Review: 75975 Watchpoint: Gibraltar
Posted by CapnRex101,Overwatch maintained numerous bases around the world during its operational period but they have been abandoned following the dissolution of the group. However, minor activity continues at Watchpoint: Gibraltar as Winston, a powerful and intelligent gorilla who was once part of the heroic team, seeks to reunite Overwatch.
75975 Watchpoint: Gibraltar is focused upon an attractive shuttle which looms above the closing stages of the Watchpoint: Gibraltar map. This spacecraft looks very sleek and is accompanied by an excellent launch tower that makes clever use of some red roller coaster track elements. Moreover, four popular Overwatch characters are present, although only three are exclusive.
Minifigures
The characters from Overwatch are loosely categorised according to their skills and Winston is among the most popular Tank heroes, as one might expect given his impressive size. This figure is similar to a standard bigfig but its stance is unique, reflecting that of the original hero. His severe expression looks marvellous and I love the glasses which are slightly askew as well as the textured fur around the face.
Winston is heavily armoured and this figure includes lovely moulded detail, especially on the arms and legs. The articulation is limited but corresponds with other bigfigs and the feet can fit onto any studded surface, despite their unusual shape. Furthermore, four studs on Winston's back allow you to connect his enormous jump pack which is decorated with two stickers.
This device can propel Winston through the air for short periods, boosting his natural jumping ability. It looks great when compared with the video game and the Tesla Cannon is accurate as well, featuring a few more stickers alongside a grip for the character's large hands. That section of the weapon appears rather odd but no other solutions are readily available and it looks superb from other angles.
Mercy is probably the most well known Support hero in Overwatch, providing an important health and damage boost to her allies. The character is immediately recognisable by her angelic appearance and wears a white Valkyrie Suit which includes a pair of wings, granting her the ability to fly. That aspect of this minifigure is excellent as the torso and legs are both printed with accurate designs and a suitable colour combination of white and orange.
Furthermore, the minifigure features a brand new blonde hair piece, faithfully replicating her hair style from the video game which includes a golden halo. Unfortunately, the alternative expressions are very disappointing as they are printed against a black component so appear grey. Similar issues have been evident for several years and this certainly requires improvement, perhaps by increasing the thickness of the printing or using a different skin tone on black parts. In this instance, I would suggest finding an alternative head.
I think there is also potential to improve Mercy's wings as these feathered elements seem too organic in relation to the source material. However, they are a reasonable substitute for a unique piece. Mercy wields her Caduceus Staff which can heal other characters and looks superb when compared with the video game, featuring three folded prongs represented by a light bluish grey grappling hook at the end.
Not every heroic character from the Overwatch video game was actually a member of the titular group. Pharah instead fought beside the Egyptian army during the Omnic Crisis, wearing a heavily armoured suit which grants her the ability to fly. The helmet is brand new and looks marvellous. I am particularly impressed with the metallic gold visor that resembles the beak of a falcon.
Removing this helmet reveals an Eye of Horus tattoo beneath Pharah's right eye, matching the original character exactly. Both sides of the torso are equally detailed and this armoured design continues onto the legs, as shown above. This shoulder armour piece was originally designed for NEXO Knights but it suits Pharah quite nicely and I love the subtle areas of trans-blue plastic around her shoulders.
Pharah wields an enormous rocket launcher which is represented by a black stud shooter here. Three shells are included and the weapon looks more accurate with these attached. A pair of blue dorsal fins form the wings and these are attached to Pharah's armour using skeleton arms so you can angle them for flight or landing mode.
Twelve heroes are available in the first wave of Overwatch sets and Reaper is the only one to appear twice. That is not entirely surprising given his popularity, although a unique character might have been preferable. Nevertheless, this is an excellent minifigure. The skeletal mask seems suitably intimidating and I love the unusual fabric component which hangs from Reaper's shoulders, representing his black trench coat.
Reaper's jacket continues onto the torso, covering some metallic chest armour and straps which carry additional shotgun shells. These red highlights really stand out and the design on the back of the torso looks superb, resembling a spine. The minifigure found in 75972 Dorado Showdown includes legs and those are also present here with a dual-moulded spectral component which represents the character's wraith form.
