Review:80012 by Dorek

BS01 Reviews

80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech

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

Review: 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech

Though not the biggest set of LEGO's Monkie Kid wave, 80012 Monkey King Mech is definitely one of the most visually arresting of the lot; bright red with gold accents towering over the innocent townspeople I assume it's defending. But is this mighty mech worth the time, or will the king be deposed?

The Box

The MK Mech has a fair amount going on in the boxart, but the mech itself is rightfully the most eyecatching aspect. Not the most dynamic pose, perhaps, which doesn't always bode well for the final product, but the clean design is on full display.

The Bits

There's a number of cool pieces in Monkey King Mech, but perhaps the most intriguing ones are the ones that aren't immediately identifiable as "LEGO". In addition to an insane quantity of stickers, there's also a sheet with some reflective foil-type material; it's lightly flexible, but a glance at the boxart shows that they're to be used as a sort of cloth-type decoration; however, there's also a cloth cape, so there's definitely a lot going on!

Shout-out to the 32L (!!) axle, I believe that's the longest of its kind.

The set also comes with several minifigures; in addition to two Bull minions (one of them is a general and gets a fancy half-cape, but these guys are otherwise interchangeable) there's Jia and An, who by the lack of honorifics I have to assume are MK's parents, plus the two MK's: Monkie Kid, and - exclusive to the set - the Monkey King himself. MK the younger has some fiery war paint, or whatever it represents, which is pretty cool.

The Build

There are two booklets included with 80012; the first tackles all of the various scene setting that goes around the mech. There's two primary vignettes, each with two components. The larger of the two is what appears to be Pigsy's noodle shop (Pigsy himself is mercifully absent, perhaps driving the foot truck around or otherwise being a Mr. Krabs-ian metaphor for capitalism). MK appears live above the shop - the interior contains some nifty decorations of posters and such, and there's an oddly placed arcade game right next to the store. But the store actually has a hidden feature: by twisting the exhaust vent, the side wall pops out, mimicking the results of a Power Rangers-esque monster attack. The likely perpetrator of this attack is a little mini-mech piloted by one of the Bull drones. The mech itself is neat, although a little basic; one wonders if the parts could have been more useful elsewhere.

The second scene is a mini-mountain top, where the Flower Fruit (an apparent recurring item) grows. But the real star of that show is the mighty Monkey King himself, descending from the heavens on his rideable cloud. The little nimbus is a brilliant piece of work, an iconic image from the many adaptations and influenced works (DBZ, anybody?).

The second and larger of the two booklets is devoted entirely to the main mech. The torso, not to spoil the rest of the review, is probably my favorite part of the whole build. The closest relative Monkie Kid has would probably be Ninjago, and while those mechs have never really appealed to my taste, the solid torso and the arched shoulders here just work. I referenced Power Rangers earlier, and while Ninjago definitely shoots for some of those similar elements, MK's overtly Eastern influences are a more natural fit. In particular the central cockpit is a blast both in form and function.

The legs and arms are definitely cool, but they also run into a problem I have with the larger mech builds in general: the repetition. 80012 breaks things up nicely so you never get too stuck on doing a single part, but the consistent doubling up of each section does tend to get wearisome after a while. The limbs also each come with their own set of problems; the upper arms contain some limited range of motion in the, er, armpit area, while the feet are exceedingly wobbly and can often lead to the mech toppling over.

Obviously it becomes more worth it once you get to stand it up and add all of the various accenting bits. The head, much like Demon Bull King's, just oozes personality. I could maybe have done without the odd antennae, but the golden bananas as eyebrows are inspired. The previously mentioned foil bits come into play here; some are clothing-esque items, while the smaller ones become flags on the back. One thing I would have liked to see in the instruction book is perhaps a note of what the individual characters that appear on the flags mean. LEGO has done a good job of respectfully adapting Chinese culture for this, so it would be nice to see them going the extra mile for an educational opportunity.

The Brass Tacks

Did we like this set? Yes	What We Liked: • Durable construction and playability • Inspired aesthetic and fun colors • Nifty vignettes
	What We Didn't Like: • Limbs awkward and hard to pose • Occasional repetitive building elements
	Other Comments: --Dorek

The final build of the Monkey King Warrior Mech is a bit of a mixed bag. It's been a treat to watch mech construction evolve over the years, and while I might be willing to forgive certain aspects like the limited lateral movement of the upper arms, the instability of the ankles is very disappointing, especially when compared to Demon Bull King.

That said, the overall process was a lot of fun, and while it may be hard to pose, the playability of the mech by and large is pretty great. The additional option to shrink the staff is another great touch and adds to the authenticity of the set.