Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene (76321) review: "I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun with such a small Lego set"

Think Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 and your mind will almost certainly go straight to Spidey and Doc Ock duking it out atop a New York City Subway car. It’s not surprising, then, that Billund’s best have chosen to immortalize this classic movie moment in the Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene (76321).

It might be a 9+ set with only 393 pieces, but it’s such a faithful-looking representation that it looks a little like a miniature 18+ set, which could make it a contender for the best Lego sets list. So, read on to find out whether this little build is befitting Sam Raimi’s Spidey masterpiece or more akin to the hot mess that was The Amazing Spider-Man 2...

Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene features

• 9+ set that will still appeal to adults
• Four minifigures
• Better value sets do exist

This set retails for $54.99 / £44.99 and comprises 393 pieces, which exceeds Lego’s average price-per-piece ratio. Considering it’s built around a relatively compact subway car, it does feel on the smaller side, too. But then again, licensed sets are usually more expensive and it’s not hard to find a healthy discount. Ultimately, what it lacks in value, it more than makes up for in execution.

Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene build

• Took around 45mins
• Eight stickers
• Simple build

It took me around 45 minutes to piece this little set together. Not only is it small, but the subway car’s cuboid shape lends itself to an extremely simple build. The trucks/bogies are the most complicated part of the build, and even then, that’s only because I had to pay attention to the positioning of a few smaller, all-black pieces.

The subway car is inherently symmetrical, so I had to build elements such as the cabs, the car walls, and trucks/bogies twice. Despite the repetition, this set is so small that it never felt frustrating or boring. The only bit that came close was piecing together all four of Doc Ock’s (largely identical) tentacles. Pushing some of these pieces together required a firm grip, so younger builders may need assistance.

Eight stickers is quite a high number for a set of this size, and for the most part, it feels necessary. Two clear stickers are used to replicate panes of broken glass, so I had to take extra care so as not to cause any bubbles. I do think the control panels in each cab could have been printed, but they’re relatively easy to apply and look the part nonetheless.

Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene design

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• Great representation of an iconic scene
• Doubles as a track-ready subway car
• The best Doc Ock Lego has ever produced

Once built, this set really shines. With Spider-Man attached to the front of the car, webs slung on either side, and Doc Ock, tentacles splayed, making his way along the roof, I find myself immediately transported back to the epic fight scene and Spider-Man’s last-ditch effort to avert disaster. I really enjoy the use of Spidey’s webs here and the few tan pieces used to represent flying brickwork pulled from surrounding buildings.

But what impresses me most about this set is how Lego has catered to both Spidey and Lego City/train fans at the same time. The designers could have simply replicated the scene from the movie and called it a day, but this isn’t just a scene from Spider-Man 2; it’s also a mighty fine representation of a New York City Subway car.

By default, the trucks are fixed, but at the end of the build I was presented with a few extra steps, and indeed pieces, to transform the fixed trucks into pivoting ones, so the car can be used on a Lego railroad set. I can certainly see city builders and train fans buying three or four sets and using them to construct an NYC Subway train.

There’s a full interior within the subway car, including front and rear cabs and passenger seating. The two passengers are Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson, who aren’t actually present in the movie scene, but fit the bill as random passengers. This leads me to the four minifigures, which are all exclusive to this set.

This isn’t Lego’s best representation of the Daily Bugle editor. I much prefer the hairpiece used for the Daily Bugle (76178) minifigure, and although J. K. Simmons’ portrayal of Jameson had brown hair on top and gray at the sides, I think a gray hairpiece would have been a better choice. The face printing isn’t bad, but I also prefer the aforementioned Jameson’s angry face printing. This figure’s expression is best described as mildly irked, and since the headpiece leaves the rear of the head exposed, there’s no alternate face print. Elsewhere, it’s a simple figure with torso (front and back) printing to depict a blue suit.

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Aunt May is a decent representation that’s more or less on par with previous incarnations. My only gripe is that her two face prints, one with her smiling and one with her looking rather mischievous, don’t really fit with a runaway subway train that’s about to reach the end of the line.

Thankfully, Doc Ock and Spider-Man are outstanding minifigures. Doc is Lego’s best incarnation of the tentacled villain to date, and boy, has Lego pulled out all the stops. He features two face prints, torso (front and back), hip, leg, and foot printing. The face prints with his iconic goggles look great, particularly the menacing-looking expression. He also has a near-perfect hairpiece. Add to that the best-looking tentacles the character’s received, and you’ve got the definitive Doc Ock minifigure, and the pick of the bunch in this set.

Spider-Man is a solid effort. He's essentially the same Spidey featured in the Spider-Man Final Battle (76261) set, but with suit tears revealing skin on the front torso print. In the film, Spider-Man’s face is exposed when he stops the train, so props to Lego for including both the masked head and a dual-face-print Peter Parker, plus a suitable hairpiece.

Should you buy the Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene?

I’m a huge fan of Sam Raimi’s OG Spidey trilogy (Spider-Man 3 aside…), and I’m a huge fan of this little Lego set. It’s such a great representation of the source material; it kind of feels like a miniature 18+ set, and I just love how Lego railroad fans can salvage a beautiful NYC Subway car from it, too. I can see some Lego Spider-Man fans picking this up for Doc Ock alone, and while Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson aren’t perfect representations of their respective characters, they work just fine as random subway passengers. I’m half tempted to pick up two more sets to form a train!

Ratings

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How we tested the Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene

I built the Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene set on my own, in one 45-minute sitting. I took notes throughout the build, and the model sat on display in my living room for a couple of weeks. I tested its durability during a 45-minute photo shoot, where the model was moved around and the minifigures were set up in various poses.

I’m a regular Lego reviewer here at GamesRadar+ and have been collecting Lego sets since the early ‘90s. During that time, I’ve witnessed Billund’s evolution from its classic themes, the dawn of Lego Star Wars, and beyond, making me a font of brick-building knowledge (AKA Lego nerd!).

For more information on our procedure, take a look at how we test products.

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