Review: 80032 Chang'e Moon Cake Factory
Posted by CapnRex101,Monkie Kid's interpretation of Chinese folklore consistently involves traditional characters and locations, although their adaptation is certainly creative! The interesting 80032 Chang'e Moon Cake Factory embraces this creativity, reaching beyond Earth!
Three different features of Chinese folklore are combined here, including Chang'e, goddess of the Moon, her companion the Jade Rabbit and moon cakes. The resulting set could have appeared disjointed, but these subjects are cleverly linked through their futuristic aesthetic, which seems completely successful in official images.
Summary
80032 Chang'e Moon Cake Factory, 609 pieces.
£44.99 / $69.99 / €49.99 | 7.4p/11.5c/8.2c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Chang'e Moon Cake Factory encapsulates the brilliant creativity of Monkie Kid.
- Delightfully wacky
- Charming bunny mech
- Clever blending of Chinese folklore
- Excellent minifigures
- Expensive in certain regions
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
80035 Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer contains four members of Monkie Kid's team wearing space suits. Pigsy is instead available here though and appears suitably silly! I love that the character continues to wear his trademark hat, even in space, while the head includes lovely moulded detail. The part number for this head is new, but its design appears unchanged.
The space suit features intricate tubes, alongside metallic gold and teal highlights. The same component is available in 80035 Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer, each displaying a charming variation on the familiar Classic Space emblem with a cloud motif. Pigsy also wears white air tanks and includes medium legs, thereby matching his previous appearances.
Fire Rings appear throughout the latest group of Monkie Kid sets, as collectable accessories. This blue example looks nice and is only otherwise found in 80033 Evil Macaque's Mech. I am equally impressed with Pigsy's red pitchfork, which routinely accompanies the character but now integrates pearl silver and trans-light blue accents, evidently reflecting its use in space!
Mo has appeared in several previous Monkie Kid sets, although his traditional design here is perhaps surprising as a robotic version is found in 80035 Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer. This figure looks excellent though, featuring the same medium azure hue and orange hair as Sandy. The mohawk is certainly striking and I like Mo's determined expression.
By contrast, the Moon goddess Chang'e features an adorable winking face. Her unique hair component includes brilliant texture and a splendid dual-moulded hair clasp, resembling the crescent moon. This medium azure detail is reflected in her clothing, where similarly vibrant highlights appear among metallic gold and orange decoration. Tiny rabbit symbols are visible across her torso too.
Chang'e is frequently accompanied by the Jade Rabbit in Chinese folklore, doubtless inspiring the outlandish Lunar Rabbit Robot that joins her minifigure! The metallic gold designs and colourful wiring on this robot therefore match Chang'e, while the character's digital face is cleverly pixelated underneath bunny headgear and appears very friendly.
However, rotating the heads of both characters reveals more sinister facial expressions. The apparently friendly Lunar Rabbit Robot looks particularly menacing, while their carrot-themed weapon could be more dangerous than it appears! Chang'e seems less outwardly threatening, but her presumed affability feels somehow dubious, in my opinion.
The Completed Model
The factory complex is reasonably small, but appears absolutely perfect for the lunar surface. Rounded shapes are visible across the structure and I think the visual balance between the elevated and ground-level landing platforms is excellent. Furthermore, I like the white, dark azure and orange colour scheme, which suits Chang'e.
Four dark azure pillars raise the factory above possible craters underneath, recalling several Classic Space models. Extending the light bluish grey base below these supports might have been useful, although the area surrounding the rocket launch pad looks nice. I like the tiny 1x1 round plates with hollow studs in particular, representing small craters.
The factory includes a dramatic curved window, which seems appropriate for the lunar setting and provides a good view of the machinery inside. The angular roof structure appears odd by comparison and two narrow gaps are visible above the window. I think attaching 1x3 inverted arch bricks upside down would close these gaps, but that would need some complex building techniques in a small space.
Restricted space is available inside. Nevertheless, different sections of the production line are identifiable, beginning with a pump which places dough on the conveyor. Each 1x1 round plate then passes through a machine that shapes, stamps and bakes the dough before the completed moon cakes emerge on the other side. The conveyor cannot move, of course, but it looks great.
An elevated landing platform is mounted outside, supported by a single orange Technic beam. The vehicle on top belongs to Chang'e, from where the goddess presents livestreams back to Earth. The trans-light blue screens accordingly display Chang'e during a livestream and Pigsy atop a leaderboard. Trans-orange and trans-light blue dishes form thrusters, which presumably enable the craft to hover.
One inevitable challenge involved in manufacturing on the Moon is delivering cakes to Earth! Fortunately, the deliveries are made using an orange rocket, which is designed to resemble a carrot and therefore continues the rabbit influence present throughout this set. The spacecraft measures 17cm in height and slots perfectly into its circular launchpad.
