigs a car and a tiny facade...ouch
@AustinPowers said:
"Spot, the dog? Spot, the cat? "
Huwbot is on the money with today’s RSotD!
Get 11201 and rip off the arms for Spot y/n
It was on my wishlist until the CMF was confirmed. I prefer spending in more detailed versions of Miles and Gwen.
I swear the more I see this set the smaller it gets
@Crux said:
"I disagree that the three interconnecting sets are "complete". I know that on the one hand, we're spoiled by massive modulars and high-quality, high-value Friends-builds, but on the other hand, *that is where the bar is, baby*. These half-sets, these side-builds, they do not meet that bar, and yet the price-tags suggest that if we only squint hard enough, then maybe, maaaaybe, maybe we can pretend that the bar is met? Pretty please, won't you give more money to these tiny struggling indie companies, prrrwease?"
Wow. That is a seriously high-quality strawman there.
The car looks great!
I do like the police car, don't care much for anything else. And probably for the better, as that price is just laughable.
The review said:
"The signage at the top is one of my favorite aspects of the model. The colors and labels mostly appear as they do in the film. However, it was slightly annoying trying to line up the stickers, so printing would have been preferable. That said, the struggle was indeed worth it!"
As much as I prefer prints, considering the piss poor alignment of Lego prints that wouldn't necessarily solve that particular problem at all. At least with prints you can only blame yourself for messing up.
This reminds me of the old-school Doc Ock bank heist set from Spider-Man 2. I loved that set as a kid, so the nostalgia is real with this release!
How did such a stylish and colourful movie get such a generic and bland looking set?
I struggle with having the Ice Cooler open to the street. All the ice would be stolen in about 5 minutes in a big city.
Looking at it, it is decent enough. I would consider making a fuller scale modular with the details. But then I saw the price. Umm no. The figures look decent. The car looks good. I just don't love the price.
So maybe I'll consider the sticker sheet if I find it somewhere and build my own building. I don't necessarily need the figures even though I am a figure collector. *Shrug*
@Jeddostotle7 said:
"This set's police car really made me start feeling like LEGO should start making 5-wide windscreens for 6-wide cars."
Or they could learn to put 6-wide windshields on 6-wide cars. They have three, if you include the one with the center frame. I’ve been using one of them for nearly two decades. Side-by-side seating, either bucket or bench seats, sometimes a stick shift, other times a center console. I’ve even got one car design with adjustable headrests above the seatbacks. You know, the bare minimum in car design.
I bought it at full price as soon as it came out, because I am "a massive fan of the franchise." Still haven't gotten around to building it, though.
@Crux said:"If you really want to give Spot some printed arms (and/or switch the position of his spots around), I suppose you could part out https://brickset.com/minifigs/blu006/, but honestly, do we really need ANOTHER set to complete this one?"
just2good said she was going to do that. Although it occurs to me that that might make the unprinted legs stand out even more.
I'm seeing way too many: Negative - Too expensive! Reviews going around. As with anything, cost is relative to ones income.
That said, my first reaction was: Wouldn't such a set, but older be €30? Then I actually went looking, 5 years ago, no it wouldn't be. 4 unique minifigs, a decent vehicle and a large shop front. It would probably have cost €50 5 years ago as well, it just would have included some more components. The Marvel licensed sets have been expensive for a while now. And I've been buying them at deep discounts (40-50% off), so my instincts have been warped.
This set should have, at least, come with a roof for the bodega.
I do think the car looks probably the best out of what was included in the set, but personally I would have been more interested in almost anything else in this set. I’m not sure but was Mile’s dad’s car even in the second movie? It was for sure not a memorable part, and seeing how long after the movie this set came out, it’s very disappointing to me that they chose this subject matter over something more iconic from the film.
Conveniently, Huwbots Amazon watch indicates it is available for 29% off already in the UK
The car would be perfect if it is 8-wide!
Yeah, i’ve got the set and i like it. The interior could have been better though.
The set being unfinished is of course weird, but also triggers to make yourself a good building for it. You can buy peter parkers appartment as well and put it up there, but more fun is to make yourself an building out of it. It stimulates people to build stuff that they make up themselves. Thats good.
Already on 29% discount on Amazon.co.uk. It would seem that Lego do price these sets ready for a future discount, but so soon?
@turboslot said:
"Already on 29% discount on Amazon.co.uk. It would seem that Lego do price these sets ready for a future discount, but so soon?"
Not that soon... it's over 7 month's old! Most reductions start after around 3 months, once all the 'must have on day 1' buyers have had their fill.
