makoy

Review - 70904 Clayface Splat Attack

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After watching The LEGO Batman Movie, I am now ready to give a full review of this set with perspective from the movie. Let’s get the ball rolling for my 3rd Eurobricks review.
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Overview

Name: 70904 Clayface Splat Attack
Theme: LEGO System / The LEGO Batman Movie
Year: 2017 (1H)
Pieces: 448
Minifigures: 2
Price: USD 34.99 / EUR 34.99 / GBP 29.99 / SGD 64.99 / MYR 179.90
Resources: Brickset and Bricklink

 

Quote

Team up with Batman™ to take on Clayface™ and free Mayor McCaskill from the clay prison in THE LEGO® BATMAN MOVIE: Clayface Splat Attack set. The highly posable, buildable Clayface figure features three interchangeable hands—two with a six-stud rapid shooter each and one with a clay hammer—while Batman is armed with a Batarang to dial up the role-play conflict. Includes two minifigures and a brick-built figure.

  • Includes two minifigures: Batman™ and Mayor McCaskill, plus a brick-built Clayface™ figure.
  • Clayface™ features posable arms, legs and head, plus three interchangeable hands—two with a six-stud rapid shooter each and one with a clay hammer.
  • Arm Clayface™ with either two rapid shooters or a rapid shooter and a clay hammer.
  • Also includes a clay prison to trap Mayor McCaskill.
  • Includes Batman's Batarang weapon.
  • Accessory elements include Batman's cape and new-for-spring-2017 moulded utility belt, and Mayor McCaskill’s walkie-talkie.
  • This set offers an age-appropriate build and play experience for ages 8+.
  • Clayface™ stands over 5” (14cm) tall.
  • Clay prison measures over 1” (4cm) wide, 1” (4cm) deep and under 1” (2cm) high.

 

Introduction

As a kid I watched the Batman animated series on TV every week. Even though Clayface did not appear in any major live action Batman movie I can vividly recall this villain with its shape shifting abilities. His origin story from the animated series is also quite horrendous so that’s probably the reason why I remember this character very well.

The front box art shows Clayface’s big mouth with his right arm shaped like a giant hammer ready to pound Mayor McCaskill. At the back of the box it shows Clayface firing off six-studs rapid shooter as Batman tries to save Mayor McCaskill.
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There is nothing fancy on the sides of the box so let’s move on.

Inside we get 4 numbered bags and an instruction booklet. I am happy to say there is no sticker sheet. Hurray!
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Build

Below is the preview of the instruction booklet on how each bag contributes to the build.
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Bag # 1 contents
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This is the body frame of Clayface. It uses basic SNOT techniques very effectively to pull off the structure needed for Clayface’s body.
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After completing bag #1 you’ll have the body frame and legs completed.
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You also complete a very small build that makes up the clay “splat” trap holding Mayor McCaskill.
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Bag # 2 contents
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After completing bag #2, the front and back of Clayface’s body is already fully covered with medium nougat (BL: medium dark flesh) 2x2 round plates. I cannot recall any other set that uses round plates to achieve this kind of texture and detail. The hinges provide the necessary angle to make the body rounded. At first I thought the round plates will be flimsy but they hold up quite well.
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Bag #3 contents
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Bag #3 adds the face and the upper arms. As I mentioned earlier there is no sticker in this set so the eyes are printed on a pair of 1x2 slopes. The mouth is built using several clips that you can swivel up and down. This enables you to modify the facial expression of Clayface from a very mad or grumpy look (default expression) to a mild smile or smirk. 

So far I have no complaints but if I really need to nit-pick I wish that the designers added varying lengths of clips to add more varieties of facial expressions.
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Bag #4 contents
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Finally, bag #4 completes the set with three interchangeable lower arms-- two of them have six-studs rapid shooters and the other one has a hammer-fist. I admit that this is just petty criticism but why put six-studs rapid shooters for both arms when the designer clearly recognises the need for interchangeable arms? I think adding a lower arm with an articulated hand as seen in the movie is more suitable.
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People are teasing me…. that I look like a poop!
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Overall, the build of Clayface is really enjoyable. The texture created using round plates makes an unusual organic look that makes my wife gags whenever she sees it on display. Eventually, I have to hide it from her because she warmed me of dumping Clayface in the trash can if she sees it on display one more time. If being repulsive and ugly is the end-goal here, then the designers succeeded.

My son likes changing the facial expression of Clayface. Even though the shape of the mouth is limited, the left and right eyes can be swapped to make the angry face look like a frown, as seen from the back of the box.

Not to forget -- after completing the build, I still have all these spare parts.
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Parts

Speaking of parts, I have to include a dedicated section of this review for parts alone because I am amazed at the crazy amount of parts in new colour included in this set. This is actually the main reason why I bought this set because once I grow tired of this set I can easily dismantle this and use the parts for my MOCs.

