Review: LEGO 76209 Thor’s Hammer (Mjolnir)

February 25, 2022 | 5

Have you ever wanted a LEGO version of Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir, especially one that’s life-sized and can be swung around – assuming you’re worthy and can afford one?

Well dream no more, as you’ll be able to add a life-sized LEGO Mjolnir to your collection, and from 1 March 2022 onwards, with 76209 Thor’s Hammer, which will be available from LEGO.com. In the US, it’s a Target exclusive, but can also be obtained from LEGO.com, or your local LEGO Store.

The question is, what’s the appeal of a 979-piece life-sized LEGO Mjolnir? Let’s jump straight into the review!

• 76209 Thor’s Hammer [US] – US$99.99
• 76209 Thor’s Hammer [AU] – AU$179.99
• 76209 Thor’s Hammer [UK] – US$99.99
• 76209 Thor’s Hammer [DE] – €119.99
• 76209 Thor’s Hammer [CA] – CAD$129.99

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for providing this set for review

76209 Thor’s Hammer (Mjolnir) – Set Details

Name: 76209 Thor’s Hammer
Set Number: 76209
Pieces: 979
Price: AU$179.99 | US$99.99 | £104.99 – Buy from LEGO.com [AUS] [USA] [UK]
Exclusive to: LEGO.com / LEGO Stores / Target (US)
Theme: Marvel Super Heroes
LEGO Designer:
Release Date: 1 March 2022

So there’s not much to say with this review… 76209 Thor’s Hammer is an interesting proposition from LEGO, in the life-sized object category – Mjolnir is an iconic weapon, steeped in mythology and power, allowing Thor to channel the power of lightning and thunder.

In the movies, Mjolnir is a crucial part of Thor’s identity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, captured perfectly in this scene above from Thor: Ragnarok – it’s one of the most recognisable artifacts and weapons in the MCU.

The build was very brief, a lot shorter and quicker than you’d expect from sets at this price range (US$99.99) – with only 5 numbered bags, it went by very quickly, and was quite repetitive in parts, especially building the handle.

But it was quite interesting to see the techniques used, as I was quite apprehensive about how sturdy it would be, given the temptation to whirl and swing it around like Thor.

There’s one bit of nice part usage, which is the strap, which uses the element from the (now-defunct) Vidiyo Beatboxes. The edge of the handle looks a little clunky and jagged, which I didn’t quite like, but the strap is highly accurate.

The head of the hammer, which is large, blocky and mostly flat does a decent job of capturing the shape, using large grey tiles to give it a very smooth and clean look, along with slopes to get the shape right.

This is probably the weakest part of the LEGO Mjolnir – while they got the shape down pat, the lack of any sort of decoration here is a huge miss, and something I can’t quite understand.

It’s especially more apparent when you flip through the instruction manual, where you’re treated to photos and stills from the movie, which show off the intricate runes and markings on Mjolnir.

There have been many expensive Mjolnir replicas for sale, and nearly all of them have the runes on the angled edges – not having it here on the LEGO set, which could’ve been achieved with printed slopes, is a huge missed opportunity, and not something you’d expect LEGO to cheap out on for sets at this size.

It’s so disappointingly plain.

The set does come with a printed Plaque, with Mjolnir on it, and a LEGO Infinity Saga logo, which does connect it back to the MCU.

Here’s a look at the base, which is a haphazard rocky platform, punctuated with trans-blue cheese slopes. The base doubles as a stand for Mjolnir, allowing you to angle it slightly when on display, and I guess the base is meant to replicate the ground when its electrified by Thor/Mjolnir.

While it does make a natural-looking base for Mjolnir, I can’t quite shake the thought that this section here is responsible for bumping up the piece count significantly, to make it seem like much better value.

Thankfully, there’s a fun little nod to the Thor movies here, with a small scene, featuring powerful artifacts from Odin’s Vault – there’s an Infinity Gauntlet (with a full set of Infinity stones, the Eternal Flame, and Cosmic Cube).

