Guardians of the Galaxy

After what seems like forever, Guardians of the Galaxy has finally been released, and oh man is it amazing. 

Seriously, I've only seen it once and it's already my favorite Marvel movie (and I watched The Avengers three times in theaters). 

This movie was definitely Marvel's biggest gamble. If Iron Man was a relatively unknown comic character in 2008, the Guardians of the Galaxy surely were not on anyone's radar, save for a few geeks like me. But they pulled it off. Guardians' greatest success is that it makes you cares about these characters in the short time they are on screen. 

Chris Pratt turns in a dynamite performance as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana does a great job at portraying the badass Gamora is, and Dave Bautista's Drax the Destroyer was just phenomenal. Seriously, he's one of the best parts of the movie due to the his comedic timing alone. Bradley Cooper's Rocket is also well done, letting you forget that the heavy weapons expert of the group is an anthropomorphic raccoon (but  I wouldn't call him that). And rounding out the main cast, Vin Diesel did a great job voicing Groot, although the animators should get a lot of credit for making an endearing character out of someone who can only say "I am Groot."

As far as content, GotG has all the action and humor you could ask for in a summer blockbuster. It's definitely worth the price of admission and an absolute must watch in theaters. Hell, I'm probably gonna watch it again, and not just because I was sitting in the third row from the front.

If I had one complaint about the movie, it's that I'm not sure how it ties into the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe, apart from a connection to Thanos. But I suppose that isn't that big of a concern since we're still not sure exactly how Thanos fits in to the MCU as a whole. We just know he's the baddie, we don't really know why yet.

So if you take anything away from this, it's that you need to watch Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Lego Review: The Milano Spaceship Rescue

Here we are, days before the release of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which is currently sitting pretty with a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm very excited about this movie, and will be seeing it as soon as I can, but I'm not here to talk about the movie today. Today, I'm reviewing Lego set 76021: The Milano Spaceship Rescue.

I was pretty impressed with this set. It's well put together and a fairly complicated build, took me about two hours to complete. It clocks in at 665 pieces, five minifigures, and a $74.99 price tag.  Having reviewed the other two sets in this line, The Starblaster Showdown and The Knowhere Escape Mission, I must say that I left the best set for last.

On a side note, while I generally prefer printed pieces to stickers, I did appreciate Lego numbering the stickers to match their corresponding placement. This isn't something I've seen before, but it did simplify thing a bit and I hope to see more of it.

The Minifigures

The set came with five minifigures, Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Ronan the Accuser, and yet another Sakaraan Soldier. 

I wasn't too keen on getting another Star-Lord but the mini grew on me once I ripped into the set. And while I would've preferred a second Nova Corpsman, I can't complain too much about having another faceless enemy for the Guardians to beat up on in the Sakaraan Soldier. Not that I'm playing with these Legos, but it's fun in theory.

The Star-Lord minifigure included in this set does differ from the minifigure in the Starblaster set, at least as far as the outfit goes. Here, Quill is decked out in his Guardians of the Galaxy uniform, which looks pretty good. I really like the detail on the front and matches the other Guardians in this set nicely. My one complaint is that the double-sided facial expressions on this figure are also the same as the previous release. While I'm no stranger to receiving the same figure across multiple sets, for $75 Lego could've included some variation.

Star-Lord also come with his signature mask, two blaster pistols, two cylinder pieces to act as his rocket boots, and another weapon that seems to be his "heavy artillery." It's a simple build but looks pretty neat in hand. 

Drax the Destroyer is the simplest of the minifigures, at least as far as extra's go, but the detail on the figure is actually quite amazing. It's really intricately designed and works really well at this scale. 

I love the detail on his back tattoo, especially since they use Lego skulls to make the figure fit better with the Lego universe. Drax also come with two knives that act as his signature weapons.

