Lego Marvel The Amazing Spider-Man review

Page 49 of The Amazing Spider-Man's manual says "you've never seen a build like this before...", and we're inclined to agree. After all, there's a reason we've called it one of the best Lego Marvel sets you can buy. From start to finish, putting together Lego Marvel The Amazing Spider-Man has surprised and delighted us. 

That's for a couple of reasons. First, Marvel comic geeks will appreciate the nods to comic book production, such as a carefully-selected set of colors that respect the Ben Day printing technique. And second, from a Lego design perspective, it really is unlike anything we've built before, combining dozens of techniques that come together to create a fantastic piece of art.

The way Spider-Man pops out of the frame, with a three-dimensional moving head and fingers that wrap around the edge, really sets this set apart from other Lego Art sets we've seen so far. We hope it's not the last in this style, because this truly is something rather special, and real props need to be given to its designer, Nick Vas.

Lego Marvel The Amazing Spider-Man: Build

• Unique, enjoyable build
• It's never boring!
• Easy to build some parts with others if you like to build with a friend

We have built a lot of Lego sets but few of them leave such a lasting impression as The Amazing Spider-Man has done. Often, we're relieved to have finished building it for one reason or another. But not this time. Every section of the build has been thoroughly enjoyable, and that's down to it being so incredibly varied.

First comes the frame. This is perhaps the most "ordinary" part of the building process, for lack of a better word. But once you're done here, it's time to lay down the background. If you've built a Lego Art set in the past, it'll feel somewhat familiar, with you adding single 1x1 pieces to 12 large plates, before fixing each of them into the frame. If you like making Lego building a social activity, this is a great part of the build to do with other people, with each person tackling a different plate.

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We'd argue that it's only once all these plates are in place, though, that Lego Marvel The Amazing Spider-Man really comes into its own. You'll use a mixture of plates and standard System bricks to create individual layers that on their own make little sense — but eventually come together to create a brilliant and colorful classic Spider-Man. It's only once the final touches are in place that you can truly appreciate everything that's gone into designing this build.

We can't even really complain about any tricky parts of the build in The Amazing Spider-Man. Perhaps more than any other set we've put together, every piece has joined together with absolute purpose, and we've never felt like we've had to "force" anything, or ponder over how on Earth one section is supposed to align with another. 

Every part of the set has been meticulously designed to make the build process as enjoyable as possible — even down to the instruction book. The first few pages are dedicated to Spider-Man comic book history, with some beautiful illustrations, but even throughout the manual you'll find little snippets of information — either about how the model has been designed, or about the history of Spider-Man. For example, page 178 tells us that Spidey was originally supposed to don an orange and purple costume, but it was changed to red and blue since it would print cleaner on pulp paper.

Our favorite parts of the build include the twisty webs, which you can see in some detail in the images below. Some of these have been created by using rubberized Lego pieces, which can be bent and twisted into shape. In other areas, short, straight white rods have been used. When they're put together, the effect is striking and it really does look like a comic-style spider's web.

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We also love Spider-Man's face, naturally the focal point of the entire build. It's attached on two individual ball joints which not only gives it a surprising amount of stability but means you can turn the head from one side to another, changing the direction that Spidey is looking. Because it sits slightly raised from the rest of the build, it also creates a nice 3D effect. We're surprised at how sturdy the model is given this layering, but it really is one of the most solid models we've put together in recent years. Hanging it on the wall didn't give us any concern at all!

We should also add that every patterned piece included in the set is printed, including the webs on Spider-Man's face and the 'The Amazing Spider-Man' logo brick featured in the bottom-right corner of the finished set. There's not a sticker to be seen, which is always appreciated.

Lego Marvel The Amazing Spider-Man review: Design

• Unlike anything else you've built
• Designed to hang on the wall

Nothing has been spared in bringing The Amazing Spider-Man to life, and the attention to detail is something that true Marvel fans will get a huge kick out of. The fact that the set's color palette has been inspired by the comic book printing process, for example, is really neat. That green background that Spider-Man sits atop of not only looks fantastic but it's been designed to replicate Ben Day-inspired pop art seen in mid-century comics.

Even if you know nothing about comic books, though, there's still so much to appreciate in this model. In terms of building techniques, it's clear every single part of the model has been painstakingly considered to be as eye-catching, sturdy and enjoyable to put together as possible. We weren't sure how Spider-Man's hands were going to look when we first started building them, for example, but seeing them come together pleasantly surprised us.

There's also a lot of literal depth hidden in The Amazing Spider-Man set. It looks like it's mostly made up of flat plates, but in fact it includes a record number of red 2x4 System bricks — you know, the one and only 'iconic' Lego brick. Despite how unusual and unique the finished model is, many parts of the build feels old-fashioned in some ways, and we mean that as a compliment. The chunky pieces means you're not endlessly fiddling with tiny tiles: It's a substantial-feeling set that still manages to pack in a lot of fantastic details.

Of course, this is a set designed to hang on the wall, and wall-hanging brackets are built into the frame as part of the build. It's easy enough to hang: You'll need two nails, and you'll need to measure them to make sure they're the appropriate distance apart. Once it's up it feels perfectly secure, and we aren't worried about it falling or breaking in any way.

We love wall-mounted Lego as it means we don't have to sacrifice shelf space, but your own mileage may differ. Unfortunately, you have no choice with this one. Other Lego Art sets could be stood on a picture shelf, for example. But because of Spider-Man's hand overhanging the bottom edge of the frame, it means standing it up isn't an option. It's mounting, or nothing. Hopefully this won't be a deal-breaker, because in every other way, this is a perfect Lego set.

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Should you buy Lego Marvel The Amazing Spider-Man?

The only reason there is to not buy Lego Marvel The Amazing Spider-Man is if, for some reason, you can't hang it up on your wall. If you can wall-mount it? Don't hesitate to pick up this Lego set. It's absolutely wonderful, both from the viewpoint of a Spider-Man fan, and from a Lego lover who appreciates clever building techniques.

It's a little on the pricey side at $200, but for a 2,000-piece set, we feel it's fair. It's also a very eye-catching piece of art for that price, which really does look stunning when it's on the wall. If it's within your budget, then, you absolutely should buy The Amazing Spider-Man.

Other Lego sets to consider

The biggest (and arguably best) Lego Marvel set on the market at the minute is the giant 5,201-piece Avengers Tower. Costing $500, however, it's not a purchase to be taken lightly — and since it's almost a meter tall, you'll need a serious amount of space to display it. 

Sticking with the Spider-Man theme, however, the Daily Bugle tower might be more appropriate. It's a similar scale to the Avengers Tower, just a little bit shorter — it's 33 inches/82cm. It includes a whopping 25 minifigures, including plenty of iconic Spider-Man characters. There's Miles Morales, Spider-Ham, Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen, Doc Ock, Venom, Green Goblin and plenty more.

For more Lego Marvel ideas, why not check out our round-up of the best Marvel sets currently available?