Review: 70913 Scarecrow Fearful Face-off
Posted by TheBrickPal,
70913 Scarecrow Fearful Face-off is the smallest set in the brand new second wave of Batman Movie sets due for release this summer, priced appropriately at only £11.99 or $14.99. As is custom once popular films trek through their theatrical run and make the jump to DVD and digital, I expect these five sets to fly off the shelves!
I'm even more confident about this set, as Scarecrow is one of Batman's most famous adversaries - available at a quite cheap price, to boot. Throw in a nicely crafted helicopter-like build and a bit of scenery, and you have yourself a deal. Similarly-sized 70900 The Joker Balloon Escape particularly impressed me, so as I analyze this set more in-depth I hope it can do the same!
Minifigures
Not-surprisingly, Batman appears in every set this wave. Besides polybags, this set is one of the easiest ways to acquire him. What is immediately apparent, however, is that this is not your typical TLBM Batman minifigure.
You may be noticing something odd and different about this Batman. Indeed, he is missing the specially molded utility belt piece slotted in between the torso and the legs! While it would have been nice for a cheaper way to acquire more of this already-iconic accessory, its absence makes perfect sense as the backside would stress the plastic of the bat-glider.
Instead, we have the torso that Batman has used in some DC Comics Super Heroes sets since 2012, as well as in The LEGO Movie and its product line (70815, 70817). Totally sufficient, but off-putting amongst all the other TLBM Batmans (Batmen?).
Instead of the brand new cloth-like cape that has appeared with Batman in the numerous other sets released this year, he is equipped with the aforementioned, trusty bat-glider. You may remember this same glider piece from 2013's 10937 Batman: Arkham Asylum Breakout. Built onto that is a jetpack consisting of a "telescope" piece and twin jets for flight capibility. I think it looks splendid, though Batman cannot stand on the ground properly without the removal of the flames or rotating the jets upward from behind. All in all, it is considerably more attractive than the jet pack that appears in 70908 The Scuttler!
The head printing is the same as it has appeared in other sets, as is the cowl and the (unfortunately) non-printed black legs. Batman is complete with the grappling gun he uses at the Gotham Energy Facility in the opening scenes of the film.
Dr. Jonathan Crane, more commonly known as Scarecrow, is also included to challenge the Caped Crusader. The phobia-themed villain is one of Batman's most enduring and popular rogues, thus appearing multiple times in the past decade of sets.
Though he may have been busy going undercover as a pizza guy in 70910 Scarecrow Special Delivery, a more traditional version appears here. A fantastic, similar minifigure was included in 76054 Batman: Scarecrow Harvest of Fear last year. However, this variant blows that one out of the water and stands out as the best brick version of the evil scientist to date, in my opinion.
From head to toe, the figure is decked out in detail. An identical hat-and-hair combination mold to Harvest of Fear is used on this Scarecrow, albeit with a hair color change to yellow straw.
Printing exists on both the front and back of the torso, representing the messy, cobbled-together body of Scarecrow. The legs are the same as his appearance in Special Delivery, incorporating side printing which is very welcome - and should be common on most minifigs these days. Scarecrow also utilizes the same head from that set, with a mischievous grin on one side and open mouth on the other. I think you'll agree that this minifigure is definitely worth the wait!
The Completed Model
Scarecrow is perhaps best known for using aerial vehicles with a common aesthetic and color scheme to induce the citizens of Gotham City's greatest fears, and what I assume to be an autogyro, or gyrocopter, seems like a perfect fit. The "ugly" appearance may not appeal to everyone but I believe it very effectively exhibits the ramshackle nature of Scarecrow.
Transparent fluorescent green, brown, grey and black dominate the color scheme, which I think offers magnificent contrast. Subtle greebling is apparent as well, with the vents, grills and whatnot.
A set of landing gear is represented through broomsticks, which is a clever choice for a character such as Scarecrow, and he even can be firmly situated in the empty front 'cockpit' area - he then can assume control of his flying machine and escape with the rest of the villains!
