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CapnRex101 tells me that it does not prevent 76205 Gargantos Showdown from being assembled, nor does it have a detrimental effect on the finished model, but it doesn't seem to meet the high design standards to which we have become accustomed, and of course the parts will be stressed which may result in damage over time.
The spherical body at the centre of these tentacles is considerably smaller, but offers wonderful detail. The blending of smooth and studded surfaces forms a scaly texture and olive green was certainly an effective colour choice, with occasional dark green and dark tan accents. The few light bluish grey elements therefore appear somewhat conspicuous, but they were unavoidable. Panke ist the best known, true. He's very polemic, also true. But he's not the only one reviewing off-brands; others do that, too, and in a much friendlier manner. The minifigures are where the set really shines for me. There have been numerous Doctor Strange figures in sets across various movie tie-ins, but Wong is a character that’s been a little harder to come by. And America Chavez is making her LEGO debut here (and her MCU debut in the corresponding movie). Kids playing with it? There’s always the possibility that the parts weren’t fully seated during assembly, in which case the intersections may not have happened and no stress resulted. I’ve seen grown adults half-attach parts when they were in a rush or not paying attention. It’s for this reason that Master Model Builders use rubber mallets to seat the parts on glued models. Not only is it less abusive on your fingers, but the impact can help close up gaps several layers down.Had the collision been accidental, with the expectation that the parts would sit flush with one another, the designer probably would not have left such a large "buffer zone" between the reversed plates and the tiled surface beneath them. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if an earlier sketch model had used 2x2 jumper plates to fill that space, which were removed once the usual quality assurance tests made it clear that this would stress the parts beyond their natural tolerances. If you can't name any, then we can assume the both of you didn't dig very much into the topic off-brands." In this case, adding the Mixel joints to that fender might be acceptable, if the 1x6 plate was not added to the other end. I’ve seen instances where official sets bend geometry just a tiny bit, but it can’t do so in a way that creates undue stress. Without building this, I don’t know how much stress it creates, but visually it appears to be too much to pass muster. However, that doesn’t mean this is an illegal technique...yet. This set comes in a “thumb punch” style rectangular box. The front image depicts the three included minifigures in battle against a multi-armed, one-eyed monster as they all progress up the side of a city skyscraper. This seems to be a running theme for this franchise, as 76060 Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum also pitted three of the film’s characters against a tentacled foe. Photos of the film’s cast are present on the right-hand side of the box, and this set includes three of the four featured characters. Scarlet Witch gets left out, but she was available in the latest Marvel Collectible Minifigure series if you want to complete the band.
The eye is definitely the most attention-grabbing part of the model, with two mudguards forming an effective pair of eyelids. While the upper eyelid is connected by clips, the model is constructed in such a way that it remains static. Judging from the box image, I was hoping the eyelid would have some degree of movement to allow the monster different expressions. Alas, it was not to be. On the plus side, the open studs at the end of tentacles means minifigures and other pieces can be easily connected to the arms. This gives the set a surprising amount of play value, and I enjoy pitting him against the minifigures.An illegal technique is not one that causes undue stress to the parts, but one that is _recognized_ to cause undue stress to the parts. There are tons of high-stress techniques that have never been considered for an official set, and therefore remain off the list. I created one myself, about two decades ago. It’s probably not on the list, because it’s so stressful that you almost need to use furniture to force the connections. You did the right thing, Huw. It's possible, and very important, to call out these quality issues in an objective but kind and human manner. Like others I think this article does a much better job of that. LEGO does want to know about these quality issues. Maybe they cancelled 40489 because they caught whatever issue it was just in time. (I've heard rumors to something entirely different but I'm not going to quote them here.) Just because these issues come up post-production doesn't mean LEGO has fallen off as a company or they stopped caring altogether. It just means even the most stringent of processes isn't 100% foolproof.
