Review: 80045 Monkey King Ultra Mech
Posted by CapnRex101,80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech was released to immediate acclaim in 2020, exhibiting superb details and unusual features, which differentiate this mech from earlier examples. Of course, this increases the expectations around its successor, 80045 Monkey King Ultra Mech!
The initial reaction to this design was lukewarm, before additional images were published, which showed the significant differences between this model and its prior counterpart. The colour scheme remains familiar, but the angular shaping is quite distinctive and looks tremendous.
Summary
80045 Monkey King Ultra Mech, 1,705 pieces.
£119.99 / $159.99 / €139.99 | 7.0p/9.4c/8.2c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Monkey King Ultra Mech arguably eclipses its predecessor and looks fantastic on display
- Unique mech design
- Extraordinarily detailed
- Stunning in varied configurations
- Good minifigure selection
- Disappointing jet
- Poor leg articulation
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
80045 Monkey King Ultra Mech introduces another exclusive Monkie Kid minifigure, featuring extraordinarily ornate armour! This colour combination of white, pearl silver and light bluish grey differs from his more familiar figures, but the decoration is excellent and corresponds with Mei in 80043 Yellow Tusk Elephant, albeit with red accents on the torso rather than green.
Monkey King has also been updated, now wearing rougher and more animalistic attire than we are accustomed to. Nevertheless, the design across his torso and legs looks superb and recalls the pattern on Monkey King's throne in 80024 The Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain. The only slight disappointment with this minifigure is the lack of dual-moulded legs, although the printing is effective.
Perhaps most interesting of all, however, is Mr. Tang. This minifigure takes inspiration from Tang Sanzang, the Buddhist monk who led the heroes in Journey to the West and in turn inspired the LEGO character in Monkie Kid! The costume portrayed here appeared briefly in an illustration during the series' pilot episode, atop Flower Fruit Mountain.
I love the metallic gold crown and accompanying headdress, while Tang's patterned robe looks great too. Unfortunately, there is a conspicuous difference in the flame yellowish orange colours between the torso and legs, continuing an issue which has plagued LEGO in recent years. Once again, I was hoping the legs would be dual-moulded, but instead they are only printed.
All three heroes include new double-sided heads, with Monkey King's crying expression being a particular highlight, unlike anything on his prior minifigures. Sun Wukong's famed staff has also been improved, now incorporating golden elements with accurate swirls at either end. These are packaged with several other accessories, found across the new Monkie Kid range.
The heroes of Journey to the West encounter many demons, including three that have inspired villains from this wave of Monkie Kid sets. The first is named Azure Lion, although his leonine features are relatively subtle. The minifigure is certainly imposing though, sporting an impressive cape and a distinctive yellow hair element, which loosely resembles a lion's mane.
Yellow Tusk Elephant is more obviously identifiable with his animal inspiration, as a combined trunk and ears element slots underneath his head. The prominent tusks are excellent and I like how colourful the villains' respective attires are, visually connecting the three characters, despite their major differences when compared with Monkie Kid's more traditionally uniform enemies.
Another neck attachment element has been created for the Golden-Winged Eagle, forming his beak. While the elephant's trunk, tusk and ears are effective, I think this flame yellowish orange piece appears too bulky. In some respects, I actually prefer the printed beak underneath, which reminds me of minifigures from Legends of Chima.
The eagle's pearl gold wings and teal braid components are new as well, each capturing brilliant texture. This minifigure carries a simple spiked spear, while the Yellow Tusk Elephant includes a pair of dark tan weapons, which I believe are either early hand grenades or clubs. The Azure Lion wields a huge sword, topped with a golden blade from the aforementioned accessory pack.
The Completed Model
Monkey King's upgraded mech measures 35cm in height when assembled, excluding the plastic clouds fixed on its back. The colour combination of red and gold looks outstanding and I love the mech's burly proportions, resembling 80033 Evil Macaque's Mech, although further augmented with angular armour.
Comparisons between the new model and 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech are inevitable, as they do share obvious similarities and are essentially identical in height, excluding the original mech's dramatic horns. However, their numerous differences are equally apparent, as the 2023 mech includes much heavier armour and fewer decorative features.
Limited articulation was probably the greatest weakness of the previous mech and the updated model fares only slightly better. The knees remain static, although the shoulders are much better and the hips also move more easily, without restrictive faulds around the waist. Additionally, the shortened forearms represent a major improvement on the original mech, allowing more natural posing.
In fact, only the head has become less articulated. While it can rotate, the head is attached with a Technic pin, so cannot look up or down. This is surprisingly detrimental because an enormous mech like this should be capable of looking at minifigures on the ground. Even so, the shape of the head is impressive, combining features of 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech and 80033 Evil Macaque's Mech.
