The Nano Gauntlet (76223) is the all powerful glove that our heroes in Avengers Endgame yield to stop the bad guy and save the universe. You know, the usual day-to-day for the folks in the MCU. Tony Stark creates the Nano Gauntlet to safely use the power of the infinity stones to bring back half the universe. It’s Iron Man-esque through and through thanks to that hot rod colour scheme. Avengers: Endgame was an epic film in every sense with tons of iconic scenes and character moments. Here we get a nice, if very scaled-down version of the gauntlet in brick-built form. The result is pretty great with some nice parts usage and great colours. Let’s take a look.
NOTE: This set was provided by The LEGO® Group to True North Bricks for review. This does not guarantee a favourable review and all opinions are my own. For a breakdown of the rating system, please click here.
SET SUMMARY
- NAME: Nano Gauntlet
- SET #: 76223
- THEME: Marvel
- COST: $89.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 675
- COST-PER-BRICK: $0.13
- BUILD TIME: 118 mins
- COST-PER-MIN: $0.76
- RELEASE DATE: August 1st, 2022
QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE: 80% (average and identical scores for cost per brick and minute)
- BUILD: 94% (a fun build with plenty of nice techniques, colour and NPU)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 88% (great display piece with great parts inventory for MOC makers)
- OVERALL SCORE: 87% (nice design, good price and a fun build for any MCU fan)
VALUE: 80%
The Nano Gauntlet (76223) retails for $89.99 CAD in-store and online. With 675 pieces, that translates to a cost-per-brick of $0.13 and a score of 80%. That’s exactly the average for the Marvel/Superhero sets that we have reviewed to date. With no minifigures, the price does come down a small amount and that of course helps with the value. My build time on this powerful mitten was ever so slightly under 2 hours, or 118 minutes. It’s not a complicated build by any stretch but you get enough variety to keep it from being overly quick. At that time, my cost-per-minute is $0.76 and another score of 80%. So right off the snap we’re at a decent 80% value score.
BUILD: 94%
The Nano Gauntlet (76223) comes packaged in a predominantly black box, a standard design for non-play sets in the Marvel line. This style of box art gives it a UCS feel. You’ll also find it on recent sets like the Hulkbuster (76210), Sanctum Sanctorum (76218) and Thor’s Hammer (76209). Inside the box you will find 6 numbered bags and a 136 page instruction book. To the delight of many, you won’t find any stickers in this build. The display plaque is a printed element. It’s wonderful to get all this detail with only brick elements.
I enjoyed the build process quite a bit. It comes together fairly simply but with a decent amount of variety. The base is a nicely shaped pedestal with a central support with layers of assemblies that you will then build around it. There’s also quite a lot of SNOT techniques which create just the right shapes. It’s quite simple looking but the process is decently advanced. Studs will face multiple directions and offer several connection points.
After completing the inside frame using lots of fun colours, you will attach a series of subassemblies to the outside. I’m really impressed with the wrist section and the area around the ‘opening’. The latter having some really snug fits with minimal gaps. Shapes and curves are rendered very well thanks to a variety of different slope bricks and layered tiles. Overall it’s really smart and clever bit of design.
Bling Bling
Fingers and Infinity Stones are the last and key components to the Nano Gauntlet build. The fingers have the requisite joints to bend inwards. Well, except the pinky which only has two joints. I’m not sure if that’s prop accurate or just a restriction of the scale. Either way, the joints are pretty good and decently sturdy. The gold 1×1 round studs on each joint really sell the mechanical look and feel. Each finger is attached with a single clip connection which feels surprisingly sturdy. The thumb however is on a ball joint allowing a better range of motion. All that allows for a decently convincing ‘snap’ pose in the hand. I mean, without that, what’s the point right? It’s not perfect, but close enough.
Those all-powerful bits of space jewelry are of course present. Each one is made up of just a few trans pieces in one of six accurate colours. The larger green and yellow stones are nicely framed by drum-lacquered silver and gray pieces. Stones on the knuckles are framed by a minifigure side bag recoloured in gold. It’s wonderfully clever parts usage held in place by minifigure roller skates of all things.
excellent results
I can’t find too much to deduct points from. I think it’s all really nicely realized and the end result is very effective. And I especially love the colours. That dark red with silver and gold pairs so well together and replicates the movie prop superbly. My one wish would have been for a minifigure to accompany both Gauntlets similar to what was done for Thor’s hammer. In this case an Iron Man MK 85. But then we’d need a larger model I guess. Oh man, imagine this puppy at a 1:1 scale! That being said, this is still an excellent build and I’m giving it a final score of 94%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 88%
The Nano Gauntlet makes a nice companion piece to 2021’s Infinity Gauntlet (76191). Both sets are more-or-less the same shape and design. These complimentary looks will be great on display, especially when seen side-by-side. Since it’s a gallery piece (so to speak), there’s not much if any play value for this set. And that’s totally fine of course. Young builders will still enjoy this set although it may prove a bit more advanced for some. And all you MOC makers out there will love the parts list. The interior has a lot of bold, fun colours to reuse. If you need lots of silver and gold, then this is obviously the set for you. The size is just right for easy display too. My final score is 88%.
OVERALL: 87%
The Nano Gauntlet (76223) should be an easy buy for any Marvel fan. If you’ve got the Infinity Gauntlet, then this’ll make a perfect addition. Otherwise you’re missing a glove and that’s no fun. I also think this set makes a really great gift for fans of the film that may or may not be LEGO®️ collectors. The price is decent, the details are great and it’s a very recognizable piece of pop culture. I do wish a minifigure was included though. And the plaque just a tiny bit more informative or even bigger. A larger scale build would be more expensive however, so this makes a good compromise. My overall score for the Nano Gauntlet is
And that’s a wrap on the Nano Gauntlet friends. This is my last review of the year! Wowza time has flown. I can’t wait to bring you some more sets and articles in 2023. What are your thoughts on the Gauntlet? Do you have it’s matching Infinity friend? Are there any more Marvel props you’re eager for? Please drop me a comment here and on our socials, we always love the feedback. Thanks for reading and until next time, keep on brickin’. 🧱
-Frank
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