Review: 72046 Game Boy
Posted by SetToBuild,
Yet again, the partnership between LEGO and Nintendo proves to be the perfect educational toy for teaching everyone about ancient technology. Since 1989, ‘Game Boy’ has been a household name, entertaining generations. The real ones know the hardships of lugging around extra batteries so you have enough juice to beat the final boss, or by making sure the lighting conditions paired with the perfect contrast are just right to see all the action. This one goes out to all the kids who huddled under a blanket with a torch just to play ‘one more level’ before bed.
This model is personally significant to me, as it likely is to many readers, and evidently was to the designers as well. The Game Boy was my introduction to a lifelong love of video games and Nintendo. In childhood, a family friend from Japan brought me a Game Boy from overseas and would occasionally send more games. Because of this, I had played Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening in Japanese for about six years before getting the DX version in English on Game Boy Colour in 1999. Not knowing the language, and with a bit of patience, I still prevailed!
SetToBuild lore aside, let’s get into it.
Summary
72046 Game Boy, 421 pieces.
£54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 | 13.1p/14.2c/14.2c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A wonderful love letter to the early days of gaming
- Amazing accuracy
- Mostly printed elements
- Tactile buttons
- No lights or sounds
- Screen scratched
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box and Contents
This would have been a great chance to break out of the black box mould that LEGO has established for 18+ sets, and to mimic some of the original boxes' 80s goodness. The US version of the DMG (Dot Matrix Game) Game Boy ‘Tetris Edition’ box had at least eight variants, and the console-only packaging was even more colourful. Sadly, although a hint of these colours has found its way to the background, the box is still mostly black. This does at least make the model stand out.
Despite the love and care that has clearly gone into the set design, a careless mistake found its way onto the back of the box—the Zelda Game Pak is incorrectly assembled! The tile on the top should be half a stud to the left, as it is on the correctly-built Super Mario Land one. I wonder if this will be remedied in later production runs.
Inside the box are five paper bags, instructions, a sticker sheet for Game Pak labels, and a plastic bag of supplementary parts and lenticular panels. I was nervous to see that the window pane for the screen wasn’t in its own bag. Sadly, mine did incur some imperfections in transit. The window to our childhood really ought to be packaged separately to avoid damage!
The instruction booklet cover has a white background and features the LEGO Game Boy on the front, and the real one on the back. The introductory pages mimic the 80s box art that I wish was on the outer packaging; for example, this page references ‘The Basic Set’ console-only box art, but has been cleverly customised to list the details of the LEGO set instead. You can also look forward to some fun cutaway build images, revealing the attention to detail on the device’s innards.
The stickers appear to be exactly the same size as the real Game Boy Game Pak labels. This is one circumstance that the sticker-haters can’t argue inaccuracy—a printed tile would be less true to the original game cartridges, albeit you didn’t have to apply the stickers to those yourself!
The set contains three lenticular images on stiff plastic backing that can be swapped out behind the screen of the model. The greenish backdrop colour is pretty spot on from the right angle, but the definition of the black areas is a bit higher than the real thing.
The first image is what you see when you turn on the Game Boy. (However, on the actual Game Boy, if a Game Pak isn’t detected, ‘Nintendo’ is replaced with a black box.) Annoyingly, in the final frame of the lenticular, when ‘Nintendo’ hits the centre of the screen, a ghost of the logo appears again at the top. You can also see this well in the main image of this article.
The second is level 1-1 of ‘Super Mario Land’, where Mario is hitting a question mark block to get a star power-up. The time index changes between the frames of the lenticular, which is a lovely touch.
The third is an odd choice of scene for ‘The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening’. Instead of showing the usual top-down gameplay from Mabe village or a dungeon, the scene depicted is a cutscene with Marin on the beaches of Toronbo Bay. Hint: Scenes that share this similar interruption to the standard gameplay are part of a series of unique interactions you can have while travelling together around Koholint Island.
“Tarin says there is nothing beyond the sea, but I believe there must be something over there...”
—Marin, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Game Paks
‘Game Pak’ is the brand name used outside Japan for game cartridges designed by Nintendo for the Game Boy and other early consoles.
Super Mario Land
This is the moment that I fell nerdily in love with this set. The depiction of the PCB (printed circuit board) inside each game is impressively authentic. Super Mario Land’s internal PCB is smaller as it has fewer features due to the game only being 12 levels long. There is just a 2x3 black plate for the ROM chip, and 1x2 plate for the ‘mapper’ chip, but no RAM chip to save your progress, since it was meant to be played in one sitting.
