Review: 71411 The Mighty Bowser
Posted by CapnRex101,
LEGO Super Mario has presented some unusual subjects in larger sets, between 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System and 71395 Question Mark Block. The frightening 71411 The Mighty Bowser continues this interesting approach to the LEGO Super Mario theme.
This imposing rendition of Mario's arch nemesis definitely appears impressive, taking inspiration from the character's modern portrayals and capturing extraordinary detail. Furthermore, the model offers remarkable functions and articulation, certainly enhancing its appeal on display.
Summary
71411 The Mighty Bowser, 2,807 pieces.
£229.99 / $269.99 / €269.99 | 8.2p/9.6c/9.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
While expensive, 71411 The Mighty Bowser looks absolutely magnificent on display!
- Tremendous accuracy and detail
- Fun building techniques
- Strong construction
- Extensive articulation
- Relatively expensive
- Arguably unnecessary base
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box and Contents
Bowser's vibrant design suits the dark 18+ packaging, particularly with a sinister orange glow behind this menacing model. Opening the box reveals 22 numbered bags and one instruction manual, which presents the villain's changing appearance since 1985. No stickers are needed because the very few decorated parts are printed.
The Completed Model
Few video game characters are as immediately recognisable as Bowser, placing considerable expectation on this model. Fortunately, the popular King Koopa looks absolutely stunning! This figure most closely resembles the villain's design from 2007 onwards, combining rounded facial features with his ever-present spiked shell and horns.
Bowser stands on an attractive display base, measuring 41cm across. The combination of grey and dark red, with pearl gold accents, reflects Bowser's traditional environments and I like the columns framing this model. Banners decorate both columns and incorporate the printed 2x2 round tiles originally introduced in 71391 Bowser's Airship, featuring Bowser's menacing face!
The base is surprisingly detailed, including elaborate tiled patterns around a strip of dark red carpet. Bowser's Castle is frequently decorated in this way and the golden 1x2 ingots provide welcome colour, complementing pearl gold elements on each column. The surface is relatively smooth and includes no studs to attach Bowser, although he stands securely without them.
Tiles for the electronic Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach figures to scan appear throughout the Super Mario range, sometimes in unexpected places. This model is no exception, as one such tile is hidden in a drawer beneath Bowser! Moreover, toppling one of the columns reveals a blue POW box in its base. While the app has not been updated yet, the designer video shows some possible interactions between Mario and this figure.
Placing the electronic Mario beside his opponent demonstrates Bowser's considerable scale, measuring 31cm in height, or 29cm without his display stand. However, equally remarkable is Bowser's bulky structure, as the figure is extremely dense in its construction. The whole model therefore feels very tactile.
Bowser can comfortably stand without his base and remains equally impressive, in my opinion. The character's bright colours are excellent and correspond with the source material, capturing an accurate mixture of yellow, tan, and two shades of green. The difference between the Koopa shell and Bowser's head is particularly effective and faithful to the villain's modern design.
Additionally, the model includes surprising articulation. While the arms appear heavy, the joints are easily strong enough to support various poses. The shoulders can rotate or move outwards, while the elbows include hinges, the wrists rotate and the thumbs are articulated. Also, the head can turn and this mechanism is actually controlled remotely using buttons on either side.
The internal structure focuses substantially on that remote articulation, as a Technic assembly occupies the core of Bowser's chest. This continues through his neck and into the head, which ensures complete stability, even though the head projects forward. Moreover, opening the torso demonstrates the aforementioned density of parts inside, with little hollow space.
I think Bowser's head looks outstanding. The rounded nostrils and prominent snout correspond with the video game character, while his majestic red hair and bushy eyebrows are marvellous too. The eyebrows' position can be adjusted, creating an opportunity for less aggressive facial expressions, as shown below.
Furthermore, Bowser's eyes, which are printed on 2x2 round bricks, can rotate. While partly obstructed by the bridge of the nose, the rotating eyes introduce even more opportunities for interesting poses. Viewing the figure from the side also reveals its rounded cheeks, which are accurate to the source material and continue the shaping from Bowser's snout.
An enormous flame yellowish orange and trans-orange missile is concealed inside the mouth, recreating Bowser's ability to shoot fireballs. The missile launches automatically after opening the mouth to a certain point, sometimes more readily than planned! Nevertheless, the function works nicely for play, without affecting the model's appearance on display.
The head rotation and opening jaws are both controlled with buttons and switches behind the arms, which are surprisingly inconspicuous. A yellow bar passes through Bowser’s torso, thus projecting on one side after pushing the opposite side inwards. Pulling the neighbouring switch back causes Bowser's mouth to open by raising the upper jaw, enabling the lower jaw to drop. These controls can easily be used together.
