The X-Men returns again in 2024 with the LEGO Marvel X-Men X-Jet (76281) from the upcoming X-Men ’97 animated series. It’s also called the Blackbird but licensing issues may have caused LEGO to use the alternative name. The set has only 359 pieces but retails for an astonishing $84.99 much to the displeasure from fans. Is the set worth this price? Spoilers: It’s not.
Minifigures
There are four minifigures in the set, Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, and Magneto. Wolverine is actually different from the Series 2 LEGO Marvel Studios Collectible Minifigures (71039). We still have the tiger stripe yellow and blue outfit but he does not have the blue shoulderpads on the arms this time. The legs are also the same as before with the dual molding but my copy wasn’t fully printed so the blue is bleeding through the yellow. His double-sided head shows him with a smirk on one side and a snarl on the other. His accessories are his claws.
Next up, we have the iconic Jim Lee Cyclops with the blue and yellow suit. The torso has the strap with the communicator ad the belt with the X. The legs are plain blue but I wish it had the straps on the thighs. He has a double-sided head showing a smirk on one side and a stern expression on the other. The downside for the head is that the hair on the back doesn’t fully cover the face so you can still see the bottom part of the chin.
Rogue is a brand new X-Men character to the theme and she also has pretty much the same look from the 90’s outfit but with some slight differences. She still has the yellow and green bodysuit but she now wears a green bomber jacket instead of the brown one. Like with Wolverine, she has some printing issues on the torso where the coloring on the bodysuit isn’t as bright as it should be. Her double-sided head shows her with a smile on one side and an angry expression on the other. Her signature hair has some white on the front but I think it should have a little more.
Lastly, we have Magneto who ditches his iconic look for a new one which sort of resembles the costume he wore during the New Mutants arc when he became a hero. The bodysuit is magenta colored with a big M splattered across the whole front of the torso. He also has a purple cape to complete his look. His double-sided head shows a smirk on one side and an angry look on the other. His accessory is a plate that he floats on.
Build
The X-Jet has an updated look from the original one from 76022. The interior has room for four seats which are separated by the two cockpit areas. The cockpits have sticker railings on the sides for the control panels. The front panel also has a handle for the yoke. The back cockpit has a trans-blue screen for the monitor.
Right behind that, there are a couple of containers that are snugly fit between the thrusters. These are used to store extra stud ammunition for the two stud shooters that are underneath the front of the jet.
The back thrusters have the large inverted wings on the end which are fixed but there are also some smaller wings clipped above and below them. The bottom wings do have additional play features with flick missiles on each side.
Results
Let’s get it out of the way, the LEGO Marvel X-Men X-Jet (76281) is ridiculously overpriced at $85. The original 76022 came in at almost a similar piece count with 336 pieces but it also retailed for only $49.99. For that set, you also got the Sentinel build as well.
The new set does have a more accurate look for the X-Jet/Blackbird that I like and it does have updated minifigures for Cyclops and Magneto for the upcoming series. Also, we get a new X-Men character with Rogue but does all of that really justify at $35 price increase? If we’re being completely honest, I wouldn’t buy this new one if you have the old one unless you’re a completionist.
I love the X-Men theme but I feel like this set will be going the way of The Hoopty and will sit on shelves when people realize that it’s overpriced for what you get. When, not if, it goes on sale in the next few months, I’ll probably pick another one up to keep it in my sealed collection.
Thank you to LEGO for sending in this set for me to review. The content above represents my own opinion and not the company. Review sets sent in does not guarantee a positive review.
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