Set #76027 Black Manta Deep Sea Strike: This is a bit of a weaker set compared to other Justice League sets mostly because while the set focuses on Aquaman and his arch nemesis I’m afraid we still get Batman front and centre with his submarine and needing to save Robin from the villain. It might have been more interesting to see a more Atlantis based model with more unique characters, however the set still has some excellent points and we’ll cover them all in the review.

Box/Instructions

Box: An underwater fight scene takes up the front of the box and while it does look interesting and shows everything in the set nicely it might have benefited a little more from a different background graphic, the generic ocean floor is a bit weak compared to what I’ve seen in other LEGO underwater themes. Yet again we see the play features on the back and of course the NEW Super Jumper in action.

Instructions: This set is a rare one indeed, you have three numbered manuals in this set breaking up the build between the three distinct models of the set. The first manual has two numbered bags for Batman’s submarine and the step-by-step build is as usually easy to follow. The very back cover showcases the LEGO Batman 3 game and the latest DC Special on Blu-Ray coming soon.

Manual number two features the build of Black Manta’s submersible craft between the two numbered bags focusing on his model. Again the manual is very well designed with easy to follow steps and clear images, there are no cross-promotional images on the back.

The third and final manual has the underwater ruins with the final two Minifigures in the set and includes the parts list in the back. All three are your standard design for LEGO instructions and work excellently, my one gripe is it would have been nice to see different action shots for each manual instead of including three of the same shot from the front of the box.

Comic: Again the comic is included, the same as has been discussed in the other LEGO DC Sets of this wave, focusing on the Justice League.

Parts

This set has some great parts in it, many of them standard LEGO pieces, others not seen often, such as the parts for the hull of the Batsub and Black Manta’s submarine both of which are found in black, rather than the medium stone grey that is more common. There is also a black shark torso, this piece is used for the first time here in those colours and it looks great, it’s just such a shame that the head piece wasn’t also done in black. You’ll also find a few of the long tube/hose pieces in this set. Overall a great selection, especially the return of the underwater pillar pieces first seen in LEGO Atlantis.

Minifigures

Aquaman: This is basically the same figure we got in Arctic Batman vs. Mr. Freeze: Aquaman on Ice, so there isn’t much to say here, if you have that set you’ve already gotten this figure, with the exact same print and accessory.

Batman: This variant of Batman includes a scuba mask print on his face so he can leave the safety of his submarine in times of need and help to rescue Robin. As far as his print goes his torso and all of the parts with him are pretty much identical to other Batman figures found in this year of sets. He shares the same soft goods cape, the same Batarang accessories and pretty much everything else aside from the unique print on his face, which is a re-use of the Scuba Variant from 2014 if I’m not mistaken.

Black Manta: The titular villain of this set is a great new character, Aquaman’s arch nemesis Black Manta has a fairly standard looking torso print, meaning that it is double-sided and shows off his muscles and part of his scuba equipment at the neckline. He has no arm printing and doesn’t include a standard Minifigure head, instead he has an elaborate looking helmet/backpack sculpted piece that is unique to the character and represents his helmet which allows him to breathe. His spear is your standard LEGO Castle accessory, and he has to be the stand out figure from the set.

Scuba Robin: This version of Robin looks to be inspired by his in-game counterpart, he’s wearing black flippers, a yellow air tank and a standard diver helmet found in LEGO City diver inspired sets, he doesn’t have a cape naturally, and has a spare hair piece to go with the alternate facial print, the main facial print he gets is a new scuba mask which looks great. His torso is a double-sided one with a print showing his underwater outfit. His accessories include a pair of handcuffs and a LEGO chain to dangle off the ruins with so you can save him with Batman and Aquaman.

The build

Bag 1: We’ve had Batboats, Batplanes, Batcopters, Batcycles and so many other vehicles, but this is the first large scale Batsub and the model gets its start here. First build Batman and then start building the submarine’s hull. Nothing stands out as troublesome during this portion of the build.

Bag 2: Finish up Batman’s new submarine with this portion of the build which incorporates a quick bit of detail work, including the iconic Bat Fin on the back of all his vehicles, a signature element really, as well as adding the finishing touches for the cockpit, hull and arsenal that Batman will use to defeat Black Manta. Again there is nothing that stands out as being terribly difficult in this build, perhaps a few minor problems might crop up for putting the stickers on, other than that nothing hard about it.

