Review: LEGO 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle

July 27, 2023 | 9

One of the most hyped up LEGO sets of 2023 is hands down 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle, featuring a fantastic array of minifigures from Spider-Man No Way Home.

It’s been a long and excruciating wait for LEGO Spider-Man fans, but we finally have the climactic finale of No Way Home in LEGO form, and LEGO Marvel fans are in for a great time with this set.

76261 Spider-Man Final Battle is not without its faults, and ahead of its 1 August 2023 worldwide release date, let’s take a deeper look into this set and the excellent minifigure lineup which contains three Spider-Man – Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland and the long-awaited non-Comic Con Andrew Garfield.

Who is this set for? Spider-Man fans wanting nearly all the main characters from No Way Home in a pseudo-diorama format.

76261 Spider-Man Final Battle Set Details

Set number: 76261
Set name: Spider-Man Final Battle
Pieces: 900
Retail Price: US$109.99 / AU$169.99 / £94.99 / €104.99 / CAD$139.99
Theme: Marvel Super Heroes / Spider-Man No Way Home
Release Date: 1 August 2023

Here’s a look at the sticker sheet. There aren’t a large number of stickers, but a large number of them are quite hard to apply – the ones that go over the curved elements, and the tiny square ones will give you a hard time if you’re not deft with your fingers.

76261 Spider-Man Final Battle Minifigures

76261 Spider-Man Final Battle comes with a whopping 9 minifigures featuring a near-complete selection of main characters from Spider-Man No Way Home. I say near-complete because Lizard is conspicuously missing, and Sandman isn’t present as a minifig, even if he is part of the main build.

That said, with Tom, Tobey and Andrew Spideys, this is a who’s who of Spider-Man’s cinematic outings, plus you also get villains such as Electro, Green Goblin, and side characters Doc Ock, MJ, Ned and Doctor Strange, making this an impressive minifigure lineup.

The minifigures are the main draw of the set and it’s safe to say that fans will be very happy that there’s absolutely no filler here.

The main highlights are of course the three different Spider-Man from across the multiverse. From left to right, we have Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man, Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man, and Tobey Maguire’s Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man.

They each have detailed torsos and face prints, and can be differentiated by their colours, and Spider-Man logos on their chest and back.

Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man minifigure alone is worth the price of admission, as his only other previous outing was a 2013 Comic Con exclusive, which is among the rarest and most sought-after among collectors – so finally getting it in a retail set is a big deal for fans who have been waiting years for one.

As an added bonus, they also come with unmasked heads and wigs to complete the look.

A lot of attention will be paid to the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man, but I really like Tom Holland’s suit, with the red, black and gold accents, inclusive of detailed printing that extends down his legs.

And to demonstrate just how far Spider-Man minifigures have come, here’s a comparison of the first Tobey Maguire minifigure, and the modern one. The modern one doesn’t have as much silver paint, and I don’t think is a huge upgrade, apart from the dual-moulded legs.

And yes, Spider-Man memes are back on the menu.

Here’s a look at the “villains”, where we have Doc Ock, Electro and the Green Goblin. All three are excellent, although I’m a little disturbed by Doc Ock’s see-thru glasses, and all-too-cheery expression.

Electro is also great, having undergone a small makeover to incorporate the yellow electric star on his face, so it’s closer to the comic book roots, and the Green Goblin features Willem Defoe’s iconic character, complete with a tattered purple scarf.

Here’s a look at their back prints and dual-sided heads. I really like Doc Ock’s holes at the back for his tentacles, and the alternate Norman Osborn face, whose expression is just perfect and really captures Willem Defoe’s features so well.

Seriously great work adapting his face – it’s immediately recognisable.

Green Goblin also comes with a small glider and some pumpkin bombs.

Rounding out the cast is Peter Parker’s best friend Ned, his girlfriend MJ and Doctor Strange, his new adoptive father.

MJ and Ned are new variants exclusive to this set, whereas Doctor Strange is the same minifigure used previously in the 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum or the affordable Doctor Strange polybag.

All in all, this is a really strong lineup of minifigures. For a theme like Marvel, to get so many key characters in one set is almost unheard of, and makes this a very satisfying set for fans, as there aren’t a lot of repeats, and who wouldn’t want all three movie Spider-Men in one set?

Shame about not including Lizard, who was an active participant in the final battle of No Way Home..

76261 Spider-Man Final Battle The Completed Model

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this build. It isn’t a very large build, as the final model depicts only the head of the new bronze Statue of Liberty that is the location of the web-slinging final battle of No Way Home, but it works quite well in this scenario IF you think of it as a LEGO diorama set.

After all, there is a black base on it, so this really feels like a pseudo LEGO diorama that LEGO have snuck into the Marvel theme, in the same way that they snuck in a Modular with 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum.

The build was pretty engaging, you begin with the base, and then start assembling the Statue of Liberty’s head, and then put in the scaffolding around it. I’ve removed the head so you can see the scaffolding here, and it’s all very functional, as there are plenty of levels and studs and even handles that you can affix minifigures to, giving you a very dynamic canvas to set different scenes up.

