Review: Lego Wolverine Chopper Showdown! SNIKT!

When I was around 14 I had the startling realisation that Wolverine kicked all kinds of ass. I abandoned the comics of my childhood and wanted to read about a short, hairy, snarling Canadian who gnashed his teeth against fine cigars, had uncouth muttonchops, and popped murderous claws out of the back of his hands which could fillet a rhinoceros. And never in my wildest fever dreams would I suspect that in 2012 he would become an official Lego figure:

SNIKT! SNIKT! But there he is! He has two faces so you can switch him from "surly" to "shittin' porcupines". His claws aren't attached to his hand, but instead he holds them. All he's missing in some thick black hair on those pallid lil' arms of his. Still, he's probably the most threatening Lego guy you're ever going to own. Certainly more so that that Fabuland raccoon.

He's part of the new Lego Superheroes line and can be found in the set Wolverine Chopper Showdown 6866. To see what else is in there... join me after the jump!


This is one of those mid-range sets and its real draw-card is the three unique minifigs it's packed with. Wolverine is obviously the star here but we also get super villain Magneto. I love that they have sculpted a Lego version of this helmet:

GET OUT OF MY STUDDED HEAD, CHARLES!!

If you're wondering what the McKellan is going on here, this colour-theory-abusing crimson and purple ensemble is what Magneto proudly strutted around wearing in the comics of the early nineties. And you may fondly remember the end of last year's X-Men First Class where the take-no-shit Michael Fassbender had the colossal balls to pay tribute to the purple and red at the end. And he rocked it. Do you think Magneto buys his purple underwear in a store, has it custom made, or orders it online? That purple cape is also going to be really handy when customising Lego pimps.

Considering that Wolverine is kind of the most famous modern X-Man and Magneto is the most famous X-Men villain, I'm hoping this means even more X-Men sets in Lego's future. Cyclops, Beast, Jean and Ice Man seem like a no-brainer. What about an Archangel with deadly Lego wings? What about Charles in his little Lego wheelchair? What about Jubilee shooting Lego fireworks? How about I shut up now?

But if you thought that a Wolverine minifig was a bold move for the Lego company then you should be utterly gob-smacked by this guy:

Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!

THEY MADE A LEGO DEADPOOL!? A character created by Rob Liefeld was made into a minifig, complete with printed leg pouches?! I guess we have finally have a version of Deadpool where Rob could draw the feet.

None of that will make much sense to many readers who may not be aware of this slightly lesser known character. So if you buy this set for your kid and you need to explain who Deadpool is then try this: "Deadpool is a mercenary - which means he murders people - and they call him 'the Merc with the Mouth' because he never shuts up and is a real annoying douche. Deadpool has really bad cancer, but he also has a healing factor so he is still alive even though under that mask his hairless head looks like it's made out of hamburger meat. Oh and he is totally insane. In a bad way." 

I'm amazed Lego didn't pack in an alternate cancer head for this one. Lego, you have bigger balls than Michael Fassbender.

Deadpool comes packed with two swords that clip on to his back, and a great little gun. FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Okay so that was the fun part, now onto the vehicles that make up the bulk of this set. We get a helicopter and a motorbike. Wait... so which one is the "chopper". Or is Wolverine the chopper because of his claws? Or is chopper the name of Deadpool's sword? I am so confused.

The helicopter is a decent size and can hold a figure in the cockpit and a couple in the open back:

I don't mind the design, but it's a little bland. And there's a dodgy part or two here. I mean look at this windshield:

Do you recognise it? That piece is older than I am!

I guess this is supposed to be Deadpool's helicopter because of it's colour scheme (plus Deadpool's swords clip onto those little wing things with the missiles). But I feel like this thing could have really benefited from some stickers. Why not liven it up with a Deadpool logo at least - like that face logo that appears on his belt. Without some added superhero/villain flair, there's not a lot going on to make this one stand out. It's kind of a generic vehicle.

The same can be said for Wolverine's motorcycle. Fair enough, I understand that he doesn't actually have a fancy Wolvercycle, or Clawcycle, or Murdercycle or whatever, but this thing is utterly bland, even with an enterprising Deadpool hitching a ride on the back:

I mean, Captain America at least had his Avenging Cycle that avenged all the big issues that primarily concern motorcycles. I wonder if this set might have been rushed out just a little bit.

I guess it was in part inspired by the lacklustre, tiny-budget, incomprehensible mess that was Wolverine: Origins because didn't some stuff happen with a helicopter and a motorcycle in that one? The only way we could possibly be sure is if one of us could make it through the movie without falling asleep.

So without an iconic vehicle in play (if you did an X-Men set with a Lego Blackbird then I'd be singing a different song) then you might find this one to be a bit of a mixed bag. The helicopter is cooler than it probably looks in these photos, but I'm guessing that's not enough to swing your vote. But if you're all-in on the minifigs then this is definitely a must-have because these three are all killer, no filler. And three of them are actual killers. 

Perhaps this one should be renamed Lego Marvel Mass-Murderers 666.