Series five of the Monkie Kid animated series is about to air somewhere. I haven’t even been able to find evidence of series four going to air in Australia yet. But still, Life will find a way. In this wave, the sets continue to draw inspiration from both the original story ‘The Journey to the West‘ and the animated series, which sets out to tell an ongoing sequel to the original classical novel.

Today, I’d like to take a look at the 80058 Celestial Pagoda – the largest set in the June 2024 Monkie Kid releases

Cultural Context

The Celestial Pagoda is the carried by Li Jing. He was one of the commanders of the heavenly army when the Monkey King ran amok and tried to take over heaven. The Pagoda is said to be able to hold any man, demon, spirit or god, and they will not be able to escape, and Li Jing is able to make it grow or shrink at will. Li Jing is also the father of Nehza (who featured in season 4).Traditionally, these two have a complicated relationship, and it will be interesting to see how this will be handled in the series.

The other new character featured in this set is Nüwa, – She is a goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism and Tao and credited with creating humanity out of clay. She is depicted as having the head of a human and the body of a serpent. She is also said to have repaired the heavens using five coloured stones. While she appears throughout traditional Chinese folklore, she did not appear in the original Journey to the West.

The packaging

This set comes in a large box with the lid taped around 4 sides. On removing the lid, we see a rounded lip around the top of the box, which is filled with twelve numbered paper bags. Some of these bags contain a smaller bag. A soft plastic bag containing an 8×16 plate, along with several small rock wall elements fills out the part count. It’s exciting to see more and more boxes revealing the paper bags inside, which certainly give us a reassuring tear when we rip them open along the perforations.

But the real magic comes when you realise that there are some new fold lines on the box, both the lid and the box. After untucking the folded-in edge, you can fold up the bottom part of the box, in a way that the lid can be accommodated in the base. This is terrific if you like to keep the boxes intact after opening, but don’t want to keep them made up. A cursory inspection around the new sets I am looking at suggests that this packaging is only being used for the larger (more expensive) sets.

Minifigures

Let’s take a closer look at the minifigures included in this set

We have five of the six main characters of the series: MK, Mei, Mr Tang, Pigsy and Sandy (accompanied as usual by his cat, Mo.) They are all wearing matching tracksuits, numbers 1,2,4,5,6 respectively. Where is number 3? Is it an unlucky number? Is there a new character? No. It turns our that #3 is worn by Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, in 80056 Nine-Headed Beast. MK is equipped with his staff, Mei with the Dragon Sword, Tang with a tea cup, Pigsy with a knife and fork, while Sandy has a pink peach, as well as a barbell. Mo, as usual, gets by on attitude alone.

MK has a double sided head print – with a determined look on one side, and an even more determined look on the the other. Mei has a sly grin on one side, and a determined grimace on the other, while Tang switches between disgruntled and sleeping: or is it profound meditation?

As mentioned, the set also includes Li Jin, as well as a microscaled version of the pagoda. His golden armour is printed front and back, while there is a small crown on his long hair.

The other figure is Nüwa – The spring green body certainly feels serpentine, while her tail switches over to teal, in a softer, rubbery material, to reduce the risk of taking an eye out.I appreciate the bracket allowing the attachment of the golden ring, binding the stone elements through a 1x1plate with clip.

The Elements

Many thanks again to the knoller-in-chief for arranging the elements. This set has an interesting colour palette- drawing on lots of dark blue and light royal blue as well as lavender, white and gold. The early bags in the build feature some lavender foliage elements. Amongst the golden elements of interest are the fences with the circular pattern in the centre, plenty of leaves, 1×1 round bricks, and 1×1 flower studs. Tassels and tooth elements are about, and there is a 3×3 dome revealed in the final bag. The wrought iron fence that first appeared in Elvesappears for the second time in reddish brown, while we have plenty of plates and cutout curved slopes in pale royal blue. A smattering of lavender masonry bricks gives this set a palette reminiscent of the retired Elves theme, certainly conveying a feeling of whimsical fantasy. Finally, there are plenty of tan bricks, SNOT Bricks and arches, used to build up the walls of the pagoda as we move upwards.

The Build

Here Be Spoilers: if you like the building experience to be unspoiled, then jump down to the discussion.

Still here? Ok, then we’ll begin.

We start by building a tree, stocked with pink peaches, along with a small pond. Ultimately, they can be removed, allowing the set to attach side by side with other Monkie Kid sets.

These are followed up almost immediately by the dungeon levels – a dark tan base, with the walls built up with grey and dark grey elements. The model is open, like a dolls house, with each level fully accessible from the back. There are two angled cells, a tin cup set up in one, and a bucket full of something unmentionable in the other. There is a small armoury in between the cells. We follow up adding some columns with ornate decorations thanks to some artfully place roller skates, along with the plates with one stud, and a bar on each end. Securing the floor of the entry hall, we have a trap door ready to go.

The next few bags put together the ground floor. We start with the front doors, requiring nerves of steel as we endeavour to apply the stickers in a fashion that would maintain even the slightest bit of symmetry. The walls on this level introduce a really cool use of the windows: placing them on the side and inserting a column in between each window. The SNOT bricks are quite bare at this point but will be built upon in future steps.

