The January 2022 wave of LEGO Super Mario sets follow two specific streams: Luigi’s Mansion and the Beachfront. Today, I’d like to present the 71400 Big Urchin Beach Ride expansion set. You need either the Mario or Luigi Starter sets to play with this set in the way it is intended. The set has 536 pieces, and will be released on January 1 2022. This set was sent to me by the AFOL Engagement team of the LEGO Group for review purposes. All opinions, however, are my own.

After the previous wave of expansion sets focussed on two-player, cooperative play this wave returns to the roots of single player gaming, although the 2 player option exists, with all of the potential advantages that brings.

This set brings some familiar gameplay from the Super Mario Video Game, as well as a few new characters, and game mechanics. With this set, I will take a look at the Characters encountered, Any Bonus boxes, as well as hazards and obstacles encountered in the gameplay.

As with all LEGO Super Mario sets, building instreuctions are accessed through Digital instructions in the LEGO Super Mario App, or using the LEGO Building Instructions App. Personally, I find the App quite acceptable to use on a tablet – it also allows demonstration videos for game play. the Instructions Plus engine also allows manipulation of the model in 3D space as you build it, ensuring construction is clear.