This is my first “4+” set ever. I have never bought one for myself. However, the LEGO® Group recently offered me the entire wave of January 2021 sets to review. As a superhero fan, who am I to refuse? In any case, today we are looking at Spider-Man and Sandman Showdown.
NOTE: The LEGO® Group provided this set for review. However, the provision of products does not guarantee a favorable review. I will use my usual rating system (click here to learn more) and provide my honest opinion.
SPIDER-MAN & SANDMAN SUMMARY
- NAME: Spider-Man and Sandman Showdown
- SET #: 76172
- THEME: Marvel Superheroes
- COST: $13.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 45
- MINIFIGURES: 2
- RELEASE DATE: January 1, 2021
SPIDER-MAN & SANDMAN QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE: 22% (This set is absurdly expensive for what you get.)
- BUILD: 60% (Not much to build here, not much to learn.)
- MINIFIGURES: 90% (Fun characters with okay detail, but an amazing brick-to-fig ratio.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 80% (Small kids will probably like this set.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 63%
SPIDER-MAN & SANDMAN REVIEW
VALUE: 22%
Spider-Man and Sandman Showdown costs $13.99 in Canada. Additionally, the kit contains 45 bricks. As such, the cost-per-brick is $0.31. Compared to the average LEGO® set, that is bad. My average cost-per-brick is currently $0.14. Having never reviewed a 4+ set before, I do not have a baseline for how much these sets tend to cost. However, compared to “normal” sets, I rate this kit at 23%. As if that was not bad enough, I only got seven minutes of build time out of this set. That means at full price, each minute of build time costs $2.00. Comparatively, my average is $0.83. That is a disappointingly low 20%. Averaging these two scores gives an overall value rating of 22%.
BUILD: 60%
The Sandman Showdown set is not going to teach AFOLs any new techniques. However, we are not the target audience. So, I will refrain from reviewing this set based on simplicity of design. The main build is Spider-Man’s ATV. However, you also build a small catapult for Sandman to launch bricks with. Not much to assemble in this kit. It gets a passing grade because it is not an AFOL-oriented kit. However, I am not overly impressed. I rate the build at 60%.
MINIFIGURES: 90%
The Minifigures really are the reason to get this kit. If you think about it, a CMF series minifig costs you $5.00 these days. Therefore, two of them would be $10.00. From that perspective, all the bricks in this kit cost $4.00. Additionally, the Minifigures are nice. Spider-Man has printing on the front and back of his head. Both characters have dual torso prints. Sandman does not have regular legs, but his whirlwind of earth looks great. The set only comes with one accessory though, a large web. I rate the character design at 24/30 (80%). On the plus side, two Minifigures in a 45-piece kit is great. My average brick-to-fig ratio is 114:1, and this kit is 23:1. That is a great number of characters for a kit this size. I rate that at 100%. Averaging the ratio and design scores gives an overall minifig grade of 90%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 80%
This set is meant for little kids. I often do not rate 18+ sets with a KFOL score. Therefore, it seems unfair to rate a 4+ set with an AFOL score. Small kids will probably like this set. However, I suspect that is more for the characters than the build. Additionally, superhero kits are not for everyone. As such, I rate the KFOL entertainment score at 80%.
OVERALL SCORE: 63%
I found this set difficult to rate. I have never reviewed a 4+ set before. Additionally, I did not design my rating system for this type of kit. The sets I review are generally for an older audience. Based on my usual criteria, Spider-Man and Sandman Showdown is just a passable set. However, the Minifigures might appeal to adult superhero fans. This Spider-Man comes in other sets, but Sandman is unique. Additionally, the kit is not a bad value if you think of it more as a Minifigure pack and not a standard set. If you are a Spider-Man or superhero fan in need of a great Sandman Minifigure, then go for it. Maybe wait for a sale though. How do you feel about it? Feel free to comment below or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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