Sonic The Hedgehog

Knuckles' Guardian Mech

Two great minifigures looking for a better mech to stand next to.

Brick Rated Score

3.4/5

Set 76996 · 2024

Pieces276

Minifigs2

Year2024

Set number76996

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The verdict

I built this one expecting a straightforward Sonic side set and came away caring about it for one reason only, the minifigures.

Knuckles and Rouge are genuinely lovely little sculpts, right down to Knuckles' spiked fists and his green and yellow shoes, and I sat there turning them over in my hands longer than I turned over the mech itself. The mech is where I have to be honest with you, it poses fine but reads thin and unfinished from the back, and if you know Sonic lore even a little, you'll probably ask the same question I did, since when does Knuckles pilot a mech. This is a set for people collecting the Sonic minifigure lineup, not a mech-building showcase.

Best for: Sonic the Hedgehog fans building out the minifigure lineup, not mech-focused builders

The full review

What it is

I'll be straight with you, I went into this set for the mech and left caring about the minifigures instead. Knuckles and Rouge are the real stars here, both built on dual molded legs with proper sculpted detail, Knuckles gets his signature spiked fists and that funky green and yellow shoe combo, and Rouge comes with purple wing pieces that make her instantly recognizable off the shelf. These are the kind of minifigures that make a Sonic collection feel complete, and if that's what you're chasing, this set earns its spot.

The catch

The mech is where my enthusiasm cooled a little. It poses reasonably well from the front, but there's no getting around it, the back and the feet look thin and a little unfinished, like the design ran out of pieces before it ran out of surface area. There's no knee articulation either, which limits how dynamic you can actually make it look once it's off the shelf and in a kid's hands. And I have to mention the elephant in the room, Knuckles piloting a mech doesn't match his character at all. Robotnik builds mechs. Knuckles punches things. It's a fun toy, but it's a strange narrative choice.

Who it's for

Grab this one if you're collecting the Sonic minifigure wave or you have a young Sonic fan who wants Knuckles and Rouge in physical form, the price is low enough that it's an easy yes for that purpose. Skip it if you were hoping for a mech-building centerpiece, the actual build is the weakest part of the box, and there are stronger Sonic sets in the wave if mech design is what you're after.

The parts story

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

The build itself moves fast, this is a 276 piece set aimed at a younger builder, so don't expect a long satisfying construction session. The mech goes together in stages that are simple enough for a solo eight or nine year old, and the posing is fine once assembled, just don't expect knee bend or much dynamism in the stance.

The pieces worth talking about are all on the minifigures. Both Knuckles and Rouge get dual molded leg pieces rather than plain printed legs, which is a nicer touch than this price point usually gets. Rouge's glider repurposes a wing element previously used on Disney Princess dress pieces, which is a clever reuse and gives her a proper flight accessory rather than a generic clip-on. The big green Chaos Emerald piece is the other highlight, chunky and satisfying, and it actually has a play function where Rouge's glider can grab and carry it off, which is a nice bit of design thinking in an otherwise simple box.

Fun facts

0176996 launched on January 1, 2024 as part of the first wave of the LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog theme, alongside sets like Amy's Animal Rescue Island and Tails' Workshop.
02Rouge the Bat's glider piece reuses a wing element originally designed for LEGO Disney Princess dress builds, repurposed here for a completely different character.
03The set was designed by Aron Gerencser and connects physically with set 76998-1 from the same wave.
04The set retired on December 31, 2025, so it is already leaving shelves and secondhand prices are starting to climb above its original RRP.