Review: 76831 Zurg Battle
Posted by CapnRex101,
Buzz Lightyear mentions the Evil Emperor Zurg when introducing himself during Toy Story. The characters' original showdown therefore occurs during Lightyear, but Zurg's threatening design offers some substantial changes, relative to his previously regal appearance.
76831 Zurg Battle indicates this villain provides greater physical threat than was perhaps the case previously, towering above Buzz Lightyear and Izzy Hawthorne. The model looks superb though, alongside some appealing minifigures.
Summary
76831 Zurg Battle, 261 pieces.
£29.99 / $34.99 / €34.99 | 11.5p/13.4c/13.4c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Despite some problematic joints, Zurg looks impressive and the minifigures are great.
- Menacing appearance
- Reasonable articulation
- Excellent minifigure selection
- Some restricted joints
- Reliant upon stickers
- Expensive
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Buzz Lightyear wears his distinctive space ranger armour and accordingly resembles earlier minifigures. However, this design seems more functional, reflecting its presentation during the new film. For example, the segmented armour around Buzz's midriff features greater detail and the bright purple highlights have been replaced with lavender, which seems slightly less garish.
Nevertheless, the lime green decoration and bulky shoulder armour remain, shared with Izzy Hawthorne. These minifigures are nearly identical, integrating studs on their armour to attach wings. Only one pair of wings is supplied, but it looks excellent. The printing across the reverse includes brilliant detail and I like the dark tan colour, perhaps suggesting that the wings are still experimental.
The front appears bland by comparison, without any decoration. Both space rangers include printed arms though, which was a pleasant surprise. The differences between them are also surprising, as Buzz includes a bulkier laser emitter than Izzy. Moreover, the minifigures each feature alternative heads, with their lavender balaclavas or without.
Hair elements and double-sided heads are therefore included. Buzz's chin dimple is visible and his confident expressions look great, while Izzy also displays different smiles. The set contains various accessories as well, including laser guns, a trans-red laser beam and a fuel cell which displays crystal designs on both sides. The dark bluish grey accessory holder attached here is new in this colour.
Sox, Buzz's robotic companion, also appears in 76832 XL-15 Spaceship. This figure makes perfect use of the standard cat element, although its flame yellowish orange colour is unique. The printed blue collar matches this character onscreen, but the eyes should be considerably larger, so their accuracy could have been improved.
Another robot completes the character selection. E.R.I.C. has appeared briefly during trailers and was seemingly developed for utility, which is certainly reflected in the robot's design. This LEGO equivalent is assembled upside down and looks fantastic, including a bracket to secure the cylindrical head. That contrasts against the blocky body, so reflects the source material.
Three stickers are applied across the figure, which is somewhat disappointing. However, these designs look nice and I am impressed with how the eye is constructed, comprising a 1x1 round plate with hollow stud and a drill piece. The resulting red and black receptor looks perfect, while the offset arm corresponds with the original character too.
The Completed Model
Robots and mechs are incredibly common across the present LEGO range and risk becoming repetitive, especially since their sizes are often similar. Zurg introduces some unusual features though, reaching 14cm in height. This is smaller than I assumed, but exists between the Marvel character mechs and larger examples, such as mechs from NINJAGO or the varied Hulkbuster designs.
This model therefore includes small ball joints, which appear frequently and permit reasonable motion, alongside peculiar hinged knees. Knee articulation inevitably broadens the options for posing, although not necessarily to the degree I anticipated. Regardless, this rendition of Zurg appears suitably large beside minifigures and captures his classic purple colour.
While myriad differences exist between Zurg's appearances during Lightyear and Toy Story 2, the head remains relatively similar. Zurg's distinctive yellow mouth and red eyes are certainly familiar, while his horns resemble the established design, albeit less exaggerated. This head component features extensive detail and can rotate, but its inability to look down towards the minifigures is unfortunate.
Furthermore, stickers appear across the torso and arms. These provide welcome mechanical decoration, but I think the quantity is excessive. The colour matching between purple stickers and the elements underneath is also poor, which has become a more common issue recently. However, I love the printed teleportation disc on Zurg's waist, also found on the robot in 76830 Zyclops Chase.
