Review: LEGO Monkie Kid 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech

Today we take a quick look at the LEGO Monkie Kid set 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech, a large box of 1629 pieces sold for 129.99 € which proposes to assemble a robot about forty centimeters high accompanied by some additional elements which suggest many playful possibilities.

During the official announcement of the Monkie Kid range, LEGO sold us this set as the one that includes the most parts in Metallic Gold To date, it remains for us to verify whether this statement does not hide some gaps that could tarnish the picture.

Before tackling the construction of the big robot with a monkey head, we assemble the various additional elements provided. Nothing very complicated here, the end of the lane, the hill with the support of the stick, the floating cloud of the Monkey King and the little robot from the bad clones are quickly assembled with in the process the installation of half of the large plank of stickers provided.

Those who enjoyed the sets 70620 Ninjago City et 70657 Ninjago City Docks inspired by the movie The LEGO Ninjago Movie will appreciate to find here a set including a shop and a house a little in the same spirit, with signs, an arcade machine, neon lights, and a multitude of details that promote immersion in the atmosphere of the set. The building is also an important point of reference to give presence to the mech.

The context being set, we then move on to the assembly of the big robot. As soon as the central trunk is assembled, which also serves as a cockpit, we understand that the mobility of this mech will be limited. The shoulders are made of moving parts but the robot's waist and hips are fixed. By connecting the upper part of the legs, however, we can guess that it must be possible to move each leg slightly backwards or forwards.

By assembling the rest of the robot's two legs, we begin to imagine the improbable: knees! Indeed, there is a Ball joint at the knee, but we quickly become disillusioned when we notice that the calf is attached to the back of the thigh via two additional small kneecaps, thus preventing any flexion of the leg. Still missed, this is not the time that we will have a mech with really articulated legs. The good news: the mech is really very stable on its feet, both equipped with a central tire that helps prevent unwanted slips even on the smoothest surfaces.

In terms of joints, it's a little better at the level of the arms with a three-part structure that allows some movement, even if we quickly realize that the mech is in fact only thought to hold his giant stick with a very limited range of motion. Note that the stick can be "transformed" into a shorter version that fits in one hand. In both situations, the stick is attached to the palm of the hand (or both hands) via two ball joints.

Quickly, it becomes complicated to manipulate the construction in progress because of the decorative sub-assemblies that only fit on a clip or two, like the gold pieces that hide the shoulder joints or the fingers that come loose regularly. It's a shame for a toy intended for children and it does not get better afterwards.

The "naked" mech clearly lacks finish and it is not the hundred or so golden pieces that save the furniture. The back of the robot has obviously not benefited from the same attention from the designers as the front side but it is not so serious since it is necessary to attach a large piece of red fabric to it which covers the whole thing. . Even if the drape effect is not uninteresting, the felt used is in my opinion too fine to give hope for a reasonable lifespan. In the end, it seems to me that we are more in a “hide-and-seek” solution based on a consumable product than in a purely creative choice.

Finally, we must add seven decorative elements in flexible plastic which in principle should give this mech its final appearance. The four flags which take place behind the head only fit on a clip and also have an unfortunate tendency to fall off at the slightest manipulation. On the other hand, the three inserts which are fixed around the waist of the mech really help to give a nice visual coherence to the construction.

The building experience is not unpleasant, especially at the beginning of the assembly phase, although one does not escape the sub-assemblies to be built in two copies when it comes to taking care of the members of the robot. The youngest will get by without problem, the most difficult will remain to manipulate the robot while wanting to play with it.

Difficult to objectively judge the aesthetic aspect of the mech, tastes and colors cannot be discussed, but I think you really have to wait until you have finished assembling the thing to get a precise opinion. As far as I'm concerned, I find it visually a little too colorful to convince me. The gray joints are too visible and the red, yellow mixture, Pearl Gold et Metallic Gold is a bit too messy for my taste.

The addition of the three flexible plastic elements around the waist of the mech completes depriving the construction of the little mobility it had so far: they hinder a little the few possible movements of the robot and will be quickly bent and marked. This detail convinces me that this product is not a toy for children aged 10 or over. It is just a demonstration of the know-how of the LEGO designers which turns into a pure exhibition product far too static and too fragile to really have fun with.

There are also some minifigs in this box: two clones with identical torsos but one of which is decked out with arms and pink horns, the monkey king, delivered here in a different version from the one present in one of the sachets from the 19th series of collectible minifigs (ref. 71025), with its staff equipped with the new handles also available in gray on the knees of the mech, the young Jia (the boy) and An (the girl) and the inevitable Monkie Kid in person with his headphones around his neck, his smartphone and his hyper-detailed legs with a slightly less successful finish than on the official visuals.

For those who are wondering, Jia's Hawaiian shirt is not new, it was already present since 2010 in several sets of the LEGO Education range and more recently in the LEGO CITY sets. 60202 People Pack: Outdoor Adventures and Juniors 10764 Central Airport. An's torso is also a very common piece, especially seen in sets 10247 Ferris Wheel, 60200 Capital City or, 10261 Roller Coaster.

In the end, this set had it all on paper with a balanced content between the giant mech, the main hero of the range and the animated series that goes with it, the Monkey King himself, a pair of villains, two civilians and small additional modules.

Unfortunately, the robot is aesthetically very correct but it is not what it claims to be when it comes to playability and it will have to be content to expose it on the corner of a shelf after spending too much time putting it back in place. everything that comes off when playing with. At 130 € a box, in my opinion, it's too expensive to pay for such a fragile construction, with a somewhat sloppy finish in places and frankly limited mobility.