The Statue of Liberty’s head is quite neat, and it was a fun build, as I enjoyed the interesting techniques employed to get her facial features just right.

It’s pretty cool how we get advanced face sculpting techniques here, and it looks great from nearly every single angle thanks to the uniform medium nougat colour across the head, which again, is quite a rare occurrence.

Here’s what the set looks like without minifigures. It’s a shame that most of the scaffolding and minifigures obscure what is a pretty neat build.

Oh you can also pop open the head to reveal the interior chamber of the Statue of Liberty’s head, where you can see Sandman’s hands stretching out from a sea of tan.

Oh and the back of the head pops open to reveal this portal that leads to Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum!

Love the graphic design on this and how it matches the build from 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum!

Here are some different angles once you place all the minifigures.

We have some new elements in this, with the most interesting being these trans-clear curved rods. They have a fascinating set of connectors, with an axle on one end, and a rod and dual-sided stud in the middle on the other.

They’re really useful as alternatives to the straight versions used to suspend minifigures in the air, and the curved design makes it look a lot more dynamic.

It especially works well for flying minifigures like Electro, where the curved rod gives it a sense of motion, as if he were flying up in a dramatic and less rigid path.

Here are two other instances where it’s used, in conjunction with an angled bar with stud for more interesting angles – like when MJ is falling to her death and is rescued by Tobey.

As mentioned, all the scaffolding provides plenty of choices to pose the minifigures, with the Spider-Men being able to grab ahold of them, as well as Doc Ock.

Also hidden within the build are these electrical traps, used to negate Electro’s powers.

And there’s also Doctor Strange’s box.

What I liked:

• Incredible lineup of minifigures with plenty of exclusives
• Finally – we get an Andrew Garfield minifigure that doesn’t cost thousands
• Build was engaging and the Statue’s head was a fun build
• Makes for a dynamic display diorama thanks to the layout and all the minifigs
• Doesn’t seem like it’s hit with the 18+ tax

What I didn’t like: 

• No Lizard and Sandman minifigures is a shame
• Stickers feel superfluous
• Still lacks leg printing for some minifigures
• While not being bad value, it is still pricey

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t expecting to like 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle as much as I did, but after building it and getting to see the minifigures in-hand, it’s completely won me over.

At US$109.99 / AU$169.99, this isn’t the cheapest set around, but I don’t feel like it’s overpriced thanks to the incredible selection of minifigures included.

The minifigure lineup alone would make this set an easy recommendation, especially for MCU and Spider-Man fans as you’re getting a wealth of exclusive characters, and the fan favourite Spider-Man versions of Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire.

With 9 minifigures, it’s pretty much 75% of a complete LEGO Collectible Minifigures series – not bad considering very few repeats, which is a breath of fresh air.

What ultimately won me over is the build, and how I realised that LEGO has incorporated so many lessons from the Star Wars and Indiana Jones dioramas into this build.

The 10+ age rating seems like a clever disguise for what is a pseudo LEGO diorama, as it’s a competent and compact display piece that looks great, but also invites play thanks to all the minifigures and different ways you can display them.

I was also won over by the price, and what you’re getting as an overall package. When I put it side by side with 75352 Emperor’s Throne Room, which is US$10/AU$10 less than 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle, the math does itself.

For only US$10 more, you get 100-ish more elements, and so many more minifigures, making the Spider-Man set an almost no-brainer.

Despite an arduous wait for this No Way Home LEGO set, I think fans will be delighted with how much value LEGO have packed into 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle, and I can heartily recommend it for Marvel and Spider-Man fans, even at full price.

If only LEGO had included Lizard and maybe a Sandman minifigure, this would’ve been the perfect set, and I’m struggling to think of why LEGO wouldn’t, even if they had to bump the price up slightly. Hopefully this means that LEGO have more No Way Home sets on the way? Fingers crossed.

With an unrivalled LEGO minifigure lineup, and great display prowess, I can see 76261 Spider-Man Final Battle being a really hot seller, especially as we approach the holiday season, so try not to miss out.

Build [4] – Quite a fun build, and I enjoyed piecing the Statue of Liberty’s head together.
Real Value [4] – Compared to a lot of other contemporaries, the set’s minifigure lineup makes for terrific value, in spite of the high pricetag. Even better if you can get it on sale.
Innovation [4] – LEGO have incorporated the Diorama format into this set, and added a heap of fan-favourite minifigures for a potent combination
Coolness [4] – Fantastic option for Marvel and Spider-Man fans, as LEGO for once doesn’t hold back
Keepability [4] – Thanks to its compact size, it’s easy to display, and the minifigures are excellent additions to anyone’s display or collection

Rating and score: 4/5 ★★★★✰

76261 Spider-Man Final Battle goes on sale on 1 August 2023 from LEGO.com, your local LEGO store or most toy stores.

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