Stickers continue across the reverse. While perhaps unnecessary, I do like the metallic spinal structure and the purple ingot above is only available here. Nine ingots are included and new purple 2x3 wedge bows comprise Zurg's chest. Additionally, red highlights appear across the figure, also continuing on the back of the torso and legs.
The arms are probably the most familiar aspect of this model, since their construction is quite similar to the Marvel character mechs. The ball joints provide reasonable movement, but their articulation is partially obstructed by the bulky shoulders. I am also surprised that the designer did not include Zurg's famous ion blaster, since we know that appears during the movie.
Knee joints are commonly missing from LEGO mechs and robots, so the presence of hinged knees on Zurg is welcome. Standard clips are employed here, rather than click hinges or ball joints, which would have been stronger. Also, the knee movement is restricted, but this joint is adequate to create a walking pose. The proportions of the legs appear accurate too.
Overall
Even though mechs and robots are ubiquitous, 76831 Zurg Battle presents certain distinctive features, which elevate this creation above others. The improved articulation is important and Zurg looks great beside minifigures. However, these changes also demonstrate why particular design decisions are consistent because the knee joints are restricted and feel rather loose.
The reliance upon stickers is also disappointing and the price of £24.99, $29.99 or €29.99 is expensive, given Zurg's modest size. The minifigure selection is appealing though and I like this rendition of Buzz Lightyear's arch enemy, despite its described issues. Once discounted, the set definitely warrants consideration.
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51 comments on this article
Agreed, it's generally good but expensive. I do hope that at some point we get a wing pack in traditional colours, though including that option here would have been a good value add. Same with Zurg's blaster, that would help, though I imagine that would have demanded a further redesign of the joints.
As is, 25% to 1/3 off would be ideal, though I'm not unhappy with what I paid.
How lego choose to orient their ball joints still gets me though. As is, the ball joints in the arms allow the forearms to swivel, and the wrists to tilt down like he's pointing a sword. But swapping some pieces to reverse the direction of the ball joints would allow for a bicep swivel, at no meaningful cost to the wrists. There's no change to stability or structural integrity this way. Strange, really.
Please show the sticker sheet
Anyone else immediately think of the Sontarans?
https://www.google.com/search?q=dr+who+potato+aliens&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS954US954&sxsrf=APq-WBsfq_60Fh_rHdsl3wejmzTJySSrmQ:1650813723102&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwja7LisgK33AhUzB50JHYtoBT4Q_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1536&bih=722&dpr=1.25
Zurg: the purple Piraka
(compare with 8901)
I'm tired of the complaining about stickers. It has become too much for me. It's not that bad people.
Just leave it to Justin Ramsden when it comes to stickers. The guy just loves them :)
@R1_Drift said:
"I'm tired of the complaining about stickers. It has become too much for me. It's not that bad people."
I'd say the reliance on stickers is worth pointing out when half the model is covered in them.
@R1_Drift said:
"I'm tired of the complaining about stickers. It has become too much for me. It's not that bad people."
"Oh no! Stickers! Its a terrible set! Stickers blah blah blah!" Fun fact: I literally never knew people hated stickers until I joined this site lol. I still dont get it.
"...but its inability to look down towards the minifigures is unfortunate." He'll just have to bend at the waist, just like minifigs do. I like the way they did the thumbs, should allow for some poses you can't get with the usual approach to mech thumbs.
@DragonLord56: I didn't, but now that you mention it, I do see the resemblance.
@R1_Drift said:
"I'm tired of the complaining about stickers. It has become too much for me. It's not that bad people."
Just because you’re OK with stickers doesn’t mean everyone else has to be.
I don’t have a problem with stickers - my favorite line is Speed Champions, and I generally apply every single sticker. I don’t build MOCs, and I like the final model to look as good as possible, which usually means applying all the stickers.
It’s still a fiddly process. It’s still time-consuming and easily less fun than snapping parts together. Stickers inevitably fade over time, and if you’re re-using parts the stickers get in the way of that.
