Lego Avengers, part of the Lego Super Heroes theme is going to be one of the big Lego releases for this year.
Even if your kids aren’t already fans of The Avengers or are too young to see the upcoming movie, they will certainly want to know more about these comic book heroes come April 2012 when the sets are released.
So who are The Avengers?
The Avengers
Also known as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers are essentially a group of super-heroes that join together when Earth is threatened by extreme attacks.
The Avengers were formed by an organisation known as S.H.I.E.L.D, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, a law enforcement agency headed by Nick Fury.
Membership of the group changes periodically but in the latest version of the team, as featured in the 2012 film, the members include:
- Iron Man (Tony Stark – Inventor who flies around in a metal suit)
- Thor (Norse God who wields a very large Hammer)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers – A genetically enhanced super soldier)
- Black Widow (Natalia Romanova – Russian Spy turned SHIELD Agent)
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton – Master archer and ally of Black Widow)
- The Hulk (Bruce Banner – Physicist exposed to gamma radiation. Has major anger issues)
Spider-Man and Wolverine have also been members in past rosters of the group.
In the 2012 film, Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., assembles a group of superheroes that includes Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Hulk to fight a new enemy that is threatening the safety of the world.
The enemy in question is Loki, a super-villain whose rise to power was documented in the film Thor.
The film is released May 4, 2012 and will be known as Avengers Assemble in some countries.
Like the films that have set up origin stories for most of the main characters in The Avengers (Iron Man & Iron Man 2, Thor, The Hulk and Captain America) this film is not recommended for very young children (swearing, threat, high action) but older kids and tweens will love them.
Lego Avengers
In late 2011, Marvel signed with Lego to begin producing sets based on their characters in 2012.
The deal was significant because the resulting Lego Super Heroes theme would include sets from not only Marvel but its comic industry rival, DC Comics.
While the DC sets have been out for some time, Marvel’s sets will begin to come out in April.
The first sets to be released were always going to relate to the Avengers movie, as it is the first of two high profile cinematic releases for the company this year.
Later in 2012 we can expect to see sets related to Amazing Spider-Man, a re-launch of the Spider-Man franchise which comes out in November.
The Lego Avengers sets depict scenes from the movie and feature all of the main characters (except Nick Fury -a huge oversight on Lego’s part), though you will have to purchase more than one set if you are after the whole team.
Lego Avengers Sets
The Lego Avengers sets seem highly detailed and come with great play features. The minifigures are instantly recognizable as their movie counterparts. Each set is colorful and there is an emphasis on action rather than violence.
Lego has again managed to avoid overt references to modern weapons though, as this is a super-hero vs super-villain theme, if you are sensitive about your kids playing with “battle” toys this may be a theme to avoid.
The first wave of Avengers Lego sets are:
- 6865 Captain America Avenging Cycle
- 6867 Loki’s Cosmic Cube Escape
- 6868 Hulk’s Helicarrier Breakout
6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle
Captain America’s Avenging Cycle 6865
While riding his Avenging Cycle, Captain America spots the general on his craft.
Help Captain America use his indestructible shield to defeat the general and his foot soldier!
Win the battle and send them back to where they came from. The fate of the world lies in your hands.
Includes 3 minifigures: Captain America and more.
72 pieces.
Loki’s Cosmic Cube Escape 6867
Loki is escaping from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters with the powerful Cosmic Cube.
If he succeeds, he could use it to wreak havoc on the world!
Will Iron Man in his amazing armored suit alongside Hawkeye in his function-packed S.H.I.E.L.D. off-roader be fast enough to catch Loki, or will the Asgardian villain escape with the Cosmic Cube? You decide!
Includes 3 minifigures: Iron Man, Loki and Hawkeye.
Hulk’s Helicarrier Breakout 6868
The Hulk and Thor have Loki captured on board the Avengers’ awesome Helicarrier.
Using his powers of trickery and illusion, Loki makes Hawkeye lose control of his function-packed jet fighter.
Help Hulk bring down the malfunctioning jet fighter and its flick-missiles by smashing the fuel canisters to hit the jet fighter! Then jump onto the jet fighter and rescue Hawkeye from the cockpit with the cockpit blast function!
Includes 4 minifigures: Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye and Loki.
389 pieces.
Quinjet Aerial Battle 6869
Loki is up to no good and is planning to destroy the earth!
As he flies into battle on board his chariot, help the Avenger’s defeat their nemesis using the supersonic Quinjet! Fire the missiles, release the mini-jet and imprison Loki in the prison pod! With the high-tech Quinjet, the Avengers can’t fail!
Includes Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Loki and more minifigures.
735 pieces.
The Avengers For Kids
Even though most kids who like the Lego Avengers sets will be too young to see the film, there are still options for parents who want to encourage and broaden their child’s interest in the theme.
Marvel has a plethora of comics and cartoons featuring the Avengers but not all are kid-friendly! (Avoid Mark Millar’s The Ultimates in particular – great for Adults but not for kids)
One of their most successful Avengers comics for kids is the Super Hero Squad which is also available as a cartoon on DVD. There are also picture books and early readers as well.
You can find a whole range of Super Hero Squad items at Amazon.
There is also the older series, Marvel Adventures but some of them are out of print and harder to track down.
We will update this page as more information about the Lego Avengers sets come available.
