Tag: DC Super Hero Girls

As you may be aware, I’m a huge fan of the DC Super Heroes and a huge fan of LEGO so the (short-lived) LEGO line for the girls is quite a treat for me. The line ran from 2016-2017 and had 10 main sets spread across 2 waves. This will be a pretty broad look at the line but I’d like to showcase all the sets and try my best to give a good look at everything the line had to offer. For those unaware that this line existed, it was part of the initial Super Hero Girls run when the series had webisodes posted onto YouTube. The series also exists adjacent to the LEGO Friends line. LEGO Friends is a LEGO property that aims to target more specifically to girls and does so by having brighter colored bricks and “Mini-Dolls” as opposed to the iconic Minifigures. The “girl” LEGO sets also tend to feature more stickers than standard LEGO sets and it’s not necessarily because they use fewer printed bricks, but more so as a way to portray a lot more intricate details. I unfortunately didn’t get any of these sets as they were coming out since I was in college and I’m not positive I was fully aware of them at the time. Getting these sets on the secondhand market isn’t actually as bad as some out of production LEGO sets so I have been able to get them without having to spend too much over original retail and I was even able to get most of them new in box!

As I mentioned, the series had 10 sets in 2 waves, but there were also 2 promotional items that came out. The first promo, and unfortunately the only LEGO DC Super Hero Girls set I don’t have, was produced for the 2016 NYCC and was a Batgirl Mini-Doll. Seeing as it was just the figure and not even a different variant from what we would get in the full set later on I’m not too upset about not having her as part of my collection. The next promo set was a proper set, although still rather small, and released as a polybag in 2017. This set featured Krypto in a little flying car and a Kryptomite with a jet-pack. The remainder of this blog post will look at all the mini-dolls, then all the vehicles, and then a quick little look at at least one fun feature of each set.

First up all our Hero Mini-Dolls. As you can see, some of the characters have different costumes, this is because these characters appeared in multiple sets. I will be referring to them as “A-Costumes” and “B-Costumes” where the A-Costume will be their main costume and the B-Costume will be a variant. Some of the characters also have little cellphone accessories that are fun little unique pieces exclusive to this line. First up is, of course, Supergirl! She first showed up in her A-Costume in 2016’s Super Hero High School (41232). Her B-Costume is from the next year’s Lena Luthor Kryptomite Factory (41238) and features a sleeveless costume and pants and a 2-color cape that is achieved by having both a red and a blue cape element included with the set. Batgirl is next, and if you count her NYCC appearance, she is the mini-doll with the most set appearances. Her A-Costume, with the black pants, is from Batgirl Batjet Chase (41230) and her B-Costume uses lighter purples (aside from her reused cowl from her A-Costume) and came with Batgirl Secret Bunker (41237). Wonder Woman seems to be the only one of the main 4 to not get a cellphone accessory but I may just be missing the piece. She shows up in her A-Costume in Wonder Woman Dorm (41235) and then later in a darker colored costume in Eclipso Dark Palace (41239). Our last figure with 2 variants is Harley Quinn. She first shows up in Harley Quinn to the Rescue (41231), and then in her pjs in Harley Quinn Dorm (41236). Poison Ivy would show up alongside Supergirl in Super Hero High School (41232). Bumblebee would get her own set in 2016, Bumblebee Helicopter (41234). Steve Trevor is the only civilian to show up in the series, and he shows up in his Capes & Cowls work uniform with Harley in Harley Quinn to the Rescue (41231). Flash, the second of 2 boy Mini-Dolls in the line, is part of the Eclipso Dark Palace (41239) set and features him without a mask on which seems bonkers to me. Last up for the hero team is Krypto who appears more than anyone else in 3 sets: Lashina Tank (41233), Krypto Saves the Day (30546), and Lena Luthor Kryptomite Factory (41238).