This minifigure is armed with twin Hellfire Shotguns and they are constructed around a new pistol that was created for the Overwatch range. I think these weapons look good when compared with the video game, although including a second pair would have been pleasing given Reaper's tendency to discard his shotguns rather than reloading them.
The Completed Model
Rockets are a common subject for LEGO models but this example is unusual, combining realistic and fantastical features. The resultant craft looks marvellous, especially when placed alongside its launch tower. Shortening this tower in relation to the original Watchpoint: Gibraltar map was certainly a good decision as that has allowed the designer to focus attention upon the shuttle rather than its stationary support structure.
Nevertheless, that structure measures 31cm in height so it still appears reasonably substantial. A large drone charging station occupies the area beneath the launch tower and is represented by a printed 8x8 dish. Some battle wear is included alongside the letters 'WP-G' which denote its location of Watchpoint: Gibraltar. A corresponding station appears in 75970 Tracer vs. Widowmaker and the sets are designed to be combined.
Two circular exhaust trenches provide a secure mounting position for the craft as its engines connect directly with these sockets. A red duct links the launch area and the tower which looks good, although the dark bluish grey bricks underneath seem rather bland and are not completely concealed. However, the actual launch tower is impressive, consisting primarily of roller coaster tracks that surround a sturdy central column.
A fuel line extends from one side of the launch tower. Unfortunately, this does not line up with a nozzle on the rocket which feels like a missed opportunity but the access arm towards the top is appropriately situated for minifigures to enter the cockpit. A couple of cylindrical fuel tanks are fixed to the tower and these look perfect in relation to the video game.
The shuttle measures almost 38cm in length and compares favourably with the original craft, although this only appears in the background of the Watchpoint: Gibraltar map so we know relatively little about it. However, I like this combination of white, black and dark azure colours and the aerodynamic design is attractive. Furthermore, the model is remarkably light which is ideal for play.
My least favourite section of the vehicle is probably its nose. This appears rather stubby and does not line up properly with the trans-black canopy but the stabilising wings on either side are superb and the colour scheme is faithful to the source material. In addition, the surrounding bodywork looks wonderful and incorporates a pair of brand new 3x3 wedge slopes.
Opening the cockpit reveals a seat for a single minifigure and handlebars for them to hold inside. They must lie down which is slightly awkward, although this would be difficult to improve without spoiling the exterior. Another opening panel is situated behind the cockpit, containing two laser cannons with trans-red tips. These cannot actually launch projectiles though.
A secondary cockpit is located at the centre of the fuselage. Its design is unusual as minifigures need to stand inside but there is a printed control panel and I like the Overwatch symbol on the canopy. It is not entirely clear whether the original vehicle in the video game features two cockpits as relatively few images are available but a line is visible in this area of the shuttle, perhaps suggesting that its primary function does take direct inspiration from the game.
The whole model can be divided into two separate spacecraft which is an interesting feature, although similar functions have been implemented more effectively in previous sets. The forward vehicle seems fairly streamlined and includes a single thruster while the rearmost rocket is propelled by the complete bank of five engines. The front of the shuttle, on the other hand, is very stubby and the shaping of the sides could also be improved.
Dark azure plates decorate the rear fuselage, corresponding precisely with the Overwatch video game. I like the stickers in this area and the curved panels on either side are excellent. Furthermore, I like the small winglets which are mounted on the wings, making use of some new 4x6 wedge plates that could prove very useful as the selection of angled plates continues to grow.
There is plenty of space for more minifigure inside and you can even place Winston in here, albeit not while wearing his jump pack or standing up. A banana and a jar of peanut butter are found on a shelf but the interior is otherwise bland. Perhaps a screen displaying Athena, Winston's computer system and the narrator of Overwatch, could have been included along with the scientist's barrier projector.
Moreover, there is enough room for some mechanical detail that would line up neatly with the engines on the exterior. These are fairly simple but I like the trans-purple glow and the surrounding blue pieces are less obvious than I anticipated, although an entirely black area behind the engines would still have been preferable in my opinion.
