LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch review

It may be based on something none of us have seen in years, but LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch is more than a pleasant surprise.

For those who were waiting, the LEGO Group’s venture to Pandora is finally here, a full 13 years after Avatar’s original theatrical release in late 2009. As the franchise prepares to kick back into gear with a sequel coming this December – Avatar: The Way of Water – the LEGO Group’s crash course in what you may have missed from the first film is actually pretty good.

That is in spite of the fact that, cynically speaking, without the hype and box office interest of Avatar 2 that will surely come at the end of 2022 and give any further tie-in LEGO Avatar sets a significant boost in relevancy and audience interest, this first batch of LEGO Avatar sets has been released in a much cooler climate.

With all that in mind, 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch is the cheapest entry point into the new LEGO theme, putting to one side the BrickHeadz double pack, and so offers the most realistic first experience of LEGO Avatar for most of us.

--- LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch set details ---

Theme: LEGO Avatar Set name: 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch Release: October 1, 2022

Price: £39.99 / $44.99 / €44.99 Pieces: 560 Minifigures: 2

LEGO: Available now

--- Where to buy LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch ---

LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch released on October 1 and is available at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores. It is also available at a number of retailers including John Lewis and Argos.

--- LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch build ---

As a first taste of LEGO Avatar, 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch captures one of the more memorable moments from 2009’s Avatar in brick form, and strikes the best balance between nature and machinery, of all the LEGO Avatar sets in this first batch. Recreating an aggressive encounter between Neytiri and her Thanator and Colonel Miles Quaritch towards the end of the film, 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch offers an even match between the two opposites that Avatar throw together, and for how it worked so well on screen it equally works so well in brick form.

Split across three dividable builds – Thanator, AMP suit and Pandora plantlife – 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch offers a bit of everything, for the different styles of things that you build, to how you put each thing together and for the variety of pieces and colours that are used.

The end result is two evenly-sized and matched subjects – the AMP suit and Thanator – and enough of a credible snapshot of Pandora for them to fight around, even in the case of one section for the Thanator serving as part of the displayability of the set. The set serves up three unique and wholly different builds and pulls them together for an all-round engaging and colourful end result with plenty to reflect what happened on screen.

No machine gun included on the AMP suit, though? It is certainly something you can notice as missing, but it doesn’t play as much of a part in the particular scene being played out across 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch, even if the LEGO Group’s instructions do include a screenshot of the suit (one of many to help remind builders what these sets are based on) holding said machine gun…

If there’s anything to actually pull apart, it’s perhaps the number of parts and colours used in the Pandora plantlife build, for two reasons. First up, what is meant to reflect the rich and colourful ecosystem of this fictional planet has, through perhaps a few too many different colours and a selection of colours that are brash, ended up resembling a LEGO Trolls set in parts.

Consider how the AMP suit and Thanator builds more instantly come together and allow your eyes to accept what you are looking at – they aren’t built from just one colour, but a collection of colours that complement. The Pandora plantlife could have been even more interesting and eye-catching if, somewhat paradoxically, it didn’t use as many colours as it has.

The second minor remark to consider around this tertiary build is that it could have been just as effective with fewer pieces used, if those pieces could have been better served in the AMP suit, to give what is a quite static mech just a little more manoeuvrability in the arms and legs.

This are small observations though, across a set that for the money otherwise serves up a great mix of interesting aspects. The positivity around this set is nicely reflected in reviews elsewhere too:

--- LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch characters ---

LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch comes with two characters in minifigure form – Neytiri and Colonel Miles Quaritch. Both are excellently put together in LEGO form, with the longer legs and arms for the Na’vi really contributing a great deal to the authenticity of the alien-like big blue cat.

Both designs reflect aspects and details of their characters wonderfully, and in a way that perfectly ties them to their respective LEGO builds they are a part of.

--- LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch price ---

LEGO sets have been hit the same as most things in 2022, with price increases seemingly across the board and a diminishing sense of value as a result. That is not to say that well-priced, high-value sets don’t exist anymore, though, and 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch is one such example. For £39.99 / $44.99 / €44.99, this offers an authentic and fun first taste of LEGO Avatar, in a way that is very true to the scene it is based on from Avatar, and that speaks to the wider intrigue and storytelling that the franchise is trying to open up.

--- LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch pictures ---

--- LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch pros and cons ---

Ultimately, LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch packs a punch or two that you may not have expected. It successfully and authentically captures a key moment from the Avatar film in a way that is so effortlessly but very interestingly translated into a varied and wholly new LEGO experience.

This may not be the most perfect LEGO set for a couple of small issues, but for the price and for what is included, there’s little to complain about. And for a set based on a film many of us won’t have seen in 13 years, there's a lot more to pull you back into the world of big blue cats than you thought you’d ever have. Buyer beware: this may be your first taste of LEGO Avatar, but it’ll only whet the appetite for much more.

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--- Alternatives to LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch ---

There are few sets to compare to LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch at the moment. If you are all about LEGO mechs, then perhaps take a look at what NINJAGO and Marvel have on offer, for better movement. But, there’s nothing currently quite like LEGO Avatar at the moment, and that’s very much a strength to it.

--- LEGO Avatar 75571 Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch FAQs ---