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It’s a time for another top 5 Lego set list, and it brings me great pleasure to be scouring the many Mario themed lego sets for my favourites.
First released in 1985, Mario has transitioned through the years into new consoles, formats and franchises to become one of the most famous names in gaming. Even after 35 years, Mario can be found in cinemas and now, in Lego!
As a huge fan of the Mario franchise, I couldn’t resist getting my hands on the Mario Lego sets, and over the years I’ve managed to collect most of them. In this top 5 list I’ll be presenting my five favourite sets from the Mario series and exploring what makes them so damn good.
So, without further ado, let’s a go!
1. The Mighty Bowser
Set Number: 71411
Pieces: 2,807
First up is one of the most impressive sets in the range and it goes without saying that ‘mighty’ is an understatement with this model. Bowser is by far the heaviest Mario themed set and definitely one of the biggest. Towering over the stand beneath him, Bowser comes packed full of hidden joints, projectiles and secrets that are built into the model as you go.
My favourite part by far has to be the moving jaw that opens to reveal a flame projectile inside Bowser's mouth. But, there’s more. With a simple push of a hidden button on the side of the jaw, the projectile flies out of his mouth in search of an unsuspecting hero.
And did I mention its size? The sheer scale and robustness of this model is one of the things that makes it so amazing. It makes it feel worth the money you spend on it, and it looks just as formidable as Bowser does in the video game. Stomping in at over £200, it’s heavy on the wallet. That being said, it’s definitely worth every penny, and looks astounding as a display piece in my living room.
2. Adventures With Mario
Set number: 71360
Pieces: 231
On a much, much smaller scale, we have the adventures of Mario and friends brought to life in colourful lego form. Taken straight out of the Super Mario video game, this
adventure starter kit is the perfect way to start building the greatest modular obstacle course the world has seen!
In this box set, you’ll find everything you need to start building your course. An interactive Mario figure and enough bags of lego to build the entire starter course.
Unfortunately, all of the instructions you’ll need to build this kit can be found online or on the interactive Mario Lego app. And although this saves on a lot of weight and space in the box, it does mean that you’ll have to have an internet connection and a tablet, phone or laptop to be able to build this kit as it was designed.
That being said, once this kit has been built and Mario his bouncing his way round the course, it makes all the effort of building worthwhile. Especially with all the interactive parts of sound effects along the way.
3. Lava Ride Expansion Set
Set number: 71416
Pieces: 218
Once you’ve mastered the starter courses, the only way to go is up, and then down again, before going up once more. In the lava wave ride expansion kit, your chosen character can try their hand at surviving this rollercoaster style obstacle before taking on the goomba guarding your way out.
My favourite part of this by far is the track on the main platform. It sits on a rolling base which allows it to sway from side to side and throw the characters around as they try to maintain balance. Out of all of the expansions for this series, this is by far the most interactive and fun to watch.
4. Super Mario Nintendo Entertainment System
Set number: 71374
Pieces: 2646
This is by far one of the most amazing kits I’ve seen lego create, and there's so many reasons why. Ultimately, this kit pays homage to the NES console, coincidentally the first console I ever had. Which was the main reason that I had to pick up this kit when it first came out.
It comes with a satisfying amount of bags of pieces and is a great kit to build bag by bag if you have the patience to do so. All of the pieces included go towards building both a TV and a Console, which each have their secrets hidden inside. Let me explain…
Starting with the console, the flap at the front opens just like the real console does and allows you to insert the game cartridge that you built. This part also comes with controllers and video inputs at the back for vintage accuracy.
Moving onto the TV, there’s one feature that blew me away when I first heard about it, and blew me away a second time once i’d finished building it and saw it in action. The center of the TV is built like a conveyor belt, and a course from the original Mario game scrolls across the font of the screen as you turn the crank. What’s more is that the small mario figure bounces his way across the course as it turns, thanks to a mechanism inside. Mind blowing!
And to top it all off. If you place the Mario figure from the adventure sets on top of the TV, Mario begins to make different sounds depending on which part of the course is scrolling by at the front of the screen. All three features combine together to make this one hell of a kit that everyone needs in their collections.
5. Creativity Toolbox Maker Set
Set number: 71418the m
Pieces: 588
So, once you’ve collected all of the course expansions, where do you go from there? The answer is, design your own courses! With the Toolbox Maker set, you have a wide variety of unique Mario themed pieces to use to make your own unique obstacles and courses.
It comes packed full of unique characters, fruits to collect, and grass, desert, and lava areas to explore. And to make it even more exciting, all of these pieces are compatible with the other kits, so you can use your new pieces to ramp up the challenge for Mario and score big!
So, there we have it! Five incredible Mario themed kits that really go to show just how creative the geniuses at Lego are. But now you know my favourite in the series, I’d love to know which one is yours! You can let us know by tagging us on any social media using the @zatugames tag. You can even tag us in your Mario lego pictures to show off what you’ve made!
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you in the next list!