Today The LEGO® Group announces the latest LEGO® Ideas set with Sonic the Hedgehog: Green Hill Zone. This set is the winning entry by 24-year old, UK-based fan designer Viv Grannell. Sonic’s journey to the shelves is a bit bizarre however. The set was part of the First 2020 Review round where only The Earth Globe succeeded in making it through. In that announcement, The LEGO® Group also confirmed that ‘Sonic Mania: Green Hill Zone’ (as it was listed) still needed some review before a decision was made. Run ahead to February 2020 where we learned that the project was approved and will proceed to the production phase. And nearly one year later, we finally have our first details.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: GREEN HILL ZONE
- SET #: 21331
- THEME: Ideas
- COST: $89.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 1,125
- MINIFIGURES: 1 (however there are 4 built figures)
- RELEASE DATE: January 1, 2022
- COST/BRICK: $0.08 (excellent value)
- BRICK-TO-FIG RATIO: 1,225 bricks/fig (low fig count for a set this size)
- DIMENSIONS: 17cm high x 36cm wide x 6cm deep
Sonic Mania
Sonic has been running around the video game world since his debut in 1991. LEGO® Ideas Sonic The Hedgehog is a nice displayable model of the classic Green Hill Zone that appears in nearly all Sonic games. The large circular track, ring boxes, springs and gems are staples of the game and you’ll be able to build them here as well. Sonic is the only traditional minifigure, but there are 4 more brick-built characters to populate the scene. There are also modular elements allowing you attach the set to another copy or two to extend Sonic’s crazy track. The inclusion of all the Chaos Emeralds is also a nice little touch. Some of those gems look like new colourings too.
Lots of fun details and easter eggs have been incorporated into 1,125-piece set including five minifigures – an updated version of Sonic, Crabmeat, Moto Bug, Dr. Eggman and the Phantom Ruby. Also included are 10 boxes of golden-coloured Rings and a Technic lever to spring Sonic and friends into the air. And just like in the game, you can earn a gem reward as you build the set!
Run, Sonic, Run!
The details in this set are pretty fun, but nothing spectacular in my opinion. I have a great nostalgia for Sonic and the SEGA Genesis as it was my first ‘next gen’ console after the original NES. The design is definitely a great representation of that classic 16-bit aesthetic, but I do miss the original submission’s larger robot build. However, this is a decently compact design, so it will make a better display piece. Seeing SEGA-inspired LEGO® sets hopefully means that more properties will also show up in the future. We’ll have to wait and see.
But what do you guys think? Will you be picking up this latest IDEAS set? Are you excited for more SEGA-based sets? Were you a big Sonic fan or were you strictly on Team Super Mario? Comment below and let us know. And as always, keep on brickin’. 🧱
-Frank
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