Another quick set review, picts from Instagram!

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I'd been eyeing this Spider-Man set for a while now, but it was a little too spendy and I had my eye on other sets.  Besides, I've already got Spider-Man and Venom, and Spider Gwen wasn't super detailed, so I tempted my expectations.  But then I got it as a birthday present, so it all worked out in the end!

The figs are okay.  Spider-Man and Venom are great; super detailed, nice printing.  I had versions from the 2013 set, and while the new ones have finer details, I could've gone without.  (Plus, you know, Spideys in half the Marvel sets now days anyway.)  Aunt May was also a letdown because she's made from previously released pieces, so there's nothing really exciting about her.  Spider Gwen / Ghost Spider is the real exclusive here; she's a bit more plain than I was expecting; the torso / arms lack any pink highlights (well, the arms lack it... I didn't realize the body had some printed but that's because it's hidden by the hood.), although they are used on the eyes.  She's okay, but knowing the kinds of crazy details they can do on figs nowadays, she's a bit of a letdown still.

The first two builds are kinda boring.  Gwen has a flying surfboard thing; maybe it's from the comics but I don't recognize it.  The Spider Mech is okay for a smallish mech; it's a nice balance between blue and red, but still a little plain.  Best part is the webbing bars around the cockpit.  But the large Venom mech is very impressive.  Although the interior has some bright colors, the outside is mostly black with occasional white highlights... and that amazing red tongue.  The head design is awesome, and they even cleverly use the round printed CCBS armor for the eyes.  The whole thing has a smooth, muscular look to it, and totally sells that the character is a massive Venom out on a rampage.  Biggest problem is that the ankle connections are by a loose pin; I'm sure it was designed that way to properly angle the feet on a flat surface without having to resort to a ball joint, but I feel like he comes with some weak ankles that can make posing difficult.

This is a very good Marvel set, and $50 for 600+ pieces is a good value.  The Spider-Man, Ghost Spider, and Venom figs are all well designed and worth adding to your collection, and the Venom Mech build is great.  (Spider Mech, not so much.  Plus, does Spider-Man really need a mech?  Following the Lego trend of giving him a vehicle he doesn't really need.)  I'm sure it looks even better with all the stickers, but I didn't add them because I'm probably going to reuse the pieces eventually.  Anyway, it's a worthwhile set.