First Impressions

I'll admit, this was one of the last sets of the 2016 Marvel Superheroes Line that I picked up. I had a lot of Spider-Man characters as is and I didn't see the need for a lot of what was on offer here that mandated I get it first. Didn't help that the lone review prior to this one was so negative on the set. However, after getting the Web Warriors Bridge (76057), it felt thematic to have this set to play along with it. And maybe I'm a sucker for that Vulture figure.

The Minifigures

To start off with, the minifigures on offer here are pretty great, but not mind blowing.

Spider-Man is the same he's always been, no dual molded legs on this one. The set has the odd choice of giving him a surfboard supposedly made out of webs. It's a bit off beat, but still, the idea puts a smile on my face in the goofy factor of it.

Captain Stacy is pretty standard affair. A nice civilian to have, though.

White Tiger is a bit of a surprise, the kind of character that I never thought would get minifigure. I don't keep up with the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, so I suppose she's rather important in that series if she's here. Much like the Black Panther released in 2016, she has the cat ears "hat" accessory which I'm not particularly fond of. It makes the minifigure head seem a bit too long. But aside that she's rather well designed. She does feel just a tad out of place here, though.

The real treat is with the villains in this set.

Like White Tiger, The Vulture seems a bit out of place here, maybe more-so, and probably should have been in the Bridge set, seeing as that set even has a nice bird's nest in it. Perhaps swapping Vulture and Scorpion would have been nice? But he's nonetheless a fantastic figure, perfectly representing his costume from the comics that has long since resisted the tides of change, going all the way back to Ditko. It's always nice to see the classic designs if possible for these characters. The torso has fantastic design work on it and his head is perhaps one of my favorite minifgure heads yet. The design on the front is exquisite, but the real impressive part are the subtle liverspots on the back of the head. That kind of detail impresses me greatly.

Doc Ock is also fairly impressive, if somewhat annoying for the fact that he has dual molded legs, but Spidey does not. (I know they can make Spidey have dual molded legs. I own 76047.) His design is much the same as the Vulture's, classic in every sense of the word. His hair, while not entirely the lame bowl cut I love, is a good enough replacement for it that still makes him immediately recognizable. The designs on his torso and head are simple, but still appreciated for that restraint. It's more detailed than a Mighty Micros set, but not jam packed with unnecessary detail. The one sore spot I have with the fig (aside the petty complaint of Spidey's lack of dual molded legs), is the tentacles. They're a bit too big, which isn't too bad, but the connection between the figure and the tentacle pack is very loose, making them very unstable. I'd prefer if the connection was much tighter.

The Parts

I must say, I deeply enjoyed the parts in this set. This is so far the first time I've encountered the six shooter stud launcher, which is more enjoyable than I expected it to be. The colors are what make me happiest though. I am drawn to the Marvel Superheroes line for a lot of reasons, but a big part of it is because of the different colors on offer in each set. Between the two different green colors, a darker and lighter, and the yellow-orange of this set, I feel it definitely takes high marks just for that. The parts that happen to be those colors are also very nice pieces that would make detail work on an otherwise droll grey colored Lego creation pop rather nicely.

The Build

Building this set was an incredible amount of fun for me. Captain Stacy's boat is cute, but doesn't take up much time and is about as interesting as a small boat of it's size would seem. The real feature is the mech. Building it wasn't particularly challenging, but there was something that lighted up for me when I saw this mech start to come to life. Perhaps like a mad scientist, I felt my creation become a reality and was filled with pride. Upon realizing that when you spin the tanks they fire the stud launchers I couldn't help but beam a grin. Perhaps it was my mood the day I built this set that makes me rate the build so positively, maybe I have lower standards or expectations, but I'll stand by my positivity.