And I think if we’re talking sheer value for money, yes, stickers feel cheaper than printed parts because they are. When a model ISN’T cheap, I think it’s fair to expect a little more bang for your buck.
TL;DR It’s fine that you’re fine with stickers and it’s fine if other people aren’t. Just because you personally are tired of hearing about something doesn’t mean it isn’t a topic worthy of discussion.
@WemWem
It's a topic done to death in my opinion, but ok
@gorf43
same
@sipuss
The only times stickers are really a problem is with large scale models, the designers could get a bit more creative.
Regardless of your feelings on stickers, I have to say I'm really impressed with how "finished" the model's back looks.
A lot of the time, the back of a buildable figure or mech ends up looking a lot more bare-bones than the front. After all, the back of a character or mech's torso is rarely expected to have as many iconic details (like logos/emblems, decorative belt buckles, opening cockpit hatches, etc) as the front, is often at least partially covered up by additional features like wings or capes, and doesn't tend to be much of a "selling point" since it's rarely shown off on a set's packaging.
But here, the designer really went above and beyond to boost the figure's sense of authenticity. Perhaps those details were emphasized in the reference material given to the designers (who knows, maybe in the film Zurg's segmented spinal column turns out to be an important "weak point"). Or perhaps the set designer just saw an opportunity to squeeze a little more detail into the model's assigned price point. Either way, it's a nice surprise that I wouldn't ordinarily expect from a set like this.
Unfortunately, despite being such an impeccable buildable figure design, I can't say I have any real interest in this set or the movie it's based on. I loved the first three Toy Story movies, but everything since then has felt kind of superfluous to me, and none of the trailers or press material have really piqued my interest at all.
Even so, I'm hopeful that some of the impressive design features seen here will be carried over to future sets and themes. It certainly excites me a lot more than depicting a huge character like this as a molded bigfig, and appeals to me on a lot of the same levels that themes like Bionicle and Exo-Force did in the past (albeit with a more modern level of detail and refinement).
@DragonLord56 SONTAR-HA! SONTAR-HA!
@obisky The…Emperor?
This thing certainly is a departure from Toy Story 2 Zurg. I know toy and media depictions can vary greatly, but this barely seems like the same character.
I have no problem with stickers when they are used in moderation, or when no alternatives are available. However, fifteen stickers decorate Zurg which seems excessive, relative to his size.
I can almost always accept a less accurate design when more of the subject is constructed, rather than using stickers or even printed parts. Sometimes that is not possible, but I think the chest could have been recreated without so many stickers here.
Reading about Zurg gives me a rush.
I have noticed LEGO’s color matching is getting worse lately. It’s worth pointing it out until they address it. They charge a premium and present themselves as a premium brand. When premium brands cut corners to the detriment of quality, they should be called on it.
It’s a good review, though I didn’t see a parts count. Thirty bucks for whets there does seem high, but not nearly as bad as the City sets here in the States. So it might be easier to bring home than one of those.
But don’t they have helmets? I mean, should i use my imagination and picture them myself? Or don’t they have those fishbowl helmets in the movie?
Cool set.
Yes, the set is expensive, but it’s typical for sets to seem a bit overpriced nowadays and this isn’t any worse than average. Whether I’ll want this will be determined by the film’s quality but the designs are interesting and the hoodless Buzz Lightyear head could work for my sig-fig.
@Brickodillo said:
"But don’t they have helmets? I mean, should i use my imagination and picture them myself? Or don’t they have those fishbowl helmets in the movie?"
I think the implication is the armor and such is still in the prototype phase, so helmets should come later.
The unusual backside detail is just a consequence of the neck being covered by car mudguards on both sides, which instantly gave the backside studs instead of the usual antistuds seen in bigger constructions. This is not a feat, just logical consequence of the implementation of a design trait which was unavoidable by design of the movie design.
The constant absence of knees just to now be greeted by a simple mere 1x1 clip hinge for the knees is ludicrous. I mean, it definitely holds its balance but are the bigger mechs like the Hulkbuster really impossible to design with knees?
