Review: 71424 Donkey Kong's Tree House
Posted by SetToBuild,
Donkey Kong’s tree house is usually the setting at the beginning of your journey in the video game series. The plot often consists of some baddies stealing all of DK’s bananas, therefore you must go on a journey to retrieve them.
However, this tree house is part of the LEGO Super Mario theme and these two champions have a challenging past. Will Mario continue to be a friend as he has been to the other Kongs in this subtheme, or is he the real banana thief?!
Summary
71424 Donkey Kong's Tree House, 555 pieces.
£57.99 / $59.99 / €64.99 | 10.4p/10.8c/11.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
“He’s the leader of the bunch, you know him well. He’s finally back…” to help us play well!
- Excellent figures
- New parts and recolours
- Doesn’t play the DK Rap
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Characters
From the slopes used to illustrate fur and muscles, to the 1x1 corner slope perfectly depicting his iconic hairstyle, the design for the Donkey Kong figure is phenomenal. DK’s construction is made possible by a series of SNOT techniques in his core. I was so impressed by this build experience that I don’t want to spoil it by revealing any details here.
Ball joints and lock hinges are used in conjunction with various types of curved slopes to complete DK’s recognisable posture. Two new 1x4 curved slopes are used for his mouth and we get his red tie as a fabric element. Although DK is able to stand up, his tie doesn’t hang down as the fabric is too stiff. My goal after this review will be to modify DK’s arms, adding elbows for a pose where he can thump his chest.
An inverted 2x2 tile can be removed from Donkey Kong’s back to attach the basket and barcode for your hero figure to sit in. More on that in the play features of this article!
Originally starring as Donkey Kong Senior in the 1981 arcade game, Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong’s grandfather and a wise giver of hints. This is another example of the excellent use of the 1x1 arch piece to show a hunched-over posture. I appreciate that the cane needs to be used in order for Cranky Kong to stand, otherwise, his beard is too heavy and he’ll fall over.
This is my first time encountering the new 1x2 inverted slope, and although I’ve heard of manufacturing constraints being the reason we don’t have an inverted cheese slope, this piece still gives me hope. I wish the figure was able to sit, so his classic rocking chair could have been included.
The Completed Model
The tree house features an open-plan layout, a quiet neighbourhood, panoramic views of Donkey Kong Island, and offers excellent commute times. Wait, sorry, I forgot where this article was going for a moment.
Over the front door, we get a fantastic ‘Kong’ print on a 2x6 tile and a ‘DK’ printed 2x2 tile on the floor. In addition to the palm leaves here in dark green, we also get ten of the same piece in brick yellow (tan). The set includes six 1x4 palisade bricks seen for the first time in olive green. There is a 1x2 palisade brick available in this colour as well, but is only seen in 75357 Ghost & Phantom II.
Along with bananas and a tyre for DK to play with, the interior includes a brick-built CRT television and boombox. It’s great that this set doubles as an educational toy to teach children all about ancient technology. A welcome addition would have been a small video game console or controller placed in front of the TV. Finally, no tree house would be complete without a giant hammock to have a nap on. But you won’t want to sleep on this set as there is still more to discover!
In the instructions, we are told to place a 1x1 flower piece into the crate underneath the floor. I would have thought a much-coveted banana would have been a better item for this purpose. Either this is an extremely deep-cut reference that I don’t understand, or the budget couldn’t stretch for another banana to stash.
Rocking the tall tree causes a bunch of bananas to fall from the top. The bananas can be scanned and either eaten by the hero or gifted to the Kongs. Both options offer coins, but the latter also gives a heart. The tree’s trunk is a 2x4x14 support that is introduced here in reddish-brown.
This new food element is a bit large at minifigure scale, but it is the perfect size for the Kongs to enjoy. The mould is nicely detailed and features some anti-studs for a barcode printed on the new 2x2 inverted round tile. In LEGO naming conventions, a single banana is called ‘BANANA.’ This new element is ‘BANANAS!’ B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Play
The narrative of your Super Mario course could go a couple of ways in this set. Donkey Kong could act as your boss character. However, DK does not hold a barcode to hit allowing you to defeat him, so it appears that your hero is just being a nuisance. There is a platform just behind the floor of the tree house to stomp on and launch Donkey Kong from his home. I found it awkward to situate Donkey Kong in the doorway of the tree house to be launched.
The hero figure can also team up with Donkey Kong by sitting in the basket that attaches to his back. Similar to 71420 Rambi the Rhino, you and DK can stomp around and collect coins. The same crashing and bashing sounds that are heard with Rambi are used here. Additionally, while performing jump motions you can hear DK howling along with the hero’s cheers.
If you fancy a round of Donkey Konga, a set of bongos can be found outside of DK’s home. As a steady beat begins to play, you can let loose with three different drumming sounds depending on which tile you hit. It’s a clever way to include some creativity into the play feature instead of it being random sounds. However, I’m disappointed that this set doesn’t feature the “DK Rap”. This song was written by the Scottish composer Grant Kirkhope, who also voiced Donkey Kong in many of the games!
