Minecraft has been a part of the LEGO® ecosystem since 2012. It began life as a LEGO Ideas set, well, technically a CUUSOO set, created by the developer behind the game. It has since become a long-running LEGO theme, as well as inspiring a regular magazine and several books. The next evolution for LEGO Minecraft is sets based on the recently released film, A Minecraft Movie. These new playsets combine aspects of the previous sets but feature minifigures based on the film’s characters. This also means we are treated to the first-ever Jack Black minifigure. But the set offers more than just a cool minifigure, here’s a closer look at Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring ‘A Minecraft Movie’s set.
Product Details
Set Name: Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring | Set Number: 21272 | Pieces: 491 | Theme: Minecraft
Number of Bags: Bags x 4 + loose elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: Sheet x 1 | Minifigures: Steve, Garrett, Henry, a baby zombie & a chicken jockey
RRP: £44.99/$49.99/49.99€/79.99AUD/64.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
In the Minecraft game, a Woodland Mansion is quite a rare structure which appears in the Dark Forest biome. They are some of the game’s largest and most dangerous structures. In the film, it appears they also host fights. From its brief showing in the film’s trailers, it seems to be a place filled with Piglin and other Minecraft villains. The set only features a section of the mansion along with fight ring.
The Fighting Ring is a large square, decorated to match the style of Minecraft’s world. But it also includes the set’s lone play feature. Two long Technic axle rods protrude from each side of the ring. These can be moved around and thanks to the studless floor of the ring, they nearly glide over it. Characters can be attached to the rods and move around to replicate fighting. Along the front are six markers, which can be used to keep score, although these feel a little out of place in a Minecraft set.
Along with the fighting ring, the biggest part of the set is a wall-like structure. This acts as a viewing platform to watch fights and features weaponry and other items. It’s an elaborate weapons rack. This is probably the most Minecraft-like aspect of the set. It features cubic flame torches and other unique Minecraft weapon accessories. It certainly doesn’t offer much in terms of play features.
The set features the Great Hog, which is a buildable character. The Great Hog was introduced in the Minecraft Legends game, which is a story-based spin-off of the main game. He’s the leader of the Piglins and, as the name suggests, has the appearance of a pig-like creature. As part of the Minecraft world, the character has a blocky aesthetic which works well when recreated with LEGO elements. Much of the character’s detail is achieved with bricks but it does include two printed elements for the Great Hog’s eyes.
The Chicken Jockey is the combination of two Minecraft creatures, the case of this set, that’s a baby zombie and a chicken. The chicken is a brick-built character and it’s similar to how chickens have appeared in other LEGO Minecraft sets, but this one has been upscaled to accommodate it’s minifigure rider. The baby zombie is the only minifigure in the set which is similar to standard Minecraft minifigures. So it features the usual cubic head but the print detail is more animated to match the style of the film. The baby zombie also has a slightly more detailed torso, which features rip marks, but it’s largely similar to previous Minecraft zombie minifigures. As it’s a baby, it’s shorter and uses the articulated shorter legs to allow it to be seated in the chicken.
As this set is inspired by A Minecraft Movie, the characters are very different to how they are usually portrayed in LEGO Minecraft sets. Steve is no longer a simple everyman-type character; he’s now Jack Black. Apart from wearing a similar outfit to Steve, this really is just Jack Black in minifigure form and it’s a surprisingly impressive likeness. Jack’s trademark smile is spot-on. Joining Jack’s Steve is Jason Momoa’s character Garrett. A former arcade game champion, which would explain his flamboyant style. This results in another impressive minifigure, which has a great torso and dual expressions. The third minifigure is based on the character of Henry, who is one of the humans to enter Minecraft’s Overworld. He may not be a fun as Garrett and Steve, but it’s still a neat minifigure, and a good recreation of the film’s character.
The LEGO Minecraft theme has had an unexpectedly long life and must continue to be popular if it continues after 12 years. Due to the style of the games, they also offer unique but often similar builds and characters. This particular set does offer some new, thanks to it being based on the films. But it’s the characters which offer it’s biggest appeal. The Jack Black minifigure is quite awesome, even though it’s quite a basic design. But I also like the other characters, including the buildable ones. The rest of the set is fun but not overly exciting. This and The Ghast Balloon Village Attack set are both available now. A Minecraft Movie is now in cinemas.
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