The stickered design on the forehead looks great and I love the two ornamental banners, which are adjustable and naturally sweep back as though blowing in the wind. Also, 1x2 curved wedge slopes are used to brilliant effect on the sides of the head, positioned using clips and therefore creating wonderful curved lines.
A light brick is situated inside the head and activated by pressing a button on the back. This light is intended to shine through the printed eyes and is partially effective, but can also be seen very clearly between them. Regardless, the function is cleverly integrated and represents the Golden Sight ability shared by Monkey King and Monkey Kid.
Two flexible plastic structures are mounted behind the mech's shoulders, seemingly combining mechanical wings with cloud-like formations. These look splendid, although I am glad the design avoids relying too heavily on such features. While spectacular, I think these plastic sheets were used excessively on the Warrior Mech, overwhelming brick-built details in certain areas.
From their appearance alone, I get the impression that the Ultra Mech is more battle-ready than its precursor, which had an almost ceremonial image. The difference is perhaps clearest on their torsos, as this model is much more angular and heavily armoured, covering an advanced control centre for the pilot inside.
The stickered heads-up display looks superb, although I would rather that trans-clear panel had been printed. Conversely, a couple more stickers inside could have provided some extra details because the interior seems sparse without them. Fortunately though, there is ample space for a minifigure and the cockpit is easily accessible.
The mech also includes an enormous booster assembly, which connects on its back. I like how these thrusters are arranged at varying angles, complementing the jagged shoulder armour and torso panels. These boosters are fairly heavy though, sometimes causing the mech to lean back slightly, but not topple over.
I find the booster assembly's shape even more appealing when viewed from the side, although the trans-red canopy is noticeable. Official images have shown that the boosters, golden swords and wrist blades can be reconfigured into a jet, which is ingenious. Even so, I wonder whether this canopy could have been transformed into a prison cell, for example.
After detaching the boosters, the mech remains nicely finished. The pearl gold details look good and I appreciate the repeated use of teal across the model. Furthermore, the actual connection points are subtle, as the boosters are secured with clips and Technic axles. You could also use these clips to store minifigure accessories.
Initially, I was concerned that the Ultra Mech might appear lacklustre without the wrist blades or thrusters, but am pleasantly surprised. While certainly less bulky, the model remains impressive and is equally worthy of display in either configuration. Also, its balance is slightly improved with the heavy boosters removed, so posing is easier.
Teal accents are particularly prominent on the arms, with splashes of yellow occasionally visible as well. Several stickers decorate each arm and 34 stickers are included in total, which is more than I expected. They are certainly not overwhelming though, only used to introduce some extra details where necessary.
While the shoulder armour is bulky, the arms remain free to move and the ball-jointed wrists are particularly useful for posing. The elbow joints are more limited, but are again sufficient to create dynamic combat stances. Moreover, I like the large fingers, which can firmly grip Monkey King's staff, with assistance from Technic axles on the palms.
The staff can change in size, adapting to its holder's requirements. This rendition is even bigger than the example from 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech and includes more ornate handles at either end, constructed using pearl gold wheels. Connection points are available for the Technic axles in the hands, but the mech holds its staff comfortably without them, in a neutral stance.
The previous mech incorporated flexible plastic faulds around its waist and this model presents a similar feature, with armour plates hanging between the legs and thruster modules positioned on each side. The continued combination of red and metallic silver looks wonderful and I like the printed Monkey King emblem at the centre too, decorating a 3x3 round tile.
Even though these faulds are adjustable and allow the hips to move back and forth, the limited ankle motion and complete lack of knee joints severely restricts leg articulation. Functional knee joints are becoming more common on larger LEGO mechs, including on the much-anticipated 71785 Jay's Titan Mech, but the Ultra Mech is heavy, so I understand the need to exclude them here.
The articulation leaves something to be desired, but the appearance of the legs definitely does not! I love the repeated shapes between the knees and ankles, which also correspond with 4x4 double wedge slopes forming the shoulders. Additionally, the legs seem fairly detailed even from behind, although the tail is noticeably simple, relative to other areas of the mech.
Smaller vehicles detaching from larger ones has been an ever-present feature of original LEGO themes, including NINJAGO, Legends of Chima and now Monkie Kid. However, this instance is more complex than most, as the detachable jet comprises four sections and the central thruster assembly must still be reconfigured, before the blades are attached.
Once assembled, the jet measures 28cm in length, so is pretty substantial. The general profile looks reasonable to me, although the section towards the back is rather sparse and moving the smaller, more angular pods forward alters the visual balance of this model. However, the colour scheme remains intact and any unsightly connectors are concealed fairly well.
The cockpit is cramped, but does accommodate a minifigure, with a sticker applied on the wrist blade doubling as a targeting console. Moreover, the thruster pods open to reveal spring-loaded shooters inside. While the function is clever, I would rather these pods were lowered, resembling the missile launchers on some attack helicopters.
