Off the bat this is already a step up from the last set I reviewed, the Knowhere Escape Mission. At 195 pieces, allowing for two vehicles and three minifigures, you're getting a pretty good deal for the $19.99 USD price point. This set does follow the classic Lego model of featuring one larger vehicle for the hero and a much smaller vehicle for the villain, but you'll definitely get a lot more play time out of this set.
The Minifigures
The three Minifigures in this set are great, with Star-Lord being the standout.
Star-Lord
Here we have Peter Quill, or as he likes to call himself, the Legendary Star-Lord. As his comic book origin has been tweaked since the character first debuted in 1976, I'll focus on his most recent comic incarnation. This might venture into spoiler territory for the upcoming movie, so tread lightly. You've been warned.
Peter Quill is an alien/human hybrid and leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. While I don't know exactly how the group forms in the movie, the comic book incarnation of the GotG comes together to prevent yet another interstellar war that threatens the Marvel Cosmic Universe, and they stay together to guard the galaxy. Quill has also helped in bringing down Thanos twice in the past six years, so I'm looking forward to see how this impacts the movie universe.
As for the minifigure, I absolutely love it. You get a pretty good amount of accessories with the figure: a mask, hair piece, his Elemental Gun, the silver orb I'm sure the Sakaraan is after, and two 1x1 round bricks that act as flames of rocket boots. The amount of printed detail that comes out is fantastic. You can almost feel the Indiana Jones/Han Solo/Captain Kirk vibe that I'm sure Marvel is looking for. I particularly appreciate the backpack printed on the back of the figure. It looks clean and doesn't add any bulk in the form of an accessory. The mask is also well done, although I wish the hair color better matched that of the hair piece, but at this point I'm just nitpicking because it's not that big a problem.
Nova Corps Officer
Here we have the nameless Nova Corps Officer, or at least I think he's nameless. As far as I know this figure isn't based on anyone in particular so I'm tossing him into universe building territory (which stinks because the only way to get more officers is to buy this set several times).
The comic book Nova Corps is essentially a space militia, only slightly differentiating themselves from the space cops of DC's Green Lantern Corps. They are powered by the Nova Force, have helped the Guardians take down Thanos, and once had their base inside Ego the Living Planet. The Corps has also been destroyed by Nebula at least once, so we'll see if that factors into the movie at all.
This minifigure is solid. The printing on the front and back is well done and the helmet looks great. I was surprised to see a double printed head with this figure, which seems unnecessary without a hairpiece to cover the back when unmasked. The accessory is a less-than stellar pair of handcuffs, although I guess you don't really need a gun when you're rocking a spaceship.
The Sakaaran
Here we have yet another Sakaaran. There's not much to say that hasn't been said before. It's still a well done figure and helps to pad out my stable of villains.
The Vehicles
The Starblaster
The Starblaster is the primary vehicle in this set; you can tell based on it's size.
This ship is well done and looks like something you'd find in the deep recesses of space, as it has a very aquatic vibe and seems designed to move in a three dimensional environment. I really like the eight wing flaps. They have a great range of motion and really enhance the playability of the vehicle.
It's also solidly built. The rear, which has the most moving parts, is put together in a way that prevents it from falling apart with lots use. The inside of the cockpit is spacious, allowing someone to easily position a minifigure inside. There's also lots of space to house the corpsman's many handcuffs. The bottom of the ship also has two flick missiles, which are neat but lack any real distance when fired.
The Necrocraft
The Necrocraft is an interesting build. First off, it's a very small build, which isn't strange considering it's the villain's vehicle. It also has two flaps towards the front of the build that don't seem like wings. Even the way they're portrayed on the box art doesn't clarify what they actually are. But I suppose with a little imagination they can be anything you want.
The build is solid, the flaps are on a swivel and hinge, giving them a large range of motion. I also like the rock-like piece used for the tail end, giving the ship an otherworldly feel.
The Verdict
This is a fantastic set. The minifigures are well done and serve to enhance the other sets in this line (world building!). You'll also be able to get a fair amount of play out of the vehicles. You really can't go wrong with this purchase and it more than justifies the $19.99 price tag.
Go buy it, you won't be disappointed.
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