Review: Bane Toxic Truck Attack [70914]

I bought this set last weekend for two reasons. First, Bane was on my list of LEGO characters to get this summer. Second, buying this set got me the free LEGO Batman Movie battle pod from Toys R Us. So, was it worth it?

Set Summary

Name: Bane Toxic Truck Attack
Set #: 70914
Theme: The LEGO Batman Movie
Cost: $64.99 CDN
Brick Count: 366
Minifigures: 2 + Bane big-fig
Release Date: June 2, 2017

Summary Review: 71%

VALUE: 70% ($0.18 per brick is a little on the steep side.)
BUILD: 80% (Overall fun design, helicopter is crap though.)
MINIFIGURES: 87% (Bane absolutely rocks, pretty good brick-to-fig ratio.)
ENTERTAINMENT: 45% (Not great build time value, will not keep it built.)

Review

VALUE: 70%
As I pointed out in my recent look at the new LEGO Batman sets (click here to read it), this set has the worst value for the theme this summer. At 366 bricks and a price tag of $64.99, each brick costs $0.18. That is well above the average cost of a brick in the summer 2017 catalog ($0.14/brick), and even further above the average for the LEGO Batman Movie theme ($0.13/brick). The high cost probably has something to do with the Bane big-fig (interestingly, the other set from the theme with a really bad value contains the Killer Croc big-fig). This set earns a value score of 3.5/5 (70%).

BUILD: 80%
There is a lot to like about this set. I love the toxin canister design for both the large tank and the smaller ones. I will definitely apply this design in one of my future custom projects. I also really like the LEGO-fied toxic sticker on the side of one of the containers. Additionally, the design for the rear wheels is really cool on this truck. As a teacher who has my students design LEGO Mars rovers in class, I am always on the lookout for simple designs my students can use to make their rovers move better on the Martian terrain (yes, I built Mars in the middle of my classroom). These wheels provide a simple suspension that adapts well to uneven surfaces. Finally, Bane’s gatling gun is well designed, and fires pretty decently (though perhaps a little too easily).

I don’t like that all of the rails on this truck are really weakly attached. These rails should be able to withstand collisions, but as they are they just swivel all over the place. I also really don’t like Batman’s little helicopter. Batman would not fly around in such rinky-dink little piece of crap. Those pieces would have been better applied to making the truck more sturdy. Overall, I give this set 8/10 as a build score.

MINIFIGURES: 87%
You get two proper Minifigs and one big-fig in this set. Starting off with Batman, he is the same as in pretty much every other LEGO Batman Movie Set. I have lost track of which set each face variant comes with, but I know I have seen this one before. I get that it is the LEGO Batman Movie, but does every set have to come with the same Batman? If this was the first set from this theme that you ever acquired, I would give Batman the same 8/10 I always do.

LEGO Batman from Bane Toxic Truck Attack [70914]

LEGO Batman from Bane Toxic Truck Attack [70914]

The second Minifig I could have lived without. I don’t really know who the Mutant Leader is, and I don’t care to. He does not have a double sided face for obvious reasons (he is bald). He does have front and back print on his torso, and a little bit of printing on the front of his legs. His arms also have some print on them. As an accessory, he comes with a torch. I give him 7/10.

LEGO Mutant Leader from Bane Toxic Truck Attack [70914] front view

LEGO Mutant Leader from Bane Toxic Truck Attack [70914] back view

Bane is the real reason to get this set. He is a phenomenal figurine. Though not actually a Minifigure, he is very well designed all the same. I love the attachment points on his arms for the Venom tubes. Though we have seen Bane Minifigs before, this is one of those characters that really needed big-fig treatment in my opinion. If you have the Minifig too, you now have regular Bane, and Bane pumped full of Venom! I give this fig a full 10/10.

LEGO Bane front view

LEGO Bane rear view

Again, Bane is not really a Minifigure, but for the purposes of the brick-to-Minifigure ratio, I will count him as one. This means you are getting a Minifig for every 122 bricks, which is actually not too shabby. This earns the set a ratio score of 4.5/5. Combining all of the Minifig design scores with the ratio score gives an overall Minifigure rating of 87%.

ENTERTAINMENT: 45%
Bane Toxic Truck Attack took me 70 minutes to build, and cost $64.99. That puts this set at $0.93 per minute of build time, which is really bad in my books. The current average build time based on all of the sets I have reviewed is $0.75. I much prefer when the cost per minute is around $0.60. $0.75/minute gives the set a build time value of 1.5/5 (30%).

 I like this set, but I will probably not keep it built as is. I don’t really have a use for it in my LEGO city. I can see how it would be a lot of fun for little kids though. I will keep the toxin canisters for a future custom project that I have been dreaming of starting, but just lack the time to actually get to. For that reason, this set gets 3/5 from me for enjoyment. Combining the build time and enjoyment scores gives this set an entertainment rating of 45%.

 Overall: 71%

In general, I like this set, but it is not a keeper for me. I bought it mostly for the Bane figurine and to take advantage of the LEGO Batman Movie Battle Pod offer at Toys R Us. It does not have a great per-brick value, and the build time cost is pretty high. Waiting for a 20% off sale would bring cost down to $0.14 per brick, which is average. It would also bring the build time cost down to $0.74, which is more normal for me.

Do you have this set? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Until next time,

-Tom