Review: DK LEGO DC Super Heroes The Awesome Guide (+ exclusive Wonder Woman Minifigure)

May 5, 2017 | 14

It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a DK LEGO book, but with the recent release of the new LEGO DC Super Heroes: The Awesome Guide, I couldn’t resist picking this one up from the shops, mostly because of the brand new exclusive Wonder Woman minifigure.

Or as I like to call it, I bought a LEGO Wonder Woman minifigure that so happened to come with a free book. 

The Awesome Guide is the latest offering from DK’s series of hardcover LEGO books and features a fun, lighthearted take on the ever-growing library of LEGO DC Super Hero characters.

I got mine from Big W, and I paid AU$20 for it.The RRP of this book in Australia is $29.99, but you should never pay full price for it. I thought that Big W’s price was pretty good and it was pretty easy to get to for me.

Big W’s price was much cheaper than Book Depository so it didn’t make sense for me to buy it online.

If you’re in the US or the UK, you can pick a copy up from Amazon. It’s currently US$11.60 which is a great deal for an awesome minifigure.

If you’ve owned any of DK’s LEGO Character Encyclopaedias (like the recent DC one), you should be familiar territory but there are a few differences.

Like the Character Encyclopaedias, you can expect a wealth of trivia and fun facts about your favourite super heroes in the book, but The Awesome Guide has a bit more of a fun vibe to it.

The content is mostly aimed at younger super hero fans, and I do like how it’s all laid out. It’s got that chaotic children’s magazine vibe going for it, with bright colours, jazzy sentences and plenty of factoids littered across the pages.

If you’re a parent who wants to get their kids to read more, this should be a fun little pickup and addition to your collection of LEGO books. As an adult LEGO fan, I briefly flipped through the pages, but it didn’t really suck me in.

My cursory read was more about looking at the photos and actual LEGO facts (which was slightly lacking). One thing I noticed was the inconsistent photography in the book. It employs a mix of renders and actual photography of the minifigures.

There is minimal photoshopping, so in some photos you can see a lot of the rougher printing of minifigures that you can only notice up close.

Some of the minifigure photos were poorly lit and could’ve used a lot more brightening. Don’t mean to brag, but I probably could’ve done a better job with some of the non-render photos. With these DK LEGO Books, I usually looking forward to the photos, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

For many LEGO fans, the main draw of the DK DC Super Heroes Awesome Guide is the exclusive Wonder Woman minifigure and she is a beauty. Quite possibly one of the nicest Wonder Woman minifigs yet.

This minifigure sees Wonder Woman don her post-New 52 Costume, which is renowned for covering up a lot of skin.

Back to the LEGO minifigure, the designers have done a great job replicating the look from the comics. The costume is dominated by red, giving it a very aggressive and almost futuristic cybernetic suit vibe.

It’s more armoured body-suit than skirt and skimpy bustier which really makes Diana look like she’s ready to smash some supervillains to a pulp.

The dark blue accents serve to prevent the red from overpowering the suit, and the gold detail are particularly muted and understated. She has the original Wonder Woman hairpiece with the gold tiara(from 6862) and also comes with a gold Lasso of Truth accessory.

It’s a very bad-ass look, and it certainly doesn’t look like any existing Wonder Woman costume thanks to there being not much exposed skin.

Here’s a look at the back printing and her alternate angry face. Unfortunately, there is no arm printing which is a bit of a disappointment as I would’ve expected some golden bracelets at the very least.

One of the most striking elements of her Post-New 52 costume is the spiked wristblades, which weren’t captured here.

Here’s a look at all the Wonder Woman minifigures and minidoll that LEGO have created over the years. I’m really glad that Diana is getting a lot more love out of LEGO (her own movie certainly helped with that) and that she’s a lot more prominent in LEGO sets.

Edit: Just realised I missed the Wonder Woman from Mighty Micros. Woops, sorry about that!

In the photo above, you can really see how unique her costume is compared to her previous non-DC Super Hero Girls iterations.

I know some people can’t stand minidolls, so here are all the Wonder Women Minifigures, arranged in reverse chronological order to illustrate the evolution of the Wonder Woman minifigure. 

Final Thoughts: The book is just okay. It’s not really aimed at me, but if you enjoy kiddie LEGO DC Super Hero trivia or have a younger kid who’s into that, it makes for a fun and light-hearted read.

The new Wonder Woman minifigure is the real draw for me, and I have to say that it is now my favourite Wonder Woman minifigure. I really love the Wonder Woman costume from Batman v Superman, but there’s something particularly fierce about this Post-New 52 costume.

It just radiates a dynamic sense of power and aggression and the fact that it is such a unique take on the costume just adds to its overall desirability.

It’s certainly not the cheapest LEGO minifigure, but if you’re a LEGO DC Super Heroes fan, you’ll definitely have no regrets picking this one up. She makes for a fantastic addition to your LEGO Wonder Woman collection. 

Rating: 4/5

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this quick review and extended look at the exclusive Wonder Woman minifigure!

I got my copy of DK DC Super Heroes: The Awesome Guide from Big W for $20, which is discounted from the RRP of AU$29.99. You should be able to locate it in the book section of your local bookstore, near the children’s books.

If you’re based in the US or UK, I recommend ordering the book on Amazon which is just so much easier.

What do you think of the Post-New 52 LEGO Wonder Woman minifigure? Let me know which Wonder Woman variant is your favourite in the comments section!