LEGO Review – Arctic Roller [70911]

I love the Penguin Minifigure from the LEGO Batman Movie. Penguin has never been my preferred villain, but the Batman Returns version of him has always been my favorite. This set is also awesome. In terms of design, it is my favorite from the LEGO Batman Movie theme so far.

Set Summary

Name: The Penguin Arctic Roller
Set #: 70911
Cost: $39.99 CDN
Brick Count: 305
Minifigure Count: 2
Manuals: 2
Release Date: January 2, 2017

Summary Review: 84%

Value: 80% (Average cost per brick of $0.13 CDN.)
Build: 90% (Great design, but escape pod is crap, and there are no doors.)
Minifigures: 80% (Well designed Minifigs, ok brick-to-fig ratio.)
Entertainment: 85% (Not bad build time value, and I really like it.)

Review

VALUE: 80%
With 305 bricks, and a cost of $39.99 in Canada, the Arctic Roller works out to $0.13 per brick. That falls right on the current average for both the LEGO Batman Movie theme and LEGO in general that I calculated using the January 2017 catalogue (click here to read my review). That is not a bad value, and earns 4/5 (80%).

BUILD: 90%
This set is awesome. It is really nicely designed. The use of the hot air balloon pieces from Friends and City’s Prison Island to create the curved fenders is really clever. The vehicle has a really classy look, fitting of the Penguin, but still packs a hidden punch in the form of missiles fired from the front. I really like that a sticker was included for the dashboard as well. The escape vehicle that is stored in the trunk is really poorly designed though. A little more effort there would have been nice as is wouldn’t have taken many more pieces to make it look better. I also do not like when doors are not included on LEGO cars. However, given that the escape vehicle is really not the focus of this set, and I really like the design otherwise, I will only take half a mark off for these minor flaws. I give the build 9/10 (90%).

MINIFIGURES: 80%
You get two Minifigures, Batman and The Penguin. Batman is pretty standard issue. I like his double sided face that is either angry or disgusted/shocked. He has printing reminiscent of Michael Keaton’s Batman suit on the front and back of his torso, but no printing on his legs. He also comes with a few Batarangs and a utility belt. I give him 8/10.

Penguin was the reason I bought this set. The only other way to get him was in the massive Batcave set, which I have decided to skip for budgetary reasons. The only real draw that set holds for me is the Alfred Minifigure, and I can’t justify the price tag for one character. I was really happy for a cheaper alternative to getting the Penguin. Penguin has a number of features that I would normally consider to be drawbacks. He does not have a double sided face, and he has the stumpy legs I loathe so much. But, in this case, neither one of those is a problem for me. Penguin’s facial expression is awesome, and a double sided face would not be concealed. Penguin is also supposed to be short and disproportioned, so the overly long arms don’t bother me here. The printing in the front of his torso is great. He does lose marks for no print on the back of the torso or legs though. The top hat is awesome, the fur collar is phenomenal, and he comes with an umbrella to boot.  He also has a little printing on his arms that makes up a little for the lack of printing in other areas. I love this Minifigure, but I will still only give him 8/10 for lack of detailing in places.

With two Minifigures and 3o5 bricks, you are getting one Minifig for every 153 pieces. That is an ok brick-to-Minifigure ratio, and earns a score of 4/5. This means that overall, looking at the design scores and the brick-to-Minifigure ratio, this set earns 80% for its Minifigs.

ENTERTAINMENT: 85%
This set takes about an hour to build. So, with a price tag of $39.99, it costs about $0.67 per minute to build. That is an ok value, and earns a score of 4/5. I do really like the set a lot though. So, I will keep it largely unchanged for use in my LEGO city. I will probably modify Penguin’s escape vehicle though, because it really is crappy. For that reason, I will give it 4.5/5. These two scores combined give the Arctic Roller and entertainment score of 85%.

Overall: 84%

As I mentioned earlier, in terms of the design of the car and the inclusion of the Penguin Minifig, this is my favorite LEGO Batman Movie set so far. It comes at an ok price in terms of brick count and build time, and it has a decent brick-to-fig ratio. You get a Batman Minifig with a fun facial expression, but otherwise he is probably the same as many of the other Batmans in the theme. I will keep the car exactly as is, I really love it. The only thing I would really change is Penguin’s escape pod. I recommend this set.

Until next time,

-T.N.B.