Guardians of the Galaxy volume three hits theatres on May 5th, 2023, and to celebrate the latest film in Marvel cinematic universe, Lego has produced three sets to tie in with the movie. I haven’t seen the trailer for the film as I have a rule that I don’t watch previews for movies I know I will see to remain as spoiler free as possible. So, all I know about the film is what these sets present, and I, therefore, cannot comment on accuracy. Let’s see what delights this three-set wave will bring to the Marvel Lego product line.

The New Guardians’ Ship #76255, 1108 pieces,$99.99:

The biggest set of the wave is the New Guardian’s Ship, which is priced at a respectable $99.99, with a price per piece (PPP) of 9 cents. This price tag matches the Avengers Quinjet released in January and is substantially cheaper than The Guardians’ Ship, released in 2021 at $159.99 (though it had a higher piece count of 1901 pieces and a PPP of 8.4 cents). The PPP on this set is better than the Quinjet (9 vs. 12.6 cents), indicating The New Guardians’ Ship will have more common and smaller pieces than its Avengers counterpart. 

My first thought at seeing images of this set is, “wow, I love the color!” It is simply gorgeous and a delight to add to a Lego spaceship collection, as most of those are grey – yes, I am looking at you, Star Wars. Of course, this was the filmmaker’s decision, not the Lego designers, but it’s fantastic that they made this the flagship set of the wave.

The second thing I immediately spotted is that it comes on a stand, again matching the 2021 Guardian’s Ship and the Avengers Quinjet, so they will all display together cohesively. The frame is necessary for this set, though, as you can’t stand it up otherwise!

Onto the ship’s part usage to capture the design. The rings at the rear appear to be a fun build with grills and grilled slopes to create the mechanical rings. From the images, this is going to look spectacular. The underside of the rings is unpolished, so it is relatively unattractive from the back.

The magenta side pods coming off to become mini flyers are a delightful play feature, and hiding Star-Lord’s blasters in a chassis compartment is an excellent addition. Naturally, the cockpit and the cargo hold also open, increasing the set’s playability. 

Minifigures are always crucial in a Marvel set, and this set reminds me of the white suit sets released in the Endgame wave (76126, 76144, 76124) for the Avengers movie of the same name. It’s necessary when sets go into production based on concept art without divulging spoilers. So, all the characters are in their new Guardians’ suits and thus have the same printing (except for Nebula, who has a silver arm). The one exception to this is the gold Adam Warlock, who has a highly detailed torso and leg printing along with a crispy cape to finish his look. I appreciate that all the minifigures have toe printing which remains a luxury for most releases. As expected, the minifigures come with weapons for accessories for completeness.

Overall, this build looks fantastic, and with five minifigures, over 1100 pieces for a licensed set, it is excellent value for a new Lego product. This is a definite purchase for me and probably for most Marvel fans. 

For more official images or to buy the set, click here.

Baby Rocket’s Ship #76254, 330 pieces, $34.99:

Well, so much for staying spoiler free – there’s a baby Rocket! I have no idea how this may happen, so it’s only a minor spoiler, in my opinion. I am excited to see if Baby Rocket can be as nearly as endearing as baby Groot!

The highlight of this set is the minifigures of Rocket and Baby Rocket. Like the other Guardians, Rocket wears the same dark blue suit but doesn’t have leg printing as he has short legs. This is a bit of a disappointment, as it would be nice if they all matched. Baby Rocket is a reprinting of the raccoon mold, and I predict he will become more valuable than the other minifigures in this wave. 

Onto the ship, and it’s underwhelming. It may be a faithful recreation, but it isn’t attractive. It looks like a construction vehicle and an escape pod had a baby. The front elements appear like a chainsaw coming toward me, and I can’t get that image out of my mind. Alas, this distracts from appreciating the good things about the build, including green transparent elements and the pivoting rear engines for landing stability.

Some fantastic parts in this set come together to produce polished and rounded edges. My appreciation for the ship may increase once I have seen the movie and understand what it is supposed to look like. Perhaps with a few modifications, I won’t look at this set and think it’s a torture vehicle destroying all that lies before it.

The price point is a little high for this product, but one I will feel compelled to buy to have the minifigures. So, like I suspect many, I’ll wait for a sale or pick up the minifigures on the secondary market if that’s more economical.

For more official images or to buy the set, click here.

Guardians of the Galaxy Headquarters #76253, 67 pieces, $9.99:

I suspect that 95% of these sets will be sold to those looking to complete their minifigure collection, as this is the only set Groot comes in. For $10, you get two minifigures (though Star-Lord is not unique as he is also in The New Guardians’ Ship), which is standard pricing.

The set has some great pieces with plenty of accessories. Two fun sticker elements could be used in a MOC. This set has no playability, so it’s hard to judge who this set is for. I don’t mind small sets when you can visualize them through a child’s eye, but this has no play features and is too small to do much with. Alas, it seems like a way to make consumers spend a further $10 for a minifigure.

Personally, I’ll pick this up in a sale and add the parts to my inventory. Can never go wrong with dark grey elements, and a splash of purple never hurt anyone. 

For more official images or to buy the set, click here.

Final thoughts

This is a solid wave to support the release date for Guardians of the Galaxy volume three without providing too many spoilers. Teiring the sets to cost between $10-100 is something many consumers will appreciate, especially as many large and expensive sets have been, or will be, released this year.

I find it a little money-grabbing to split the Guardians across all the sets, which they did with the Avengers Endgame white-suited minifigures too. Luckily they are not Lego exclusives, so picking the smaller sets up in a sale is likely.

For me, The New Guardians’ ship is the only must-buy. What about you? Let me know in the comments below!