The LEGO Man of Steel Reviews
by Cooper McHatton
For my first LEGO Man of Steel review, let’s start with the smallest set in the line, the LEGO Superheroes Superman Metropolis Showdown (76002).
The set consists of the Man of Steel version of Superman, General Zod, a yellow and black car, and a small piece of ground with an antenna tower (with collapsing function) and catapult.
The Man of Steel version of Superman is significantly different from the more comic-esq version of him available in LEGO Super Heroes Superman Vs Power Armor Lex (6862)
General Zod’s Minifig in this set is a bit uneventful as his his armor, helmet, cape, and Kryptonian blaster are not included. Without them, his Minifig matches the onscreen counterpart, but isn’t very exciting. He has greased back black hair, a black and silver super suit, and a double sided head. On one side he looks like he is in a bad mood, on the other side he looks like he’s really in a bad mood with red laser eyeballs as well.
The main play features of the set are the ability to launch/knock the antenna tower over and flip over the car with the catapult. I was not expecting them to work so well! It’s quite fun to use them to give LEGO battles some extra oomf.
You know what my personal favorite feature of this set is though? It’s kind of silly, but it’s bloody brilliant. On the bottom edge of the car on both sides are small handles that LEGO Minifigs can hold onto, so Superman or General Zod can actually pick up the car (shown below). It’s pretty epic.
After reviewing Iron Man vs. The Mandarin: Ultimate Showdown, it’s hard not to compare it with this set. The idea is very similar, the main hero and the main villain in a $13 set with enough props to do battle. While I do believe this set has more value (by the price per piece ratio) and more playability, Iron Man vs. The Mandarin: Ultimate Showdown has a major advantage, both of the Minifigs are exclusive to the set (Iron Man in his Heart Breaker armor and a ruffed up Mandarin). Identical versions of both Minifigures in Superman: Metropolis Showdown are available in all of the Man of Steel LEGO sets.
Overall, while this set may be a hard sell for adult collectors, it’s a good value and a nice, simple play set for the young or the young at heart. Though, if you are just getting it for the Minifigures and don’t plan on purchasing any other Man of Steel sets, I highly recommend paying the $7 more and getting the LEGO Superheroes Superman Black Zero Escape
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Next up, let’s take a good look at that LEGO Superheroes Superman Black Zero Escape (76009)
Superman: Black Zero Escape consists of Man of Steel Superman, General Zod — this time with his body armor, helmet, cape, and Krytonian blaster, Lois Lane, a small section of the Black Zero ship (with sliding door, retractable bridge, and flick fire missiles), and an escape capsule.
The Superman and General Zod Minifigs are identical to the ones found in all of the Man of Steel sets. However, unlike in Superman: Metropolis Showdown, General Zod’s armor, helmet, cape, and Kryptonian blaster are included. This makes him one of the most dynamic, overly detailed LEGO minifigures ever. He looks down right epic! The new molds for his armor, helmet, and blaster are incredibly detailed and awesome. Also, General Zod comes with his hair in this set as well, so he is able to take off his helmet and not be bald!
While you can obtain Superman and Zod in all of the sets, Lois Lane is exclusive to this one. For me, she is reason enough to purchase this set. Having a Minifig of Amy Adams is also just fun in general, as she looks very close to her on screen counterpart. She has a double sided face with a chill happy side and a freaked-out side.
The first thing you build is the included section of the Black Zero ship. It consists of a sliding door (which is very compact and works well while only using a collection of fairly standard LEGO pieces), a retractable bridge, and a pair of flick missiles. Normally, I really dislike the flick fire missiles in sets because they never work, but this set uses a rather interesting rubbery mechanism which makes me slightly more fond of them.
It’s a decent size section (for the price) and there is enough here of the ship for the Minifigures to play around in. Still though, it seems strange only having a small chunk of the ship.
The Black Zero’s escape capsule is excellent. And you get 100% of it. The rockets attached to the back, the single chair held at an angle, the angles of all the edges, and the cockpit canopy come together excellently. It’s very sturdy and look brilliant from all angles.
Overall, if you are only going to get one Man of Steel LEGO set, I highly recommend this one, the LEGO Superheroes Superman Black Zero Escape. The core character Minifigures, solid play set/features, and reasonable price tag make this a must have if you love LEGO and the DC universe.
