Monkie Kid begins Journey to the West

Will these be released everywhere tomorrow? Or just the Lego shop? As I’d rather not wait two weeks for these items to arrive.

i'd be tempted to get the food truck for the motorbikes alone! Are they new pieces? I don't think I've seen them before.

@Darth_Studhilus said:
"These sets look very cool, but is there a story with them? Like a cartoon series?"

There will be!

Some interesting parts and buildings but not for me.

Not sure why, but that Sandy big fig looks awesome to me.

No English prices?

I love these. Inventive, beautiful looking. If only I had the money, I'd invest in these immediately!

What is the difference between this and the NinjaGo? Licensing?

I think that just going off price-part ratio, the larger sets are well priced enough, but the mid-sized ones aren’t great. The bigger sets also seem to have a certain size to them that justifies the price.

These look pretty cool. And even though they're not for me, any sets/line that get kids excited about LEGO is a winner in my book. Hope it's a success!

Probably won't buy them but I particularly like the Red sons Truck and the mech...

Any difference between this monkey king and the one found in the CMF series?

I have absolutely no interest in this series, though I look forward to seeing some of those recolours and new moulds in other ranges of products.

@noggin said:
"Any difference between this monkey king and the one found in the CMF series? "

Same character as the one in 80012 but different colours, print and pauldrons. See: https://brickset.com/sets/71025-4/Monkey-King
I prefer the CMF one.

I was mildly intrigued by the boat, but otherwise... I prefer the Ninjago modulars. Most of this seems like a variation on what has already been done.

This is going to be a really cheap year for my wallet, but a disappointing one for my AFOL heart.

I'm not going to buy them, but I like that Monkey Kid is extremely detailed and has a new piece to represent headphones.

@Brick_Master said:
"For me the sets are good, but not super-amazing, there are one or two I might pick up, plus the minifigs from the others, maybe.
But I like the idea of Lego looking to other cultures and traditions for inspiration. Ninjago was a good start but it's a very western take. If these sets do well, hopefully they'll be other themes to follow. I'm sure 90% of the visitors to this site would rather have a return of Classic Space, or another Pirates theme maybe, but personally much as I like both of those, I'm also very happy to see new (non-licensed) ideas coming up from Lego."

That's exactly what's happening now with Nintendo. Yesterday they dropped out of the blue the trailer for Paper Mario: The Origami King (coming on July 17th), and it looks really good. But there are a lot of people who want Intelligent Systems (the developers of Paper Mario) to go back to The Thousand Year Door formula (a game from 2004, for the Gamecube, considered the staple of the series). Because they didn't like at all the recent Paper Mario entries (Sticker Star for 3DS and Color Splash for Wii U).
Personally, I'm fine. Both with Paper Mario and [getting back on the topic] this Monkey Kid lineup.
Even though I won't buy those sets because right now the Switch calls back :)

@fulcrumbop said:
"Excellent colors, but that one choice in the poll was spot-on - what was broken with Ninjago that TLG needed to put out a seemingly competitive line?"

It feels to me that Ninjago has stuck around a bit long and Lego might need something else new and fresh out in the market. I can't really explain it all that well.

Really impressive.
4 sets above 1000 pieces.
The HQ with the the Technic panels is amazing.

The Super Sentai minifig from the CMF set and now the helmet print from the White Dragon Horse Bike set just keeps reiterating how we need a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers set

Difficult to know why those into Mechs and oriental themes would buy any of these sets over the far wider range of historical 'Ninjago' sets, many of which are under $20. There are also far more interesting high priced sets from the 'Ninjago' movie. I always worry about purchasing new themes or movie ties that if they are not popular Lego will just remove all traces overnight, which may explain the high prices for these gambles.

Wow - the giant Monkey Mech looks very impressive! But I'm genuinely glad they went with updated take - had they gone with the original legend I may as well have thrown whatever money I have at it!

I really like Pigsy's Food Truck!

Well, I’ve looked, I’ve added some to my wish list, removed some and filed those remaining under ‘check for big discounts after Christmas’.

