Review: Killer Croc Sewer Smash [76055]

Killer Croc Sewer Smash was one of those sets that I was on the fence about for a long time. I really wanted the Minifigures that came with it, but I had little interest in yet another Batman vehicle. The price point was also way too high for my liking. But, I found it on liquidation at Walmart not too long ago, so I decided to pick one up. My rationale was that I would end up paying close to the same amount to buy the Minifigures on eBay or Bricklink, and this way I would get some spare parts. So, is Killer Croc Sewer Smash more than just extra bricks?

Set Summary

Name: Killer Croc Sewer Smash
Set #: 76055
Theme: DC Comics Super Heroes
Cost: $99.99 CDN
Brick Count: 759
Minifigures: 4
Of Interest: Killer Croc big-fig and motorcycle
Release Date: August 1, 2016

Summary Review: 66%

VALUE: 80% (At full price, you pay an ok $0.13 per brick.)
BUILD: 35% (The Bat-Tank is ok, but Killer Croc’s vehicle is just crap.)
MINIFIGURES: 84% (Nice Minifigures, and a good brick-to-fig ratio.)
ENTERTAINMENT: 65% (Build-time value is not great, but the Bat-tank is nice.)

REVIEW

VALUE: 80%
Like I said in the intro, on first glance, this set has a really high price point for what you get. If you break it down to a cost per brick though, it is not that bad. With a full price tag of $99.99 in Canada, and 759 pieces, you are looking at $0.13 per brick. That is a touch below the current average of $0.14, and on par with other Batman sets advertised in the Summer 2017 LEGO catalog (click here for more on that). It is not the best value, but it is certainly not bad either. At full price, I give this set 4/5 (80%). Now, if you were lucky enough to find this set on liquidation like me, then you may have paid considerably less. Walmart liquidated Killer Croc Sewer Smash for $65 (35% off). That brought the cost down to $0.09 per brick, which is an amazing value, and earns 100% in my book.

BUILD: 35%
There are two builds included in this set. The first instruction manual is for Killer Croc’s chomper-mobile (or whatever it is actually called). I rarely say this about LEGO, but this thing is a piece of crap. I don’t like anything about it, starting with the overall look. It looks like some spare bricks were haphazardly thrown together to make a junkyard version of one of those wind-up tooth things the Joker uses. The teeth are flimsy, and not nearly secure enough for this vehicle to pose any sort of threat. The jaws are supposed to open and close when the vehicle rolls along the floor, but I find that this play feature only works on certain surfaces. Then there is Captain Boomerang’s lifeguard chair. What is up with that? I don’t think I have ever disliked a LEGO build quite this much. It earns 0 from me.

The other build is a sort of tank-like vehicle for Batman. One of the reasons that I was hesitant about this set is the fact that I don’t need another Batman vehicle. But, if I put that notion aside, this one has a pretty sleek and interesting look to it. It is way to big for Minifigure scale, but I do like the design. There is machine gun style stud shooter on the front, and turning the jet engine on the back causes the whole front of chassis to pop forward like a shield. That is a rather uninteresting feature in my opinion, but the mechanics behind it are clever. I do like the cockpit design, the tank treads, and the exterior detailing though. I do wish the back area, where the jet engine is, had received a little more of the black detailing seen elsewhere in the design (like some panels, or more fins, or something). So, it gains some marks for likeable design features (overall look, cockpit, tank treads, detailing), but also loses some for less appealing features (rear design, being oversized). Overall, I give the Bat-Tank 7/10.

If the scores for both of these builds are averaged, I would give this set a really poor build score of 35%. The Bat-Tank looks nice, but it only just meets my expectations. The chomper-thing is just a disappointment.

MINIFIGURES: 84%
For a Batman/DC Comics fan, the Minifigures are the real draw of Killer Croc Sewer Smash. This set came out around the same time as the Suicide Squad film. Along with the Gotham City Cycle Chase (click here to read my review), it provided the only opportunity for fans to assemble their own, partial Suicide Squad. Still missing in LEGO form from the movie are the Enchantress, Rick Flag, El Diablo, Slipknot, and Amanda Waller.

First up for review is Batman, who is identical to the one in Gotham City Cycle Chase. Despite being a repeat Minifig, I give him 13/15 (87%). He comes with the standard, newer cowl design, and underneath he has a double-sided face. He has a front and back printed torso, as well as a cape. His legs have no printing, but he comes with two Batarangs. I think a slightly different variant of Batman would have been better, but for those who don’t already have this version, it is a pretty solid Minifigure. I rated him a little lower (80%) in my Gotham City Cycle Chase review, but have changed my evaluation criteria a little since then (click here for details).

