It’s been 10 years since Marvel’s biggest bunch of a-holes first appeared on the big screen. Back then the Guardians of the Galaxy were a little-known part of the wider Marvel universe. Thankfully, moviegoers instantly took to Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot, who all became a big part of the MCU, particularly the Infinity Saga. Their importance to the MCU has seen the Guardians feature in several LEGO® sets, along with their ship, The Milano. This has been replicated in LEGO form a couple of times, but its latest LEGO appearance is the most detailed yet. Is the new Milano a worthy celebration of the Guardians of the Galaxy’s 10th anniversary? Here’s a look at the set.
Product Details
Set Name: Guardians of the Galaxy: The Milano | Set Number: 76286 | Pieces: 2090 | Theme: Marvel
Number of Bags: Bags x 23 (paper) + Canopy | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: Sheet x 1 | Characters: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Baby Groot
RRP: £159.99/$179.99/179.99€/239.99AUD/299.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online and LEGO Retailers
The first LEGO version of The Milano was released back in 2014, the 665-piece set was a decent recreation of Star-Lord’s ship. A second slightly smaller version was released alongside the second GOTG film in 2017. The 2024 take on the ship, is certainly the most detailed and offers the biggest piece. It also focuses solely on the Milano ship and its original crew.
One thing you’ll notice when you build the set is how intricate some of the sections are. The layering of element and angular connection points requires a surprising amount of pieces. Another thing I found surprising about the set is it’s mostly crafted from traditional System elements. More often than not, ships or highly detailed structures make use of a lot of Technic elements. Although this set does feature a few Technic pieces, I expected much more. Which makes the completed build all the more impressive.
You start by building the interior of the Milano, this is a small area but does include a few details such as seating for all members of the crew and a shelf for Baby Groot. It also features places for weapons to be stored when not carried by the Minifigures. Quill’s stereo system can be found towards the rear of the ship, where there’s also a secondary cockpit. On the subject of cockpits. A printed canopy piece is used for the front section of the ship. This is packed separately from the other elements and thankfully it’s in a paper-based bag. Cutting the risk of it getting scratched up in the box.
You gain access to the interior of the Milano by removing the top section of the ship. This is a separate section but nearly sits atop the ship. It’s not connected to anything but it’s held in place by the curve of the ship’s body. Even this small part of the set features plenty of detail, including the unusual use of shovels and a plain shield element.
The Milano is a uniquely shaped ship and achieving this with LEGO bricks should be tricky yet the designer has expertly layered sections to recreate the ship’s odd angles and large splintered wings. Once fully built it takes up a sizable chunk of space. Similar to the scale of the Star Wars UCS ships. Thankfully the set includes a sturdy display stand. This is also similar to the Star Wars ships and simply slots into the bottom of the Milano. This offers a great way to display the set and partly helps as you add the finishing touches the the build.
The set features the five main members of the Guardians crew and they are all exclusive to this set apart from Rocket. Each of the minifigures is featured in their crew uniform which is merely them all wearing some form of dark red clothing. Despite the exclusive nature of most of the Minifigures, they do use some elements previously used for past versions of the same characters. The same can be said for Baby Groot, which reuses the baby figure but features new print details. Only Rocket is found in one other set.
When I first started building the set and realised how detailed it was, the fact it only features four Minifigures plus Baby Groot seemed a little stingy. However, I was watching the Guardians films as I built the set and in the closing moments of Vol. 1, the once strangers had not only become the Guardians of the Galaxy but also a family. So in a way the fact it only features the original Guardians team is kind of fitting.
Of all the crafts and vehicles from the Marvel universe, the Milano is probably the best shout for a UCS-style set. This isn’t billed as the Marvel equivalent of an Ultimate Collector Series set but it’s not far off. It’s such a detailed version of The Milano, a bigger version would seem pointless. It has all the trademarks of a ‘special’ set, such as a display stand, a high piece count and a detailed interior. All it’s lacking is a display plaque. The Guardians of the Galaxy: The Milano is available now from all good retailers.
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These sets were provided to BricksFanz.com by the LEGO Group for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Marvel. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