Tan dominates Bowser's chest, so matches the source material. The segmented texture looks perfect and I think the balance between smooth and studded surfaces works nicely, continuing across the whole model. Furthermore, the spiked collar and bands around the character's arms include brilliant detail, again closely resembling Bowser's appearance in recent video games.
Ideally, there would be six spikes on each arm band, although including all six would probably complicate construction too much. Four spikes are therefore ample and the shape of Bowser's arms looks splendid, especially at the elbows. The forearms cleverly retract into the upper arms, which minimises any gaps when adjusting the elbows' positions.
The model looks fantastic from the front, although Bowser's distinctive shell is undoubtedly my favourite aspect of the figure! The hexagonal sections are incredibly accurate and the designer, Carl Merriam, has expertly closed the gaps between segments. The white band surrounding the shell also looks fantastic, while the spikes are represented by a new 3x3x3 rounded cone.
The internal Technic structure provides a strong base for the shell, again minimising the hollow space inside. These supports blend seamlessly with the angular construction of the outer shell, creating the complex external shape. Furthermore, clips and Technic pins combine to reinforce Bowser's shell and the colourful elements shown below are completely hidden.
Spikes continue along Bowser's tail, although these are smaller and lack the orange elements underneath, which accentuate the spikes on the shell. The tail incorporates two joints, both of which are intentionally loose, so the structure hangs naturally behind the figure. 2x10x2 shells are employed to appealing effect here, following their creation for 10295 Porsche 911 last year.
The 3x3 quarter dishes attached to Bowser's legs were also introduced during 2021, in 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery. These replicate the character's muscular appearance and the proportions of Bowser's legs are appropriate, capturing his stocky stance. His white claws look splendid as well, making good use of 1x1 pyramid pieces on the hands and feet.
Overall
The response to the announcement of 71411 The Mighty Bowser was overwhelmingly positive and this substantial model does not disappoint! Bowser's numerous distinguishing features are faithfully portrayed and I am particularly pleased with his organic appearance, making excellent use of many curved slopes, shells and interesting angles to create suitable shapes.
Some creative functions are also included and work perfectly, although their subtle integration impresses me even more. Unfortunately, the price of £229.99, $269.99 or €269.99 feels rather expensive and I think the display stand could have been excluded, had the price been reduced accordingly. Nevertheless, this model of Bowser is definitely among the best Super Mario sets released to date.
162 likes
62 comments on this article
I kinda want it, but the price speaks for itself.
Phenomenal! I only wish it would have come with a Mario minifigure!
I am not at all a fan of Mario or the Mario line of Lego sets, but this model looks fantastic and incredibly well designed. Pricing aside, it strikes me as one of the best overall sets this year.
As a Nintendo fan, this looks great. However, prior to the price increases I might have considered this, but since then, I just can't justify the cost. :-(
I like this a lot but it’s about £100 too much
(In the echo chamber)
Stunning set, and possibly worth the money, but it's still too much money for me.
Wow great review - was on the fence about this one but now I think I'm definitely going to pick it up even though I'm not a huge Mario fan.
I'm not a Nintendo fan, but this looks amazing! The price seems reasonable for the suze, number of pieces, and the effort that went into the design.
This set is just excellent. I am still impressed with the shapes that can be created, which are here so organic, round, smooth and still without any ugly gaps. Bowser is such a distinctive design, and in my opinion the designer has made a great job to render it in Lego thanks to the inventory now available. Even if my interest in Lego has declined a little bit in the past two years, mainly because of the lack of room, combined to price increase, I am still like a child amazed by what I see when such magnificent sets are revealed. And I am even more impressed now that I have seen and read your review, being able to appreciate it in full detail. If I could, this one would definitely come to join the others on display at home. But too many, many excellent, big and expensive sets to choose nowadays. Great set, good review once again, thank you.
I'm surprised the review failed to mention the major feature of being able to walk Bowser around (shown in the video) due to the legs reacting to gravity. I also wonder if there are easter eggs hidden inside the model like there were in the other 18+ Mario sets.
The image of sad Bowser is perfect, immediately brings to mind Super Mario Sunshine's ending:
"Junior, I've got something... difficult, to tell you..."
(Judging by the comments so far, no one is going to understand the reference lol)
The set looks fantastic. I especially liked the design of the shell, just incredible.
Imagine a LEGO Godzilla done this way....
Absolutely fantastic design.
