Review: 6858 Catwoman Catcycle City Chase

[Masked Builder]

So yeah I got a Superheroes set. Okay fine this is technically my third behind the Batcave. I needed the wings from the set for a Batman short I want to make. Originally when I saw this set along with the rest of the wave, I was going to pass this one up and just get the Batcave. This set really just seemed like a lamer version of 7779 in which Batman even got a vehicle! Then I had an idea and I just had to make it happen. So, is this set better than I thought it would be? Read on to find out!

Name: Catwoman Catcycle City Chase

Set Number: 6858

Pieces: 89

Price: $12.99

Ages: 5-12

Minifigs: 2

Theme: Superheroes

Year of Release: 2012

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Stop Catwoman’s escape in the streets of Gotham City!

On the back streets of Gotham City, Batman™ is trying to stop Catwoman from escaping on her speedy motorbike with a large diamond. Help him to topple the traffic light and cut off her getaway with his fast flying batarang! Includes 2 minifigures: Batman™ and Catwoman.

Includes 2 minifigures: Batman and Catwoman

Features Catwoman’s Catcycle, traffic lights, whip, Batarang, newspapers and cardboard boxes

Hit the traffic lights before Catwoman escapes!

Watch out for the falling traffic lights!

Traffic lights measure over 4” (10cm) tall

Catcycle measures over 3” (5cm) long and 1” (2cm) tall

Box:

Okay now I can start with the set! The front of the box has a lovely Superheroes logo as well as the Batman logo. These boxes are really quite happy with their dark blue and yellow color scheme but it really fits the Batman sets. In the upper right, we have a good action pose of Batman with his cape ready to take out the bad guys.

The back of the box has the same color scheme, as well as an ad for the Superheroes videogame. It should come as no surprise that LEGO has put an alternative action shots on the back. Why LEGO has a picture of the Bat-a-rang going "FAZZZING!!!" I don't know. It's not going to make that sound when you throw it.

And our 1:1 image is of course Batman. LEGO has decided not to count the Batman with wings as a different figure from the one with the cape. More on that later.

I thought this was really cool. LEGO has put three action shot pictures of Batman, The Joker, and Superman on the right side of the box. I really like this as it really makes the boxes unique.

Contents:

Okay inside the box we have two bags, the manual, and the purple molded motorcycle piece. Nothing really super special here, though the smaller of the two bags is really stuffed full, while the larger bag is quite empty.

Manual:

The front of the manual is the exact same as the front of the box minus the set info. Have I mentioned that LEGO's editing is top-notch as always? The new Superheroes logo is great, I really like how the tops of some of the letters curve back.

Then we head to the first page of the manual. I was rather surprised to not see the usual, "don't dump your LEGO in the grass" picture. Though it's not like I ever thought of doing that.

Here's a shot of just a page in the instructions. There's not really anything special in the manual at all.

Ah here we go! On one of the last pages, we have a great ad for the new Superheroes game. (Or Batman: 2 if you want) I cannot wait to play as Green Lantern.

And lastly we have a nice ad for the ugly build able figs. Nothing too special here.

Comic:

Instead of a separate comic book, LEGO has put the comic for this set at the end of the manual. Here Catwoman has obviously broken into a museum, stolen a gem, and is trying to make her getaway.

On the second page of the comic, she's on her motorbike, and is trying to get away from Batman. LEGO leaves it open ended so that the kids can play out the end with the set. While the comic is simple overall, it is quite nice and gets the general setting of the set.

Minifigures:

Alright, now we can move onto the minifigures! Both figures are exclusive to this set, okay just the Batman with the wings part, but Catwoman only comes in this set. I think they're both great representations of their comic book/movie counterparts. Batman's ab printing is great, and Catwoman has the distinctive curves LEGO gives to female minifigures.

Now we'll flip around to the back of the figs. It's nice to see the "claw" piece from Prince of Persia make a reappearance here in this set. Catwoman's mask as well as Batman's are very nicely done by LEGO and I think they're great!

I really prefer the wings without the "Jet pack" part. It's really just to big and bulky for me. But the wings do look very nice on their own.

