Thanks to Mario Kart 8, the variety and amount of vehicles driven by Mario and friends have greatly expanded. As well as the usual karts, it’s added ATVs, motorbikes and car-like karts. One such kart, which could easily pass as a sports car, is the P-Wing. Not to be confused with the power-up of the same name. The set, which is the focus of this review, is a rare kart LEGO® Mario Kart set and brings Shy Guy to the racetrack. Start your engines and take a closer look at set 72045: Shy Guy & P-Wing.
Product Details
Set Name: Mario Kart – Shy Guy & P-Wing | Set Number: 72045 | Pieces: 249 | Theme: Nintendo
Number of Bags: Bags x 3 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Action Tags: 2 | Characters: Shy Guy
RRP: £17.99/19.99€/$19.99/29.99AUD/24.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online from August 1st
The P-Wing kart first appeared in Mario Kart 8 before returning in Mario Kart Tour. As mentioned, this has a more realistic world appearance compared to some of the other vehicles found in the long-running racing series. Thanks to the ability to switch wheels and add a glider, it works within the world of the Mario Kart series.
Amazingly, this is only the second set to feature a red Shy Guy. The mask-wearing character feels like it’s been in more sets. There have been a couple of variant colours, but red is the classic version of the character, similar to Toad. The build of Shy Guy is the same as past versions, with a large round printed tile for his mask and an Action Tag on its back.
The P-Wing kart could almost pass for a LEGO City or Speed Champions car, but its connection to Mario Kart comes in the form of a Shy Guy logo on the car’s bonnet and the ability to add iconic weapons to it. These include both a green and red shell plus a banana skin. It also includes an Action Tag in the driver’s seat. This features a slidable panel hidden in the front of the car. Depending on whether this is in place, it either shows the Action Tag along with enough room to place an interactive figure or creates a small area for the Shy Guy to sit.
The P-Wing also includes a glider, which is oddly brick-built, whereas previous ones were created from a unique plastic film sheet. I can understand why, as the style of glider is suited for being brick-built. However, this does make the set look at odds with the other style of gliders.
The P-Wing is not the most exciting of Mario Kart vehicles, nor is its driver, Shy Guy, but it is nice to see the Mario Kart sets offer variety. I especially like that the P-Wing can accommodate both brick-built racers and the interactive figures. The glider does look odd against the material type ones from other sets, but its design does make sense. Set 72045: Mario Kart – Shy Guy & P-Wing launches on August 1st and can be pre-ordered now.
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This set was provided to BricksFanz by the LEGO Group for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Nintendo. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
