LEGO just launched a new collection of sets over the weekend, notably bringing a new wave of creations from Guardians of the Galaxy onto store shelves. The latest Marvel kits celebrate the third installment in the trilogy hitting theaters next month. Today we’re taking a hands-on look at the lineup’s flagship set, deemed the “New Guardians’ Ship.” With a vibrant color scheme and even more eye-catching design, we’re seeing just how the $100 LEGO Guardians Bowie set stacks up.
Hands-on with LEGO’s new Guardians of the Galaxy Bowie ship
LEGO’s Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 collection notably includes three different sets. We already broke down what to expect from the lineup when the builds were announced, and now we’re taking a closer look at the most expensive creation from the wave. Deemed the “New Guardians’ Ship,” with LEGO set number 76255, this build assembles the starcraft known as the Bowie. It’s the third version of Starlord’s personal vehicle, which takes a detour from the usual Ravager ships in favor of something far more unique.
We previously took a hands-on look at the last version of the Guardians’ Ship, which was an equally-vibrant orange craft known as the Benatar. And in the same fashion, the Bowie continues that naming scheme of being based around an iconic 1980s pop culture figure. In its current form, the set stacks up to 1,108 pieces. It backs that with a display stand in the same style as the previous ship from the franchise, as well as five minifigures.
As far as play features go, the LEGO Group really ended up keeping things tame with the Bowie. Normally sets based around blockbuster movies will be packed with stud shooters or some other kind of projectile, but there’s none to be found here. Of course, you can open up the cockpit and put in figures, but there isn’t all too much that subtracts from this being a display-worthy model. I do really love that you can actually fit all four members of the Guardians inside, with three seats in the main compartment being joined by a secondary position underneath for the fourth figure.
The other main play feature is that two of the side panels of the LEGO Guardians Bowie can detach and turn into spacecrafts. We’ll have to wait to see if this is a feature of the ship in the movie, with some little escape pod-style detachments. But for now, it’s a neat little inclusion that doesn’t take anything away from the final build. If you’re like me and only interested in the set for display, you can completely ignore the inclusion. But if your younger builders are looking for something you can get a lot of mileage out of with play, the feature is definitely going to excite. So props to the designers for this one.
Details on the other hand are one area of the set that are going to be hard to ignore in the best possible way. It all starts with the color scheme, which arrives as a vibrant shade of aqua complemented by some pink accenting. It’s a really striking combination for the vehicle, and one that stands out amongst every other LEGO vehicle, be it from other Guardians of the Galaxy sets, the Marvel catalog at large, or even Star Wars and other themes.
Its design keeps up the kind of flair you’d expect from something bearing the “Bowie” moniker. The two rings of the ship connect into the main cabin to give it an extremely unique look that just screams Guardians of the Galaxy. In the trailers we’ve seen from Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, the ship already looks to be one of the more fun inclusions in James Gunn’s Marvel series, and I simply love how it translates over to LEGO. Even if the color scheme isn’t exactly accurate, the approach just makes this a kit that is so hard not to love.
Minifigures are another one of the main draws for the LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy Bowie. There’s five figures all-together, though the exclusivity of them is kind of up for debate. Four of the members of the Guardians make the cut, but each of them share the same torso and leg designs. So it’s pretty much just unique head pieces for Peter Quill, Nebula, Drax, and Mantis. Don’t get me wrong, the printing is pretty exceptional and really does fit with what’s accurate to the film. But a little variety couldn’t have hurt!
I do really like how much detail the LEGO Group was able to pack into each of the figures, though. The continuation of the printing from the torso into the legs is as seamless as we’ve seen, and I do like that they’re at least a uniform batch. Nebula gets her shiny chrome arm to go with her sleeveless look, but the rest of the crew largely delivers on what you’d hope to see.
As the fifth and final minifigure, there’s also the one true exclusive figure of the set. Adam Warlock first made his debut in the second installment of Guardians of the Galaxy all the way back in 2017, but hasn’t really shown up since. Now he’s getting the brick-built treatment with a pearl-gold coat of paint and some pretty solid details printed across his body. The soft cape is also a nice touch to really bring the character to the blocky medium.
9to5Toys’ Take
Clocking in at $99.99, the new Guardians Ship isn’t going to be at the top of every builder’s list. Especially with just how many other cool sets came out at the start of April. But if there’s one takeaway from this review, it’s that I believe it should be. The 1,108 pieces that make up the craft makes for a nice value for the price, and the five included minifigures are even better. More importantly though, the final model just feels like you’re getting a lot for the price.
It has a nice footprint once fully assembled, and on top of being an eye-catching addition to your collection with its unique colorway and display stand, it goes well with the Benatar from 2021. I like that the kit continues to arrive with a display-worthy focus, especially for the price tag.
When the set was first revealed, I wasn’t fully convinced it would be worth the cash. That sentiment even carried over to standing in the line at the LEGO Store over the weekend, and even until I got the kit home. But once it began to come together, I started to love the building techniques and the final resulting design. At the $100 going rate, this surely won’t be for everyone but, at the least, is a very solid value. It’s a great buy for me as a Guardians of the Galaxy fan, but an even better pickup for an enjoyer of unique LEGO starfighters.
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