That launchpad is connected to the factory using clips, allowing easy removal if you wish. The warning sign sticker looks great and a poster advertising Pigsy's noodle shop is also included. Additional stickers decorate the rocket, alongside mechanical detail around the rocket engine. This 4x4x2 cone has not appeared in bright green before and loosely depicts the green leaves found on carrots.
Despite its slender appearance, the spacecraft accommodates four boxes of moon cakes inside. They each contain two decorated moon cakes and feature stickered lids. Opening a panel on the side provides easy access to the cakes and I appreciate the consistent use of dark azure accents inside, corresponding with the factory building.
However, my favourite feature of the rocket is also among the most subtle. The opening panel slots seamlessly into a 1x2 plate with side rail on top, forming a basic locking mechanism! This design is incredibly simple but functions perfectly and I cannot recall encountering such a detail before. The light bluish grey microphone mounted on top looks superb as well.
While the factory and rocket are impressive, the accompanying bunny mech has monopolised attention within this set. The model is surprisingly bulky, featuring short legs and a rotund body shape. The vehicle therefore seems fairly industrial to me, despite its bright colour scheme and inherently cute design! The articulated bunny ears are obviously pivotal in that regard.
The trans-orange cockpit looks fantastic, clearly displaying the two rabbit pilots inside! These appear delightful together, especially given their stark contrast with the surrounding weaponry. Comparisons have been drawn between this bunny mech and D.Va's mech from 75973 D.Va & Reinhardt and these short arms definitely appear familiar, relative to the earlier model.
Lifting the trans-orange dome allows the rabbits to emerge on a separate scooter, which slots smoothly onto Technic axles within the cockpit. Alternatively, you can place a minifigure on the vacant dark azure bracket shown below, enabling them to stand inside. I prefer the rabbit pilots, but different options are always welcome.
The legs appear incredibly powerful, featuring an elaborate combination of curved slopes and smaller elements that create mechanical detail. The precise movement of this mech is unclear from the packaging or official images, but I can imagine the vehicle bounding across the Moon's surface, exploiting its powerful legs, thrusters and the lower gravity of the Moon.
Articulation is somewhat limited, as each arm and leg only rotates on single joints. However, I think these joints are sufficient and love the white and metallic silver dishes fixed outside each rotational joint. Another metallic silver dish decorates the rounded back of the mech, beautifully finished with a 1x1 Technic ball which forms the tail. This section lacks the complexity of other areas, but complements the cockpit.
During construction, I was surprised to find that detaching the rear section reveals additional detail inside. Orange 1x1 round bricks may represent power cells, while extra ammunition for the stud shooters is stored beside a printed console. Such details were perhaps unnecessary, which demonstrates the tremendous attention focused upon every aspect of this model by its design, Jme Wheeler.
Overall
80032 Chang'e Moon Cake Factory delights in every area! Monkie Kid has already displayed various clever and creative interpretations of Chinese folklore, but this set achieves particular ingenuity. The resultant models are varied, while maintaining essential features of the original story and characters. The futuristic styling is outstanding and pays suitable homage to LEGO Space ranges that have gone before.
The most appealing model is undoubtedly the bunny mech, as anticipated. The combination of adorable rabbits with an industrial mech is effective and I like the accompanying carrot-themed rocket for the same reason. Unfortunately, the cost of $69.99 in the US feels rather expensive relative to the content of the set, although I think the European prices of £44.99 or €49.99 represent fair value within the Monkie Kid theme.
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31 comments on this article
The bunny mech is giving me very strong Jumping Flash vibes.
For those wondering how to pronounce Chang'e, see JANG's review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJobQofl_g4
While I'm at it, from my comment under his review:
"Chang'e and her mech are a tiny bit reminiscent of D.Va. I just adore the white, orange and dark azure color scheme — one of my building MOCs uses it, albeit with white as an accent color and not the other way around."
Beautiful set, just like almost every MK set. Chang'e looks adorable.
I've been able to get Monkie Kid sets through international shopping now. The bad thing is that I need to spend more than I should if Lego sold the sets officially here (that set, for example, would be R$699.99, but I will need to pay around R$999.99 ~ R$1.099.99 for it). Well, at least I'm finally getting them. Still hoping for the official arrival of the theme in Brazil.
I feel like the mech is a reference to all those animal-piloted (usually frog) mechs people used to put on MOCpages.
“This one’s neat. Maybe I’ll bu….70 BUCKS! Never mind I’m good.”
That bunny mech is amazing. It looks like they really put the effort into that one, unlike some of the other 500 mechs they've released lately.
If only I had the room in my collection…! :)
I'm getting Monty Python vibes from the Lunar Rabbit Robot's dual character.
This looks like one of the best space sets I've seen - very creative, and nice that it's based on a tradition that I was previously unfamiliar with.
Yes, USD $69.99 seems high. It’s equally high in Canada at CAD $90, which is about €62.
Monkie Kid and Ninjago keep making sets that are well-designed, surprisingly interesting, and have great parts and parts usage. I guess it shows what is possible when you don't have to pay for a marketing license. I find myself buying these as often as the themes which drew me out of my dark dges, i.e., Star Wars and Harry Potter. So, yes, Lego has all of my money.
