Hapori Tohu Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Once again, it's time for another review. While it's still in theaters, we thought it might be good to take a look at another Iron Man 3 set, this time Iron Man vs The Mandarin: Ultimate Showdown. Ta-metru_defender has picked up this smallest set from the lineup and is ready to share his thoughts on it with you all. Read on to see how ultimate it is!Presentation From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.It's a small, square box. Obviously. The art on the front has the Heartbreaker Armor fighting The Mandarin, the top has the actual size Iron Man fig, and the back has the features. It's fairly straightforward. Interestingly, the back has The Mandarin zooming out of his vehicle. Because everyone's gut response to fight Iron Man is to get out of the thing that might be your advantage.Open the box! Two bags, instructions, and a loose Mahri-esque tube. No stickers or comics to be found here. So hey, let's build this set.Building Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?The Mandarin's vehicle, which shall henceforth be known as Trevor the Tractor of Destruction, is not a complex build. It comes together quickly. Like with most LEGO sets, it gives you that pleasant little zen-like feeling as you put it together, but it doesn't last long since it's, y'know, a simple set.Set Design Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.Both minifigs here are exclusive to the set, so let's take a look at them.The Heartbreaker Armor looks fantastic. It's a cool armor in the film and the LEGO representation is great. The faceplate's blue eyes, silver chin, and little red arrow on the top bears special mention for just being so darn detailed. It's a great minifig. We get the same head from the Avengers set last year, as opposed to the new Tony in the other Iron Man 3 sets. The Mandarin has the same head as in Malibu Mansion Attack, but a very different and far more guerrilla looking torso that will certainly be useful for anyone wanting to make a military MOC. His legs aren't printed which is a bit of a shame. Another bummer is that his beard obstructs his torso printing. Makes you wish LEGO had printed the beard on his face and/or given him a smaller plastic one. Oh well.On to Trevor the Tractor of Destruction. It's not a bad piece of construction by any means. We get details like a bumper and taillights (even Tractors of Destruction observe some semblance of road safety). Trevor's flamethrower is a little... oddly placed, seems The Mandarin would get really hot in the driver's seat, guess he figured, 'convection schmonvection.' Trevor's also got flickfire missiles and a pistol and signal light thingy on the side too.Playability The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?Let's talk about Trevor for a second. It's... well, like the speedboat and helicopter in other Iron Man 3 sets, it's nothing terribly amazing. The flickfires flick, but not nearly as well as in the speedboat. That said, you can always push it around.The real fun comes in making Iron Man fight The Mandarin. It is the Ultimate Showdown, after all. Behold, after Trevor falls Iron Man prepares to fight The Mandarin with the Signal Light Thingy of Destiny! One night only, Trevor VS Dummy! Flamethrower VS Fire Extinguisher! Tractor of Destruction VS Barely Competent Robot!Final Thoughts Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?Pros What's to like?The Heartbreaker ArmorCool 'figs, as usualTrevor isn't a total failureCons What's not to like?$13 is a bit steepThough not a total failure, Trevor doesn't really do muchThe main problem with Iron Man vs The Mandarin: Ultimate Showdown, besides its unwieldy name, is its price. I think $10 would be far more reasonable for the set, given its 91 pieces and, well, lack of anything terribly exciting. It's hard for me to recommend it since Trevor just doesn't stick out all that much. Maybe if we had another set of armor (Silver Centurion, please) the $13 would be worth it. As it stands, though, I'm glad we got the Heartbreaker and not another Mk. 42.Having seen the film twice as of this writing, I love how it ties in to the movie. Any discussion related to that can be directed to the Talkback, with the appropriate spoiler tags.In any case, the main reason you (and by you I mean me) would buy this set isn't for Trevor or The Mandarin but for the Heartbreaker. Because what's life if you can't have an army of Iron Men? Everyone needs a hobbyAs always, I'll be answering questions and taking picture requests.Thanks to Ta-metru_defender for taking the time to put this review together. As he says, you can ask questions or leave your comments in the Talkback. And don't forget to keep checking back for for more LEGO set reviews and news, right here on BZPower!View the full article Quote News Forums Q&A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dual Cee Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Looking forward to this set, which totally did not come in the movie.... Quote I'm back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuragaNuva Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 ...Am I the only one who doesn't see the review here?- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gears The Toa Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Nope, I dont see it either Quote Credit be to Strack for my avatar, who I WILL moc one day, the avatar I mean ........Life is a whole lot of everything-CleverbotWhat What What.-CleverbotMy steam name is Toa Gears °▲Delta, add me if you wish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Six Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Patience, padawans. We have to put it there manually and can't be everywhere at once. Quote Bio of a BZP Admin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Evo Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Yeah, come on, everyone, it takes time for Black Six to run in a phone booth and emerge as HAPORI TOHU, DEFENDER OF BZPOWER JUSTICE! FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET, MORE POWERFUL THAN A LOCOMOTIVE, AND ABLE TO PUT UP SET REVIEWS IN THE TALKBACK TOPICS WHEN THE NEWS FEATURE IS DOWN!Anyway, nice review. I can't really see myself buying the set in the future, though; licensed sets usually just don't interest me that much. I do like the Iron Man minifigs, though, so maybe I'll have to find a set with one someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chro Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Totally movie accurate!Trevor the Tractor of DestructionYes. Quote save not only their lives but their spirits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toa Smoke Monster Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 The Heartbreaker Armor looks great! I would get this set just for it if the price was a little lower. But anyway, thanks for the review! Quote Everyone is one choice away from being the bad guy in another person's story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Labouka Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Well, at the very least the set stayed true to one aspect of the god-make-him-be movie version of Mandarin...The fire breathing. XD ...Ok, it's a flamethrower, but STILL! Same principle. XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axilus Prime Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Looks like Lego is avoiding Iron Man 3 spoilers. Iron Man vs the Mandarin? Ultimate showdown? My rear end. XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archivist_66 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I like Mandarin's torso print. Excellent quality. Quote "You are a Toa -- prove yourself worthy of the name!" Onua, "Into the Nest" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xccj Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Trevor didn't get nearly as much screen-time as he deserved. The way I see it, mediocre set with great figs. Thanks for the pictures and review! Quote My BZPower Stories Dark Core--Kulagi's Kanoka--A Shadow's Contrivance--Mystery on Keli-Nui--BZ-Koro: To Bring Back Bionicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishers64 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 As one website put it: "Even the toys lie to you." As a set, there isn't much there except for a couple eye-popping minifigures, but they are pretty good. Not worth the price, though, IMO. Quote Hero Factory RPG | Bionicle Mafia XXIX: Storyline & Theories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madara: Mangekyou Master Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Love the Heartbreaker and "Trevor." Well-played Lego, well-played. Quote STAR WARS GALAXY AT WAR ... we have cookies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitoshura Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 The last pic...hehe Quote profiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.