Review: 41596 Beast
Posted by Huw,Two Beauty and the Beast BrickHeadz are being released next week in an initial assortment of twelve. I reviewed 41595 Belle on Friday; now it's the turn of the film's antagonist, 41596 Beast.
Is it a case of once you've built one you've built them all, or does this one offer something different?
Parts
There's no shortage of rare and interesting parts in this set, including 1x1 cheese slopes in medium dark flesh (6167690) that so far have only appeared in Assembly Square, and a number of parts new in dark orange, such as 1x2 curved slopes, 1x2 cheese slopes, 1x1 tooth plate and 1x4 plate with 2 studs.
Other than the 2x4 black tile for the base and the 1x1 round tile eyes, which are common to most BrickHeadz, the only printed part is a 1x2x2 yellow brick with cravat used for the beast's chest.
Construction
The base, at 4x6, is smaller than Belle's.
The body is built primarily studs-up before adding 12 6123809 (Brick 1X2X1 2/3 W/4 Knobs, design: 22885, colour: Medium Stone Grey) on top to form the core of the head.
Then, five faces of the 4x4x4 cube are veneered with brown pieces to complete the model.
The completed model
The Beast stands at exactly the same height as Belle so they are not built to the same scale.
With an area of just 4x4 studs it's obviously not possible to add a lot of detail to the face but a reasonable likeness has been captured here, with his ears, eyebrows, horns, beard and teeth all present. I'm not entirely convinced by the 1/4 circle tiles for teeth but I guess they are just recognisable as such.
Because the hair has added to the head's width the eyes do not look as odd at the side of the face as they do on Belle and the other BrickHeadz.
The back is nicely detailed, with coat-tails, blue bow in the hair and of course his tail poking out from the bottom of the jacket.
His mane is represented by a brown stripe set against the dark orange of his coat.
Verdict
Going by the comments to the Belle review, it would seem that BrickHeadz are a bit like Marmite: you'll either love or hate them. If you're taken by them you'll want them all but if not you'll probably just look at them as parts packs once they've been discounted.
Beast will appeal to both lovers and haters: he's a colourful and characterful figure who looks great next to Belle, and the set is also a good parts pack.
To answer the question I posed at the start: yes, I think once you've built one you've built them all, although Belle is significantly different to the others thanks to her dress.
We have a few The LEGO Batman Movie reviews to publish this week but once we've done so, CapnRex101 will be comparing the retail versions of Batman, Joker, Iron Man and Captain America BrickHeadz with the SDCC versions.
Thanks to LEGO for providing the set for review. The review is an expression of my own opinions.
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24 comments on this article
The bulky, blocky style of BrickHeadz certainly fits Beast much better than Belle and some of the other BrickHeadz characters. Also, his face has good character to it compared to Belle's plain face.
Isn't the reddish brown inverted bracket 1x2-1x2 (part 99780), which is part of Beast's chin, also a new part? Here's hoping it'll appear in more sets than just this one.
Going by the part number, 6174856, which is not in any other inventories, yes.
Is their any more news on when the other two will be released?
I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same time as the others and if so an announcement about them should be imminent.
Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the review. While I still don't like the Brickheads in general, at least the Beast has a face with some recognizable features, plus some very interesting parts too.
But seeing him and Belle side by side makes her look quite monstrous herself, I mean look at the size of the Beast in the film versus here. Belle looks bad enough as a standalone figurine, even worse when both are placed next to each other.
At first I thought it was a hamster...
It struck me while reading the review... One of the things I appreciate most is how the BrickHeadz actually look good (or at least complete, depending on your opinion) from every angle: none of LEGO's usual "oh, we can keep the backside unfinished or ugly because no one'll care anyway" nonsense. The box artwork of the model doesn't have to be angled just so to hide an unfinished side. I really like that.
Well to me I like the brick headz over the mixers any day and will most definitely be buying them all
Any box images? I loved Belle's box!
I prefer Belle but this is still quite nice.
in stead of saying "something different" at the beggining of the review you should have said "that there was something there that wasn't there before"
Most of this theme doesn't have a solid pair in terms of design which is quite frustrating, as I'd normally just go with the best one. How can one for example purchase 41595 - Belle without purchasing 41596 - Beast. I've got to make some serious decisions before next Wednesday and how I'll be approaching this theme...
I was not too excited for these at first, but I can see the appeal. I would like to see some Star Wars characters like Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewie, etc. I wonder if they will come out in series 2.
"The films antagonist?" Uh, Huw when was the last time you saw the film? If he is an antagonist it only lasts for the first act before he starts to become a bit more heroic... I get if you were trying to prevent spoiling anything, but considering the film has been out since the late 1980's everybody here probably knows exactly how it ends and who the real antagonist...(by the way, "No one wishes he was a Brickheadz too like Gaston! :P )
Thank you for the good review. My daughters love this beast a lot, because it has cute eyes, horns and ribbons. But I agree that this looks like a hamster a little bit...
@VaderFan2187 i said the same thing. Beast is a main, good, character!
I was pretty skeptical when they were announced earlier due to the blockish nature. Now I'm excited to grab a few . to quote PPAP..
I have a brickheadz,
I have some balljoints.
Uh! ... a mecha MOC!!
Even on it's own... the parts offered for each brickheadz set are potential candidate for a sleek spaceship/jet MOC.
I am picturing some brown speed champions...the use I would make of these parts.
Still not a fan. I would rather have more Mixels than these.
Definitely "parts pack".
Are there any extra parts in the brickheads?
Only the usual small parts.
Looks great! I was lamenting the blankness of the other faces in the series. But I had what I think is a great idea! Static cling stickers or markers to make eye brows and mouths for these things. I also want to try out different plate shapes for the eyes.