Review:6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown/Berrybrick
Berrybrick
Country: America the Beautiful Gender: Male
Joined: February 2010 
№ of Reviews: 46 
№ of Featured reviews: 1
Building Experience: Enough is enough
You are not entitled to view results of this poll.
Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually hate Marvel. I do prefer DC, but I do admit that many of Marvel's characters are just as good, if not better, than many of DC's. Yes, I do prefer Batman to Wolverine, Batgirl to Captain America, (I do have a reason for that comparison, actually), Superman to Iron-Man etc.. The characters and things which do attract me I find lesser in number in Marvel, it was always DC I was exposed to during formative periods, and my political beliefs also affect my opinion, but I really shouldn't go into that, among a few smaller/more ridiculous things. At the end of the day though, the only Marvel heroes I really find myself liking are Spider-Man, Iron-Man (sort of, but I can't come up with a way to word what bothers me about him), and The Thing, but I'm more of a casual fan with these guys.
Anyway, enough about all that, yes, I own a Marvel set. I would own more if funds weren't in the way (as well as DC and Monster Fighters). This was an early Christmas present from my visiting grandmother. I would have waited until Christmas to open it, but she insisted. I built it just a few minutes ago, so I present to you my (hopefully) unbiased review of 6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown while it is fresh in my head.
Box/Instructions[edit | edit source]
Marvel's light blue and dark red colorscheme is really much better than DC's jarring yellow and blue and is better on the eyes. The box-art is quite nice. I like the Canadian wilderness. It is different for a background we normally see in LEGO sets and really nice. The cartoony Wolverine in the corner of the box is just as odd as all the other cartoon-heroes we have seen this year (I sort of like Spidey's graphic though).
Okay, now onto how the set looks. I am impressed. I can't comment on how the helicopter looks yet, but the way it is positioned really covers up a lot of things it should. That rotor is positioned really well.
The minifigures are all posed pretty well. I can tell Magneto is pulling the motorcycle over the cliff and I love how Wolverine is chopping the missile.
The back of the box just has different views of the helicopter and shots of its few features, mostly just the missiles and rotating rotor (what else would it do?). Though the biggest flaw is noticeable here, the shots are still taken in such a way that the emphasis is not on it but something else, unlike the front of the box which is meant for the whole set to be taken in at once (at least I feel it should be that way).
The instructions have the same image as the box (which is good) and more pages than I think it should have. Some pages only had a piece or two added. I didn't see any mistakes, though Deadpool's scabbard almost looks black (shame it isn't).
The comic included is nice, the artwork is admittingly better than DC's, but it feels even more like a cheap sales brochure, what with the Avengers helping Max locate the missing pieces of the LEGO Club Logo....
Parts[edit | edit source]
I find the parts selection pretty good. There are a lot of smaller pieces, especially red cheese slopes. Few things felt really stand out. There was the grey piece used in the front which I hadn't seen before (it could be years old for all I know though), the rotor blades, and the motorcycle being the only ones which come to mind. I would actually say this makes a good parts pack. The price is right and the pieces have a good balance between rare and useful.
Minifigures[edit | edit source]
Wolverine is pretty good. In most images he looks yellow, but it is actually yellowy-orange. My only two problems with the figure itself are that the hair does not cover the double-sided head and the suit looks too tight. Black lines on a light colour like yellow-orange are not good, at least to my eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if people don't pay attention to these things.
I'm fine with his mask being absent, I don't understand why the X-Men, or many other Marvel heroes for that matter, wear costumes when they don't bother with secret identities.
I think that he could have done with printing on a dark blue torso, rather than a yellow one, because from what I can tell Wolverine has blue on the sides, not yellow. He does at least on the back of the box (the image of the "real" Wolverine, not the minifigure).
The claws do come off looking a little odd. It looks too much like Wolverine is actually holding them. A better solution might have been to have the bar positioned like the back of a shield so it would closer resemble the claws coming out of his hands.
I can't say I care for Magneto much. He is very accurate from what I have seen, and that purple cape is wonderful, as are the hands, but his costume is utterly ridiculous. First of all, the colorscheme, red, purple, and silver isn't very good and doesn't remind me of magnets at all, but then he has a purple, bolted collar and even that isn't enough. His helmet is just...well, those purple lines resemble his eyebrows too much. Who emphasizes their eyebrows like that other than Frida Kahlo? His face can do with a bit more emotion too, I get that he is angry and angrier, but those eyebrows he is so proud of could be a bit more expressive.
I still think that LEGO did a very good job with this figure, and as ugly as it is, the helmet surprises me how thin it is. It is Chinese made, but is about as small a LEGO helmet can get. At least on top of everything else, the figure does not have an over-sized helmet.
Deadpool is awesome. My favorite Marvel figure. I actually find the character (the little I know about him) very annoying but the figure turned out so well. The black and red looks very good and the white for the eyes doesn't look too pink. My only problem is the dark brown scabbard, rather than black, but eh. At least it is a dark color.
The Build[edit | edit source]
I thought that the build lasted a decent amount of time and was enjoyable enough. It is a unique build for helicopters and the price point. A lot of it is what it looks like and there are few building techniques employed outside of stacking, other than a bit of snot, but it doesn't really need them.
