There are a few superhero sets from LEGO that make me wonder if the price point is worth what we are paying for, or if we are getting charged more because of the Minifigs that are included. Hulk Lab Smash is one of those sets. The other set, which ironically also included the Hulk, The Avengers: Hulk’s Helicarrier Breakout featured our first look at the green behemoth in LEGO form but not much of a build with it. At least we got a vehicle with that set, this one not so much. From what I remember I paid about $60 bucks for the Helicarrier set, setting this one about 10 bucks less, but also without a vehicle. The Spider-Man Daily Bugle Showdown is another perfect example of this. So I guess it really comes down to what is worth  your hard-earned green at the end of the day.

In an age of collecting where getting the most for your money is very important, LEGO knows the game all too well. For an extra $10-20 surcharge they will throw in a few more bricks and a famous character in there, of course making the fan boy in all of us freak out! The best example of this is the Hulk Lab Smash. Based off the latest animated series on Disney XD, Avengers Assemble, this is the second set in the series I will be reviewing, the first being the Captain America vs Hydra which I took a look at last week. What drew me to this set? Well honestly, and as much as I complain about this being the selling point that LEGO gets us every time, it was the Minifigs. Hulk Lab Smash comes in at 398 pieces and took me just over an hour to complete.

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It was a decently entertaining set to put together, but out of the last four that I have constructed it was definitely my least favorite. The set is based on M.O.D.O.K.’s A.I.M. lab and I guess you could do a little crossover with your Iron Man 3 LEGOs if you wanted to. The cool thing is, if Marvel does choose to have the Aldrich Killian character end up being M.O.D.O.K., then everything can be tied together on your shelf as well! Enough nerd rambling, back to the review. Let’s take a look at the Minifigs, which like I said before was the main selling point of the set.

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Not in a million years would I have guessed that we would ever see a M.O.D.O.K. Minifigure, ever! Yet here he is, and this is one of those actions that only reinforces my belief that the character has a major role to play in the upcoming movie/TV universe, the Clairvoyant anyone? Taskmaster is another character that I am super-surprised to see but is a welcome addition to my LEGO villain stable. The Falcon is about to get some major “face-time” with the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie, but this set gives us Sam Wilson in his classic duds, remember that this set is based on the cartoon. I love Falcon’s wing accessory, it’s huge! Hulk is a re-hash, but one that I can’t complain about because he actually comes in his purple pants this time around. The scale of this guy alone is awesome and it’s the only way to go around properly creating a figure for him. Thor, interestingly is a different figure than we have seen in past sets. I was surprised that from a money standpoint that LEGO didn’t just throw in an old version. Here we get a different costume for the Odinson, and also a beardless head-piece! This is accurate to his look in the cartoon and makes total sense, I just didn’t expect it.

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This set is super-simple to build, and is perfect for all ages. Like I said it took me just over an hour to put it together and that was with taking pictures. With sets based on actually buildings I do appreciate the attention to detail that LEGO applies to the sets, I mean who needs a fire extinguisher? Apparently even the villains are safety conscious. There is plenty of play value that comes with the set, with exploding staircases, and trap floors. I would suggest it to any parent thinking of picking the set up for their child, because it’s made for them. But the collector in me couldn’t resist the opportunity to add the characters to my Minifigure roster, so apparently everyone wins here.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes: Hulk Lab Smash gets a 4 outta 5 stars. This one’s all about price versus what you get. LEGO’s price points have been set and I don’t see them changing anytime soon, except maybe going up. Even if the company adjusted down by $5, some of the prices would make a little more sense. Nonetheless, when will we ever see a M.O.D.O.K. Minifigure again after this set is retired?

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~CynicNerd