Review: LEGO Monkie Kid 80020 White Dragon Horse Jet

We continue the tour of the 2021 novelties of the LEGO Monkie Kid range with a quick glance at the contents of the set 80020 White Dragon Horse Jet, a box of 565 pieces sold at the public price of 39.99 € since March 1st.

Once again, this set which allows to assemble a ship with a resolutely futuristic look draws cheerfully from traditional Chinese culture and from the legend of the Monkey King by directly referring to the White Dragon Horse (Bai Long Ma), a major character of the popular tale of which Mei is a descending wave for the needs of the very free adaptation in LEGO version.

The ship she is piloting here is therefore a machine that appropriates some attributes of dragon and horse with an aesthetically rather interesting result. Scales on the wings and on the back, nose vaguely reminiscent of a horse's head, two Spring-Shooters with their ammunition hidden in the wings, two Stud Shooters sides at the front, a sword tear already seen in other colors in several sets of the Ninjago range at the back, it's consistent and this jet has allure.

The assembly of the jet is very pleasant with interesting techniques to form the nose which is in two parts with a colored band in the center and a nice overlap of Nexo Knights shields on the two steerable wings which are neither too thin nor too loaded. The few golden touches bring a little tinsel to the fuselage, it is successful.

We will also remember that Mei is piloting her ship a little blind, she is quite simply lying under the canopy in Transparent Bright-Green, here in reverse position compared to the more classic use of this element, which will perhaps bring back memories to the fans of old ranges which put this shade in the spotlight. For those who would ask the question, the Tile the pad printing with vintage accents used for the cockpit is the one already seen in 2020 in the sets 10273 Haunted Houses et 10274 Ghostbusters ECTO-1.

Mo also has a flying machine with a platform in colors matching the animal's fur and crest. The character really finds his place in this box thanks to this small flying machine which will allow him to truly take part in the action imagined by the happy owners of the set and not to find himself confined to the role of simple pet.

As in several other boxes in the range, the designer here tries to create a little context by adding a piece of sidewalk with a floor lamp and a drink dispenser. This additional construction is very interesting, it is even functional with a very simple mechanic identical to the one seen in the LEGO Ninjago set 70657 City Docks : All you have to do is insert a Tile 2x1, here Si's smartphone, in the slot provided to release a can. The spider web attached to the machine serves to create the stake of the product with Mei tumbling down to free the friendly civilian from the clutches of Spider Queen's henchman and the accompanying spider drone.

The drink dispenser is decorated with several stickers but the lids of the different drinks are pad printed. This mini-scene would have in my opinion deserved to be associated with a few other street elements with for example a longer sidewalk with a more successful finish, a bench, or even a shop but it will unfortunately be necessary to be satisfied with this modest setting. situation.

As I said a few days ago, I find that this range lacks a bit of urban elements that could have been used to create a real context. In my opinion, we are not immune to a Monkie Kid's City in the years to come in the manner of what LEGO did very well in the Ninjago universe. There is potential.

In front of Mei and Mo, we therefore find a Spider Queen henchman and a spider drone. Not really enough to balance the clash between the forces of good and those of evil, but it will still be possible to have a little fun while waiting to be able to be offered something more consistent to put in front of the jet.

The character endowment here is pretty decent despite the absence of the main hero of the range with Mei and Mo on one side, the Spider Queen henchman with his drone on the other and a civilian who had nothing asked in the middle. As I said above, Mo takes here a real foreground dimension thanks to his flying machine which allows him to really participate in the fight.

The pad prints are as usual in this range overall very successful with a level of detail to make some of the characters of external licenses regularly offered by LEGO fade. If you have a feeling of déjà vu with the civilian's torso, this is normal: this element is far from unheard of and it has already been used in the CITY sets. 60290 Skate Park (2021) 10273 Haunted Houses (2020) and Hidden Side 70435 Newbury Abandoned Jail (2020)

The double-sided head with its (very) scared expression on one side and rocker hair are common items in the LEGO inventory. Mei's minifig, delivered here without her helmet, is an assembly of items seen in many other sets in the range and that of Spider Queen's henchman is also available in sets 80021 Monkie Kid's Lion Guardian et 80023 Monkie Kid's Team Dronecopter marketed from the beginning of the month.

I think we have here a reference that brings together the best of what LEGO can do: in my opinion, it is a creative product with a slick design, solid, equipped for fun and which offers as a bonus some challenges interesting in terms of assembly. All this for € 39.99 with a handful of minifigs, we're not going to complain too much, LEGO doesn't always do as well in this range or in others.

A small update concerning the animated series which serves as context and marketing support for these derivative products: The first season is now available online via various video on demand services but you have to go through a VPN to be able to watch the 12 episodes and it is essential to master a little English. I tested a viewing via New Zealand service TVNZ going through NordVPN with location in New Zealand, it works.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 4th 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.