Review: LEGO Monkie Kid Nezha's Fire Ring

LEGO 80034 – Nezha’s Fire Ring

RRP AUD $129.99 – CA $129.99 – EUR €79.99 – UK £69.99 – USA $99.99
929 pieces
Available from LEGO.com and LEGO Stores from 26th Dec 2021 for China and 1st Jan 2022 everyone else.

General Monkie Kid 2022 Overview

Monkie Kid is back and ready for action! A new year means a new wave of sets and stories to be told. But the question is, is this theme stagnating? Is the idea stretched too thin? Well, admittedly I was thinking this before we got our hands on the Monkie Kid 2022 sets, and this may very well be one of the strongest waves yet.

We’ve got a multitude of sets to rip through and talk about, so over the next few days we are going to be reviewing these bad boys one-by-one, with the links to all other reviews at the end of the article. We’re gonna start our way small and build up. So follow us along for the journey as well delve back into the world of Chinese mythos and explore Monkie Kid 2022.

It’s worth noting that a few parts will be copied/pasted for Minifigures if the characters overlap numerous sets of this wave.

Introduction

What do you get when you cross a Star Wars Prequel fan, a Chinese Mythology fan, and a Speed Racer fan together and have them make a set? Well, this!

Diving into the heart of the main reason for the collectability of this wave, Nezha’s fire rings have been stolen, but Nezha’s not going away without a fight!

Read on to see how this battle unfolds for us!

Nezha’s Vehicle

Nezha’s vehicle is the shining star of this set, and is such a unique vehicle at that!

Using rollercoaster corner pieces in a complete loop gives our build the main drive wheel for rolling around, which it does on a set of guide wheels hidden sneakily underneath the main body out of sight.

The main bulk of the build focuses on a white/red/teal colour mix, which contrasts well with the gold wheel in the middle of the build. This just keeps building on the motif of rings with Nezha. But what I really like is the large amount of fire everywhere.

Nezha, in mythology, has what was known as the Universe ring, and travelled around on his fire rings to get around. LEGO have taken this idea and rolled with it (ha!). There is fire not only in the jet engines, but also implied through the windshield and throughout the wheel. There’s also fire themed spring-loaded shooters in there too that are so well hidden you barely see it.

I honestly don’t have anything really to criticise here. This is great.

White Bone Demon’s Throne

The White Bone Demon’s Throne room may pale in comparison to 80028 White Bone Demon, but for those who missed out, or simply can’t afford the White Bone Demon set, this is a nice way to get some of the fun bone-demon-y goodness you’ve been after.

The build itself is quite expectedly simple, giving us a bone cage for our prisoner, and also giving us a small prison underneath the throne for any unwitting foe that may cross paths with the White Bone Demon.

The colour palette really doesn’t line up with that of the Bone Demon, and I would have personally liked to have seen the motif carry over, but oh well.

There are a few things to note however, as some elements from the Bone Demon, like the glow in the dark bones and light-blue translucent chain are now a lot more obtainable here.

Evil Macaque’s Jet Flyer

Where before we might have been saying some not-so-favourable things about Macaque’s Mech, this vehicle is a stark contrast to that.

Macaque is now flying in to battle to take on Monkie Kid and Nezha on a Jet Flyer. Looking like a vehicle that could take on a truck and win, seriously, this thing looks badass for an air bike. The build features the “cloud” piece in a new dark translucent purple to continue Macaque’s dark theme. But then continues with gunmetal mixed amongst black, yellow and red in a perfect combo.

It even manages to have fishing rods hang off the back of it in some nice part useage. As well as still give a little bit of playability with the new stud-shooters primed on each wing.

This is big ticks from me.

Minifigures

Nezha

Nezha is the star of the show as for Monkie Kid 2022, as his fire rings have been lost. And now act as the ‘McGuffins of Collectability’ to stop an evil foe.

Nezha comes with a quick little snap-together build for his “Wind Fire Wheels”. As well as coming equipped with a his “Fire-Tipped Spear” and wearing the “Red Armillary Sash”. LEGO really did their research with this character, even characterising him as a youthful child like how he appears in most mythos.