Every LEGO vehicle needs a play feature; ya know, for the kids! However, it is always preferable when a play feature 1.) makes sense, and 2.) works well, as is the case for the one present on this model! A pair of fear gas bombs exists on either side of the copter, connected by two minifig stud blasters.
The triggers can of course be pressed down on to simulate a dropping mechanism, which is fantastic for roleplaying opportunities. I can imagine all of the children (and AFOLs) who will be swooshing the gyrocopter around while continuously launching fear gas at poor, helpless minifigures standing on the floor of a bedroom!
Of course, the three-bladed propellors at the top and back also have the ability to be spun. The copter is completed and flagged by a fin featuring Scarecrow's pumpkin insignia, which can be adjusted at will.
Similarly-sized sets in November-January's LEGO Batman Movie wave included different subsections to build a large Gotham Energy Facility build. A fourth is included here and is probably the worst part of the set, due to so many pieces going into the main vehicle model. However, it's definitely not bad.
If I could guess I would say it's another portion of wall, but there is nothing to connect it to the other components and it is rather short, too. Its cube-like shape makes it hard to pinpoint what part of the building it is supposed to be.
A pressure gauge can be found on the front. The top area appears to resemble a catwalk, but interestingly that can also double as a launching mechanism by pushing down the tile on the left side. The 4x4 plate is then thrown off by force to simulate destruction.
This, too, launches another fear gas bomb from the opposite side. Play opportunities abound! We also have another sighting of the recent 'macaroni' piece in red.
Visually, the component fits in with the rest from other sets, but it looks rather disjointed with nowhere to connect. While a nice idea, when you get right down to it the combination model is very lackluster.
Verdict
Smaller sets of the first Batman Movie wave, like 70901 Mr. Freeze Ice Attack and 70902 Catwoman Catcycle Chase, are spectacular and thus one might have assumed their quality could not be matched by comparable sets in a second wave. However, that mindset has been completely extinguished by the presence of 70913 Scarecrow Fearful Face-off!
The modified Batman is not entirely ideal and I wish there were more to the Gotham Energy build, but overall you get your money's worth. The Scarecrow minifigure and related elements solidify this set as one of my favorites within the $20 and below price point for The LEGO Batman Movie! I highly recommend it.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
Thanks to CapnRex101 for the photos.
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8 comments on this article
That's a nice wee set - good for anyone wanting to get Scarecrow and the glider wings, and a nice selection of parts generally...
I saw this at Fred Meyer yesterday. They have a bunch of the summer sets.
I need his hat for a Darkest Du from MOC…
The power plant components at least make nice acoutrements if you got the TLBM movie maker set--one of the backgrounds is the Power Plant.
"As is custom once popular films trek through their theatrical run and make the jump to DVD and digital, I expect these five sets to fly off the shelves!"
I wasn't 100% sure that this wasn't sarcasm. Assuming not, are high sales of this really likely? The Lego Batman Movie already seems like yesterday's news, reinforced by the fact that Lego stores in the UK are giving 5 free Batman CMFs away with purchases over £50. The Scuttler has had some huge discounts at places like Amazon recently, but I'm still waiting for larger savings. I'm especially interested to see how well the two new big Batman sets sell as I really can't see them performing well so long after the movie has left theatres. Good for those of us happy to wait for a good deal. Having said that, I guess Batman sells regardless of whether or not a set is directly related to a movie. I just think Lego would have been better off releasing all of TLBM sets at once.
Despite the disappointing Gotham Energy build, this is a fantastic set! Cheap, too! I've never had a Scarecrow minifig and this is the perfect opportunity to get one. This set also has the best use for the stud shooter ever. Great play value.
I would have been pretty angry if LEGO hadn't released a set with a regular LEGO Batman Movie version of scarecrow, and not just given us him in a Luigi's pizza uniform. Great $15 set in my opinion!
Will probably grab this