LEGO Marvel’s cost-effective sets are driving minifigure collecting

LEGO Marvel's car-centric creations are a cost-effective method of acquiring exclusive minifigures, most of which appreciate after those sets retire.

To the LEGO Group's primary audience, LEGO Marvel's action-packed car sets have plenty of value. They include a colourful car model, play features and enough minifigures to play out various scenes. That's not to say there's nothing for us older enthusiasts to enjoy, as well. However, our focus is likely to be much more refined, looking past the majority of the content.

Beyond the four-wheeled builds in each entry, there's something in common with every affordable LEGO Marvel car model released since 2021 that may hint at the secondary purpose of these builds. From 76279 Spider-Man Race Car & Venom Green Goblin to the upcoming 76336 Spider-Man Car vs. Venomized Wolverine, every single one includes an exclusive and appealing minifigure.

Sometimes, this minifigure is an all-new character for LEGO Marvel, but it's most common for it to be a new form of an existing minifigure. For the new 76336 Spider-Man Car vs. Venomized Wolverine, it's the latter with a venomized version of Wolverine that we're not likely to see again.

Though the LEGO Group has been cycling through venomized forms of various heroes and villains, they don't often appear in a second set. That's something which can be said for almost all of the LEGO Marvel car sets, furthering their inherent value for adult collectors. Exclusive minifigures in the LEGO Marvel car sets range from a minifigure Red Hulk to the only appearance of Morbius, but each is unlike almost anything else in LEGO Marvel.

Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) is the only outlier, also appearing in 76324 Spider-Man vs. Oscorp. That minifigure is bereft of the dual-moulded legs, giving the car creation a distinct advantage. It helps that the car sets are all under £24.99 / $34.99 / €29.99 as well, especially when you take into account how expensive these minifigures become after their models are released.

Looking at the price of the five previous LEGO Marvel car models, and how much their exclusive minifigures are worth after the release of the set, picking up just the minifigure on its own would cost you at least 25% of the main model, and when the remaining cost is only £12.99, you might as well pick up the full set.

It helps even more that these sets are typically released once a year, giving adult collectors more justification to pick up the sets for the minifigures, whether they want to add them to their collection or wait for their value to appreciate. It seems likely that Venomized Wolverine in 76336 Spider-Man Car vs. Venomized Wolverine will follow suit after it is released in January 2026, but it remains to be seen at the time of writing.

Either way, the data suggests that you have the perfect additional excuse to pick 76336 Spider-Man Car vs. Venomized Wolverine next month, and it's thankfully one of the most affordable LEGO Marvel car sets at £17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99.

These LEGO sets were provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes.

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