I think the back could be improved too, as the primary engine pods are attached using Technic ball joints, so do not appear properly integrated with the fuselage. The exposed Technic axles at the back are also disappointing, but these are necessary for a secure connection with the mech and completely hiding them would be very difficult. Thankfully, they are usually hidden from view in this position.
Overall
Mechs have become an important aspect of LEGO's product portfolio, but designers continue to find innovative methods of constructing these vehicles. 80045 Monkey King Ultra Mech certainly offers some unique features and looks magnificent, including exceptional detail. The colours are appealing and this mech possesses its own character, distinct from 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech.
There are two areas for improvement though. The leg articulation remains quite limited and the jet transformation leaves something to be desired. I think it looks reasonable when connected to the Ultra Mech, but is underwhelming as a separate vehicle. Nevertheless, I am impressed with this addition to the growing collection of Monkey Kid mechs and the price of £119.99, $159.99 or €139.99 is justified, in my opinion.
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25 comments on this article
I have the original proudly on display in my study, and I still think that's the superior one - but this is still pretty great. The bad guys are amazing, and some of the new accessories are very appealing.
Can't say I think the candle-pieces are an improvement for the staff. I still do need Monkie Kid's pauldrons for some slight infringing on Capcom's copyrights, Psycho Crusher has a posse.
Very good review!
Obviously I haven't gotten this set yet (though it's near the top of my wishlist when it comes out). The shaping looks significantly refined from the earlier version, and it looks a lot more sturdy. On the original set several features like the flags on the back, several of the spoiler pieces on the arms, and the fingers were attached only by a single clip, making them easy to accidentally knock off, and similarly the 1x6x2 arch bricks on the cockpit could easily get knocked off if you gripped the torso wrong. On this newer set, the cockpit opening has been refined and features like the shoulder armor and fingers are attached by at least two clips each, making this set seem a lot more robust and play-ready.
The separating jet feature reminds me of a mod I made to my copy of the previous Warrior Mech, adding a mount on the back to attach the Monkie Kid's Cloud Jet set. Of course, that jet was much heavier and the mech was not designed to bear that much extra weight, so while it worked well enough to take a picture and display temporarily, it was hardly practical in the long term. Having such a feature built into this set is therefore quite exciting to me.
The figs in this set are great. I love the armored MK and the way he corresponds to the similar Mei figure. Monkey King and Tang have great printing (Monkey King's tiger-skin outfit corresponds to the original legends), and the new villains look fantastic—wonderfully diverse in appearance while still sharing enough common colors to look like a coherent group.
Is it just me or is this thing visually busy?
And no mention of those unsightly dark grey plate undersides at the mech's back when the jet is attached?
It's a wonderfully detailed model but at this price point they either make it a full on displayable thing or a more usable plaything. Because now it seems like it's too much detail for too little pay-off. The original faired better in that regard IMHO.
For the price I'd rather buy the original. It looks better and comes with a building :)
I fail to see why there's another.
It is gorgeous and I need it!
The OG still wins. Will get the Combi Mech for the new sword element & with actual functioning knees.
I like both versions, but to be honest as a monofig collector I am most exited about a small detail - the Azure Lion minifig, since this seems to be the first instance of the minifigure head piece being molded in teal / dark turquoise.
Which is funny, since the figure is called AZURE Lion, not TEAL Lion.
In any case, now a real monofig is possible, even if it means wiping the print. On the other hand, now that the printed version exists, it's only a matter of time before an unprinted version will appear in some set.
@Binnekamp said:
"And no mention of those unsightly dark grey plate undersides at the mech's back when the jet is attached?"
They are supposed to fit onto the shoulders of the mech and act like canons. That way you don't see the understuds and the gray plates, and the mech looks cooler.
Thanks for the review!
I think it does look busy, though reminds me of Ultraman and Megazord mechs from the popular shows which is nostalgic and nice.
I await the Mountain HQ review, seems like the best set of the wave :)
@Bhahouighf said:
"You didn't flip the guns on the jet down over the shoulders. You're supposed to flip the guns on the jet down over the shoulders."
I knew there was something wrong with them on photos)
Thank you for the comments regarding the cannons folding down over the shoulders. Having just looked back at the instructions, their position is not really highlighted and I assumed the 'three-pronged' arrangement was intended, since that is a common feature of anime mecha. Honestly, I think the model looks much better from behind with them moved back, although folding them down improves the impression from in front.
I will update the photos when I have time.
I may be in the minority, but in my opinion the two mechs are similar enough to not warrant wanting both (unless you collect Monkie Kid). Both are really great but it would be hard to decide between them. If they made the second one with a slightly different color palette I would see a bigger distinction.
Great review!