Both cartridges included in this set feature North American label art. Neither one seems to be altered significantly, just made clearer and with a slightly different margin. The colour quality and image clarity are excellent, and in fact, the contrast on the title text has been improved in the LEGO version.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
As one of my favourite games of all time, the inclusion of Link’s Awakening in the set is more than welcome. Since this game is much longer than Super Mario Land, the PCB is bigger and takes up the entire inner cavity to host more components. This is because in addition to the 2x3 ROM and 1x2 ‘mapper’ chips, this Game Pak also contains a tiny 1x1 ‘supervisor’ chip and a RAM chip to save game progress. This requires a battery to keep the RAM powered when not in use. This battery print has been around for a while, since its appearance in 21311 Voltron.
I don’t have an English copy of Link's Awakening, so the DX version will have to do here for a comparison of the stickers.
The Animal Crossing LEGO sets got alternative box art in Japan with ‘Doubutsu no Mori’ branding and Japanese villager names. Sadly, this Game Boy doesn’t currently have region-specific releases in that way, so we don’t get the superior Japanese Game Pak label art for Link’s Awakening, like my copy has.
When this set was announced, gamers everywhere shouted “Where’s Tetris?!” angrily. One simple answer could be that while this wildly popular game was available on the Game Boy in 1989, and often bundled with the system, it is not a Nintendo intellectual property. I expect that either through Nintendo’s choice or a licensing issue, the titles included here are restricted to only Nintendo exclusives. Tetris is now licensed by a company co-founded by its original creator, Alexey Pajitnov.
Build Experience and Construction
Even before I started building, the array of printed elements gave me nostalgic chills—they excellently replicate the essential details of the console and Game Pak outer shells. As you’ll see later, however, printing doesn’t completely overcome all the potential risks of misplaced or misaligned stickers.
The serial number on the new 6x8 tile refers to the console's Japanese release date, April 21st 1989. 421 is also the number of pieces in the set. I bet that was a fun challenge!
After building a stand for the lenticular slides and the first Game Pak, the first couple of bags contain parts for the rear of the console, including the battery cover and subtle internal references to the green PCB. The curve of the back right-hand corner of the console is seamlessly formed with the recent 2x2 curved corner slope—first released with another gaming-related set earlier this year. Next to this, a slight gap remains, since the half-round tile with stud to support the quarter-round tile of the battery cover was prioritised; however, the gap is much less noticeable in person.
This awesome little configuration sits upside down just to cover up this hole while leaving space inside for the Game Paks to be inserted. Embrace the power of brackets!
There is more perfect brick maths at work to support a panel forming this opening for a rotating dial. One on each side of the build is held on by a D-snot and an espresso plate, inserted into the underside of a 1x4 rounded plate.
Bag 3 takes us from the back and internals to the first aspects of the front of the console. On top of the PCB, the D-pad is barely connected—the entire assembly is floating and contains a Technic rubber damper to act as the membrane under the button.
Tiles are later applied over each of the four exposed edges of the light aqua 2x2 round jumper plate to prevent it from falling out, while allowing feedback when pressing on the D-pad. This feels so incredibly authentic that I could perform a Hadouken with no problems.
The ‘start’ and ‘select’ button assembly uses double-wide cheese slopes under the printed double-length cheese slopes to lift the buttons slightly up into the perfect position. Nothing is inserted through the tyres’ centres; there is just enough grip on them that they don’t fall out if the Game Boy is tilted forward.
The tactile response of pushing these buttons leaves a slightly uncomfortable “Did it actually press properly?” feeling that I’ve experienced on some consoles before, where the buttons didn’t fully bottom out or click to confirm that you’d successfully pressed them. This actually doesn’t match my real Game Boy, which has much lighter buttons with a satisfying actuation point, but it is still a brilliant representation in LEGO form.
The magenta ‘A’ and ‘B’ buttons are a recolour of the Kufi hat mould used originally for Kingsley Shacklebolt. This usage reminds me of the paper hat element which formed the eyes in 77092 Great Deku Tree. Annoyingly, there is a mould mark on the top of these that has seemingly been omitted from the box imagery, either because it’s a render or they’ve been erased—that’s cheating!
The buttons are held in place within a gear block for the worm gear. A four-plate high nub lifts the buttons out just the right distance, and a saucer on the back locks the assembly into the gear block. There is a little play in this construction due to that height, which is necessary for the final flourish.
To get just the right resistance when this button assembly is pressed, a rubber band is suspended between three clip elements. The neck of each clip holds the elastic close to the surface of the bricks where the saucers protrude, achieving an astonishingly accurate sensation when pushing these buttons.
“Hey, man! When you want to save just push all the Buttons at once! Uhh… Don't ask me what that means, I'm just a kid!”
