Review: Disney Ducks BrickHeadz
Posted by Huw,
The Mickey and Friends BrickHeadz are among the most endearing of the blocky characters and their numbers are set to swell considerably when 40476 Daisy Duck and 40477 Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey and Louie introduce five more characters to the roster next month.
40476 Daisy Duck
40377 Donald Duck was introduced during 2020, so it's only fitting that his girlfriend should follow in his footsteps.
Design-wise her only notable feature is the pink hair bow which has been effectively modelled using curved and cheese slopes. Unlike the other ducks Daisy wears shoes which perhaps look a bit blocky. I don't think pink wedges would have looked any better, though.
In common with virtually all BrickHeadz, this one contains a couple of printed elements, which in this case embellish the figure with the duck's distinctive long eyelashes and a neck-line to her dress.
Reunited at last :-)
40477 Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey and Louie
Huey, Dewey and Louie were created in 1937, followed ten years later by Scrooge McDuck. However, it was not until 40 years later that he and his grandnephews featured in the cartoon Duck Tales, upon which this set is based.
Donald's uncle is built in much the same way as the ducks above, but with the addition of his characteristic top hat, pince-nez glasses perched on his beak and a few cheese slopes for the unkempt feathers on the side of his face.
He's often seen wearing some sort of shoes which are represented here by red wedge plates on his feet.
The kids are very cute! They follow the standard 3x3 BrickHeadz template and are identical save for the colour of their shirts and caps.
Verdict
These are delightful additions to the Disney BrickHeadz collection and Daisy, in particular, will be of interest to those who already own Donald.
I believe they will be available at LEGO.com from 1st June.
Thanks to LEGO for providing the set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
74 likes
35 comments on this article
Finally, brickset has more articles!
Good job I have a birthday coming up. All the June Disney releases look fab.
Grouped together like that last photo, they are quite colouful and cheerful. Thanks for that!
@ShadoWind said:
"Finally, brickset has more articles!"
What do you mean by that? How many do you think we should be publishing? We prefer quality over quantity, unlike some other sites that I won't mention.
Seriously naff.
Not my cup of tea, but these do look good and I'm happy they'll be available for Disney fans. It's never been a better time to be into LEGO, we are getting spoiled!
@Huw said:
" @ShadoWind said:
"Finally, brickset has more articles!"
What do you mean by that? How many do you think we should be publishing? We prefer quality over quantity, unlike some other sites that I won't mention."
Keep going!
Weird that 1x1 and 1x2 plates are used instead of 1x3 plates in Daisy's bow, seeing as that part appeared in bright pink as recently as 2019, in four sets.
@ShadoWind said:
"Finally, brickset has more articles!"
Very odd comment indeed, especially seeing as lately there's been at least one new article every day, often more.
I had really wanted to get all of these, but I got scrooged out of the 1st ones of Mickey and Minnie, so sad to say I will not be getting any of them, the after sale for them is way too much for me,I wanted them to keep and enjoy not for reselling
Actually, Scrooge McDuck does not wear shoes. What those red plates represent are his trade mark pair of spats, which although normally worn with a pair of shoes, are not in Scrooge's case.
We aim for one or two editorials a day, plus whatever news needs publishing.
I think the amount of articles is fine, thanks for the review.
So annoying, Scrooge has a red coat in the Dutch comics. It's even a printed part so you can't do a colour swap.
I understand that you can't account for all regional variations (see Sesame Street), but I won't be getting these even if I'm a huge Scrooge fan (mostly the Don Rosa stories).
@Huw said:
"We aim for one or two editorials a day, plus whatever news needs publishing. "
Don't get me wrong, my only point is that a few days ago, apart from RSODT, we only had one article, at 8pm UK time.
@MrClassic said:
"Weird that 1x1 and 1x2 plates are used instead of 1x3 plates in Daisy's bow, seeing as that part appeared in bright pink as recently as 2019, in four sets.
@ShadoWind said:
"Finally, brickset has more articles!"
Very odd comment indeed, especially seeing as lately there's been at least one new article every day, often more."
