Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer review

Thor’s Hammer – or Mjolnir – isn’t just infamous in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU); it’s also a huge part of Norse mythology. Both a powerful weapon and a divine item of blessings, it’s incredibly iconic. And while Marvel’s take on the hammer wielded by Chris Hemsworth might not be exactly what the books on Norse lore had in mind, it’s still a striking object. And Lego’s representation of it – an almost life-size hammer, coming in at 18 inches in length – really does do it justice.

It’s actually quite weighty, too. Perhaps not all that surprising, when you consider it’s made up of more than 900 Lego bricks, but if you were to swing this at something, chances are it’s going to leave quite a dent. We don't recommend you do so. It’s best left on its brick-built stand, where you can simply admire it.

We thoroughly enjoyed building Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer, even despite its innate repetitiveness. Our only reservation is the price, especially in the U.K. In the U.S, its MSRP of $99.99 feels justified. However, U.K. Lego fans have got the raw end of the deal, with a price tag of £104.99 (roughly $137). Grab it on sale, if you can. But even at full price, it’s hard to be disappointed once you’ve built it - it's definitely one of the best Lego Marvel sets out there.

Looking for other Lego sets on sale? We’ve rounded up some of the best Lego deals, including more Marvel sets. Or if after seeing this you have that itch to watch a Marvel movie, then check out our guide to the best Marvel movies, ranked.

Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer review: Build

• Takes roughly two hours to build – which just so happens to be the length of Marvel’s Thor movie
• Quite a lot of repetition

The pieces of Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer are separated into five sets of numbered bags, and two unnumbered bags containing larger pieces. Most of those pieces are for the base, which you’ll build last, but there’s also 20 long bricks which are used to form the handle. Those you’ll need almost straight away, as creating Mjolnir’s handle is where you’ll start.

Image 1 of 3

This is a repetitive build right from the word go, but if you don’t mind completing the same task multiple times then you’ll probably find you get into a nice rhythm as you put Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer together. 

Even from a glance, you can tell that building the handle is going to be a repetitive task, and it is; you’ll need to build nine small, separate structures which then get stacked together to create the innards of the handle. We built them all at once to save time, but choosing to make them one by one may get a little tedious. It’s hugely effective when finished though. The brown and gray curved tiles work really well to create a leather-wrapped effect. It’s just a shame you need to apply 130-odd of the same brick to get there.

Image 1 of 3

The head of the hammer, too, can be quite repetitive, particularly as you’re using nothing but gray bricks here (aside from the odd different-colored piece to provide some internal structure). Both sides of the hammer are built to match, as are both ends. Because of the amount of repetition here, it makes Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer one of the simpler sets to build out of the 18+ range. That doesn’t necessarily need to be a bad thing, though. Despite the lack of complexity, the finished model is still stunning.

Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer review: Design

• Looks incredible when finished, and is surprisingly weighty
• Included stand is really effective

We were pleasantly surprised with how large and commanding the Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer is when it’s finished. It’s almost life-size, with your hand wrapping perfectly around the handle, and it feels suitably weighty in your hand. Being 18 inches high when displayed means you need a decent amount of shelf space to show it off. If you do have a suitable amount of display real estate, it’s worth it as Thor’s Hammer sure is impressive. It almost looks like the real thing. Almost.

The only downside of its design is the lack of detailing on the hammer’s head. The sides of the hammer are built using large, gray plates which are not all that attractive to look at. We think that a slightly higher brick count that could have allowed for a bit more intricate detailing here could have gone a long way. Thinking back to Marvel’s interpretation of Mjolnir in the MCU, there is some intricate detailing on the edges of the hammer. While it would have been hard to recreate in detail without using stickers (and we’re glad to say there are no stickers here), Lego could have tried to do something to catch the eye a little more.

Image 1 of 2

It’s not a dealbreaker, though, and even with a plain gray hammer head, Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer is still an exquisite piece. The hammer’s stand certainly helps, which may just be the most intricate part of the whole build – designed to look like broken rock. There’s also a wonderful Thor minifigure included, with his own tiny Mjolnir, as well as a (slightly pointless) display of the Infinity Gauntlet, the Tesseract, and Odin’s Fire. What is cool is that they can be stashed away inside of the hammer, but it means you’re very unlikely to bother looking at them ever again.

Should you buy Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer?

The only thing that should give you pause when considering if you should buy Lego Marvel Thor’s Hammer or not is its price tag. It is undeniably steep considering the 979 piece count. That said, the finished model is surprisingly large and looks impressive enough to warrant the asking price. If you’re a fan of Marvel, particularly Thor, we’re confident in saying that you’ll be pleased with the finished piece. Perhaps just keep an eye out for a sale. This is a fairly new set, but we’ve already seen it reduced by at least 10%.

Other Lego Marvel sets to consider

No other Lego Marvel display sets are, in our opinion, quite on the same scale as Thor’s Hammer. Lego Marvel Infinity Gauntlet makes a great companion piece, however, and with these two sets stood side-by-side you’re well on your way to creating your own museum of Lego Marvel curiosities!

Elsewhere in Lego’s Marvel range, we’d be remiss not to mention the impressive Daily Bugle. At almost a meter tall, this four-story recreation of the MCU’s favorite newspaper office is simply phenomenal. It isn’t cheap, though: at $299.99 / £264.99 it’s far and away the most expensive Lego Marvel set currently available.

If you want more Thor-related sets, we can highly recommend the cheap-and-cheerful playset, Bro Thor’s New Asgard ($29.99 / £24.99). And we absolutely love the look of The Goat Boat at $49.99 / £ 44.99, which was released at the end of April 2022.