This time around, Catwoman has purple lipstick, and yet again, LEGO has given Batman the white head band to make the "eyes" when he has his mask on. While this is a fine solution, I would like it better if we got just a plain Batman head to go with it.

I've removed all of their gear so you can have a nice look at the backs of their heads as well as the back print. LEGO has given them both shoulder blades and continued their belt print around the back of the figures. Boy they do look good.

Since all I really know about Catwoman is from wikipedia, I really just know that she has some sort of love interest in Batman. Don't ask me, I don't know.

Parts:

Here we have the new/interesting parts, let's start on the left. First up we have the big corner piece, this is only my third one of those pieces so it's new to me, then we have the "claw" piece, good to see it here, the new 1x1 round tiles that I quite like, the new 2x2 tile with the newspaper print on them, and of course the purple bike piece that only comes in this color in the other Catwoman set. All in all, we've got a great number of new/interesting parts in this set.

Now of course we have the extra parts. Nothing super exciting, but it is good to have an extra one of those 1x1 round tile parts. They're one great part.

The Build:

First we build the boxes. Nothing to special here, I'm just including this for completeness sake.

Then you build the bike, again nothing special, but it's fun to build a city vehicle after building starships all year.

Lastly you build the street corner, again, quite simple. But the design for the stoplight is great! (At least so far.....)

Complete Model:

Ah, now we have it finished! Together, it's a rather impressive set even if it is small. It's fairly well designed and looks good overall.

Now to the bike, where to start with this, LEGO has included the new whip design for Catwoman here as well as added a "tail" to the bike. I guess so it looks more catlike. I wouldn't know.

Then you have the street corner and the boxes. Like I said there's nothing special about the boxes though I'll gladly take more of them. The street corner looks good too.

Okay now for a street close-up. First we have the blue box thing. I would guess that it's supposed to be a mail box, though it's not very curved like they are. And then you have a little news stand thing. Not like people in real life would be giving newspapers away for free but hey this is a LEGO set.

The lamppost is fairly tall, not tall enough for a truck to pass under but good enough for a Batman set. I do like LEGOs use of the wrench as a holder for the stoplight.

But boy is it ugly from this angle. Come on LEGO! Just include four pieces to finish this side! How hard can it be really?

Functions:

Now, I can only assume that we're supposed to push Catwoman through the boxes while she's on her bike. It's a nice idea but it doesn't work to well. Continue on to see what I mean.

This is exactly what happened when I pushed her through the boxes. They went flying and she fell over. Now if Batman had been chasing her, he would have caught her as soon as she fell. Not a good escape route.

By turning the wrench....

...you make the stoplight fall. I really like making these pictures, they look amazing. While it's a very simple function, it works quite well and is very fitting for this set.

Final Thoughts:

Now having built the set, I do still think I got my money’s worth, you get two new minifigures, and some cool parts. So even if I scrap this for parts, which I will at some point, it's not a bad deal. The minifigures have LEGOs new design fingerprint all over them and they're just fantastic. So, do I still like it. I suppose so yes. But again, this set has been saved by my love of minifigures. I just can't have enough of those amazing little dudes.

Ratings:

Playability: 8/10 This set gets an eight for the great dropping stoplight function. LEGO has really done a good job with it.

Design: 6/10 Yeah it's not getting the best score here, while the set's okay overall, it's all very simplistic, though I guess I should expect that from a $13 set.

Price: 8/10 I wasn't thrilled to be paying $13 to get this from Target, but that's MSRP and Toys"R"Us is selling them for $20 and I definitely wasn't paying that. I guess I shall accept it in the end though.

Minifigures: 9/10 The minifigures get a solid nine and only a nine because LEGO didn't include a cap for Batman! I know he can't wear the cap and the wings but you're not going to get too many AFOLs to buy this without the cape.

Parts: 8/10 There wasn't anything super special in the set, but those nice new 1x1 round tiles are great!

Total: 39/50 Wow, 39 out of 50. I think that's the lowest score I've ever given a set!

Batman's other other female villain. (Who is a bit hot )

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[K-Nut]

Great Review My Friend! I got this set the other day and I agree with you entirely. The scenery is lacking but everything else is great!

