Marvel continues to add to the line of its buildable figures with 76256 Ant-Man Construction Figure, the sole set based on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which came out in cinemas earlier this year.
While a little sad that this seems to be the only Quantumania set that we’re getting, it’s an interesting twist on the Marvel Buildable Figures formula as it both doubles as an upsized Giant-Man, or as a buildable action figure that will go well with the likes of 76206 Iron Man Figure.
76256 Ant-Man Construction Figure will be released on 1 May 2023, and is able to be pre-ordered now from LEGO.com, and ahead of its release, here’s a quick look at LEGO Marvel’s latest construction figure!
Who is this set for? Kids that enjoy LEGO, Marvel and Action figures who want it all in one set. Also doubles as a great Giant-Man model for Marvel fans.
Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for this review.
76256 Ant-Man Construction Figure Set Details
Set number: 76256
Set name: Ant-Man Construction Figure
Pieces: 289
Retail Price: US$29.99 / AU$49.99 / £29.99 / €34.99 / CAD$39.99
Theme: Marvel Super Heroes
Release Date: 1 May 2023
If you’ve built sets like 76206 Iron Man Figure, the Ant-Man Construction Figure should feel like very familiar territory. There are only 2 bags, and the build is quite quick, and I was quite entertained by the very tiny A5-sized instruction manual – see finished model for scale.
Oh and surprisingly, there are no stickers in this build – all the decorations are printed, which is always a welcome surprise.
Bag 1 builds the torso and his thighs, and the second bag adds on Ant-Man’s limbs, and head. It’s a relatively simple build, so it’s suitable for younger kids which this set is obviously aimed at.
If you enjoy building mechs, many of the techniques here should feel very familiar as well.
Here’s the end result, an action figure-esque LEGO model that stands about 24cm (9.5 in.) tall. As expected, there’s plenty of articulation, and most of the elements are locked in place and fastened securely, so it holds up to fairly vigorous play.
It’s an odd little build, and I think at certain angles, looks too skinny and skeletal, but when you look at it from other angles, it appears fine. I do wish that the design was slightly bulkier, but that would mean introducing new elements and layers, which would undoubtedly cause stability issues, and have elements fall off when you play with it or pose it around.
The legs have plenty of articulation, and the knees are functional as well, and like the ankles employ ball joints to ensure as much manoeuvrability as possible.
Perfect if you want to pose Ant-Man in silly poses like this – which shows off the range of articulation in his legs.
Here’s a look at Ant-Man’s torso and hips. The upper chest area can swivel around, which increases the number of ways you can position Ant-Man which is nice, and the round 2×2 printed tile is also a nice touch.
The colour blocking and use of pops of red against the black and grey are also a clever way of replicating Ant-Man’s geometric suit design.
Here’s a look at the arms, which can bend at the elbows, and also feature a printed Nexo Knights shield.
The fingers are a lot more claw-like, which is a nice change from the typical stubby Exo-Force robot arms which are typically used.
In some instances, like trying to do a thumbs up pose, they do look a little odd.
One key feature that is design really well is Ant-Man’s helmet. The sunken in cheeks of the helmet face are a much better fit for Ant-Man’s helmet design, than say Iron Man, and the brick-built mouth-piece is also quite attractive.
Here’s how Ant-Man looks from the back.
Oh, but what do we have here, a tiny stowaway!
The set comes with a Wasp microfigure, and like all microfigures, you get a spare included which is always a nice touch.
This is a really nice element, and provides Ant-Man with a sense of scale – again, it works if you want Wasp to be shrunken down, or if Wasp if normal sized and Ant-Man is in his Giant-Man form.
Here’s a comparison with the Ant-Man Microfigure from 2016’s 76051 Super Hero Airport Battle. It’s only taken 7 years, but we now finally have a pair!
Here’s a comparison of the Wasp microfigure with the Wasp minifigure.
So some comparisons – if you liked the Iron Man buildable figure, Ant-Man does look good next to him.
They’re both buildable LEGO action figures, so are kinda fun when put together, and I wonder if the line will be successful enough to warrant the entire Avengers team in this format.
Obviously, if you have kids that like LEGO, action figures and Marvel, this is clearly the perfect product for them.
Both these figures look kinda skinny, but side by side, I think they look fine, and have somewhat of a novelty factor to displaying them.
At the very least, they’re completely brick-built, so they don’t look like the Constaction Marvel figures.
I’m a big Ant-Man fan, so this is something I would’ve gotten to add to my Ant-man collection.
Here’s a look at every single Ant-Man and Giant-Man variant, in Scott Lang’s classic red and black suit. The blocky giant minifigure and microfigure is from 76051 Super Hero Airport Battle, and the Ant-Man minifigure is from 76039 Ant-Man Final Battle, and as you can see, the new Construction Figure is a fantastic addition.
It’s all about perspective – if you view it less like an actual Ant-Man action figure and more like a buildable Giant-Man figure, which is kinda in scale with other LEGO minifigures, it does look pretty good, and would fit in nicely within your LEGO Marvel collection, without it looking like some bizarre LEGO action figure.
What I liked:
- Makes for a decent Giant-Man build
- Wasp microfigure
- No stickers!
- KInda fun to pose and play with
What I didn’t like:
- Looks a little skinny
- Should’ve come with a plaque and/or a minifigure
- A little pricey at full-price
Final Thoughts
Like 76206 Iron Man Figure, 76225 Miles Morales Figure, 76226 Spider-Man Figure and 76230 Venom Figure, these LEGO buildable/construction figures are a very niche sub-theme within the wider LEGO Marvel Super Heroes umbrella.
These are LEGO action figures meant to be played with, and my 6-year old daughter had quite a bit of fun posing it, and swooshing Ant-Man around, and I was mostly impressed that it stayed intact under heavy play.
But the design does have something going for it – namely how it also doubles as a nicely designed Giant-Man figure, with accurate proportions, and is as close as you can get to being to-scale with LEGO minifigures as humanly possible, and I think that’s what makes this a decent buy for Marvel fans.
At full price, it is quite expensive, even if it’s US$10 cheaper than Iron Man and has printed elements galore. It’s not a set I recommend jumping on at full price, only because you can expect it to be discounted down the line, which then makes it a decent pickup.
If you enjoy LEGO Marvel sets, I think you’ll enjoy adding the Ant-Man Construction Figure to your display, especially if you have an Ant-Man minifigure and can display them together. It’s within that impulse-buy category, and won’t burn a hole in your pocket, and while it would’ve been nice to get a proper minifigure-scale Quantumania set, this is still not bad.
Plus, like any action figure, it’s a lot of fun to pose and play around with!
Build [3] – Builds like a LEGO Mech, but repetitive in parts
Real Value [3] – Decently priced, and I like that it’s cheaper than Iron Man, but RRP is quite high and you can expect this to go on sale/clearance
Innovation [3] – I enjoyed the hybrid Ant-Man action figure and Giant-Man proposition
Coolness [4] – A pretty cool set for Marvel fans, and I love how well it looks alongside my other LEGO Ant-Man/Giant-Man
Keepability [4] – Great to have around if you display mechs, or Marvel sets
Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰
Thanks for reading this review of 76256 Ant-Man Construction Figure, and hope you enjoyed the comparisons!
What do you think of the Ant-Man Construction Figure?
76256 Ant-Man Construction Figure will be released on 1 May 2023, and is able to be pre-ordered now from LEGO.com.
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