Now for the baddies! Lena Luthor is the only of the bad guys to show up more than once, but she reuses the same look in both Super Hero High School (41232) and Lena Luthor Kryptomite Factory (41238) where she faces off against Supergirl both times. Eclipso seems like the other main bad guy seeing as she gets her own palace (41239) where she’s up against Flash and Wonder Woman. Her Mini-Doll also features 2 cape pieces, one attached at the neck and one at the hips, both of which seem exclusive to this figure. Mad Harriet and Lashina are both members of the Female Furies and appear in Batgirl Secret Bunker (41237), and Lashina Tank (41233) respectively. Absolutely brutal that Lashina gets paired up with the dog instead of proper super heroes like all the other villains. Last up are the Kryptomites who appear in several different colors and in every single set in some variety and quantity.

The vehicles, somewhat in order of release. Most sets come with some sort of vehicle adding to the play features and giving the Mini-Dolls something to interact with. In Batgirl Batjet Chase (41230) you of course get a Batjet as the main feature of the set. This Batjet has a single cockpit seat in the purple bat shape, we get a couple mounted stud launchers, and at the bottom is a net launcher. Harley Quinn to the Rescue (41231) uses the same net launcher that Batgirl has but in red this time and the little rocket Harley uses is pretty small since the Capes and Cowls Cafe is the main feature of the set. Super Hero High (41232) has a couple smaller vehicles given to Lena and Poison Ivy but both are pretty nice since Lena’s hover ship has a claw out the front and Ivy’s motorcycle can be launched out of the schools tower in a cool way. If you were thinking that the Lashina Tank (41233) set would have Lashina in a tank, you’d be correct. Even though it’s the main feature of her set, it’s still a rather small build because of how small the set is. Similarly, the Bumblebee Helicopter (41234) is another small set with another small vehicle. Closing out the vehicle lineup for the first wave is a motorcycle from Wonder Woman Dorm (41235). It uses some pretty standard motorcycle LEGO bricks but with a mixture of stickers and transparent elements you get a very Wonder Woman branded build. Krypto Saves the Day (30546) is a polybag and the smallest of the Super Hero Girls sets, but features some cool elements including 2 custom printed elements.

Harley may have the short one of the stick in the vehicle department since her vehicle in Harley Quinn Dorm (41236) is also rather tiny, just being a skateboard pice with some handlebars. Batgirl on the other hand, gets a Battruck with built in jail cell that can transform into another Batjet in Batgirl Secret Bunker (41237). Lena Luthor Kryptonite Factory (41238) gives both Supergirl and Lena a boat, and while the factory is obviously the main sell, Supergirl’s Super-Boat is a pretty solid build and could be a nice polybag on its own. Eclipso Dark Palace (41239) also features a good guy and a bad guy vehicle. Eclipso gets her own small jet and Wonder Woman gets her iconic invisible jet that utilizes a lot of transparent bricks and even has a second cockpit seat to be used by Flash who also appears in the set, although any Mini-Doll can copilot.

The Batjet set is fairly simple and doesn’t seem to offer anything overly memorable to me. It does however feature the only Kryptomite specific vehicle so that’s nice to see, they’re usually just on their own or with a jet-pack as is show in Krypto Saves the Day.

The Capes and Cowls Cafe features some cool elements including an arcade cabinet, a coffee maker, and a breakaway window. I want to talk instead about this custom printed 2×2 tile that seems to be mimicking a comic cover. I’ve not been able to pin down if this is supposed to be a direct comic reference or just a generic overall reference. The circle in the top left and the starburst behind the issue number has the same vibes as the Johnny DC line of comics from the early 2000s that targeted young audiences, titles like Tiny Titans and Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade were part of this line.

Being the largest set of the first wave and the main locale of the series as a whole, Super Hero High School has a lot of cool features and Easter eggs, but my favorite is the play feature where the whole tower opens into a ramp and releases Ivy’s motorcycle that was hidden inside.

Lashina’s set features a tank that I showed earlier, but one thing I didn’t note is that it features a little cage in the back for Krypto who also came in the set.

As I mentioned at the start, I got all of these sets secondhand, and while I was able to get a bunch still in box, there were a few I got used and already put together. Most of the used sets I got were complete or only missing a couple inconsequential pieces, this Bumblebee set I got was the most incomplete. When I got it I got it with just the helicopter itself and the Bumblebee Mini-Doll (without her wings though) and I’m missing the chest, the yellow cord, and the Kryptomites. I think this set is the only one with red Kryptomites which is rather tragic. I probably will look into replacing this set at some point with a more complete or hopefully in box version.

