As I write this, Joker’s Notorious Lowrider is not yet listed as “retired” on the official LEGO® Shop-at-Home site, but it is out of stock. That in conjunction with several retailers liquidating this set probably means that its days on shelves are numbered. I decided a long time ago that I would not pay full price for the Lowrider due to budget constraints. However, the Joker and Harley Quinn variants it comes with really appealed to me. So, when I found it on sale at 60% off, I decided that it was finally worth the purchase. Let’s take a look at how it held up to my expectations.
SET SUMMARY
NAME: Joker’s Notorious Lowrider
SET #: 70906
THEME: The LEGO® Batman Movie
COST: $64.99 CAD
BRICK COUNT: 433
MINIFIGURES: 3
RELEASE DATE: January 1, 2017
SUMMARY REVIEW: 80%
VALUE: 80% ($0.15 per brick is not bad at all.)
BUILD: 90% (Nicely designed set with only minor details lacking.)
MINIFIGURES: 95% (Excellent Minifig designs, great brick:fig ratio.)
ENTERTAINMENT: 55% (At full price, you get a great set, but not much build time.)
REVIEW
VALUE: 80%
At full price, Joker’s Notorious Lowrider costs $64.99 in Canada. With 433 pieces, you are looking at a cost per brick of $0.15. That is above the average that I have calculated for LEGO® sets released in 2017 (you can read more about that by clicking here). It is still not that bad though, and I would rate the value of the set at 4/5 (80%). As I mentioned earlier, I bought Joker’s Notorious Lowrider for 60% off, and paid a total of $26.50 for it. At that price, each brick set me back $0.06, which was an amazing deal, and would earn 100%.
BUILD: 90%
Joker’s Notorious Lowrider is a nicely designed set. It looks good as a display piece, but also has many great play features. I was impressed by the design for the suspension on the car, which actually allows the car the bounce up and down. I have not seen that previously on a LEGO® model. It employs a Technic-style, hinged system of beams and pins coupled with elastic bands to achieve the springing action.
Overall, the Lowrider is well detailed. The trunk can be opened, and there is a missile launching system built in to attack chasing super heroes. The missiles are launched by a trigger set up to look like a sound system where the back seat of the car would normally be. I do wish a little more had been done to make the speaker system more realistic, but that is a minor complaint. Another little issue I have is that the dashboard has no gauges. Stickers were given for the licence plates, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to give one or two more for the dash. A printed speedometer would have been even better. It’s an easy fix though, if you have the parts.
Overall, the build is fun both in terms of design and play. My complaints with it are few, and pretty minor. So, I give Joker’s Notorious Lowrider 9/10 (90%) in this category.
MINIFIGURES: 95%
As with many super heroes/Batman movie sets, the Minifigures are one of the major draws when it comes to Joker’s Notorious Lowrider. You get Batgirl, Joker, and Harley Quinn with this set. Batgirl is nothing new. She looks like the other two Batgirls that I have gotten in this theme. In fact, she is identical to the Batgirl that came in Catwoman Cycle Chase (click here to read more about that set). Only her facial expressions differ from the “exclusive” Batgirl that I got with my purchase of the LEGO® Batman Movie (click here to read more on that). All the same, it is a nicely designed Minifigure that comes with the standard utility belt and batarangs. If this was the first time I had seen this Minifigure, she would earn 15/15.
In terms of the titular character, this variant of Joker is really nice. While his facial expressions and leg printing are identical to the Joker that came in The Joker Balloon Escape (click here for that review), he has unique torso printing that, as far as I know, only comes with this set. I really like the vest and t-shirt look that show Joker’s tattooed arms. As with The Joker Balloon Escape, this Joker’s accessory is also a trick gun with a “bang” flag. This Minifig also earns 15/15 in terms of detail.
Joker’s Notorious Lowrider comes with a completely unique Harley Quinn. Obviously, her hair is the same as other variants, but she has torso and leg printing that I have not seen before. I have not collected all of the sets from the LEGO® Batman Movie, but I think her facial expressions are also unique. This is my third Harley from the theme, and the printing is new to me. My favorite detail about this version of Harley is her “Smilex” shirt, which is a reference to the Burton/Keaton/Nicholson Batman film from 1989. That movie is what really got me into Batman to begin with. Harley also comes with roller skates and a baseball bat. She easily earns 15/15 for design.
With three Minifigs and 433 bricks, you are looking at a brick-to-Minifigure ratio of 144:1. Super hero themed sets generally have good brick-to-Minifigure ratios, and this set is no exception. I give Joker’s Notorious Lowrider a ratio score of 4.5/5 (90%). Averaging this with the total design score (100%) brings us to an overall Minifigure grade of 95%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 55%
Joker’s Notorious Lowrider took me 63 minutes to build. At full price, each minute of build time would translate to $1.03. That is fairly pricey in my opinion. I would not rate that build time at more than 1/5 (20%). Luckily, I bought this set at 60% off, meaning my cost per minute was $0.42. At that price, this set would earn a build time score of 100%.
In terms of enjoyment, this is a great set. I can see this set cruising the streets of my LEGO® city, or being displayed nicely on a shelf. Kids will probably also really enjoy this model for the bouncing suspension and trunk missiles. I am not completely blown away by this model, but I do really like it. So, Joker’s Notorious Lowrider earns an enjoyment score of 4.5/5 (90%) from me. Averaging this with the build-time score at full price earns this set an overall entertainment score of 55%. At 60% off, you are looking at a grade of 95%.
OVERALL: 80%
In general, Joker’s Notorious Lowrider is a nice set, and a solid buy. You get a good price per brick, as well as excellent Minifigures. The set is nicely designed, and a lot of fun. Its main drawback is that you don’t get much build time for the price tag. For many youngsters, that will probably get balanced by play time, and even for me, photography will be fun. But, strictly from the amount of build time, it is expensive. I got Joker’s Notorious Lowrider on liquidation for 60% off, which is a price that is hard to beat. At $26.50, this set earns an overall score of 95%. Regardless of whether you paid full price, or found this set on liquidation, it is worth the purchase in my books.
Do you have an opinion you’d like to share about Joker’s Notorious Lowrider? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Until next time,
-Tom
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