It's looks like a fun set to build and display, and I would've loved to own one, but I just cannot justify $390 CAD after tax for that. Maybe if it'll get EOL price cut down the road or a dusty used one from marketplace in a few years. Outside of pricing, I have nothing but praise for the designers, it shows that they've had fun working on it.
Love the how the green segments of the turtle shell are coming together!
Great review! This set is absolutely at the top of my Christmas wishlist.
A sculpture of Bowser with this size and detail would be impressive on its own, but the way they've designed it to be "puppeted" is truly exceptional. And I love that they added hidden compatibility for the Lego Mario "digi-figs", allowing you to recreate some of those epic final boss battles where Bowser grows to monstrous proportions!
I wish all the Lego Mario sets were this great quality!
I do not appreciate the price though!!
Love it, even though I've never heard of it. Currently a bit too many sets on my wishlist though. If Lego could exclusively release junk for 6 months I might catch up!
It's probably the best brick-built organic character Lego's ever done, but my opinion on the price is the same as everyone else's - a bit much
Can’t wait to buy
@sjr60 said:
"If Lego could exclusively release junk for 6 months I might catch up!"
More like seven years for me. I've long given up hope that I'm ever going to get even a fraction of the sets I want, sometimes there truly is such a thing as too much of a good thing!
I really would like to own this set but I just can’t justify spending over $250 on it. It looks like a true masterpiece, one of those sets that people will point to for years to come, but I just can’t find the will to spend that much money on what’s essentially a 6th scale action figure.
That is stunning! $270 is a lot, but fair, given the piece count. Still, I'm not a big Nintendo fan, and my only connection to the character is from playing Yoshi's Island on my GBA. Don't think that's enough to justify pulling the trigger.
I adore this set, but I think it’s too expensive and the stand is rather useless. The stand looks nice but it’ll overcomplicate displaying Bowser in tighter spaces. I don’t like how much width it demands for display. I’ll be getting this one eventually, but that stand is going right in the parts bin.
He's impressive, there's no denying that, but there are just too many great but expensive sets now. I used to be able to keep up with the sets I wanted. It's hard to complain about too much of a good thing, but sadly, Bowser will not be making the cut. I do like the stand, though. It puts him into context. I think he'd look a bit off just standing on a shelf by himself. My son just re-built his 71391 and the hand in that one is the same scale and finger construction used here.
I like this so much I actually wish I was more of a Nintendo fan than I am so I could justify having it in my house. It's expensive, it's big, but honestly the main barrier for me is people seeing this and saying "oh, so you're into Mario" and having to explain that, no, I just really, really dig this rendition of a character I know very little about beyond his appearance
@Quinnly said:
"I kinda want it, but the price speaks for itself."
Came here to say exactly this. With so many high-priced collector's sets vying for one's money, it gets harder and harder to pull the trigger on any one of them.
@Lordmoral: I want that now.
Man, what a great looking set. It's priced out of my range, but it may be worth a little budgeting to grab it. It looks like it would be a cool display piece. Thank you for the fantastic review!
Already preordered it! I just couldn’t resist. This will be the set that draws me into the whole Super Mario theme. Clever move, Lego, very clever! Sets like this will prove much more attractive for fence-sitters than strange cubes or antique TV sets (looking at you, NES..).
And now for the Zelda sets, Lego! Give us a Gorgon, a Volvagia, a Ganon - and take our money!!
@lytly said:
"And now for the Zelda sets, Lego! Give us a Gorgon, a Volvagia, a Ganon - and take our money!!"
Oh man, a fully articulated Volvagia would be awesome
@CCC said:
"It is another one of those sets where it is fantastic that there is such a wide range of parts these days that you can make something like this. And when you first see it, you think 'wow'. But are enough people willing to drop £230 on a buildable action / display figure? "
I see plenty of non-buildable high-end 1:6 figures that are north of $200 these days.
Example--I have been looking at cowgirl figures/dolls lately and happened upon a "Sadie Adler" figure. Both were essentially bootlegs in that they weren't licensed with Rockstar (they got around it by calling one Lady Adler, the other "Shadi")--one was $200, the other $250!
I ended up finding an ERTL Wrangler "Missy" doll from the '80s in a damaged box for $10. While the outfit and head sculpt were high quality, the body is flimsy. . I plan to change the body to a Barbie Made to Move or similar. I tried a Disney Store Jyn Erso, but the arms are too thick. So, about $25-30 total instead of $200 and something.
its a lot of money, but i'm pretty sure this is what i will buy me for my birthday this year!!!
The base is unnecessary? What would be a better replacement, one of Bowser's seven Koopa Hotels?