There are a few of the Super Hero Girls sets that have some advertised connect-ability but the best connections come with the two dorm room sets that clip into the Super Hero High set. Pictured here is both dorms clipped into the High School, and the way the clips are set up it seems like they planned on doing more, so perhaps we would’ve gotten dorm rooms for all the girls if the line continued.

Even though the Krypto Saves the Day set is just a polybag, I really like the build and both the custom printed bricks are exclusive to this set. The S Shield printed 1×2 slope has a lot of potential for use in any Super Family related builds, and the wing with series logo on it is just a neat piece for a collection. Both of this elements are exclusive to this set but thankfully you can still get this set in new condition for right around retail price so go wild if you want any of these elements. Also the set has a pink crystal element that would imply that pink-kryptonite is canon in the Super Hero Girls universe.

For Harley’s Dorm set the wildest part to me is the inclusion of the Mjölnir piece. This was one of the sets I got secondhand so I always figured it was mistakenly paired with the set or maybe the previous owner decided Thor should take a whack at the hammer-bell game. Upon researching though, the set does in fact just come with Thor’s magic hammer.

The Batgirl Secret Bunker set has quite a few fun play elements and cool features and I also think Mad Harriet’s inclusion is the most absurd for the line. All that being said though, the part that exited me the most when putting this together was the little bench press section. Not only is the dumbbell represented by a set of purple skateboard wheels, they’re held up by a single black skeleton leg! Absolutely bonkers instance of nice-parts-usage in an otherwise pretty standard line of LEGO sets.

There’s a cool section in the Kryptomite Factory that represents Lena’s lab that has a few interesting elements. There’s a screen with Krypto, a Kryptomite, and a Brainiac symbol on it. Unfortunately it is a sticker as opposed to a printed tile so it’s a bit less exciting. There’s also a brick built microscope in here that’s very effectively portrayed.

Last up is the Eclipso set. Once again, as the largest set of the wave, it’s a very intricate build with lots of play features. My favorite portion on this one is the Eclipso Jet I showed earlier being able to sit on top of the set and also serve as the spire for the palace.

Thanks for sticking around! I know this post was a bit longer than I normally go but I hope you enjoyed. If you have any of these sets I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can send those thoughts to daringnewblog@gmail.com and stay tuned for more posts coming soon!

I am unsure exactly when this dvd entered my collection but I do know I got it for very cheap and it came out in 2017. When talking about the Super Hero Girls there are 2 separate eras to talk about, the web series era (G1) and the CN era (G2) and each era has a specific art style and vibe. This is a direct to dvd movie from the former era. The five main girls are Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Starfire, and Bumblebee but dozens of other heroes are featured as part of the school. Members of rival schools (Korugar Academy and the Female Furies of Apokolips) include Blackfire, Lobo, Bleez, Maxima, Mongal, Lashina, Stompa, Mad Harriet, Artemiz, and Speed Queen. The main plot of the movie centers around the 3 teams getting ready for and competing in the titular “Intergalactic Games” which kind of feels like the Olympics and kind of like high school sports.

While the Intergalactic games are the focal point, there’s quite a few other major plots and set pieces that are worth mentioning. The beginning of the movie has the Super Hero Girls facing off against the Metal Men (just Platinum, Iron, and Lead) and Platinum herself would become integral to the plot going forward. The Metal Men, as they appear in the film, are projects of Will Magnus who was attempting to make artificial super heroes but because of their inability to have emotions or empathy they were deemed too dangerous and set for destruction. Lena Thurol (not Thorul as it’s normally spelled) is introduced here as the IT for Super Hero High and takes Platinum to be destroyed but instead takes her back to her laboratory.

It is when the other schools come that we learn of Starfire’s sister Blackfire, who is part of Korugar Academy and Big Barda who used to be part of the Female Furies. Both of these relationships will be played with and explored as the movie goes on and they add a bit of tension and stakes to the competition at the end of the film. The Wonder Woman part of the plot is also revealed as her mother, Hippolyta, is wanting her to impress Ambassador Bek so that she can be a representative in the intergalactic council. Lena is revealed to not only be bald, but also evil although according to Platinum she doesn’t currently have any criminal record. Lena is working on reprogramming Platinum and building up an army of Krypto-Mite piloted mech suits based on Platinum’s technology. She also has a mysterious cohort that she talks to via an earpiece.