Gamora rounds out the Guardians, finally giving me a complete set of heroes. The detail is nice, pretty much the same as Star-Lord, except with feminine features. She is a lady, after all. The highlights on her hairpiece are nicely done, as well as the detail on her face. As you can see, she also come with a double-sided face, one angry, the other more sultry, and she has two swords as her weapons.

I really love the detail on Ronan the Accuser. His body is greatly detailed, and the battle damage across the front and back shows nicely. He comes with a standard black Lego cape, but the headdress seems to be a new piece. I also love his hammer, which not only looks great, but is something you actually have to assemble yourself. Ronan also comes with a silver orb, which everyone seems to be after, and a double-sided head.

Overall, the minifigures in this set are really well done and are great additions to the line. You'll notice I didn't talk about the Sakaraan Soldier, but there's no need to, as it's the same figure from the sets I reviewed previously.  

The Vehicles

In classic Lego fashion, we have the larger Milano spaceship serving as the hero's vehicle, and the much smaller Necrocraft servicing the bad guy's. I wish this wasn't the case, but I supposed if you're trying to sell the set to kids, you wanna show off the good guys first and foremost.

The Milano is a beast of a ship, measuring 15 inches wide, nine inches deep and three inches high. It's big enough to fit most off the Guardians (sorry Groot), comes with two flick fire missiles on the under side of the ship and two new blasters along the side which fires 1x1 round pegs. The detail of his build is great, and the ingenuity that when into it really shows. It's really amazing to see what can be done with Lego and this is example to show off.

The top of the ship is removable to fit the minifigures inside. Sadly, it isn't attached to the ship via a hinge put it's still pretty easy to remove and reattach. It's probably a good thing that the designer just got it out of the way rather than having you work around it.

Oddly enough, as great as this build is, the feature I enjoyed the most was the boombox included in the ship. There nothing quite like giving Star_Lord and company a ghetto blaster to accompany them on their adventures.

This time around the Necrocraft is a much better addition to the set than the one feature in the Starblaster set. It's about the same size, and much smaller than the Milano, but it features two missile launchers that are pretty awesome. The range on these missiles are quite impressive, and as I've said in previous reviews, they seem to have come straight out of a 1980s GI Joe action figure.

The ship itself is well built, although the purpose of the fins are still not explained. The front of this ship also has a small platform for Ronan to stand on, which is pretty badass, especially if this is a spaceship.

The Verdict

I'm pretty happy with this set. It's definitely the best overall set in this line, even if it's a bit overpriced. But you can't go wrong with this purchase. I had fun with the build, and kids will definitely enjoy playing with the finished product.

The name's Grayson, Dick Grayson

After a nice, albeit short vacation, I'm back with a review of a new New 52 title focusing on Gotham's favorite son. I was hoping to have this up about a week ago, but what can I say? VACATION!

Grayson #1
Written and plotted by Tim Seeley and Tom King
Drawn by Mikel Janin

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I dropped Nightwing a couple years back because it wasn't speaking to me and avoided Forever Evil like the plague. With the ads in place, I knew they were setting Dick Grayson up for something big, and DC has never been one to shy away from changing the status quo, especially when it comes to Batman's favorite ward, and it really seems like they've delivered. Grayson #1 is a pretty big departure from the Dick we know and love but doesn't veer too far away from what makes him the character he is.

Grayson starts off very high energy and doesn't really let up, allowing for the action and setting to speak for itself. It avoids a long, drawn out explanation as to why Dick Grayson is now an international man of mystery and merely thrusts you into this world that he's found himself in, and it's much better for it. It did leave me with a few questions but I suppose that's the hook to keep me coming back. I was also surprised to see a few familiar faces, and I won't spoil who they are, but I am interested in seeing how they'll factor into the series, especially since I'm not familiar with their New 52 incarnations. 

Along with the action, Tim Seeley also injects the book with a good amount of humor that doesn't come off as forced, given the situation. It plays well with the more light-heated character that Dick is normally portrayed as. The last thing I would've wanted is a serious, brooding Dick Grayson in response to his newly acquired "deceased" status. 