It’s like the designer of this set challenged the boss and said “I want these parts in medium nougat or you won’t get this set created,” and voila! 15 new elements in medium nougat (BL: medium dark flesh) and 1 new element in reddish brown were created just for Clayface. In total, 271 pieces in new colours are used in this set (not counting the spare parts). Therefore, as this set has a total of 448 pieces, about 60% of this set is made of parts in new colour. Is there any other set in recent years that can beat that?
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Minifigures

There are only 2 minifigs included in the set which is typical for its price bracket. Both has dual face printing as well as front and back torso printing. Sadly, leg printing is absent for both. If I will put on my Star Wars fanboy hat right now, I will demand “the minifigs must have leg printing” but fortunately this is not Star Wars and the price of this set is very reasonable that the absence of leg printing does not bother me at all.

Mayor McCaskill’s is unique to this set and at this moment her bob cut hair piece also appears in this set only. Fun fact: Mariah Carey voiced the mayor. Her birthmark on the face is also present on the minifigure so by right if you own Mayor McCaskill minifigure then you own a Mariah Carey minifigure.
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I’m not a Superheroes collector so I don’t have a big amount of Batman minifigures but I happen to have The LEGO Movie (TLM) version of Batman that came out in set 70817 (Batman & Super Angry Kitty Attack). It is very similar to the Batman minifigure that comes in this set; however, there are slight differences. Both have angry and grinning faces but the expression from the older one is more exaggerated. The cape of the new Batman minifigure is made of spongy stretchable fabric while the old one uses the classic starched fabric. The utility belt is a new accessory and somehow because of this, Batman’s “10” abs are now more prominent (if you don’t get this reference then you’ve missed it in the TLBM). Also, the yellow ink in TLBM version is noticeably brighter. Overall, the new batman is the better minifigure.
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Conclusion

Superman, you’re not supposed to be here!
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Ok, I said from the beginning that I will give my opinion with perspective from the movie so let’s address the elephant in the room here. Is the Clayface Splat Attack scene even in the movie? If you have not watched the movie and want to reveal the spoiler go ahead and read below.

Spoiler

The answer is no. Mayor McCaskill was not even held captive! The whole charade of Mayor McCaskill surrendering in the first 10 minutes of the movie is just an elaborate plan of Batman in disguise to throw off Joker. So the whole set is just a pretence to package a civilian with Batman and a villain.

Now that you know if the set is accurate to the movie, does it even affect my opinion of this set? Not at all. In worst case scenario, I can look at this set as a parts pack to get new medium nougat coloured elements and even having said that this is still a very good and enjoyable set. It’s like an action figure set with 2 minifigures. If you strip it down to core selling points -- you get Batman, a very recognisable villain brick-built action figure with two six-stud rapid shooters, articulated joints and whimsical face, and a Mariah Carey minifigure.

My gripe on Clayface not having more ways to change the expression and lacking a normal hand is just splitting hair because my son loves every bit of this set even though my wife hates it for reasons I cannot further articulate in this review.

For me, it is one of the better-valued TLBM set out there. Even for someone not heavily invested in Superheroes I will recommend it just for the building experience and parts.

 

Review summary

Playability: 9/10 - enjoyable brick-built action figure that kids will love
Design / Building Experience: 9/10 - Simple SNOT technique that works with unusual texture using round plates
Price / Value for money: 10/10 - At best - a well-designed villain set; At worst - an excellent parts pack of medium nougat elements.
Overall: 9/10 - Don’t buy this when it reminds you of poop. Other than that, I highly recommend it.

Edited by makoy
Corrected the UK price

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Great review, with high quality pics. Congrats on getting the Bronze badge. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to see more.

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Congrats once more! You have certainly picked a very odd set to begin with. Do you know that is actually my least favourite set in the LEGO Batman Movie? I was actually quite impressed with the way you present the flow of this review and demonstrate how it can pose in various styles.

He did remind me of poo face and that's the reason why I am hesitant to acquire it, plus there is only the Mayor minifigure in there. I might get it up if the price is heavily discounted. At this stage, I am still looking for other sets, but your review certainly made me pay much attention to this set instead of completely ignoring it. That's how good I like this review. 

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I am impressed, how they built a Clayface out of regular bricks, and quite well built in 6piece-stud shooters, representing him shooting well smaller clay/mud pieces. He appears to be quite well poseable as well.

At first I really wasn't a fan of it. But the more you look at it, It actually just looks better and better. Pretty sad though, how it has no connection to the movie. I honestly connected Clayface more with the ald Teen Titans cartoon, rather than Batman, but they are both DC, and connected, so why not. The mayor minifigure is great. And I love your nod to Mariah Carey.

