Lego's 4,049-Piece Iron Man Hulkbuster Is the Largest and Most Expensive Marvel Set Ever Released
Part of the process of making your own creation with Lego is building and rebuilding until you get it right: an approach that Lego itself takes because while we’ve gotten several Marvel Hulkbuster sets over the years, none come anywhere close to this towering 21-inch tall masterpiece.
Lego’s website still lists two or three variations on smaller-scale Hulkbuster sets it’s released in the past, as well as the 1,363-piece Hulkbuster: Ultron Edition, first revealed at the New York Toy Fair back in 2018. It was lavishly detailed with swappable arms and enough room for a Lego Iron Man Mark 43 minifigure to climb inside, and a $120 price tag to match. But the new 4,049-Piece Hulkbuster set hulks out with more details, more pieces, and a much larger bite of your brick budget.
Read more
Asus Made a Kitchen Gadget That Tells You When Fruits and Veggies Are Actually Clean
I Drank Dying Glacier Water, and All I Got Was a Deeper Feeling of Dread
A New Lego Marvel Record
The previous record-holder for the largest Lego Marvel set was the towering 32-inch tall Daily Bugle set that is assembled from 3,772 pieces. It is now relegated to second place as the new Hulkbuster boasts 277 more pieces.
A Highly Articulated Upper Body
The four-year-old Lego Hulkbuster: Ultron Edition was no slouch when it came to articulation and pose potential, but with 2,686 more pieces, the new Hulkbuster is far more articulated, including individual fingers that can be posed at every knuckle.
Three Light Bricks Bring the Hulkbuster to Life
The Hulkbuster’s steep $550 price tag is partly due to the company’s recent price increases as a result of raw material and operating costs. But the fact that the Hulkbuster also comes with three battery-powered light bricks creating the glowing effect in Stark’s arc reactor and the repulsors in each hand of the suit certainly contribute to the price as well.
Is That a Piece of the Lego Lighthouse We See?
One of the best features of the recently announced Lego Motorized Lighthouse was a new functional fresnel lens element that helped focus the beam of light emitted. For that set, it was produced in clear transparent plastic, but it looks like it’s resurfacing again in the Hulkbuster but tinted light blue to recreate the arc reactor effect.
Incredibly Detailed Both Front and Back
It’s rare that we’re as impressed with the back of a Lego set as we are the front, but the Hulkbuster is oozing with lavish detailing all the way around, including countless repulsors located all over the armor, and a brick-built butt that could challenge even Captain America.
Find Some Shelf Space
The Hulkbuster might have lots of articulation and flexibility from the waist up, but below the belt is a different story. Despite being made of plastic, 4,049 bricks weigh quite a lot, and the Hulkbuster’s legs are designed with rigidity and support as a top priority. As a result, this set is going to be more of a display piece than a toy, so you’ll want to start clearing off some shelf space now.
Just a Single Minifigure Included
This is not a set for collectors looking to maximize the number of minifigures added to their collections. The Iron Man Mark 44: Hulkbuster comes with just a single minifig, an exclusive Tony Stark in partial Iron Man armor, which can be perched on an included display plaque listing the Hulkbuster’s specs.
A Surprising Reveal Inside
It comes as no surprise that the 21-inch tall Lego Hulkbuster armor can be opened to reveal room for Iron Man to climb inside wearing a smaller suit, but as you can clearly see, there’s far too much room in there for a Lego minifigure to climb inside without rattling around. Lego has something bigger in mind for this set.
You’ll Probably Want to Budget For Two New Iron Man Sets
Instead of a minifigure-sized Iron Man, the new 4,049-piece Hulkbuster armor is actually large enough to accommodate the 381-piece buildable Iron Man Figure the company released months ago to launch a line of buildable superhero figures featuring lots of articulation. So if you truly want to complete the $550 Hulkbuster set, you’ll definitely want to budget an extra $40 for the Iron Man buildable figure as well.
How Long Do You Have to Save Up Another Small Fortune?
Following the $600, 6,187-piece The Mandalorian Razor Crest, Lego fans are probably struggling with stressed budgets, but the new Hulkbuster is not going to provide much relief. It will be officially available in just a few weeks starting on November 9, so it’s probably not a bad idea to skip the elaborate Halloween costume and pumpkin-spiced everything and prioritize more Lego in your budget.
