One of Lego’s new Mario sets is a perfect piece for January—a wintery penguin set! Here, in this review, I’m going to be looking at the Mario Lego Set, Penguin Family Snow Adventure Expansion Set 71430, and I will be noting what makes it unique, what is good about it, what is bad about it, its price, its compatibility with the Lego Interactive Mario Figure, and I will be looking at the build and figures included the set.
You can see the Lego Mario interactive figures here:
Adventures with Mario Starter Course
Adventures with Luigi Starter Course
Adventures with Peach Starter Course
Read below to see the full review!
What’s in the box?
Released recently in December, 2023, Penguin Family Snow Adventure Expansion Set contains only 228 pieces and is currently available on LEGO.com for only $19.99.
It looks cool just based on its brick designs (a snowy world, a tree, an ice ramp, and a sled)—but it’s actually so much cooler when paired with an interactive Lego Mario, Luigi, or Peach figure! The set allows you to use one figure to help reunite a baby penguin with the adult figure, I believe to be the mother penguin.
The interactive Mario figure even works on the included sled—causing sledding sounds, a snow-background digital image on Mario’s screen, and, when used on the ice ramp, Mario gains electronic coins!
This set has three included Mario figures—one adult penguin figure, a baby penguin figure, and a snow goomba figure—all of which include scan tiles that allow them to interact with the Lego Mario figures.
When used with the two penguins, an Interactive Mario Figure will light up and make penguin sounds, along with showing a visual picture of the speaking penguin. When used with the baby penguin scan tile, the penguin picture will stay put—allowing you to take the digital penguin around—the penguin even flaps his wings when used with the sled piece. Ultimately, your goal is to take Mario back to the mother penguin scan tile—using this will reunite the two penguins, make some happy sounds, then give your Mario a bunch of coins!
The goomba interacts too and makes a sound to represent Mario smashing the goomba—after which, a digital coin is granted. Unlike the goombas included in most Lego Mario sets, this one includes a snow hat!
My Thoughts?
Alright—so at first, I wasn’t so crazy about the set and I didn’t really think the build itself was too neat. But after I was able to locate a Lego Interactive Mario Figure and I started to use it with all of the scan tiles—the Penguin Family Snow Adventure Expansion Set became so much cooler! I love the fact that the penguins move and make sounds on Mario’s little screen and I love the fact children can play with the baby penguin and use the interactive figure to take it on sled-rides and eventually reunite it with its mother.
I do wish there was maybe a little more included in this set (since you have to buy the Mario figure separately). Maybe one more enemy, or some recognizable Mario-esque builds—or even a super star, from Super Mario 64 (since this set is obviously inspired by the penguin level in that game).
Overall, the set was fun to build and I think would be especially fun for younger Lego fans and anybody who adores Mario, penguins, or even both!
Also see: Brachiosaurus Discovery 76960: Review