A perfect continuation of the wonderful childhood classic "X-Men: The Animated Series," Marvel's 2024 sequel series on Disney+, "X-Men '97," has been met with widespread acclaim. Not only do classic characters and familiar music make a triumphant return, but the reinterpreted opening sequence and the sheer amount of nostalgia infused into the show have won over fans everywhere! Toy enthusiasts watching this series at their computers might instantly revert to the excited kids they once were in front of the TV, dreaming of teaming up with the X-Men to fight villains.
Released in November 2024, this "76294 The X-Mansion" set not only allows you to collect ten X-Men characters from the animated series and a fearsome Sentinel, but it also brings to life the mutants' base of operations, the building they call home: the X-Mansion. In this week's Toy People review, we're diving into this Easter egg-packed "76294 The X-Mansion." Join us as we uncover all the secrets hidden within this iconic structure.
▼ The front of the box features a black background, prominently showcasing the main attraction, "The X-Mansion," and all the included X-Men characters engaged in a massive battle with a Sentinel. The "X" logo and the product name, The X-Mansion, are displayed in the top-left corner.
▼ Turning the box around reveals the rear view of the X-Mansion. In addition to deconstructing the building's nine modules to show you the interior details, the specifications are also listed. Once assembled, it measures 38 cm in length and 27 cm in height.
▼ Let's unbox it and see the contents! There are a total of 3093 pieces, including 24 numbered bags of parts, three dark gray baseplates, one smaller light gray baseplate, and a flexible tube piece for the Sentinel.
▼ There are three instruction manuals in total, so you can assemble your team to build and play together!
▼ The X logo on the back of the instruction manuals also features a cool variation.
▼ The beginning of the manual introduces the X-Mansion's role and background in the MARVEL comics, as well as the interior details and facilities of this LEGO version. The blue cutaway view on the left page below is fantastic!
▼ Presenting this LEGO product with interspersed comic book-style introductions really helps you get into the zone.
▼ A full two large sheets of stickers!
▼ Alright, let's get building!
▼ All finished!
As is our tradition here at Toy People when playing with LEGO, we first look at the small details that are exciting during the build but might be covered up or easily missed afterward. First up is the brick-built Sentinel. This terrifying mutant-hunting machine recreates the classic color scheme and design. The leg sculpting is quite good, and while it has articulation, the range of motion is limited. The reactor on its chest is a sticker, but thankfully the head is a printed piece—if that sticker were crooked, it would be a disaster.
▼ The frame and bodywork parts for Wolverine's motorcycle.
▼ The large X-logo floor in the main hall, with its very eye-catching color scheme.
▼ Here we go again! A small cup hidden in the space above the elevator. We encountered this same situation when we built the "Avengers Tower."
▼ Storm's cape design is excellent!
▼ A letter from the Professor is hidden beneath the classroom floor.
▼ The models of the armchair, desk, chair, and bed inside the X-Mansion. There's even spilled coffee—so incredibly lifelike!
▼ Now, let's take a look at this grand mansion from every angle! You can see that to reflect the Sentinel attack scenario, the set features dynamically scattered parts across the building and lawn.
▼ The back of the building is also packed with details. From this angle, you can see that the two sides of the X-Mansion have different exterior wall designs. The orange-red exterior houses the regular classrooms and the X-Men members' dormitories, while the gray exterior contains the Danger Room, a facility where the X-Men train their abilities.
▼ A full rotation also reveals that the building has Technic pin holes in many places, making it easy to use transparent pieces to display minifigures in dynamic combat scenes, a technique very similar to the one used in the Avengers Tower.
▼ Architectural details and the stone plaque on the front of the mansion.
▼ On the back, aside from the basketball hoop, drainpipe, and a Trask Industries crate, most of the other details are rendered with stickers.
▼ The mechanism in the dome on top of the building. Pressing the lever at the back causes the front of the dome to pop off in an explosive fashion.
Next, let's pull open the main doors and venture inside the mansion.
▼ Upon entering the main hall, the details that greet you include a directional sign for "⬅Classroom Danger Room⮕," a classic photograph reinterpreted with LEGO minifigures, and an armchair.
▼ The second floor is Professor X's laboratory, filled with various equipment, cabinets, and documents. You can also recreate the scene of Professor X using his telepathic abilities to search for mutants with Cerebro and the translucent blue screen.
