Review: LEGO 77003 Super Shadow vs. Biolizard
2
I’ll admit, my affinity for the early 3D period of the Sonic the Hedgehog video games has developed quite late. I grew up on the original 2D games, so that’s definitely me being a “purist” in a lot of ways, but with the recent resurgence of Sonic the Hedgehog and SEGA’s deft hand at positioning the franchise as something quite different to the Marios and Astro Bots of the world, I’ve come to appreciate games like Sonic Adventure 2 more in retrospect. So, what better time to revisit an iconic moment from that game in LEGO form?
With some great sets already under the belt, LEGO Sonic’s getting three new releases dropping on 1 January 2025, and thanks to LEGO I’ve had time with all of them!
Running at US$44.99 / AU$69.99 / £39.99, 77003 Super Shadow vs. Biolizard is the top-tier option of the three new sets launching on 1 January 2025, coming in at a piece count of 419. This includes two minifigures, one of which is brand-new in this set – the titular Super Shadow minifigure – which is very, very cool.
Check out the global pricing and regional product pages for this set below:
- 77003 Super Shadow vs. Biolizard [US] – US$44.99
- 77003 Super Shadow vs. Biolizard [AUS] – AU$69.99
- 77003 Super Shadow vs. Biolizard [UK] – £39.99
- 77003 Super Shadow vs. Biolizard [EU] – €44.99
- 77003 Super Shadow vs. Biolizard [CA] – CAD$59.99
If you’re planning on purchasing or pre-ordering this set, please consider using the affiliate links in this post. We may earn a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work we do on the blog!
Special thanks to LEGO for sending this over for review.
77003 Sonic the Hedgehog: Super Shadow vs. Biolizard Set Details
77003 Sonic the Hedgehog: Super Shadow vs. Biolizard Set Details
77003
Super Shadow vs. Biolizard
2
419
US$44.99 / AU$69.99 / £39.99
1 January 2025
TBD
Similarly to the last Sonic set I reviewed, 77002 Cyclone vs. Metal Sonic, this set contains two minifigures – one that we’ve already seen in previous sets, and one entirely new minifig.
The repeat in this instance is Super Sonic, who’s once again paired up with on-and-off rival, Shadow, giving him a hand taking down the infamous Biolizard. Unlike the standard Sonic minifigure in 77001 Sonic’s Campfire Clash, or the Tails included in the Cyclone set, this one’s identical to previous iterations with no updated facial expression, which might be a little disappointing for collectors. It’s still a nice-looking minifig, though:
Shadow, on the other hand, has had a (literal) glow-up since he was last paired with Sonic in the Egg Drillster set, becoming the mighty Super Shadow. I really like the look of this one, it’s a lot more visually interesting than Super Sonic with more details on the head, arms and legs, and the more dull yellow and red with gold accents comes out really nice.
My copy of this Super Shadow does have some issues in the eyes, with one eye printed noticeably out of line with the other and the cross-over between the two being very prominent, but I can imagine that Sonic character eyes are a pain to get right – they’re certainly biologically… interesting.
Moving onto the main build, and the first thing to get through is the included Speed Sphere and launcher. I won’t go over this in too much detail given you can see the same thing in my review of 77001 Sonic’s Campfire Clash right here. Like that set, the launcher here is seemingly a slight downgrade from the older Sonic the Hedgehog sets as it doesn’t have the printed detail from the video game spring pads, instead it’s just an all-yellow piece.
Original Speed Sphere launcher (Left) and 2025 version (Right) Credit: LEGO
A Brief History of Biolizard
The crowd-pleasing component of this set, of course, is the mighty Biolizard itself. Biolizard first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2, and was essentially a first prototype in Gerald Robotnik’s attempts to create the Ultimate Life Form – an endeavour that would eventually come to fruition with the creation of Shadow himself.
Modelled after a salamander, in the hopes of capitalising on the creature’s regenerative capabilities as well as its small stature, the result turned out to be huge, malformed and highly dangerous. Biolizard was eventually contained, but Sonic and friends, along with Shadow, had to band together to take it out completely when it returned half a century later. This LEGO depiction is representative both of the first form that gamers fought Biolizard in, as well as the ultimate “Finalhazard” fight in which Sonic and Shadow both go “Super” in order to defeat it.
