Double trouble! LEGO Dreamzzz has a doppelgangers!
LEGO Dreamzzz comes back to us this August 2024 with a new way to level the playing field between the Dreamers and the Nightmare factions. Doppelgangers of the heroes with all their darkest qualities. This wave gives us new moulds, new characters, new colours and new ways to play. But as always, how do they hold up? Read on!
LEGO Dreamzzz The Never Witch’s Midnight Raven (71478)
Being the largest creature build of the wave, The Never Witch’s Nightmare Raven isn’t an easy set to miss. The set comprises of a large dark-blue and black raven build accentuated with trans pink elements, with 5 figures as accessories.
Sporting numerous new characters and moulds, there’s a lot to cover here. Although the Never Witch isn’t a new figure due to her appearance in the Sandman’s Tower. She has a new recoloured energy stand in trans-pink and black. It also has a subtle difference between her original set and this one: now having a mark over one of her eyes.
She rides her Raven as a portable base, it would seem, with a cauldron and house to boot!
As for the other characters, we are introduced to the Never Witch’s newest army, Dopplegangers! Simply named Dizzy and Dogan, copies of Izzie and Logan, these figures evil versions of the first-wave iterations of the characters. Similar prints, same hairstyles but all new colours and twists on the characters.
They aren’t generic, they aren’t mass produced enemies, and feel like decent quality foes.
The Heroes
The heroes are Mateo and Astrid, the latter I am not familiar with. What I do know is that there is a recoloured gold wheelchair. New vest mould and new hourglass hilt appearing in this set!
The vest is a new shoulder attachment that allows studs to be added on the reverse, with Mateo brining a Z-blob energy canister to the fight.
So that’s the ins and outs of it. What do I think? It’s honestly a pretty decent set. Building birds is an incredibly hard skill, and the designers do it pretty well.
Where the set lacks is the transition from feathers to energy, and the dark blue makes it so it doesn’t feel as ‘evil’ as the iconic villain.
LEGO Dreamzzz Zoey’s Cat Motorcycle (71479)
Zoey’s Cat Motorcycle is the cheapest set of the wave, but easily one of the best ones. Its direction is clear from the word go. The base model is a nifty tech-like cat build that can either turn into a motorcycle or into a hovering backpack for Zoey to ride into battle! Zoey also seems to have a massive tech-themed upgrade this wave, but still has a bow as weapon of choice.
The main conflict in this set is the battle for the contained dream memories, carried off by the new spectral raven. With an evil version of Cooper called ‘Dooper’. As far as the baddies go for this set, it’s clearly one-sided, but having an evil protagonist as an enemy doesn’t cheapen the set for me.
Where Ninjago themes would use generic enemies, getting two neat figures in a cheap set is great! Plus the addition of the new recolours of hair, new shoulder armour and face prints are all big pluses.
Zoey still has references to her music origins, with stickered elements with music notes hidden amongst the build.
LEGO Dreamzzz Logan the Mighty Panda (71480)
Well, this is definitely one of the weirder sets of the wave – Logan’s Might Panda Set gives massive Chima vibes. Sporting new tube elements for the legs and arms, this bamboo-Gatling-gun panda clearly doesn’t skip the gym.
Bring a classic battle between Logan and Dogan, the story that kids can make here is as clear as day with these two figures. I don’t think any other character could have worked here. Sporting a corrupted Wave 1 Logan outfit, Dogan really shows how far Logan has come. He wears more clothes now, more confidence, a really cool red/blue jacket that splits colour right down the middle. Both of these figures are solid.
The most standout thing about this set is the new printed dome with panda printing: it’s bold, aggressive and… very one use. This isn’t a piece I can see being easily reused in anything outside its original purpose. It’s this one-use that I think made the alternate builds of this set very lacklustre.
The build of the set has Logan able to change the panda between a standing panda, and a crawling panda – two exceedingly similar concepts. Yes, the bamboo gun is on his back in the alternate build, but it’s almost a worse panda. Dreamzzz has been a wave that has alternate builds that amplify the original base model, or find new ways to completely recreate it. This is one of those sets that really missed it’s mark.
LEGO Dreamzzz Izzie’s Dream Animals (71481)
Izzie’s Dream Animals set was a set that grew on me. At first I was hesitant and confused by what I was seeing on the box; a multicoloured red panda? And is that a flower coming from it’s tail end? The instructions’ illustrations of the creature really showcased the details of the set that don’t necessarily convey in brick form. Another thing that surprised me was the amount of extra parts that the set came with – almost all of the alternate builds have side builds with them.
The largest set, the Red Panda, simply has flowers on the ground, whereas alternate builds have plantlife and trees using the limbs of the larger model!
Our figures for the set are Izzie and Dizzy, my two favourite figures of either side, a dreamling figure. The new Izzie has a colourful shoulder cloak compared to her violet coloured shoulder pads, plus a new weapon! The hilt uses the new hourglass hilt element, also a huge plus. The Dreamling figure is a simple build, but I have come to calling him the ‘Potato Man’ for some reason…
Overall, this is a fun and silly set. If you are looking for a more serious build, this isn’t your jam.