The only thing I found really odd, is again the regional price tag. From 18 GBP to 35 Euro. Yeahhhhhh. Seems to be pretty cheap in England. :P

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8 hours ago, Jim said:

Great review, with high quality pics. Congrats on getting the Bronze badge. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to see more.

Thanks Jim!

8 hours ago, WhiteFang said:

Congrats once more! You have certainly picked a very odd set to begin with. Do you know that is actually my least favourite set in the LEGO Batman Movie? I was actually quite impressed with the way you present the flow of this review and demonstrate how it can pose in various styles...

We're on the opposite end of the spectrum. As I have mentioned I don't collect Superheroes so I only see TLBM sets as opportunistic way to get interesting parts. I don't even have a single Joker minifigure...  but that's a different story. Anyway, thanks for compliments!

6 hours ago, josykay said:

I am impressed, how they built a Clayface out of regular bricks, and quite well built in 6piece-stud shooters, representing him shooting well smaller clay/mud pieces. He appears to be quite well poseable as well.

At first I really wasn't a fan of it. But the more you look at it, It actually just looks better and better. Pretty sad though, how it has no connection to the movie. I honestly connected Clayface more with the ald Teen Titans cartoon, rather than Batman, but they are both DC, and connected, so why not. The mayor minifigure is great. And I love your nod to Mariah Carey.

The only thing I found really odd, is again the regional price tag. From 18 GBP to 35 Euro. Yeahhhhhh. Seems to be pretty cheap in England. :P

Spoiler

Well, not to say that Clayface  has no connection to the movie. The set scenario is just not in movie. All the elements of the set are there but for a different reason. More importantly, Clayface actually played a more significant part on taking down villains from the Phantom Zone in the 3rd act and for that I think it was a good choice they made him into a set.

 Oh dear... that price was really off. It's already corrected.

4 hours ago, Themadpatter said:

One correction, it is actually £30 in GBP not £18 like you said.

Unless you found somewhere better, because this is according to the Lego shop. 

Thanks. I totally missed that one.

4 hours ago, Gunman said:

Great sharp photos... Beautiful review and congrats :)

Thanks Gunman! 

 

Notes regarding the photos -- it's very easy to over saturate the medium nougat colour to the point that it looks like a totally different hue when you don't do colour balancing / colour correction. Most pictures in the web, including Brickset uploaded a much more saturated image and it looks so wrong in their pictures. I tried to be faithful to how my eyes see the colours in real-life.

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@makoy very enjoyable review! Also, congrats on getting the bronze badge :thumbup:

Since this is the same price as Penguin's Arctic Roller and Riddler's Riddle Racer for me, it seems to have very good value. The number of new pieces and the great posability make this set appealing. Also, I need more of those grey ball joints.

There are some problems I have with the set, though. First, the minifigs don't interest me. I don't have a Batman minifigure yet, but he comes in other TLBM sets so it doesn't matter that he's included here. Mayor McCaskill doesn't look the best and I'm not too sure about how I feel about her, but that may change when I see the film (after 30th March… :hmpf_bad:) Also, I don't like the rapid stud shooters as his hands, I get they're meant to be shooting clay, but I never liked stud shooters. Plus I somehow don't like his color and also like vehicles…

But the sheer value makes this set great. The dilemma between the Penguin Arctic Roller and the Riddler Riddle Racer has just become a three-way race, with this set added to the mix. :wacko: I seriously don't know what to pick now, lol :laugh:

EDIT: Oh wow, it's on the front page! Congrats!!

Edited by VaderFan2187

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24 minutes ago, VaderFan2187 said:

@makoy very enjoyable review! Also, congrats on getting the bronze badge :thumbup:

Since this is the same price as Penguin's Arctic Roller and Riddler's Riddle Racer for me, it seems to have very good value. The number of new pieces and the great posability make this set appealing. Also, I need more of those grey ball joints.

There are some problems I have with the set, though. First, the minifigs don't interest me. I don't have a Batman minifigure yet, but he comes in other TLBM sets so it doesn't matter that he's included here. Mayor McCaskill doesn't look the best and I'm not too sure about how I feel about her, but that may change when I see the film (after 30th March… :hmpf_bad:) Also, I don't like the rapid stud shooters as his hands, I get they're meant to be shooting clay, but I never liked stud shooters. Plus I somehow don't like his color and also like vehicles…

But the sheer value makes this set great. The dilemma between the Penguin Arctic Roller and the Riddler Riddle Racer has just become a three-way race, with this set added to the mix. :wacko: I seriously don't know what to pick now, lol :laugh:

Thanks. I was about to pick the Riddler Riddle Racer last weekend because it has 5 minifigures... but then again, I don't collect Superheroes so in the end I skipped it. I think you really must love Penguin and vehicles to be able to pick up Arctic Roller because to me, the ONLY interesting part in that set is the folded umbrella. Nowadays I don't pick up sets if I know I won't be able to use the parts for other purposes.

