The LEGO Movie

Emmet and Lucy's Escape Buggy!

The most Mad Max thing LEGO ever handed an eight-year-old.

Brick Rated Score

3.8/5

Set 70829 · 2019

Pieces550

Minifigs3

Year2019

Set number70829

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The verdict

This is the buggy that made me stop underrating The LEGO Movie 2 sets.

It looks like the Gigahorse from Fury Road got a paint job in Lucy's colors, and the front suspension that drops it into a low aero stance when you press the hood is a genuinely satisfying trick. It launched at 49.99 dollars for 550 pieces, which is fair rather than generous, and the brick-built MetalBeard is more of a shelf ornament than a play piece. If you love chunky post-apocalyptic vehicles or you have any affection for these movies, it holds up beautifully.

Best for: Fans of chunky, wasteland-styled LEGO vehicles with a working play gimmick

The full review

What it is

The first time I set the finished buggy on my desk, I actually pressed the hood about fifteen times in a row just to watch it drop into its low stance. This is the most Mad Max looking vehicle in the whole LEGO Movie 2 lineup, styled straight after the Gigahorse from Fury Road, and it fits the crumbled ruins of Bricksburg perfectly. The little touches are what got me: the grating across the front with a chain hanging off it, Lucy's Wyldstyle tag sprayed on the nose, the fat rubber tires that make the whole thing sit like it means business. It is bulky and chunky in the best way, and a lot of that heft comes from a proper internal frame rather than a hollow shell.

The catch

I will be straight with you about the price. It landed at 49.99 dollars for 550 pieces, which is not a robbery but is not a gift either, and it slid under retail pretty fast once it started heading toward retirement in December 2019. The other honest note is the figure count. The box promises six characters, but only three of those are actual minifigures. MetalBeard, Star and Heart are brick-built, and while brick-built MetalBeard is charming in his own way, he is more of a display piece than something a kid will actually play with. The non-shooting arrow gun is the kind of thing that quietly disappoints younger builders who expect a trigger.

Who it's for

Here is who should grab this one. If you are drawn to post-apocalyptic vehicles, or you have any soft spot for these movies, the buggy earns its place on a shelf and survives real play. Parents building alongside an eight-year-old will find the pace just right, engaging without being fiddly. The people who should skip it are strict value-per-piece counters and anyone who only cares about minifig hauls, because the brick-built trio pads the count without adding minifigures. Everyone else, this is a genuinely fun car with a gimmick that actually works.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building this is more interesting than a 550-piece car has any right to be. You spend a good chunk of the early bags on the internal frame, and that is where the suspension lives, a couple of Technic spring elements that give the finished buggy real bounce and let the hood-press drop the nose into aero position. It never feels like you are just stacking plates. There is a rhythm to it, the frame, then the panels, then the personality bits like the grille and chain, and it stays engaging right to the last bag.

The standout is that working spring suspension rather than any single rare mold, though the dark bluish grey bodywork paired with red is a lovely color combination to have a pile of. Sharkira is the fun surprise on the minifig front, sharing Roxxi's torso from set 70840 but topped with a helmet that has an opaque visor flanked by a shark mouth. You also get Lucy's crossbow, Sharkira's crowbar, a gas canister with a translucent flame element, and fuel tanks in the buildable base with an explode function. For parts value, the big rubber tires and the Technic springs are the pieces most likely to migrate straight into your own builds.

Fun facts

01The buggy's silhouette is a deliberate nod to the Gigahorse from Mad Max: Fury Road, which suits the wasteland Bricksburg setting of The LEGO Movie 2.
02Press the hood and the front suspension drops the whole car into a low aero stance, the set's signature play feature.
03Sharkira reuses the torso of Roxxi from set 70840 (Welcome to Apocalypseburg), paired with a shark-mouthed helmet unique to this set.
04The set ran a single year, launching in January 2019 and retiring in December 2019, with three brick-built figures (MetalBeard, Star and Heart) alongside the three minifigures.