Bag 3: Black Manta’s underwater vessel starts to get built in this bag, and his shark drone/robot thing is also built up, definitely an awesome little side-build for the younger fans. The submarine hull that is built here isn’t like what you’d expect for such a vehicle, and because of that you won’t find anything difficult for this portion of the build. A few stickers are being used for detailing, including the control panel. Because of the design of the Black Manta Minifigure, the submarine is a bit larger in the cockpit section to accommodate the curious helmet design.

Bag 4: Once you finish bag three you’re left with a submarine missing anything that makes it look like it belongs to Black Manta, here you get to further the detailing and enhance the finished look of the model by adding the manta wings onto the main hull, and while the build is slightly repetitive due to the asymmetrical nature of the model, it still stands out as being extremely fun. And aside from sticker placement there isn’t a thing that makes this build too difficult.

Bag 5: Aquaman must help rescue Robin from the Underwater Ruins that Black Manta has trapped him at, and this model is a relatively simple little model which harkens back to all of the fun underwater builds from LEGO Atlantis. The pillars and structure are definitely reminiscent of that Theme and I enjoy it quite nicely because of this. Nothing difficult in the build at all either.

The completed model

Batsub: Unlike other Bat-vehicles, this one is quite compact, it almost looks like a large sleek black torpedo the way it has been build up. I’m a very big fan of simple designs and this one takes full advantage of that element. It’s a very fun looking model and fun to play with, on either side of the cockpit are two flick-fire missiles and in the back is a small detachable drone for use in whatever play scenario you’d care to use it.

My one critique of the model is the fact that the cockpit is much too small for Batman to fit in properly, he’ll sit just fine, but his hands are forced up above his chest so he can’t reach the steering wheel. Also a steering wheel on a submarine isn’t very accurate to such vehicles. Overall though I can’t complain too much, it’s a very impressive looking model and quite fun to play with.

Black Manta’s Sub: This model reminds me of some of the old Aqua Zone Manta Ray sets, and that’s a pretty nifty thing. Black Manta built his submarine to resemble a manta ray, naturally, with large sweeping back wings and a cockpit that is large enough to accommodate the minifigure’s unique head piece. It has a transparent orange canopy too, which is a real treat.

Glow-in-the dark studs are included as part of the build, two are part of the front stud launchers, while the rest are sprinkled in around the cockpit area so you can enjoy playing with the vehicle in the dark, pretending it’s a murky underwater arena. There are a few stickers for detailing and you also get an evil robotic shark to do battle with the heroes. This animal is great, though not perfect, I would have preferred it if the entire thing was made out of black instead of the head remaining the typical grey colour found on most LEGO sharks. There’s also a sticker used for detailing on the top of the head.

Underwater Ruins: As set pieces go this one is a very gorgeous looking one, with great pillars using the part first introduced with LEGO Atlantis sets in white and includes some pillars, seaweed and a small golden trident accessory attached to the archway. Built into this set piece is a play feature designed to work with the Super Jumper, supposedly Aquaman or Batman is supposed to leap with the Super Jumper at the trident and it would tip over(but make sure you remove the axle used to keep it up first) and then you can free Robin from his chains.

The dark green tiles really add to the overall look of this model, and I’m a huge fan of having something besides vehicles, sometimes it doesn’t always work, but this is definitely one of the better side models given out in these DC sets.

Overall opinion

This is a brilliant Aquaman themed set with Batman and Robin tossed in reasonably well, with a host of great models and a fun new villain for fans of the old Super Friends cartoon. Overall I’d say this set is a decent looking one and definitely worth picking up, the Justice League sets from the 2015 wave of DC Super Heroes sets were much better than most of what we’ve gotten so far with 2016, with great vehicles, coherent builds and storylines that don’t suffer from being glorified Minifigure sets. So I’d strongly recommend picking this one up, as a fan of DC LEGO they’ve had loads of solid sets and solid ideas, it’s unfortunate that 2016 seems to have suffered a little compared to what we’ve gotten from 2012 to 2015, but we’ll cover all of that in the reviews for the 2016 sets.