[Ceroknight]

Thank you for the review!

Poison Ivy, are we going to get a Batcave review soon?

Edited January 13, 2012 by Ceroknight

[Masked Builder]

Great Review My Friend! I got this set the other day and I agree with you entirely. The scenery is lacking but everything else is great!

It's good to see someone else shares my opinion.

Poison Ivy, are going to get a Batcave review soon?

Yes you are!

[K-Nut]

Then you build the bike, again nothing special, but it's fun to build a city vehicle after building starships all year.

Well, you're one to talk! It's only been about 12 days of building starships then!

[Masked Builder]

Well, you're one to talk! It's only been about 12 days of building starships then!

Well I have been building starships. But I did mean last year.

[The Brick Rat]

Nice review. I like the jet pack and street corner better than the 'Bat-Dragster' that we got with the Catwoman set of 2006.

Ratings:

Playability: 8/10 This set gets an eight for the great dropping stoplight function. LEGO has really done a good job with it.

Design: 6/10 Yeah it's not getting the best score here, while the set's okay overall, it's all very simplistic, though I guess I should expect that from a $13 set.

Price: 8/10 I wasn't thrilled to be paying $13 to get this from Target, but that's MSRP and Toys"R"Us is selling them for $20 and I definitely wasn't paying that. I guess I shall accept it in the end though.

Minifigures: 9/10 The minifigures get a solid nine and only a nine because LEGO didn't include a cap for Batman! I know he can't wear the cap and the wings but you're not going to get too many AFOLs to buy this without the cape.

Parts: 8/10 There wasn't anything super special in the set, but those nice new 1x1 round tiles are great!

Total: 31/50 Wow, 31 out of 50. I think that's the lowest score I've ever given a set!

31 out of 50? When I do the math it comes out to 39 out of 50.

[Brickmamba]

Beautiful review, 2 main character figs in a cheap lil set, this is a must buy

[CorneliusMurdock]

Great review! It's been indexed.

[Jebediahs]

Nice review! I got this for my daughter last Christmas. It was hiding at the back of the shelf behind a Ninjago set.

[JackJonespaw]

Good review and great pictures!

[lightningtiger]

Great review 'Masked Builder', as a simple play set it's quite good, I actually like the jet pack on Batman's back...had the honour of assembling a few today killing time at a toy shop.

The traffic light mount moves eh ? makes sense so Catwoman get's a light fixture on her head....ouch.....just like the Sylvester the cat.

At about 25 bucks AU, I'll wait till the sales start bringing the price of it down.

Brick On Review On 'Masked Builder' !

[surrideo]

Fantastic reveiw of the introductory set and I completely agree that in the main this set is all about the Catwoman exclusive fig(at this stage). Can't help but feel she has been short changed a bit over the years by lego and not given a slightly larger set to be part of.....

The 1x1 round tiles are great, its one of the Ninjago sets there are a slew of them. Can't remember which one. Great that the Batmobile set gives you two of them with two face's coin printing on them.

The scenery I feel is like the comic book included and there to be added to and built up. Lego is giving the building block to fire Kids/Adults imaginations.

[Esurient]

Bought this set today, it was fantastic. I had a peek at the square newspaper. I was amused and amazed by it.

[LegoMyMamma]

Thanks for reviewing this set! My favorite bits are the new newspaper brick (it's printed, not a sticker, right?) and Batman's wings. So the cowl (hat) doesn't come in the set?

Also, I like your photo of Poison Ivy -- my personal favorite villain

Edited January 13, 2012 by LegoMyMamma

[Darth Nihilus]

That purple bike piece would be perfect for a HALO Ghost!

This is a really nice set, and a nice review too! I might pick up one or two, after I get my SW haul of course.

[Masked Builder]

31 out of 50? When I do the math it comes out to 39 out of 50.

Oh yeah you're right.

The scenery I feel is like the comic book included and there to be added to and built up. Lego is giving the building block to fire Kids/Adults imaginations.

That's a great way to put it.

