Review: 76994 Sonic's Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge
Posted by Huw,76994 Sonic's Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge is the largest of five Sonic sets that will be released on August 1st.
The long thin model is primarily designed for play, with the objective of defeating Dr. Eggman achieved by launching the blue hedgehog's pod through the course at high speed, hopefully taking out a few Badniks on the way.
But how easy, or not as the case may be, is that to accomplish...
Summary
76994 Sonic's Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge, 802 pieces.
£94.99 / $99.99 / €104.99 | 11.8p/12.5c/13.1c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The essence of the video game has been captured effectively but gameplay is tricky
- Phone app not required to play
- Awesome minifigures and mech
- No stickers
- Huge force required to succeed
- Repeated use results in damaged pieces
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
I took a look at all the minifigures in Sonic sets last week, so please read that article for more information.
This one contains winking Sonic, Amy and Dr. Eggman.
Amy is equipped with a colourful jet ski and her Piko Piko hammer that she uses for dispatching enemies.
The completed model
The course is about 76cm long and consists of several sections loosely connected by Technic pins or 2x4 tiles, so it's not possible to lift it up whole. There is some scope for rearrangement, although the layout has been optimised for the intended gameplay.
The first section consists of a loop made from pieces first introduced in City Stuntz sets followed by another ramp that will hopefully propel Sonic's pod through the hoop and onwards to defeat the baddies.
At the front of this section is an area that offers a more sedate play experience, where Sonic and Amy can care for the animals they rescue. There's a barbecue, bench, picnic blanket, and an inflatable in the pond.
Sonic's opponents lurk in the second part of the course. Two Badniks -- robots controlled by Dr. Eggman -- Newtron and Chopper, have compartments on their backs for carrying captured animals.
The set comes with four such animals which the product description at LEGO.com names as Flicky, Becky, Pocky and Pecky. The rabbit and dog are Friends animals with new prints, I believe, and I suspect the birds are too, although I am not familiar with the piece.
The Badniks are mounted on structures that can be toppled over by pressing on the pink round tiles nearby and the box photo show the tree upon which Newtron is sitting and the water spurt holding up Chopper aligned vertically, but the nature of the release mechanisms and gravity results in them leaning to one side, which annoys me.
I don't believe it's possible for them to be knocked over by Sonic's pod when they are upright, unless he goes wildly off course, so manual intervention timed to perfection to topple them into his path needed.
Edit: it's been pointed out that Amy can use her hammer to topple them, which of course makes perfect sense!
The green patch at the end of the course is where Eggman stands. His robotic machine splits in two and a transparent pillar is provided to raise the upper half, which I presume is true to the game.
However, it looks much better, and more fearsome, when the two parts are joined. The result is quite a cool mech, with articulation in both arms and legs allowing it to be posed in a variety of ways.
Claws and a circular saw attached to the end of the arms, and a stud shooter on its shoulder, aim to keep Sonic at bay.
When positioned at the end like this it's in the trajectory of Sonic's pod and just like in the video game the objective of gameplay in the set is to hit it to defeat the scientist. But, is that actually possible?...
Gameplay
Gameplay involves putting Sonic in the pod that I examined in more detail last week, mounting it in the launcher then hitting it sufficiently hard to first get it to loop the loop and then hopefully carry on flying through the air to the end of the course to hit Dr. Eggman's robot.
The launcher is sturdily constructed using Technic pieces including four new 3x9 curved elements. Rubber parts (out of view in this picture) help prevent it slipping on the table, and the two that you can see cushion the blow once the pod has been propelled away.
To have any chance of success the launcher needs to be positioned right at the start of the ramp otherwise nine times out of ten the pod will miss it.
Now, to answer the question I've posed: is it actually possible to play as intended, to loop the loop, fly through the ring and on to the end of the course to hit Eggman?
Yes it is... but with difficulty! You need to have the launcher aligned accurately then hit it very hard, and I would suggest that the force required is beyond that which an average 8-year-old can muster.
I was going to attempt to make a video, but the force needed was such that the launcher was scratching the surface of my photo backdrop and leaving marks on it, so I gave up on that idea.
Verdict
I think the set neatly captures the essence of the video game while also offering gameplay that does not rely on an app or other electronic wizardry, and I appreciate that.
It's a good idea in theory, but in practice I think it's too hard to achieve success, so likely to lead to frustration. Repeated attempts while preparing this review have resulted in scratches on the pod and the loop's ramp, and it would not surprise me if you also ended up with lost or damaged pieces further down the course due to of the speed and force at which the pod hits it. Perhaps it's not a bad thing then that -- for adults at least -- it's fun for five minutes, and having achieved success once you probably won't be in a rush to play it again.
It is not a particularly practical display model, so if that is your prime reason for buying into Sonic sets you will be better off with some of the smaller ones, although Eggman's mech is very cool so that might be reason enough to buy this one.
However, the 802-piece set will cost £94.99 / $99.99 / €104.99, so you may think twice before doing so at full price.
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35 comments on this article
Shame as this would’ve really been a great review to showcase a video or gif!
