Review: 76289 Thor vs. Surtur Construction Figure from LEGO® Marvel

76289 Thor vs. Surtur Construction Figure takes its cues from 2017's Thor: Ragnarok. The giant fire demon, Surtur was predicted to destroy Asgard and is depicted here as a large-ish construction figure.

From an initial look, the parts are pretty, but I'm not sure everything about this set is going to Ragna-rock my world!

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

76289 Thor vs. Surtur Construction Figure

• US$29.99/ £24.99/ 29.99€/ AU$49.99
• 245 parts
• Release Date: 1 August 2024

LEGO Marvel 76289 Thor vs. Surtur Construction Figure on LEGO.com

The parts

New mould

This new cape mould has appeared in a few LEGO® Marvel August releases, and more details can be seen in my review of 76291 The Avengers Assemble: Age of Ultron.

• 1x Minifig Neckwear Cape in Red (6508620 | 5725) as mentioned, a red one can also be found in 76291, a green one is in the recently reviewed 76290 The Avengers vs. The Leviathan and a purple one has just featured in 76294 X-Men: The X-Mansion as X-cellently reviewed by Tom.

New prints

• 1x Large Figure Head, Alien in Black (6488134 | 69859)
• 2x Round Corner, Curved 3 x 3 x 1 Quarter Circle with new print in Black (6488129) 

Rare

• 2x Large Figure Shoulder Cover, Armor, Round, Smooth with Bar in Black (6510982 | 1686) in two sets
• 2x Plate 1 x 1 x 2/3 Half Round with Side Stud in Bright Red/ Red (6494496 | 3386) in two sets
• 1x Plate Special 1 x 1 Rounded with Handle in Dark Red (6483130 | 26047) in two sets

• 2x Wedge Plate 3 x 4 with Stud Notches in Dark Orange (6429033 | 28842) in six sets
• 2x Plate 1 x 4 in Reddish Orange (6469089 | 3710) in three sets
• 1x Plate Special 1 x 2 with Handle on End in Dark Orange (6477977 | 60478) in two sets, and 76286 The Milano Spaceship from this wave of sets – see my review of 76286
• 2x Tile 2 x 2 Curved, Macaroni in Reddish Orange (6475326 | 27925) in two sets

• 1x Weapon Sword with Jagged Edges, Double Axle Hole in Dark Red (6514437 | 79895) only in 71822 Source Dragon of Motion
• 1x Wave / Lightning with Axle Hole in Transparent Light Blue/ Trans-Light Blue (6508017 | 2149) in three sets and 76291 The Avengers Assemble: Age of Ultron – see my review of 76291 here

Minifigures

New

• 1x Torso with new print in Pearl Titanium/ Pearl Dark Gray (6502237)
• 2x Minifig Head with new print in Black (6488128)

• 2 x Torso - Skeleton Thick Shoulder Pins, Reinforced Hips with Hole in Black (6502366 | 78132)

A recent amendment to the skeleton torso mould has resulted in an recolour that surprised me, given that in its previous incarnation, this part in black was in a impressive 43 sets. This mould variant appears in black for the very first time. 

The build

The torso, various limbs and other body parts are all built as sub-assemblies. Section by section they are added to create the overall figure. It's a simple case of clicking it together, before finally attaching Surtur's head and horns:

Sticker sheet

Just five stickers are provided on one small sheet. As is so often the case, I am less inclined to apply stickers as it limits a part's future usage. 

©2024 The LEGO Group

When applied as intended, they add a lot to the build. These are simple and effective fiery designs and can be seen in all their flaming glory in this official LEGO image.

Conclusion

I actually like this set;  although it might not be astounding value, it is a good-looking figure. There have been compromises while adapting it from the film incarnation and I question some of the proportions of the upper limbs. Perhaps some more effort could have been made to better represent the character from Thor: Ragnarok, but overall I'm happy to accept that a giant flaming humanoid Balrog is not all that easy to reproduce in little plastic bricks.

There are some pleasing prints on the new elements to indicate the lava-esque innards of the demon. A reasonable proportion of rare parts and an eye-catching colour scheme make something more of what would otherwise be quite a plain construction figure set too. I like the inclusion of the two little black minfigure skeletons, although I don't recall them from the film.

I think the price is still relatively high for what is provided in the set. Judging from the cost of 8.9p per gram, this set may indeed be over-priced if compared with other currently available sets at the same price point. The price is definitely at the more affordable end of the range and there are a reasonable selection of parts with a good colour scheme overall.

MOC inspired by parts in set 76289 

Before I built the set, I noticed the adaption to the shoulder pads with bar (1686) and hadn't had a chance to play with this mould change before. The previous variant (21560) is still in use.

I don't know why, but they just said Morpheus' pince-nez glasses to me... 

You take the blue brick, the article ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever it is you want to believe. You take the red brick, you stay in LEGO-land, scrolling through our old posts and we show you how all the bricks connect.

Now, are you picking the red brick or the blue brick?

 

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