Biolizard has also made brief appearances in some other Sonic games, as well as comics, animation and more. It mostly recently returned as a boss encounter in Sonic x Shadow Generations, thanks to that game’s time-bending antics, with Shadow taking it on alone.
Biolizard in Sonic Adventure 2 (Left) and in Sonic X Shadow Generations (Right) Credit: SEGA
So the important question is – how does Biolizard translate to LEGO form? Turns out, pretty well! There’s a lot to like about this build, from the unique shapes and silhouette to the fun, hidden features and design details.
The whole build starts off with constructing Biolizard’s body, as you’d expect, and right away things are a little interesting with its midsection taken up by some lever-action components tucked away, behind its gilled flanks. We’ll get to those very soon.
After putting together the body comes Biolizard’s tail, a segmented section which continues to reinforce those great lines that make the build look surprisingly organic considering it’s made of shiny, orange plastic. The tail culminates in this special, two-tone rubber piece, which has some flex to it to sell the whole tail thing.
Biolizard’s legs are similarly well-constructed and visually interesting, using these pipe pieces that kinda do look a bit like cross-sections of lizard limbs already. The legs can rotate and there’s some articulation on the feet and toes on the front two (the back legs simply end in nubs, accurate to the video game version) which gives it a nice bit of room for posing. I’m not entirely sure where the bony protrusions near the joints have come from, but they look good nonetheless.
Now that the torso, tail and legs are done, our Biolizard still has a big hole in the middle, and this is where its life support/weapon system goes. In the games this is the part of the boss that Shadow must hit with homing attacks to win the fight, so it’s important that it looks just as crucial here – and it does.
This part really pulls together the whole model visually, I reckon, and it’s also the most fun. Not only is there the requisite hidden Chaos Emerald underneath, but it’s got (count ’em) two energy rifles either side that fire translucent pink studs.
Having not looked too far into any added features in this set before excitedly tearing into the build, I also had no idea that this part can be ejected from the Biolizard, for builders that want to simulate the moment that Shadow busts Biolizard’s critical componentry and saves the day.
Or something like that, I suppose, though I don’t remember anything like it in the game/s. This is where those levers from the start of the build finally come into play, giving the Life Support section a satisfying click-into-place and allow it to be flung out by pushing on those gill parts on the side.
The final part of the Biolizard build is its fearsome visage, and this is where we get another unique piece with a printed element for the top of the creature’s face. I think the details on this are great, keeping nicely in line with the rest of the design and leading really well into the physical manifestations of things like the pipes going from the head to the Life Support System.
In the game, Shadow grinds these pipes up toward the Biolizard’s back in the games, so they were a crucial inclusion and come out really well in this model. Also surprisingly easy to fit into place!
And here are some more shots of the finished Biolizard along with those two minifigures:
What I liked:
- Minifigures look great, especially Super Shadow
- The Biolizard looks every bit as fearsome as its video game counterpart
- Some fun mechanical actions
- Really interesting build with both intricate sections and big, bold pieces
What I didn’t like:
- A bit of a jump up in price but not an exponentially bigger set
- The Speed Spheres downgrade remains a bit of a bummer
Final Thoughts
LEGO has really knocked it out of the park with these new Sonic sets, doing a lot of justice to the Cyclone and Metal Sonic in 77002, and now nailing the Biolizard and Super Shadow in this one. I had a ton of fun building this iconic boss creature, and it’ll absolutely be taking pride of place on my shelves along with the other Sonic the Hedgehog gear I have on display.
I feel like the Speed Sphere and launcher could’ve been omitted in favour of it being a slightly cheaper set overall, because that doesn’t add a huge amount of value, but it’s definitely a winner overall.
Kieron’s Rating
Audience rating
77003 Super Shadow vs. Biolizard is avaiable from LEGO.com, your local LEGO Store, or Amazon.com
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