75970 Tracer vs. Widowmaker contains a Satellite Drone XR-9 which must be delivered to orbit. It can accordingly connect to the larger model and looks remarkably sleek when attached. The realistic black and white colour scheme is consistent between the spacecraft but the shuttle does not include metallic gold highlights, unlike the drone. Even so, I think the integration is thoroughly impressive.
Overall
75975 Watchpoint: Gibraltar is certainly an enjoyable set on the whole, although it does not particularly stand out within the Overwatch theme. Both the rocket and its launch tower look superb on display and offer reasonable play value. However, the interior lacks detail and the shuttle appears unusually simple when compared with other sets such as 75973 D.Va & Reinhardt or 75974 Bastion.
The minifigure selection is somewhat disappointing as well. Four characters does not feel adequate for such a large set, especially since Reaper is available elsewhere. In addition, the face design for Mercy looks awful and printing lighter shades on black pieces is something that LEGO must improve. I would therefore suggest that Overwatch fans focus their attention upon the smaller sets that provide superior detail and value.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review is an expression of my own opinions.
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28 comments on this article
King Kong! Oh no!
^If you want a bigfig gorilla without armor try 76026. Of course he has glowing red eyes. Glowing creepy red eyes or redicilous white armor. Take your pick. Or there’s always CMS or Chima (oh wait let’s not think about Chima—Sigh)
Yikes, zombie Mercy...
Faceprint aside, this set is growing on me, particularly the shuttle, but I'll probably hold off until it goes on sale.
I didn’t realize the gorilla guy had glasses lol!
I have the feeling that only the minifigs are worth.
I would be very tempted to look at this as the basis for an Alpha Flight Omnijet, a set that I doubt we Canadian Marvel fans would ever see. Replace the blue with red, leave out the Overwatch stickers and use some appropriate Alphan signage, and it would be a pretty good approximation of the Omnijet from the comics!
As a big Mercy fan, the poor face-printing took the joy out of buying the set for me. I've since bought a replacement head from Firestar Toys, which is a vast improvement. I've put photos up in the forum: https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/28613/general-overwatch-discussion/p5
Feels to me like a really expensive figure pack.
I really wish LEGO would either imrove their opacity for printing on dark surfaces, or stop using black heads for this kind of thing. It looks terrible, but of course it looks normal in the official pictures. :/
Other than that, this set looks really good to me, as a person looking to get into overwatch.
I think this theme is pretty disappointing so far. It’s running into the same problems that Minecraft has; it’s very accurate to the source material, but that doesn’t really make for a good toy. The result is something that’s boring at best and just plain ugly at worst.
I can’t blame Lego for making these sets given their popularity, but taken out of context there’s little to them apart from the characters themselves. And when the likes of Mercy have the same old problems that just rubs salt in the wound. Your own mileage may vary, but this is one theme I’m happy to skip.
I'm wondering if any of the Brickset team has addressed the issues of the poor printing on some figures with the LEGO team. It seems you have multiple opportunities to connect with various members of the LEGO team and would be interested to see why they can't improve or come up with a solution for printing items like Mercy's face. It's not like this only happened once and you would think they would have worked to come up with a solution as they seem to like to make us think they are company that cares about quality.
Of course its unlikely they would respond publicly to this issue.
I have never played the game, but I did like some of the character designs. So I had planned to buy some of the sets, but now, as I know how Lego messed up for example Mercy's face, I will not. Not interested anymore.
Honestly this is one of the weaker sets. You can't even climb the ladder in the actual game, and, to echo a few others' sentiments, Mercy's face is kinda off, and the ship doesn't even have laser cannons on it in the game. The rest of the figures are spectacular, though, and this is coming from someone who doesn't use them that much.
"although including a second pair would have been pleasing given Reaper's tendency to discard his shotguns rather than reloading them." <--- Perhaps LEGO could release a polybag that's just Reaper and $3 worth of gun elements. I've always wondered where he gets so many!