Mikel Janin also does a great job on the art side of things, bringing a great sense of motion into his artwork, which works magnificently with acrobatic nature of the title character. His artwork conveys a lot of motion and seems to have a lot of weight behind it. The colorist Jeremy Cox also gives the book a good psychedelic vibe that plays into the story and adds to the spy movie feel of this issue.

For a first issue, there's a lot going on here, but it doesn't make you feel like you're missing something if you didn't read anything leading up to this book. I was worried I'd be lost, especially since DC isn't the best at catching new readers up on what's going on, but it works well here. I'm very interested in seeing where this series goes, and the ending definitely has me wondering where it will take our hero.

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Now for a little housekeeping. I should have a review of the Lego Ghostbusters Ecto-1 set up by Wednesday. Also be on the lookout for my thoughts on the X-Men vs the Sentinel and Guardians of the Galaxy Milano Spaceship Rescue Lego sets.

I'm planning of having more than just Lego and comic reviews coming up but I'm still trying to get into the swing of things.

Lego Review: Knowhere Escape Mission

Today I'll be reviewing Lego set 76020: Knowhere Escape Mission from the Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Superhero line. 

Clocking in at 433 pieces and a price point of $39.99, your mileage with this set either depends on how badly you want Groot and Rocket Raccoon, or how young you are. I can see this set being a lot of fun for a kid, especially with the missile launcher being able to shoot across the room, but as an adult collector, I sadly found myself a little disappointed in the playset and the minifigure I wanted the most: Rocket Raccoon. So read on for more details on this set.

The Minifigures

Groot

While technically not a minifigure, Groot is the standout of this set. With fourteen points of articulation, most of them being the newer ball joints, you can get a lot of movement and pose-ability out of Groot, which is great since most Lego figures only move at the arms, legs, and neck. Now I do wish he moved at the neck, but ultimate it doesn't hurt the overall figure.

As far as the build goes, it's pretty solid. You can definitely get a lot of play time in without worrying about Groot falling apart in your hands. His head and chest consist of one piece that slips over the torso, and it, along with two pieces on his legs, have grass and branches printed on them. The character is a living tree, after all, and the build shows that.

Nebula

Surprisingly, I don't know a lot about this character, either because I've never seen her in a comic, or because I've read about so many comics my brain can't handle any more information. All I know is she has two swords and is a badass, probably because she has two swords.

I do think the minifigure is done well. The purple of her body really sticks out and the printing on her torso and head is well done, with just a hint of metallic paint to make the character pop. I also really dig the design of her head, which probably implies that her character could be an alien/cyborg hybrid, or she just has some wicked tattoos. I don't know what's right, and I'm too lazy to find out. Guess I'll know come August.

Sakaaran Soldier

So here we have the Sakaaran Soldier, and this guy I do know a bit about. He's supposed to be on Thanos' payroll and is after the silver orb that Rocket's hanging on to. But here's the awesome part: he has greater ties to the overall Marvel Universe. Ready for your geek lesson of the day? Here we go!

The planet Sakaar was the setting for the Planet Hulk storyline, in which Tony Stark, Nick Fury, and Reed Richards determined that Hulk was too dangerous to keep on Earth. So they rocketed him off planet to this peaceful place (read: not so peaceful) where the Hulk was supposed to live out the rest of his days picking flowers and playing with space puppies. Instead Hulk found himself as a gladiator, fighting for his freedom and ultimately the freedom of the entire planet. He also teamed up with some space roaches, impregnated a local, and had his new found happy place blown up by the damaged reactor core of the very spaceship that got him there (Thanks Tony!). Long story short, Hulk found his way back to earth and did what he does best: SMASH.

Anyway, back to the Lego. This guy's pretty neat. I'm a fan of his double-sided head, which looks like a masked/unmasked version of what we'll be seeing in the upcoming movie. The gun also closely matches the movie weapon, so that's cool. The paint and decals are also well done, utilizing more of that metallic paint to accentuate his armor and eyes, giving him an otherworldly feel.