Then there not being a blaster for Zurg, or domes or a traditional white jetpack in the line at all. No idea if this is because the movie withholds these things just to have some sequel bait but it feels like it is missing contents worth around 5 bucks on top of being 5 bucks too expensive.
Absolutely love the use of the classic whip antenna for the Buzz laser burst!
@bananaworld said:
"
Reading about Zurg gives me a rush."
I see what you did there ;)
"The printed blue collar matches this character onscreen, but the eyes should be considerably larger, so their accuracy could have been improved."
I know I'm the only one who's looking at the cat, but I'm glad they made regular eyes so it can be used elsewhere as a regular cat.
@CapnRex101 said:
"I have no problem with stickers when they are used in moderation, or when no alternatives are available. However, fifteen stickers decorate Zurg which seems excessive, relative to his size.
I can almost always accept a less accurate design when more of the subject is constructed, rather than using stickers or even printed parts. Sometimes that is not possible, but I think the chest could have been recreated without so many stickers here."
The Captain states it well. I might add that stickers are a target of AFOLs because we see how they hold-up in the long term. Spoiler Alert: it's NOT good! This is important because of how well (with some notable exceptions) Lego plastic endures. Also, getting used sets/pieces with stickers has obvious drawbacks.
That said, I actually enjoy putting on stickers as a hand-eye coordination challenge that not even plastic Lego can match.
Nice review. I like this set. I have 7591 an 7593. I can't wait to add this one to the others. It is a hilarious lineup that makes me smile. I can't walk past it without a "pew-pew" escaping from my mouth. I'm even a bit more excited about 76830.
@pinar said:
"
I know I'm the only one who's looking at the cat, but I'm glad they made regular eyes so it can be used elsewhere as a regular cat."
I am too and the new colored cat was the first thing that grabbed my interest when the sets were gone revealed
@R1_Drift said:
"I'm tired of the complaining about stickers. It has become too much for me. It's not that bad people."
As my eyesight has deteriorated I have found the application of stickers both tiresome and difficult. The less the better. Nonetheless, as I approach a time in my life where I need to depend more on others, it is always a treat to share my passion for Lego with the next generation.
So, did anyone else find that Step 18 on page 28 required pulling the head up to fit the edges of the black plates underneath?
@Wavelength:
If it doesn’t appear in the film, don’t expect them to put one in a set. I’m not sure what issue you have with the arm joints, though. As it is, the shoulder has a full 360° up/down, and due to the way the arm is constructed, about 45° swing side-to-side. The lack of a gun is unfortunate. I was just told today that they don’t know how well this film will be received, so they’re playing it safe with new molds. They don’t exactly have a huge array of parts that would get them a triangular build, and the only one that’s small enough that I can think of (20612), is only produced in transparent colors, and can only attach to stuff from one side. I think they would have needed a new mold to make the triple-barrel gun, and that might have been more than they were willing to invest at this time. Hopefully there will be a second wave that includes Zurg’s gun and some of the missing spacecraft.
@Aanchir:
Having just built this, I can say it feels like building 70904 in miniature. I know constraction figures from the CCBS era are often backless, but if System builds since TLBM have had undersides of plates covering their backs, that’s just failure to learn from other designers.
@SearchlightRG:
The Toy Story films are supposed to take place in our world, or at least one very like it. This movie is supposed to be a movie within that same world. Technically, this means these are the original versions of Buzz and Zurg, and the Toy Story characters are toys based on that film…within the Toy Story universe, at least. Bionicle went through a similar change with the movie Mask of Light, where they designed the characters to look like the existing toys had been based off them, instead of the other way around.
@Brickodillo:
All three characters from 76832 come with helmets, and Izzy in 76830 has the same dark-tan armored helmet. The original half-bubble from the Toy Story 3 sets does fit on this new Space Ranger armor, but I suspect Lightyear, like the four Toy Story films, will never once show the bubble half-retracted like that piece depicts. Since they’ve never made a full bubble, I have chosen to always display Buzz with his bubble fully retracted.