▼ After adjusting the screen, the Professor, seated in his yellow Hover Chair, can move out to the balcony for some fresh air.
▼ Lifting the lid of the MRI Scanner reveals an adorable, LEGO-style scan of Wolverine's arm underneath.
▼ Now let's see what's inside the right wing of the mansion (as viewed from the front)! First, on the ground floor, are the classroom and library. From the main hall, you pass through the library (which is really just one bookshelf) to reach the classroom. The classroom contains two sets of desks and chairs, a whiteboard, and an interesting painting of Wolverine crashing through the roof in the X-Jet.
▼ The classroom whiteboard has a sliding feature. Slide it open to reveal secret intel on the Sentinels!
▼ Next, let's head up to the second floor.
▼ The second floor includes two areas: Wolverine's bedroom and a medical lab. The lab has a computer, microscope, and various bottles. Wolverine's room features that heartbreaking photo of Jean and Cyclops, as well as a samurai sword. There's another bed in Wolverine's room, and judging by the bubble gum wrapper piece on the nightstand, could his roommate be Jubilee?
▼ Additionally, you can see a LEGO-style homage to the 1963 X-Men Vol. 1 comic. It would have been perfect if this were a printed piece!
▼ The hilarious heartbreaking meme, recreated in LEGO!
▼ Next is the Danger Room, the two-story, open-concept training facility on the left side of the mansion (as viewed from the front). The design of sliding open the large door to enter creates a great sense of tension.
▼ On the exterior of the first floor, you can see a newspaper about the "Mutant Registration Vote." On the second floor, you can look into the Danger Room to observe the training and access the control panel for the facility's systems.
▼ LEGO offers a humorous take on the persistent theme of racial issues in X-Men with this "Sentinel Returns" news broadcast.
▼ Looking down into the Danger Room from above, you can see it's truly fraught with peril!
▼ From various angles, you can spot details like stairs, cameras, and wall spikes.
▼ The four wall panels can be easily removed, meaning you can customize the internal layout of the Danger Room yourself.
▼ It's worth noting that the paths leading to the Danger Room throughout the mansion are marked with yellow and black hazard stripes.
▼ After touring the inside and outside of the building, it's time for a look at the X-Men minifigures from this set. The six below, from left to right, are Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Iceman, and Rogue.
▼ And here we have Professor X, Magneto, Storm, Bishop, and Gambit.
▼ The design of the Professor's Hover Chair is superb.
▼ Gambit's exploding card effect piece is both cool and substantial. It feels like it could be used in other contexts later on—a very cool part.
▼ Cyclops's optic blast is represented by a piece often used as a red laser bolt for starfighters, a simple yet powerfully effective idea.
▼ There are also plenty of transparent pieces to give the minifigures a floating visual effect.
▼ Both Magneto and Wolverine come with extra hair pieces.
▼ The design of the Sentinel is really impressive.
Finally, of course, it's time to set up all the X-Men in battle against the attacking Sentinel! Using the various transparent pieces included in the set, you can have the minifigures flying and leaping all over the place—it's a lot of fun.
▼ The battle-damage stickers can be applied freely for custom effects.
LEGO 76294 "The X-Mansion" Review Summary:
This LEGO set, with a piece count breaking the 3,000 mark, is currently the largest set in the MARVEL X-Men theme and the first to feature this building as its centerpiece. You can feel how designers Justin Ramsden and Mark Tranter did their best to inject comic-related Easter eggs and fun mechanisms into it. For a building with a relatively plain exterior, they've used scattered part effects and stickers on the back to prevent it from being too monotonous, and the exploding dome mechanism is a major plus.
The content beyond the building, including the minifigures and the brick-built Sentinel model, is also excellent. Several of the ten characters, such as Gambit, Jean Grey, Bishop, and Iceman, feature brand-new printed parts. If they remain exclusive to this set, their collectible value will be even higher. However, I do wish they had also included Beast, Jubilee, and Morph to join the team! As I finish writing this review, some time has passed since the official release date. What are your favorite aspects of this X-Mansion set? Let us know in the comments section!
LEGO 76294 "The X-Mansion"
Suggested Retail Price: NT$10,399, Total Pieces: 3093, Available Now