As the new LEGO® Mario Kart set speeds onto sale today, it’s joined by a unique Insiders reward inspired by an iconic in-game weapon. Introduced in Mario Kart 64, the Spiny Shell is a blue Koopa-like shell which can home in on the leader of a race in Nintendo’s popular karting series. They are more powerful variants of the red shell weapons, which can be fired at the nearest racer. The function and appearance of the Spiny Shell have remained largely the same, although it gained wings in Double Dash and lost them again in Mario Kart 7. The LEGO version is inspired by the original look of the Spiny Shell. Here’s a closer look at this newly released Insiders reward.
Promotion Details
Free Set: 40787: Mario Kart – Spiny Shell | Pieces: 234 | Spend Limit: 2500 Insiders points | Duration: From May 15th | Availability: Online only
The build of the shell is quite interesting, due to the shell’s unique shape, it’s made from three different sections, which are then pieced together. The brick yellow section of the shell acts as the base of the build and features black round tiles to represent where the arms, legs, head and tail of the shell’s wearer would normally be found. The rest of the shell is a little more complex and is built in a similar way to the buildable Bowser set. So, tube elements are used to create the white edging of the shell. Then, several sections of blue elements are used to create the iconic top of the shell, which are then topped with white cone elements. Despite the unusual method of how these pieces are connected, it’s a stable build and perfectly captures the appearance of the in-game weapon.
As mentioned, the set is the perfect companion to the new 18+ Mario Kart, it’s around a similar scale to how the item would appear in comparison to the karts in the game. It’s because of this that the set should have been a GWP item you got when purchasing the Mario & Standard Kart set and not an Insiders reward. Although I suppose it gives people the option to own the set without having to buy an expensive set to get it. The LEGO Mario Kart – Spiny Shell is available now for 2500 Insiders loyalty points. The LEGO Mario Kart – Mario & Standard Kart set is available now.
The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Nintendo. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