I don’t suppose anyone has heard if these will be sold again in stores? It’s silly that I have to order this the night before I head to the LEGO store to pick up the Modular. Since this theme is continuing & is apparently evergreen(even though I don’t know US sales...I’m doing what I can though!) I was hoping it would show up again.
Too big and detailed to play, way too ornamented to look good. Shame. The previous one imo had same problems but still looed better
The first iteration of Monkie Kid's mech looked good enough that it attracted many people to splurge on it, so I think it was a bold move for LEGO to release such an aesthetically similar set literally just after retiring the original set.
After this detailed review, I compared both sets and I found that this set is downgraded in many aspects when put next to 80012. I enjoyed the various side builds included in the original set so it was disappointing that this set omitted those while costing even more than 80012.
About the mech itself, it's even shorter than the first, and I was disappointed to see that the plastic faulds in this set don't match the mech quite as well as the original one did. The horns look too droopy on this one, compared to the ones in 80012 which stood up straight. The plastic flags and waistcapes on 80012 also fit Monkey King's aesthetic better.
Also, it's worth noting that Monkey King accompanied Tang to the West, not the other way around.
@Bhahouighf said:
"The comments calling this a downgrade are funny. The review itself shows that both mechs are eye to eye in terms of height; the new one has much more intimidating and natural shaping which frees up movement in the arms; and, of course, the "horns" are and always have in fact been plumes, so they should be floppy! While a dimension of play is lost in removing the original's tiny enemy mech and side building, the new mech introduces new features to make up for it: spring-loaded guns, glowing "golden gaze" eyes, and a modular detachable jet. The original mech has no functions of its own, and its weight and limited articulation don't lend themselves to action figure style play, either. This mech maintains the size and visual beauty of its predecessor while integrating actual play features! I do wish that the Azure Lion had a small mech or build, since this is his only appearance and his allies each have one in the other sets they respectively appear in, but it couldn't possibly rival the main course here anyway— the tiny bull mech from 2020 is more funny than fun to play with. All things considered, this Monkey Mech is definitely on par with the original, and while it may not be different enough to attract some collectors, it's great in its own right."
Very good comment. I'd thought about replying to some of the naysayers but you explained everything far better than I have. I also think that, as I mentioned above, the new version is probably better suited for action-figure play by virtue of having fewer loose parts that could pop off if mishandled.
Regarding a vehicle/mech for the Azure Lion, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if he were to get something along those lines in the second half of the year (assuming that, like the past three years, the same "villain" characters from the first half of the year will remain major antagonists in the later sets).
@shodan said:
" The OG still wins. Will get the Combi Mech for the new sword element & with actual functioning knees."
The old one doesn't have any functional knees
Chima vibes
Those 3 villains are so cool. I need them.
@cuhan said:
" @shodan said:
" The OG still wins. Will get the Combi Mech for the new sword element & with actual functioning knees."
The old one doesn't have any functional knees"
Kind of a moot point, since this one doesn't have functional knees either.
I do really like the booster-function on this one. I'm of two minds about the arms - they cut a better profile than the arms (and especially the shoulders/pauldrons!) of the original mech, but looking at them up close, they look pretty weird.
I might just try to put these pauldrons on the original mech, see what happens.
ETA: the Elephant's weapons appear to be 'garlic bulb maces', according to a cursory Google-search, which also strongly implies that we now have massive bulbs of garlic in the LEGO-inventory. Greengrocers and vampire-hunters, rejoice.
The wings on Golden-Winged Eagle—isn’t that the element from 43113 K-Pawp Concert?
As an owner of the first Monkey King Mech, I would have preferred a re-release that shrinks the mech down to playable size, with more articulation/sturdiness and less of all this coveted (and expense-adding) "shaping." Display-collectors had their chance; now let kids have something to actually play with!
That said, the detachable jet feature does up the fun quotient, and gives it an extra gundam cool factor. Still, that can be included at little expense if the whole model was slimmed and shrunk down. Adult collectors are driving these models out of affordability
The set looks cool. If I played with LEGO I'd be all over this line of sets, but instead I just pick up some figures here and there. But the designers do a good job with function and aesthetics.
is this one as top-heavy?
@moishe11 said:
"is this one as top-heavy?"
It's got an entire jet strapped to it's back, so probably even more so.
I've only been passively observing Monkie Kid since its reveal, so I don't have too many specific thoughts on the series, but I'm very split on this mech in comparison to its predecessor. I like the design of the shoulder/jet cannons, combining decorative barrels with cleanly concealed functional shooters, and the plumes look very nice, but the proportions seem really unappealing even while it's roughly the same height as the first mech. It looks really short, and I think the main offender is the hip armor's width making the legs look farther apart and their height making the abdomen look almost nonexistent. They look like they should be easy enough to remove, and I wonder if that would improve the mech's silhouette, but I don't know if I'd spend over $150 for a set that I want to remove sections from.