I didn't bother comparing the 2 other sets against Clayface but just now I checked that Clayface Splat Attack weighs 523g. Penguin's Arctic Roller and  Riddler Riddle Race are just 463g and 407g respectively. So, you're really paying premium to get the exclusive minifigures on those 2 other sets.

What this proves is that  with enough business justification, TLG can produce parts in new colour regardless of quantities without much impact to the price of the set. Some people might bring up that there is "price to pay" for inventory and logistics of the new medium nougat parts. While I agree there's a pricing element that absorbs the cost of creation of new parts/new colours, it seems that it is not as expensive to create a new mould than to create a new colour for existing mould. If there is any take away from exploring the prices of these 3 sets we can conclude that TLG puts in more margin in the production of new minifigures than the production of new parts in new colour. And that's why Clayface has seemingly more value in my opinion.

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4 hours ago, TheBrickHitHouse said:

This might be my fav set from the film, to date....it's just so unusual and daft and, well, fun. A great set from a great bunch of sets.

Good to know someone enjoys this set as much as I do! :grin:

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Great review, really enjoyed it!

Only one thing; didn't Batman have 9 abs instead of 10 according to the movie? (I'm sure he wouldn't mind having 10)

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32 minutes ago, legojeroen said:

Great review, really enjoyed it!

Only one thing; didn't Batman have 9 abs instead of 10 according to the movie? (I'm sure he wouldn't mind having 10)

Thanks! Re: Abs... I think I lost count. I'm sure Batman would not mind having more. :laugh: 

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Just thought about about building this by getting bits in BrickLink.  Cheapest I got was £38 before shipping. With out minifigs.  

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Noce review...strange set to start with! This is actually my favorite set in the movie line, because it is so unique. I wish Clayface had a few more expressions but it was a fun build and looks great on my shelf.

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6 hours ago, Mattyj82 said:

Just thought about about building this by getting bits in BrickLink.  Cheapest I got was £38 before shipping. With out minifigs.  

Unless you are buying discounted new parts or used parts below average price, I think there is slim chance you're going to get this cheaper than the set. 

5 hours ago, Repeter said:

Noce review...strange set to start with! This is actually my favorite set in the movie line, because it is so unique. I wish Clayface had a few more expressions but it was a fun build and looks great on my shelf.

This is the only set I have from TLBM so it's not strange to me. :grin: 

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Great review! Very well written and photographed. Doesn't leaves anything to wish for :classic:. Personally I have mixed feelings about this set. I was expecting that, if they would made a clayface-set, that it would be simply a hulk-sized "minifig", so this outcome is surprising to me. Then again, the look absolutely works and it also makes sense from the TV-series point of view, where he regularly threw bits of himself and often changed his shape. An additional build would have been nice though, to outweigh they clayness of the set :wink:

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7 hours ago, Littleworlds said:

Great review! Very well written and photographed. Doesn't leaves anything to wish for :classic:. Personally I have mixed feelings about this set. I was expecting that, if they would made a clayface-set, that it would be simply a hulk-sized "minifig", so this outcome is surprising to me. Then again, the look absolutely works and it also makes sense from the TV-series point of view, where he regularly threw bits of himself and often changed his shape. An additional build would have been nice though, to outweigh they clayness of the set :wink:

Thanks. I take my photography seriously as much as LEGO. As for the words, I'm sure there is more room for improvement. 

Re: size, I think from the movie point of view he is too small if the designers made him a bigfig. The trailer alone shows he is much bigger than Bane so it will be disappointing if they end up being equal in size. 

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On 2/15/2017 at 1:11 PM, JACKATTACKS said:

Really good review and photography. I hadn't planned on buying this set, but you may have just convinced to get it!

 

13 hours ago, PaddyBricksplitter said:

Loved this review. Decided to buy the set for those re-coloured parts.

 

Thanks.  Appreciate all your feedback.

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14 hours ago, r5-j2 said:

A peach of a review!..thanks for taking the time to do this

Thanks for taking time to read and reply. It encourages me to do more reviews. :sweet:

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Thanks for the review

The set itself is lackluster overall but useful for pieces,  just like Mixels. Actually Clayface looks like a mixel on steroids. So, if I buy this, I don't think I'll ever build it. 

The mayor torso looks really simple for a licensed minifigure, especially compared to the Gordons. But I love the hairpiece. Hope we will get it in black

Spoiler

As you said, some of the sets are not accurate no the movie like Penguin invading the batcave. But in this case, the set takes place during the Barbara Gordon inauguration ball because Clayface was absent in the first fight, when Batman pretended to be the Mayor.

Again, thanks for this insightful review. Good job

 

Edited by Robert8

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