I like getting more Infinity Gauntlets, and Infinity Stones, so this is a nice albeit small build – and the Cosmic Cube/Tesseract is also a nifty little element that I haven’t had in my collection before.

Oh, and you can store it inside Mjolnir when not in use, by lifting up the panels to reveal a handy compartment. Just don’t swing the hammer around when it’s in, as it’ll rattle and possibly break!

Here’s a look at the new Thor minifigure, which has a brand new and exclusive torso. It’s based on the Infinity War costume, but the hair should be much shorter, so I’m not too sure exactly which version they were going for with this.

One really neat feature is the pearl silver arms, which look really good, and gives him an armoured look, but unfortunately… his legs are just plain black legs, which is a massive shame, as I was expecting a highly detailed exclusive Thor minifigure in the set.

Here’s a look at his face, with lightning in his eyes. Fully charged.

And here’s a comparison with other Thor minifigures – he’s come a long way since his debut in 2012, but still no leg printing which is just annoying as you can imagine how good he’d look with his armour extending to his legs.

Thankfully, the set is a LOT of fun, mostly because it’s life-sized and you can wield it like Chris Hemsworth.

It was very satisfying doing my best Thor impression, swinging Mjolnir around. The handle has just the right girth, and it has nice weight to it as well, making it quite a fun toy and not purely a display piece.

When I was vigorously swinging Mjolnir around, I did realise that if I swung it too hard, the panels the handle would start detaching – thanks forces of physics.

It wasn’t a deabreaker, but something to watch out for, and quite annoying to fix.

What I liked:

• A super display piece, as it’s a life-sized Mjolnir
• No stickers
• Super fun to swing around

What I didn’t like: 

• Thor minifigure has no leg printing
• Mjolnir is too plain and has no runes
• Build was over too soon
• Quite pricey

Final Thoughts:

I was really looking forward to a LEGO Mjolnir – a life-sized brick-built version of Thor’s Hammer that I could swing around, and pretend to be Thor.

76209 Thor’s Hammer does delivery on what it promises – it’s a superb display piece, and has plenty of display presence thanks to its sheer size, and height when on display on its base.

If you’re looking for a fun LEGO display model that can be quite the conversation starter, you’ll probably enjoy Mjolnir, especially if you’re a Marvel fan. It’s a nice bonus that you can pick it up and swing it around.

I do feel that many corners were cut – the lack of runes on Mjolnir is a huge miss, as is the Thor minifigure, which could’ve been the definitive Thor figure, with no expense spared, but instead, we get half a good minifig.

At full price, it’s quite pricey, and not something I’d recommend, however if you can find it on sale, and are a big Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, it becomes slightly more appealing.

At its best, you can swing it around and have lots of fun with it, and get a pretty sizable display model, but looking at it, I just know how much better it could’ve been in so many different aspects.

Just like Thor, Mjolnir is quite flawed, but worthy of a purchase if you enjoy large, and impactful display pieces that you can play with.

Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰

Build [2] – Not a lot of cool techniques, and it was over way too soon
Real Value [3] – Very expensive at full price, especially with the lack of printed slopes, or any other non-plaque element
Innovation [3] – Props to LEGO for pulling this one off, and with the overall stability
Coolness [4] – It’s a large LEGO Mjolnir, and makes for an excellent display model
Keepability [3] – It’s quite a unique set, and I can’t see LEGO repeating this in the future.

Thanks for reading my review of 76209 Thor’s Hammer (Mjolnir) ahead of it’s release on 1 March 2022! Please enjoy this size comparison with a minifigure scale Mjolnir.

76209 Thor’s Hammer will be released on 1 March 2022 on LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store. In the US, it will be available as a retailer exclusive in Target.

What do you think of the LEGO Mjolnir? Should LEGO do more sets like this – maybe a life-sized Captain America shield?

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Special thanks to the LEGO Group for providing this set for review