@rainstorm26 said:
"I struggle with having the Ice Cooler open to the street. All the ice would be stolen in about 5 minutes in a big city."
Holy! Is crime really that bad in the USA? People are stealing ICE???
I live in a big city, about an hour's drive North of the Canada-USA border and that kind of thing is absolutely unheard of here. Plenty of stores leave a good chunk of their product out in front of the store, even in the worst parts of the city.
@Winklebob said:
" @rainstorm26 said:
"I struggle with having the Ice Cooler open to the street. All the ice would be stolen in about 5 minutes in a big city."
Holy! Is crime really that bad in the USA? People are stealing ICE???
I live in a big city, about an hour's drive North of the Canada-USA border and that kind of thing is absolutely unheard of here. Plenty of stores leave a good chunk of their product out in front of the store, even in the worst parts of the city."
I think you have to remember that this set is located in NYC. I live in Metro Detroit, and gas stations all over the place have an ice chest located outside of the building. They can lock the doors if the gas station is closed, but while their open anyone could just walk up and swipe a bag.
@shaase said:
"Marvel too like Star Wars is very expensive. $65 CAD for 4 minifigs a car and a tiny facade...ouch"
Eh? Those Lego hosers. That price blew the toque of my noggin and made me feel like my wallet got a booter.. Too much for us Canucks. Good day! :(
Sawry. ;)
@sjr60 said:
" @turboslot said:
"Already on 29% discount on Amazon.co.uk. It would seem that Lego do price these sets ready for a future discount, but so soon?"
Not that soon... it's over 7 month's old! Most reductions start after around 3 months, once all the 'must have on day 1' buyers have had their fill."
Looking at Brickwatch, it has had about a 20% discount from day one. Which seems pretty common nowadays, as shops use that to make you pre-order from them instead of Lego.com.
Both Amazon.nl and Intertoys (biggest toy store chain over here) now have it at 36% discount (€32). Which seems like the price it should have had from the start. And it has already been below 30....
@Winklebob said:
" @rainstorm26 said:
"I struggle with having the Ice Cooler open to the street. All the ice would be stolen in about 5 minutes in a big city."
Holy! Is crime really that bad in the USA? People are stealing ICE???
I live in a big city, about an hour's drive North of the Canada-USA border and that kind of thing is absolutely unheard of here. Plenty of stores leave a good chunk of their product out in front of the store, even in the worst parts of the city."
A lot of sensible people just really object to ICE, and I applaud them for it.
@WizardOfOss said:
" @sjr60 said:
" @turboslot said:
"Already on 29% discount on Amazon.co.uk. It would seem that Lego do price these sets ready for a future discount, but so soon?"
Not that soon... it's over 7 month's old! Most reductions start after around 3 months, once all the 'must have on day 1' buyers have had their fill."
Looking at Brickwatch, it has had about a 20% discount from day one. Which seems pretty common nowadays, as shops use that to make you pre-order from them instead of Lego.com.
Both Amazon.nl and Intertoys (biggest toy store chain over here) now have it at 36% discount (€32). Which seems like the price it should have had from the start. And it has already been below 30...."
I do think people get a bit obsessed about RRP. It's of no relevance other than for sets exclusive to Lego stores. For other retailers it's just a method of giving the illusion of getting a bargain.
I have no idea of figures but I suspect that, for speed and convenience, a large percentage of Lego sales come directly from Lego, to people who couldn't care less about a 30% 'discount'.
There’s a lot I like about this set but since much of it comes down to the films it’s based on and the stickers I don’t know if it’ll see a deep enough discount to make it feel worth it.
(The spider-verse kit I really want is Peni Parker’s Sp//der mech, honestly.)
@sjr60 said:
"I do think people get a bit obsessed about RRP. It's of no relevance other than for sets exclusive to Lego stores. For other retailers it's just a method of giving the illusion of getting a bargain."
Yes and no. For one, you'll have to shop around to get those prices, and you bet there won't be a discount whenever you need a set on short notice, like for a birthday present. Also, those high discounts are mostly at big retailers, the small ones can't follow and are prices out of the market. Amazon can get away with making close to zero margin on Lego, the average toy store can't.
"I have no idea of figures but I suspect that, for speed and convenience, a large percentage of Lego sales come directly from Lego, to people who couldn't care less about a 30% 'discount'. "
I wonder ablout that. After all, we only have 4 Lego stores in the country (and all in the west), with two in Amsterdam, versus hundreds of toy stores. And sure, you can buy online......but then might as well just buy from Amazon or Bol, online retailers so ubiquitous people might forget to even look any further. And they ship faster more flexible and for free.