It isn't entirely positive, however. I'll admit to making a few changes to the set myself. I moved the arms to the side of the main platform and lowered the stud launchers so they didn't stick out so much. The rotating arms feature never quite looked right, and with the arms rotating in opposite directions, just looked more goofy than I appreciate. Moving them allowed them to move independently, which looks much better. It's definitely for the better as I removed the bulky dial at the top of the mech in the process of this, completely removing the technic parts. (Keeping the hollow tube and replacing it with a missile.) I often make changes and additions to sets, though, and typically to sets I enjoy, as the ones I don't enjoy often get trashed and repurposed wholesale.

Play

As stated before, the six shooter stud launchers are incredibly fun. The rotating arms of the mech? Not so much. The arms themselves, however, are a tricky mixed bag. They're also the arms for Doc Ock, which isn't exactly a fun transfer process. Both the figure and the mech look bare without the arms, so it's a choice you have to make as to which gets them. The mech also has some pretty limited movement in the legs. They feel less like legs and more like repulsion engines for hovering. They do rotate, however, which has a really nice weighted feel when rotating. Aside from that, movement isn't the strongest. Doc Ock doesn't exactly sit well in the mech, either. The control panel is placed in front of him as he's held in place by a piece that slides between his feet. It's not loose, but it's not as snug as it could be. Might be just as good if he just stood on some pegs. Or if he was sitting and the white bricks around him more accurately represented a roll cage. The tentacles also have issue holding characters as much as I wish they did. It's not that it's impossible, but it can be rather difficult to have them stay put inside the tentacle's grasp.

Parting Shot

For $35, I'd say the set is just right. Certainly feels bigger than the Iron Skull Sub set (76048) that's only $5 cheaper. What figures are here are great, even if they can feel a bit out of place. The set does match up very well with the Web Warriors Bridge set that came out in 2016 as well, and quickly turns the destroyed bridge into the work of Doc Ock's incredible tentacle mecha, along with the rest of the Sinister Six (Well, Five, unless you have the Hobgoblin who came out in set 76058).

Overall, it's a rather goofy set. But goofy in a good way (for the most part). It doesn't feel as outlandish as the previous Spider-Man sets with big Spider-Vehicles that are gaudy and something I'd never imagine Spider-Man having, but I'd still say it's a bit of an idea for Doc Ock to have a giant mecha. (Maybe he's mad that Supaidaman has a mecha and wanted one too?) And what could represent the goofiness better than the web surf board?

If you have an appreciation for the sillier side of comics, this set is something I recommend. And considering how many of the sets are still on shelves even after the holidays, you could probably find it going on clearance soon.

I have to say this is to date my least liked Marvel set yet produced. Surpasing even the infamous Iron Man vs Homeless Hobo Mandarin Flaming Shopping Cart of Doom, which at least had absurdity value. This is just ugly and overpriced.

The Box/Instruction - The box is fairly standard Marvel style box art. It shows Doc Oc's mech in the fore with Spiderman water skiing behind Captain Stacy's little boat and the Vulture and White Tiger swooshing around. It does anice job of illustrating just how ugly and stupid looking the Doc Oc Mech is.

The Minifigures - The Minifigs are the ONLY redeeming element of this set. No really they are it. They are actually quite nice.

Spider-Man - We get our same old same old Spider-Man. Not the nice newer one with dual color legs, this is the standard one we have had for a few years Front and back printed torso, no leg printing. You probably have a dozen. The head on mine is worse than normal as the white eyes are thinly printed over the red plastic so they seem pink. he comes with the 3mm bar studs, a new web piece and Spider-Man's infamous SURFBOARD! Because we all know how famous dorky non driving Queens resident Peter Parker is for his love of surfing. The Surfboard maintains the overall theme of stupidity that runs throughout the set.

White Tiger - It is nice to finally get a figure of the White Tiger. Since the cartoon she has become quite the fan favorite. Her fig is nice, and reminds me a bit of a negative image Black Panther. She is white with black markings. Front and back printing on her torso, unprinted legs, the ear piece with a hole in it and a pony tail to plug in the hole. she looks great, the only flaw being her ponytail does not socket all the way in, so the shaft sticks up a bit and it tends to get knocked off.

