LEGO Scooby-Doo The Mystery Machine (75902) Review

When rumors started last year that there would be a new LEGO Scooby-Doo theme, many fans were excited about it but some were also skeptical on how the sets would look like. That is until when the first images came out early this year and worries were relieved. All the sets were also available at San Diego Comic Con a few weeks ago to attendees and they quickly flew off the shelves. They are now officially available and the sets have become hard to find as many old-school Scooby-Doo fans as well as newer fans wanted a piece of the action.

One of the sets I’ve managed to pick up is one of the most iconic vehicles in television history in my opinion, The Mystery Machine (75902). The set contains 263 pieces and retails for $29.99 which is a decent price for what you get. The contents of the box include three numbered bags, two instruction booklets, and one large sticker sheet.

Minifigures

As I mentioned before, the price of the set is very good considering that you get four total minifigures, three of which are exclusive to The Mystery Machine (75902).

The whole Scooby-Doo figure consists of the head and the body connected on a pin at the next area. This version of Scooby has him with a paw up with his teeth showing on one side of the face. The body of the Great Dane has the distinctive black spots throughout the body. Around the next is a blue diamond-shaped collar with the initials SD on the tag. He is one of the figures that appear in every set of this initial LEGO Scooby-Doo wave.

Scooby’s human companion, Shaggy also appears in every single set. He wears a short green shirt with dual molded arms to represent short sleeves and dark red pants. His expressions include a smile on one side and one of sadness on the other. His hair piece is a brand new one and looks pretty similar to the one in the show.

Another exclusive minifigure in this set is Fred Jones. He is depicted as the leader of the Mystery Inc. gang is the driver of the Mystery Machine so it’s a no-brainer to include him in this set. He wears is usual white shirt with the blue collar and orange ascot printing and blue pants. He also has a double-sided head with a confident look on one side and a scared look on the other. His yellow hair is also a new piece introduced in this set. His accessories include a real magnifying glass and the printed Daily Babbler newspaper tile.

The final minifigure in the set is also one of the exclusive ones to set 75902 is the Zombie. I believe he is based on the Zombie from the “Which Witch is Which?” episode who’s real name is Zeke. The torso has some tattered printing and his skin tone has a yellowish green look to it which looks pretty cool. The facial expression is a excellent look and closely resembles the character it portrays in the cartoon with the red eyes and wrinkles. The back of the head has a couple of printed buttons that fasten the mask on. Unfortunately, there’s no extra head piece included to show the Zombie being unmasked by the gang.

Build

The sets consists of two builds, the Mystery Machine itself and the spooky tree. The robotic tree is used by the Zombie to scare away the Mystery Gang and is put together pretty well. On the front face of the tree, there’s a large sticker that is applied to the half cylinder piece. The base of the tree looks like there are some feet there. On the sides are some poseable arms. On the back side, there is a sticker control panel and a place for a trans-neon gem. The tree somewhat resembles the evil tree from the Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost movie.

Finally, we’ve come to the main attraction of the set, the Mystery Machine itself. It has the iconic light blue and lime green color scheme for a majority of the car. There are various SNOT building techniques around the lower half of the vehicle to give it a smooth look. The part of the van that shows a lot of studs is on the roof but not too much.

A majority of the Mystery Machine exterior is filled with stickers, many of which have multiple parts so you have to put them on carefully to align them up correctly. One example of this is wording of “The Mystery Machine” on the side panels is split up on two stickers. The amount of stickers included in the set could be a deterrent for someone who may want to pick up the set while others don’t really care since they are Scooby-Doo fans in general. There are also some printed pieces like the spare tire carrier in the front and the hubcaps which have some flower printing.

The back side of the van is able to open up to show some of equipment the gang uses to solve mysteries including a camera, flashlight, a radar, tape recorder, and a computer screen to show immenient danger. There’s also a stove and sink to cook up some food. As a result, you have a have huge sandwich for Scooby and Shaggy to munch on. The roof is also removable to get a clearer look at the objects.

One downside to the van is that it will not fit all five members of Mystery Inc. if you have them. To fit them all, you may have to remove some of the stuff from the back to get some characters in while two or three can sit in the front but it may be hard to squeeze them all in.

Another thing I didn’t really like about the van is are the hubcaps. They do not turn when the van rolls so it looks kind of weird when they’re stationary while it is in motion.

The last thing that I felt was off was the lower back of the Mystery Machine. Since there are already 23 total stickers included, one more wouldn’t hurt to give the back some detail. The plain blue and green doesn’t really jive with me when the sides have tons of details.

Results

Overall, I feel The Mystery Machine (75902) is one of the more sought-after sets in this wave of LEGO Scooby-Doo sets simply because it’s very recognizable and an icon in television history. LEGO has done a great job in recreating it given the fairly small amount of pieces used to build it. The details on both the outside and inside give the vehicle more accuracy to the cartoon.

The minifigures that are in the set are top-notch including Fred and the Zombie. Marketing-wise, LEGO did a good job in making us buy a few sets to get the gang. This is one of the sets you have to purchase to get everyone unless you just buy the other minifigures separately.

If I was to recommend a LEGO Scooby-Doo set to purchase first, it probably would have to be this one. Currently, it is already out of stock on Shop@Home and flying off the shelves at the LEGO Stores as well as at other retailers. If you are able to find it sitting on a shelf for some reason, go grab it because you may not be able to find it for a while until LEGO has more shipments of it.

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