Super Heroes Marvel

In Arishem's Shadow

A 30cm space god who only really works from the front.

Brick Rated Score

3.4/5

Set 76155 · 2021

Pieces493

Minifigs4

Year2021

Set number76155

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The verdict

This is basically a giant posable Arishem the Celestial with a light-up chest, four Eternals minifigs, and a little winged Deviant thrown in beside him.

The figure is genuinely striking head-on, those six eyes made from hollow-stud rounded plates are the part that got me, but walk around the back and the magic drops away fast. I love the minifigs and the concept, yet at full price for 493 pieces it asks a lot. Grab it if you loved the film or you collect Marvel villains, and wait for a discount if you are on the fence.

Best for: Marvel Eternals fans who want a big display figure rather than a playset

The full review

What it is

In Arishem's Shadow is one of those sets that lives or dies on a single big figure. The star is Arishem, the towering Celestial from the Eternals film, and at roughly 30cm tall he has real presence on a shelf. The first thing I did was crouch down to eye level and just look at that face. Those six eyes are built from 1x2 rounded plates using their hollow studs, and the arrangement is instantly recognisable if you know the character. It is honestly the smartest part of the whole set, and it convinced me for a good few minutes that this was going to be a keeper. Around him you get four Eternals minifigs, a small winged Deviant to fight, and a light brick tucked into Arishem's chest so he can glow.

The catch

Then I walked around the back, and I will be straight with you, that is where my enthusiasm cooled. Arishem looks great from the front and fairly flat and unfinished from every other angle. The joints at his hips and knees hint at poseability, but in practice he barely moves in any way that looks good, and he can only cradle a minifig in one very specific pose that feels fiddly. The light brick is a nice idea that does not fully land either, since the orange glow gets muted by all the red around it. Add in the price, around sixty dollars or pounds at launch for 493 pieces, and the value math starts to sting. That works out to a costly per-piece figure, and the little Deviant bat reads more like a throw-in than a proper second build.

Who it's for

So who is this actually for? If you loved the Eternals film, or you are the kind of collector who wants every big Marvel Celestial and villain on the shelf, Arishem is a genuinely eye-catching centrepiece and those minifigs are lovely. If you build for engineering cleverness or you want a set full of play features, this one will frustrate you, because outside of that brilliant face it is mostly a large static action figure. My honest advice is to want it for what it is, a display piece, and to wait for ten or fifteen percent off if you can. At a discount it goes from a hard sell to a solid little Marvel set.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building Arishem is quick and mostly about stacking and shaping the torso, arms, and that big helmeted head. It is not a technical challenge, and an experienced builder will move through the 493 pieces in an easy afternoon. The most satisfying stretch by far is the face, where the six eyes come together from rounded plates and hollow studs and you suddenly see the character appear. The rest of the body is more workmanlike, and because the back is largely left open you spend less time on detail than you might expect for the size.

On standout parts, the metallic gold printing across the Eternals uniforms is the real treat, with Ikaris in blue and gold, Kingo in purple, and Ajak carrying a double-sided head. Kingo's trans-orange power blasts and Sersi's golden weapon (originally a NINJAGO piece) give the figs some pop. The Deviant's golden wings have nice texture and each section adjusts, which is more than the small build deserves. The light brick and its included batteries are the headline function element, though its glow is subtler than the box art suggests. As a parts pack the gold-printed torsos and trans elements are the pieces most worth pulling for your own creations.

Fun facts

01The set was released on 1 October 2021 to tie in with Marvel's Eternals film, and it is now retired.
02Arishem stands around 30cm tall, making him one of the larger single-figure builds in the Marvel theme at this price.
03Ajak and Kingo were both exclusive to this set at launch, so it was the only way to get those two Eternals in minifig form.
04The light brick sits inside Arishem's chest and the set ships with the batteries already included so it lights up out of the box.