@Anonym:
No, like the TLBM Clayface, they pretty much enveloped the torso in brackets to have studs wherever they wanted to build out. Zurg has a full dozen brackets encasing the torso, with five each front and back, and one under each arm. By mixing bracket types, it makes the whole torso fairly sturdy, as layering parts across the brackets prevents them from popping loose.
I don’t know about the bubbles or wing packs, but Mattel’s large action figure of Zurg definitely has a removable tri-blaster that’s not based on Toy Story 2.
Since they are the current topic of discussion --- I'm okay with a few stickers, but when you have half a model being covered in the darn things? Nope. Easy pass.
My beef with stickers is that Lego will just shove the sticker sheet into the box, and by the time it reaches you, the sticker sheet is creased and crumpled to hell, rendering the stickers worthless (because now they're bent, so as soon as you apply them? They start peeling off automatically). I've literally lost track of the number of times I've had to contact Lego to ask for a replacement sticker sheet, the last few years, because the stickers have been rendered worthless before I open the set.
And every time I contact them, they end the message by promising that this "won't ever happen again!" They've promised me that about 20 times.
And that's really frustrating. If Lego wants to rely on stickers, fine ... but if they're not even giving me the chance to apply them? That's just poor.
@Anonym said: "I mean, it definitely holds its balance but are the bigger mechs like the Hulkbuster really impossible to design with knees?"
Given what poor quality Lego's ball joint pieces are, these days, I'm going to go with, yes, that is too hard for them to manage, these days.
@R1_Drift said:
"I'm tired of the complaining about stickers. It has become too much for me. It's not that bad people."
After a while, stickers start to wear off and the set starts to look really bad. At least the cheap crappy stickers LEGO has been using for about twenty years. Stickers from the Eighties were of a totally different quality. I have many sets from my childhood where the stickers still look like the day they were new and show absolutely no sign of peeling off.
Whereas every set I have from after about 2000 that has stickers, they have either peeled off, or completely disintegrated.
For several years now I have made it a habit to not apply any stickers anymore and instead simply throw the sticker sheets in the bin where they belong.
Companies that value quality, like Cobi, Keeppley, BlueBrixx Pro etc. all provide high quality prints instead of stickers, and the finished sets look so much better for it.
The prints on my LEGO sets from the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties also still hold up perfectly today.
It's only since LEGO started skimping on quality a couple of years ago that everything went downwards. Colour consistency, poor material quality, scratched trans-milk pieces, missing pieces, you name it. All coupled with over the top price hikes out of pure greed, even though profits are already at record levels. It would be time to show some respect to the customers and start addressing those quality issues. But as long as there are enough people who are willing to accept ridiculous prices for bad quality, TLG is not going to change.
@peterlmorris: The piece count is at the top of the summary box, this set has 261 pieces.
@Zordboy:
I’ve had white stickers start to crumble with age, but I’ve never had them just peel off, especially not right away. When you apply them, do you rub your finger tip over them to make sure they’re firmly pressed down? I’ve seen people apply stickers in a way that suggests they clearly expect the sticker to magically suck down to the surface all on its own, and that just doesn’t happen. I’ve seen people complain about fingerprints with the clear stickers, which again suggests they’re just letting the sticker lay on the part’s surface without really pressing it down (if they did, it should obliterate any visible fingerprints).
@AustinPowers:
The stickers I remember from the 80’s were fibrous paper, which would wear down, particularly at the edges, until a lot of white material was exposed, and the edges of the sticker had receded. No, they didn’t crumble away, but short of parking the set on a shelf for eternity, they invariably end up looking like paper money that’s nearing the end of its useful service life. I will take clear plastic stickers any day of the week.
Also, you must not own a single vintage part with the Classic Space logo.
@AustinPowers said:
" The prints on my LEGO sets from the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties also still hold up perfectly today.
"
I have quite a few sets from that era as well, and the only prints that have held up flawlessly in my case are black ink on different colored plastic. In particular, anything metallic, as @PurpleDave points out, has been heavily worn with very few exceptions in my experience. I personally haven’t had any problems with prints from 2000s sets on, though stickers are a different matter entirely.
