Review: LEGO 80018 Monkie Kid´s Cloud Bike

We end the cycle of reviews of the 2021 novelties in the LEGO Monkie Kid range with a quick overview of the contents of the set 80018 Monkie Kid´s Cloud Bike. With an inventory of 203 pieces and a public price set at 19.99 €, it is the most compact and cheapest box of this new wave and its content is therefore necessarily less ambitious than that of other more opulent references.

There is still something to have a little fun with the possibility of staging a chase between the Monkie Kid and Spindrax, just to come to the rescue of young Rui who finds himself trapped in the clutches of a Spider Drone.

The set gives pride of place to Cloud Bike of the young hero with a machine whose wheels are deployed to allow him to fly. The mechanism at work which ensures the versatility of the machine, it suffices to manually separate the four sets of two wheels fixed on Technic pins, is childishly simple but the result is rather interesting. Opposite, Spindrax is satisfied with a more classic motorcycle which takes up the aesthetic codes of the different machines in the service of Spider Queen.

To each his own weapons and Spindrax has two Stud Shooters on the sides of his motorcycle and the Monkie Kid machine is equipped with two Disc shooters can be activated via a simple central lever which knows how to be rather discreet. Here too, the solution used is straightforward and it works every time.

The Monkie Kid arrives at the scene from the air, he catches up with Spindrax on the road after having folded up his thrusters, stands at his side and shoots him with a white disc. He can then free Rui from the Spider Drone's clutches, with the robot hanging from the minifig via the transparent piece it wears around its neck. The playability is there.

This small set allows you to obtain three minifigs including the Monkie Kid which is an assembly of elements already available in several other boxes, Rui who takes the torso of one of the characters from the LEGO CITY set 60262 Passenger Airplane (2020), hair already seen on the heads of several children in Chinese New Year sets and a fairly common smartphone at LEGO and Spindrax with his nicely pad-printed helmet and his exclusive outfit. The villain of the set comes with hair that allows you to really enjoy the face of the minifigure, this is a rare bonus in other lines and therefore appreciable.

This entry-level set without big pretensions is therefore in my opinion a good start for a young fan who seeks to optimize the use of his pocket money or to be offered a small box on the occasion of a good bulletin. The aesthetics of the vehicles provided is once again in line with the rest of the machines in the range regardless of the faction concerned, consistency is essential for all the sets of this new wave.

Overall and despite a few constructions that are a bit behind in terms of finish or functionality, this new wave of LEGO Monkie Kid products really does have a refreshing side that proves the manufacturer knows how to go the extra mile when it comes to to go and invest in a new market and attract potential customers. Not everything is successful in this range, but the adaptation of a popular legend in a techno-futuristic universe who does not hesitate to make a few nods to the content that serves as a starting point is a very judicious choice. which allows these toys to be placed in a highly respected cultural context in China.

Even if I am not part of the main target of this range, I must admit that I took great pleasure in assembling these different boxes and taking an interest in some of the references they offer. The whole would have really deserved to be supported by the diffusion of the animated series elsewhere than in Asia, to at least try to seduce the children who need the connection between the toys with which they have fun and the digital contents which put them forward.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 10th next at 23pm. 

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.