I have to be honest right from the get-go with this review: I know nothing about Overwatch. Well, perhaps that is not entirely true. I know is a video game. But, my familiarity with the theme ends there. Why purchase a themed set I know nothing about? The aesthetic value, and a decent price. This set will look great tucked away in a corner of my custom Ninjago City builds. However, any MOC work with this set is a ways off. So, let’s see how Hanzo Vs Genji (75971) holds up on its own.
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This set is currently on sale for Black Friday at the LEGO® Store. Click here (affiliate link) to go and check it out.
Hanzo Vs Genji (75971) Summary
- NAME: Hanzo Vs Genji
- SET #: 75971
- THEME: Overwatch
- COST: $24.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 197
- MINIFIGURES: 3
- RELEASE DATE: January 3, 2019
Hanzo Vs Genji (75971) Quick Review
- VALUE: 84% (Good value, even at full price.)
- BUILD: 100% (Great design and build techniques.)
- MINIFIGURES: 95% (Great characters, accessories, and brick:fig.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 85% (Nice for fans of the game.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 91%
Hanzo Vs Genji (75971) Review
VALUE: 84%
This set retails for $24.99 at full price in Canada. With 197 pieces, you are paying $0.13/brick. My current average cost-per-brick is $0.14. Therefore, you are getting this set at a decent value, even at full price. However, this set is easy to find on sale if you periodically check for deals. I bought mine for 20% off. At that price, I paid $0.10/brick. So, at full price, this set earns a score of 84%. But, even an average sale of 20% off brings the score up to 94%.
From start to finish, I spent 32 minutes assembling this kit. Consequently, each minute of build time costs $0.78 at full price. My current average is $0.84/minute. Therefore, once again, you get a decent value at full price (83%). Waiting for 20% off will score you a cost of $0.63/minute, and a score of 90%. Averaging the cost/brick and cost/minute scores gives an overall value of 84% at full price, and 92% at a modest 20% off.
BUILD: 100%
The main draw for me with this set was the central altar. I love the arch and the scroll hanging from it. The little katana rack in front of it is pretty neat too. When I actually got to build this piece, it did not disappoint either. The build technique used to make the arch is pretty neat, as are the little vases on the sides.
The set also comes with some built in play features. Each of the side “rooms” has a little circular tile launcher built into the base. Pressing on a brick-built button on the back launches the disc at unsuspecting Minifigures on the front side. This feature also has a nice design that works really well. For a set this size, there are some really nice details and fun build techniques. There isn’t anything I do not like about it, so I will give it 100% in this category.
MINIFIGURES: 95%
Hanzo Vs Genji comes with three Minifigures: Hanzo, Genji, and a henchman. All three characters come with the standard Minifigure parts. Additionally, each one has front and back torso printing. Hanzo and Genji have leg printing as well, but sadly none of the characters have double sided faces. If you remove Genji’s helmet, he actually does not have any face printing at all. However, a definite highlight for me in this character selection is Hanzo’s new hair piece. Based on these specs, I rate these Minifigures at 31/45 (69%).
These characters also come with a number of accessories. Both Hanzo and Genji have ribbon pieces to attach to their hair/helmet. Additionally, Hanzo sports a quiver and bow, while Genji has a green katana, a neck attachment to hold the katana, and two ninja stars. The henchman comes with an uzi and printed tile cell phone. An additional katana sits on display. Those bring the design score up to 42/45 (93%).
Three Minifigures in a 197 piece kit equates to a brick-to-fig ratio of 66:1. Given than my average is currently 147:1, you are getting an excellent number of Minifigures for a kit this size. Consequently, I rate this ratio at 96%. Averaging this score with the design score gives Hanzo Vs Genji an overall Minifigure rating of 95%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 85%
As an adult, I am impressed with this set. Given that it is actually a fairly small kit, it looks great. While it cannot stand alone as an addition to my LEGO® city, it has great potential as added detail in a MOC project. Knowing nothing about the actual game, I cannot comment on whether or not this set stays true to the source material. Since it is not a completely stand alone set, and I would not display it on its own, I will deduct half a point from the AFOL score, and give Hanzo Vs Genji 4.5/5.
From a kid’s perspective, I think this will be fun for fans of the game. However, beyond that, I am not sure. As a child, I loved toys that where themed to my favourite shows, movies, and video games. However, I did not collect things that did not fall into a theme I liked. So, since I do not see Hanzo Vs Genji having universal play appeal, I will give it 4/5 as a KFOL score. Combining the AFOL and KFOL scores gives an overall entertainment grade of 8.5/10 (85%).
OVERALL: 91%
Hanzo Vs Gengi is a solid buy, even at full price. You get a good cost-per-brick and build-time for the price. Additionally, for a set this size, there is a nice amount of detail, and quite a few Minifigures. Furthermore, this set is close to retirement, so it is not hard to find it on sale either. I plan to use this set to add detail into my next custom expansion of Ninjago City. Where do you see Hanzo Vs Genji fitting in? Be sure to let me know in the comments below, or on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
p.s. As I am writing this, Hanzo Vs Genji is on sale for Black Friday at the LEGO® Store, and the deal is pretty good. Click here to check it out (this is an affiliate link).
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