Monkie Kid

Monkie Kid's Team Dronecopter

A big daft quad-copter packed with fold-out dens and nine figures.

Brick Rated Score

4.0/5

Set 80023 · 2021

Pieces1,471

Minifigs9

Year2021

Set number80023

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The verdict

This one snuck up on me.

The Dronecopter looks like a chunky play helicopter on the box, but the real joy is those detachable cargo containers that fold open into tiny furnished rooms, and there's a genuine cleverness in how they hinge out. You get nine figures including Sandy the blue bigfig and his punk cat Mo, which is a lot of character for one box. It's a proper play-and-display set, and if you or a young builder loves Monkie Kid, it earns its shelf.

Best for: Monkie Kid fans who want maximum figures and playable fold-out detail

The full review

What it is

The Monkie Kid's Team Dronecopter is one of those LEGO® sets that photographs as a simple toy chopper and then quietly out-delivers your expectations once you actually build it. The headline is a massive quad-copter for Sandy, but the heart of the set is the pair of detachable cargo containers that clip underneath and then fold out into fully kitted little rooms. One opens into Mei's den with a television, a control panel, an armchair, and a buildable arcade machine, and the way it unhinges is honestly satisfying to work. There's also a jet-powered cat carrier for Mo, which is exactly the kind of silly detail that makes this theme fun. At 1,471 pieces this is a big box, the second largest Monkie Kid set of its year, and it feels like it.

The catch

Now for the honest bit about the money. In the UK this landed at 119.99 pounds for 1,471 pieces and nine figures, which reads as fair. In the US it was 149.99 dollars, and that's where reviewers started raising an eyebrow, because the value tips from good to merely okay at that price. The main copter body is also more brick-heavy brute than sleek machine, so once you pull the containers off, the central vehicle can look a bit blocky sitting on its own. And because there are two mirrored containers, you'll build some very similar sections twice, which takes a little shine off the back half of the build. None of this is a dealbreaker, but if you're value-hunting rather than theme-loving, go in with eyes open.

Who it's for

So who should grab this. If you or a kid in your life is into Monkie Kid, this is close to an easy yes, because nine figures plus a bigfig plus a cat is a huge amount of character, and the fold-out play features give it real staying power on the carpet and the shelf. Sandy is the standout figure here and the one collectors chase, so even figure hunters get something out of it. If you're a pure display builder chasing engineering elegance, you might find the copter a touch chunky and the price a touch high, especially now that it's retired and secondary prices have crept up. But taken as what it is, a loud, playful, figure-stuffed set with clever hidden rooms, it holds up really well. It won me over slowly, and I think it'll do the same for you.

The parts story

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

Building this breaks into clear chunks, which keeps the momentum going. You start on the two cargo containers, and these are the best part of the whole thing, because each one folds out on hinges into a furnished room, so you're building bunk beds, a little arcade cabinet, control panels, and cozy interior bits rather than just plating a hull. Then you move onto the main copter body, which is more traditional heavy construction, lots of structural bricks and the four rotor arms, plus two spring-loaded shooters and a set of spider drones with new angled clip legs. The parts come in 14 numbered bags of roughly 100 elements each, so it paces nicely for a session or two, though the mirrored container work does mean you repeat a few techniques.

For parts people, this set is a quiet goldmine. New Elementary flagged 14 elements appearing in new colors, including a 2x6 tile in reddish brown and a triangle tile in yellow, plus a stack of angled clip pieces used for the drone legs. There are two brand new hair molds too, a dark bluish grey wig for Huntsman and a dual-molded grey and lime wig with an accessory for Syntax. It also holds the highest quantity anywhere of a black 3.2 holder with 3.2 hole at 90 degrees, sixteen of them, which is the sort of connector part that MOC builders quietly hoard. At roughly ten cents a piece it's a fair parts haul, and the recolor list alone makes it worth a look for anyone raiding sets for their collection.

Fun facts

01The set retired in January 2023 and secondary values climbed to around 195 US dollars at their peak, well above the 149.99 dollar retail.
02Sandy appears as a bigfig with blue skin, a large orange beard, and magenta beads molded around his neck, and he's the most valuable single figure in the box.
03Monkie Kid as a whole is rooted in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, and the set even includes a Journey to the West book element for Mr. Tang.
04It holds the record for most copies anywhere of the black 3.2 holder with 3.2 hole at 90 degrees, with sixteen included in one box.