Monkie Kid

Nine-Headed Beast

A spooky nine-necked bird monster that is more fun to pose than its price tag lets on.

Brick Rated Score

3.8/5

Set 80056 · 2024

Pieces757

Minifigs5

Year2024

Set number80056

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The verdict

The Nine-Headed Beast is one of those creature builds where the finished thing is genuinely more characterful than the box promises, all dark green and turquoise with nine necks fanning out and wings you flap with a lever.

It builds in about two hours, poses without toppling over, and comes with a Monkey King who is unique to this set. My honest hesitation is the price: a hundred dollars for 757 pieces is a lot to ask. If you love the Monkie Kid theme or you collect big brick creatures, it earns its shelf space. If you are piece-counting, wait for a discount.

Best for: Monkie Kid fans and anyone who loves poseable brick-built creatures over pure part value

The full review

What it is

The thing that got me about the Nine-Headed Beast is how alive it looks once all nine necks are on. There is one big main head, two medium heads, and six little ones craning out in every direction, and the whole creature reads as this spooky, handsome bird monster in dark green and turquoise with no arms, just legs, wings, and a tail. It is based on a Season 5 villain from the Monkie Kid show, and even if you have never watched a single episode (I had not, honestly), the sculpt carries itself. You flap the wings with a pair of levers tucked into the back, and the necks all move independently, so it never sits in exactly the same pose twice.

The catch

Now the part I have to be straight about: the price. This set had a recommended price of around 100 dollars for 757 pieces, and that math does not flatter it. You are paying roughly thirteen cents a piece, which is on the steep end even before you factor in that Monkie Kid sets tend to soften on the aftermarket rather than climb. Value has already slid noticeably since release. The build itself takes about two hours and stays interesting, but you are buying the creature and the character, not a big pile of bricks. If part-count value is how you judge a set, this one will frustrate you.

Who it's for

So here is where I land. If you already love Monkie Kid, or you are the kind of builder who lights up over brick-built beasts and mythological monsters, this is an easy yes and probably a favorite of the wave. It looks great on a shelf, it is rugged enough for real play, and that exclusive Monkey King is a nice bonus. If you are a value shopper or you are lukewarm on the theme, I would either wait for a proper discount or skip it. It is a good set held back mostly by an ambitious sticker price, not by anything wrong with the design.

The parts story

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

Building the Nine-Headed Beast is a steady, satisfying two hours or so, and it is smartly structured. You assemble the necks and heads as repeated sub-builds, which sounds like it might get dull but actually gives you a rhythm, and each head is small enough that no single one overstays its welcome. The body goes together rugged rather than fiddly, so it survives being picked up and posed, and the wing mechanism is a genuinely clever bit of engineering hidden behind two levers. There is a little shrine and a mini-mech with a jetpack and gripping function on the side too, which break up the creature build nicely.

The headline part here is the Monkey King minifigure, who arrives with a torso and legs printed uniquely for this set, making him the piece collectors will chase. Two of the five figures are exclusive to this box, with Mei, Monkie Kid, the Nine-Headed Demon, and Mr. Tang rounding out the roster. The creature itself leans on plenty of curved and angled elements in that dark green and turquoise palette to get its organic, feathered look, so if you build custom monsters those recolors are worth harvesting. Just do not come to this one expecting a bargain bin of useful bricks, the value is in the character parts, not the bulk.

Fun facts

01The beast is based on the Nine-Headed Demon, a villain drawn from Season 5 of the Monkie Kid animated series, itself rooted in the classic tale Journey to the West.
02Despite having nine heads, wings, legs, and a tail, the creature has no arms at all, an unusual design choice you tend not to notice until it is pointed out.
03Two of the five minifigures are exclusive to this set, and the Monkey King features a torso and legs printed only for the Nine-Headed Beast.
04The wings are not just for show: a pair of levers built into the beast's back let you flap them, and the nine necks each articulate independently for posing.