Vulture - A very basic very simple figure that works oh so well. This is our classic look vulture. From the old Stan Lee cartoon and the comics up to the 80's. Basic green body suit, with a printed white feather ruff, and bare green "Flying Mummy Attack" wings. he has some back printing but you can't see it for the wings. he has a basic bald angry old man face. Very simple, yet he pulls it off well. His legs are green with no leg prints.

Captain Stacey - It's always nice to get civilians. he is in a basic police zip up jacket showing his badge and a touch of t shirt. Front and Back printing, no leg printing and a dual sided face. The best part of him is he sports the Ghostbusters receding hairline hairpiece in light bluish grey. That seems incredibly useful and I hope we see more of it.

Doctor Octopus - Doc Oc is a really nice figure. he seems to be sporting a late 80's/early 90's design. A bright green body suit with a yellow cowl printed around his shoulders and yellow boots. Amazingly he gets the dual printed legs. Gah! His torso has front and back printing. Unfortunately much like the white on Spidey's head, the yellow on his torso is too thin or translucent so it fades horribly when painted over the green plastic. he has a dual sided head and his bowl cut hair. Not the best Doc Oc, but not too bad. The worst thing about him is his robotic arms. They mount on the figure using the normal neck bracket, but they seem a bit oversized. But that isn't the problem. The problem is the arms also are needed to complete the mech. You must swap them between Doc Oc and His Vehicle. What a charmingly stupid play feature.

The Build/Model - The build begins by assembling Captain Stacey's teeny little brick built speedboat. It's cute, but unexciting. It has a bar to attach the studded string/web to so Spidey can tow behind it. It also has a stud shooter mounted on it. That is by far the most exciting play feature in the set. I wish I was joking about this.

The main build is Doc Oc's Giant Mech. And please do be aware I am stetching the definition of "Mech" as far as possible in order to categorize this lump of bricks as such. Mech's are supposed to have movement. Posability. Fun. This thing has none of that. It is a jumbled heap of awkward looking and garish multi colored bricks that at best looks ungainly and unbalanced, and at worst looks like what an adult imagines a childs Lego build would look like. (Real kids have a better sense of color and fun). Two bags build the top turret section. It's only fun features are you can attach Doc Oc's arms to it and turn a big honking knob to wave them back and forth in opposite directions. It also can pivot at the waist. The last bag builds the four static statue legs. Yes each has 2 clicky joints. But you can't actually move them and have the thing not fall over. The click hinges are their to achieve shape. Oh wait I forgot the other main play feature. Each shoulder has a big honking canister that can be spun to fire off a volley from the multi stud shooters, insuring twelve studs are forever lost in the carpet. The positioning of these looks horrible and clashes badly with the already ugly waggly arms. Have I mentioned that this thing is an ugly jumbled mess? The only thing that draws the eye or hand to it is a desire to figure out just what the heck it is supposed to be. And I'm not kidding there. What few "details" are on it seem random and counterintuitive. There is an ugly technic connector sticking straight out the back of the thing for no reason, no purpose and no visual effect. Nothing connects to it, it serves no play purpose and it doesn't in any way look like an attempt at detailing or greebling. It's just stock in there pointlessly to fill a hole.

Parts - There might be some unusual colors in this thing. I honestly could not tell you. But there is nothing that leaps out and grabs you. Certainly no parts worth specifically buying the set for. I hate to say this, but the main mech feels like what you would get if you went up to a Lego Designer and said "We have an overstock of These Parts in the warehouse. Make a set with them, and see if you can get rid of these old Spider-Man figs while doing it".

Overview - Ugly and Unfun. Decent figs especially White Tiger and Silver/Bronze Age Vulture. The set is for the true Spider-Man fan only. It might be some kids favorite Spider-Man set, but I would suggest to parents to either spend a fraction of this and get him the Ghost Rider set instead or spend a little more and get the far far superior Bridge Battle.