Don’t get me wrong, they look like nice sets, but the composition seems odd. The Ninjago and Nexo Knights comparison is obvious, but the sets themselves are thrown together more like the superheroes themes with bystanders and streetscapes included. I guess this probably makes sense to it’s target market, but it’s off-putting to me.

Hideous.

I'm just gonna get that cheapest one. They look cool but I'd rather spend my money on sets I really do want.

The nature of Monkey was irrepressible!

Have we got UK prices on these yet?

Meh. I can't say these appeals to me. So I'll be passing on them.

The prices seemed too high just looking at the pictures previously, but most of these have so many more pieces than I thought... I really like what they're doing here, the designs remind me of the best LEGO Movie (series) sets. I would like the three smallest sets to be $10 cheaper and I'd like to see some smaller sets but for what's here, I think they've done a very good job.

I agree that some of these look like Chima or Nexo Knights sets but I like this theme's aesthetics a lot more

Ugh...those prices hurt. But I’m still planning to at least get the Cloud Jet & Monkey King Warrior Mech.

The two big mech sets are a 100% must buy for me but wow they pulled out all the stops and there isn’t a single set under 30 US dollars here. That’s gonna stop a lot of people from enjoying this theme.

They all look marvelous though!

Why is "I might get one set, and will stick with Ninjago"

The general style does NOT appeal to me at all. That said, the Mech looks very good, and might be a buy for me.

Just like ninjago x nexo knight

Must sell Kidney, need King warrior Mech to survive.......

Too expensive; not bad sets though. Will be on sale.

These looks so awesome. I love these original LEGO themes that the set designers can just have fun with. This reminds me a lot of the sets from the Ninjago movie. That being said, I don’t have any interest in these, just not a property I’d spend money on. Maybe after the show comes out and if I like it a good amount my thoughts will change.

As cool as these sets are, I can’t support this theme for political reasons. I’ve thought and journaled about the ethics of this since I heard about the theme. I really like these sets; they have the LEGO ninjago movie vibe I adore, but I have to put my principals first

Is this anything to do with Monkey Magic? That also has Pigsy and was set in China.

In all honesty, I was prepared to ignore all of these.
Now I've seen them, I'm only going to ignore the two smallest sets.
The rest are all worthy of a look for the right price and the two large mechs are so right up my street that they are worth a punt no matter what just as part packs.

Personally, I love mechs, but only the Monkey King Mech interests me out of all the mechs this theme seems to include.

That said however, the price of it.... yeesshh.... All these sets seem rather pricey for the size of them, especially considering its not a theme they've gotta pay a licence for.

@gunther_schnitzel said:
"Is this anything to do with Monkey Magic? That also has Pigsy and was set in China."

Same source material, ‘Journey to the West’ (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West)

Big fan of the bit of street corner included with the Monkey King Warrior Mech. Shame there isn’t more like it in the sets lineup.

Yeah, okay, they are expensive sets but at a PPP from under Eur 0.08 cents a piece to just over Eur 0.10 cents a piece, it is very good value for money.
It is interesting how price comparisons differ over different themes, if this was Star Wars, it would be ridiculously cheap! (and it is not all grey)

*don't get me wrong, I am a huge Star Wars fan, but there is such a thing as too much grey. (Loving the UCS A-wing!)

I'm confused if these sets are coming to standard outlets like Target or not?

I collected most of Nexo Knights during it's 3 year life, I just don't feel the same attraction here.

I love the small buildings but they come with large vehicles.

I like the bull figures, and parts selection, trans-neon-orange parts etc.

Overall also a very sticker-heavy theme to get it's anime looks.

The main critic would be it being LEGO exclusive doesn't help this theme's price point.

@Theoderic said:
"Yeah, okay, they are expensive sets but at a PPP from under Eur 0.08 cents a piece to just over Eur 0.10 cents a piece, it is very good value for money.
"

It depends , if other sets usually can get 20-40% off because they are sold outside LEGO.com , it starts to make a bigger difference.

Very cool sets but I can't say these looks that appealing to me especially because I am really into Ninjago and Satr Wars. Another problem: the average price per set is 93.125 US Dollars.