There are a couple of tables in this hall: one with some chopsticks and a bowl, while the other has a teapot and cup in place. The rear of the floor has two large cabinets, which, when opened,appear to reveal murals of the Monkey King’s previous trips to heaven, when he attempted to mount a coup, prior to being encased in the mountain, hundreds of years ago.

The Tan/gold/lavendar and dark blue work really well together, especially with the brown doors (with golden trim). As I said before, it give a lovely fantasy feel. You might also notice two purple 1×1 round tiles with an eye printed on them. These are found throughout the pagoda, and probably represent part of the 100 eyed demon, who appears in minifigure form in others sets in the range.

From here, we build up the first layer of roof tiles on the building, with golden trims towards the corners; while those exposed studs at the top are covered by one x 3 curved slopes. The floor of the next level features a door, which can be opened, allowing figures to jum between floors.

We continue our journey upwards with more window frames There are two vases on display, as well as a door opening out onto the verandah. There is a groove in the back of the bricks forming part of the facade, while at the back, there are some clip/bar elements that will team up together to secure the second half of the build.

This finishes up the first book of building instructions, and the tiles that cover the roofline means that the next group of floors are able to be removed, for more simple transportation.

Moving upwards, we build a study, with a cupboard full of scrolls, as well as a writing desk, with an inky quill in situ. You can see how the geometry of the clip-bar connections is applied to join the adjacent modules. The desk is tucked in on a nifty angle, thanks to a couple of tiles and offset plates on the floor. The scrolls are held together using a combination of curved 1×2 plates.

Moving on up, we have a ‘fake floor’ where there are windows and a balcony, but no actual floor for our figures to stand on. This improves the space for playability, especially as each level brings less and less room to move.

But on the outside, we have a wide balcony: brown fences capped with lavender tiles. As we fill in the roof, we add a combination of white and golden clouds – giving us an idea of just how far upwards the pagoda extends from the ground.

Above the clouds, we ad in Li Jung’s throne room. You will see again, the clips at the rear, allowing the floor to lock in with the one below. I am unsure as to the reasoning behind the ball joint at the top of the throne. I am intrigued as to whether it has relevance to some other part of the story

And we are very nearly there! The higher we get, the more of a flourish is added to each level, with golden filigree work, until we install the final floor at the top. The pagoda is crowned by a golden spire, produced by piling multiple elements over the top of a bar, finishing off, ultimately, with a lightsaber handle and ski stock. Inside the room is a paddle, designed to accept a coloured stone, although to exactly what purpose, I am uncertain. Hopefully series five will be viewable in a timely fashion!

The Finished Product

The final model is 61 cm tall, while the base measures 29cm x 19 cm. It is, at the end of the day, quite an impressive structure.

So much so that any minifigure is dwarfed in comparison.

There is a lot I appreciate about this set: from the design, the base makes the pagoda feel as though it is truly integrated into the landscape: The rock walls of the dungeon, the peach tree and, on the other side, the white curly elements conveying the waterfall flowing into the well.

I have already mentioned how I enjoyed the lattice windows using the upended golden fences. To say nothing of how well the colour scheme works – with the light blue and lavender, contrasted against the tan and dark blue. After a month that feels as though it was dominated by the announcement of the LEGO ICONS Dark Tower ofBarad-Dûr, this feels light and refreshing! Note: Barad Dûr measures around 80cm tall, while the Celestial Pagoda is 60 cm tall

While the wall elements, as well as the pale blue curved slopes, presented us with a degree of repetition, they were offset nicely by the variations in the balconies and facade decorations that break up each level.

Internally, it is good to see a few little jokes put into a bleak prison: while the tin mug to beat against the bars, and the ablution bucket may provide a moment of mirth, they do little to glamorise the idea of Life On The Inside.

Moving upwards, the furniture, both in the entry hall and the study are nicely done, and provide inspiration for future projects, while maintaining the variety between furnishings.

I do enjoy the cabinets containing murals, telling stories of when the Monkey King tried to take over Heaven, years ago. Or is that opera on the right hand panel? Time will tell as the series reveals more details

And then there are the stories that you might tell.

Overall, I enjoyed this build. The tower is well appointed, and I appreciate the fact that we continue to be introduced to new characters from traditional Chinese Folklore. In a world full of Grey, Black and transparent blue towers, this one may not be as tall as some of the others seen in recent years, but it brings a delightful colour scheme, and new designs that will be sure to inspire household furnishers and greeblers alike.

I appreciate so much about this set, and am happy to give it 4 out of 5 arbitrary praise units. The cast of minifigures is great, and there are some great techniques along the way. With every one of these sets, I am learning more and more about Chinese mythology – which is part of the intentions of the team behind Monkie Kid.

The set will be available from June 4 from LEGO.com, and maybe in a store near you, but in most of the world, these sets are restricted to online sales. The set has 1621 pieces and 5 minifigures. It will be priced at $AUD229.99/ 139.99€/ $USD149.99/ $CAD199.99 – fairly equivalently priced in most markets. You can buy it here.

what do you think of this set? One for you? One to let go? leave your comments below.

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Until Next Time,

Play Well!

This set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes, but all opinions are my own.