But those Stuntz ramps aren’t built for preserving sadly. Like most transparent pieces nowadays, mine often came out the box scratched to high heaven, even before use. Of the QC issues floating around, this one with clear windows and doors really gets on my nerves. And these ones aren’t even clear!
For play, it might be better to leave either the loop or the ramp out of the equation and just run through one of it to defeat Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik). The full course is too long to be a joyful experience.
I'm quite glad to have no interest in Sonic. I'll stick with Stuntz for stunts!
I like quite a lot eggman's mech, looks really cool.
Chima speedorz were quite fun flywheel based toys that were reasonably cheap. Kids could play with them for a while then the cost wasn't really an issue when they got bored with them. The City Stuntz sets were similar but a step up in price. This seems to be the same, another step up in price without really any gameplay that will hold long term interest being essentially just a single loop and one control method of hitting it as hard as you can. You can get way more playability in a Hotwheels loop the loop type track for less than a third of the cost (although that is obviously not LEGO). So for me, this doesn't hold up so well as a toy to play longer term, and it doesn't fit the cheap fun toy like speedorz did. It looks awful as a display model. What does that leave? 3 (repeated) figures for £100. I imagine the cheaper sets will sell much better and don't matter too much when forgotten about about 10 minutes of play.
Always hurts me to see a good idea gone awry...
Does the set suggest the whole course should be done in a single launch? It seems to me you could separate it into two courses, the loop/ring part and then the bridge/boss part, thereby requiring merely a kid's strength and preserving the quality of the parts a bit better (I mean, they are still action play parts, so scratching should be expected).
I'm a bit surprised that this set got thru R&D what with the severity that is required to 'play' with the sey as intended. The mech is very cool (and I'm not even into Sonic) but, as mentioned above, you're paying $100 for three minifigures, a nifty mech and an odd looking game display set. It's lacking both value and repeated play ability.
They should have made a downhill course using gravity instead of a punch device.
It's a bummer that the play feature is harder to execute than intended, and that it damages the pieces.
But--the price notwithstanding--this is a really great-looking set, with some outstanding minifigures. I would totally pick one up if I found it in the clearance aisle!
@oukexergon said:
"Does the set suggest the whole course should be done in a single launch? "
To me at least it does.
"It seems to me you could separate it into two courses, the loop/ring part and then the bridge/boss part, thereby requiring merely a kid's strength and preserving the quality of the parts a bit better (I mean, they are still action play parts, so scratching should be expected)."
Traversing the loop requires a high level of applied force. Once you've achieved that you're almost guaranteed to make it through the hoop.
People already proved this can be finished with one launcb.
On the one hand, I very much appreciate that the review describes the wear on the parts in detail, especially on a site frequented by AFOLs.
On the other hand, only with Lego is "repeated use of the play feature results in wear on the plastic" treated as a problem. Instead of, you know, the obvious consequence of playing with toys.
Nice idea, poorly executed, and (from what I can see) probably appealing to few. I suspect that these will likely end up in the bargain bins at Smyth's Toys before too long. This set also makes you wonder what a minifig scale Mario range would've looked like.
@lordofdragonss said:
"People already proved this can be finished with one launcb."
Yes it can be, I have done, but I didn't find it easy!
Well, an interesting start for these sets.
skip the launcher and roll 'em by hand, should reduce the wear on the pieces
make it more of a challenge to hit the loop, too
Finally! A mech that not only looks good, it is actually valid in reference to the source material!
Frankly I'm shocked this doesn't cost MORE given how expensive the Stuntz looping sets are.
I'm going to say it: any mode of play that trains children to not remain reasonably gentle with Lego is fundamentally flawed. The last thing I want my young kids to learn with Lego is to hit it as hard as they can to make something happen. I remember as a child building a battering ram and challenging my friend. I was proud of my creation, but very disappointed in the inevitable broken parts. There's nothing wrong with "destructive" play per se, but it really shouldn't be encouraged with Lego.
@ra226 said:
"I'm going to say it: any mode of play that trains children to not remain reasonably gentle with Lego is fundamentally flawed. The last thing I want my young kids to learn with Lego is to hit it as hard as they can to make something happen. I remember as a child building a battering ram and challenging my friend. I was proud of my creation, but very disappointed in the inevitable broken parts. There's nothing wrong with "destructive" play per se, but it really shouldn't be encouraged with Lego."
Why stop at Lego? This shouldn't be permitted with any toys. They're expensive, and when they break I have to throw them away. All toys should be kept MIB to protect their condition and resale value. Instead of teaching children about the value of play, we should teach them about the value of products.
^ /s
"I don't believe it's possible for [the Badniks] to be knocked over by Sonic's pod when they are upright, unless he goes wildly off course, so manual intervention timed to perfection to topple them into his path needed."
With the "targets" for knocking over the Badniks being pink circles that you hit from above, surely the intent is that Amy (pink, uses a hammer) takes them out while Sonic concentrates on Eggman?
@Andrusi said:
"With the "targets" for knocking over the Badniks being pink circles that you hit from above, surely the intent is that Amy (pink, uses a hammer) takes them out while Sonic concentrates on Eggman?"
