LEGO MARVEL: Carnage’s SHIELD Sky Attack 76036 REVIEW

LEGO MARVEL: Carnage’s SHIELD Sky Attack 76036 REVIEW
Set number 76036, $19 from Big W at about .19 cents per brick

Items Included
97 pieces
3 x mini figures
1 x instruction booklet
2 x bags
1 x page of stickers

Lets kick this off by mentioning the above information. Not everyone cares, but for those that do, it can make a big difference. Click on all image within to get FULL SIZE HD quality.

Mini Figures
In such a small set, I’m surprised LEGO has gone out of their way to include three mini figures, of such high quality. Carnage, the titular character is here in all his red and black glory. Never has a mini figure been more detailed, better printed and as fantastic as this little beauty.

Carnage. Spider-Man and SHIELD Agent

First off it is worth noting that Carnage is a completely red figure with bits of black all over to convey definition. May sound plan, but I can thankfully assure you, its one of the best mini figure LEGO has produced in 2015 (so far). The head-piece is subtle, yet disturbing to look at, in a good way. Again, I’ll refer back to the Scarecrow mini figure from last year in that Carnage is equally as terrifying. The large white eyes against the black detail are spot on, and the creepy wide smile is just that, creepy. The red even helps the facial features stand out a lot more than it looks on the box. Back of the head contains some more black printing, which I’m still not sure what it’s meant to be.

The body piece is where the magic is. Not only did LEGO give black detailing for muscle definition on the front, but the back also looks like a spinal column. It’s almost like we’re seeing past the skin. Oh, almost forgot to mention, Carnage even has the black printing on the arms.

Front view with clips on

Rear view with back clips

Side view with sleeve printing on Carnage mini figure

There is a more detail on the legs, which continue on from the body, and some on the feet too. Everything about the Carnage mini figure is ingenious and I really do appreciate attention to detail all over. Even better is that he comes with red tendrils which attach via a four way clip on the back. The black piece of course sits on just before the head, and eventually as cool as it is, being black the brick really stands out. I had this same issue with the Iron Spider mini figure and wish LEGO would colour coordinate a little more. However, it’s a small issue in an otherwise perfect (yes, perfect) figure.

New to LEGO mini figures is none other than Miles Morales himself, Spider-Man. There is a whole back story to Miles, so for those not aware, I suggest Wikipedia for more information. However for the shortened version, he’s from the Ultimate Marvel universe and became Spider-Man after Peter Parker was killed. Miles proved such a popular character, he’s now being incorporated into more and more regular Marvel continuity. With that little lesson over, let’s take a look at the mini figure itself.

Based on an all black figure, Miles Morales Spider-Man has a really different colour scheme to the regular Spider-Man mini figure we’re used too. Here the black figure uses red for the webbing on the front and back body piece, followed by an amazing looking spider logo on the latter. Light grey lines are used on the body to add muscle detailing which can be seen beneath the webbing. Moving up to the head brick, this Spider-Man clearly differs in that its white eyes are actually a blue colour, or at least shaded blue. Add some more red webbing front and back, and it’s another perfect mini figure from LEGO.

Finally comes the SHIELD Agent himself. I’m usually dubious whenever a generic mini figure is included, because you’re never sure how it will shape up against the ‘stars’ of the set. I worry the printing and lines will be boring and the figure will be relegated to bottom of my pile. Thankfully, it’s the complete opposite here.

Rear view of the mini figures

For just under $20, LEGO has given us Carnage, Spider-Man and now Shield Agent with a look that stands out even amongst the ‘stars’. Let’s talk about the clashing blue and white colouring all over. While the body itself is made up of mostly dark blue colouring, the use of white here for the belt, hands and straps all over is something special. The details on the belt with all the little compartments is great and when zoomed in, you will notice that each compartment has its own little latch.

The top strap which houses the SHIELD logo works so well here and wraps around to cover the back also. Some other shades of blue are used for accents, but I think the mini figure’s expression just sells it for me. The good old shocked and smiling look work really good here and the added helmet finishes it all off. Unlike Spider-Man which had no accessories, the Agent comes with handcuffs and a gun.

LEGO really has outdone themselves here by including three awesome mini figures. Especially surprising is the SHIELD Agent inspired by the original Nick Fury look (costume wise). Based on the mini figures themselves, this set is worth a purchase.

SHIELD vehicle in all its glory

Main Build
With only one tiny instruction booklet, and two small bags, you’d be forgiven for thinking LEGO was about to be selling you a $20 set just for the figures. Don’t get me wrong, I would’ve paid that just for how cool they are, but LEGO decided to do something I thought unthinkable; give me a tiny build that I have completely fallen in love with.

The SHIELD vehicle, is such a surprise build for me, that I’m still a little lost for words. On the box, it looks so unassuming and almost forgotten, but once you begin, any doubts over LEGO’s ability to deliver a cool looking vehicle are quickly laid to rest. This build is what makes LEGO, well LEGO.

First of all, the simple build. Using minimal bricks, LEGO are able to provide us with a vehicle that looks sleek and at the same time tough and powerful. The front of the jet, of course belongs to the cockpit area. With smart use of bricks, the cockpit is connected to the main body via click hinges allowing you to angle however you want. The cockpit window is mostly used to give the illusion of a closed section, but in truth, if removed the cockpit would have no walls. Again, I find this really smart.

Twin stud firing guns

At the front of the cockpit are two, yes two, stud firing guns. Watch out, they hurt. Inside the cockpit, there is enough space for the agent to sit down and pilot the craft, and with the use of two grey pieces it looks like controls sticks for him to use. Sitting behind the cockpit on the main body, is a light grey box with a door. Inside are three studs that frankly, make no sense. I mean, they seem really out-of-place with them rest of the build, and if they are used as stud firing gun reserve ammo, it’s a strange place to store them. Still, I appreciate the unique use of bricks to create such a vehicle. The main body isn’t exactly long, but uses plenty of smart choices to really lock itself in place. This won’t go falling apart anytime soon.

SHIELD vehicle with Agent inside. Allows you to see the side of the cockpit and vehicle itself showing the wings.

Connected on either side of the body are to engines which have small flaps connected. Again, it carries on with the darker shade of blue and uses a sticker above each engine brick to make it appear to be a turbine engine used on the helicarrier. Now it’s worth noting, that each of the engines is snapped into place via a clicking hinge. So you’re free to raise or lower it however you please.

With the use of curved and smoothed over bricks, the top of the vehicle has a rounded finish and completing the sleek but powerful look is the jet engine on the rear. The mix of colours really helps sell this vehicle. Dark blue on top with grey mostly relegated to the bottom sections. Some yellow bricks are thrown in and kept for the turbine engines. It certainly isn’t a dull vehicle and even comes with clips to store the SHIELD Agents gun and handcuffs, meaning you don’t need to fear losing these.

Finished build

Final Thoughts
It’s all the little things about this set that I really enjoy. The attention and love shown to all three mini figures. The included accessories, and stud firing guns. The smart use of bricks for the vehicle and most of all, the fact its (smart) design is comparable to sets that are a lot more expensive. It has many moving and playable parts to it and with a squadron of these vehicles, well that would make for a pretty cool looking display piece.

For an asking price of just (under) $20, you can do no wrong with picking this up. It will make a fine addition to any and all LEGO collectors.