It seems likely to me that the tile either represents a specific movie prop separate from the character's costume (as you suggested in another comment), or was designed for another set we haven't seen yet and was included here as a sort of a bonus detail/"Easter egg"— sort of like the LEGO Dots rainbow prints that made an early appearance in the Trafalgar Square set. But the designers certainly have managed to include plenty of LGBTQ+ characters in past sets without any sort of obligation to call it out in the sets themselves. At first glance the assembly below, part of the creature's lower eyelid, looks innocuous, but closer inspection reveals what could be a design flaw. The final Gargantos model supports itself on four tentacles connected to the underside, while eight more tentacles around the midsection lash out in all directions. These are on ball joints and have a decent range of motion. Additionally, there’s a grouping of four smaller tentacles coming from just underneath the eye that might be multiple tongues. It’s hard to tell. Just a question- what attaches to the female joint? If it’s the male equivalent then you could swap them over, and the fault would probably lie with the instructions. I am assuming though it’s a pin to attach the tentacles, but you know what happens when you assume…." Regarding the issues with QMan minifigures, the Minifigure is also still a protected design, and it is probably the most important design LEGO has. What QMan did to try to circumvent this was producing minifigs that look very much like LEGO minifigs, but with larger "bubble-style" heads. Imho, this is still infringement of a protected design. LEGO has every right to have these sets confiscated until this case comes to court. Unfortunately, also in this case we have a YouTuber (with a channel called Johnny's World), who imports these sets and has presented a very partial view of the issues on his channel.Gargantos Showdown represents an interesting addition to the Marvel theme and is therefore extremely enjoyable! The eponymous monster looks fantastic and offers incredible display value, taking advantage of those versatile tentacles. Gargantos' eye includes splendid detail as well, although the absence of additional functionality is perhaps disappointing. When you consider that a lot of 2021 and 2022 sets were designed during the pandemic, and think about how this must have affected the design teams, I'm inclined to be quite forgiving of all these recent minor slip-ups, given Lego's generally excellent quality." Whilst preparing our review of 76205 Gargantos Showdown, CapnRex101 encountered what appears to be a design flaw which prevents parts from being connected properly. The set contains no completely brand-new parts, but there are some new colors/prints among the inventory that are of interest. The 4×4 dome with 2×2 recessed center just debuted in 2021, and this is its first appearance in trans-yellow. That piece pairs with a new print on the 2×2 plate with rounded bottom to make up the creature’s eye. The elephant trunk/tail is available here in olive green for the first time. And there’s a 1×1 round tile with a rainbow print that acts as a minifigure accessory. I’m betting we see lots more of this piece in upcoming Dots sets.
I'd agree, I don't actually have an issue with the AT-AT set. A construction method that requires a degree of skill to disassemble I feel is fine for a large complex set and the intended audience for it. However, looking closely underneath the eye, you might notice narrow gaps between certain elements. They result from a questionable building technique as 1x2 plates with ball cups are connected to a 1x6 wheel arch element. The flange on the wheel arch conflicts with those ball cups, creating the described gaps. Huw has already discussed this issue in more detail.The fake awe from online reporters at Disney including queer characters for the billionth time never ceases to exist. Now it’s gonna extend to their licensed LEGO products, too? It's valid to be concerned if these issues are setting a precedent for future product releases. But the reason you and other fan media communicate with LEGO is to hopefully facilitate positive change. We want LEGO products to be the best they can be. And so do they, but like any other big company I'm sure their processes and management are riddled with issues beyond our control, or even beyond the control of individual employees such as designers. Don't assume such things as every German AFOL is a fan of Held der Steine or watches regularly videos from him! >:( If you needed this arrangement of parts in your own MOC you probably wouldn't worry about it too much, but I'm surprised to see it in an official model, especially since the issue becomes immediately apparent while building. Had the collision been accidental, with the expectation that the parts would sit flush with one another, the designer probably would not have left such a large "buffer zone" between the reversed plates and the tiled surface beneath them. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if an earlier sketch model had used 2x2 jumper plates to fill that space, which were removed once the usual quality assurance tests made it clear that this would stress the parts beyond their natural tolerances."
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