^
Why is the print on Scrooge on a 1x2x2 brick instead of a 1x4? That red strip in the middle just doesn't look good. It could simply be a 1x4 red plate keeping it cohesive.
@agadoijo said:
"Why is the print on Scrooge on a 1x2x2 brick instead of a 1x4? That red strip in the middle just doesn't look good. It could simply be a 1x4 red plate keeping it cohesive."
Indeed, or a standard 1x2 brick. Unless printed on white or other very light colours prints rarely if ever match the colour of the plastic, one of Lego's ongoing quality issues that they never seem to fix.
@Huw said:
" @ShadoWind said:
"Finally, brickset has more articles!"
What do you mean by that? How many do you think we should be publishing? We prefer quality over quantity, unlike some other sites that I won't mention."
Somehow I have a hunch!
@Koentinius said:
"So annoying, Scrooge has a red coat in the Dutch comics. I understand that you can't account for all regional variations, but I won't be getting these even if I'm a huge Scrooge fan (mostly the Don Rosa stories)."
The comic universe has been disregarded entirely so far. I'd love to see some characters and sets based on the works of Carl Barks, Don Rosa, or the Italians, but it seems that Lego are only interested in the cartoons and the Disney theme parks...
Those shoes on Daisy make it look like she has been captured by the mob and is about to take a final swim in the river. That said, I am excited to have Donald and Daisy together. But something different needs to be done for her feet.
@Koentinius said:
"So annoying, Scrooge has a red coat in the Dutch comics. It's even a printed part so you can't do a colour swap.
I understand that you can't account for all regional variations (see Sesame Street), but I won't be getting these even if I'm a huge Scrooge fan (mostly the Don Rosa stories)."
I’m not sure if you knew this, but LEGO sets can be modified. Turns out pieces from one set can be used in others, crazy right?! So like in theory you could make or modify Scrooge, even if a print is missing, but I can understand if maybe that requires too much creativity on your part
@Huw said:
" @ShadoWind said:
"Finally, brickset has more articles!"
What do you mean by that? How many do you think we should be publishing? We prefer quality over quantity, unlike some other sites that I won't mention."
@Huw: You diminish yourself and your excellent site when you make a remark like that. Because Brickset has no real competition IMHO. You guys stand head and shoulders above any other fan site that I know of. If I were you (and I ran my own fan-type website in another field for two decades, so I know what the job is like) I would write the rebuttal and then immediately erase it. Stay above the fray!
I’ve been watching season three of the Ducktales reboot. I have supremely enjoyed the entire show. I may have the get the Scrooge Mcduck, and kids. I would absolutely kill for some Darkwing Duck LEGO sets. Either minifig based sets (it’s not like they can’t do the head molds) or a Brickheadz double pack with either Darkwing and Launchpad, or Darkwing and a villain. Maybe Negaduck would be a good one. I’d even be down if LEGO does another CMF series of Disney, and included DW.
@Huw said:
" @ShadoWind said:
"Finally, brickset has more articles!"
What do you mean by that? How many do you think we should be publishing? We prefer quality over quantity, unlike some other sites that I won't mention."
The entire team at Brickset does an amazing job!! your site is one of the first places I visit every morning, incredibly professional yet somehow you all feel like family :) keep up the amazing work!
Thank you for your comments. We'll keep up the good work!
@Huw said:
" @ShadoWind said:
"Finally, brickset has more articles!"
What do you mean by that? How many do you think we should be publishing? We prefer quality over quantity, unlike some other sites that I won't mention."
*squints suspiciously at lego*
In all seriousness though, the articles here on Brickset are of amazing quality.
As a huge fan of Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck comics, these fall completely flat. The Disney ducks have never translated well to 3D. Somehow, the suspension of disbelief so effortlessly enjoyed on the printed page collapses in duck sculpture. Even Carl Barks's paintings didn't look as natural as his line art. But when translated to BrickHeadz form? Yech. I just can't get past the eyes.
Ironically, Barks drew Donald in box form for a gag in story called "The Menehune Mystery" where Donald was accidentally sealed into a crate of spinach. It looked less aberrant (and a lot funnier) than these things.