I admit freely that I have know idea what's going on in this set, but I love everything about it.
Rabbit mech owes a bit to Rabio Lepus / Rabbit Punch: https://sonicwings.fandom.com/wiki/Rabio_Lepus
Amazing game btw.
@Mister_Jonny said:
"The bunny mech is giving me very strong Jumping Flash vibes."
OMG yes!
I looked at the pic before reading the description and I was very confused and slightly uncomfortable...
Glad to see other gamers have noticed the similarity to other rabbit-mech from the past. Though to be fair, there’s only so much you can do with a cuddly bunny when converting it to a robot. Gun Nac on the NES also had a bunny mech as a boss.
I really like this set, but that US price is outrageous.
I wish the bunny mech was sold on it’s own, it’s a fantastic design!
@CapnRex101 Did you feel any reminders of Rita Repulsa when you discovered the alternate nefarious expression on Chang'e?
Great review, this set ticked all the box for me too. The whole idea having moon cake factory and the execution of this is just perfect. My detailed thoughts here: https://youtu.be/zPMqfZhiOEs
@Mister_Jonny said:
"The bunny mech is giving me very strong Jumping Flash vibes."
"Robbit can do the job! Let's go, Robbit! Jump and go!"
Little disappointed that they didn't name it Lunar Rab-bot. Speaking of that figure, I love that they found another use for Bunny Suit Guy's headgear.
@biffuz said:
"I looked at the pic before reading the description and I was very confused and slightly uncomfortable..."
And that would be because…why?
I was temporarily excited, thinking LEGO had brought back the classic cypress tree in orange.
Oh wait… never mind, it’s a carrot rocket…
the mech reminds me of pug z from lego worlds
Super creative and detailed, Wheeler knocked it out of the park!
I'm torn between this set and the Fire Ring, both are awesome.
Totally gonna get this because it’s just a bunny-themed Mars Mission set!
The designer probably specially chose Pigsy to be in a set with Chang'e. In the background story in Journey to the West for Pigsy, it actually involved Chang'e:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhu_Bajie
I splurged on this set when I had the chance. It was expensive for what it was, but i still really enjoy it on so many levels. Its also worth mentioning that it has two 1x5 plates in white which was a neat thing to see. My only real gripe is that I wish the butt compartment swung open instead of having to be detatched to access the storage. And maybe if it had been more detailed in the de-tailed portion haha.
@MrGurt said:
"the mech reminds me of pug z from lego worlds "
No, that's "Pigsy," not "Pug Z."
Having put up with over 40 years of my dad making jokes about how Neil Armstrong secretly met Chang'e, I'm both excited and eye-roll-resigned to finally seeing that joke come to life in bricks. Add this to the recent Netflix film, "Over the Moon," and either you have Westerners finally recognize a key Chinese folktale, or a lot of marketing suck-up. (Probably both).
Alas, there are no first-party Lego shops in Taiwan, and I can't figure out how to get these shipped domestically within Taiwan from here in the US. (That'd be for my nephews, not my dad, but I'm sure he'd get a kick out of the set!)
It's kind of the opposite season from the Autumn Moon Festival, when Chang'e takes center stage, but it's never the wrong time for bunny mechs and carrot rockets!
I love this set! I'm a big fan of Monkie Kid in general, but this set in particular is a really clever little space set. I love the roundness of the bunny mech and the amount of detail packed into the small little moonbase. A minor detail I love is the trans-orange brick in the "oven" that represents the heat to cook the mooncakes as they are fed through by the conveyor. I also love the stickers—one highlight is the sticker on the left side of the mech which includes "?" (the Chinese character for rabbit), very elaborate and futuristic text reading "BUNNY", and the number 3708 (the set number for the Fabuland character Rufus Rabbit)!
Partswise, there's a lot of neat stuff here as well. The large clear windscreen used on the moonbase hasn't appeared unprinted in a transparent color before (only printed versions in Star Wars or a solid-colored one in a Guardians of the Galaxy set). The 8x8 Trans-orange windscreen for the bunny mech is also new in that color and potentially great for Mars Mission MOCs. And while the set has a lot of stickers (like most Monkie Kid sets), the ten printed mooncake tiles are nothing to sneeze at! It would be cool to see those reused in a seasonal set specifically for the Mid-Autumn Festival this fall.
I would love to see a Space builder expand the moonbase here into a more elaborate complex like I've seen at conventions. In the TV show, the setting is much bigger, with an elaborate vegetable garden and kitchen for livestreamed cooking videos. While I'm not opposed to the smaller depiction here (which is way more affordable than a version that tried to pack in everything would be), it'd be neat to see somebody try to expand this!
I'm not too familiar with the Monkie Kid line... but I might buy this set.
It's very charming and funny. And it would add a very nice - and "official" - silliness area next to my collection of "serious" Space sets from 78-96 ^^
Well played, Lego.