25 Lego sets every serious collector needs to own
By Elaine Tveit
13. Marvel Super Heroes The SHIELD Helicarrier – 2,996 pieces
Every marvelous (wink, wink) superhero needs an equally marvelous ride. The SHIELD Helicarrier inspired by the helicarrier from Marvel’s The Avengers, is truly extraordinary. As a LEGO fan who enjoys the process of putting a set together, I am enamored with the sheer size of this set. At 3000 pieces, it must take hours, perhaps days to put together! That’s because it doesn’t hold back with the details: You can create all kinds of adventures with micro-sized runways, jets and a bridge equipped with places for the set’s 12 microfigures – Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Captain America, Iron Man and 8 SHIELD agents – to stand. In addition to the microfigures, the set comes with 5 minifigures ready for display: Nick Fury, Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye and Agent Maria Hill.
If showing off rather than playing with the Helicarrier is, in fact, your intention, then the accompanying display stand is your ticket to ride. And if you want to make the Helicarrier really shine, you should purchase the 88000, 8883 and 8870 LEGO Power Functions sets. These sets will give your Helicarrier lights and spinning rotors. Then it will look like the Helicarrier can pick up and fly right out of your living room, off to save the world from intergalactic dangers and Hydra agents.
Just like all high-end toys, the SHIELD Helicarrier costs a pretty penny: $349.99. But if your wallet and your desire are deep enough, you can still purchase the set on the official LEGO store under the “Hard to Find Items” category.