Theme: Disney
No: 76832
Release Year: 2022
Cost: AU $79.99 | US $49.99
Pieces: 497 (with three minifigures)
LEGO and Toy Story have a long and strong relationship, having seen a number of sets released over the years. I’ve unfortunately not got any of the older sets in my collection, but it’s great to see a few sets from the new Lightyear movie see some LEGO action too! I was quick to snap up one of them to review. Being a Classic Space fan (like so many others), the obvious choice for me was Buzz’s spaceship, the XL-15. It comes with three minifigures plus Sox the cat, Buzz’s robotic kitty. The minifigures are Buzz, Darby Steel and Mo Morrison, two members of Star Command.
The minifigure detailing is awesome across all three. Buzz comes in the orange space suit seen in Lightyear and also has a big printed shoulder armour piece and new style space helmet. The head still has the purple hood and the minifigure also comes with a skin tone head and messy brown hair. It’s super subtle but I love the inclusion of the little chin dimple! Buzz comes with a white blaster, white laptop (using a book element), and a fuel cell. Very clever.
The other two minifigures – Darby and Mo – come in identical torsos and legs. The printing on these parts is highly detailed, and the two minfigures can be picked apart with the colours of the upper armour – Darby with the dark green armour, and Mo with the sand blue. The printed detailing on these is also great, with scratches and wear and tear visible. The helmets are very unique, with a scary and imposing shape and creepy red eyes. The weapons for these two characters are brilliant – oversized weapons with Darby’s incorporating a stud shooter.
The model itself is super sleek and modern and also comes with a UCS style display stand and information plaque. The stand itself is very minimalist but holds the model steady and at an angle using a Technic axle in some bricks for strength.
The ship is honestly brilliant. There’s a very small cargo hold in the back, and while it’s not sealed, works really well using two doors. The downturned wings and angular engine housing is streamlined, and the azure highlights throughout are wonderful, using wedge plates to get some unique shaping and effects in. The transparent yellow canopy is brand new with the set and offsets the white and azure really well, while also giving a cheeky nod to Classic Space. Buzz and Sox can both fit in the cockpit, even with Buzz’s large armour piece, and the control panel is really unique, utilising a triangle tile and a ball joint with shaft element for the joystick. I’ve not seen the movie yet, but I’m guessing the click hinge is a sight for weapons? Either way I like it.
The wings and fins are adorned with stickers that add some great details, and the rear thrusters are really cool, if not a little flimsy to the touch. I’m not a huge fan of the SNOT brackets around the outside of thrusters, but there’s some great NPU using some Technic differentials as the interior engine elements. There’s no landing gear, which is a shame – the ship sits on it’s wingtips. It’s worth it for the sleek look, I think.
This is a superb LEGO spaceship, it really is. I’m a big fan of it, and it had me flying it around the room making all the right noises. That by itself means it’s a winner. Nice parts, great minifigures and a super cool looking final result. Well done LEGO!
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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.
