Review: 72050 Mario Kart - Luigi & Mach 8
Posted by SetToBuild,
In 1983, Luigi was created by performing a simple colour swap of Mario’s sprite in the Mario Bros. arcade game. Since then, his unique identity has developed beyond ‘green Mario’ and has even spun off into his own separate games.
The choice of Luigi’s name was inspired by the formal Japanese word for similar, pronounced “ruiji”. While there are many similarities to 2025’s 72037 Mario & Standard Kart, in this set, Luigi stands, or rather sits, tall on his own in his often-used Mach 8 kart.
Summary
72050 Mario Kart – Luigi & Mach 8, 2,234 pieces.
£159.99 / $179.99 / €179.99 | 7.2p, 8.1c, 8.1c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
This Luigi set follows Mario, but the kart doesn’t come in second place
- Good value
- All decorations printed
- Windscreen packaged separately
- Fantastic shaping and techniques
- Luigi is fixed in a sitting position
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box & Contents
The moderately-sized tray-style box follows the typical 18+ look in black. The modern Mario Kart logo (used since the 2014 launch of Mario Kart 8) completes the minimal branding.
While maybe serving as just another angle of the build, I’d like to think this image on top of the box is a nod to the Luigi “death stare” meme.
Within the box are 22 paper bags, a separate plastic bag with the rims, and thankfully, the windscreen in a dedicated sealed pouch. Less fortunately, the tyres are loose in the box to soak up as many paper particles as possible. These tyres have sometimes been used on motorcycles like 42107 Ducati Panigale V4 R, or their rims cleverly stacked to create the Employee gift 4002017 Nutcracker’s hat.
The new 6x12 windscreen in trans-black (part number 7899) gives you a hint of the scale of this vehicle before you start building—I can’t wait to see where else this huge piece pops up in sets, and how innovative fans use it.
Kart
As a follow-up to 2025’s 72037 Mario & Standard Kart, Luigi enters the race with his own slew of parts and building techniques. The chassis is standard for most vehicles of this size across other similar themes.
The steering radius is comically small given the huge tyres, turning what should be a 3-point turn into a 10-point turn. This black horizontal beam stops the wheels from rotating back too much to avoid them catching on the fender.
Great moments of SNOT work and constructed panels in funny angles make the front fender shapes of a jet engine. Clips and ball joints team up to connect the slanted sub-builds.
More ball joints support these multifaceted angles along the front end. A wide array of curved and angled slopes is on full display to make up the form.
Wedge plates and clips make this tail light assembly shape nearly seamless. Unsightly gaps will be covered up by the giant wheels. You can also see the mechanism that will turn the flames coming out of the exhaust.
I love the stacked ball joints technique for a strong angle assembly. Unfortunate mould marks aside, those cheese slopes fit so nicely in that gap.
All these complex shapes work well together, testing the limits of LEGO System engineering by crafting each panel's relationship masterfully to reduce gaps. The ‘Slim tyres’ wheel set often featured on the Mach 8 kart is also well represented with printed hub caps to finish off the otherwise little-decorated, but successful, design.
As usual, the rubber tyres are a dust nightmare. I tried to clean them up for the photos, but it’s a losing battle. Hopefully, the striking hubcaps will serve as a good distraction.
The entire form of the kart is impressive. The designer really nailed the sleekness of the Mach 8, and its jet engine or early Formula One car styling.
A minimal dashboard sits over the new windscreen with some blank 1x1 round tiles depicting knobs and buttons. No more decoration was needed here, in my view.
The seat is a bit basic in comparison to the craftsmanship of the body, but it works. It’s usually covered up by the driver anyway.
The back fin is built up on both sides with tiles to form the grooved triangular shape, and very simple but very effective cheese slope vents accentuate the rear curvature.
The simple yet strong stand allows the kart to be displayed from various angles, and the 2x2 receiving hole provides a solid connection point. The boat stud helps guide the kart into position with ease, even when placing it with one hand.
Luigi
I’m sad to report that, like Mario, Luigi is fixed in a sitting position—but he’s quite cute nonetheless. The colossal kart could be cumbersome for a display, so you can have Luigi sitting on his own instead if you prefer.
The arms have small gears hidden beneath his shoulder blades to resist swinging, keeping them steady for positioning.
Luigi’s rear is much more polished than Mario’s distinctly unfinished equivalent. Amusingly, Luigi is able to stand like this unaided, as if he’s peering at a coin someone dropped on the ground.
Luigi’s cap design borrows heavily from Mario’s; however, similar to Luigi himself, his cap is narrower. The entire assembly of his head and headgear still utilises an intricate design. The back of his cap is constructed integrally with his hair, and a complex array of Technic structure leaves axles protruding at the required angles to slot into his head. Once together, the brim is attached, then the crown slides onto the long yellow axle.
The 4x6 curved slope is back, especially for Luigi’s ‘L’ logo on his cap, and the white on green printing doesn’t look too bad. His facial expression is perfect for his friendly personality.