Stickers and prints have their pros and cons. Neither is perfect or suitable for all use cases.
Anyway, I like Zurg.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @peterlmorris: The piece count is at the top of the summary box, this set has 261 pieces."
Ah, I see it now! I do have to get new glasses soon. I guess I need to stop putting it off!
@PurpleDave said: " @Zordboy:When you apply them, do you rub your finger tip over them to make sure they’re firmly pressed down?"
Yep.
It doesn't matter.
If the sticker sheet is folded in half, in the box, then it doesn't matter how thoroughly you apply the sticker and how well you push it down. The sticker is creased and will immediately start lifting itself off the piece.
It drives me crazy.
@PurpleDave said:
" @AustinPowers :
The stickers I remember from the 80’s were fibrous paper, which would wear down, particularly at the edges, until a lot of white material was exposed, and the edges of the sticker had receded. No, they didn’t crumble away, but short of parking the set on a shelf for eternity, they invariably end up looking like paper money that’s nearing the end of its useful service life."
That's strange, all of the stickers I have from that era look and feel like some kind of vinyl foil material, definitely not like paper at all. Perhaps the sets for the US market had different material. After all, especially with Classic Space, quite a few sets even had different set numbers than over here.
Speaking of which...
"Also, you must not own a single vintage part with the Classic Space logo."
Actually, as Classic Space was my favorite theme as a kid, I have lots of parts with said logo, but no, I have no problems with those prints at all. Again, perhaps the production facility for the US market used different ink, a different printing (or finishing) process or whatever.
I have seen pictures of washed out Classic Space logos, especially on ebay auctions, but I have no idea how they ended up looking like that. Perhaps those sellers cleaned the pieces in the washing machine like many do before selling off their sets.
It's like with the Benny the spaceman meme of the cracked helmet chinstrap. I have about sixty Classic Space minifigs, and on not a single one of these is said chinstrap cracked.
But before you even think about that possibility, no, I did not just build and display my sets as a kid, quite the opposite. They saw heavy play and lots of building and rebuilding. Still, they held up extremely well.
Otoh, on sets my kids have, even from just a couple of years ago, stickers have peeled off or disintegrated which makes the sets look really bad, especially when the overall look was heavily dependent on stickers, like on many Friends or City sets. That stickers sheets often come crumbled or creased from the factory certainly does not help either.
@Zordboy:
What’s the heat and humidity like there?
@AustinPowers:
The stickers I remember having particular problems with were my Yellow Castle, and my brother’s Routemaster bus. Those were definitely paper, but also late 70’s. I can’t recall specific stickers from any 80’s set offhand.
The logos were just a problem with the metallic gold print. It would rub off very easily, compared to the rest of the logo, leaving a red rocket trail around a white planet. It didn’t involve washing them. It was just from normal playwear, and it was definitely more of a problem early in Classic Space (they even made 4-up clear sticker sheets so people who called to complain could replace the logo). I never had this problem with my blue Spacemen, ironically. Chinstraps were mostly a problem when removing the helmets repeatedly, and several sets did not accommodate minifigs wearing airtanks due to having City-style seats, but it was difficult to remove the helmet with the head still inside, and the only way that was even possible was to pinch the helmet pretty strongly…which made it more likely you’d crush the chinstrap if it didn’t work.
@PurpleDave said: " @Zordboy:What’s the heat and humidity like there?"
I'm not sure why you're making excuses, here.
The next set you open?
Crumple the sticker sheet. Make sure some of those stickers are folded in half.
Then try to apply them to the set.
Let me know how it goes.
@Zordboy:
It hasn’t happened often, but I have had sticker sheets arrive creased. I’ve never had them just pop off the parts once applied.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Zordboy :
It hasn’t happened often, but I have had sticker sheets arrive creased. I’ve never had them just pop off the parts once applied."
