Lego Dimensions: Aquaman Fun Pack (71237)

Aquaman is a huge joke in the comics world; many of you are probably already rolling your eyes and scoffing at the prospect of me even mentioning Aquaman on the website as you start to read this article. He’s had an image problem for years, and DC knows it too – when they relaunched the Justice League back in 2011, they were sure to include a scene that made his powers look spectacular even in comparison to his super-powered companions. And to be fair, it did look pretty cool. It's like a weird 90s throwback to the era of EDGINESS, but not in a bad way. 

Pic from here

You'll also notice that Jason Momoa's portrayal of the character in the about-to-be-released Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice looks more than a little different to the likeness of the minifigure we are looking at today. DC and Warner Brothers obviously want to distance themselves from the Robot Chicken-esque image of Aquaman that is permeating popular culture.  

So why even pick this Lego set up? Well, I've had as many laughs as anyone else at Aquaman, but just like the above picture demonstrates, he can be pretty awesome from time to time. Also, I plan to eventually have a complete Justice League (or some variant thereof) and any Justice League worth its salt includes Aquaman. 

The minifigure looks to be identical to the release of the figure that was in included in the last two sets he was in, late last year and back in 2013. He's got the Bieber-style hair, scale-mail print on his chest and a plain green pair of pants. He's also got two faces -- one neutral, and one angry. I prefer the more neutral one myself, but your mileage may vary. He's also armed with his signature gold trident -- it's identical to the ones featured in the Atlantis sets from a few years ago.   

As with Chell in the Portal pack, the instructions only cover how to build the minifigure (which you probably could have figured out yourself). So you’ll either need a copy of the game or to visit the website for further information on how to build his vehicle. At time of writing, I can’t find a pdf version, but here’s the video that I used to build the Aqua Watercraft. The other two modes should be pretty easy to find too.

The included vehicle/s is pretty underwhelming. This might befit the Aquaman’s borderline joke status. The Aqua Watercraft is not too bad; it kind of looks like it could have been a vehicle in the 1980s Super Powers action figure range. But it's not in the same league as some of the other microbuilds we've seen in this range, such as Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane or Benny's Spaceship. The other two are just kind of blah -- though they may be of value in the game itself. And the green and orange colour scheme is unusual for Lego, so the pieces may also be of use to those interested in MOCing. 

Aquaman retails for $24.95, but you can theoretically find him for $20 at a few stores. I’ve only seen him in person once so far – and bought him straight away –  but I’m sure we’ll see more copies pop up over the next few weeks. If you're like me and don't actually own the game, the cheaper option is definitely the better one.  

Lego Dimensions: Portal 2 Level Pack (71203)

Series: Lego Dimensions

Set number: 71203

Year: 2015

Riding the curious yet genius trend of collectible figurines that can be used in video games started by Skylanders, Lego Dimensions burst onto the gaming scene earlier in 2015. Now though it’s awesome that we get a bunch of existing Lego licenses turned into digital form, one of the most interesting aspects has also been the new licenses thrown into the mix – Dr Who, Back to the Future and the subject of today’s review, Portal 2. I don’t care for all of them, but it’s good to see just how broad Lego’s palette has become.  

Somewhat annoyingly, the box doesn’t include the full instructions. After you’ve built Chell’s minifigure and placed her on the stand, the instruction booklet simply advises you to continue building using the in-game instructions. For someone like me who’s not so much interested in the game as simply building the set, it’s pretty irritating. Fortunately, you can download them here. 

The minifigure is based on her look from Portal 2. Either version of Chell would have been fine, but this is the more colourful of her two looks. She’s been printed with two faces; passive/blank and cranky. I prefer the more passive one; while more aggressive one isn’t bad, they would have been better off using a print similar to Wonder Woman’s angry face. Her gun is an all-new mould. While cool, it’s cast in the soft rubbery plastic that Lego sometimes uses for its accessories. I don’t mind that for some accessories, but I think it would have been better if her gun had been the usual hard plastic. The rubbery material also makes it more difficult for it to slot into her hand, though it can be done.

From my perspective, there are two details missing from the current version. Chell’s long-fall boots are (understandably) rendered as being solely white; though I’m sure customisers will quickly figure a workaround, it would have been difficult to work in the stilts aspect of their construction and have her still be able to stand. This is an issue that also affects the NECA figure (I need to get around to reviewing her at some point), though they did include a specialised stand for her. Additionally, there isn’t a spare orange bulb piece to create a “player 2” gun. This isn’t a major drama, as anyone who’s been collecting Lego for any amount of time is likely to have a spare in their bits box. Still, it would have been a nice, if not essential, inclusion.

The other two elements are the Sentry Turret and the Companion Cube. I think the Sentry Turret is about right in terms of size, but it’s been a long time since I’ve played the games and I couldn't find any good reference shots of the two of them together from the game. The Companion Cube seems to be more ambiguous. It looks too large to me (though understandably so, given the nature of Lego bricks) but again, no good reference pics that I can find. Cosplayers seem to have run the gamut from massive to tiny with their own accessories, so I suppose it works well enough. 

Each of these two can be reassembled into a few different forms – not accurate to the original source material, as far as I know, but they have differing functions within the Lego Dimensions game. It adds some additional value to the set in gameplay terms, if not so much from a collector's perspective.  

Speaking of which...as someone who’s not playing the game it’s definitely on the overpriced side. I’m prepared to wear a bit of a premium given the in-game elements, but this thing retails for $49.95! Shop around a little and you can find it a bit cheaper, but I think it would be better value if they managed to have sold it for around the $30 mark (and of course, had the other character/team packs cheaper). Still, Lego has always been a premium brand – both in quality and in price. Concerns about price aside, I think this is a really fun set for Lego and Portal fans alike. If you can find it at a reasonable price or get given it as a gift, it's a great addition to just about any collection. This one is likely to go for big bucks on the aftermarket the moment it gets discontinued. just for the unusual nature of the license.