@TheEpicLuke said:
"The base is unnecessary? What would be a better replacement, one of Bowser's seven Koopa Hotels?"
Only if it came with LOTSA SPAGHETTI!!
@TheEpicLuke said:
"The base is unnecessary? What would be a better replacement, one of Bowser's seven Koopa Hotels?"
Nothing. The base accounts for 460 pieces, but does not add a huge amount to the set, in my opinion. I would rather the base had been omitted and the price reduced.
Of course, the nature of LEGO design is such that prices are nearly always determined before products are actually developed, but perhaps 71411 The Mighty Bowser could have been planned to cost around £199.99, $229.99 or €229.99 and focused entirely on the figure.
I'm not much of a Mario/Nintendo fan, but after the NES and the ?-cube this is another great set. I really like the overall design, and this review doesn't uncover any serious flaws. Great build with so many nice details, nice posability, no stickers, and they even seemed to have gone a bit easy with the weird colors inside. And personally, I think the base complements the figure nicely (and without it it would still have been an expensive set).
So what's not to like? Well, it is a bit on the pricey side, but looking at all of the goodness you get it doesn't even bother me that much. The one thing that is keeping me from buying it is that I just don't care much about the source material....
@CapnRex101 said:
"
Of course, the nature of LEGO design is such that prices are nearly always determined before products are actually developed, but perhaps 71411 The Mighty Bowser could have been planned to cost around £199.99, $229.99 or €229.99 and focused entirely on the figure."
I definitely would have been more likely to buy the figure for just $200-225 range. I know that it's KIND of splitting hairs to say "$220 yes, $270 no" because I'm already spending $200+ on a TOY so what's an extra $50, right? But it's psychological. Being closer to $300 just makes this a tougher lift AND a tougher ask for my partner...
"Honey can I spend more than my monthly car payment on a plastic dinosaur y/n?"
I very much agree that the base could be omitted. But wow, I don't know how they could make Bowser look better in Lego than he does here! Fantastic!
I'm a massive Nintendo fan, but am more likely to adorn the house with Smash/Splatoon/Zelda/Kid Icarus merch. Even so, might be picking this up if there's a good sale!
Very nice.
I can't afford it.
Simply, a wonder to behold. I must have it. Now, where to put it? Aw, hell, Bowser will make his own room!
Wish there was a Mario minifig.
The build is nice but this is NOT worth 270€.
When they still had it marked for 230€ I intended to buy it. But with the price increased to 270€ for the whole of Europe? Absolutely NOT.
Ogives!
@Robot99 said:
" @sjr60 said:
"If Lego could exclusively release junk for 6 months I might catch up!"
More like seven years for me. I've long given up hope that I'm ever going to get even a fraction of the sets I want, sometimes there truly is such a thing as too much of a good thing!"
Yes, and that's even after reducing my wishlist from 'sets I quite like' to 'sets I really don't want to retire before I get them'. Hoping for the next Winter Village and Modular to be rubbish... oh well!
Apparently Ash n Flash did manage to get his hands on the update to make Mario compatible with this. One super cool thing is that if you stand on the Start Pipe, and then beat Bowser, the "level" will end right away! For basically every other Course Maker element in LEGO Mario you can keep going until you reach the End Pole. We've gotten a few new ways of Starting levels over the years (30 Second Pipe, Start Canon, Luigi's Mansion Starting Pad, Coin Pipe) but getting a new way to finish a level is super cool!
Man this guys expensive. I don't think I can afford him but he's definitely worth the price. This set's very existence also gives me hopes for two more sets.
1) If LEGO Mario keeps up the concept of bigger bosses that automatically end levels, the Lord of Lightning would be awesome!
2) Some of the puppet-like/stability concepts of this model, and overall greebling and scale of the Tallneck from earlier this year, could be combined to make a set for Gaius from Shadow of the Colossus. From the second Tallneck was revealed I was hoping for a Gaius anyway, but if they could incorporate gravity based articulation like Bowser's tail and legs or a hidden gear function for him to automatically swing his sword it'd be so cool! The sheer scale of SotC made me worried LEGO couldn't do it justice, but this puppy shows they definitely can!
It's an awesome design and build. Luckily for my wallet I have no interest in Mario, but respect to the team who created this.
Have to applaud the designer (and team) here. I’m not really a fan of the Mario theme, but this is a magnificent set that really pushes the envelope of what we’ve come to expect from set design. Think it will go down as a touchstone. Tempted to get one despite not really having much desire for having a giant Bowser on my desk!
The shaping and articulation is fantastic,and are really what justify the price. I can't imagine many are getting it for the Mario game interactivity.
