Review: 77006 Team Sonic Command Truck
Posted by SetToBuild,
Kids love trucks and cars, especially ones that open up or transform. Plenty of adults still enjoy these features too! This set delightfully emanates the vibes of a coveted 90s toy, the Micro Machines Super Van City, especially with the decorative stripe and opening feature.
Are you unfamiliar with the vehicle depicted in this set? That’s not a surprise, even to the surprise of die-hard Sonic fans; it was found to only exist in the background art of a YouTube mini-series called ‘TailsTube’ in Episode #12, ‘Life Hacks’. It isn’t even mentioned or referenced in any way during the episode.
Summary
77006 Team Sonic Command Truck, 747 pieces.
£59.99 / $69.99 / €69.99 | 8.0p / 9.4c / 9.4c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An unexpected niche vehicle has plenty of hidden play features
- Two new Badniks
- Exclusive prints
- Repeated minifigures
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box
The Green Hill’s sloping hills and absurd terrain are shown in the background on the front of the box.
One of the images on the back of the box depicts Sonic and Tails playing ping pong with a Chaos Emerald—what a way to relax! Inside are seven bags, and no stickers.
Minifigures
Sonic here is the same as this one from sets 76990 Sonic's Speed Sphere Challenge and 76993 Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot. The figure from 76997 Tails' Adventure Boat is also the same, except in that case, he had a lifejacket, so it is catalogued separately.
Miles ‘Tails’ Prower is identical to the one from 76997 Tails' Adventure Boat.
Although amazing, Metal Sonic is another repeat figure, this time the same as from 77002 Cyclone vs. Metal Sonic—except he doesn’t have his two handheld fireballs this time. Read the full breakdown on this fantastic figure in my set review for Cyclone vs Metal Sonic.
Finally, our first new character: Burrobot. This cute little brick-built Badnik is a mole-like enemy that’s been around, somewhat infrequently, since the early days of the games.
The second brick-built enemy is another Badnik known as a Caterkiller. Another first-time appearance in LEGO, this wiggly form is sturdily assembled using interlocking bar and hollow stud SNOT pieces. I greatly enjoyed building both of these detailed characters.
Completed Model
Apparently, the folks over at Sega didn’t want to sit on the sidelines of the long blue vehicles game and decided to send their own fighter into the ring. The result is a versatile vehicle with a straightforward build experience, packed with fun features.
Gigi Dutreix is the artist of the background seen in Episode #12, ‘Life Hacks’ on TailsTube. A darkened version of this art is used in the episode, but the vibrancy of this daytime scene feels more like LEGO. Interestingly, the drawing of the truck seems to be based on the LEGO build and not the other way around!
The lack of windows on either side is rather noticeable. While it’s accurate and sort of makes sense (you’ll see later how the inside folds up, which wouldn’t look great through the window), it is a bit odd-looking and makes the vehicle less versatile, for example, for city play.
Both the front and the rear include printed ’Green Hill’ number plates referencing Sonic the Hedgehog’s debut on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1991.
The opening feature is reminiscent of 60418 Police Mobile Crime Lab Truck or a variety of older equivalents. Both of these newer sets utilise the flip-up area as a second level of playable space, rather than just walls or decorative elements.
A well-equipped and cosy kitchen is tucked into the centre of the truck, where someone is heating up a frying pan ready to fry up a slice of orange, as you do.
A colourful stripe completely wraps around the vehicle, cleverly blended with the doors. A stud launcher is attached to the side of the truck, perhaps for some Vigilante 8-style vehicular combat.
A button on the rear of the truck reveals a hidden quad. A very strong push of the button can launch the vehicle completely. Additionally, this door has a weak point that breaks easily if you grip the truck from the rear.
When initially reviewing this set, the mysterious calculator alarm clock upon Sonic’s bedside table was bewildering me. While looking high and low for what this could be referencing, a Sega Genesis controller GWP that has a similar build within was released. It is simply a model of an Item Box seen in the games.
Sonic’s bed reminds me of the stage title screens from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Tails’s bed is on the right with a cyan Chaos Emerald on his bedside table. His bedsheets are reminiscent of the checkered patterns prevalent in Sonic games. The pattern could be referencing a flag at the end of a race or the floor of a bonus stage.
Tails can awkwardly lie, as can Sonic, but you can’t comfortably close the hatch with either Sonic or Tails there without moving around the furniture on the lid.
Several special prints are included in the set: The 2x4 screen depicts two Chao characters in the Chao Garden, an optional experience that was a virtual pet simulator, first seen in Sonic Adventure (1998), where the player could raise the Chao, give them items, play games, and change their appearance. The Chao Garden seen on this print looks to be from the Hero Garden from Sonic Adventure 2. The dizzy expression of the right Chao was likely a result of someone smashing their egg open by throwing it! Deplorable behaviour!
Sonic performing a spin dash on the 1x1 tile is too fun a design to only be in this set, but sure enough, it appears again in the GWP, 40769 SEGA Genesis Controller.
The silhouette on the nicely referenced 1991 number plate is very similar to the Sonic Team logo.
The upper level is really packed: a sound system, TV, game console with controller, and a ping pong table (even complete with paddles!) are all squeezed in here. A dark pink Chaos Emerald is next to the game controller—is it powering the console? An adorable added detail is that the floor has a pattern similar to the ground in Green Hill, allowing the team to take a bit of home with them on their travels.
A detachable cockpit lets the builder easily insert a driver. It even has a recessed area so that Tails can still drive the vehicle even with his tail piece attached, and Sonic’s quills will also fit in this place.
