Winter Soldier vs. Avengers: why LEGO’s new Helicarrier goes for the good guys again
There’s a good reason why the upcoming LEGO Marvel 76354 S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier takes its primary design cues from the first two Avengers movies.
The LEGO Marvel theme’s line-up of brick-built vehicles will expand this summer thanks to the addition of 76354 S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. The large-scale model primarily takes its inspiration from the first two live-action Avengers movies, but the inclusion of one of the set’s six new minifigures may have raised more than a few fan eyebrows.
In addition to updated versions of Captain America, Phil Coulson, Maria Hill, Hawkeye and Nick Fury, the LEGO Marvel model also comes with a refreshed look for the Winter Soldier, despite the character having made his debut in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
However, there is a very good reason why Bucky Barnes’ alter ego is included in 76354 S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, despite the vehicle’s overall design echoing its appearance in The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
“The three [Project] Insight helicarriers that are in The Winter Soldier are quite a different style,” revealed designer Mark Stafford at last year’s Fan Media Days event. “They actually have extra wings sticking out where they have gun platforms on. The belly has the spy section that they use in the movie with the cameras and everything.
“So, it’s like a huge glass dome instead of the more iconic hole where the Hulk is fighting [in The Avengers]. Those are more of a sort of threat MacGuffin in the movie – there’s not a lot of scenes that happen inside it.”
That line of thinking ultimately led the LEGO Marvel design team to focus on the most-recognisable version of the helicarrier, as featured in the first two Avengers movies.
“The classic Avengers good guy vehicle was what we chose to go with,” explained Mark. “we did experiment with trying a [Project] Insight one, but the big belly where the stand needs to be is a bit of an issue as well.
“We definitely looked at it and we’ve put the Winter Solider in here because everybody remembers helicarriers in that movie, but unless you’ve spent as much time staring at them as I have, you might not realise how different the Insight ones are.”
76354 S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier is due to launch on June 1, 2026, priced at £329.99 in the UK, $399.99 in the US and €369.99 in Europe and is now available to pre-order.
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