I’m not sure if it’s been dictated by Nintendo or simply a design choice by the LEGO® Super Mario Design Team but quite a few of the LEGO Super Mario Expansion Sets are inspired by the more recent Mario games. Obviously, there are enemies and locations which have appeared in the games since the very beginning but newer titles from the Wii, Wii U and Switch have acted as a major source for many of the LEGO sets. That’s the case with the Expansion Set, which is also the smallest of the upcoming new 2023 sets inspired by Nintendo’s most iconic gaming series. But what exactly is a Conkdor? Here’s a look at the LEGO Super Mario Conkdor’s Noggin Bopper Expansion Set.
Conkdor’s Noggin Bopper
Set Name: Conkdor’s Noggin Bopper | Set Number: 71414 | Pieces: 130 | Theme: Super Mario | Action Bricks: 1 |RRP: £12.99/$14.99/14.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 3 (plastic) | Instructions: LEGO Super Mario App | Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & General Retail From January 1st, 2023
Conkdor is a bird-like enemy first introduced in the Wii-U title Super Mario 3D World. Their appearance is a composite of birds, with a long neck similar to the flamingo, a Toucan-like beak and the body of a condor, hence the name. The conk comes from its in-game attack, where the Conkdor would slam its beak on the ground if a player gets too close. To make it feel more like a Mario foe, it also wears a pink shell and cool shades.
The LEGO version of Conkdor manages to capture the appearance really well, with a pink Koopa Troopa shell used to create its own shell. It’s quite a simple build but is bigger than I expected it to be. The biggest appeal of the Mario sets is how they can expand the playability of a buildable course and recreate the actions from the games. Conkdor does an excellent job of featuring the ability of the game character, with two flip plates found on the set’s connector plate base. One is near the feet of the Conkdor and when hit, it causes the bird the drop forward. It falls onto another plate which can also be hit to fling the bird back upright.
Although the in-game motion is perfectly recreated, it offers little else. There’s a lone Action Tag on the back of Conkdor’s head, scanning it with any of the interactive figures gives you a few coins. If nothing else the set has an amazing name.
Overall
It’s a very small set compared to many of the other Mario sets and it doesn’t really add much in terms of gameplay. The lone Action Tag simply bestows some coins when scanned. But it is an interesting-looking build and one which once again does a decent job of recreating the actions of the same element from the games. I’m a fan of Mario but the Wii U era of Mario games wasn’t the most exciting for me and therefore many of these characters aren’t as appealing. I guess it’s nice to have a few cheaper sets in the range.
Coming Soon: UKIrelandUSCanadaGermanyDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
This set was provided to BricksFanz by the LEGO Group for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