—Just a Kid, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
A new 4x4 curved slope with a rounded corner (7435) has potentially been created exclusively for this corner shaping, and features a printed representation of the speaker grooves and holes.
Nowadays, there’s no shortage of similarly-curved pieces to satisfyingly build up the corner form under this new part. Another ‘bar-into-plate-with-hole’ type of connection is used here for stud reversal of this area. Without counting how many different ways the two halves of the console are connected back-to-back, I wonder if the designers set themselves a challenge to use every possible technique they could think of for this?! Show-offs!
Bag 4 finishes off the Game Boy with the screen and its surround at the top of the build. Several blemishes were present on the window element in this set, which I’m used to seeing on an actual Game Boy. We were trained to see past the imperfections to the excitement of the action behind!
Early on in the build, we left this space for the contrast adjustment dial, but adding the dial itself is one of the very last steps. This time, the gear is held on quite conventionally by a narrow pin axle, in turn sandwiched between the outer casing and the screen surround. If this is a recoloured small 12-tooth bevel gear as it appears to be, the last time it was in black was in two Spybotics sets in 2002. The packaging for those sets had some pretty Game Boy-esque vibes!
We’ve seen a few modern curved pieces in this set, and another satisfying combination is formed by the nested inverted curved slope and curved brick for a smooth edge to the screen. The ‘EXT. CONNECTOR’ port doesn’t open up easily on the LEGO version, and we sadly aren’t provided with a LEGO cable to connect a LEGO Game Boy Printer or other fun accessories.
Bag 5 contains just the stand for the Game Boy itself and the Legend of Zelda game Pak. It’s slightly taller than the Game Pak stand on the right.
A small number of extra pieces shows the surprising lack of tiny parts in this build, with efficient repetition of the ones that are here, and far more slightly larger components that don’t warrant spares.
Completed Model
The model doesn’t stand up to too much fiddling around, as although well-built, it relies on many single-stud or otherwise limited connections. A few parts start to loosen with enough movement. The screen assembly is not too firmly supported at the top, so it can easily push inwards, especially when there is no Game Pak in place. At the top of this assembly is my least favourite part of the model: the “dot matrix with stereo sound” print is slightly off on the ‘sound’ side, causing a misalignment of the horizontal line.
Dimensions-wise, the LEGO Game Boy is amazingly close to the real thing. Between the scaling of the printed details to the brick-based measurements of the casing components, it’s incredibly accurate. Some of this is down to the designers’ skill, but others must be luck—I would suggest it’s very fortunate that a 3x3 cross plate matched the D-pad so well!
The battery cover has the tactile ridges in the right place and even includes a printed representation of the release lever. Somehow, I keep wanting to slide a nail under this, but there isn’t enough space behind to have made this a physical groove. The Game Pak slot, serial number and rear/side ports all align very well with the real thing’s dimensions.
Even the thickness feels very close, although I haven’t whipped out the digital callipers to check!
Upon the set's reveal, I saw a comment saying that the designers should have used tan bricks instead of light bluish grey. My friend, your beloved Game Boy is experiencing photo-oxidative degradation from exposure to UV rays! Wow, that middle one has seen some better days.
The LEGO version feels a little strange to hold, perhaps since it’s so much lighter than the real thing with its heavy batteries inside. The feedback on the buttons feels great, however.
The stand provided for the Game Boy uses the headphone jack pin hole for a positive connection between the console and stand. Reversing the lenticular doesn’t look too bad either, to represent the deactivated state. It’s just missing that eerie yellowish-green hue of a switched-off Game Boy screen.
A lever behind the screen holds your chosen lenticular image in place, and once pushed into position, leaves room for the Game Pak to be inserted behind it in the usual spot. It’s also quite easy to pull the lever back and carefully swap the lenticulars without removing the printed tile.
Use the switch at the top to ‘turn on’ your Game Boy. The snap of this switch is satisfying just as the other buttons described earlier are, and reminds me of the even more accurate tactile feedback of the channel switcher on the 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System.
While only one of the Game Paks and lenticulars can be installed into the Game Boy at a time, the remaining items can be stored and displayed on their smaller dedicated stand.
Conclusion
This set is pricey with only 421 parts for £55, and although there are printed elements, specialised pieces and bespoke lenticular images, many LEGO fans will see this as very expensive. However, we all know that Nintendo know their audience, and I have no doubts at all that very many fans will be snapping up this set. After all, they could (and do) spend this much on some Pikmin vases or spend nearly twice that on an ornamental Poké Ball.
