We can all agree that LEGO is a pretty great idea, right? Multicolored blocks of various shapes and sizes that can be used to build pretty much anything you can think of. There’s something therapeutic in putting together everyone’s favorite Danish building blocks, and the added bonus of sets featuring your favorite licensed characters makes them that much more fun. Plus, you know, there’s a pretty sweet Batman movie out right now. Perhaps you’ve seen it?
Point being: LEGO blocks are tons of fun, whether you’re a kid or an adult. Then there’s Batman, who I’ll assume you’re at least somewhat familiar with if you’re here reading this. He’s, you know, pretty popular, what with his shredded nine-pack and what have you.
With the popularity of those two brands, there’s always room for new merchandise, and LEGO have graciously sent Batman News one of their brand new products for review. They’re called BrickHeadz, and the line is aimed more at slightly older collectors and builders. With sets that include DC, Marvel, and Disney characters, the sets are somewhat akin to buildable Funk Pop figures: they have big heads, large eyes, and squat bodies, and they’re better as display pieces rather than toys or playsets. We were sent Batman and the Joker, so let’s see how these sets stack up. (Ha haaaaaa.)
The boxes are sturdy and quite compact, measuring around 3.5″ x 3″x 5″ or so. Since these designs are based on The LEGO Batman Movie, there’s a good amount of movie-centric artwork all over the packaging.
Batman
The Batman set contains 91 pieces and is catalog number 41585. Fun fact: that is my birthday, down to the month, day, and year. Some might say it’s fate…
Included are two bags of blocks, a loose black baseplate, and the building instructions.
Given that it’s Batman, there are an awful lot of black blocks included in the set. It’s a pretty symmetrical build, though, so the pieces never really get jumbled together, and there are quite a few surprising splashes of color as well. Of the two sets, this was far and away the easier one to build, and I was kind of shocked at how quickly I completed it. Despite being a pretty basic set, there are several nice details, like the great printed graphics for the belt and Batsymbol and the design of the cape.
The completed figure is a solid likeness of Batman, at least in a “super-deformed style” sense. The details are nice, especially the glow-in-the-dark eyes, and while there’s limited playability with the figure, it makes an excellent display piece.
The Joker
The Joker set contains 151 pieces and is catalog number 41588. That is not my birthday, but I’m sure it’s somebody’s, so if it’s yours speak up in the comments.
Like the Batman set, there are two bags of blocks, a loose black baseplate, and the building instructions included with the set.
Unlike the Batman set, there are lots of different colored bricks and pieces. That’s fitting, since the Joker is such a colorful character, and all of those different details make this a remarkably fun build. His body is heavy on purples and oranges, with quite a few pieces adorned with unique graphics. I love the little skull details on his tie and buttons.
At first I was taken aback at the brick count. This set has 151 pieces, while the Batman set only had 91. It quickly became clear why there was such a disparity, though: it’s that luxurious mane of his. The Joker’s hair is made up of an astonishing 82 bricks. Yes, more than half of the set is devoted to creating that green mop of his, and it proved to be both challenging and incredibly fun to put it together. The level of detail in creating the Joker’s hair for this set is worthy of mention and praise, as it takes an already enjoyable set and elevates the difficulty level to make it that much more rewarding.
And here’s a full view of the hair so you can get an idea of how involved it is.
Like Batman, there’s not much in the way of playability with the set, but it works mighty fine as a display piece.
Overall: The BrickHeadz line, which just launched on March 1st, is a great new addition to the LEGO stable. I equated the finished products to Funko Pops earlier, and that gets you pretty close to what these are: figures great for display and collecting. The sets retail at around $9.99, which is pretty modest considering the amount of pieces included and the details that went into the designs. While they are recommended for ages 10 and up, there are still plenty of pieces and, therefore, opportunities to be able to utilize these LEGO sets for their greatest purpose: using your imagination.
Special thanks to LEGO for providing Batman News with the sets for review.