Definitely would have been a more attractive prospect at £199, maybe with a slimmed down base, but I get the feeling we're going to be saying that a lot on reviews following the price increases.
@Andhe said:
"Definitely would have been a more attractive prospect at £199"
Well it's not listed as an exclusive, so somewhere around £160 seems pretty possible after a few months.
This set it's incredible, but not AS much of a Mario fan to sped so MUCH money on this set. It's just another example of how Lego push away a big amount of potential buyers with this ridiculous prices.
Lowest price on Brickset right now is €225 (at BrickFever), and I guess that will drop even further once it becomes more widely available.
Not my thing, but looks incredible! Designer did a great job!
Instant buy for me if Lego wasnt greedy. 100€ too much.
I don't understand all the people complaining about the price. 9.6c per piece is a "normal" average for a lego set. moreover the nintendo license is also included inside it. Which would bring us the average per piece down to around 9c, a very reasonable price for quite large pieces a few times (I'm thinking shelled). and not lego increases little or not but since that was established in the head of people: lego is always more expensive!!!
No you have to look the truth in the face and see that yes the price is expensive but not because lego is getting too expensive, it's rather because the sets are getting bigger in size !
so all the people who repeat the same comments 50 times, it becomes ridiculous especially that you do it to xhaque together !!!
Thanks
Lego is doing a thing. They are 100% attuned to the fact that a (probably THE) driving force behind their resurgence, current popularity in the toy market, and outsized appeal to adults is due to a current generation that grew up and came of age in the 80s and 90s.
I was born in 1977. My childhood was Sesame Street, Transformers, Star Wars, Nintendo. And Lego. My parents bought me Duplo sets as a toddler and I've never stopped. After a brief hiatus during college- when I lived in a dormitory on campus- I jumped right back in with my first salaried position after graduation. As a kid- when I couldn't have certain sets due to affordability- I told myself that when I earned enough money I would own every set I wanted. I'm sure thousands of others told themselves the same.
Today I fortunately make enough money. And what has The Lego Group gone and done? Began an AFOL line tailored to appeal directly to me. 1989 Batmobile. Voltron. Nintendo sets that remind me of the thrill of sitting and playing Super Mario Bros. as a youth.
This Bowser set is so incredible on so many levels to me. It's a day one purchase and probably will pick up another along with a second Optimus Prime in the future.
Ngl, I'd buy this for 100€.
As a fan of all things Nintendo, this is definitely a buy for me. Might not buy on day one but will most likely be a Christmas gift. Merry Christmas to me, LOL.
"Arguably unnecessary base", looking at the base, those pillars, if we change Bowser's head, remove shell and tail, we could get King Kong. Only skin (fur) color is wrong
Why does the reviewer and many others say it's expensive?
For the amount of parts, functions, size, the price is right on it.
What price does the reviewer want it to be? He obviously knows lego and what goes into each model. How can he come to a conclusion that this is an expensive price for what you're getting. Very strange.
@legoDad42 said:
"Why does the reviewer and many others say it's expensive?
For the amount of parts, functions, size, the price is right on it.
What price does the reviewer want it to be? He obviously knows lego and what goes into each model. How can he come to a conclusion that this is an expensive price for what you're getting. Very strange. "
I understand where you are coming from and I would not consider the price outrageous, but I do think it feels slightly too expensive for its size. Also, there are relatively few printed parts and similar sculptural models, without any minifigures, often provide better value.
Personally, I think around $249.99 would be perfect, or even less with the base omitted. That is obviously not a vast reduction relative to the actual price, but worthwhile.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @legoDad42 said:
"Why does the reviewer and many others say it's expensive?
For the amount of parts, functions, size, the price is right on it.
What price does the reviewer want it to be? He obviously knows lego and what goes into each model. How can he come to a conclusion that this is an expensive price for what you're getting. Very strange. "
I understand where you are coming from and I would not consider the price outrageous, but I do think it feels slightly too expensive for its size. Also, there are relatively few printed parts and similar sculptural models, without any minifigures, often provide better value.
Personally, I think around $249.99 would be perfect, or even less with the base omitted. That is obviously not a vast reduction relative to the actual price, but worthwhile."
Have to disagree respectfully. The price is spot on. It's got great value.
Even the base is part of its play functions, it's not just a display model.
It's a HUGE action figure. Like you say in your review, you can press the back of the shell to move the head left and right, can close/open mouth to roar and also to fire missile.
Then there's puppetry added in when you lift the whole figure and the legs swing into a leaping position. How many toy figures do that?
They also made a new element for this.
Then the Mario electronic figure interacts with this.
It's right on at $270usd.