Conclusion
For the size of the tree house, the outstanding figures, printed tiles, and additional details, I believe the RRP is reasonable. Compared to the other sets in the theme, this one is the easiest to pick up based on the characters alone.
The tree house feels empty, but it has to be to accommodate Donkey Kong while also having room for activities. It’s not as empty as some IP sets out there. (I’m looking at you, 75334 Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader!)
Friendly rivalries aside, this set was a great way to feature the main character of the series. Your hero figure could engage in battle, or just hang out and play the bongos. Plus the printed tiles, new parts, and recoloured parts are good reasons to pick up this set either as an intriguing display piece, or an expansion to your LEGO Super Mario course.
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26 comments on this article
"It’s great that this set doubles as an educational toy to teach children all about ancient technology."
I nearly spat out my drink.
Lego should have made DKK an electronic playable character, complete with downloadable interactions with the others.
I have zero interest in the Super Mario LEGO theme, but this set I might actually get. Great balance of play, display and compatibility with the theme.
@oukexergon said:
"Lego should have made DKK an electronic playable character, complete with downloadable interactions with the others."
It probably would've been more challenging to make DK fully compatible like the others (being able to wear the same overalls, etc.) I like this brick-built DK more than if they'd had to "compress" DK into a form that worked the same as the human characters.
I don't have any of the Mario, Luigi or Peach figures to use for the game but I had to get this set just for Donkey Kong. Anyone looking for a real nostalgia boost, make it while playing the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack from Youtube. In my head, it was Christmas 1994 again!
I am SO HAPPY they made DK non electronic figure.
This made this set not only good priced, but also DK dont have dead eyes <3
This set actually is huge, it always looked small on reviews, but then I got it and was blown by it.
@oukexergon said:
"Lego should have made DKK an electronic playable character, complete with downloadable interactions with the others."
The DK rap!!!!
That is a fantastic looking DK!
"A welcome addition would have been a small video game console or controller placed in front of the TV. " No, that's what Pokémon games do, not Super Mario ones.
@JavaBrix said:
"
"It’s great that this set doubles as an educational toy to teach children all about ancient technology."
I nearly spat out my drink."
HA! Sorry about that! ;D
Love the humor in this review! Thanks for showing off the set :)
@Ridgeheart said:
"Neat, it's Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr."
Trying to explain the DK family tree gets hairy real quick, so I stuck with what I know! hahaha
@Lyichir said:
" @oukexergon said:
"Lego should have made DKK an electronic playable character, complete with downloadable interactions with the others."
It probably would've been more challenging to make DK fully compatible like the others (being able to wear the same overalls, etc.) I like this brick-built DK more than if they'd had to "compress" DK into a form that worked the same as the human characters."
Especially since it gives us the probably-unintentional wordplay of DK figuratively piggybacking on the electronic Mario to become playable via Mario literally piggybacking on DK.
Bought this the other day as it was on clearance for AU$55 here. Mainly for DK. It’s the only SM set I’ve wanted.
Another great review. These are always fun to read :)
Nice one. Good to read about new parts and re-colours. Thanks for the cool review.
MARIO: We're not leavin'... without YOUR ARMY!
CRANKY KONG: (beat, laughs) Who is this guy? Oh, he makes me laugh! (laughs) All right, tough guy... You want my army so badly? Defeat my son, in the Great Ring of Kong!
MARIO: You, sir, have a deal. I'll fight your son and WIN!
CRANKY KONG: I'm sure you will. (laughs)
The set has bananas, but what about walnuts, peanuts, pineapples, grapes, melons, oranges, and coconut shells?
Great review! As always, your writing and photos are both informative and hilarious. I can't wait to get this set eventually!
@Walnut_Candle said:
"The set has bananas, but what about walnuts, peanuts, pineapples, grapes, melons, oranges, and coconut shells?"
Ahem, you mean pineapple SMELLS. ;-)
Doesn't play the DK Rap? We don't even have the full DK Crew yet! And then there's Chunky, he's dead...
@TheBrickPal said:
"Great review! As always, your writing and photos are both informative and hilarious. I can't wait to get this set eventually!
@Walnut_Candle said:
"The set has bananas, but what about walnuts, peanuts, pineapples, grapes, melons, oranges, and coconut shells?"
Ahem, you mean pineapple SMELLS. ;-)"
I guess maybe they are in the set then, we just can’t see them, as they are just smells.
Nice set, however it is a shame that DK, the leader of the bunch, does not include his coconut gun that fires in spurts.
Fun piece of lore: If he shoots ya, it's gonna hurt
He's bigger, faster, and stronger, too.
As someone wrote: I have zero instrest in SuperMario theme, but I actually got this set when it was 40% discounted. It's a great set for parts!
You're entitled to your opinion. Mmm, pineapple...
@GoldenNinja3000 said:
"Love the humor in this review! Thanks for showing off the set :)"
Thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)