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Name – SupermanTM vs. Power Armor Lex
Theme – DC Universe Super Heroes
Year – 2012 (Released December 2011)
Minifigs – 3
Pieces – 207
Price $19.99 USD,
Links...
Box art:
Here we have the front of the box. The packaging is very well themed. We have a nice perspective of the power armor in action and a cartoon Superman in the upper right hand corner. The Superman logo is in the lower right hand corner. It looks to me like a comic book cover. This is a very effective way to market the set, especially with this size box. It is shaped just like a comic book. I am not a huge fan of the yellow text for the set information over the grey background. That's a little difficult to read. Or at least I just don't like the colors together.
Here's the back of the box. I will forever be annoyed that alternate models are no longer displayed here but there are some great action shots of the set. Again, it has a great comic book feel to it. The colors, action shots, close-ups and even the "CLICK!" are all very reminiscent of comic books.
And look! A little ad for LEGO Batman 2 the video game...
The side of the box has some great Greg Hyland-style character shots of DC character: Batman, Superman, Joker.
The top of the box shows us a shot of Superman to indicate actual size of the product inside.
The opposite side of the box has a repeat of the box front image and an add for a free membership in the LEGO Club.
New pieces:
Here we have the exciting free comic that comes with the set. It appears to come with the Catwoman set as well as the first little story is about Catwoman and Batman. The comic itself is the same size as the instruction manual, again being reminiscent of a comic book itself. The design and theming of the sets and packaging is very consistent and fun.
The coolest thing about the comic is that it has a breakout of all the characters and what sets they're available in. Just like Ninjago with the weapons you can look forward to completing your character collection from this page. 6857 is listed but not pictured...
Whee, fun, comic... It's more of just product propaganda. It's all pictures of this particular set in action with no words. Easy enough to mass produce without having to translate for every region. There is some great artwork and great cartoon representation of the main characters.
"Superman, you always stand a little too close when we're in the Bat Cave alone..."
The parts do not come in numbered bags. Here we see a shot of the parts bags and the instruction manual. Again, nothing too new with the instructions, but they do look great and very reminiscent of a comic book is style and color.
New pieces or pieces in new colors:
All four of these pieces are packaged separately making me believe they are molded and produced elsewhere like the Collectible Minifig line.
Golden lasso.
Some of these pieces may not actually be new, but they're new to me.
Lots of new purple pieces...
New trans-green color.
The figures:
With all of the complaints about new minifigs in the Collectible line, I'm always weary of minifigs in new sets. I'm happy to report that these minifigs appear to be of higher quality. The finish is glossy, the printing is clear, the weight feels right and most importantly the joints are nice and tight. The printing of the torsos is beautiful and fun & playful like comic book characters should be. Wonderwoman's gold stripes actually shine.
Back of Wonderwoman: bikini bottoms in front, red pants in back...
The hair mold is very well sculpted.
The back of her torso and her best angry face. Grr, Wonderwoman! Get 'em!!
Lex Luthor. Nothing too special about him. I'm not even sure that torso is entirely new.
They go as far as to print a crease on his back. He does have lats after all. He only gets one expression. All bald people do...
Superman!! A figure we've been waiting for, for years! Excellent design, killer six pack, cool hair mold, true to Superman's character.
That fabric just hugs those muscles, like he was poured in to that suit!
You wouldn't want to see Superman angry... or even a bit snarly.
Here's the merry trio hanging out together. Things seem kind of tense there...
Instructions are typical. You are encouraged to build on a flat surface and not in tall grass or a shag rug. Once properly placed on a flat surface, all pieces should be sorted by color for ease of building. I only did this when building the Winter Village Bakery with my parents last Christmas.
I just didn't want it to take forever while they tried to identify parts...
The first step of the build is to build the right leg. It shows you a picture of the whole leg but then warns that you'll be starting just on the foot. It's nice to be cautioned about what's on the road ahead. The treacherous road of LEGO-building.
Each step is accompanied by an inset box that lets you know what pieces are used in the step. It's a good idea to follow this so you don't miss any pieces and throw yourself off for future steps.
The colors used look really great together. Again, this is very reminiscent of a comic book: bright bold colors that evoke a sense of fun.
Every other page has a neat ghost image of some DC Universe characters. I appreciate little graphic touches like that.
I also appreciate steps that simply have you turn the creation.
Once you are done with the foot, you can move on to the leg. It's snot-tastic!
