Review:80010 by Dorek

BS01 Reviews

80010 Demon Bull King

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

Review: 80010 Demon Bull King

LEGO's latest theme, Monkie Kid, is a contemporary riff on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Here we take a look at one of the bigger sets of the wave, 80010 Demon Bull King; is he worth the purchase, or should you moove along to something else?

The Box

DBK is definitely the set that drew me to the line in the first place, and a large part of that is the boxart; it does a good job of centering the set while keeping the graphics not necessarily to a minimum, but around it in a way that it's not too distracting. The stylized comic effects and backgrounds hint at what the announced TV show will eventually look like. Of note is the light brick advertised in the corner, which we'll take a look at later on.

The Bits

It's been a while since I've built a proper System set, so I'll eschew talking about all of the new fanciful parts I don't recognize in favor of a few select elements that caught my eye. Obviously the big draw is the light brick; simple function, hold the button at the back to engage the light. The light isn't super powerful, but that may be a safety thing; as you'll see, there are ways they work with what they have.

The other excellent bit is a 1L 1x2 axle liftarm... made out of rubber! A cursory glance tells me it's been in use for many years now (starting way back with those super fun Hockey Slammers) though it's been a hot minute since I've seen it. It's a versatile piece to be sure. In this case, much like the rubber wheels on Voltron, it's meant as a stabilizing agent on the feet, which is a neat application.

But first there's the minifigs; Princess Iron Fan (who is the... consort of the Demon Bull King? Can I say that? Do I want to think about the implications??), Pigsy (some sort of strange pig man wielding a... pitchfork rocket launcher? These things are weird!) and the hero Monkie Kid himself. Iron Fan reminds me of the witches from the Castles and Knights themes of yesteryear, while Monkie Kid has a nice personality, and a slick pair of headphones to accompany his awesome staff.

The Build

It gets said every year, but LEGO continues to improve with their shaping. The head, in particular, is an absolute masterpiece of SNOT techniques. Once everything's attached, including the horns, it just oozes personality. If I have any complaints, it's that the neck attachment is a simple bar/clip assembly; not only does this prevent anything more than looking up and down, but it's also perhaps a little flimsier than I would prefer.

The core of the torso, despite what I said earlier, starts off fairly blocky, but as the layers build up more and more opportunities for shaping reveal themselves. Not content to let the trans-orange shield help define the chest, there are also some well-secured horns (important!) to form a ribcage. This is also where the light brick comes into play; a loose attachment system connected to the back allows for easy access, and the light filters through two different shades of transparent orange to create a sort of magma effect. I wouldn't say it's necessary, but it sure is fun!

One thing that's most apparent on the arms and the legs is the wide variety of colors; pink and purple aren't necessarily colors you'd expect associated with the villain team, or even at all based on the overall aesthetics seen in the line. But it works. Anchored by a solid underlayer of black, the magentas and oranges make for an eye-popping and novel combination.

The rest of the set are the tools used by the mighty Demon Bull King; a flaming axe in his left hand (with some fingers for decoration), a flamethrower left hand, and two fire launchers on the back. The launchers include a new feature, but ultimately I don't think they add much to the set that wasn't already there.

The Brass Tacks

Did we like this set? Yes	What We Liked: • Clever SNOT techniques, awesome layering and shaping • Eyecatching and unusual colors • Good poseability and functions
	What We Didn't Like: • Neck connection not very strong
	Other Comments: --Dorek

Demon Bull King is perhaps one of the more straightforward sets of the Monkie Kid line, but that's no knock against the creativity that went into the construction. DBK is impressively built for his size (excepting the neck), solid, and comes with a bunch of cool features to play around with. It's hard to say how well he represents the line as a whole, but that diversity is more of a strength than a liability. The $90 price point fits him well, and he's a fitting villain to pit against poor tiny MK.