Nezha also comes with a new moulded hairpiece specially made for him, which gives of a feminine vibe, on purpose. His torso and leg printing mesh really well, and don’t suffer from discolouration between the two pieces.

LEGO did solid on this guy. Good job.

Monkie Kid

The Monkie Kid gets himself a new and exclusive look in this set. Sporting something that looks to be a cross between Chima and a competitive rugby-like sport.

Jokes aside, this figure looks great – he has the works. New face print, arm printing and great printing detail in general. He doesn’t need side leg printing, and he looks powered up to the max. Seriously, that printing is really, really good.

I’m also a huge fan of how he didn’t come riding a giant staff base board. And that LEGO are getting more creative on how to use the Golden Staff to make varying builds that are fresh and new.

Monkey King

This is the Monkey King’s only appearance so far for Monkie Kid 2022, and unfortunately he is no different from his appearance in The Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain set. But its a nice way to get this figure if you don’t have him already.

Evil Macaque

Macaque, or otherwise said as “Makak”, has gone through one heck of an upgrade since his first appearance in 80024 The Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain.

No longer wearing a half-exposed chest and full armoured to the brim. Macaque looks ready for fully-fledged conquest over the realm of man. His headpiece is a newer mould, looking much more rugged and rough than the standard one he had before. As well as before sporting a red cloak, Macaque now has a dark red cloak and recoloured Wyldstyle scarf from the LEGO Movie 2.

Macaque’s face shows that he has fully embraced darkness, now forever with the red markings of anger, this guy isn’t here to mess around.

Macaque now wields a darker equivalent of the Golden Staff that he once sought, but unlike the other set. With no emanating dark purple fire from the staff. The use of gears on the end of the staff is a clever use on LEGO’s part to really differentiate the two, and really show that this guy is here to hurt.

Overall, this figure is a fantastic step up from the original, and it’s great that he is a little more accessible to get this time around, appearing in two sets for 2022.

White Bone Demon

This set gives us an antagonist from a previous set that was, up until this point, exclusive to that set. The White Bone Demon gives us both a ethereal form and a physical form, with the exact same printing as she came with in 80028.

This is a nice way to get her for a lot cheaper, in a set that is perhaps a bit more desirable. I’m a big fan of her torso and skirt printing, but definitely didn’t feel like forking out a lot for her as an ‘exclusive figure’. This is a nice fix to that.

The bone in her hair also glows in the dark, and her hair is made of rubber-like material with some flex in it.

Savage

Whether it is Rumble or Savage, these monkey figures are essentially the exact same figure. Dark, evil and battle-ready red monkey demons come to steal Ne Zha’s Rings of Fire!

I personally love these guys. The dark menacing eyes, the corrupted and twisted logo on the chest. The gunmetal armour plating, all of it. I am, as usual, let down on the leg printing, or more so lack thereof.

Rumble and Savage reuse the Monkey hairpieces used for the Monkey King and the original Macaque. But obviously, use red instead of their respective colours. The figures also come with black tails to really drive the Monkey feature up. But I honestly would have preferred the tail design that came in the Flower Fruit Mountain set that went to the side.

I was disappointed, but also not surprised, that these guys don’t have any alternate printing on their faces. There’s no need for it, but I was hoping.

Verdict

This set, is honestly the epitome of what Monkie Kid should be standing for; fun characters. New and interesting vehicles, a mix of bad guys and goods guys, and a battle of the ages.

Yes, the Bone Demon throne does leave a lot to be desired, but everything else in the set outweighs that by a long shot. I’m a huge fan of the attention to detail LEGO have for Nezha and his vehicle, as well as the vehicle for Macaque to fly in to battle on.

The figure selection allows us to get old figures and new ones. All of which are always welcome, and there isn’t a figure I feel like would turn people away from it.

This is, in my opinion, the best set of Monkie Kid 2022. Go get it.