Review: 42150 Monster Jam Monster Mutt Dalmation
Posted by benbacardi,I recently reviewed the first of this year's pair of Technic Monster Jam pull-back-and-go trucks, 42149 Monster Jam Dragon. Released as a set of two for the past three years, LEGO has decided to complement the vicious-looking Dragon with a cute puppy!
Admittedly, it is probably a stretch to call 42150 Monster Jam Monster Mutt Dalmatian "cute", but let's take a look at the black-and-white canine and how it stacks up against its fiery companion.
Summary
42150 Monster Jam Monster Mutt Dalmatian, 244 pieces.
£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99 | 7.4p/8.2c/8.2c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A great addition to the line-up, with all the fun of the other models and a cute design.
- Great playability with the pullback motor
- A decent small Technic build
- Good value for money
- Rather lackluster B model
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Once again, here's an image of the real truck, courtesy of the Monster Jam website:
Unlike last time, the sticker sheet wasn't too screwed up to make photography impossible (although I do struggle to keep the glare off them!). This is roughly the same size as all the others in the range; fairly substantial, given the size of the set, as the stickers provide most of the detailing that makes the model match its real-life counterpart.
After around fifteen to twenty minutes of building, the unstickered vehicle was complete. I didn't keep it this way for long - it looks pretty bland without any detailing.
Like the real thing, it sits very high on its "suspension", with a large black corrugated pipe waving around at the back as the Dalmatian's tail. Two angled panels are attached to the roof with non-friction pins, allowing them to flap up and down freely as large dog ears. Those on the real vehicle have much more flexibility in them, but I'm glad they didn't try and use fabric to represent them instead.
From the front, you can see the adorable red tongue sticking out beneath the black nose, and the two eyebrows above the windscreen! It's a shame about the ugly blue of the Technic pins, though.
With the stickers applied, it looks much more like the Dalmatian it is attempting to copy.
The snarling mouth sticker does a lot to make it look aggressive, although the way the panel stops abruptly vertically before the wheel is rather jarring. The real panel has a more organic shape to it that would be difficult to represent with Technic at this scale.
A thin red beam continues the dog's collar across the back of the truck, with the logo applied as a sticker to a grey disc. There are three Monster Mutt vehicles in the sport (the original, the Dalmatian, and the Rottweiler), and they all share this large circular sticker on their rear panels. I am surprised they chose the Dalmatian over the [original Monster Mutt](https://www.monsterjam.com/en-US/trucks/monster-mutt), but it was likely due to the common availability of white Technic panels vs brown.
The B Model
The alternative model is described on LEGO's website as a Race Truck, and it's a more compact vehicle in the style of the racing articulated cabs, albeit with a cabin that is far too short. It's a rather odd and ungainly looking vehicle, and my children had a lot of trouble working out which way round it was meant to go!
Side by side, the alternative model of 42149 Monster Jam Dragon definitely wins in terms of style.
Conclusion
It doesn't make for a great review conclusion, but there isn't that much to say here that hasn't already been said in the review of the Dragon, but that's a good thing - these two sets are very clearly two peas in a pod, and slot in very nicely as part of the wider range going back the last three years. For the price point, especially with the inevitable deals that often pop up, you can't go far wrong if you get any enjoyment out of LEGO vehicles of any kind.
The Dalmatian is a great opponent to the Dragon - their standard models are similar in size and build (like most monster trucks), but each very distinct, and can face off against each other across a tiled hallway very effectively! I'll admit I was a little disappointed by the alternative model of the Dalmatian; the designers have done a much better job in creating an interesting vehicle for the Dragon.
That said, these are relatively cheap Technic sets with a lot of playability built in thanks to the pullback motor: you can't go far wrong.
42150 Monster Jam Monster Mutt Dalmatian available at LEGO.com for $19.99, £17.99, 19.99€.
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16 comments on this article
Very nice, this sub-theme keeps on churning out some pretty awesome sets for the price point. 100% what core LEGO is all about!!
On the back fo these reviews, I picked up a couple on offer. My daughter has been having lots of fun with another pullback model, so the new pair should add some racing fun.
Oof, this painfully shows how much the design relies on stickers. These very much aren't optional. In that regard the Megalodon was on another level as all of the other Monster Jam sets.
Apart from that I still think these are pretty good sets for what they are: a fun toy, and a first entry into Technic. As with all of these MJ sets it would have been better with other tires, but Lego probably has their reasons. And I actually like the B-model!
Dally is definitely my favourite of the Monster Jam trucks so far. She rocks!
And the Monster Mutt variants mentioned in the review are just the real-world trucks - across the video game and toy lines there's also Monster Mutt Junkyard Dog, Poodle, and Husky!
@WizardofOss: "MJ sets?" No, the Spider-Man monster truck (76174) didn't include MJ.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @WizardofOss : "MJ sets?" No, the Spider-Man monster truck ( 76174 ) didn't include MJ."
Why would Michael Jackson be in a Spider-Man set?
But still wrong tires ;-)
Looks pretty solid, although I'll probably only get the Dragon - I'm a sucker for green Technic sets. There are far too few of them, and the Deere tractor last year was functionally awful. I do wish they'd use the Wrangler tyres, but they must have a reason not to, and we'd be foolish to expect them to change at this point!
@TheIronBadger said:
"Dally is definitely my favourite of the Monster Jam trucks so far. She rocks!
And the Monster Mutt variants mentioned in the review are just the real-world trucks - across the video game and toy lines there's also Monster Mutt Junkyard Dog, Poodle, and Husky!"
Junkyard Dog was a real variant as well. However, it only competed in the 2016 Monster Jam season.
Without stickers the build looks a little… ruff.
The Monster Jam line seems really cool, actually. They just look like fun toys.
@VintageDude said:
"Bigfoot was and still is The King.
Monster Jam and making "donuts"
ain't what monster trucking is about for me.
One Wheel Stand and Side-By-Side was what it was about in the days.
Regarding LEGO Monster Trucks:
9398-1, is the only one who looks and performs as a real Monster Truck - if you ask me."
If you ever get the opportunity to attend a Monster Jam event, I highly recommend it. We start going because of our boys (we have five), but my wife and I enjoy them more than the kids. The stunts are top notch these days.
@VintageDude: As I commented on 42149's review, it's a shame Bigfoot isn't in Monster Jam any more. An official Lego Bigfoot would be awesome.
I hope this doesn't awaken anything in me....
@VintageDude: According to Wikipedia, Bigfoot left Monster Jam in 1998.
At the $20 price point, this is good value for KFOLs.
I would love it if Lego did one of these for the Scooby Doo truck, https://www.monsterjam.com/en-US/trucks/scooby-doo .
DalmatiAn