Spanning 15 years and over 30 movies plus several streaming series, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has acted as inspiration for a large number of LEGO® sets. Many of the entries have been marked with a single set and that’s the case with the upcoming MCU entry, The Marvels. The film acts as a sequel to Captain Marvel, as well as a continuation of the Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel and WandaVision. The set in question is the ship used by Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, Kamala Khan, and the Flerken. The set caused quite a stir when first revealed, mostly due to its piece count and hefty price tag. So does the Hoopty warrant the RRP or is it best left floating through space? Here’s a look at the awkwardly named The Hoopty set inspired by Marvel’s The Marvels.
Product Details
Set Name: The Hoopty | Set Number: 76232| Pieces: 420 | Theme: LEGO Marvel
RRP: £84.99/$89.99/94.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 4 + extra elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: Sheet x 1 | Minifigures: Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Photon plus 3 x cat figures | Insiders QR: Yes
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
Let’s get this out of the way at the beginning of the review. The set is not worth the price tag. Even as a set which carries a licence, it does not warrant the RRP at all. Sometimes you can tell by the number of minifigures a set features or the elements it includes, but that’s most certainly not the case with this set. It only features three minifigures, along with three cat figures and the only large and vastly unusual element is the cockpit canopy. But this review is more than just a rant about how much it costs. Here’s what the build actually offers. As I write this review I’m looking at some of the product shots of the ship and some give the impression that the set has a shiny, metallic finish to the exterior. However, it doesn’t, the outside of The Hoopty is simply crafted from light grey elements.
With the film not out until, November, the only comparison we have for the set in terms of the source material is the trailers. From the brief moments, it appears in the trailer, it looks like the set does a good job of capturing the ship’s curved exterior. Various curved elements are combined nicely to achieve this and they also connect well with the orange cockpit canopy. One feature I really like is the engines. They are set at a diagonal angle and to achieve this they are held in place by a pair of teeth plates. It’s a simple technique but provides a great finish.
The interior of the ship includes a fair amount of detail and to access it the cockpit and roof plate are hinged to the rear of the ship and can be lifted. Inside is quite cramped and is a little tricky to get to, even with the roof plate lifted. But you’ll find a bed at the rear of the ship and room to seat all three minifigures at the front of the ship. Lining the walls of the side are various appliances, plates and other accessories. These provide a bit of colour to the set, even though they are hidden within the set.
All three of the characters featured in the set have appeared in other forms, in other sets. But they all offer a unique version of them in this set. Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has the most varied appearance of just about any other minifigure. Her costume has changed colour and design just as much as her hair has. This version features long blonde hair and a slight tweak to her outfit from the Quinjet set released alongside the original Captain Marvel film. The grown-up version of Monica Rambeau appeared in the first series of Marvel Studios minifigures. Here, she has become Photon but is basically the same minifigure with a slightly better-detailed torso. The MCU version of Ms. Marvel hasn’t appeared in a set before now, although the character has featured in a couple of Marvel sets. Her MCU outfit is recreated well in this set, with detail spanning from the torso to the legs, making it the better of the three characters featured in the set. Each character has alternate face prints yet none of these recreate the characters ‘powered’ look where their eyes light up. There’s also a packet of power elements, which can be added to the characters to represent their powers. However, they are all orange design Photon having white-coloured powers and Ms. Marvel’s powers manifesting as pink constructs.
They are joined by Goose the cat, who is an alien creature known as a Flerken. On the outside, they resemble a simple cat, but this unassuming form holds pocket dimensions and a monstrous mass of tentacles. In LEGO form they are just cats, with the same orange adult cat used to represent Goose and two kitten figures to represent her offspring.
Overall
A lot has been said about the pricing and every single complaint is 100% warranted. It doesn’t have any special elements or any overly big pieces apart from the cockpit canopy. Nor does it have any special minifigures, even the Flerken figures are just cats from other sets. I really cannot find a single reason why the set, at only 420 pieces and three minifigures, has a price point of £84.99/£89.99/94.99€. Comparing it to other similarly priced Marvel sets such as the Avengers Endgame Battle or Spider-Man Final Battle, they have double the piece count and minifigures, for a mere £10/$10/10€ more. It’s a shame really because it’s not a bad set. If you take the price out of the equation, it’s a unique ship and thus provides an interesting build experience. It’s also something perfectly suited as a one-off set to release alongside the upcoming film. It just needed to be vastly cheaper in price point.
Coming Soon: UKIrelandUSCanadaMexicoGermanyFranceDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
The LEGO Group provided this set for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
