Last weekend, at the 4th CIIE, we not only saw the new Lunar New Year festival sets revealed but also the final sets from the next wave of LEGO Super Mario sets. We saw part of the wave, pertaining to Luigi’s Mansion, unveiled over Halloween.
We have another three sets, in conjunction with a series of Buildable Characters:
71396: Bowser Jr’s Clown Car
84 Pieces $AUD17.99/USD9.99/CAD13.99/£8.99/€9.99
Lift off for extra LEGO® Super Mario™ action with Bowser Jr.’s Clown Car Expansion Set (71396) for ages 6 and up. It features a brick-built version of the Junior Clown Car, plus a LEGO toy figure of a Bob-omb for children to add to their Starter Course. Place LEGO® Mario™ and/or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) in the Junior Clown Car and fly it around to collect digital coins. (Note: the 71360 or 71387 Starter Course is required for interactive play.)
This set looks like it has similar functionality to the suits that Mario can put on, to allow him to gather coins while flying. The set also comes in at a similar (although slightly higher price point than those.
71398: Dorrie’s Beachfront
229 Pieces $AUD49.99/USD29.99/CAD39.99/£24.99/€29.99
Add a colourful beach level to the LEGO® Super Mario™ universe with the Dorrie’s Beachfront Expansion Set (71398) for ages 6 and up. It features a Dorrie LEGO figure, which LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) can ride on. There is a launcher to flick a green shell at the Huckit Crab figure, plus a buildable sandcastle, water fountain and tree, each with cool functions that the player must activate to access the 1, 2, 3 Blocks.
As well as Dollie, and the Huckit Crab, I am really excited by the water fountain elements. The 1.2.3. treasure blocks are a great way to find bonus coins. It looks like a great set with a few action sequences.
71400: Big Urchin Beach Ride
536 Pieces
AUD89.99/USD59.99/CAD79.99/£54.99/ €59.99
Create an action-packed level with the LEGO® Super Mario™ Big Urchin Beach Ride Expansion Set (71400) for ages 7 and up. It features a roller coaster with a Dolphin LEGO figure for LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) to ride on while trying to shake the Super Star Block out of the palm tree and topple a Big Urchin. Make Cheep Cheeps ‘leap’ by jumping on the bridge and collecting more digital coins for spectacular dives off the springboard and fun interactions with the Yellow Yoshi toy figure.
There is so much going on in this set: the Cheep Cheeps fly up and over the bridge, while Mario can ride the dolphin around the azure roller coaster track, to knock the urchin down. All this, and there is also a Yellow Yoshi included – bringing our total Yoshi Count to date up to 3.
71402: Buildable Characters Series 4
AUD 5.99/ USD4.99/£3.49/CAD4.99/€3.99
Create even more action-packed levels with collectible toy Character Packs – Series 4 (71402) for ages 6 and up. Each pack contains a mystery, buildable character with an Action Tag, plus a small build to use as a display stand or to enhance play. There are 10 LEGO® Super Mario™ characters to collect: a Mechakoopa, Para-Biddybud, Stingby, Bully, Freezie, Ant Trooper, Goombrat, Coin Coffer, Scaredy Rat and a baby penguin.
After the previous set of 12 was limited to a box of 20 figures, I am grateful to see this series only featuring 10. I presume they are mainly worth one to two coins to scan, but there might be some interesting properties to be found with them.
What a collection: The beachfront setting offers a lot of opportunities to set up courses in a new and interesting way, while I am always curious to see what happens with the Buildable characters. I look forward to bringing you reviews of all of these sets, once they are available. These sets are all due for release, along with Luigi’s Mansion, on January 1st 2022.
What do you think of these latest LEGO Super Mario Offerings? Do they catch your eye, or will you leave them be? Leave your comments below, and until next time, Play Well!