The new LEGO Goonies set is almost perfect. This LEGO Idea SetThis means that a fan submitted an experimental model that was voted on by the LEGO community. By approving the set, LEGO designers have formalized the “official build” of the original idea. The fan receives a percentage of subsequent profits – the finder's fee or his contribution.
The set's 12 minifigures make up the entire main cast of the film: Mike “Mikey” Walsh, Clark “Mouth” Deveraux, Richard “Data” Wang, Lawrence “Chunk” Cohen, Andrea “Andy” Carmichael, Stephanie “Steph” Steinbrenner, Brandon “Brand” Walsh, Sloth, Mama Fratelli, Frances Fratelli, Jake Fratelli and One-Eye. Willie. The outside scenery is the wreck of the Inferno, One-Eyed Willie's ship. Inside, it's a tribute to all the major scenes in the film. This is a carefully crafted build that doesn't miss a beat in the storytelling.
The LEGO Goonies set comes in a stylized box with a massive, removable Copper Bones master key on the front. Opening the box reveals a smaller standard box containing 21 plastic bags – apparently LEGO is still moving from plastic to paper. The instructions are divided into two booklets. There is one sheet of stickers, but luckily most of the graphics are printed on the bricks themselves, saving you the hassle of setting them up straight.
You assemble a set of four main parts that are bolted together at pin connection points to form the ship. The assembly seemed to take longer than usual due to the many small angular parts. This process can sometimes seem fussy because you're counting the studs to make sure every piece is in the right place. There is nothing more satisfying than connecting two halves of a ship and meeting in the middle. And there is nothing more demoralizing than falling behind in one row and having to redouble your efforts.
The structure is fragile while you are putting it together. Designers have included holes to give the appearance of rotting wood, which sometimes compromises the integrity of the structure. But once all the assembly is complete, the bricks are strengthened against each other, creating stability, and the set is sturdy enough to be moved around and placed on the shelf of your choice.
There are so many small, neat details scattered throughout the design. Mikey, for example, has an inhaler, and Slot has a Superman shirt with suspenders. Mama Fratelli (who always scared me as a child) has her signature black beret.
There are enough set locations in this build that if you wanted, you could make a stop-motion Goonies movie out of them and it would make sense. There is an upper floor where Mama Fratelli gives the Goonies dirty glasses of water. Here is a fireplace that slides to the side to reveal a secret passage. There's the TV room where Chunk and Sloth first meet, with shackles hanging from the ceiling. There is an above-ground wishing well that leads to a flat area strewn with coins. The Pirate Ship area includes a Treasury covered in gold bars, doubloons, a pirate skeleton, and One-Eyed Willie himself. Elsewhere in the assembly you can find the skeleton of Chester Copperpot.
Underground are all the major traps from the film, and most of them have mechanical functionality. Hit the organ keys and the floor will collapse. Turn the dial and a hatch will open, leading to a thicket of thorns. Lift massive rocks to the ceiling and then make them fall, crushing the minifigures below.
LEGO Goonies expensive, retail price $329.99. High prices require high standards, but too many companies take their audience for granted. To give you a personal example, three years ago I took my family to Disneyland in California, despite the increasingly high prices. Overall we had a great time. But the most unpleasant thing was that I went to the Haunted Mansion, my favorite attraction since childhood. I realized that the effect of Hitchhiker's Ghosts – the culmination of the entire experience – had been disrupted. And when I got out of the car and asked the employee about it, she admitted that yes, they knew it was broken, and no, they didn't know when it would be fixed. Considering the prices Disney charged ($180 for a one-day pass at the time), this is inexcusable.
“Cheap, effective, good. Choose two,” the saying goes, “not one.”
Simultaneously raising prices and reducing quality—getting less while paying more—undermines brand trust, and this is an all-too-common pitfall for companies like Disney that make “quality” their reputation. For years I've wondered whether LEGO, in the midst of its global expansion, would fall into the same complacency, and sometimes I thought that I've seen signs of it. Because at LEGO prices, “good” is never enough. The scenery should always be “different”.
But I'm happy to report that the LEGO Goonies set easily meets the company's highest standards. There's usually something missing—a minor character, minus the silly stuff—even in sets that outwardly claim to be “complete.” But this one delivers on its promise. I can't think of anything noteworthy that the designers could have added but didn't. It even includes an octopus, the “final boss” that was ultimately cut from the final film. This is the next level of dedication that all releases like this should have.
LEGO The Goonies set #21363 retails for $329.99 and contains 2,912 pieces. It is available now exclusively on the website LEGO Store. It's currently on backorder (place your order and it'll ship in 60 days), and for good reason.
Kevin Wong is an IGN freelancer specializing in LEGO. He has also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku and other publications. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.