These looks like a mashup of Nexo Knights and Ninjago.

@Snazzy_Bricks said:
"I'm getting a very Nexo Knight-vibe from the villan sets. I don't think that's a good thing, also, the USD prices? The only one i MIGHT buy is the jet.

EDIT:

The gold pieces on the end of Monkie Kid's staff would look excellent in metallic silver, for Darth Maul's lightsaber

EDIT 2 :

in 80008 , what's the circle with a slash sticker on the side of his bike trying to say?

If it's trying to say "no bull," I will be disappointed."

Considering that the main antagonist is the Demon Bull King with his army of Bull Clones, and the sticker is a pictorial representation of a bulls head; I would say that, yes, it is, in a tongue in cheek kind of way. Certainly not worthy of disappointment.

The nature of Monkey is irrepressible.

Don't know if I'll go all-in on the sets, but the TV series looks well worth checking out. The animation is glorious!

@TeriXeri said:

It depends , if other sets usually can get 20-40% off because they are sold outside LEGO.com , it starts to make a bigger difference."

You have a point, but if these are sold at 20-40% off from retailers; they would represent the same value for money.
This is after all another main theme that will hit the retail shelves just the same as other themes.

I'm going to wait till Christmas to get these.

Nah, don't like it. It has no appeal and the theme is much to similar to Ninjago.

@Theoderic said:
"You have a point, but if these are sold at 20-40% off from retailers; they would represent the same value for money.
This is after all another main theme that will hit the retail shelves just the same as other themes."

That's not very clear from the press release, they make it look like a Store exclusive theme :

• LEGO Monkie Kid will launch worldwide on May 16th on LEGO.com, in LEGO Brand Retail Stores, LEGO Certified Stores, LEGOLAND and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers with early access for:

• China mainland from May 15th in LEGO Brand Retail and LEGO Certified Stores, LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, and TMall Flagship stores only.
• Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong from May 15th in LEGO Certified Stores, and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers only.

@Rimefang said:
"Well... is there a way to get the shops without the mechs and trucks? Otherwise, neat!"

I was thinking the exact same thing.

These are interesting but not something I would buy. The only one that I would even consider is Pigsy's food truck but not at that price. A few interesting new parts that I might search out from BnP. To much Mech for me. I prefer buildings to outlandish vehicles & robot warriors. Plenty of other, more appealing to me, sets coming out that I will spend my money on.

Ninjago 2.0. And even Ninjago was already remashing more than it should. This just re-remashes with a different colour palette and some new pieces.

Discount buy perhaps for some pieces and minifigs but for the rest this is meh...

Hard pass for me, also because of the heavy sci-fi theme present in it. It does not differ enough from Ninjago, but then again, it might be exactly why they did it, considering the cultural rivalry between China and Japan, so now they've localized Ninjago to China?

Why is no one asking the real question?

Why the fudge is it spelled 'Monkie' kid? Monkey king but Monkie kid? Its annoying me as you might tell!

Spelling aside, i really like the look of the sets. would love to know a bit more about UK availability and pricing though. i have fond memories of the old TV show, enjoyed reading the book years ago and I do want the Pigsy fig!

The Monkey King Warrior Mech is ostentatious.

The word "Ninjago" appeared 47 times on this page.

I’m glad to see more Asian inspired sets.

These don’t interest me though. But then again I’m not the target audience. I am in the + of 8+ though.

There are a few figures I may want or some stickers might be okay, but largely can pass on these.

TLG has saved me a lot of money this year and it came at the right time with COVID related money saving.

I want the tuk-tuk and the Panda shop. Those are AWESOME!!!

The rest look like a sticker-fest of mechs and ridiculous vehicles. I guess that's the "Chinese Culture" they were referring to?

The theme has so much Japanese stuff in it that it might get banned in China... The New Year sets are obviously based on Chinese culture, these rather mock the story.

I see Ninjago has a replacement, geared for China mostly.
Looks good, though. But it doesn't feel original at all, looks exactly like Ninjago to me. I wonder how it will perform in the west

Another awful theme, like Nexo Knights, Ninjago...

