LEGO® Sonic The Hedgehog™ new moulds review & MOC

Earlier this year the LEGO® Sonic The Hedgehog™ theme expanded into play-set territory bringing with it some interesting new moulds. Today I'll be taking a look at their connections, exploring the similarities they have with existing parts and using them in a couple of MOCs.

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own. This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

All sets released in August 2023.

76990 Sonic's Speed Sphere Challenge
US$34.99/ £24.99/ 29.99€/ AU$52.99
292 parts
Set 76990 on LEGO.com

76993 Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot
US$59.99/ £57.99/ 64.99€/ AU$94.99
615 parts
Set 76993 on LEGO.com

76994 Sonic's Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge
US$99.99/ £94.99/104.99€/ AU$169.99
802 parts
Set 76994 on LEGO.com

3 x 3 Ring (3917)

We'll start with Sonic's new collectible of choice: 

Plate Special, 1 x 1 Stud with 3 x 3 Ring in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6441692 | 3917) appears in all five 2023 LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog playsets but can also be found in LEGO® BrickHeadz™ 40627 Sonic the Hedgehog which TobyMac previously reviewed. 

It takes the place of the existing flotation ring/ life preserver mould (ID 30340) which were used in the display-centric 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog – Green Hill Zone Ideas set released in January 2022. The new mould has a more convenient anti-stud orientation for keeping the ring upright, but what else does it offer compared to the life preserver?

For one, an unencumbered 3.18mm bar that allows clips to rotate freely. Compare this to the life preserver whose thicker circumference limits them to a few degrees. 

One thing the new mould does lack is a stud - as that smug dark pink Apollo stud on the life preserver demonstrates. It's not a huge loss however, as the new mould still has the bar and anti-stud connections.

It fits fight into the existing clippable round things family, although it's something of a rebellious teenager - more on that in a minute. 

My inclusion of the medium azure skinny tyre (2815) is a bit dubious but it did get paired with a standard clip in 75969 Hogwarts Astronomy Tower and 75956 Quidditch Match so I'm letting it in on a technicality - plus that colour just pops!

With its peculiar mould marks, the ring also joins this bizarre parts family. There are more examples than I have pictured, but these are the only ones I found in my collection in yellow.

As alluded to earlier, the new ring is something of a rule breaker. Its bar radius is half that of the 5x5 steering wheel (67811, shown in dark green) which first appeared in 10274 Ghostbusters ECTO-1 in 2020. At the time of release, senior designer Mike Psiaki said a bar radius smaller than the 5x5 wheel would run the risk of stressing clips. This explains why the smaller steering wheel (2819) has a slimmer bar and therefore precious little clip-clutch. Evidently the rule has since been relaxed, otherwise poor Sonic wouldn't be able to clasp his rings!

As it's practically made of connection points, the ring is an ideal element for tablescrapping. I was pleased with the top left until I realised a couple of life preservers would work just as well. The one bottom left is my favourite; the double clip connection makes it really satisfying to rotate back and forth. 

Launcher and speed sphere elements

The next couple of new moulds are used together for the theme's signature launcher and speed sphere play feature which appears in three sets:

• 76994 Sonic's Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge
• 76993 Sonic vs Dr Eggman's Death Egg Robot
• 76990 Sonic's Speed Sphere Challenge

Since the speed sphere is now on the other side of the room, lets begin with that new curved Technic beam on the launcher:

9 x 3 Curved Technic Beam (3916)

Technic Beam 9 x 3 L-Shape with Quarter Ellipse Thick in Bright Blue/ Blue ( 6441687 | 3916) is surprisingly still exclusive to this decidedly non-Technic theme. I think it's safe to assume it will appear in a true Technic set sooner or later though. 

When that does eventually happen, the piece will already have some curved Technic beam pals. My Technic collection (and knowledge) is not extensive so don't be surprised this isn't the full family portrait.

Despite my limited technical skills, I do love reflected triangles and this part is a really fun one to play around with in that regard. The most satisfying combination I found is shown in the centre; the top and tail beam's curved edges line up perfectly.

The shape and colour of the beams had an industrial feel so I used a bunch of them to make this little train bridge. Lacking the inclination to build a full-on scene to go with it, I opted for this catalogue-style shot - Locomotive not included!

7 x 7 Hemisphere (1974)

Having retrieved the speed sphere from the far corner of the room, it's time to talk about the new Dome Hemisphere 7 x 7 with 2 Pin Holes [Plain] in Transparent Light Blue/Trans-Light Blue (6455182 | 1974). It also comes in Bright Red/ Red with a blue circle and yellow Star print (6443200 | 104230) as seen earlier.

The Trans-Light Blue ones have a slightly frosted look on the outer edges, likely an intentional choice to disguise the inevitable scuffing the parts will incur while carrying out the intended play pattern. 

Let's get into the connections - or lack thereof. Each hemisphere is 7 modules in diameter with two Technic pin holes 6 modules apart; 5 if measured centre to centre. There's a small stopper/ reinforcement in each hole so that pins can only be connected from the inside. The only other intended 'connection' point is the internal rib with a cutout to loosely hold a figure.

Bubblegum Guppy Spaceship MOC

Predictably, a pair of transparent blue hemispheres just screamed spaceship to me.

So a spaceship I made! You may notice there is actually another possible, albeit illegal, connection point on the hemisphere - jamming 1 module round parts into the pin hole recess of the outside face. 

I wasn't sure throwing so much colour onto a build this small was wise but I was determined to squeeze some use out of a few parts I've had for a while - the orange basket ball hoops and dark pink bucket to name a few.

Closing thoughts

For a batch of new moulds introduced for a play-centric theme, surprisingly I can imagine 2/3 of these new parts will see a fair bit of use in other sets. The Technic beam seems the most universal of the bunch, slipping straight into an existing parts family with no hint of its blue hedgehog origins. 

The ring would work well in other sets for smaller details or decoration, while MOC builders out there will surely find even more ways to exploit its circular 3.18mm bar. The hemispheres are understandably geared towards the play function and work well for it. However, unless LEGO® NINJAGO® adopts them for a new form of Spinjitzu, I'm sceptical whether they'll see much use outside of these playsets.

They do look good on spaceships though, so by that metric alone, I'm glad to have them around.

READ MORE: Bug Fest is our latest Parts Festival: see Moko's MOCs using The Insect Collection

If you enjoyed this article please consider buying your LEGO Sinic sets from LEGO.com via our affiliate links.

Set 76990 on LEGO.com

Set 76993 on LEGO.com

Set 76994 on LEGO.com

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