When the line was first revealed Genji felt like the weakest minifig, but seeing them in non-doctored (oh, uh, I mean "not official") images Mercy is much worse. When will LEGO work that printing light on dark just never works!
I feel like Winston's office/garage would've been a much better set to represent both the character and the Gibraltar map. All in all this set doesn't do much for me compared to the others, but given it's unlikely Winston will get another set release I might have to bite the bullet and get it sometime.
I have very mixed feelings about this set. On the one hand, I love the subject matter - it's the first Lego spaceship to be styled like a relatively realistic near-future single-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle concept, it makes a great booster for second-stage piggyback payloads like the Tracer vs Widowmaker vehicle (also the first relatively realistic near-future uncrewed spaceplane we've seen in Lego), and the red tower really nails the girder-filled look of launch vehicle service towers we see at Cape Canaveral and other real-life launch facilities. On the other hand, I wish it came with astronauts, a satellite, landing gear, and a light utility vehicle rather than video game characters, and the execution of the build is flat, stubby, and really pretty boring. From yet another perspective, considering Lego build standards and the parts used to achieve the bulk of the shape, I think Mark Stafford did just about the best he possibly could to put fun, interesting features in the body of the rocket between the cockpit and the cargo bay.
As for the heads, I thought of a way to fix that. What Lego needs to do is instead of printing tan on a black head they need to print black on a tan head. It may cost a bit more but i’ll be willing to pay that for higher quality parts
Both this and the Tracer vs Widowmaker set would look great in my Lego civillian Space Exploration section.....
Looking forward to getting this. For the parts, the characters, the shuttle, and the upcoming City Space Agency subtheme. Red roller coaster track!
i've no interest in Overwatch, but the ship & gorilla are enticing--thanks to this review, i might end up buying this one!
I only want Pharah. I have no interest in the theme but I know when I like a minifigure. I would also say Mercy, but not after seeing he same head problem. Major turn off from “quality.”
I'm with those who like the subject matter but would have preferred this in the context of a new Classic Space/City Space theme.
I don't have the slightest interest in videogames, so adding these - to me and apparantly quite a few others - superfluous and, to add insult to injury, badly printed figures instead of regular/generic space/astronaut figures feels like a wasted opportunity.
Especially as I don't see the overlapping demographic of Overwatch fans and LEGO fans as being very large.
I know, it's anecdotal evidence, but none of the LEGO loving kids I know play Overwatch, and none of those people I know who play Overwatch have even the slightest interest in LEGO.
Again, it might be anecdotal evidence, but every time in the last few years a theme turned out to be a shelfhugger, my anecdotal evidence pointed towards it early on. So my takeaway is, this theme is also at least very likely going to be a commercial letdown for TLG.
I for one will buy this set when it's on discount, throw the figs in the parts bin, and add some of my "regular" custom made space minifigs to it, just like I did with the other set with the smaller version of this spacecraft. Like I said elsewhere this set could be a modern version of 920 whereas the smaller one could be an updated 918.
I didn't understand even a sentence, because I simply don't know this game (I guess others above 20 years also feel the same).
I grew up playing quake, unreal tournament, doom, duke nukem 3d, Counter-Strike ... etc.
I am simply not the target group for this.
But that reaper guy looks fantastic. Even if the build is crap.
Six months ago I maintained for several years that I would never be interested in trying Overwatch, because I was too attached to That Other Class-based Multiplayer FPS.
Today I'm a Reaper main.
@LegoSonicBoy
Same, except the class based FPS I played wasn’t TF2 - it was Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare.
You know what: quake, doom and half-life can bring out some rad sets. Quake — Castles, Doom — Space, Half-life — errr... Robots? Plus, as I said before, I think a huge success awaits Doom brickheadz.
Since they f*ck*d up my waifu Mercy, I only want Pharah of this set, my favorite character. Oddly enough the stud shooter I hate so much looks very close to her Rocket Launcher. I might buy her separetely. Any ideas of which piece I can use for her hair? I wanna display her wwithout helmet too.
Tesla cannon in rocket set
Do you plan to review the dorado showdown any time soon.