A massive haul of extras notably includes the spin dash 1x1 tile. Additionally, for the first time since 1995, we have a dark pink 2x2 dish piece; some may argue that this is a new part since the last appearance in 4161 Girl's Freestyle Suitcase used the subtly different ‘medium dark pink’ colour formulation.
Conclusion
The lack of new minifigures in either of the Sonic sets in this wave is a disappointment, but hopefully that means more introductions in the future. We know that kids love the main heroes, but the set’s price should reflect the reduced manufacturing and design costs of the reuse. The set’s cast is saved by two new Badniks that I’m happy to add to my collection.
I’m still amazed that within the expansive amount of Sonic media that exists, Sega and LEGO have chosen to highlight a vehicle that had only appeared in the background of one episode in a mini-series on the Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel. Maybe the proposal for a bus-like vehicle toy came first, or maybe they’re hoping that Sonic superfans will want to own a product starring an obscure reference? All the play features, subtle references, and even more enemies make for a fun set that truck-loving kids will adore, so I can’t really blame the decision or the end result!
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13 comments on this article
It seems *very* odd to reference a long discontinued 90s toy for the fold open vehicle nature, when actual recent Lego sets like 60388, 60421, or 42663 are far more similar in their fold-open functionality and interior type, and far more likely to have been the model for the fold-open aspect of this set.
Now if this folded open to a miniature Green Hills or other well known Sonic level, then maybe I could see it taking a small amount of inspiration from that Micro Machines van.
It's sometimes been suggested that Marvel's speedsters Northstar and Quicksilver are, let's say, -difficult-, is because they're always thinking and acting a thousand miles an hour in a world that seems to move in slow-motion for them. They're not irritable - the rest of the world is just an excruciating slide-show, set to a glacial pace.
With that in mind, why would SEGA's speedster want to move through the world in a -bus-? Sonic, are you okay? I hate to see you hurting yourself like this. This is so very, very troubling.
I'm not really a Sonic fan, which might impact my opinion, but despite this not being from any of the games it seems to be a pretty cool set that'd be fun to play with. I know a lot of people often criticize Sonic in vehicles on the basis that he'd be faster without one, but in this case a vehicle that doubles as a mobile base/mobile home makes a lot of sense. And the aesthetic of the set has a lot of '90s charm, with bold colors and geometric patterns.
Thanks for the review!
Feels like there’s some big Colorado energy here, too, whether deliberately or coincidentally.
@Crux said:
"It's sometimes been suggested that Marvel's speedsters Northstar and Quicksilver are, let's say, -difficult-, is because they're always thinking and acting a thousand miles an hour in a world that seems to move in slow-motion for them. They're not irritable - the rest of the world is just an excruciating slide-show, set to a glacial pace.
With that in mind, why would SEGA's speedster want to move through the world in a -bus-? Sonic, are you okay? I hate to see you hurting yourself like this. This is so very, very troubling."
It’s a tour bus. With all that that entails.
Also, that first new badnik looks nothing like a donkey.
honestly the awkward hexagonal prisms with a tube out of them on the art where the launchers are on the set feels like the smoking gun for the art being based on the set rather than the other way around. other details i could chalk up to coincidence, but those feel so incongruous that they have to be based on the set's shooters
This is tiny! I should never cost more than 35 EUR. Crazy.
@gearwheel said:
"It seems *very* odd to reference a long discontinued 90s toy for the fold open vehicle nature, when actual recent Lego sets like 60388 , 60421 , or 42663 are far more similar in their fold-open functionality and interior type, and far more likely to have been the model for the fold-open aspect of this set.
Now if this folded open to a miniature Green Hills or other well known Sonic level, then maybe I could see it taking a small amount of inspiration from that Micro Machines van."
If there's anything to know about my reviews, it's that I will take every opportunity to reference toys and experiences from my childhood, no matter how tenuous the connection! Nostalgia is part of my identity and is a major factor in my passion for writing reviews.
Later in article, I do eventually mention the much more relevant comparison, 60418 Mobile Command Truck.
This is definitely a Lego-original design that was later referenced in some ancillary material... Sonic is a VERY self referential series.
Remember that Lego also created the Sea Fox II for a set and seems to have a pretty strong relationship with Sega which grants them these sorta back-and-forth freedoms.
Personally I like these weirdo concepts for licensed themes, everyone gets too caught up in something needing to exist in media beforehand and forgets that these are toys.
I've been meaning to pick up more of these Sonic sets, even as a very casual fan, I really like seeing all the characters getting minifigures... I'm really hoping for a Fang the Sniper fig, Chaos 0, or some Chaos (the little guys) as baby figs!
You’ve got duplicate pros at the start of the review. Besides that, I’m really glad to see a detailed review for this. Not interested in getting it, but still wanted to know all its hidden features
@Emmafofemma said:
"You’ve got duplicate pros at the start of the review. Besides that, I’m really glad to see a detailed review for this. Not interested in getting it, but still wanted to know all its hidden features "
Nice catch! Thank you for reading! Fixed :)
@ohrmazd said:
"It’s a tour bus. With all that that entails."
In this case, all the added excitement of being prone to side impact collisions, due to extreme the lack of peripheral vision.
@Crux said:
"It's sometimes been suggested that Marvel's speedsters Northstar and Quicksilver are, let's say, -difficult-, is because they're always thinking and acting a thousand miles an hour in a world that seems to move in slow-motion for them. They're not irritable - the rest of the world is just an excruciating slide-show, set to a glacial pace.
With that in mind, why would SEGA's speedster want to move through the world in a -bus-? Sonic, are you okay? I hate to see you hurting yourself like this. This is so very, very troubling."
I don't know about Marvel guys, but Sonic explicitly enjoys stopping to proverbially smell the roses.