Thanks for reviewing this set! My favorite bits are the new newspaper brick (it's printed, not a sticker, right?) and Batman's wings. So the cowl (hat) doesn't come in the set?

Also, I like your photo of Poison Ivy -- my personal favorite villain

Cowl? For whom? Batman?

Yeah she's probably mine too.

[Clone OPatra]

Great review, but it doesn't sell me on this set.

First, the minifigures. Batman's wings are a cool thing I suppose, and possibly useful in MOCs or photography, but I still don't like that this set doesn't come with a cape for him. I know the argument about different versions of a minifigure and the like, but to me Batman without his cape is just silly. Were you to take off the wings, it wouldn't look right at all, and if you could only afford this set that would be a big disappointment. I also do not like the printing on Catwoman's torso. I've had some issues with the way LEGO does female torsos these days, trying to force an extremely curvy image onto the geometric torso, and I think it's getting out of hand. The old Catwoman torso does not look unfeminine, and yet it did not have that printing in a different color to either side of the middle trying to make her look extremely curvacious. A little bit of that printing is alright, but on this one it looks like it's way too much.

Secondly, I find the set itself a bit lacking. The motorcycle is ok, though I never liked the old one, but just having a little vignette of a street corner doesn't feel like much of a set to me. The boxes seem to be thrown in to add to the (still low) piece count without actually adding anything to the set. The old Bat dragster was not great, but it was nicely stylistic and had some good parts in it. It's nice to see some sets that aren't just vehicles, but a triangular slice of a street corner doesn't seem to cut it as real substance in a set.

[WhiteFang]

Great review too. Being able to own this set and I am going to open mine too. It is a pretty exciting experience and I felt there are lots of good useful parts in it. Thank you for sharing with us.

[SoupOrFishOil]

Thanks for the review, even though I already got my Catwoman set. I liked it okay, the street corner was lacking, but had great parts, and I'm okay with extra crates, can never have enough of those. The jet-pack and Catcycle are very nice, and I'd like to get another one of these just for a second purple motorcycle (Batgirl-cycle anyone?) and a Catwoman cowl to modify...

Yes you are!

Yay! Can't wait. I need something to hold me over before my Batcave is shipped at the end of the month...I have the worst luck with timing sometimes...

Thanks for reviewing this set! My favorite bits are the new newspaper brick (it's printed, not a sticker, right?) and Batman's wings. So the cowl (hat) doesn't come in the set?

Yes, it is printed and no, the cowl does come in the set. It's the cape that isn't included.

I also do not like the printing on Catwoman's torso. I've had some issues with the way LEGO does female torsos these days, trying to force an extremely curvy image onto the geometric torso, and I think it's getting out of hand. The old Catwoman torso does not look unfeminine, and yet it did not have that printing in a different color to either side of the middle trying to make her look extremely curvacious. A little bit of that printing is alright, but on this one it looks like it's way too much.

I didn't like the old Catwoman's curves. The way LEGO made them looked as though they cut off her arms from her shoulders. But I'd understand why people would prefer the old one. She's not drastically different, but she's different enough.

[Masked Builder]

Yay! Can't wait. I need something to hold me over before my Batcave is shipped at the end of the month...I have the worst luck with timing sometimes...

Well I managed to get mine at the LEGO store, guess I was just lucky.

[SoupOrFishOil]

Well I managed to get mine at the LEGO store, guess I was just lucky.

Nah, the closest LEGO store to me is about four hours away, I think, I've never been there. I ordered in online only an hour or two right after it went on backorder. Just over two weeks before it ships... I do have Catwoman and Two-Face though, so I guess it's not as bad as it could be.

[htbomb]

Well done review. I bought the set a couple of weeks ago and it's my first set in many years. Simple but fun build.

Lovely set but really wish Batman came with a cape in addition to the cool wings.

Edited January 14, 2012 by htbomb

[B-Lister]

Don't really mind the torso printing, personally.

Look forward to the Batcave review!

[Mr_Malfoy]

Good review, Masked Builder!

Pardon the expression, but that Catwoman minifig makes me want to go "meow!"

Edited January 14, 2012 by Mr_Malfoy