Next up, we have Red Hood. As a Batman fan, I am happy to have this Minifigure. But, whether you liked it or not, Suicide Squad was a financially successful film. So, putting more characters from the film into this set would probably have been a better choice. Red Hood does not have a double-sided face, but the headpiece is printed on both sides. His torso also has front and back print, but his legs are just plain black. As accessories, he comes with two sub-machine guns, and a red motorcycle. Red Hood also earns 13/15 (87%).

Of the Suicide Squad members, the first I will look at is Katana. While she does not resemble the movie version, she remains true to the comic book and television (Arrow) adaptations. She comes with a black hairpiece, and a double-sided face (neutral and angry). Her torso has a well detailed front and back print, and one of her arms also features an armored design. Katana’s legs are grey with red boots that are printed all around. She comes with two ninja swords as well. I give her a full 15/15 (100%). Katana is a really nice Minifigure.

Captain Boomerang also comes in Killer Croc Sewer Smash. Like Katana, he is the comic book version, and not the film variant. He wears a blue beanie with a boomerang logo. While he does not come with a double-sided face, he does have pretty detailed front torso print, and a little rear printing as well. His legs have some detailing on the front, but not the back. As his name suggests, Captain Boomerang comes with two boomerangs. he earns 13/15 (87%).

Last up is Killer Croc. Unlike the other characters in this set, Killer Croc is a big-fig. He has some scale-like molding on his back, and a detailed face print. The front of his torso is nicely sculpted and printed. As with other big-figs, Killer Croc’s legs and torso are one molded piece, and he has pants printed onto the legs. His arms are attached to the body with technic pins, and can rotate 360º. He also has articulation around the wrists, which also rotate. He doesn’t really have any accessories. He’s a bit hard to rate with my standard Minifigure scale, but I would say he’s about 12/15 (80%), and could have been made a little better with an accessory.

Overall, Killer Croc Sewer Smash earns a Minifigure design score of 88%. For the purposed of this review, I will count Killer Croc as a Minifigure. So, with 759 bricks, this set as a brick-to-Minifigure ratio of 152:1. That is a decent ratio, earning this set 80%. Averaging out the design and ratio scores give Killer Croc Sewer Smash an overall Minifigure rating of 84%.

ENTERTAINMENT: 65%
This set took me two hours to build pretty much exactly. At $99.99, that means that each minute of build time costs $0.83. That is not the greatest value, earning 2.5/5 (50%). In my case, since this set was on liquidation, the cost was considerably lower. I paid $65.00 for this set, so the cost per minute was only $0.54, which is amazing and earns 100%.

In terms of my enjoyment of this set, as I mentioned before, I strongly dislike Killer Croc’s vehicle. It is poorly designed, and I really don’t think kids would enjoy playing with it either. The Bat-Tank looks really nice and has some play features that work well. I think kids would get a lot of enjoyment and play time out of the tank. It also looks nice, so even as a display piece for adults, it works well. Given that the tank is the main build in this set, and the Minifigures are really nice, I could see myself keeping most of this set as is, and just scrap the chomper-vehicle-thing. For that reason, I give this set 4/5 (80%) for enjoyment. Averaging the build-time value and enjoyment at full price would earn this set 65%. On liquidation, it earns 90%.

Overall: 66%

If you can find this set on liquidation (35% off), it is a great value per brick as well as in terms of build time. At full price, it is not as good a value. The per-brick cost is good, but the build-time is a little expensive. The Minifigures are fun, and come with a good brick-to-Minifig ratio. The biggest drawback of Killer Croc Sewer Smash is the horrible design of Killer Croc’s vehicle. It really pulls down the score of this set. At full price, I rate this set at 66%. If you find it on liquidation, I rate it at 77%. I don’t really recommend this set at full price, unless you just have to have the Minifigures. Even on liquidation, it is still only worth it if you want the characters. The Bat-tank is cool, but Batman vehicles are a dime a dozen in the LEGO universe, so unless you really like this one, it doesn’t add much to the set.

If you have an opinion on this set, I would love to hear it in the comments below. The more opinions people give, the more informed decision others can make! Until next time,

-Tom