Often used in the Super Mario game sets, an angled plate element locks the elbows in a single position. A ball joint in the neck allows rotation and tilt, but don’t push this too far, or else the Technic axle will come out of the assembly within the neck.
Luigi’s hands are nearly identical to Mario’s, except the fingers use the newer, slightly shorter 1x2 slope with a plate underneath instead of that slope’s predecessor. He has the same 1x2 printed bow for the stitching detail.
Thanks to Nintendo, we already have bright green recolours of relatively rarely varied parts like the 1x2 click hinge plate and axle click hinge to finish off the shoulders neatly.
The legs are connected at the hips with just a single mixel joint. It’s a good thing Luigi can’t stand and walk, or this would wear down quickly!
Thankfully, the exclusive nose mould from 72037 Mario & Standard Kart didn’t go to waste. The element is well-structured with lots of support and clutch for various stud connections, even if that leaves it slightly horrifying-looking from underneath.
Luigi’s moustache is another new element, slightly different from Mario’s more scalloped-edge design. This one’s edges are smoother, representing Luigi better. There are many more studs on both moustaches than are necessary to connect the nose. I wonder if this was just to keep the LEGO look, to add hair texture, or if they’ll have other uses. We never saw Mario’s ‘stache appear anywhere else, so it’s likely this piece will also be exclusive. It could make for some interesting minifigure-scale wings!
Luigi’s clean-shaven face gave me a giggle. He’s barely recognisable!
I forgot to photograph the extra pieces, but I think that was partly because they were so unremarkable.
Completed Model
Overall, the Mach 8 has an impressive presence as it feels much larger than the Standard Kart. The massive tyres have a lot to do with this.
Despite the larger kart, taller Luigi’s legs need to be bent to fit in the ride. At the back we have an action feature, in which the exhaust flames rotate when the back wheels roll. It’s not the most inspired feature, given how often we've seen something similar before, but I’ll take it.
Bold shaping, sweeping curves, large tyres, and striking icons all pull their weight for an impactful, yet cartoonish, design of the vehicle.
When off the stand, the canted wheels are more apparent and done very well.
As shown at the top of the box, you can begin to recreate the legendary meme.
However, by swapping in Mario’s printed eyes and mouth tile, you can quite closely match Luigi’s infamous “death stare” expression.
Scale Comparisons
The brothers and their karts look brilliant displayed side by side. Thankfully, Mario is still available in stores and online, so those who want both models won’t miss out.
It’s a bit difficult to see that Luigi is actually a bit taller than his brother, but his legs are bent, so you’ll just have to imagine them standing. His body and face are more slender, and his lack of gut allows his knees to be built in the raised position.
Luigi sits comfortably in Mario’s Standard Kart, but I couldn’t get Mario to sit in the Mach 8 without some deconstruction. Technically, I should have replaced the ‘M’ 6x6 tile with Luigi’s ‘L’ icon, as in the game, the entire vehicle’s graphic symbols change depending on which character is driving.
The Spiny Shell scales perfectly to this set. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the shell is out of stock on the Insiders Reward Centre, but it hasn’t been removed from the page. Hopefully it will return!
With a bit of careful balancing, you can even get Luigi to hold the Spiny Shell!
There are still no barcodes for an electronic figure to interact with, just as before. This feels like a sign that LEGO and Nintendo really are done with that portion of the theme, especially with Super Mario minifigures on their way.
Conclusion
As we’ve described throughout, the shaping of this kart is superbly executed, and the charm of Luigi builds on Mario’s foundation. The persuasive power of Nintendo got us more recolours necessary for seamless detailing; considering this, the price per piece is good, although balanced by the lack of any minifigures.
This set is £10 more expensive than the Mario equivalent, but it has 262 more parts. Luigi is a bit taller, and the kart is a bit bigger, so that completely makes sense, resulting in good value even at RRP.
While we understand why these characters are designed in a sitting position, I’d really love to see them standing. It feels like a huge omission not to depict them back-to-back in their characteristic partner pose, so whether through modification of these sets or the release of another iconic Mario Bros set, I hope Lego rectifies this eventually. It surely can’t require that many additional pieces! At the time of writing, there weren’t any alternate builds on Rebrickable, but hopefully some clever MOC builders out there will get Luigi standing soon enough.
If these large-scale karts continue, Peach would be an excellent follow-up, but I would also love to see Yoshi or Toad eventually.
After a long day of racing, Luigi loves to relax with his beloved Game Boy.
136 likes
26 comments on this article
I play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe way too much. I have mario and will buy this set!
Wow, what a great rendition. And, as always, thank you for the review. It's great to see the unique building techniques and parts usage on sets I [probably] will never buy / build. I wonder if this becomes a series beyond the bros...
"as if he’s peering at a coin someone dropped on the ground"
More like as if he's taking a dump... ;)
It certainly seems like Nintendo demands a lot more attention to detail and fewer compromises from their LEGO renditions than other companies.
