With the earlier LEGO® Super Mario sets almost exhausting ideas from the original platforming games, the theme took to the track earlier this year with sets inspired by Mario Kart. Thanks to over 30 years of games, there’s plenty of wacky race karts to choose from. This set features two new karts inspired by Mario Kart 8, plus two brick-built racers to drive them. Continuing the look at the new LEGO Mario Kart sets, here’s a look at the expertly named Piranha Plant Power-up Pursuit.
Product Details
Set Name: Mario Kart – Piranha Plant Power-Up Pursuit | Set Number: 72044 | Pieces: 588 | Theme: Nintendo
Number of Bags: Bags x 5 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Action Tags: 4 | Characters: Koopa Troopa & Toadette
RRP: £44.99/49.99€/$49.99/79.99AUD/64.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
Thanks to Mario Kart 8’s abundance of content, many of the long-running racing series vehicles were introduced in the game, which is why so many of the LEGO Mario Kart sets feature vehicles from the game. The two karts found in this set were both introduced in DLC packs. Both karts include Action Tags, which will activate Mario Kart-themed mini-games when scanned by one of the three interactive figures.
The Tanooki Kart was first introduced to Mario Kart 8 via the Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart DLC. It is one of those vehicles that has a passing resemblance to a real-world car, so it resembles an open-top 4×4. Despite being named after Mario’s raccoon-themed power-up, the only connection to Tanooki is the orange colouring and a Tanooki leaf symbol on the spare tyre.
The addition of a Piranha Plant on the front of the kart isn’t actually part of the vehicle but represents an in-game power-up. In Mario Kart 8, racers could collect the Piranha Plant Power-up from item boxes. When active, it would place a carnivorous pot plant on the front of the kart, which would then lurch toward rival racers. Here, it’s built as a separate section which fixes to the front of the Tanooki Kart via a Technic axle. The plant is mounted on a basic mechanism connected to the wheels, and when moved, the plant rocks back and forth, similar to its motion in the game. I did find that any sort of vigorous movement could cause the plant to disconnect from its mount. It’s then a little tricky to put it back together without taking apart some of its pot-like base.
The Cat Cruiser is another Mario Kart 8 vehicle introduced in the Legend of Zelda DLC. Its feline theme is inspired by Princess Peach’s cat form from Super Mario 3D World. The coup kart includes tail and cat-like features on the front end of the kart. The LEGO version includes enough space inside the kart to place either a brick-built character or one of the interactive figures. Although inspired by Peach, the kart’s theming is based on Toadette. This is shown by the Toadette logo stickers on the side of the vehicle. It’s not as rounded as the in-game kart is, but the use of sloped bricks and large ¼ curved plates helps to partly recreate its aerodynamic features. It also includes a boot, giving it room to store one of the set’s shell projectiles.
Both of the sets’ buildable characters have previously appeared in at least two previous expansion sets. Toadette is the female variant of Toad. Her build is similar to other Toads’, but apart from the use of pink colours, the only real difference is the addition of two pigtails. The Koopa Troopa turtle is one of the Mario game’s OG enemies and one also in the first Mario Kart game. Its build is exactly the same as other sets, including the character’s Action Tag on its shell.
Neither character has a connection to the karts, but it’s obvious that the pairing of karts and driver is purely to offer the most variety for the LEGO Mario Kart sets. Nintendo’s long-running racing series has evolved a lot since it was introduced in 1992. More recent versions of the series have provided increasingly unique vehicles, and they are perfect to recreate in LEGO form. It’s a shame that one of karts in this set lack the ability to connect a glider, as some of the other sets do, but they are still fun and help to expand the line-up of LEGO karts available across the range.
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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.
