Review:80009 by Dorek

BS01 Reviews

80009 Pigsy's Food Truck

This set was provided to BS01 by LEGO, but the opinions of the set are those of the reviewer.

Review: 80009 Pigsy's Food Truck

Looking like something straight out Mad Max, 80009 Pigsy's Food Truck is one of the mid-tier offerings of LEGO's new Monkie Kid line. But is this set "Order up!" or should you dine elsewhere?

The Box

I feel like for a while LEGO was making their boxarts bigger and flashier, but also more crowded; while still pretty flashy, I feel like the Monkie Kid line has scaled the overall content back to something more manageable. Pigsy's Food Truck is actually probably one of the busier ones, with a lot of other elements outside of the main truck.

The Bits

Notable bits in 80009 would be the the various pink parts that make up the piggy mascot on top of the truck. I've enjoyed the variety of color schemes in Monkie Kid, and even though this set is predominately white, the fun splashes of color like the pig mascot definitely liven things up.

There are, however... stickers. LEGO has definitely upped their sticker game these days (easier to frame and to place) but there's still a lot here, I would say too much; printing on some of the smaller pieces would have been preferable.

And of course, minifigs! There's five total, although the villains (named "Snort" and "Grunt" which could theoretically be clever) are clones so having two feels a bit of a waste. But MK's working outfit is good (very... relatable) and Uncle Qiao's barfing expression definitely represents my feelings about a pig serving pork.

The Build

The core of the set is fairly basic; unlike some of the larger sets, fewer Technic bits are needed for stability and the frame can be accomplished with mostly System. Sausages being cooked on the engine block is a cute little touch, although incredibly unsanitary! Might this be the cause of poor Qiao's gastrointestinal distress?

Some of the more interesting aspects of the set are obviously found in the back half; the set is jam packed with all sorts of features and activities: ovens, grills, condiment bar, you name it! The theme is best expressed here. The "command center" reveals are perhaps a bit excessive, if on-brand with Monkie Kid's vibe.

The kitchen/serving area eventually gets covered up with some really cool folding doors, but this unfortunately exposes the most glaring flaw of the set: the lack of room in the kitchen. As an open area concept it was really cool, but adding the doors obscures any of the visual cleverness, and with the roof you have very little room to access the features. It's an enormous squandering of potential.

The set does try to make up for it with some gnarly features on the outside; primarily the pig mascot, which in addition to being able to turn can also use a pink stud shooter (a fantastic recolor of a part featured in my beloved BIONICLE G2) for some firepower. The pig is well designed, definitely a great element. The grill on the front (is this where the meat he serves comes from? Oh god the implications!) is perhaps more unnecessary, but again, pretty on-brand.

The Brass Tacks

Did we like this set? No	What We Liked: • Original concept is clever and fun, and well expressed in the interior • Cool colors
	What We Didn't Like: • Obscuring the interior ruins much of its playability • Exterior elements feel superfluous
	Other Comments: --Dorek

I loved the idea of Pigsy's Food Truck (you know, assuming I didn't think too hard about the idea of an anthropomorphic pig serving up what I can only assume is pork sausage). It's a weird, quirky thing that the designers were able to express well throughout the build. That said: by covering up the interior and restricting access to (and visibility of) the awesome designs, you waste a lot of the playability value. The incredibly extra play features don't really make up for that fact. Right up until the roof went on I was on board, but after that it was just disappointing.