The running theme of the new LEGO® Super Mario sets is the new poison swamp biome, which introduces a selection of purple elements to the brick-built world of the Mushroom Kingdom and the wider world of Mario. One of the smallest of the new 2021 Expansion Packs is Chain Chomp Jungle Encounter, which introduced two more foes for LEGO Mario to take down – one a classic enemy and the other a little more recent. So let’s crack on with another LEGO Super Mario 2021 set reviews and take a look at the Chain Chomp Jungle Expansion Pack.
Product Description
Builders can add a challenging Soda Jungle level to the LEGO® Super Mario™ universe with this Chain Chomp Jungle Encounter Expansion Set (71381). A brilliant gift toy for trend-setting kids, it features Bramball and Chain Chomp figures for LEGO® Mario™ (figure not included) to defeat, a jumping platform to knock the Chain Chomp out of the way, and a Coin Block that offers players extra digital coin rewards. (Note: the 71360 Starter Course set is needed for interactive play.)
- Set Name: Chain Chomp Jungle Expansion Set
- Set Number: 71381
- Pieces: 160
- RRP: £19.99/$19.99/19.99€
- Action Bricks: Bramball, Chain Chomp & Coin Block
- Availability: January 1st, 2021
The Set
As the smallest of the new Expansion Packs, it’s obviously not a massively complex or expansive set. The main aspect of the build is a see-saw-style platform, upon which a Chain Chomp is tethered. This section features most of the building element of the set. But it starts with the simple creation of the Brambell. The plant-based foe, which was introduced in the New Super Mario Bros. series of games and up to this point hasn’t appeared beyond the Wii and Wii U games. The basis of the Brambell is a ball, with two vine-like legs. The LEGO version is similar in appearance, just a little more blocky, which is in keeping with the aesthetic style of the LEGO Super Mario theme. The spikey vines are similar to the vines used in the Friends jungle subtheme, with thorns in place of leaves. The way they are connected to the body of the Bramball and the purple plate does a nice job of capturing the appearance of the in-game version.
The bulk of the build goes into the play feature of the expansion set, which is a sort of two-step catapult/see-saw. The motion is intended to first knock the Chain Chomp back, before the second hit of the platform, should loosen its chain and uncover a hidden coin block. Now that is a big should, as I didn’t get it to work in the way intended no matter how hard I slammed LEGO Mario onto the platform. That’s not to say, it doesn’t work at all, but I can see kids getting a little frustrated with it. Although most of the characters in the LEGO Super Mario are more cubic than their in-game counterparts, the Chain Chomp is best known as a huge, snapping ball. This doesn’t translate as well as some of the other characters, in LEGO form.
Action Bricks
The set features three Action Bricks, with one on top of the Brambell, another hidden beneath the chain of the Chain Chomp, on a Coin Block. The final one is on the undercarriage of the Chain Chomp and is the most tricky to naturally uncover, although I like it activates the famous Chain Chomp bark, you’ll notice it doesn’t do much beyond the bark and startling LEGO Mario. Well, in the games the Chain Chomp can’t be beaten head-on by Mario, which is also the case for LEGO Mario. However, grabbing a power-up such as the Super Star will allow you to take out the Chain Chomp and get some coins. LEGO Mario can recognise each plate to gain coins and these can be integrated with previous sets to let you gain a better score and expand your LEGO Super Mario play experience.
Overall
It’s a little bit of a disappointing set, in part due to the difficulties in trying to loosen the Chain Chomp from its moorings using the power of LEGO Mario’s stomp jump. The idea is good, it’s execution is just a little off, maybe a shorter Technic axel rod would have made it slightly easier to loosen the Chain Chomp from its tree-based realm. Still, it’s nice to expand the gang of foes for LEGO Mario to take on and once integrated into a larger play level, this will certainly look rather nice. You’ll notice that the Chain Chomp seemingly dislodged quite easily in the video above, this is because I didn’t fully insert the pin section of the Chain Chomp into the red section of the red, this was purely for the purposes of the video.
Please note the LEGO Mario interactive figure is not included with this set. It can be found in the LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Set.
Coming January 1st: UKIrelandUSCanadaGermanyDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
This set was provided to BricksFanz.com by the LEGO Group for purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
3rd January 2021
What’s supposed to happen when you scan the barcode on the head? Mario just shows me an exclamation mark.
3rd January 2021
That’s all that happens, you should hear a bark noise as well. Because the Chain Chomp is a powerful enemy in the games, Mario can’t defeat it without a power-up. Which isn’t available in this set, so hit a Star Block (from another set) first then the Chain Chomp, for loads of coins.