The Infinity Saga ended with quite a bang back in December 2019. Part of that literal bang was the arrival of Thanos from the past in his warship the Sanctuary II. It was a whole thing with time travel and shrinking and deceit. Still with me? When you write it out it’s pretty crazy. In any case, here we have a small recreation of that spaceship with Sanctuary II: Endgame Battle (76237). This small LEGO® set released on October 1st, 2021 as part of ‘The Infinity Saga’ sub-theme. This new collection is a great way to make updated sets and minifigs from the MCU’s first 10 years. It’s also giving us sets for films that were never covered by The LEGO® Group as their license only started with The Avengers in 2012. Join me for a quick review of this set.
I purchased this set with my own hard earned toonies. For a full breakdown of our rating system, please click here.
SET SUMMARY
- NAME: Battle at the Ancient Village
- SET #: 76237
- THEME: Marvel
- COST: $49.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 322
- MINIFIGURES: 3
- RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2021
QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE: 65% (mediocre value for cost-per-brick and cost-per-minute)
- BUILD: 70% (simple build with some nice parts, looks fairly accurate at this smaller play scale)
- MINIFIGURES: 90% (great selection of minifigs, including a new minfig sized Thanos)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 72% (not much AFOL value, but decent level of play and detail for younger builders)
- OVERALL SCORE: 74% (decent build with great minifigures at an OK value)
VALUE: 65%
Sanctuary II: Endgame Battle retails for $49.99 in Canada. With a piece count of 322, this translates to a cost-per-brick of $0.15. The average for all Superhero sets reviewed to date is $0.13, so this puts it just higher than average with a score of 73%. I would have liked to see an additional small build like a Chitauri vehicle or some rubble. That would help set the scene and added some overall value.
I built Sanctuary II in under an hour. With a build time of approximately 43 minutes, this provides a cost-per-minute price of $1.15. That’s sadly pretty low and nets a score of only 56% overall. It’s a little tricky when it comes to small sets, but at $50 CAD, it would be nice to get a little more in way of pieces or build time. Overall, Sanctuary II gets a final value score of 65% – not terrible, but definitely room for improvement.
BUILD: 70%
Sanctuary II: Endgame Battle is packaged in a standard box that’s taped close – no push-in box tabs. That is a mild surprise. The graphics and colours really pop so this stands out on the shelf. The cover recreates the final showdown with the minfigures in a really fun way. Inside the box are 3 numbered bags, 1 bag of ‘power/energy elements’, a 75 page instruction booklet and a small sheet of stickers. The build is really quite simple and straightforward. No major surprises and it’s quite symmetrical. I can’t say I had a blast, but it was alright.
The Sanctuary II is decently screen accurate when comparing it to images from the film. The triangular shape and the negative space between arms is nicely rendered. Sloped plates cleverly create just the right elevation for the lower wings to angle up. It’s ultra simple and leaves no room for error. Colour-wise I’m not sure what the original ship was, but I appreciate this not being a black or grey blob. Stickers are not everyone’s favourite element, but here they add some nice metallic shine. Graphically the stickers are quite detailed, easy to apply and add a distinctly ‘alien design’.
A nice pop of colour is provided by the trans elements – particularly the red front canopy. Creating this as an opening cockpit provides a play feature and is frankly adorable. Putting tiny Thanos inside makes for a fun element and now you’ve got a microfighter (kind of). The back of the ship is plain, and features some hinged plates that open up to a hollow space. I put the power elements in there as it seemed like the best use of storage. With all that in mind, the Sanctuary II gets a decently average build score of 70%.
MINIFIGURES: 90%
Alright, full disclosure: I only purchased this set to add some new characters to my MCU minifigure collection. Which I know will shock no one and many of you can relate. The value and build scores are decent, but thankfully this set scores major points thanks to the minifigure selection. With a brick-to-minifig ratio of 107, this set scores an impressive 90%. So even with a smaller piece count, the inclusion of 3 minifigures more than makes up for that. By comparison, the average brick-to-fig value in all superhero sets reviewed is 170.
Teeny Thanos, Big Sword
Three minifigures come with Sanctuary II: Endgame Battle, two of which are exclusive (at the time of publishing). The first new fig is Thanos making his return to minifigure form. Prior to this, Thanos as seen in the MCU has been depicted as a big fig. Which makes plenty of sense given his size. For Sanctuary II, minifigure Thanos gets a wonderful new torso and leg print. The golden elements shine nicely and there is plenty of detail, even on the back. The arms are presented bare and he comes with one frustrated expression. Thanos’ helmet is a standard knight’s headgear in pearl gold, which has been used for his minifigures prior. His crazy large, double-bladed weapon is well done thanks to a couple of sword blades and a gold lightsaber hilt.
The Second exclusive minifigure is a new print of Captain Marvel. In this case we get Carol Danvers with her Avengers: Endgame outfit. She features back and front torso printing only and plain arms and legs. Her hair is accurately blonde and her face has dual expressions. The final minifigure is Iron Man in the MK 85 armour. This updated and nicely done fig first appeared in 2021’s Avengers: Endgame Final Battle (76192). It has fantastic gold detailing with full torso and leg printing. Opening the visor you get the customary Tony Star expressions including the HUD screen. Both heroes come with power/energy elements. All together the minifigures also score 90%, which is the overall score for this set.
ENTERTAINMENT: 72%
Sanctuary II: Endgame Battle may not be big on detail, but it does score a few points for entertainment. AFOLs will no doubt grab this for the minifigs (guilty!) and a decent parts selection. Younger builders will enjoy this set as well thanks to some good play elements like stud shooters and minifig accessories. The ship is just the right size for playing and swooshing around with. I also think it will pair well with the Avengers: Endgame Final Battle set, helping to round out the scene. It’s not much of a display item, but neither will it hurt your wallet, so overall it’s fine. If you find this on sale, it will be a decent value. Until then don’t rush on this unless you’re completing your Infinity Saga collection or stockpiling minifigs.
I Am Inevitable
The MCU minifigures drew me in on this one. I still needed a MK 85 Iron Man suit, and getting a new Captain Marvel and Thanos with it was a nice bonus. I’m glad they veered away from the big fig on Thanos. It certainly kept the cost down. Keep an eye out for a sale on this set as it will help sweeten the deal. And now what do you all think? Is this in your MCU and Marvel collection? What do you think of adorable minfig Thanos? What other sets would you like to see from the Infinity Saga? I for one would LOVE to see some sets for the first Thor and Captain America films. Comment below and let us know. And as always, keep on brickin’. 🧱
-Frank
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