You could say that the Nintendo Tax is real, and their fans keep paying up—but the 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System also had new moulds, and perhaps just due to its size and the number of small tiles, both the price per piece and heft of the model felt like good value. I hope we see more sets with that kind of value-for-money. I would love to see a Game Boy Pocket, Color, Advance or SP—especially with the silly accessories or wild colours and materials that later Game Boys became known for.
One thing that could have made this model just that bit more exceptional would have been sound or lights. There could have been a tray that pulled out of the base, with a hidden barcode like 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System for an electronic figure to interact with. It would have been a delight to hear the iconic Super Mario Land overworld theme.
It goes without saying that I adore this set; it was a joy to build and play with, I loved nerding out about all the details, and it was so fun to photograph that I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it to start writing this article!
If you have any, we would love to hear about your gaming memories of this 1900s relic! Did you have this behemoth as a kid, or was it reluctantly passed down from an older sibling? What were your favourite games, and which ones have you still not finished?
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69 comments on this article
Not the kind of set I like (I'm a playset guy), but it does look great. No Tetris is weird, though.
I loved the original GB, even though it required a ridiculous amount of peripherals such as additional lighting-systems, lenses and battery-packs just to play any game for any extended amount of time. I foresee many such brick-built attachments, possibly making this the first official Lego Modular videogame-system.
That said, that's not really a slight. I can't honestly find any. This thing looks great, I'm off to order my copy of the set.
I didn’t have a Game Boy back in the day and am not into old tech now. But I have to admit this is a brilliantly conceived set. The price is pretty steep (I reckon it’s worth £35), but otherwise this would make for a great display piece. You could pop it on a shelf and see how long it takes people to realise that it’s LEGO!
That's a wild story about Link's Awakening, I can't believe that you played it without understanding a word lol.
I didn't realize that the screens were holographic! That's a very neat feature. I audibly gasped when you showed us the PCBs inside the carts - I love the printed internal battery for LA!
Screen scratched.
Just like the OG.
Only the best!
Just a note - that scene from Link's Awakening is part of the normal story sequence, not a secret. And as someone who really loves that game, I'm actually thrilled that's what they chose here. I agree it's a different choice, but IMO it shows a true appreciation for the game from whoever was calling the shots.
The number on the back sticker, G19890421, is a reference to the release date of the original device in Japan, April 21, 1989
What a phenomenal review of this set! Comparing it to its original cousin is perfect.
It made me hop onto the nostalgia train here. I got the original Gameboy when I had surgery as a kid. Fond memories. Not from the surgery, mind you. This is one of those things I wish I didn't sell back in the day.
Regarding the Lego-set: launch day purchase for me to display next to my copy of 71374.
Seem to be a really interesting build!
Fantastic review, can really feel the love for the subject, and the model!
Just the best reviews from Brickset and @SetToBuild.
@StyleCounselor said:
"Screen scratched.
Just like the OG.
Only the best!"
This was probably my first "big" purchase as a kid and I was obsessively afraid of scratching the screen. Slightly less bad was the dreaded lint-between-the-screens. Anyone else suffer from that, thankfully temporary, affliction? Anyway, huge nostalgia on this one, even moreso than 71374 , but like NES set I'll pass on it. I wish I still had this OG version (my brother sadly dropped mine down the stairs after I moved out to college) but I have a trans purple GB Color version kicking around somewhere...
The build techniques and little nods and references are exceptional. The designers really knocked this one of out of the park.
I used to have a GameBoy that was passed down to me by my older sister. It came with Yoshi's Cookie, Monopoly, a pool/billiards game, and Star Wars (an adaptation of the first movie). Come to think of it, the latter might have been my first introduction to Star Wars, and a brutal one, at that! I remember being scared of the Darth Vader "Game Over" screen, getting lost on the Death Star, and getting soft-blocked in the trash compactor because I didn't get my lightsaber before leaving Tatooine! About a year later, my parents got me a GameBoy Advanced, so I ended up playing the games on that one and didn't use the old one much after that.
I'm extremely tempted to buy this set!
Amazing review! I appreciate the side-by-side comparisons with the real thing. I'd been impressed by this set since it was first revealed, and managed to figure out some of the building techniques and features from the pictures, but some of them were still a surprise to me, such as the clever way that the D-Pad is designed to pivot and the internal details of the Game Paks.
I would love to make some custom builds for other Game Paks, especially the colorful ones used for the Pokémon games outside of Japan (most of the proper parts exist for Red and Yellow versions, but you'd need the modern 6x6 tile to come in Blue for Blue version). A Game Link Cable would be another pretty easy build that'd complement those games, snapping off the ingot tile covering the connection port and attaching a cable perhaps inspired by the ones used for the controllers in the NES or Atari that used pneumatic hose for the cord.
I technically never had an original Game Boy, with the smaller Game Boy Pocket being my first system. But I understand why this one was chosen, not just because it was the one that started it all but because its bulk compared to later models was probably essential to allow room for all the stud reversal wizardry used in this set! As such, while I'd love to make a Game Boy Pocket, Color, Advance, or Advance SP matching my real ones that might be too much of a challenge to build to this high standard. As such, I'm excited to add this set to my collection!
Never had a Game Boy myself (we only had a PC), but have still played many hours with it. And I do really like this set, and this review only reinforces that! It is a bit on the pricey side, but I've already seen it for around €50, and even with the poor PPP that feels fine to me. Premium price but also premium product.......well, except for that scratched piece, I would certainly demand a replacement for that.
@eiffel006 said:
"Not the kind of set I like (I'm a playset guy), but it does look great. No Tetris is weird, though."
Nintendo doesn't own Tetris. Including it would have required a separate licensing deal.
I don't think that Coholint scene was "optional" :P
And yes, really missed opportunity to include the original box art work on the set's box.
EDIT:
Would have been funny if they included a scene from the Super Mario Land 2 level with the N&B building bricks :D
Even if I am not guy who gets stuff like this, I must admit its quite amazingly made build.
I am SURE one of the 18+ Pokemon sets will have Pokemon cardrige,
I'm glad to see the inclusion of Link's Awakening. It was my first Zelda game and awakened my love for the series. It was also one of my first Game Boy games ever. The set I got came as a bundle with the system, Link's Awakening, Yoshi's Cookie, and Dr. Mario.
Fantastic review! To echo others' comments, the comparisons with the real things are great.
I actually got my original Game Boy for free! When I was a kid and we went to the shopping mall, my mom let me hang out in the video game store while she shopped. One day, completely unknown to me beforehand, they happened to have a competition. It was some 10-pin bowling game on the NES. Fairly early on, I figured out how to consistently get strikes, so I ended up winning, with the prize being the Game Boy! My mom sure was surprised when she came to pick me up :)
This is a quality set. Brilliant LEGO building. Price is not bad. I'd love to have a reason to buy it, but I just don't know what I would do with it once I built it. Maybe give it away to someone else to enjoy the build.
I never had a Gameboy but I love this set
@Robot99 said:
"I didn't realize that the screens were holographic! That's a very neat feature. I audibly gasped when you showed us the PCBs inside the carts - I love the printed internal battery for LA!"
Haha I had the exactly same reaction and ran upstairs to excitedly nerdout at my wife when I discovered this! Great detail!
@dukedishin said:
"Just a note - that scene from Link's Awakening is part of the normal story sequence"
True! I got this confused with the lower-left optional scene, and have edited the article to clarify. Thanks!
This looks like a dead ringer for a Game Boy and I’m really quite impressed, but unfortunately for me mine was an Atomic Purple Game Boy Colour, which I’m pretty sure isn’t translatable into Lego even if they wanted to, and also I was fully and solely obsessed with Pokemon so the cartridges mean nothing to my nostalgia brain. Which isn’t a criticism of the set at all! The set is great! Those are very popular games! But it does mean I won’t be contemplating adding it to my wishlist.
Will they be doing a SEGA Game Gear?
I was 100% an Atari Boy. Never even touched a Game Boy before, but this looks superb. Definately an October 1st purchase!
@troynos said:
"I never had a Gameboy but I love this set"
Well, if you want to own a piece of history, they're surprisingly not too expensive on eBay! I used this article as an excuse to pick up a better looking one for these comparison photos.
I like this as a display piece I'd consider getting it
Well done Lego
Definitely going to make a Gameboy Camera MOC, with a custom screen insert featuring one of those horrifying error screens.
@Courage said:
"Definitely going to make a Gameboy Camera MOC, with a custom screen insert featuring one of those horrifying error screens."
Haha yes, you must! I can't wait to see what people build for this set. I had grand plans to MOC some accessories like the camera for this review. Might still have to!
I was a first gen Game Boy owner and loved it! Did anyone else get ever and up with a sticky power switch? In the end there wasn’t much to pass down as I really wore mine out. :-)
Slightly weirded out by the murder gloves in one photo, but this is nonetheless my favourite review from this site.
I got an original GameBoy in about 1993, bought almost purely for Link's Awakening, which I loved and still love. Later on I got a trans-purple GameBoy Color, with an amazing version of Metal Gear Solid. Very happy memories triggered by this review. Thanks!
A fantastic blast from the past.
Great review, thank you. And, wow, that's a nice collection of real GameBoy games and accessories!!
The lenticular lens is news to me--I'm even more sold on this, looking forward to it!
Really nice to see how lovingly crafted this set is with all the attention to detail!
I still have my original GameBoy. It failed pretty early on and I didn’t realize my mom had kept it in a box since then. She sent it to me when they downsized a few years ago. I found a working model that was all banged up on eBay for like, $40, and swapped out the guys. So now my ancient GameBoy looks and plays like brand new.
My kids think it’s great. I definitely have to get this set!
I never had a real GameBoy, unlike most of my friends. Otoh I never had a real NES either, which didn't stop me from buying 71374, so I'll probably buy this set as well eventually, at a decent discount that is of course.
@mstchmshrms said:
"The number on the back sticker, G19890421, is a reference to the release date of the original device in Japan, April 21, 1989"
I love how 421 is the number of pieces in the set too. That's dedication! I should probably add these in. Thanks!
@peterlmorris said:
"I still have my original GameBoy."
So awesome that you were able to revive it as well! Thankfully they're not too expensive to repair. My original was sadly lost in a move long ago, but I still have some of the games.
@8lackmagic said:
"Great review, thank you. And, wow, that's a nice collection of real GameBoy games and accessories!!"
That’s not even all of them!!
@Yardsale19X said:
"Slightly weirded out by the murder gloves in one photo, but this is nonetheless my favourite review from this site.
I got an original GameBoy in about 1993, bought almost purely for Link's Awakening, which I loved and still love. Later on I got a trans-purple GameBoy Color, with an amazing version of Metal Gear Solid. Very happy memories triggered by this review. Thanks! "
Haha! Don't worry, they're only archival gloves ;) Thanks for reading the article! I too have fond memories with that trans-purple GB Color! Good times
From the review, on faded old handheld game consoles: "your beloved Game Boy is experiencing photo-oxidative degradation from exposure to UV rays"
Since light grey Lego pieces are one of the colours that's prone to suffer from the same, anyone who has a real Gameboy and wants to colour match can just put their build in a well-lit window for a few years, rotating occasionally to get it all "nicely" brightened.
Great review. Really like the liberal use of links to piece names and other sets, as learning the names of some the more obscure pieces added an extra dimension.
My problem with this set is that it's almost too accurate, and doesn't even really look like a Lego set to me.
If I wanted to display it, I'd rather just display a real classic Gameboy.
But interesting to see how it's all made, include how flimsy it actually is (despite being modeled on a giant brick of a device)
@sjr60 said:
"I was 100% an Atari Boy. Never even touched a Game Boy before, but this looks superb. Definately an October 1st purchase!"
When are they going to make the Pac-Man watch from Sears?
Excellent writeup!
Not really a set I'd be interested in, but I'm impressed at how well it was done.
One of the kids I went to church with (a few years older than me) had a handmedown GameBoy Color. I had a Gameboy Advance, Advance SP (the previous was traded in on the SP after less than a year), DS Lite, DSi (found it and got it back working--just need to find all my old games--I like the form factor better than newer consoles), and now Switch Lite (honestly, meh--but I can still buy cartridges for it at Walmart) . Funny thing is that LEGO 2K Drive was the first physical game I bought for the Switch Lite a couple weeks ago. Pretty darn sure every PC and most consoles have had some kind of LEGO game--except for GBA.
Been looking a lot at retro emulator consoles--most of them Game Boy esque (and the RG35XXSP is a dead ringer for my GBA SP, but with some nice upgrades)
Built YEARS AGO by the gents in Lego Masters Australia.
Next they should make a Game Boy Color with a case made entirely out of Trans-Purple bricks.
this set really wouldve benefitted from the old yellowish greys rather than the new bluish greys. Bootleg companies, get on that!
If I had more space and less of a backlog, I'd be getting this Day One, to display it next to 71374. I love that they were able to make all the controls work.
@SetToBuild said:
" @troynos said:
"I never had a Gameboy but I love this set"
Well, if you want to own a piece of history, they're surprisingly not too expensive on eBay! I used this article as an excuse to pick up a better looking one for these comparison photos."
The reason there are so many still around is because they're made of Nintendium, the most indestructible substance on earth. How many other electronic devices can survive bomb blasts? https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/30/23780549/gulf-war-game-boy-nintendo-nyc
@TheOtherMike said:
"If I had more space and less of a backlog, I'd be getting this Day One, to display it next to 71374. I love that they were able to make all the controls work.
@SetToBuild said:
" @troynos said:
"I never had a Gameboy but I love this set"
Well, if you want to own a piece of history, they're surprisingly not too expensive on eBay! I used this article as an excuse to pick up a better looking one for these comparison photos."
The reason there are so many still around is because they're made of Nintendium, the most indestructible substance on earth. How many other electronic devices can survive bomb blasts? https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/30/23780549/gulf-war-game-boy-nintendo-nyc"
Nokia 3310
;-)
Impressive building techniques all over the building process for an excellent rendition of the original. Excellent review too, thank you.
I'm not sure if I understand the point of this. I'm sure Nintendo could release a far more accurate display model (shell) for cheaper and given the subject matter, I'm also not sure why anyone would want this in LEGO form. The LEGO model already uses numerous specialized parts and it's not like you're going to mod or expand on it for some larger project.
It makes very little sense to me. I'd rather just have an officially licensed Nintendo Gameboy--given how dated it is, it would probably cost about the same.
I really cannot understand the appeal of replicating life size objects in Lego. It really seems pointless to me.
Thanks for the nice review. I like the personal experiences you've mentioned and going in depth about the functions. I'd seen Tiago Catarino's review just before reading yours and I can recommend watching that one.
I really wanted a Game Boy the moment it was shown in a Dutch toy catalogue. Seemed like the perfect companion for all the family parties where I was one of the few or sometimes the only child. And it was. Also very nice to have on the car rides, but not at night. Until they made the magnifying glass + extra light attachment, but that was probably done by another company?
Anyway, after the two reviews I'm considering buying this set. Something fun to build and a trigger for some nice memories. I think I'd nominate this one for set of the year.
Are they ever gonna find any solution to not have any clear pane scratched straight out of the box?
What an incredible review of what appears to be one of the greatest Lego sets ever made. Your nostalgic reverie over this set is instantly relatable to 80s and 90s kids who grew up with Nintendo as a best friend, as I did. What a perfect satisfying set, just like the NES was!
My first GB was a red Game Boy Pocket paired with a copy of Mega Man: Dr. Wiley's Revenge, which was far too brutally difficult for a ~6 year old kid to make much progress in. Oof, the memories of getting vaporized over and over on while sitting next to the tree on Christmas day... So I never grew up with the pea soup green colored screen, in fact I never really played through a full game in monochrome green until I recently replayed Donkey Kong '94 on my Analog Pocket with the green to setting turned on. Speaking of which, DK '94 would have been a great cartridge to include with this set! Easily my most played and beaten GB game ever, and a true dark horse greatest-Nintendo-game-ever candidate.
One point from the review I'll disagree on is the negative given for the set lacking a sound brick: the music inevitably plays in your head when you look at these Nintendo sets! Especially with the Super Mario World Mario and Yoshi set, I can't look over into the part of the room where that set is displayed and not hear the Yoshi bongo music start! Even reading your review and typing this comment, the Metroid II tunnel music is playing in my head.
Thanks for the amazing review and letting us share your memories! I can't wait to pick this set up.
@magmafrost said:
"this set really wouldve benefitted from the old yellowish greys rather than the new bluish greys. Bootleg companies, get on that!"
The old very light grey/very light bluish grey (the latter of which is most commonly recognized from Bionicle's Thok or the Mindstorms NXT) might also be more accurate. But the standard light bley works good enough, especially with parts like the screen surround and game pak darkened to match.
At some point I played so much Tetris on my original Gameboy in bed instead of sleeping, the aligning and fitting of the pieces and crushing those rows ended up in my dreams. And the joy of playing Tetris with someone else with the Link cable was so unique! Your opponent receiving an extra row at the bottom when you've just eliminated one - classic!
I sold my Gameboy some time ago, and recently my VirtualBoy, but I might get this one as it's so true to the original, wonderful job by the LEGO designers.
@AustinPowers said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"If I had more space and less of a backlog, I'd be getting this Day One, to display it next to 71374. I love that they were able to make all the controls work.
@SetToBuild said:
" @troynos said:
"I never had a Gameboy but I love this set"
Well, if you want to own a piece of history, they're surprisingly not too expensive on eBay! I used this article as an excuse to pick up a better looking one for these comparison photos."
The reason there are so many still around is because they're made of Nintendium, the most indestructible substance on earth. How many other electronic devices can survive bomb blasts? https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/30/23780549/gulf-war-game-boy-nintendo-nyc"
Nokia 3310
;-)"
As I pointed out in the reveal article, you've got potential for a real "unstoppable force meets indestructible object" scenario" there.
@Vesperas said:"I'm not sure if I understand the point of this. I'm sure Nintendo could release a far more accurate display model (shell) for cheaper and given the subject matter, I'm also not sure why anyone would want this in LEGO form. The LEGO model already uses numerous specialized parts and it's not like you're going to mod or expand on it for some larger project.