The opening ceremony for the games results in an impromptu food fight started by a hidden Krypto-Mite but would quickly be encouraged by Harley Quinn. The competition started the next morning and all 3 teams were preforming admirably but the evening would have Super Hero High and Korugar Academy tied with the Furies tailing behind. Later that night the Female Furies would infiltrate one of the facilities to steal the responsometer that Doc Magnus had used in his creation of the Metal Men. This results in a battle between the Super Hero Girls and the Furies and would ultimately end with the Furies being removed from the competition and being placed in protective custody.

With just 2 teams left and a few games remaining they stay pretty neck and neck. Thanks to Supergirl and Starfire leaving one of the competition to help with a building fire, Korugar Academy wins and they are once again tied going into the final competition. Unfortunately the game wouldn’t be played because Lena chooses this moment to launch her attack and reveal she isn’t Lena Thurol, but Lena Luthor! It’s here that Lena tries, and fails, to convert the citizens against the heroes before she launches an all out attack. Even faced with a mech suited and kryptonite powered Lena, Supergirl still tries compassion first instead of fists. And it is this compassion and heroism that shows Platinum there’s other ways to live beside Lena’s way. The battle rages on and the Krypto-Mites depower Supergirl, but thanks to the quick thinking of Batgirl, they’re able to get anti Kryptonite guns and Bumblebee has put together an anti kryptonite suit for Supergirl. Korugar Academy also left as soon as the fighting started, but Blackfire chose to stay back to help her sister in the fight.

Battle won and Lena safely locked up, and only 15 minutes left of the movie, you think everything is wrapped up but nope! Brainiac shows up and merges all the mech suits Lena made, along with his skull ship and Platinum and starts up the fight once again. It’s the compassion Platinum witnessed from Supergirl and the bond between Starfire and Blackfire that eventually turns the fight against Brainiac in the Super Hero Girls favor. We see Platinum switch sides and help the girls but in doing so she sacrifices herself. Thankfully she was reconstructed by doctor Magnus and was able to attend the award ceremony with the rest of the girls.

That’s most of the movie but there’s a couple fun background elements throughout the movie that I wanted to point out. The theme song at the start of the movie is the same one used for the webisodes but here we’ve got an extended version. The Super Hero Girls facing off against the Metal Men was cool to see even if Gold, Tin, and Mercury weren’t included. Throughout the movie we get a few scenes with Paradite as a groundskeeper for the school and his work is constantly getting ruined by the shenanigans going on with the rest of the plot. While I brushed over them in my synopsis, the games themselves all seem really well thought out and there’s quite a few shown in a montage. The funniest one might be Korugar putting Lobo in for the race against speedsters Flash and Speed Queen wherein Lobo realizes he’s out of his league almost instantly.

There’s a lot of the movie that focuses on cross school relationships like Big Barda and her former teammates the Female Furies, as well as Starfire and her Sister Blackfire from Korugar Academy. This seems to be a major theme of the movie along with an idea of saving people’s lives over anything else even if it means you lose something you’re excited for.

While Supergirl isn’t the main star of the movie, she does get a few nice moments. During the opening fight with the Metal Men, Platinum reads out a couple stats for Supergirl; “heat vision: 2000 degrees” & “Supergirl’s Fist Velocity: 168 miles per hour”. She also, along with Starfire, forfeits one of the competitions to save a family from a fire. Supergirl’s fight with Lena features both Super Compassion and Super Willpower as she continues to fight against the Kryptonite. Supergirl fighting Brainiac is also always a good time.

While I wouldn’t say this movie is peak cinema, and it’s obviously made for a very young audience, it was a lot of fun and I had a good time watching it and they jammed a lot of stuff into host 76 minutes. The movie ends with a tease of Brainiac saying “I will destroy those supers!” I don’t know if this plot is ever picked back up again but I’m thrilled to find out as I track down more of these direct to dvd Super Hero Girls movies. If you have any thoughts or questions feel free to email me daringnewblog@gmail.com Hope you enjoyed and I hope you come back for more!