LEGO Marvel Gargantos Showdown 76205 Monster Building Kit with Doctor Strange, Wong and America Chavez for Ages 8+ (264 Pieces)

Product Information

An entire department was formed due to a single instance where a LEGOLAND park model stressed a part by use of a connection nobody had intended to be possible. A lot of weird part combinations (like plugging flames into the bottoms of 1x plates) are possible because someone probably started standardizing incidental holes to make sure they don’t ever end up with something that _almost_ fits, but is right enough to break one or both parts.

The aforementioned scaly design becomes especially apparent when viewing this model from behind, where various slopes and wedge plates are employed to splendid effect. The resulting shape looks great and avoids interfering with the articulated tentacles because those ball joints remain relatively exposed. For one, it may be a plot point in the movie that the tentacle-beast is mistaken for a more ordinary monster, but then is discovered to be a far more powerful eldritch entity? If that's the case, its "true name" could be considered a spoiler within the context of the MCU, albeit one that people familiar with the comics characters would be able to figure out in a heartbeat (as is often the case with many plot twists in comic book movies). I don't know if it's just me, but I have the feeling that while many people are rightly complaining over this (and other issues with LEGO), only German commenters bring up how off-brand have better standards/cost less/are catching up with LEGO, etc. " While the AT-AT issue is annoying, it's merely very difficult to disassemble. A poor design choice perhaps, but at least everything fits together as designed.

That said, there are very few knots that are impossible to untie once tied, provided you’re willing to work at it. Gordion knots are the only one that comes to mind. This set comes in a “thumb punch” style rectangular box. The front image depicts the three included minifigures in battle against a multi-armed, one-eyed monster as they all progress up the side of a city skyscraper. This seems to be a running theme for this franchise, as 76060 Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum also pitted three of the film’s characters against a tentacled foe. Photos of the film’s cast are present on the right-hand side of the box, and this set includes three of the four featured characters. Scarlet Witch gets left out, but she was available in the latest Marvel Collectible Minifigure series if you want to complete the band. Kids playing with it? There’s always the possibility that the parts weren’t fully seated during assembly, in which case the intersections may not have happened and no stress resulted. I’ve seen grown adults half-attach parts when they were in a rush or not paying attention. It’s for this reason that Master Model Builders use rubber mallets to seat the parts on glued models. Not only is it less abusive on your fingers, but the impact can help close up gaps several layers down.

Whilst preparing our review of 76205 Gargantos Showdown, CapnRex101 encountered what appears to be a design flaw which prevents parts from being connected properly. The minifigures are where the set really shines for me. There have been numerous Doctor Strange figures in sets across various movie tie-ins, but Wong is a character that’s been a little harder to come by. And America Chavez is making her LEGO debut here (and her MCU debut in the corresponding movie).Just a question- what attaches to the female joint? If it’s the male equivalent then you could swap them over, and the fault would probably lie with the instructions. I am assuming though it’s a pin to attach the tentacles, but you know what happens when you assume…."

Doctor Strange in this set is almost identical to the one that appears in the 76185 Spider-Man at the Sanctum Workshop set. However, this set features a new torso printing with a chest symbol that more closely resembles his traditional comic appearance. To accommodate the symbol, the Eye of Agamotto has been lifted up higher, so that it looks more like a clasp for the cape rather than hanging down at his abdomen. Well, that's three Lego lesbians, from three different fictional universes. (Tracer, Batwoman, and now America Chavez.) Wonder when they'll get around to the other letters because they've got the L covered. Although I guess 40516 could count..." Panke ist the best known, true. He's very polemic, also true. But he's not the only one reviewing off-brands; others do that, too, and in a much friendlier manner.

The Completed Model

While the eye remains static, the surrounding tentacles offer tremendous articulation. Each of the longest tentacles features three joints, while the smaller appendages include two poseable joints. An exceptional range of positions for display are therefore possible, benefiting particularly from the ball joints which encircle Gargantos' round body. An illegal technique is not one that causes undue stress to the parts, but one that is _recognized_ to cause undue stress to the parts. There are tons of high-stress techniques that have never been considered for an official set, and therefore remain off the list. I created one myself, about two decades ago. It’s probably not on the list, because it’s so stressful that you almost need to use furniture to force the connections." Gargantos Showdown represents an interesting addition to the Marvel theme and is therefore extremely enjoyable! The eponymous monster looks fantastic and offers incredible display value, taking advantage of those versatile tentacles. Gargantos' eye includes splendid detail as well, although the absence of additional functionality is perhaps disappointing.

Don't assume such things as every German AFOL is a fan of Held der Steine or watches regularly videos from him! >:( The issue is that the software cannot perfectly model reality. A lot of parts in LDD were modelled pretty imprecisely, resulting in a wide variety of illegal connections being possible and legal connections not being possible. Stud.io is better in that regard but its still not perfect. Transparent has changed, it is now more 'foggy'. 100% of AFOLs who have commented about this to me do not like the new transparent! Is it a change of material? On a more serious note, people like to make fun of the phrase or what it refers to, but this design flaw fully and precisely meets the definition. This is the kind of thing LEGO strives to avoid in their designs, and this specific issue was a miss on their part. But you start to understand why the designation is meant to be taken seriously, even with the use of the word "illegal". Especially with the use of that word. The word "illegal" has other meanings than just "the LEGO Police are coming to get you". The fake awe from online reporters at Disney including queer characters for the billionth time never ceases to exist. Now it’s gonna extend to their licensed LEGO products, too?

169 comments on this article

While I would agree that would be the ideal situation, it's often the case that there isn't a 'final response'. We are still waiting for more info about the postponed/cancelled mechs, for example. In this case, adding the Mixel joints to that fender might be acceptable, if the 1x6 plate was not added to the other end. I’ve seen instances where official sets bend geometry just a tiny bit, but it can’t do so in a way that creates undue stress. Without building this, I don’t know how much stress it creates, but visually it appears to be too much to pass muster. However, that doesn’t mean this is an illegal technique...yet.