I asked fans over on the Bricks and Bloks Facebook page whether they wanted me to review the just-released LEGO Batman The Penguin Face-Off set or the LEGO Star Wars Kashyyyk Troopers set, expecting a solid victory for the new Kashyyyk Troopers. Instead, the LEGO Batman Penguin Face-Off 76010 set absolutely blew the Star Wars set out of the water! And thus, I’m not posting my first 2014 LEGO Batman review. But that’s not all! Since you guys were so enthusiastic about the Penguin Faceoff, I’ve decided to make that the free March 2014 giveaway here on Bricks and Bloks! Read the review, then enter the contest!

The Right:

It took a little while for the final two LEGO Batman sets of 2014 to reach stores, but they finally arrived just recently! While I am very much looking forward to writing a review for the LEGO Batman The Joker’s Steamroller set in the near-future (gotta love that LEGO Damien Wayne Robin minifigure!), the set I was even more excited for is also the one that costs about a quarter of the price: the LEGO Batman 2014 The Penguin Face-Off set.

The 76010 LEGO Batman The Penguin Face-Off set is the smallest and cheapest of the LEGO Batman 2014 sets, as it retails for just $12-$13. You might think you wouldn’t get much in a LEGO set that inexpensive, but this set is actually loaded with value and LEGO goodness.

Depending on how you look at it, the LEGO 76010 Batman: The Penguin Face-Off set includes either two LEGO Batman minifigures or four LEGO Batman minifigures (more on that in a moment). The two main minifigures included are a LEGO Scuba Batman minifigure and a LEGO The Penguin minifigure.

The LEGO Scuba Batman minifigure is exclusive to this set, and is a rare Batman minifigure that doesn’t include a cape. The LEGO Scuba Batman figure includes a scuba pack, flippers and a harpoon gun. I was a bit ambivalent toward this figure when I first saw images of it, but in-hand Scuba Batman looks great and is a lot fun to play with.

We’ve had a fair number of LEGO Batman The Penguin minifigures before, but this particular LEGO Penguin minifigure is probably the best of the bunch. The opulent vest/jacket printed on his torso makes it clear that the Penguin is a very rich man, and I feel like this is overall the best-looking LEGO Penguin figure that we’ve gotten.

The Penguin comes with his trademark umbrella (of course!) and a remote control. What’s the remote control for, you ask?

The other two LEGO figures included in this set are a pair of brick-built remote-control LEGO robot penguins! We’ve seen these LEGO Penguins released a couple times before in the line, but this is a slightly different build for the LEGO remote control penguins. In addition, this is the cheapest set that the remote control penguin LEGO minifigures have ever appeared in, so if you’re hoping to army-build, now’s the time to do so!

The LEGO penguins don’t have a lot of movement possible due to being brick-built, but they do have remote-control antennas on top of their heads which can be moved back-and-forth. The most fun feature of the penguins, however, is the fact that each of them has one “clip” arm that allows it to hold a bundle of dynamite! Look out, Batman–remote-controlled, dynamite-carrying robot penguins are coming for you!

The set includes also includes two vehicles, and one is an iconic one. First up, we’ve got LEGO Batman’s little scuba vehicle. There’s not a lot to speak of with this vehicle, but it’s cute and feasible enough that LEGO Batman would be able to utilize this scuba vehicle to chase after The Penguin. It’s got a pair of flickfire missiles that I could live without, but it makes sense for Batman to have at least some armaments on the scuba vehicle.

The main selling-point of this LEGO Super Heroes Penguin Face-Off set for many collectors, however, is going to be the Penguin LEGO Duck Boat. I would be lying if I said that this tiny, cheap little vehicle wasn’t among my favorite things ever in the LEGO Batman toys line.

With its adorable cartoon eyes and bright yellow and orange colors, the LEGO Ducky Boat is downright adorable, and The Penguin looks positively darling (or at least as darling as The Penguin is capable of looking) riding around in it. The LEGO Rubber Ducky Boat features a spinning rear propeller and a pair of flickfire missiles (which I like more than usual due to their bright orange tips).

Finally, LEGO 76010 includes a small “arctic” terrain base with a spot for a diamond at the crest. This is a little addition, but the robot penguin LEGO figures look terrific on this base. Despite being tiny, this terrain piece base actually makes a great centerpiece for the set!

The Wrong:

When you’re getting as much value from a $12 set as LEGO is giving us with the LEGO 76010 Penguin Face-Off, it’s really tough to nitpick for faults, but here goes: the LEGO Rubber Ducky boat should have wheels. There–I said it. This LEGO Penguin Ducky boat is very clearly inspired by the classic “Batman Returns” movie, and as such, I really wish that LEGO had found a way to implement wheels into this design like it had in the movie.

I bet lots of fans are going to great LEGO MOC Rubber Ducky cars out of this design, but I would have preferred if LEGO had designed it that way in the first place. Other than that, I’ve really got no complaints.

“Where Can I Buy It?!”

The 76010 LEGO Batman Penguin Face-Off set is now available online for $12.97 and is eligible for free shipping and no tax in most states. The set has also just been released in local stores, although not all stores may have the set in stock just yet.

Overall: I really think I can summarize how fun this set is with six words: “Remote-Controlled, Dynamite-Carrying Robot Penguins.” Yep–I think that does it. Overall, this is an extremely strong value-priced LEGO 2014 set. Every single item included is well-executed and adds to the play value of the set. We get a new underwater LEGO Batman minifigure, the best-looking LEGO Penguin ever, the aforementioned super-fun LEGO penguin henchmen, a nifty little Batman scuba vehicle, the ultra-cool Penguin Duck Boat, and even a neat little arctic terrain base. For $13, this set is an absolute steal, and I’ll be picking up a few to army-build robot penguins–as well as one to give away (read on)! Outstanding set–highly recommended.

GRADE: A

The Giveaway:

Like what you see in this review? Want your own LEGO Superheroes Batman: The Penguin Face-Off 76010 set? For free? It can happen, but only if you ever our giveaway contest for March 2014! Use the Widget below to enter contest. And remember–you must be a Bricks and Bloks Facebook Fan to enter and to win. If you haven’t ‘Liked’ Bricks and Bloks on Facebook, make sure you do it now so that you’re eligible to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway