Review: 21363 The Goonies
Posted by FlagsNZ,
For many reasons, The Goonies movie, that was released forty years ago in June 1985, holds a nostalgic place in many people's hearts, including my own.
Being able to review this set has taken me right back to my teenage years. I remember the movie well, and I have a link to where it was filmed: Astoria and the Oregon coast.
Read on and come on a journey with me down memory lane as I review 21363 The Goonies.
Summary
21363 The Goonies, 2,912 pieces.
£269.99 / $329.99 / €299.99 | 9.3p / 11.3c / 10.3c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
This set will appeal a broad range of LEGO enthusiasts. It is beautifully designed and well constructed. It will be on lots of people's watch lists and I believe it will sell out quickly
- Impressive cast of minifigures
- Detailed torso prints for all the characters
- Lots of play features included
- The Inferno very closely matches the ship of the movie
- The ship is missing a rudder
- It would be nice to have had a display stand for the twelve minifigures
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
LEGO Ideas – If We Could Turn Back Time Challenge
The LEGO Ideas team initiated a historical challenge back in early 2024. It was called If We Could Turn Back Time Challenge. The criteria for this challenge were as follows:
We’re talking leg warmers and big hair: this challenge is all about the 80s!
Regardless of if you were around in the 80s or not, there are so many iconic TV shows and films from that era. With a huge amount of nostalgia and the chance to become a LEGO Ideas Fan Designer, could you build submissions that celebrate these shows and films using good old LEGO bricks?
There must be a retro show or film you love from that era that inspires you. A cult classic, something from your childhood, or an old-school action-packed adventure!
Challenge timeline
- March 6 – April 9: The building phase is completed
- April 10 – April 26: The LEGO Ideas team expert panel decided on the finalists
- May 1 – May 8: The voting phase was open to the LEGO community
- Aug 16 2024: The winners were announced
The Goonies (1985)
The Goonies (1985) was overwhelmingly voted as the competition winner. The fan designer is 3D artist Vaggelis Ntezes, also known as Delusion Brick.
When I was a child there were always LEGO sets in the house. I really loved, and still love, constructing and creating stuff. I think it played a huge role in what I do today, helping me develop visual and geometric perception and being able to combine shapes and morphs in 3D worlds.
Vaggelis Ntezes' advice to other would-be LEGO builders is:
To rediscover your inner-child; go back to your childhood LEGO memories, that limitless imagination, creation, persistence – and lots of patience.
Vaggelis Ntezes goes on to ask:
Who among us isn't familiar with The Goonies?
It wasn't just a movie for me in the '80s, it was an extraordinary adventure brimming with the spirit of youth and camaraderie. Inspired by this, I've endeavoured to create a concept that captures the essence of the adventures experienced by the film's characters, from the mysterious caves of One-Eyed Willy to the enigmatic lost pirate ship.
The set I've designed is a tribute to the journey's outset and its thrilling conclusion. On one end, we start at the Fratellis' hideout, navigate through caves laced with booby traps, and slide down into the heart of the adventure. At the opposite end, we encounter the legendary pirate ship of One-Eyed Willy himself. This set is a homage to all the movie's heroes: Mikey, Brand, Chunk, Mouth, Andy, Stef, Data, Sloth, Jake, Francis, Mama Fratelli, designed to rekindle that sense of wonder and adventure.
Runner-up – If We Could Turn Back Time Challenge
The runner-up for the If We Could Turn Back Time Challenge was Gizmo from the Gremlins movie.
21361 Gremlins: Gizmo was released on 1 October. The Gremlins movie gets an Easter Egg mention in The Goonies movie.
71267 The Goonies Level Pack
LEGO has had a relationship with The Goonies theme since 2017 with the release of 71267 The Goonies Level Pack. This was an extension pack in the LEGO Dimensions game theme.
71267 The Goonies Level Pack had Sloth as a minifigure, a micro build of the Inferno ship, and a brick-built Bone Organ.
The box
The box for 21363 The Goonies has an image of the cutaway side of the model with the tunnels leading to One-Eyed Willy's treasure trove. There is a similar image on both sides of the box.
There are small images on the rear of the box showing the interactive play features of the booby traps hidden in the tunnels.
There is a small image showing Inferno's starboard side and the finished model's dimensions.
Instructions
The instructions arrive well protected in a sturdy paper envelope.
The instructions are divided into two comprehensive books. The books are 199 and 243 pages long.
Sticker sheet
There is a small sticker sheet. There are numerous unique printed parts in this set.
Parts
This set has 2912 pieces spread across twenty-one numbered paper bags.
A plastic bag contains a Chassis 6X16X2 2/3 and two Flex Tubes.
The chassis piece is in Reddish Brown for the first time. The Flex Tubes also appear in 10335 The Endurance.
The two sails come protected in a dedicated envelope.
There are two tatty old sails.
The fabric used for these sails is the same texture and colour as used for the sails in 10335 The Endurance.
The connection points of both sails are one stud wider than the same points on the topsail of the Endurance.
Minifigures
21363 The Goonies has an impressive cast of minifigures. All twelve minifigures have new printed torsos. All the characters (except Sloth and One-eyed Willy) have alternate facial expressions.
The Goonies
The Goonies were a bunch of children who lived in the Goon Docks – a suburb of Astoria, in the state of Oregon, USA.
The Goonies were Mikey, Chunk, Mouth and Data. As these four characters were younger, the four minifigures have a shorter set of legs.
Michael "Mikey" Walsh was played by Sean Astin.
Mikey is wearing his blue denim jacket over a grey shirt. There is stitching detailing on the front and back of his torso.
Mikey holds an old map showing the way to One-Eyed Willy's lost ship and treasure. The map was discovered in the attic of his house. The map is printed on a 2x3 tile.
This link takes you to a poster of One-Eyed Willy's treasure map.
Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen was played by Jeff Cohen.
Chunk is wearing his red rain jacket over his iconic Hawaiian shirt.
Clark "Mouth" Devereaux was played by Corey Feldman.
Mouth is wearing a grey wind jacket over his Purple Rain T-Shirt. Mouth comes with a hairbrush accessory. He is seen brushing his hair several times in the movie and his hairbrush is carried in his back pocket.
Mouth's alternate expression has him sticking his tongue out. This references the scene in the attic of the Walsh house where Mouth sticks his tongue through a torn canvas painting.
Richard "Data" Wang was played by Ke Huy Quan.
Data is wearing a green sports jacket over a grey shirt.
Data has 007 on his belt buckle as he is a fan of James Bond and all his clever gadgets.
In the movie, this buckle opens up to reveal Data's small winch wire. Data has his gadget control panel under his jacket.
Older teenagers
The older sibling and friends of the Goonies.
Brandon "Brand" Walsh was played by Josh Brolin.
Brand is Mikey's older brother. He is wearing a grey sleeveless T-shirt. He is wearing blue gym shorts over his grey track pants.
Brand has a red bandanna tied around his head.
Andrea Theresa "Andy" Carmichael was played by Kerri Green.
Andy is wearing several layers. She is wearing a yellow Astoria Country Club letterman jacket given to her by Troy Perkins. The yellow jacket print extends to her legs element and is printed over Andy's white pleated tennis mini skirt.
There is a glimpse of a yellow shirt and white knitted jersey under Andy's jacket.
Stephanie "Stef" Steinbrenner was played by Martha Plimpton.
Stef is wearing a burgundy hoody jacket which is held in place by a pink belt. Stef is also wearing a thin red scarf.
Stef wears a pair of white rimmed glasses and is chewing bubble gum.
Stef holds a stick of gum which is a printed 1x2 tile.
Fratelli gang
The Fratelli crime family consists of Francis, Jake, and their mother, Mama Fratelli.
Each member of the Fratelli gang carries a hand gun.
Francis Fratelli was played by Joe Pantoliano.
Francis is wearing a burgundy collar shirt under a dark grey waistcoat. Francis is also wearing a shoulder holster.
Francis has a grey cheese cutter hat.
Jake Fratelli was played by Robert Davi.
Jake wears a dark grey waistcoat over a pink shirt.
Mama Fratelli was played by Anne Ramsey.
Mama is wearing a short-sleeved black blouse and has a single string of pearls around her neck. She is wearing a pair of black leather gloves and a matching black beret.
Sloth and One-Eyed Willy
The last two characters in 21363 The Goonies are Sloth and One-Eyed Willy.
Lotney "Sloth" Fratelli was played by John Matuszak.
Sloth is wearing a tricorne hat with gold trim.
Sloth wears his distinctive Superman sleeveless T-shirt with red braces.
The director of The Goonies, Richard Donner, also directed the 1978 blockbuster Superman: The Movie, which starred Christopher Reeve in the lead role.
Sloth wearing this Superman T-shirt is one of the many Easter Eggs hidden in The Goonies movie.
One-Eyed Willy has an eyepatch over his left eye, and he is wearing a plain tricorne hat.
He is wearing a baroque patterned jacket. Over his shoulder is a leather belt, and he wears a gold chain around his neck. He wears a twisted lace scarf under his jacket.
Comparing the two Sloth minifigures
71267 The Goonies Level Pack came with Sloth as a minifigure. As you can see, both the head and torso prints are new for 21363 The Goonies.
Sloth's toothless grin is different. He has a different coloured tongue and both the front and rear torso print are slightly different.
The build
21363 The Goonies is assembled in four discrete modules.
Instruction Book 1 assembles the forward section of the hull.
- Bags 1 to 6 assemble the forecastle.
- Bags 7 to 9 assemble the remainder of the hull forward of amidships.
Instruction Book 2 assembles the aft section of the hull.
- Bags 10 to 13 assemble the hull aft of amidships.
- Bags 14 to 21 assemble the aftercastle and poop deck.
Book 1 - Module 1
Bag 1
Bag 1 assembles the cavern and pipework that sits underneath the Astoria Country Club bathroom.
Bag 2
Bag 2 begins with the assembly of the basement under the Lighthouse Lounge. This is the derelict restaurant near Cannon Beach that was used as the hideout by the Fratelli family.
There is the small nook where Sloth is normally chained up. His black and white TV is showing his favourite pirate movie. The screen is a sticker on a black 2x2 tile.
There is a refrigerator full of an assortment of snacks.
Bag 3
Bag 3 completes the basement under the Lighthouse Lounge.
The image mimics the Astoria Ledger page from the Goonies movie which has the date October 14, 1985.
The date on the sticker is 4 June 1982. This is Vaggelis Ntezes' birthday.
There is a small, brick-built printing press that is printing counterfeit $100 notes. In The Goonies movie, the Goonies discovered that the Fratelli crime family were printing counterfeit $50 notes.
The fireplace swings open to reveal the start of a hidden tunnel.
There is a small ladder leading down to the tunnels below.
Bag 4
Bag 4 assembles the Lighthouse Lounge. A table is set with drinks and there is Mama's blender sitting on a ledge.
Bag 5
This image captures the shape of the ship's side. This inward sloping ship's side is called a tumblehome and this construction technique was very common in ships of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The shape of the bow is becoming apparent, and the muzzle of one cannon has been run out of the gun port.
The name Inferno has been applied as a sticker.
Bag 6
Bag 6 completes the forecastle. This nautical term can sometimes be contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le.
This is literally the Castle at the fore end of the ship.
The remains of the foremast and a stump for the bowsprit can be seen.
This small deck next to the figurehead is called the Head Deck. This was where the ship's primitive toilet facilities were located. Ship's toilets are still called the heads today.
A monochrome Reddish Brown minifigure represents Inferno's figurehead.
Module 2
Bag 7
This is the skeleton of Chester Copperpot who went missing in the 1930s while looking for One-Eyed Willie's treasure. The Goonies found his wallet, which contained a Lou Gehrig baseball card. By finding Chester Copperpot's body, the Goonies realised that they were on the right track to get to One-Eyed Willy and that they had got further than anyone else before them.
Data opened Chester Copperpot's leather backpack and discovered some candles inside.
Chester Copperpot has a skeleton key which the Goonies collect for their onward journey. The skeleton key is a printed 1x2 transparent tile.
Bag 8
Bag 8 assembles the rocks that crush unsuspecting treasure hunters as they navigate the hidden tunnels. One of these rocks has crushed Chester Copperpot.
You can lift the rocks by rotating the handle. The One-Eyed skeleton minifigure head is a sticker on a round tile.
Bag 9
Bag 9 completes this module. The tumblehome ship's side continues. There are wooden steps attached to the ship's side.
This lever on the deck releases the rocks in the cavern below. You can see the ingenious wooden hatch grating on the deck. This would have provided light and air to the compartment below.
There is a tattered main sail hanging from the yardarm of the main mast.
When Modules 1 and 2 are connected the forward half of Inferno is complete.
Book 2 - Module 3
Bag 10
This section of the hidden tunnel lies below the area where coins tossed into the Moss Garden Wishing Well collect. The mechanism that will eventually operate a booby trap can be seen.
Bag 11
This part of the tunnel sits directly under the Moss Garden Wishing Well.
Watch out for the wooden spikes sitting underneath the hatch. When the handle is turned, the hatch falls open.
Just like in the movie, a second lantern has appeared.
Bag 12
Bag 12 completes the cavern under the Moss Garden Wishing Well. A brick-built skull has been added to the scene.
There is an accessory that is used by Data that catches him when he falls through the hatch.
Bag 13
Bag 13 completes this module. The deck, ship's side and bulwark have been added.
Modules 1, 2 and 3 have been connected.
Module 4
Bag 14
Bag 14 starts the final module. This is the location in the tunnel where the Goonies find the old wooden log that crosses the raging underground river.
Bag 15
Bag 15 adds to this module. The rock floor that falls away has been constructed.
Bag 16
The principal feature assembled in bag 16 is the bone organ. The floor breaks away as the keys are played.
Bag 17
In Bag 17, the bone organ is complete. Horns and trumpets decorate the wall behind the skeleton.
After playing the bone organ and all the floor sections have been dislodged, the mechanism controlling the rock door unlocks, allowing it to pivot open.
A brick-built octopus appears in the water behind the Inferno.
Bag 18
Bag 18 assembles One-Eyed Willy's cabin. One of his lieutenants sits at the captain's table.
I have removed the brown Chassis piece so you can get a better view of all the bullion and jewels lying around the table.
In the movie, the scales are attached to a booby trap that causes the cave that the Inferno sits in to collapse.
One-Eyed Willy's cabin is attached to the module.
Bag 19
Bag 19 assembles the aftercastle. A brick-built aft navigation lantern is attached to the taffrail.
Bag 20
Bag 20 completes the aftercastle. The flex tubes act as ropes hanging over the ship's side.
Bag 21
Bag 21 completes the build. A tatty old mizzen sail is hanging off the mizzen mast.
Gold baroque scroll work decorates the aftercastle.
All four modules are attached together showing the completed model.
The hull modules are joined together with Technic pins. Just like 10335 The Endurance, the joins are reinforced by applying plates and tiles across the joins. The hull, when connected together in this way, is very strong and does not flex.
Completed model – Inferno
The inferno is based on a Manila galleon. These galleons transported cargo from the Philippines (named after King Philip II of Spain) to Mexico, sailing across the Pacific Ocean.
When searching for information about the inspiration for the Inferno design, two ship's names pop up:
- Santo Cristo de Burgos, and
- The Sea Hawk – a ship from the 1940 movie starring Errol Flynn.
Santo Cristo de Burgos
Santo Cristo de Burgos (translates as Holy Christ of Burgos) was a galleon that sailed from the Philippines in mid-1693 bound for Acapulco, Mexico. She was never seen again.
Santo Cristo de Burgos carried a cargo of exquisite Asian goods, including a massive cargo of beeswax blocks that had distinctive shippers’ marks stamped onto them.
This link takes you to a webpage that has a detailed history of the Santo Cristo de Burgos.
This link takes you to a webpage that investigates the discovery of the wreck of the Santo Cristo de Burgos on the Oregon coast.
This eight-minute video titled Unlikely Sunken Treasure Off of the Oregon Coast – Oregon Field Guide tells the story of the wreck.
The Sea Hawk
The Sea Hawk is a 1940 American adventure film that stars Errol Flynn, who is an English privateer. The Sea Hawk was his ship.
The design team of The Goonies movie used the Sea Hawk as direct inspiration for the design of Inferno.
This is an image of the Sea Hawk from the 1940 movie of the same name.
The image below is taken from The Goonies movie. You can clearly see the similarities between the Inferno and the Sea Hawk.
This link takes you to a detailed plan of the Inferno.
Completed model – One-Eye Willy's tunnels
This two-and-a-half-minute trailer for The Goonies movie will show people unfamiliar with the story the key events of the Goonies travelling through the tunnels. It does not reveal the Inferno.
One side of 21363 The Goonies can be considered a three-dimensional storyboard. It takes you on a sequential journey through One-Eye Willy's secret tunnels that matches the journey of the Goonies' journey in the movie.
When the Goonies reach the Lighthouse Lounge, they eventually discover the basement and observe that a tunnel lies under the fireplace.
Once the whole gang is in the tunnel, they discover the old pipework that is under the Astoria Country Club. These pipes leak badly and eventually explode.
The Goonies clamber through the tunnel until they find the corpse of Chester Copperpot.
Among other things, Chester Copperpot has a skeleton key in his possession. Data grabs some candles.
Meanwhile, on the surface, Chunk is being traumatised by Mama Fratelli as she threatens to use her blender on him.
Francis Fratelli grabs Chunk and forces a confession:
Hey, kid. I want you to spill your guts, tell us everything.
Chunk is so traumatised that he responds in a sobbing voice:
Everything. OK, I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I played Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... and then, my mom sent me to the... to the summer camp for fat kids... and then they served lunch. I got nuts and I pigged out, and they kicked me out!
. . . But, the worst thing I have ever done: I mixed up all this fake puke at home, and then I went to this movie theatre, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this. [imitating vomiting four times]
. . . And then, I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible. All the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. And I never felt so bad in my entire life!
Continuing on their journey, The Goonies discover the cascading waterfall in a cavern under the Moss Garden Wishing Well. Andy sends her yellow letterman jacket up to Troy in the wishing well bucket.
Mouth: [examining coins in the well]
President Lincoln... George Washington... Martin Sheen . . .
Stef:
Martin Sheen? That's President Kennedy, you idiot!
Mouth:
Well, same difference. I mean, he played Kennedy once.
This is a turning point in the story as it is where the Goonies realise that they have got further than Chester Copperpot and that this might be their last chance to discover One-Eyed Willy's hidden treasure. It is where Mikey is quoted as saying:
Goonies never say die.
There is also a missing deleted scene where Andy was sworn in as a Goonie.
Coinciding with the above scene, Chunk is tied up to a chair where Sloth is held captive. Chunk befriends Sloth by offering him his candy bar. Chunk and Sloth become lifelong friends.
In the movie, the candy bar is a Baby Ruth chocolate bar,
The Goonies decide to press on with their adventure. The skeleton key eventually fits the lock and the next section of the tunnel is revealed.
Data falls through the hole and is saved by one of his gadgets, arresting his fall just in time.
The Goonies discover a fallen log that traverses a raging underground river. Data once again comes up with an ingenious tool. His Nike shoes leak oil over the log, making it too slippery for the Fratelli gang to cross successfully.
Andy plays the Bone Organ but when she plays a wrong note, sections of the rock floor fall away.
Once all the rock sections have fallen away, the next rock door is unlocked . . .
. . . which allows the Goonies to flow down the tunnel into the pool where the Inferno lies waiting. An octopus lurks under the water.
You can watch the deleted scene where the octopus terrorises the Goonies in the water.
At the end of the movie, Data says to a reporter:
The octopus was very scary!
Even though the scene with the octopus had been cut from the movie.
On the deck of the Inferno, Data uses one of his gadgets to punch Jake Fratelli. Unfortunately, Data's gadgets tend not to work as well as they should.
Mama Fratelli threatens to shoot the Goonies unless they walk the plank.
Sloth and Chunk save the day by arriving on the deck of Inferno after sliding down Inferno's sail with a knife.
In The Goonies movie, Sloth learns this technique as he sees it done in the black and white pirate movie he watches. The scene shown in the movie shows Errol Flynn performing this trick, although it is a a stunt double. Although Errol Flynn performed most of his stunts, he refused to perform this one.
The short clip below shows Douglas Fairbanks in The Black Pirate (1926) sliding down a ship's main sail using a rapier. I have been unable to source the proper clip, but I believe it was part of The Sea Hawk movie.
Unknowingly, the Fratelli gang initiate the last booby trap of the movie. There is a set of scales on One-Eyed Willy's treasure table in his cabin. By removing the bullion and jewels, the scales trip over and the booby trap triggers a complete collapse of the cave where the Inferno has lain for the last three centuries.
Everyone must exit the cave as quickly as they can or be crushed by falling boulders.
The collapsing cave also frees the Inferno, which is seen shortly afterwards to be sailing over the horizon.
The Inferno seen at the end of the movie is a small model made by the team at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). This link takes you to their Never Say Die!: Revisiting ILM’s Visual Effects Contributions as ‘The Goonies’ Turns 40 webpage.
On board this small model is an R2D2 droid, although this cannot be seen in the movie.
The Goonies 'R' Good Enough
A review involving The Goonies movie would not be complete without a reference to the theme song by Cyndi Lauper.
Cyndi Lauper has always had an iconic sense of fashion and a distinctive sound. She debuted with the album She's So Unusual in 1983. Two years later, she wrote and starred in the pop video for The Goonies theme song, The Goonies 'R' Good Enough.
The full lyrics of The Goonies 'R' Good Enough theme song can be read here.
The music video for The Goonies 'R' Good Enough was filmed in the streets of Astoria with several scenes of Cyndi Lauper travelling through the tunnels under the Lighthouse Lounge.
There are a few scenes taken from the movie, but at no stage in this video does anyone see the Inferno ship.
My Astoria story
In the mid-1980s, I started my seagoing carrier as an apprenticed Deck Cadet with Union Steamship Company (USSCo). At its height, USSCo was one of the largest shipping companies in the world. Unfortunately, it does not exist today!
On 2 March 1987, there was a large earthquake centred on a town called Edgecumbe in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty. USSCo managed two ships that were specialist paper carriers. These ships were owned by Tasman Pulp and Paper Company. This link takes you to archive images showing extensive damage to Tasman's paper mill near Edgecumbe.
Due to this damage, and the fact that Tasman's parent company, Fletcher Construction, owned forests and paper mills in North America, the ship Tasman Enterprise was sent on two voyages to North America to load pulp and paper for the NZ market. I was privileged to be aboard Tasman Enterprise for the second voyage.
It took eighteen days to cross the Pacific. We went to Portland, Oregon, USA. and a small town on Vancouver Island called Crofton in British Columbia, Canada. We spent a week in Portland and 24 hours at Crofton.
To get to Portland requires ships to cross a notorious bar at Astoria and then travel for eight hours up the Columbia River. We used two pilots: a Columbia River Bar Pilot and then a Columbia River Pilot.
The ship needed to slow down once across the Astoria Bar and inside the Columbia River to embark the Columbia River pilot and then disembark the Columbia River Bar pilot. All this taking place with The Goonies Walsh family home visible in the hills.
I can also remember sighting Haystack Rock, as we approached the Columbia River Bar.
You can see freighters slowly steaming up the Columbia River during the early stages of The Goonies movie, particularly when Brand receives the foreclosure notice from Mr. Elgin Perkins.
Whenever I think of the Goonies I think back to this voyage and, likewise, also think of Cyndi Lauper and her Goonies theme song.
My other fond memories from the trip were:
- Racing with the Chief Officer (second in command) to calculate morning and evening star sights every morning and night while under way as we crossed the Pacific Ocean.
- Navigating in northerly latitudes and westerly longitudes for the first time.
- Going to Powells Books in Portland – this must be the best bookshop in the world.
- Crossing The Line - see below
The image below left shows King Neptune and Queen Amphitrite who had boarded the Tasman Enterprise as she sailed across the Equator. The person holding the trumpet is the Chief Officer and playing the Court Jester. The Third Engineer is dressed up as Queen Amphitrite while one of the Motormen is King Neptune.
The image on the right shows the Chief Steward, who was the Fairy Godmother. The Captain, who was in uniform, once flatted with my parents in Liverpool in the early 1960s. He and my father studied together.
The image below shows me being drenched with food scraps that had been festering in a bucket in the tropical heat for several days. My Crossing the Line certificate (dated 23 July 1987) proves that I am now a Shellback.
Overall opinion
21363 The Goonies is an exceptionally good set. The LEGO designers have created a vastly superior model than the one submitted for the If We Could Turn Back Time Challenge.
- That original submission had the port side of Inferno's hull when it was the starboard side viewed in the movie.
- The Inferno as built in 21363 The Goonies set very closely matches the ships used as source material for the movie set design.
It is great that the Inferno is built at minifigure scale.
I really like the cutaway format of this model and believe this format could be easily adaptable to ships such as 10335 The Endurance.
A full hull could easily be MOCd with two instances of this set, making it a source for other historical galleon models. The sails from 10335 The Endurance can easily be incorporated into your MOC.
This set could be used to MOC similar ships from pop culture, such as Tintin's Unicorn.
In my opinion, these are the three minor faults with this set:
- The rudder is missing from Inferno,
- The figurehead at the bow could have been more securely attached to the hull, and
- A display stand for the twelve minifigures could have been included.
Overall, I believe 21363 The Goonies will be a very popular set. It is well-designed and has many features linking it with the movie it represents.
This set retails for RRP £269.99 / $329.99 / €299.99. Price per piece 9.3p / 11.3c / 10.3c
I believe that is good value for a licenced set which comes with twelve minifigures.
Thanks to DigitaLion for loaning me his 71267 The Goonies Level Pack used in this review.
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26 comments on this article
Surely those gym shorts could have been dual moulded in a three figure set…
I don't know anything about ship design or construction. That said, my opinion is that the silhouette of the front of the ship is just wrong. It looks too boxy. That pretty much ruins it for me. Otherwise it looks like a fun set for fans of the movie.
Haven't seen Goonies (yet), but it's crazy how this set now gives us our second Ke Huy Quan minifigure (after Short Round), and our third Josh Brolin (after Thanos and Gurney Halleck) and Sean Astin minifigures (after Samwise and Raphael) all at once.
Very well researched review, although the Cyndi Lauper passage of this review feels a bit unnecessary, as it has no relation to this set. I could say the same about the paragraph's concerning the writer's personal relationship to this film, but it's a cute story -- perhaps worthy of its own article, as it feels out of place in a LEGO set review.
Personally, I'm a little underwhelmed by this set, but I'll attribute that to not having heaps of nostalgia for this movie. Or I've just become numb to all of these massive LEGO sets based on decades-old IP, as well as ginormous pirate ships and such. This should wow me, but I think it's decent at best.
Decent set, but for this price i expected more from figures.
I've never seen the film (despite being in my early twenties when it came out) but I loved this review - the extra information about ships, the film's song, the author's experiences etc really added to it, I felt.
I loved the personal story added here. I was fortunate enough to have been able to visit the Walsh home before the owners declared their wish to prevent visitors. There is a Goonies/film museum in Astoria, and for Goonies fans it is definitely worth the trip. Great review, I think I will be adding this to my collection!
Alcohol is included!!!
Having seen neither, I must confess, my memory interchanges Goonies and Gremlins at will!
This review was actually fascinating. Not only did you review the set, but you gave us a history lesson, gave us some movie recommendations, offered good insight on the production of the film, revealed some cool lore about yourself, and gave us a bangin' tune.
Even though I'm double-skint I must get this at launch alongside the GWP!
Watched the movie again earlier this year, such a fun movie and a great depiction of scenes and minfigs :D
Loved everything about this review, definitely one of the best I’ve read here in a long time. Keeping the personal story stuff to near the end allows those who aren’t interested to skip it (though I read it all because history is fascinating and understanding your own draw to the history behind this set is the kind of thing that connects us all as fans!), and I loved that the overall review was highly detailed bag-by-bag with all the special details and views - especially the way you walked through every part of the chronology of the set in order from the film, which was greatly appreciated as someone who has only ever seen clips from the movie (born in 1990)!
Going the extra mile in also noting and comparing with the Lego Dimensions set was also appreciated - I *do* have that set as LD is still a long-time favorite, so that connection here was appreciated!
When it comes to a set like this that is based off a specific historical property while also having a ton of highly specific details and play features replicating things from that property, thus kind of review is what I absolutely love to see. Ignore any haters - this was an exceptional review in my opinion and an enormously fun read, even as someone who never saw the original movie/had no connection to the background of the set. Thank you!
A really comprehensive review and, more importantly, a great read.
Who'd have ever thought we'd get minifigs of Anne Ramsey, Joey Pants and Corey Feldman!
Thanks for a great review. The effort that was put in with the comparisons, call back to Cyndi Lauper, and your personal connection to this pop culture event. The effort and time shows your love for the source material and is quite infectious. Thank you for a great read.
The best review of 2025. Last year with endurance and now this one. Well done!!
Great review! Minor thing is I believe the wrong gun piece is linked in the Minifigure section
Superb review, thank you! Loved the film notes and historical contexts, as well as the personal backstory.
Great review from @FlagsNZ, as always! I really appreciate the background information and the helpful links!
Underwater river lol, current?
Excellent review!! Wonderful nautical and 80s history teaching moments. Not only are they a fun diversion, they are appropriate given the nature of the contest which spawned the set.
I wish the printing/dual-molding on the fig legs was better. Lego's cheap handling of minifig design undercuts the only real unique thing about their products. Insanely, stupidly shortsighted. Instead, the unspoken expectation is that they should be showcasing how fantastic they can make minifigs.
Also, I wish the price was lower.
Nevertheless, this set has finally taken shape and hits all the right notes to keep from falling into Lego inflation oblivion. Looks good, fun play features, decent figs and design. The GWP is also fun and adds value. Sounds like we got a winner here. It's good enough. Good enough for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Lego SW should take note on how to do a diorama that looks good from both sides. If only po' lil' Star Wars had a large enough budget!! (sadly weeps into beverage)
Now, I'm off to One-Eye's Cave to see if I can scrounge enough doubloons to pay for this.
Down with the LAN!
P.S. Powells is one of the best bookstores in the world. However, they were a bit rude to me when I was in there last summer spending $600 on books and beverages.
Fantastically written review! I really appreciated the side references and videos (ok-maybe not the Cyndi Lauper one ;-) ). Never knew that Goonies was linked to an actual shipwreck.
Great, now I might have to reconsider getting this. Curse you, @FlagsNZ!
That being said, I still struggle with the intentions of this set. To me, it struggles as a display piece but then includes all these play features though it’s priced way outside of most parents’ budgets.
Excellent review!
"In the movie, the scales are attached to a booby trap that causes the cave that the Inferno sits in to collapse."
I may be mistaken, but I think that the booby trap attached to the scales only made the Inferno to lift its anchor, while the collapse of the cave was caused by the dynamite explosion.
Another detailed @FlagsNZ review! Didn't give me any real desire to see the movie or buy the set, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.
@TheBrickBulbasaur said:
"Great review! Minor thing is I believe the wrong gun piece is linked in the Minifigure section"
I didn't look too closely at the pictures, so until I saw your comment, I'd been thinking, "Lego brought that piece back?"
This thing looks great. I loved the movie and was excited when it came back to theaters on a limited anniversary run last year. I got to take my daughters to see it.
There's only one thing missing in the set: the cave where Andy kisses Mikey thinking it's Brand.
Amazing and very thorough review, packed with useful info and fun trivia on the film itself, as well of lots of details about the set. Now all's that left is for those who haven't seen it yet to watch it and really enjoy this set in its entirety!