Yes, that makes sense!
@AcademyofDrX
" "There's nothing wrong with "destructive" play per se, but it really shouldn't be encouraged with Lego." "
Why stop at Lego? This shouldn't be permitted with any toys. They're expensive, and when they break I have to throw them away. All toys should be kept MIB to protect their condition and resale value. Instead of teaching children about the value of play, we should teach them about the value of products. "
Your earlier comment about wear being a normal byproduct of play is perfectly fair. But you're missing my point. There are toys that are designed for rough play. Lego, especially at its price, is not one of them. I'll put it another way: much as it pains me to see my kids let their transparent pieces roll around in their parts bins with all their other parts and get all scratched up, I don't make a big deal of it. But I don't want them throwing a $60 Mario across the room.
Me thinking... nice colourful set... fun figures... cute little animals (Tweety Pie should have used that bird piece for the Looney Toons CMF)... fun play feature ... rrp is £100!!!!!!!! SPITS OUT COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!
Had skimmed the piece count but thought we were looking at a £50-60 set...
I like the two Badniks, those would have been nice polybags.
Everything else.....some elements look okay but considering the poorly executed play features this set as a whole is an utter failure.
I wanted this for the play features and the Stuntz compatibility but seeing as the former is a dud, I don't know if the latter can justify the cost.
@Huw said:
" @oukexergon said:
"Does the set suggest the whole course should be done in a single launch? "
To me at least it does.
"It seems to me you could separate it into two courses, the loop/ring part and then the bridge/boss part, thereby requiring merely a kid's strength and preserving the quality of the parts a bit better (I mean, they are still action play parts, so scratching should be expected)."
Traversing the loop requires a high level of applied force. Once you've achieved that you're almost guaranteed to make it through the hoop.
"
What about reaching/knocking down Eggman? What I'm suggesting is that perhaps two tracks can be considered, rather than a long one, one to go into the hoop/ring, the other to "defeat" the boss.
So, yeah, it's sounding like I'm going to have to get this set and scratch some parts :-).
@Huw,
I suppose a good question would be: assuming you are a fan of such products, should someone buy this set 76994 or the idea set 21331?
@AcademyofDrX said:
" @ra226 said:
"I'm going to say it: any mode of play that trains children to not remain reasonably gentle with Lego is fundamentally flawed. The last thing I want my young kids to learn with Lego is to hit it as hard as they can to make something happen. I remember as a child building a battering ram and challenging my friend. I was proud of my creation, but very disappointed in the inevitable broken parts. There's nothing wrong with "destructive" play per se, but it really shouldn't be encouraged with Lego."
Why stop at Lego? This shouldn't be permitted with any toys. They're expensive, and when they break I have to throw them away. All toys should be kept MIB to protect their condition and resale value. Instead of teaching children about the value of play, we should teach them about the value of products."
Wait until they reach 16, and start doing it with REAL cars!! Damn kids!
Lego is a lot less expensive than litigation. Ugh.
This set is on the top of my wanted list, as I have a large MOC of green hill zone that I am going to bring to some upcoming exhibitions. When I saw that these sets were coming out in August (just before my biggest expo of the year), I knew I needed these sets to expand my MOC! I just wish this set came with Tails too, and that we'd get more than 4 minifigs for the theme, but hopefully enough people will buy these sets so that we can get Knuckles later (fingers crossed)!
I'll probably end up getting this one, as well as Tails's lab, so that I can have all the figures and two (for me) appealing sets to expand my MOC!
Everybody vote for Jonas Kramm's Idea Mushroom House on BrickLink Designer Program. It's perfect to go alongside Lego Sonic and or Mario! ?? Plus it gives me ideas of using it as a play function too. Like Sonic jumps a ramp falls and rolls out the Mushroom House to knock out Eggman lol
@HOBBES said:
" @Huw,
I suppose a good question would be: assuming you are a fan of such products, should someone buy this set 76994 or the idea set 21331?"
If you motivation to buy is to display, then 21331.
The Eggman mech seems a bit confused in terms of design, at least from the perspective of a Sonic fan - they're playing upon the Egg Walker from Sonic Adventure 2 with the leg base, but all of the other attachments to the Eggmobile seem rather arbitrary. Granted, one of the big things about classic Eggman boss machines is that it takes the Eggmobile base and adds new stuff onto it, so the design in this set is keeping in spirit, but I think fans of a particular Eggman mech from a specific game are better off getting the minifig elsewhere and making a MOC of their mech of choice.
I get the idea behind this set, Sonic is known for loops and they need to make a set with a loop, but overall it seems like it's less than the sum of its parts. The minifigs are nice, the badniks are nice, the Eggman mech is okay, a launcher with a trick ramp is okay, but as a complete set it seems misguided.
For game fans, it's a better value to buy 76993 and 76992 to get all of this year's characters with more interesting builds, though 76991 will also surely fly off shelves with how iconic the Tornado is. While hardcore Sonic fans will surely want to stock up on the "Chaos Cola" print, it's also in 76990, so the only things left for this set are the badniks and a reference to a Sonic Origins cutscene.