Theme: Marvel Super Heroes
No: 76178
Release Year: 2021
Cost: AU $499.99
Pieces: 3772 pcs (with 25 minifigures)
The biggest set of the year is one that has been surprisingly polarising – at least with the people I’ve talked to. Weighing in at 3,772 pieces, 75178 Daily Bugle has an absolute ton of minifigures at 25, but there’s also a lot of grey and repetition. So do the minifigures outweigh the grey, or is it still too bland? Let’s take a look.
Inside the massive box are 36 numbered bags across 16 stages, a separate bag of bigger parts, an instruction manual, and two separate sticker sheets with 38 stickers.
The Daily Bugle is one of the most well known landmarks in the Marvel universe. It’s the workplace of Peter Parker and the always grumpy and anti-Spidey J. Jonah Jameson, and in this set, it’s clearly a good spot for an all in brawl. Before we get into the build, let’s spend some time checking out all those minifigures. I’ll try to keep this short!
- There’s only one way to start this list. Spider-Man comes in his highly detailed print version, new for 2021, with dual moulded legs.
- There’s also a Peter Parker minifigure, with his civvies on, and a satchel. Peter has a double sided head – happy and surprised.
- Keeping with the spider theme, Miles Morales is included here with the same design as in 76171 Miles Morales Mech Armour. I really like this minifigure.
- Spider-Ham also gets an inclusion! This is brilliant – Peter Porker himself! I love the head printing. Ham was seen in 76151 Venomosaurus Ambush as well.
- Ghost Spider looks good, but she’s missing the coloured highlights in the inside of her hood. It would have made all the difference.
- Gwen Stacey in her civvies looks good, and I like the torso print. Gwen also has an angry alternate face.
- Aunt May was a must for this set, and has an excellent grandma torso. She’s got a frightened alternate face, and carries a tray of cookies. On to the rest!
- The classic villian Doctor Octopus just had to be included. The torso printing looks good, but the mechanical arms look just fantastic! They use the angled minifigure stand studs and round 1×1 plates with holes, and the articulation is just brilliant. So great!
- Green Goblin looks excellent although not unique. I love the printing on this minifigure. He’s also got his Goblin Glider that’s bursting through the building. Love it.
- Another classic Spiderman pairing is with Venom. He looks great, but the tendrils have been improved using tail elements. Good option.
- Same with Carnage. Excellent printing and more tendrils! I just wish the back connector was red too, along with the hand grip studs.
- Mysterio has been seen before, but he still looks cool, especially with the fabric cape. Under the helmet is a light bluish grey head.
- Sandman is incorporated brilliantly into the build, but more on that in a second. The torso has some dull sand printing that doesn’t match the tan elements, but the ‘legs’ are just awesome. I’m really happy with this element. I’ve got one already, but another is brilliant. On to the bigger exclusives!
- Black Cat looks great! The torso printing is excellent, and I love the hair and the face print. She’s got a happy face and an angry face, perfect for her persona as sometimes an ally, sometimes an enemy. She carries a whip and a diamond.
- A lesser known Marvel superhero and a Mutant, Firestar works with the Earth’s electromagnetic field and convert it into microwave radiation emissions, giving her heat emmision, flight, and a few other smaller things. The printing is great, and she’s also got some fire blasts in her hands.
- One of my all time favourites, Blade is finally here in minifigure form, and he’s instantly recognisable. The printing looks fantastic – spot on with the character. So exciting!
- Frank Castle, also known as Punisher looks excellent with the iconic skull on his torso, and a bandaid on his head! Not sure why he’s smiling though – he’s not really a happy bloke.
- Daredevil is so good! The horn capping on his head is spot on, and he’s got two batons to fight with. The bright red just pops! On to the civilians.
- J. Jonah Jameson, the editor of the Daily Bugle looks fantastic in his black suit with blue detailing. His facial expressions are spot on, with the back showcasing him with some webbing over his mouth! I love it. He’s got a pen with him.
- Betty Brant is Jonah’s secretary and is a bit uninspiring. The torso looks great, hailing from Ginny Weasley in Diagon Alley.
- Ben Urich is a journalist with the Bugle, and has a great torso. He looks a bit too dressed up though.
- Robbie Robertson is one of the journalists and is a bit more of a Spidey fan. I really like the torso.
- With a slight torso variant there’s Ron Barney, a reporter for the Bugle. He’s got a new head that includes some nice grey flecks in his beard.
- Amber Grant provides photos for the Bugle, and apparently also runs the newspaper stand on the corner. The torso is great, with a satchel slung across her shoulder.
- Bernie the Cab Driver is cool, with an open grey hoodie and a flat cap.
That’s it for the minifigures! Some really excellent inclusions. On to the build itself.