The Completed Model[edit | edit source]
Now here we go. I guess I should start with the motorcycle. It works for Wolverine, but I forget that it was even included. It is a nice addition, but doesn't end up feeling like much. It also lacks T bars on the side, so it can flip over easily. Not as easily as motorcycles with the larger, covers, but still. I am glad they didn't go with anything too campy.
I can't say I like the helicopter much, but I will try to focus on the positive first. The helicopter's colors look pretty good and make a fine representation of Deadpool's colorscheme without being over the top. Bright red would have been too jarring. The arms for the flick-fire missiles are able to point upwards and downwards, which adds a bit of playability to a normally bland feature. I also like the, in search of a better word, smoothness of the chopper. I didn't think I would like it, but the way the slopes and curves work is actually pretty nice. Deadpool is able to fit comfortably in the cockpit too, even if he has to take his swords out, but I have gotten tired of removing Batman's cape so many times and the swords fit so loosely all I need to do is turn him upside down to remove him (I guess that is a con in its own right though).
Now for what I don't like. To make up for the fairly low price point, it feels like a lot of cuts were made. The helicopter has several gaps. The two most obvious being the opening at the side which is arguably an opened cargo hold, but the way the rotors are placed on the box make me think that the doors or wall were cut. The rotors themselves look a bit choppy (pun intended) the two plates below them each have a different problem. The shorter one is grey and not black, so it is noticeable, and the second one is black but is too short, so it ends up with a gap where the blades are not as thick as they should be. Aside from that, there is an opened window used for supporting the helicopter behind Deadpool. Under the cockpit is also a gap which could be filled in by a 1x4 brick, I might need to take a picture to get the idea across, but it is between the cockpit piece and the brick-built undercarriage. Lastly, in the back is what in my opinion is the worst one of all because I don't consider it justifiable, even by a low budget. Right where the long bricks that will for the tail-fin sprout are gaps on either side. You can actually see them in this picture below, but I didn't notice them until I built the set. This is also the image which I think conveys the rotor problem the best.
Aside from the gaps I have a few coloration problems, in addition to the grey plates mentioned. The light grey in the front and dark red cheese slopes on the rotor would look better in dark grey and black, respectively, I think. Lastly, the helicopter has two rotors on the tailfin, which is totally nonsensical. I wouldn't usually complain about things like this since they are easily removed and useful pieces, but there should be a shorter wing in place of one of those, which is not included. This is where I began to loose faith that the set was originally very well designed, but corners had to be cut due to budgeting.
Summary[edit | edit source]
- Pros
- Wolverine
- Deadpool
- Good parts selection
- Fair price
- Generic motorbike
- Cons
- Cut corners
- Gappy helicopter
- Two rotors in the back?
- A few small colorations
- Magneto's fashion sense (I doubt most of you will care though)
Building Experience: I found it pretty enjoyable. Good experience for a $20 set.
4 / 5Parts: The selection is pretty good. A nice balance between rare parts themselves and common parts in rare colors. I can't forget Wolverine's claws or Magneto's exclusive helmet either.
4 / 5Playability: The trio seems to have good playability, and the choppers can only add to it from there. There are no real play features (other than missiles and rotors), however, so it depends on your imagination.
4 / 5Minifigures: Deadpool is great, Wolverine is almost there, just a small problem with the tightness of his suit, and while Magneto is accurate, he doesn't make such a great figure.
4 / 5Value for Money: At 201 pieces it meets the golden ratio. On top of that, it has a good parts selection, including some exclusive parts, and has three minifigures who are exclusive and can easily stay that way, at least variation-wise. The helicopter feels like it has corners cut though. Anyway, the $20 price point has impressed me in pretty much every theme this year, and this set is no exception.
4½ / 5Design: I'm a little confused here. The set could be from the mind of a brilliant designer whose art was cut back due to budget cuts and resulted in a gappy helicopter, or he could be totally insane and have no idea what a helicopter looks like and just got lucky at being so close (referring to the dual rotor here). I think that the helicopter might have had a bit more justice done unto it if it were included in a slightly larger price point (why does Marvel have two $20 sets anyway?). Just $25 would be reasonable, I think, and allow for any gaps to be filled, unless the designer really is insane....
3 / 5Quality: I want to be more critical and analytical in my reviews. I wouldn't have added this section here if I really didn't have to, but I have owned this set for about three weeks now (this is an update, if you are reading this since I have added this section), and I am sort of disappointed. The quality is as good as ever, and the only parts which I think are Chinese are Magneto's helmet and cape, but those are as good as they get. However, I noticed that after treating the figure as well as I treat any other I intend to keep (i.e. not cutting him up/gluing something/painting), Wolverine has developed a huge crack on the left side of his body. I have not had this happen since the early 00's, and even then it was not this bad, nor this fast. I have not removed his arms at all, I don't think I have even taken his legs off more than three times (and that is probably an exaggeration). It won't affect the final score, since I am giving it a four in this section, but this is really disappointing.
4 / 5Overall: Yes, I could recommend this set. Heck, I could even say it is the must buy of the Marvel line, much like 6862 was for DC. Three currently exclusive figures, who can easily stay that way (or at least their variation, I can see Wolverine being tweaked a little), some decent parts, and a model I know some people actually like. I would recommend 6862 sooner, since Supes, WW, and Lex are a bit more crucial in my opinion (not that Wolverine isn't), but I would totally understand going for this first.
4 / 5All in all, a decent set with some big claws flaws, probably due to the economy.