But it's also an insult that they're based off DuckTales. I've long given up hope that Disney will ever celebrate, respect, or even care about its comics portfolio. At this point, I just desperately hope they won't actively destroy it (even that hope has been dashed with censorship in Fantagraphics' latest Barks books). But DuckTales always felt like an intellectual pillaging. And the only ducks Disney will ever allow to be seen are DuckTales versions, because those are the ones Disney brought in house and mangled with its special blend of anodyne cutesiness and monetization.
@AllenSmith said:
"Ironically, Barks drew Donald in box form for a gag in story called "The Menehune Mystery" where Donald was accidentally sealed into a crate of spinach."
https://i.imgur.com/IFmhcp8.jpg
I love that panel!
@Graupensuppe said:
"https://i.imgur.com/IFmhcp8.jpg
I love that panel!"
In Barks's original lettering, Donald's dialog is all written with squared-off characters to match the square speech bubble! It's hilarious!
It's so nice to bump into someone who knew the reference. Hardly anybody in the United States is even aware of Duck comics, let alone panels in individual stories. It's so sad. These are some of the country's greatest artistic treasures. I understand they're widely known in Europe. I wish they were loved in the place where they were made as well.
@Koentinius said:
"So annoying, Scrooge has a red coat in the Dutch comics. It's even a printed part so you can't do a colour swap."
It's not just Dutch comics. In most media Scrooge McDuck wears red, but in the 1987 DuckTales television program (and in related merchandise and spinoffs such as video games) he wore blue. He wear does wear red again in the 2017 DuckTales series, so it's odd that LEGO used blue here. You'd think that even if they're basing this set on the TV show they'd want to use his appearance from the more recent series rather than the old one.
I'd assume it was a choice made by Disney, though. In the end they make these kind of decisions and LEGO has to do what they say.
I need all of these. DisneyDucks
@AllenSmith said:
" @Graupensuppe said:
" https://i.imgur.com/IFmhcp8.jpg
I love that panel!"
In Barks's original lettering, Donald's dialog is all written with squared-off characters to match the square speech bubble! It's hilarious!
It's so nice to bump into someone who knew the reference. Hardly anybody in the United States is even aware of Duck comics, let alone panels in individual stories. It's so sad. These are some of the country's greatest artistic treasures. I understand they're widely known in Europe. I wish they were loved in the place where they were made as well."
So true.
I grew up with the European Disney Comics, the contents of which were largely of Italian origin to be precise, as well as some US made ones like those of Carl Barks, and they are awesome. The "Lustige Taschenbücher" and "Donald Duck" comic book series in particular were favorites of mine and formed the image I had of Entenhausen (Duckburg). Watching Duck Tales (the original version) took quite some getting used to, due to all the changes to what I had imagined before based on the source material mentioned above, but in the end I quite enjoyed the show as well. I simply imagined it like the difference between Star Trek TOS and TNG. Based in the same universe and featuring some of the same characters, but in reality made during different time periods and under different circumstances.
Nerdy sidenote: when Duck Tales was first aired in Germany it was on public broadcasting and they showed the dubbed version (naturally) but kept the English theme song intro. I taped some episodes on VHS and still have them to this day. In later years for the reruns on commercial TV networks (as well as the DVDs), the theme song was dubbed as well, but the translation was so bad that it even contained logical errors like mentioning Goofy and Pluto, who never even appeared on the show.
Nerdy sidenote no. 2: the reference to Goofy and Pluto is not as far fetched as it might seem, as in the German version, Entenhausen is both the home of Donald Duck and family as well as that of Mickey Mouse and friends, whereas in the English version Duckburg and Mouseton appear to be two separate yet neighbouring towns.
I grew up reading Carl Barks and Don Rosa, but one would think that a billionaire would be able to afford both a red and a blue coat. The model doesn't really evoke Uncle Scrooge that much, though.
@CopperTablet said:
"one would think that a billionaire would be able to afford both a red and a blue coat"
Any other billionaire, sure. But this is Scrooge McDuck we're talking about. He bought that coat at a rummage sale in 1902 and his epic stinginess ensures he'd never buy another one!