Review: 77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth from LEGO® Horizon Adventures™

Based on the LEGO® Horizon Adventures™ video game released late last year, March 2025 saw the launch of 77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth. The second LEGO set inspired by the world of Horizon, my expectations are high after the much-praised 76989 Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck from 2022 (see Zach's review of set 76989).

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth

• Release date: 1 March 2025
• Pieces: 768

Price: 

• US$ 44.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 59.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 39.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 69.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 84.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• DE€ 44,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
• NL€ 44,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
• FR€ 44,99 on LEGO.com France
• PLN 199.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 629,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 399.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

 

Minifigures

The set includes minfigures of Aloy and Varl, two of the playable characters found in the LEGO Horizon Adventures game. 

Aloy features several exclusive decorated elements:

• Head in Light Nougat with double sided face print (6535603)
• Decorated torso in Brick Yellow with Light Nougat arms (6539358)
• Decorated legs in Sand Yellow with Brick Yellow hips (6563179)

Though visually similar to the Aloy minifigure which appeared in 79689 Tallneck, the decorations have been tweaked for a better transition between the legs and torso. The dual-moulded hairpiece with Focus ring (6390916 | 1675) reappears here without modification.

Rivaling the detail found on Aloy, Varl introduces the following decorated elements: 

• Head in Medium Brown with double sided face print (6535608)
• Decorated torso in Dark Brown with Medium Brown arms (6539367)
• Decorated legs in Olive Green (6535612)

An exclusive moulded hairpiece (6488475 | 5726) has also been introduced for Varl, accurately capturing his distinctive dreads. To complete the character, he also features a new textile cape (6533437 | 111947).

New elements

In addition to the aforementioned wig and cape for Varl, Aloy has received an updated bow element (6537239 | 5884) resembling her bow in the Horizon games.

The element features pin holes on the upper and lower limbs of the bow, allowing accessories to be attached. This is intended to mimic the bow upgrade system found in the Horizon titles.

Recoloured parts

Five recoloured elements appear within the set:

• 1x Weapon Gun / Torch (Space) [No Grooves] in Dark Brown (6537938 | 86208)
• 6x Road Sign Clip-on 2.2 x 2.667 Triangular in Trans-Light Blue (6532268 | 65676)
• 6x Tile 1 x 2 with Stud Notch Right in Sand Blue (6532267 | 5092)
• 2x Headwear Accessory Plume / Feather Small with Pin in Dark Azure (6537937 | 87693, 79806)
• 5x Animal Body Part, Horn (Cattle) / Tentacle / Vine / Branch / Tongue - Long in Orange (6541943 | 13564)

Rare elements

The following elements appear in fewer than five sets:

• 4x Weapon Spike Flexible 3.5L in Yellow (4622014 | 64727) – 2 Sets
• 8x Plate Special 1 x 3 Rounded with 3 Open Studs in Orange (6523864 | 77850) – 2 Sets
• 2x Plate Special 1 x 4 Rounded with 2 Open Studs in Medium Nougat (6527410 | 77845) – 2 Sets
• 18x Plate 1 x 1 x 2/3 Half Round with Side Stud in Tan (6454934 | 3386) - 5 sets
• 6x Tile 1 x 2 with Stud Notch Left in Sand Blue (6532266 | 5091) – 2 Sets
• 1x Plate Special 1 x 2 with Pin Hole on Top in Medium Azure (6451487 | 11458) – 3 Sets
• 4x Technic Brick 1 x 3 [3 Pin Holes] in White (6476051 | 5565) – 3 Sets
• 5x Plate Special 1 x 2 Rounded with 2 Open Studs in Reddish Orange (6527033 | 35480) – 4 Sets

Building process

Construction of the set is split across two instruction booklets. The first of these is devoted to assembly of the Shell-Walker and landscaping, while the latter is focused on the Sawtooth.

The scenery in the set is rather mundane, consisting of a chest, campfire, and a patch of tall grass that characters use to hide in the Horizon games.

Assembly of the Shell-Walker begins with the head and supporting frame. A variety of SNOT brackets are used to add armor to the head, while Mixels joints are built into the platform to provide connection points for legs.

Next, limbs are added. To recreate the holographic energy shield the Shell-Walkers feature in the Horizon games, six 60º triangle road signs (65676) are attached to a snowflake (42409, 53972). If desired, the shield can easily be removed.

To replicate the distinctive hexagonal cargo pod that Shell-Walkers carry, a lattice structure is assembled on top of a water wheel plate (69984), using a mix of D-SNOT (3386), 1 x 3 rounded plates (77850), and 1 x 1 round tiles with pin (20482). This serves the dual-purpose of allowing plates to be connected to the sides of the construction while also accomplishing a stud inversion.

Finally, although purely cosmetic, articulated crate holders are mounted to the back of the Shell-Walker.

Moving onto the Sawtooth, the body is assembled first. Articulation of the hips is limited to the horizontal axis by stacking two Mixels joints – a simple but effective technique previously seen in 40693 Fell Beast.

The machine's legs are built next, with mirrored constructions for the front and back pairs of legs.

The Sawtooth's haunches are angled using three different kinds of LEGO hinges. The topmost hinge uses bar and clip connections, achieving the angle with vertical reflected triangles.

The head and neck are assembled as four separate subsections, connected with a mix of Technic pins and Mixels joints, with an embedded bar and Plate, 1 x 1 with Clip on the Underside (6529802 | 5264) used to secure the strip of curved slopes running along the ridge of the neck.

Construction of the Sawtooth is completed with the addition of four antennae-like structures along the back of the machine.

Conclusion

Despite being geared towards play rather than display, this set manages to match the high bar set by the previous LEGO Horizon set, with clever building techniques and impeccably detailed minifigures. Furthermore, the retail price of US$44.99/ £39.99/ €44.99/ AU$69.99 [Other countries] feels quite reasonable for the contents of the set, which includes 768 pieces.

The minifigures, as mentioned, are amongst the most detailed that The LEGO Group has ever produced, aided by introduction of bespoke hairpieces and accessories. Both Aloy's bow and Varl's spear come with additional elements intended to recreate the shock, fire, and chill attacks found in the LEGO Horizon Adventures video game.

©2025 Sony Interactive Entertainment and The LEGO Group

While both the Shell-Walker and Sawtooth models are smaller than their counterparts found in the LEGO Horizon Adventures video game, they nevertheless manage to successfully capture the essence of their respective source material. 

Buy on LEGO.com

 

READ MORE: Review of the incredible construction and new pieces in 10360 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

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