Prices are really really bad on the smaller sets. Not sure how they'll be able to sell these in the US without significant discounts. The mech sets look phenomenal though.

We may finally get an accurate lightsaber hilt for Darth Maul.

All I see are DOUBLE BLADED LIGHTSABER HILTS for my Darth Maul.

Wow are they bad. They look like they learned nothing from the Nexo Knights debacle while at the same time trying to jump on the success of Ninjago. These will be discounted so hard they might eventually be good part packs.

@Yeehaw and @TheRightP_art I imagine Lego is using the original stories as inspiration, not directly lifting all the characters out of it. For that matter, the original story seems to have lacked any prominent female characters.

I absolutely LOVE the figures, like Piggy and the Bull warriors or whatever they're called. Unfortunately, they seem a lot like ninjago, being a modern twist, meaning were loosing hope in getting classic Lego Chinese sets. For example, we haven't got classic ninja sets in twenty years, thanks to ninjago.
Anyway, though, I still love the figures. I'll probably buy the Food truck on release. Great minifigs, and that recolored stud shooter piece is one I must have for Mocs. I also love the HQ, but the money! Surprisingly, I like the mechs, despite me not liking the ninjago ones.

Interesting theme. Definitely not my thing, but I can appreciate what LEGO is going for here. The only Asian style sets I've bought and liked in were the 3 large/flagship sets from The Ninjago Movie. Anyhow, I hope LEGO utilizes the new long hilt piece for a certain character ;)

Still find the controversy over this unwarranted and unnecessary though.

Honestly, I find this whole line deeply charming. The builds are great, it is a really unique idea sitting on the border of licensed and original. I really enjoy it as someone not really that INTO Ninjago, someone who has wanted an Asian-inspired alternative to that seemingly endless line.

I'm not sure if I like the sets... Some of them are cool, but the fact that they are based in China makes me stay away from them, with the crazy Chinese politics and all...

I hope this doesn't replace or kill off Ninjago. It should last for at least 10 years just to outlast Bionicle :)
If it's not broken, don't fix it. And no, not being accepted in a heavily censored country is not exactly being broken if you ask me.
I mean seriously, they even start it with a TV show!

As for the theme itself... It feels so obviously focussed to the chinese market. And the rich elite there if you look at those prices. Whatever happened to impulse sets to help you try out a theme? These price points are rediculous. It's like they were so eager to make heaps of cash that they forgot to cater to kids with pocket money... or adults with little to spend on Lego.

Although some sets look awesome, they all feel like flagship sets or higher-end sets of a product line. It's missing the entire lower end!

These look too overly detailed. Do these sets really need to be this big for the playability!

The builds to me seem rather lacking, almost borderline boring. The only thing that seems like a potential buy is the warrior mech and the HQ for some Asian influenced cityscape. I hope that this theme helps to further diversify Lego cityscapes in the future like Ninjago did and isn't just riddled with just rinse and repeat vehicles. I do love some of the new parts, prints, stickers, and colors, though.

Not interested in the lore, but those Mechs look quite cool, especially the one with all the drum lacquered gold pieces. Might be worth getting for those alone. Prices in Euro don't seem too bad for the larger sets.

I am excited because there is a longer lightsaber hilt piece, so we might finally be getting a proper double bladed lightsaber for Darth Maul. Other than that these sets don’t interest me. I am a Lego Star Wars fan.

@Kynareth said:
"Well, I’ve looked, I’ve added some to my wish list, removed some and filed those remaining under ‘check for big discounts after Christmas’.

Don’t get me wrong, they look like nice sets, but the composition seems odd. The Ninjago and Nexo Knights comparison is obvious, but the sets themselves are thrown together more like the superheroes themes with bystanders and streetscapes included. I guess this probably makes sense to it’s target market, but it’s off-putting to me."

It's funny you compare it to Super Heroes because what you describe is something I feel is often missing from that sort of theme—ordinary people for the heroes to actually save. In that way it reminds me more of some of the Lego Movie and Lego Ninjago Movie sets, which did a better job of actually building up a world for its characters to inhabit beyond just good guys and bad guys in opposition.

