Continuing with my reviews of the new wave of LEGO Monkie Kid sets, the next one I’ll be checking out is Monkie Kid’s Lion Guardian (80021). It has 774 pieces and retails for $79.99.
Minifigures
There are five minifigures in this set, Monkie Kid, Mei, Spider Queen, Huntsman, and Lu. Monkie Kid has on the newer jacket with the Monkey King face on the front. This version of him as the teal hoodie. His double-sided head shows him with a determined look on one side and the other shows him with red over his eyes. His accessory is the Golden Staff.
Mei is in her casual outfit with with teal Dragon Horse jacket. Her double-sided head shows her with a winking expression on one side and the HUD over one eye on the other. Her accessory is the Jade Dragon Blade which looks more like a blaster.
The Spider Queen is the same minifigure as in the Spider Queen’s Arachnoid Base (80022). She has a very detailed dress with the spider logo on the torso and webbing on the dress piece. Her double-sided head shows her with an evil look on one side and some armor over her mouth on the other. The headdress is a rubber spider and her accessory is a bladed staff.
The Huntsman is the same one as in the White Dragon Horse Jet (80020). He wears a furry robe that extends to the legs and the collar is a piece that goes around the neck. He has a single-sided head with a gray ponytail. His accessory is a bladed rifle.
Lu is a regular citizen that wears a pint starred shirt with a green jacket. She has a double-sided head with a smile on one side and the other shows her with some pink glasses.
Build
There are some smaller builds that are in this set. The first is the robotic spider that are abundant in this wave. This version of it has some sort of device on top of it.
The next build is a small arcade area called Anti Gravity that has two games in it. The building is able to fold in and out using some hinge plates on either game section. One of the game is a Dance Dance Revolution style game with the foot controls and screen being stickers. The other game is a crane game with the prizes being some nanofigures.
We also have the Spider Queen’s battle rig which is a larger robotic spider. The front of it has a couple of fangs and the back has a single thruster. There are also a couple of spring-loaded missiles that launch from the head.
For the main build of the set, we get to the Lion Guardian. The build is reminiscent of some older robotic builds. The body doesn’t have much going on to it but there are a lot of bracket plates around the legs and back for detailing around them.
The legs use click joints for the four legs and this makes it more sturdy but it also makes it more stale and have a robotic feel to it. The ankles are on ball joints so it’s a little bit better. The front legs have armor pieces which doubles up as hidden spring-loaded missiles. The hind legs seem to be a little small compared to the rest of the lion.
The head has a really nice look to it and actually resembles the ones seen on statues although it’s a little bit more embellished. The mouth has a play feature where it can open and close by pushing the lever that comes out of the throat and to the back of the lower jaw. Right behind the head is a spot for Monkie Kid to stand on. There are also some large banners as well.
The tail area seems to be lacking in a way. There’s not much to it except a thin tail that has sections on clips. A thicker tail supported with some hinge plates would have been a better look for the lion.
Results
Overall the Monkie Kid’s Lion Guardian (80021) is really a mixed bag for me. I love the arcade part of the set and the Spider Queen’s battle rig is decent. I had high hopes for the Lion Guardian but it turned out to somewhat a disappointment for me. The front part of the lion is very nice but the back of it is very lackluster. I’m not too much a fan of the legs as they are too stiff for my liking. It would’ve been better if all the joints used ball joints instead.
If you are planning to get it, I would suggest waiting for a sale but since the theme is exclusive to the LEGO Shop, Brand Stores, and LEGOLAND parks, there’s really no sales unless you uses VIP points on it.
Thank you to LEGO for sending in this set for me to review. The content above represents my own opinion and not the company. Review sets sent in does not guarantee a positive review.
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