Maybe the situation might be different elsewhere though.
I wish Lego would do these kind of sets with the Batman/DC Comics license. Something besides another batmobile or batcave set.
The Spiderman line is very accessible for new (or lapsed) collectors. It's easy to get a "main" character like Miles or Gwen and some good villains, even deep cut ones like the Spot! When was the last time we had a Batman set with Robin?
In fact, this could have easily been a Batman set with Robin, a Gotham City officer like Renee Montoya, and a street level villain that is not named Joker or Catwoman.
@Hiratha said:"(The spider-verse kit I really want is Peni Parker’s Sp//der mech, honestly.)"
Same.
@traviscooper68 said:"The Spiderman line is very accessible for new (or lapsed) collectors. It's easy to get a "main" character like Miles or Gwen and some good villains, even deep cut ones like the Spot!"
The Spot was a deep cut for Across the Spider-Verse, but due to that movie, he isn't a deep cut for a Lego set.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Jeddostotle7 said:
"This set's police car really made me start feeling like LEGO should start making 5-wide windscreens for 6-wide cars."
Or they could learn to put 6-wide windshields on 6-wide cars. They have three, if you include the one with the center frame. I’ve been using one of them for nearly two decades. Side-by-side seating, either bucket or bench seats, sometimes a stick shift, other times a center console. I’ve even got one car design with adjustable headrests above the seatbacks. You know, the bare minimum in car design."
Eh, I think a 6-wide windscreen looks way too wide for most 6-wide passenger cars, especially when straight-sided. 5-wide would be the perfect middleground I think.
@traviscooper68
Catwoman’s not who you should have a beef with. Even though she’s my favorite supervillain, I feel it should be noted that Harley Quinn had, at one point, more minifigs than even the Joker. Catwoman hasn’t even hit double digits, if you exclude her Duplo appearance.
@Jeddostotle7:
Didn’t they do a few 5-wide windshields for Speed Champions? The problem with those is you can fit two minifigs behind one, but not inside of one. Since they frequently have side windows incorporated into their design, this becomes a dealbreaker issue.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @Hiratha said:"(The spider-verse kit I really want is Peni Parker’s Sp//der mech, honestly.)"
Same.
@traviscooper68 said:"The Spiderman line is very accessible for new (or lapsed) collectors. It's easy to get a "main" character like Miles or Gwen and some good villains, even deep cut ones like the Spot!"
The Spot was a deep cut for Across the Spider-Verse, but due to that movie, he isn't a deep cut for a Lego set."
He recently (this might have been before 'Across', not sure) made a reappearance, and - he's pretty chilling now. He's become obsessed with murdering his alternate dimension selves, so he's... a mass suicide? I guess? Comics, man.
@PurpleDave said:
" @traviscooper68
Catwoman’s not who you should have a beef with. Even though she’s my favorite supervillain, I feel it should be noted that Harley Quinn had, at one point, more minifigs than even the Joker. Catwoman hasn’t even hit double digits, if you exclude her Duplo appearance.
@Jeddostotle7:
Didn’t they do a few 5-wide windshields for Speed Champions? The problem with those is you can fit two minifigs behind one, but not inside of one. Since they frequently have side windows incorporated into their design, this becomes a dealbreaker issue."
Nope, in the 6-wide era Speed Champions only did 4-wide windscreens; in the 8-wide era they use 6-wide windscreens, which look much more proportional.
And yeah, you can't really fit two minifigs behind a 5-wide windscreen, but LEGO rarely ever tries to do two minifigs side-by-side in a 6-wide car anyway. Not a huge loss there in terms of official sets, if they were to start actually doing 5-wide windscreens.
@AustinPowers said:
"Spot, the dog? Spot, the cat? "
This Spot ain't coming with a giggle and a hum...
This is such a mixture of good and bad aspects of a set:
The minifigures are bad. While Miles seems applicable and can be an actually good replacement for the electrified CMF one and The Spot is very good too, Gwen is lackluster (could've been swapped for the cashier) and an unnecessary addition, while Officer Jefferson could be better.
The build is empty and boring; there was so much potential but it ended up going nowhere. The only really good thing here is the car, which looks very sleek and modern.
I feel like all of these summer sets would benefit from multiple purchases to MOC something of a sufficient size. A bigger bodega, Oscorp tower, roomier apartments with more detail...It's too bad they're so prohibitively expensive.