Super Mario

Mario Kart – Interactive LEGO Mario & Standard Kart

A genuinely fun kart with a battery-powered heart, but it leans hard on gear you may already own.

Brick Rated Score

3.8/5

Set 72043 · 2025

Pieces278

Minifigs3

Year2025

Set number72043

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The verdict

The first time I dropped interactive Mario into that driver's seat and heard the engine rev, I grinned like a kid.

This set is really a delivery vehicle for the Action Tag gimmick, and when it works, it works, the kart drifts, spins out on banana peels, and reacts to a shell hit with genuine personality. My honest caveat is that if you already own the original Standard Kart or any interactive figure from the first wave, you are mostly paying for a new Thwomp and a podium. I'd point this one at someone building their first Mario Kart shelf, not someone topping up a collection they already started.

Best for: families and Mario fans building their first LEGO Mario Kart setup from scratch

The full review

What it is

This is the second wave of LEGO's interactive Mario Kart line, and the pitch is simple, an interactive Mario figure paired with a buildable go-kart that has an Action Tag hidden in the driver's seat. Slot Mario in, tap the tag, and the set plays Mario Kart music while Mario reacts to a little trackside course you build alongside the podium and scenery pieces. When I saw it running, that was the moment it clicked for me, this isn't really a static display set, it's a toy that performs, and for a Mario Kart fan that hits a nostalgia button nothing else in LEGO's Mario range quite reaches.

The catch

I'll be straight with you about the catch though, this set is built almost entirely around content LEGO already shipped. If you picked up the original Standard Kart or own any interactive figure from the first wave, this one adds a new Thwomp sculpt and a podium and not a whole lot else. The build itself is also on the short side for 278 pieces and $49.99 to $54.99 depending on region, and there's real setup friction before it does anything fun, you need 2 AAA batteries and a firmware update through the LEGO Super Mario companion app before Mario will so much as blink.

Who it's for

Get this one if you're starting your Mario Kart LEGO collection from zero, it's a genuinely satisfying first purchase with a toy that actually plays rather than just sits on a shelf. Skip it if you already own the Standard Kart or an interactive figure, you'll be paying full price for a Thwomp and a podium and that math rarely feels good.

The parts story

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

Building this one is quick and kart-focused, most of your time goes into the Standard Kart itself, with the trackside scenery, winner's podium, and a few smaller decorative pieces filling out the rest of the box. It's not a set that teaches you new techniques, the fun is entirely in what happens after the last piece clicks into place.

The standout here is the redesigned Thwomp, a new sculpt that gives the enemy roster some welcome variety next to the usual Goombas and Koopas. The kart itself carries connection points for shell weapons and gliders that tie into the wider interactive Mario ecosystem, and the Action Tag hidden in the driver's seat is doing the real work, it's what turns a normal LEGO build into something that reacts to shells, banana peels, and the track around it. For 278 pieces at this price the part count alone isn't the draw, the electronics and the new Thwomp mold are what you're really paying for.

Fun facts

01This is part of the second wave of LEGO's interactive Mario Kart sub-theme, following the original Standard Kart set released earlier in 2025
02The interactive Mario figure needs a firmware update through the LEGO Super Mario app before its full range of reactions will work
03The kart hides an Action Tag in the driver's seat, the same underlying tech that powers reactions across the wider interactive LEGO Super Mario line
04The set introduces a newly designed Thwomp sculpt, giving the enemy line-up a figure it hadn't had in this form before