Rocket Raccoon

 

So here we are, at the final minifigure in this set. I know I said I was underwhelmed by this figure, that shouldn't detract from the overall quality of the actual piece. It is well made, and does look a lot like the character from the movie. Rocket's head is a new piece designed for this set. And he comes with a long, bushy tail that fits between his legs and torso, which is pretty dang cute.

The minifigure utilizes shorter, yet immobile, legs, making him smaller than the other figures. The shoulder pads restrict arm movement to a little above his shoulder line. 

Rocket has two accessories, the silver orb the Sakaaran is after, and his weapon. The weapon is pretty cool and fits the character, who's a heavy weapons expert, and trust me, this weapon is heavy. Which leads to my biggest problem with this mini: the gun is big. Too big for Rocket to hold in any way that makes sense. And when coupled with the limited arm range and the solid legs, unless you have a base plate or keep him attached to the set (or Groot), he's spending a lot of time on his face, which probably isn't the best position for the space raccoon to find himself.

The Playset

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of Lego playsets. I love the minifigures and vehicles, but being that I'm 29, my imagination's pretty much dried up and having a platform with a trap floor doesn't excite me as much as it used to. Although I still get a kick out of missile launchers that can poke someone's eye out from across the room.

In the comics, Knowhere is a spaceport at the edge of the universe housed inside the decapitated head of a Celestial, so I'm pretty sure this is a terrible representation of that. And this set is called the "Knowhere Escape Mission" but I'm not actually sure what they're escaping from. 

The Platform... thing

I have no idea how this fits into the movie, and to be honest I'm probably breaking it down as soon as this review goes live. 

BUT if I was a 10 year old this would be pretty cool. The platform itself has a drop away floor (and a flat panel so minis standing on it will actually fall through the hole) and pressing down on the satellite looking thing causes the scaffold to break off from the set. Built in destructibility is always fun. There's also a small catapult attached to it that launches either bombs or toxic waste. I'm not sure.

The Space... ship? Pod?

The spaceship pod thing is... not very big, and probably isn't an attack vessel. My best guess, given the two claw hands, and the sticker decals, is that it's some sort of heavy loader, probably one that moves toxic waste. Or bombs. I'm still not sure.

The actual design is solid but it's on the small side and doesn't look like it would be that enjoyable to play with.

The Missile Launcher

Now this is something I can get behind, mostly because I don't want to stand in front of it.

The launcher itself is rad, and the range is pretty awesome, taking me back to my childhood when most G.I. Joes came with rocket launchers that could seriously put an eye out. But the overall build is less that stellar. I do like that it has good up and down motion, but the handle is useless, being that it's off to the side of the launcher and not actually attached to it.

The Verdict

I'm torn. The value of this set definitely comes from the minifigures. Groot is great, and while I have problems with Rocket, it's not a deal breaker, especially since this is the only set where you can find him, and the figure is still fun to play with. Nebula and the Sakaaran Soldier are nothing special but are solid minifigures overall.

The playset itself is rather underwhelming, but I'm sure most people will be buying this set for Groot and Rocket Racoon. In that regard, I think it's worth the purchase, and if you can get it on sale, even better.

Back in the saddle again

I can say I'm here to write about my love of all things geek, that I want to spread the word of the nerd to all parts of the globe. But that's not really true. 

And it sounds kinda lame.

But thankfully, I find myself getting older without having to worry about the well being of little humans. Or the desire to leave the house after 9pm. I'm not sure if I'm thankful for that.

So here I am, online, writing about Lego and comics and video games and movies, because I can. 

Which is totally awesome, btw.

So follow me on Twitter for my random musings @RegularVince

Follow on Instagram at RegularVince for random pics of whatever strikes my fancy.

Also be on the look out for my youtube channel, where I will be posting videos on my latest Lego builds. 

And bookmark this page. I plan on updating every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.


Excelsior!