I like the idea behind these - seems like a creative idea. Love the mythology/culture tie-in. The sets themselves have no appeal for me (just not my thing), unlike some of the Ninjago and all of the Chinese New Year sets.

First three sets literally scream to me: "We're Nexo Knights! In a different colour scheme!"

I think the LNY/CNY sets got my hopes too high for a "Chinese-inspired" theme. Is it gatekeeping to say this theme doesn't look Chinese enough? Hardly any architecture, and the vehicles look decidedly Western - I guess the mechs are more Japanese-inspired, but still.

Monkey king mech/minifig look great though. Otherwise, I'm sticking to the Lunar New Year sets.

@Squicman said:
"I'm not sure if I like the sets... Some of them are cool, but the fact that they are based in China makes me stay away from them, with the crazy Chinese politics and all..."

What? I don't even know what to do with this comment lol

Jesus, the smallest set in the theme is 35 bucks?

I sense the omission of a major character. In the trailer for the tv show there is the guy with glasses who appears at the 0:45 mark and again at the team shot at the end, implying he's sort of a major character. I'm guessing he's Tang Sanzang, the conspicuosly abset main protagonist of the Journey to the West, or some sort of modern descendant or equivalent to him in the show. I just find it baffling this nerdy dude isn't a physical minifig. I'm worried he might be exploited as a Comic-Con figure, but I doubt it as this theme is focused on the Chinese market. I think he might be kind of meant to be mysterious for the first season and will show up in the next wave of sets. I don't know, just an interesting discovery.

These look great! However, they do seem a little expensive and licenses like Star Wars, Marvel or Harry Potter usually take precedence over non-licensed play themes like Ninjago.

I’ll try to get a few, but not at the moment.

I do ,very much, feel like a minority here but I really like this theme and the sets they’re releasing. I agree there should definitely have been some entry level priced sets to get customers, who aren’t totally sold on the theme, a few sets to try out.
I’m interested to see where this theme goes for sure, and will certainly pick up a few sets straight away.

Those staff pieces are BEGGING to be made in silver for Darth Maul. At last...

Other than that, the demon bull look pretty metal, might have to pick that one up.

Imma add onto my complaints, these are so overpriced for what there is.

Cheapest is £24.99 which is expected and the most expensive is £159.99 which is also expected but all the other ones feel £5 or £10 overpriced.

Betting we'll get Peach Boy in the next wave. LOL!

Sadly, also thinking this is the beginning of the end of Ninjago.

"Deeply rooted in Chinese culture, the new theme line is created with inspiration from China, for China, and at the same time empowers children around the world to be brave, resilient and optimistic...deeply inspired by Chinese culture and built on an esteemed story that is treasured by all generations. It is with deepest respect for Chinese culture and the 500-year-old legend that we have created the next chapter in the story of the Monkey King."

Wow, never heard such respect, reverence and praise for the source material for.

Brilliant sets but I’ll never buy them. I can’t believe LEGO is caving into the Chinese market after their government’s countless human rights violations.

Nexjago?

@Squicman said:
" @Kalhiki said:
"Don't know if I'll go all-in on the sets, but the TV series looks well worth checking out. The animation is glorious!"

Holy crap - it's incredible! Finally a fully drawn LEGO tv-show and not those low-budget 3D animations that look pretty crap... Ninjago has good writing though. Oh yeah, Unikitty! was also 2D but it used mostly the same assets, this looks like almost all frames are new. And that really pays off!

https://youtu.be/oIFTI_rPlj0"

Wow Im glad I read this comment and checked out the trailer, you're totally right the show actually looks really good

I was actually excited to see the return of the black bicycle... :D Overall, a nice theme with great sets. Love the buildings and those shipping containers wow...

Would like to see a line like this with South American or African feeling.

@TheRightP_art said:
"Given the controversy my last comment has gained... To put it lightly, I am still bitter about these sets. That said, the sets themselves look pretty good. I, however, still cannot get over the blatant pandering and how LEGO made a man/dragon/horse into a girl (Mei)/motorcycle (read below for an explanation).