I have to second @Zordboy here. With our recent sets, most sticker sheets here arrived crumpled. This never happened when LEGO provided the instructions in separate bags with sturdy cardboard backing. Since this has been discontinued as another cost saving measure even on the more expensive sets, crumpled instructions and sticker sheets have become the norm here rather than the exception. And indeed you can still apply those crumpled stickers, but they tend to peel off within a matter of days at most.
We do a little widespread discussion about stickers.
But I am glad this conversation is happening. I am aware of the aging problem, there was an article on this site about this exact process.
The article in question.
https://brickset.com/article/11981
@PixelTheDragon said:
" @Brickodillo said:
"But don’t they have helmets? I mean, should i use my imagination and picture them myself? Or don’t they have those fishbowl helmets in the movie?"
I think the implication is the armor and such is still in the prototype phase, so helmets should come later."
Guessing we’re not going to see them using them as spacesuits then, if that’s the case.
@PurpleDave I’m full aware of the concept of the film and its characters. I just think that, in the case of Zurg, the in-universe toy designers went pretty far from the source material. “Toy”/video game Zurg is maybe a bit taller than Buzz Lightyear, wears a cape and robe-like armor, and has fairly spindly arms. The Lightyear variant looks more like the toy version hopped into a bipedal exoskeleton for a final boss style throw down. He towers over the human characters even when they’re not in Lego form and looks like he should be fighting Buzz Lightyear’s SHIP, not Buzz Lightyear himself.
I feel like, if I lived in the Toy Story universe, I would feel like I watched a movie about an evil Hulkbuster, and got a toy that feels more like a fairy dinky Darth Vader. The inaccurate scale is somewhat understandable-all the Bionicle Toa are supposed to be the same height in-universe, for example, but clearly are not as figures. But, as I noted previously, I feel like the two Zurgs give off such a disparate vibe from each other that it’s almost laughable. I half wonder if Toy Zurg was based on concept art and rushed into production before the filmmakers settled on the behemoth final version.
I actually prefer stickers rather than printed elements. In the case of this set, I wouldn't put any of the stickers on, because I would be buying this set for the parts to use in MOCs. There are a lot of great purple parts in this set, and if they were all printed, none of them would be useful.
If we have to suffer dealing with stickers, at least please make them clear-backed stickers. That eliminates any color matching issues and solves half of the poor sticker quality gripes. Over time people will learn proper technique for applying clear-backed stickers without fingerprints if that's the only option (hint: don't directly use your fingers to apply them if you want to avoid fingerprints).
A purple mech & a new cat, I'm in! Missed out on Zurg years ago, time to put things right.
@kwickbrick:
I got twelve. One sealed, one to build, and ten for the Claw Aliens and parts. Funny thing is, I have a new project that needs two of the tall white pillars used in the CaZ, and I could only find two of them. I know I used one for the sign on my LEGO Store, but I have no idea what happened to the other seven.
Great set.
I just called to report the issue I had with the instructions, and it turns out they’ve already updated them. In my paper copy, on p27 step 14 adds the axle-pin for the neck, and p28 step 18 adds the head. In the digital version that I just downloaded while talking to customer service, these steps are now 27 & 28, both on p36.
Some of the LEGO community is just really toxic about stickers.
But in this instance, I'm inclined to side with them. The stickers seem a little too excessive indeed.
"[W]arrants consideration"? This set does feel disappointing. However, if people want Izzy in her green and white space suit, this is the only et that she comes in.
Compared to previous renditions, although this Zurg is large, it is disappointing.
Even the 4+ set looks better.
@gorf43 said:
""Oh no! Stickers! Its a terrible set! Stickers blah blah blah!" Fun fact: I literally never knew people hated stickers until I joined this site lol. I still dont get it."
Stickers are really annoying to put on some pieces, especially exceptionally large or small pieces (like 8x8 or 1x1 pieces) or when the stickers form continuous detail, like the front of the hood on the new UCS landspeeder.
Lego also has this thing where they print some repetitive designs instead of using stickers, but only sometimes.
A fair bit of constructive criticism can't hurt anyone, but I will say that people shouldn't complain too much.