Look! The leg of a Power Armor, just like in the picture! And I did it all by myself with no help!
Power armor crotch.
Now you shall build the left leg. For some reason, it only shows the foot this time and not the whole leg like the first step.
That makes me sad. Sad Hinckley is sad. If you read this before building the set, you should challenge yourself to build the left leg along with the right, making the necessary changes on your own without needing the second set of instructions.
It's snot-errific...
Once that's all finished your Power Armor is half-way there. Disembodied legs can still kick ass!
Here's a more bad-ass pose for our disembodied legs...or a more 70's disco pose...
The instructions move on to Lex's cockpit or control pod. The cockpit is right above the crotch.
Again, we see the great combination of bright, bold, comic-book-type coloring.
Moving right along...
These must be the power source for the Power Armor. Effective use of pieces here. The power sources look very cool.
The completed cockpit, from whence Lex Luthor will be kicking some super-ass!
Nearing completion...
Next we will focus on the hands.
I really like the effect of Exo-Force robot arms as fingers. The tips or fingernails are the bright trans-green bulbs. The hand looks like a fun comic book creation.
An additional joint for more articulation.
Staying Alive! Staying Alive!
The left arm is similar to the right with the exception of a thicker hand in order to hold the Kryptonite gun.
Now, the Power Armor is complete! We're almost ready to start kicking that super-ass. All we need is a killer weapon! Or perhaps the weapon came first and we needed to build the suit to be able to handle it. I don't know for sure. Best not to over-think it...
The instructions have foretold that you will build a Kryptonite gun and it has come to pass.
"Yeeeargh!! My one weakness!... besides peanut butter brownies... Yum!!
So good... "
"Oh phew, it's encased. The only way it can get me is if someone builds a gun around that and picks it up with a massive Power Armor Suit. Pfft. What are the chances of that?
"
The gun fits right into the hand with a 2 stud technic axle.
Check that out! It's definitely a way to kill that pesky Superman. What could go wrong??
Lex Luthor in his Power Armor, ready for action!
Overall build shots:
Rear view.
Right view.
Left view.
The extra parts.
The instructions end with a breakout parts list with mold numbers which is the new norm.
LEGO even throws in a couple ads for the kiddies because they love ads!
Overall action shots:
"Mwahahahahahahaha! It is I, LEX LUTHOR piloting this Power Armor! Possibly you've heard the name? the Greatest Criminal Mind on Earth!!"
"Aw geez, did I step in something??"
"Oh God, I've got one of those itches that's like... up in there, you know?"
"Gotta make sure I don't cramp up..."
"I'm making Superman kiss Wonderwoman's butt! Mwahahahahahaha! This is the best day of my life!"
And finally, the family portrait.
Conclusion:
Design 8/10 The build is a very simple and effective use of parts. For the piece count and price point, this is an excellent set. It's reminiscent of the Exo-Force mech suits, but with effective articulation. You can achieve a lot of different poses without knocking the thing over. It is a nice model to stand along with the more recognizable vehicles and fits in with it's coloring and overall theming. It looks like it came right out of a fun and colorful comic book.
Parts 9/10 Purple parts lovers will really like this set and it comes with several parts in the new transparent-green. There are lots of curved slopes, slotted slopes, domes and robot arms, etc. for parts monkeys who build Space sets. Green and purple aren't common colors so it's good to see a good selection of those colors here.
Figs 10/10 It comes with Superman and Wonderwoman and they're very well designed! Who can really ask for anything more? Lex Luthor is adequate, there's not much to expect there. But, who can complain or even notice him much with two of the most iconic DC Superheroes in one reasonably priced set! Collectors and re-sellers will be happy to get theses figures at this price when they will each be worth much more than the price of the set a decade from now.
Build 9/10 The build is easy yet effective and the instructions are more than thorough in making sure the design is communicated well to the builder.
Playability 10/10 I could play with this thing for hours. Big posable figures are hilarious.
Overall Score: %92
Maybe that seems a tad bit generous, but it is a set you can enjoy for parts, figures and design. I think LEGO got this one right. It's not a vehicle anyone would put on their list of vehicles they would want to see when they first heard of the line, but it fits in well with the rest of the line. It's a fun play set and a good addition to the shelf collector and comes with two of the DC Universe's most iconic characters.
This is probably my 3rd favorite set in the new wave, after the new funhouse and batcave. 
Great Review Hinckley! 
Thanks! 