In the original tale, a prince in heaven commits a crime of some sort (I forgot) and gets banished into the human realm. There, he takes on the form of a dragon and is known as xiaobailong. After years of punishment, he is visited by a goddess who promises to return him to heaven if xiaobailong agrees to accompany San Zhang and Monkey Kid to Xi Tian. Thus, xiaobailong becomes a horse on which San Zhang rides to his destination. Why LEGO made him a girl and a motorcycle is anybody’s guess."

Tang Sanzang/Tripitaka was always described as a prettyboy in the stories, so much so that female monsters often wanted to wed him rather than eat him. The character has been genderbent in many adaptations (especially in anime), maybe because Journey to the West is REALLY guy-heavy!

@utlf said:
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but does anyone else feel like Lego is straight up pandering to their new-found Chinese market?"

Definitely, but I think in more ways than one! It's always interesting to see how Chinese kids play with Lego. It seems like the "puzzle" element is just as important as playing with the final result, and much of the fun comes from figuring out and "beating" challenging builds. These sets are definitely a step above in complexity compared to other younger-skewing lines. Maybe the increased detail and parts counts are also jacking up the price?

@Pekingduckman said:
" @Brikkyy13 said:
"Brilliant sets but I’ll never buy them. I can’t believe LEGO is caving into the Chinese market after their government’s countless human rights violations."

Literally don't know what capitalism is. Much of the fuel that we use came from Saudi Arabia, which still restrict women's rights and execute LGBT people, atheists, and dissidents. Even the US have their own rights issues with Blacks and police, as well as the detention of immigrants. Stop the selective outrage and learn the difference between a government and the people as a whole, please."

True. But we have various elections to try to correct matters and some journalists to help expose atrocities. Some fail, some succeed. Xi is president for life over there and that lovely Social Credit system they have is so much fun.
Oh, also, how much are the Chi-coms paying you?

This could be a really great line for kids, but the prices and lack of smaller sized sets is very problematic. I also think that the show will be key in building interest and wonder where it will be available.

I’m wondering if the pricing is because they intend to sell this more in China where Lego prices are double or even triple US prices. I considered purchasing a Chinese New Year set in Beijing, but it just seemed absurd to pay such a high price for it, especially since I noticed a few Star Wars sets I purchased were triple the price in China. Could just be that they could charge any price in China and it will sell.

It'd be great if the article didn't fail to mention which culture these sets are based on. /s

Er... that's certainly a very "creative" take on the Chinese stories.

My kids are excited about the look of these sets, and what's more, have started researching some of the Chinese folklore off their own backs. That's brilliant!

I'm kinda neutral on these sets, honestly. Don't get me wrong, the mechs especially look REALLY nice... I just find that bikes and trucks and mechs aren't typically my personal cup of tea, so nothing really jumps out at me. That's okay, though: I'm sure the target audience will love them ^^

And about the trailer? I dunno whether or not I have high hopes for the show's storytelling, but regardless: THAT ANIMATION, MAN. As a wannabe traditional animator myself, I can really appreciate how amazing that looks. Are we sure that's really genuine traditionally-drawn animation? And if it is, please can someone teach me how to draw animation that looks that good?! xD

Are these technic panels from the 80013 HQ set earth green (https://brickset.com/parts/colour-Earth-Green/category-Technic)?

Sweeties thing!

And, as here is mentioned, these sets universally have a NINJAGO vibe (but not a wider Ninjago, rather, the NINJAGO City).

But Monkey King mech... o, this is too vondrous and awe-glaloring... )))

Official News: The theme is no longer titled, "Monkie Kid". Its new title is "Mohawk Cat".

These look pretty cool IMO. While I can see some similarities to Ninjago and Nexo Knights, I feel that this theme is unique enough to stand on its own.

That being said, I'm going to stick with Ninjago. I don't have the budget to start collecting sets from a new theme!

@MeganL: I'm with you -- need the blue cat with the mohawk! Our feline from TLM 2 needs a friend... :)