Featured set of the day:Hulk Lab Smash
Posted by Huw,
Today, artdog141305 has chosen a relatively recent set for us:
Like many other AFOL, I took a hiatus from LEGO for part of my life. By the time I became a teenager in 2005, playing with LEGO faded into the background. I didn’t make the mistake of putting my childhood collection on our lawn for a ridiculously low sum in some yard sale; I kept it all in a large box in my mother’s basement for years.
I always kept LEGO in my peripheral. I would frequently sneak a trip to the toy aisle in Walmart to take a glance at the current offerings. I remember Space Police and Atlantis always catching my eye. One day, when I was in college, I took another secret trip to the toy aisle and discovered something incredible: 6868 Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout.
Marvel Comics characters and stories have been of great interest to me ever since my brother and I watched the shows on Saturday mornings and played with the action figures. We connect through this shared interest to this day. As a kid, I was imaginative enough to create minifigure substitutes for comic book characters. Now, here they were, right in front of me. This was a game-changer. The merging of two interests: LEGO and Marvel. As Michael Corleone said, “Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in!”
I’m not here to talk about Hulk’s Helicarrier Breakout, however. I didn’t buy it, as tempting as it was. I tried to ignore the deep interest in LEGO that never really left. Eventually, the enticement became unavoidable when sets like 76018 Avengers: Hulk Lab Smash were released. Here was the set of my dreams. I returned to the LEGO fold.
If you are a Marvel Comics fan, what’s not to like about this set? For one, it is a play set, something synonymous with Marvel toys for ages. Personally, I’ll take a well-executed play set over a vehicle any day. This particular setting does not disappoint. I used this LEGO for display purposes, but the play possibilities are evident. It’s all in the name: Hulk Lab SMASH!
First off, our titular hero breaks through the doors of the A.I.M. lab. I appreciate how well-constructed the doors appear at first glance, though they are just barely hanging on. From there, Hulk can land a thunderous stomp to send M.O.D.O.K. and his laser beam flying like he is on the wrong end of a seesaw. Using a similar method, Hulk can destroy the structure holding his friend Thor captive. Not to be overlooked, Hulk can also find his way to a poorly secured support under the walkway above and send Taskmaster tumbling down. That’s a lot of smashing for one set!
On a side note, Hulk Lab Smash has a nice selection of pieces for use in your own builds, in my opinion. The price per part ratio isn’t the greatest, probably because of the inclusion of a big-fig, but the included contents are worth the cost.
The minifigures alone are a significant portion of the appeal. I’ll say this first: every single minifigure included is unique to this set. All the characters have been represented in other forms, but these particular versions can only be found here. As a collector, that is very appealing. Hulk Lab Smash is coincidently relevant right now because of sets releasing this year, so let’s start by talking about the villains.
M.O.D.O.K. is about to be redone in 76153 Helicarrier, which I am particularly excited about. I’m really into the new depiction, perhaps even more than the original from Hulk Lab Smash; however, Hulk Lab Smash includes a charmingly cartoonish version. That oversized head atop a standard minifig body is just hilarious. I always find his chair a little difficult to keep upright, but that almost makes him more hilarious. Taskmaster was also redone this year in 76162 Black Widow's Helicopter Chase, and in this case, I much prefer the original. I’m a sucker for the more true-to-comic look in Hulk Lab Smash. The detail included is completely appropriate and looks striking with the contrasting dark blue and white.
I also prefer the true-to-comic appearance of Falcon here to the representations in the MCU sets. The red stands out against the colours of the lab. If I was being picky, I would complain about the wings being disconnected from his arms, but that doesn’t make it a bad minifigure. Maybe someday they can have a unique mould similar to Man-Bat in 76011 Batman: Man-Bat Attack (on another side note, Batman: Man-Bat Attack was actually the first LEGO set I got as an adult after my lengthy hiatus).
To me, Thor has had better looks than the one included in Hulk Lab Smash, but this is still a great minifigure. To stand apart from the rest, it is also the only Thor without a beard other than 76091: Mighty Micros: Thor vs. Loki. I love the mould of Mjolnir; it is a great weapon for play. I would like to see it with a print of some kind in the future, similar to the printed version included with 71018 Battle Dwarf.
And then there’s Hulk himself. He looks incredible (pun intended), sporting a suitable snarl and looking green as ever (I think I prefer this green to the olive green seen later). The purple trousers are also aptly included. There’s just so much I like about this big-fig. I could see him as very appealing for a kid to play with, and he stands out above the rest when on display. Hulk is truly strongest there is.
When I think of the kid I was a couple of decades ago, I know he would find hours of play in Hulk Lab Smash. Most sets at that time didn’t last long before being deconstructed and repurposed in my own creations; however, the A.I.M. lab would probably have stuck around for a while. There are just so many dynamic play features included. What really brings us to the party, however, are the outstanding minifigures. The selection is a comic book fan’s dream. I guess I would have to say thank you to LEGO and Marvel for putting out products like this that brought me back to a love that laid dormant all those years.
66 likes
11 comments on this article
Wow that was great writing. Glad you got the sets that marvel fans deserve
An excellent trip down memory lane, but I think you might be referring to 71018 Battle Dwarf when mentioning the hammer, as he's got a printed hammer and the Professional Surfer sadly does not
Comparing 2014 Modok to 2020 makes this set look even better!
While a bit ugly, this set is very cool. It has comic based super heroes and it is some sort of villain hide-out. What’s not to like.
Modok is awesome (the new one will even be better), and the inclusion of the Taskmaster is also really great (i wish they gave him a printed shield though).
I definitely agree with the wings on falcon. It has to be attached to his arms. So make them pieces Lego! And while you’re at it, give comic Vulture them as well.
This set is notorious in my collection as being one of my all-time least favorite sets (it was pretty fragile), but I was only 10 when I bought it, so I might have simply built it wrong.
@Skyguy said:
"This set is notorious in my collection as being one of my all-time least favorite sets (it was pretty fragile), but I was only 10 when I bought it, so I might have simply built it wrong."
I think it was meant to be fragile -> Hulk has to smash it
I thought about acquiring this lab. However, my AIM was turned elsewhere. Maybe it shouldn't have.
@fakespacesquid said:
"An excellent trip down memory lane, but I think you might be referring to 71018 Battle Dwarf when mentioning the hammer, as he's got a printed hammer and the Professional Surfer sadly does not"
Yes 71018-10 not 71018-1. I must have missed the zero.
It's always bothered me that the bigfigs legs aren't lined up, does it bother anyone else? Or is it just me?
@Diggs2145 It bothers me too.
A set I’m still looking for at a price to suit me, but it resonates on all cylinders for me. It really reminds me of some classic Toy Biz creations when I was really into some general action figure collecting in the late 90s early 2000s too...