What started as a mere Easter Egg, glimpsed during Iron Man 2, Captain America’s Shield has become an iconic MCU prop. In Marvel lore, Captain America’s patriotic-themed shield is crafted from the super rare Wakanda ore, Vibranium. First crafted by Howard Stark for Steve Rogers to use during World War II, the shield has been present at key moments during the MCU’s long and connected history. Now it joins an impressive line-up of brick-built Marvel replicas which include, the Infinity Gauntlet, Thor’s Hammer and Wolverine’s Adamantium Claws. Here’s a closer look at the impactful LEGO® version of Captain America’s Shield.
Product Details
Set Name: Captain America’s Shield | Set Number: 76262 | Pieces: 3128 | Theme: LEGO Marvel
RRP: £179.99/$199.99/209.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 25 + extra elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Minifigures: Captain America | Insiders QR: Yes
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
Although the instructions offer a pretty uninspiring cover, inside is a little history about the shield and an insight from the set’s designer. There’s also a short paragraph explaining the need for rules in LEGO building and how elements are used or connected. Inside the box you’ll find a mass of element bags, these include numbered ones and a series of additional elements. There are a lot of elements, which is not surprising considering the size of the shield. None of the elements found in the set are particularly unusual, there are just quite a few of the same pieces.
You start by crafting the shield’s base frame. This is suitably sizeable and due to that, can be a little cumbersome to build. I highly recommend building the set and as flat and solid surface as you can as it becomes really tricky to securely add sections together. The further you get with the frame the more stable it becomes, but you’ll also benefit from having the frame on a flat surface when you come to adding the final details. You’ll also notice the core of the shield features a lone red section, This is used as a guide for adding the exterior sections. As they need to be connected alternately, the red strip becomes a handy starting point.
With the core complete, you’re about midway through the build and now begin to add the outer surface of the shield. This is why things get a little repetitive. To recreate the domed red, white and blue design of the shield’s exterior, a series of 18 panels are added. Each panel requires the same elements and the use of five numbered bags, which results in a mass of LEGO pieces loose at the same time and another reason why you’ll need a lot of space to build the set. Each panel then clips to the edge of the frame using a bar shield and then folds over to be connected to the central panel of the shield. I accidentally placed the black angled sections a stud too close to the edge, but thankfully noticed, after struggling to secure the third panel. Once the first 18 panels are added, the gaps are filled in with a slightly different panel, which is also created on mass and connected in the same way.
With the surface of the shield, mostly complete, it’s finished off with the star in the centre. This is built as a separate section and added to the very middle of the shield by a 2×1 brick. This acts as a means to cover up some of the minimal gaps and of course, by also creating an important part of the shield’s design. It sits slightly above the rest of the shield but this is to be expected and it still looks OK.
It would be a great set to mount on a wall, but the sheer weight of the shield and the way it’s constructed wouldn’t make it safe to hand up. Instead, the shield can be displayed on a display mount. This acts as a rest for the shield to sit on and doesn’t physically connect to it via any sort of clutch power. It does a pretty impressive job of supporting the vast weight of the shield but it still feels a little intrepid contraption. Unlike similar sets which include a minifigure, this isn’t just placed on the stand. Instead, the stand features a space for it to be mounted on an action peg, which I must admit looks a little odd.
The focus of the set is very much on the shield, but it also features a Captain America minifigure. This is based on Steve Roger’s appearance in Endgame, where he’s worthy enough to wield Mjölnir. The minifigure isn’t unique and has appeared in two other sets including the recent Black Widow motorcycle set. You can choose to display the minifigure with either Cap’s helmet and chin-strapped head or hair and his surprisingly chipper-looking face print. It also features Mjölnir and a shield.
Overall
It’s certainly one of the most visually impressive LEGO display pieces. It’s an almost 1:1 recreation of Captain America’s Shield which makes it a hefty piece kit. It does require a lot of repetition, but sometimes this can be quite fun as you can really switch off and instinctively build. Although I’d suggest not being totally disconnected as you build or you could make a slight misplacement of something. I quite enjoyed the build even though all the bags of elements and the need to tip out several of them at the same time can be a little daunting. The completed set makes a great display piece but the size and weight of it means you will need to find somewhere safe for it to sit. If this drops from any sort of height, expect destruction and if it hits anything on the way to the floor, it could also feel the wrath of Cap’s shield. Despite the danger, it is an impressive build and it continues the trend of the LEGO Marvel theme offering some unique displayable builds.
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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.