It makes very little sense to me. I'd rather just have an officially licensed Nintendo Gameboy--given how dated it is, it would probably cost about the same."
@jd_brick said:"I really cannot understand the appeal of replicating life size objects in Lego. It really seems pointless to me. "
To each their own, but I quite enjoy seeing how the designer duplicates the shapes and functions of the real thing. And there's just something about people's reactions to finding out that it's made of Lego.
@Roloff said:"At some point I played so much Tetris on my original Gameboy in bed instead of sleeping, the aligning and fitting of the pieces and crushing those rows ended up in my dreams."
There's a reason that game ended up naming a trope: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheTetrisEffect
You can’t really knock it for no lights when the OG Game Boy didn’t have a backlight (same with GB Pocket/Color) - seems accurate to me. The only light it had was the red dot power indicator.
Otherwise great review. Will be getting this at some point!
@shawn_rob said:
"You can’t really knock it for no lights when the OG Game Boy didn’t have a backlight (same with GB Pocket/Color) - seems accurate to me. The only light it had was the red dot power indicator.
Otherwise great review. Will be getting this at some point!"
The red power indicator was what had in mind, yes. If they go on to make an SP or DS, then we can talk about back/front lit screens :)
@SetToBuild said:
" @shawn_rob said:
"You can’t really knock it for no lights when the OG Game Boy didn’t have a backlight (same with GB Pocket/Color) - seems accurate to me. The only light it had was the red dot power indicator.
Otherwise great review. Will be getting this at some point!"
The red power indicator was what had in mind, yes. If they go on to make an SP or DS, then we can talk about back/front lit screens :)"
A light for the power indicator would've been great but even the smallest Lego light brick options would've been too big for this space and too bright for that tiny LED...
I'm curious if we'll see any other handheld systems after this... most later handhelds were thinner/more generally compact than this one, which'd make it harder to fit in as much functionality like these tactile pressable buttons, let alone the stud reversal techniques this set uses to make this as smooth as it is. Not to say they couldn't maybe be done without some of those features... but this set certainly is a tough act to follow.
@Lyichir said:
" @SetToBuild said:
" @shawn_rob said:
"You can’t really knock it for no lights when the OG Game Boy didn’t have a backlight (same with GB Pocket/Color) - seems accurate to me. The only light it had was the red dot power indicator.
Otherwise great review. Will be getting this at some point!"
The red power indicator was what had in mind, yes. If they go on to make an SP or DS, then we can talk about back/front lit screens :)"
A light for the power indicator would've been great but even the smallest Lego light brick options would've been too big for this space and too bright for that tiny LED...
I'm curious if we'll see any other handheld systems after this... most later handhelds were thinner/more generally compact than this one, which'd make it harder to fit in as much functionality like these tactile pressable buttons, let alone the stud reversal techniques this set uses to make this as smooth as it is. Not to say they couldn't maybe be done without some of those features... but this set certainly is a tough act to follow."
There's always the Atari Lynx which came out a few months later, which was also a handheld console - but its tiny screen was housed in a thick plastic casing that was large and heavy enough to comfortably shield the entire family against bullets and explosions. The Game Boy's tagline was "Now You're Playing With Power!", I'm fairly certain the Lynx' tagline was either "Theoretically Portable!" or "Lift With Your Knees!".
@Lyichir said:
" @SetToBuild said:
" @shawn_rob said:
"You can’t really knock it for no lights when the OG Game Boy didn’t have a backlight (same with GB Pocket/Color) - seems accurate to me. The only light it had was the red dot power indicator.
Otherwise great review. Will be getting this at some point!"
The red power indicator was what had in mind, yes. If they go on to make an SP or DS, then we can talk about back/front lit screens :)"
A light for the power indicator would've been great but even the smallest Lego light brick options would've been too big for this space and too bright for that tiny LED...
I'm curious if we'll see any other handheld systems after this..."
Yeah, I was imagining that they would use the end of one of the visual light link cables (if they were still in production) for the indicator, or create a new piece. I dunno, they'd figure it out!
Saying no lights/sound isn't really a con, but more a suggestion of: 'this could have been a reasonable possibility given that the subject matter is an electronic device'. Plus, people tend to get suspicious if I'm too positive about a set. haha
I'm sure they'll visit the GBA/SP at some point. And SNES, N64, Gamecube, etc. Many generations of Nintendo devices have had a lasting impact on multiple age groups. We've got the Pokémon theme on the horizon!
Thank you to everyone who posted their Game Boy stories! They were a delight to read <3
For what it is, it's well done design-wise. The designers can pad themselves on the back for this