Manufacturer: LEGO
RRP: £69.99
Release Date: August 2015
No. of pieces: 860
Build Time: 3 Hours approx.
Speed to the Mystery Mansion on the motorbike with Shaggy and Velma to help Daphne and Scooby-Doo find the stolen treasure! Creep quietly into the spooky building and watch out for the Ghost and Black Knight lurking in the corridors. Evade the man-eating plant in the conservatory and dodge the morning star pendulum trap. Quickly make a giant hamburger in the kitchen then look for clues. Locate the secret compartment containing the golden key, then open the safe containing the stolen gold bars. But hurry—you must find the hidden loot before the clock strikes midnight and the Vampire emerges from behind the spinning wall!
Like, WOW Scooby! Scooby-Doo is yet another well-loved brand to add its name to LEGO‘s growing list of license acquisitions, and fans young and old will simply love the range that’s currently on offer. ToysWorld have been sent through the largest of the sets; the Mystery Mansion, and it has lots of features, points of interest and design accents to enjoy. It will also appeal to any of you who miss the Harry Potter range (RIP), as there’s something rather Hogwarts-y about the overall look of the mansion itself.
The set is split into three main sections; The central clock tower, The conservatory, and the kitchen and attic. We have broken the review down into the three respective areas, below:
The Clock Tower
As you walk up the steps to the front door, the first thing you notice is the wonky pillars and archway, which help give the impression that going any further may not be a good idea! Turn the build around 360° and you can view the interior of the build from the Ground Floor perspective of having just entered the house. Before you take another step, however…BEWARE – there’s a studded wrecking ball lying in wait to topple your mini-figure! If you’ve managed to safely navigate the trap, there’s a hidden floorboard which lifts up to reveal the golden keys to the safe.
Level 1 of the tower has a short viewing platform with a historic painting (perhaps of the Vampire before he became one), as well as a smashed window with a spider-web.
Level 2 features the spinning wall which rotates to display either the bat or the Vampire. As you turn the dial, the hands of the clock also spin to reveal midnight, when the Vampire is revealed. There’s also a balcony platform at the front to place the Scooby gang.
Level 3 features the top of the tower which houses the Vampire’s coffin, which can open to hide the blood-sucking villain himself, or other surprises or treasures.
The Conservatory
Visually, the conservatory is one of the most stunning areas of the whole build, due to the level of detail. From the broken window panels, to the bug and plant stickers, it’s a foreboding place that you can help wanting to see what’s inside. The slanted roof of the conservatory is hinged so you can swivel it up and down to peek inside. there’s a rotating pumpkin at the very front of the conservatory which acts as a further warming to anyone daring to enter.
As you enter through the side door you are confronted with a giant man-eating plant and reaching tentacles just waiting to ensnare you. There’s also another pumpkin inside and a bone – perhaps a leftover from the previous person who dared to enter!
The Kitchen and Attic
The front of this final section of the mansion is well detailed, with a reaching slanted roof, complete with horned peaks, boarded up windows and vined trees protruding from the side. There’s a creepy skull, perched ominously on the remains of an old gate, serving, once more, as a warning to any potential visitors.
As we turn the build around to view the interior, the section is split over two levels; a Kitchen – complete with oven, cupboard and a butler sink. There’s also a sandwich for Scooby and Shaggy to snack on, and a rat – no doubt also with his eye on the sandwich!
The other level is an attic type space, which houses the safe. The safe itself is visually satisfying with a grey and sand green colour, and fitted with a black grill on the front, which, once unlocked with the key you found earlier, opens the safe to reveal the gold bars. There’s a slightly odd feature in this section as it also includes a hinged roof, which doesn’t actually move very far due to a window housing which is in the way. It doesn’t appear to have a ‘break to reveal’ type feature to enable full elevation of the hinge function. It’s a shame as it’s the only element of the whole build which doesn’t follow through, and could have been played as a quick escape route from the mansion after your mini-figure gets the gold bars.
As with all of the other Scooby-Doo sets in the LEGO range, you get Scooby and Shaggy mini-figures, together with a motorbike / sidecar. You also get Velma (with her magnifying glass), Daphne (with her camera), a Vampire, a Ghost (complete with ball and chain) and the Black Knight (with double axe weapon). The heads of the villains swivel round to reveal their human alter-ego’s, which is a lovely nod to the TV series.
We were incredibly impressed with the Mystery Mansion; the scale, playability, features and number of mini-figures make the £69.99 price tag more than worthwhile, and here’s hoping it paves the way for a second series of LEGO Scooby-Doo sets!
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