Although the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with Black Widow, the next big-screen MCU outing really moves things forward. Shang-Chi introduces a brand new hero to the mix but also has connections to the birth of the MCU. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is heavily steeped in Asian culture and one of the two sets inspired by the film is evident if that. The Great Protector is a serpent-like dragon, briefly seen in the film’s trailers. This water-dwelling beast is joined by four Minifigures and an odd face-less creature but do all of these elements combine for a must-have set? Here’s my review of set 76177: Battle at the Ancient Village.
Product Description
Put epic adventures into a child’s hands with LEGO® Marvel Shang-Chi Battle at the Ancient Village (76177) featuring a spectacular Dragon and 4 iconic characters from Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Dragon excitement and adventure
With its articulated body, the buildable, serpent-like Dragon twists and turns in kids’ hands. Iconic minifigure characters from the movie, including Shang-Chi, Wenwu, Xialing and Death Dealer, inspire epic roleplay. 2 minifigures can attach to the dragon’s water base to create exciting battle scenes. The water base can be removed so the fight can continue on dry land. LEGO construction toys are a great way of playing out Marvel adventures – and kids will love to build, play and display with this amazing, stand-out set.
- Set Name: Battle at the Ancient Village
- Set Number: 76177
- Theme: Marvel Super Heroes
- Pieces: 400
- Minifigures: Shang-Chi, Wenwu, Xialing and Death Dealer
- RRP: £34.99/$39.99/39.99€
- Measurements: measures over 8 in. (22 cm) high, 11 in. (28 cm) long and 4 in. (12 cm) wide
- Availability: LEGO.com, LEGO Stores & LEGO Retailers
The Great Protector is a very large, water-based dragon creature, which has briefly been seen in various trailers for the movie. Dragons play a key role in the comic book-based backstory of the Ten Rings. They are alien creatures who bring powerful elements to Earth, which later form into the Ten Rings. It’s unclear if the Great Protector is a variant of Fin Fang Foom. It certainly doesn’t look like the alien beast does. Instead, the Great Protector is a mix of white, pale blue and dark red, with splashes of bright red. The mix of colours work well together and are unlike what you’d expect a dragon to be.
To replicate the Great Protector’s slender, twisty body, it features a number of sections that are either connected by various ball joints. This allows for a range of movements and poses, although the sections with a pair of ball joints are a little limited. You’ll also notice that some of the elements are inverted, which help to capture the flowing elongated body in an unusual manner.
The head of the Great Protector features some of my favourite details, including scuba fins normally seen on the feet of Minifigures, as scales and printed 1×1 transparent tiles for the eyes. This is the only element to feature print, with other detailing on the body of the creature achieved by rather annoying tiny stickers.
The whole thing is mounted on a water-themed base. Not only does this tie to where the creature lives, but it also acts as a nice display stand and somewhere for the Minifigures to do battle according to images on the box. There’s a bag of water-like ‘power effect’ elements which are added to the display plate and into the mouth of the dragon. The whole build is a nice change of the Marvel theme, which often focuses on vehicles, mech or the occasional building.
Along with the Great Protector, the set includes four Minifigure characters and an odd faceless creature. Obviously, Shang-chi is included and is featured in his hero garb. He’s joined by his sister Xialing and his father Wenwu. They are all fairly simplistic characters, which match their movie counterparts. One thing I would say is the skin tone of the Minifigures could be better. They all have ‘white’ skin, which doesn’t match that of actors, who are of Asian descent. I’m sure there’s a better element colour, possibly the colour used for Valkyrie could have been used.
The standout Minifigure fore is Wenwu aka the Mandarin. For cultural reasons, the character is going by a less problematic name in the MCU going forward. But the essence of the character is the same. He’s the leader of the Ten Rings and can weld the power of the actual rings, which is what makes the Minifigure so cool. Five of the classic golden ring elements are combined with the recently introduced peg mounts to create a flow of rings. It’s a shame Shang-Chi doesn’t have any, as it’s such a cool use of parts. The final Minifigure is a Death Dealer, a masked foot soldier of the Ten Rings. The only downside of the Minifigure is the lack of a ponytail, more so due to the fact, there is the perfect element to achieve this feature, already available and featured in a number of NINJAGO sets. The set includes a brand new creature element simply known as Morris. This small odd little critter feels unfinished due to the lack of a face, but it’s intentional.
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