When you were a kid growing up in the 90s, you were either a Nintendo kid or a SEGA kid (unless you were one of those lucky kids who had parents more than happy to spoil them with both consoles). I will admit I was one of those lucky kids. While technically I was a Nintendo kid first (SNES being my first ever gaming system), the Mega Drive followed shortly after and delivered just as many stellar adventures.
LEGO is no stranger to translating famed systems of the past, with the NES, Game Boy and Atari 2600 all offering shockingly accurate replicas. The Mega Drive controller, meanwhile, saw a special GWP release last year, leading many (myself included) to wonder if the system itself would receive the same treatment. Well, less than a year later, we’d get that answer, and the result isn’t quite what I expected.
Let’s start off with the box itself and its nostalgic purple and pink tones, coupled with a very retro-looking grid of lines. The cherry on top of this sentimental cake (or box that should be) is the ‘wear and tear’ marks perfectly lining the box’s edges and corners as if it had been tucked away in your attic. It’s a small detail, but a rather impactful one. Sadly, the instruction booklet doesn’t mimic that same level of nostalgia, lacking any pages highlighting the console’s history or flavour text setting things up before you start building.
With just four bags and a little under 500 pieces, I was initially worried how this set would manage to do a decent job accurately depicting not only the console but a cartridge and two controllers too. After all, the Game Boy set alone consisted of more pieces, and that didn’t have separate controllers to include too. Well, within the first couple of bags, you start to see the scale at which the console will wind up. In terms of size, while far smaller than the real deal, it’s actually pretty comparable to the mini systems SEGA (and Nintendo) would release years back.
Before adding the roof to the system, the set has you build a plate featuring Sonic the Hedgehog’s face using smaller LEGO pieces. It’s a great Easter Egg and a rather sizable one at that (especially for something that’ll be hidden away).
In a great acknowledgement of the differences in name and design between the European and Japanese SEGA Mega Drive and North America’s SEGA Genesis, you’ll be able to switch in and out pieces with stickers tied to that version. So, for example, the small switches for the North American version appear red, while for the other version they’re black. As much as I dislike stickers in my LEGO sets, I will say I appreciate including spares of pieces to place both regional sticker types on and allowing you to switch in and out at will.
After the console is complete, next up is the diddy cartridge, this one depicting a simplified artwork of the classic game Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It’s a simple build, but it looks the part, especially since you can slot it inside the fake cartridge slot of the console.
Lastly are a pair of controllers, and these are perhaps the most disappointing element of the whole build. While the console itself does a pretty effective job of replicating the real-life counterpart despite its limited piece count, the controllers feel as though they could do with a little more fleshing out. Sure, it generally features the right shape and important buttons, but overall, it just feels a little too simplified. It doesn’t help that last year LEGO released a larger controller that looks brilliant, highlighting the limitations of this set even more.
Still, when you connect everything together, the end result is a set that surprises me in a way the LEGO Game Boy set did last year. Despite what may seem like a low piece count overall, it manages to make every one of those pieces count, delivering an end product that will make any 90s kid smile. Would it have been cool to see a bigger set similar to the NES? Sure, but at just £34.99 ($39.99), this feels like a set that could catch more eyes and make for a perfect little gift for any gaming fan you know.
Review Copy Provided by The LEGO Group
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