LEGO Dreamzzz The Never Witch’s Nightmare Creatures (71483)
Almost like another take on the Never Witch’s Nightmare Raven, this is a more budget friendly way to get the evil foe, as well as some of the new figures and moulds to boot. Our large raven build has multiple hues of purples on black, whereas the Nightmare Raven had dark blue. This simple act of colours has made this creature more terrifying than the larger model, in my opinion.
As a bonus to all this, this set prides itself on being able to turn into multiple different creatures with all the parts available. There is a lot of versatility in the parts of this set, all helped by the cauldron element acting as a ‘core’.
The figures for this set give us two new figures; MadTeo and Doey, as well as previously covered Dogan, Mateo and the Never Witch again. MadTeo, doppelganger Mateo, is a evil copy of the current Mateo and not the previous form. I can understand LEGO’s decision to make this choice, but it does set him apart from the other doppelgangers. Doey also rocks a corrupted previous Zoey, but unfortunately doesn’t use the new bow mould like her normal version does.
For the price point of this set compared to the Nightmare Raven, I think this set is an absolute steal.
LEGO Dreamzzz Cooper’s Robot Dinosaur C-Rex (71484)
Although cars have really not been my thing, there is a part of every boy that would see this and go ‘woahhh’. Cooper’s Robot Dinosaur C-Rex is a set packed with details, from sticker elements, detailed part usage like engines for a snout, or even the alternate modes, this thing kills it. If you read our past review, Cooper’s Crocodile car didn’t really land with me too well, and this is a big upgrade.
The ‘core’ of the build is a small workshop garage/container, hiding away a motorbike in the chest of both builds! Being able to stomp through battles as a C-rex or fly in and swoop like a pterodactyl, this thing is a car lover’s dream or absolute nightmare.
The set gives us a new version of Cooper, with exclusive red vest recolours, as well as reappearances of Sneak, Zoey, Doey and Dooper. The battle is a clear copy versus original set up, and I’m never not going to say good things about these figures.
The final pricing on the set does sit a little high with me, admittedly, but does still feel a lot better value than other in the wave.
LEGO Dreamzzz Mateo and Z-Blob the Knight Battle Mech (71485)
The Knight Battle Mech almost feels like a given with most of these in-house LEGO themes. Ninjago, Nexo Knights and now Dreamzzz have their big mech checkmarks, but how does it hold up?
Z-Blob’s mech feels a lot more… inflated? Almost like a balloon-like style is seen all across the build and it works really well. Part of me wishes for a bigger sword for the mech, but I’m still happy with what I’ve got. The use of sleek rounded parts across the mdoel make it almost impossible to find a stud. It’s one of the cleanest looking mech sets I’ve seen.
Let’s take a look at the alterna… THERE’S A CENTAUR ALTERNATE BUILD? Holy crud! I love this!
The figures for the set at this point have all been covered by other sets, but I really do wish there was something else to make this stand out more. The only exclusive minifigure related item that we get in this set is that Logan gets a new hat. That’s it. Otherwise, all the figures are identical to other sets. It’s clear that LEGO don’t want to price-lock figures away from fans who can’t afford them, but I really would have enjoyed a story-inconsequential exclusive figure here to help justify price a bit more.
LEGO Dreamzzz Castle Nocturnia (71486)
Last but not least, Castle Nocturnia is one of the most ambitious and unique sets I have seen in a long time. The set comprises of a golden tower with an oversized hourglass at its top, as well small waterfall, shrubbery and stone pathways. Whilst in this form, the set’s out reaches look a bit noisy and muddled, but once the set rotates, it can becomes new.
Yes, the set can rotate to three different axis, creating three different battle grounds. The model can be changed so that a vibrant blue tree containing memories can sit upright, or change it so that it is now a medieval keep. Barricades turn to stairs, walls turn to floors, it is truly a confusing but rewarding perspective. And building the model is incredibly rewarding too!
The set comes with our titular characters of Izzie and Mateo, both with doppelganger counterparts – but with a twist. MadTeo now comes with an evil Z-blob and Dizzy comes with a fabric waistcoat, something absent on cheaper sets. The set also includes a new Mrs. Castillo, who is exclusive to the set, as well as dreamlings, Sneak and the Never Witch. The Never-Witch is the same as she has appeared in all other sets, but is a fitting choice for a final battle location.
The set has a lot going on a huge amount of playability, but the problem I have with it is the display ability. It isn’t necessarily the prettiest thing to look at, especially since you can’t showcase all the features at once. Even though I think the golden tower is fantastic, the extensions just feel really jank.
Don’t get me wrong – this is a good set. Its just a lot more kid-focused and playability focused, with a $300 pricetag. Big investment, and admittedly a bit steep for something you can’t display well.
Verdict
Overall I’m really glad with the direct that LEGO have taken the Dreamzzz theme. Making doppelgangers of the main cast but not making them feel like duplicates was a good call, and the colour theme and variability of the good guys is great.
There are some sets amongst the theme that I feel are too steep for what you might get out of it, such as the Nightmare Raven versus the Nightmare Creatures sets. Pick your battles, but still a pretty good wave.
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