Starting on the ground floor, there’s a reception area with a very modern looking desk, and a large hole in the wall! There’s also a great looking vending machine. The newspaper stand out the front looks great, and incorporates some clever build techniques. There’s some things to buy, including a couple of variants of the Bugle itself, one with Kingpin on the cover.
Incidentally, the amount of different newspaper tiles included is just excellent – 15 different variants! The outside path of the building appears cracked and damaged, although it’s probably too damaged? The crates, boxes and skip bins are a nice touch. The skip bins include removable lids (the skips are actually yellow crates), and have some rubbish inside them. A great touch. The sticker on the back door show that the Green Goblin and Eddie Brock have left their mark.
Just above there’s also a web that can be lifted up to reveal a backpack. This is Peter Parker’s costume, ready for when he needs it. I love it! There’s also a chunk of the wall that can be removed. I’m guessing this is for a better view of the interior, as it doesn’t seem like it’s for anything else. There’s also a simple sliding door at the front.
I love the way that Sandman has been incorporated here, just ripping himself through the pavement. It’s stunning and so well executed.
This is also where the repetition starts. The windows, while they look cool, are so very repetitive. It’s something that obviously continues all the way up. I got sick of it after the first level. It is one way to get a whole load of them though, so I guess that’s a good thing? This floor is also the only floor where the front panel doesn’t come off. This is probably due to the door being there, plus the loss of structural integrity. There’s a lot of LEGO above it.
The floor above is the bullpen, where all the action happens! I love the chaotic level of organisation here, and the multitude of screens in the middle. This is one of the highlights of the building. There’s also an excellent and simple elevator shaft at the back on each floor, using the new 2×6 tiles in dark bluish grey to perfection. Wrapping around the front of the first floor are massive screens. There’s a wraparound one showing Vote Osborn for Mayor – Norman Osborn being the Green Goblin; Jonah interviewing (maybe grilling) three other Marvel characters – Dr Curt Connors (Lizard), Professor Miles Warren (Jackal), and the Scarlet Spider, who looks confused.
On the far right there’s four villains claiming they’re going straight and abandoning their criminal behaviour – Mysterio, Doc Ock, Sandman and the Green Goblin. All we’re missing are Electro, Kraven the Hunter and Vulture, and we’ve got the original Sinister Six (with Green Goblin tagging along).
The red fire escape running the height of the building looks great, although there’s no gaps in the floors, and it’s extremely tight, so there’s no way to incorporate minifigures in there comfortably. It does mean that each level can be taken off, Modular style. Removing the front panels shows off the interiors really well.
Moving up is the big exploding window – this looks just fantastic, and breaks up the pretty dull exterior of the building. This is done really well, with Green Goblin bursting through the building. Meanwhile, Peter Parker is sitting calmly inside! It’s also great that this panel can be taken off without disrupting the explosion.
Around the back of this level is a balcony, forcing the footprint of the building to narrow slightly. On the inside there’s Peter’s office (if you can call it that, as I’ve never known him to have one), and the copy room. The little photocopier is fantastic! I also love the nod to the old 1960s animated series, with the picture on the wall.
The top floor has four flagpoles at the front, with Jonah and Betty’s offices inside. There’s a ‘Just the Facts’ billboard at the back, and a nice bird’s nest at the top, showing off the technique seen in 10270 Bookshop. I love the desks inside, with unique details and some very fancy monitors. It also looks like Jonah is firing Peter yet again!
The Daily Bugle sign looks great, but it just seems too big for the building. It also dwarfs the little red bugle in the middle. It’s just lost. Behind the sign is a stunning water tower using two big wheel parts. Mine don’t line up perfectly though, which bugs me! The antenna tower just pushes the height of this set even higher, and looks great. Firestar also has a great mounting point to the antenna, probably sucking up those microwaves!
There’s a Spider-Mobile that’s parked at the top of the building, and it looks hilarious, but works at the same time. It’s got a huge dune buggy vibe. The other vehicle included is the New York cab, which looks excellent. The shaping and colour is spot on. Another little easter egg is the number plate – AFA 0015 references Amazing Fantasy #15 where Spider-Man is introduced!
All in all, this is an insanely large (and tall) set. It’s chock full of minifigures and even more references, and while yes, it is a tedious build for the building, once it was built, I didn’t actually mind it. The more I looked at it and set the minifigures up, the more I liked it. Without the minifigures it’s a very different story, but include them and there’s a whole heap for Marvel fans to like. The price is a fair bit, at AU $499.99, but there’s a lot of exclusive minifigures. I’m pretty glad this is in my collection.
A special thank you to LEGO for sending me a copy to review. All thoughts on this set are my own and are not influenced in any way, shape or form. The provision of sets for review does not guarantee a favourable review.