They seem to be following the "only the best is good enough" mantra far more than LEGO themselves...
That photo of brickbuilt Luigi with the electronic figure is so cute!
Great review and nice set. That last picture really made my day though :)
Never played Mario Kart but this looks brilliant, as did 72037. Luigi, DC-3, and Tintin are in danger of making April a bit costly!
What a splendidly detailed review of a very good set. Thank you! This one's not on my wanted list, but it's a very impressive model.
Nice review!
Technically for the Standard Kart, when another driver uses it it changes not just the icon but also the color of the kart. Luigi's would be green or bright green and dark blue instead of red and blue... I'm curious how close you could make it as a mod.
Great images and review! The death stare Luigi picture gave me a chuckle. XD
What an excellent review, thanks!
I'm lovin' this larger model
Great review, as always. I can’t believe I missed Mario at Costco. That was probably the only discount we’ll see. Can’t wait to see if Gizmo, Wicket, or Blue Spaceman can drive!
@Alemas said:
""as if he’s peering at a coin someone dropped on the ground"
More like as if he's taking a dump... ;)
It certainly seems like Nintendo demands a lot more attention to detail and fewer compromises from their LEGO renditions than other companies.
They seem to be following the "only the best is good enough" mantra far more than LEGO themselves..."
Maybe, but the attention to detail didn't extend to the printing on the cap, which looks atrociously bad.
Why is every no-name brand in China better at printing white properly on other colours than LEGO themselves?
Pitiful.
@Alemas said:
""as if he’s peering at a coin someone dropped on the ground"
More like as if he's taking a dump... ;)
It certainly seems like Nintendo demands a lot more attention to detail and fewer compromises from their LEGO renditions than other companies.
They seem to be following the "only the best is good enough" mantra far more than LEGO themselves..."
Or Luigi Dropped the soap, you know what that means
They should have included pieces so you could swap out expressions between "friendly" and "death stare."
Why isn’t he called Lario? Like Mario and Wario?
@WokePope said:
"They should have included pieces so you could swap out expressions between "friendly" and "death stare.""
Can you just turn the tile upside down?
@AustinPowers said:
" @Alemas said:
""as if he’s peering at a coin someone dropped on the ground"
More like as if he's taking a dump... ;)
It certainly seems like Nintendo demands a lot more attention to detail and fewer compromises from their LEGO renditions than other companies.
They seem to be following the "only the best is good enough" mantra far more than LEGO themselves..."
Maybe, but the attention to detail didn't extend to the printing on the cap, which looks atrociously bad.
Why is every no-name brand in China better at printing white properly on other colours than LEGO themselves?
Pitiful. "
Hey, it has to show that it's LEGO somewhere.
Even if I had the space, I probably wouldn't be getting this or 72037, but if I *did* have more space, and wanted to get one, it'd be this one, although that's less to do with the driver and more to do with the cart. I just like the styling on the Mach 8 better than that on the Standard Kart.
@wsmit99 said:
"Great review and nice set. That last picture really made my day though :)"
Shame the minifigures aren't out yet, or Electronic Luigi could be holding a Luigi minifig.
@gunther_schnitzel said:"Why isn’t he called Lario? Like Mario and Wario?"
Wario came along long after Luigi did, as did Waluigi, so there wasn't any kind established pattern. (Incidentally, Waluigi's name take's the "Ruiji/Luigi" wordplay even further. "Warui" is Japanese for "bad," so combining it with the Japanese for "similar" makes Waluigi's name a portmanteau word meaning, roughly, "bad copy.")
I have less than zero interest with mario sets/games/movie/anything but this cart looks awesome and those shapes are masterpiece of lego designing! Great job and good value imho.
@TheOtherMike said:
"Wario came along long after Luigi did, as did Waluigi, so there wasn't any kind established pattern. (Incidentally, Waluigi's name take's the "Ruiji/Luigi" wordplay even further. "Warui" is Japanese for "bad," so combining it with the Japanese for "similar" makes Waluigi's name a portmanteau word meaning, roughly, "bad copy.")"
If "warui" is Japanese for "bad", then would that mean "Wario" is a blending of "bad Mario"?
As a MK fan that plays only with Luigi since MK64, I'm very pleased!
I’m still deeply disinterested in all things Mario - the only Nintendo Thing I had and meaningfully got into as a kid was Pokemon - but all the Mario Kart kits have looked great. The shaping here is great. I almost wish I did care about Mario et al so I’d have an excuse to buy some of them.
(I did get the Yoshi bike, because it’s very cute and very cheap and also the dad of one of the home ed families in our network was called Yoshi so I’ve always liked the name. No regrets, trying to come up with excuses for a couple of the others now…)
Thanks for the great review!
I am very disappointed by the opacity of the printing around the "L" on the cap.
They should make a Funky Kong Flame Runner next
@person_that_uses_brickset said:
"I play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe way too much. I have mario and will buy this set!"
Day One!