The finish line is in sight, and it’s time to take a look at the last of the recently released LEGO® Mario Kart sets. Bowser’s fortified homes have been a feature of the Mario series since the very first game. They have also been the inspiration for several Mario Kart tracks, with racers often speeding through one of Bower’s castles and grounds. Now the location has inspired one of the largest LEGO Mario Karts to date. Along with two new karts, the set also includes buildable characters and a large, detailed piece of castle-inspired track scenery. Here’s a look at the LEGO Mario Kart Bowser’s Castle set.
Product Details
Set Name: Mario Kart – Bowser’s Castle | Set Number: 72039 | Pieces: 1068 | Theme: Nintendo
Number of Bags: Bags x 10| Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Action Tags: 4 | Characters: Yoshi, a Thwomp & a Lava Bubble
RRP: £89.99/99.99€/$99.99/79.99AUD/129.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
Several Bowser’s Castle tracks have featured in different Mario Kart instalments. The tracks are known for their challenging layouts, often including obstacles like lava, Thwomps, and other deadly traps. These are all incorporated into the expansion set, which includes the largest piece of trackside decoration. In LEGO form, Bowser’s Castle is represented by a gateway and two adjustable walls. The wall sections are clipped to the sides of the larger gateway and can be moved to flank the larger structure or pushed inwards to create a corridor. Both walls include collapsible pieces, which are held in place by 1×4 2 stud plates or, in the case of the gate panels, a pair of clips. The left wall panels also include an iconic feature of Bower’s Castle – spinning blades of fire. This simple play feature consists of a set of four transparent orange minifigure heads mounted on a spinnable wheel. It has limited interaction with the other parts of the set, but it’s such a well-known aspect of Bower’s castles and racetracks that it had to be included.
The gateway is a far bigger structure compared to the wall panels. In true Bowser fashion, it’s built with the King of the Koopa’s signature style. This includes a lot of grey bricks, spiky detailing, plenty of Bowser insignias and some traps. Although it’s a gateway, it lacks gates, instead replacing them with a pair of removable flame panels, and the set’s key play feature is a droppable Thwomp. The angry, spiky blocks are often found descending from above in most Mario games. To recreate this motion, a Thwomp block is mounted on a pair of long chains, which are mounted in the upper section of the gateway. A simple, but surprisingly fiddly mechanism allows it to be raised and locked in place, before dropping by knocking a small lever. It’s a fun way to represent how the enemy obstacles function in the game. A second play feature is a little simpler and includes a lava bubble sprite, which can be launched from the right-hand side of the gateway.
Although the focus of this particular set, the karts are an important part of the Mario Kart range. Two more karts can be found in this set, expanding the LEGO offering further. As with most of the vehicles found across the LEGO Mario Kart range, they debuted in Mario Kart 8. Bowser’s ride is a standard ATV. Although not inspired by its rider, this kart does include Bowser’s logos, as it would in the game. It’s been given chunky wheels which fit better for its larger rider. The use of Technic tube pieces for the ATV’s bumpers looks great, and it also includes a clip for a glider, meaning it can be customised with elements from other sets.
The second kart is Mach 8, which resembles the body of a vintage fighter jet or early race car. The long body racer is driven by Yoshi. Although its blue, yellow and white colour scheme doesn’t reflect its driver, it does include Yoshi’s egg logo. It also features one of the few kart Action Tags, which relate to the associated character. Scan it with one of the interactive figures, and Yoshi’s delightful cheeps can be heard.
Both brick-built characters have previously appeared in Mario sets, and their build is exactly the same as those versions. Bowser is a chunky character, but he nearly fits into the ATV kart. Although it may be difficult to fit him into some of the other LEGO Mario Kart vehicles. Yoshi is also the same as other versions, although the dinosaur’s white chest foregoes the newer 2×2 flat tile with a curve for a 1×2 tile and a 1×2 half-round plate.
Bowser’s castles have always resulted in some fun LEGO Mario sets, and this is no different. The castle gateway is one of the few pieces of scenery found in the Mario Kart sets, and it can quite easily be combined with some of the smaller trackside accessory sets or even other Bowser-themed builds. The two karts might not be the most exciting, but it’s nice to have another pair of unique vehicles to join the rest of the ever-growing line-up. One thing about the set I did find disappointing was its lack of Action Tags. For a larger scale set it only includes 4 scannable plates.
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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.
