Available now until end Thursday 18 September 2025 while stocks last, the current LEGO® Gift with Purchase (GwP) of over US$130/ £115/ 130€/ AU$210 is 40769 SEGA® Genesis™ Controller, known as the Mega Drive Controller outside of the US. Its flipside features a charming brick-built screen from a LEGO® Sonic The Hedgehog™ game.
I'm no gamer, but the New E crew have pitched in to educate me – so read on for our review!
Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.
- Release date: 8 to 18 September 2025, while stocks last
- Availability: free gift with purchases from any themes meeting the minimum thresholds listed below
- Pieces: 260
- Ages: 18+
- Measures: controller is over 3.5 in. (10 cm) high, 5.5 in. (15 cm) wide and 1 in. (3 cm) deep
Minimum thresholds:
- US$ 130 on LEGO.com US
- CA$ 170 on LEGO.com Canada
- GB£ 115 on LEGO.com UK
- AU$ 210 on LEGO.com Australia
- NZ$ 230 on LEGO.com New Zealand
- DE€ 130 on LEGO.com Deutschland
- NL€ 130 on LEGO.com Nederland
- FR€ 130 on LEGO.com France
- PLN 540 on LEGO.com Polska
- NOK 1515 on LEGO.com Norge
- DKK 975 on LEGO.com Danmark
Buy individual pieces from 40769 on LEGO® Pick a Brick
Packaging and contents
Sticker sheet
Rare pieces
- 4x Brick Arch 1 x 5 x 2 in Black (6507812 | 3572) comes in the August set 76304 Batman Forever Batmobile
- 1x +1 spare Tile Round 1 x 1 in Trans-Clear with Blue Circle Saw / Sonic the Hedgehog print (6529765 | 111613) comes in the August set 77006 Team Sonic Command Truck
I love curved bricks, especially arches, and this was my first time handling the 1x5x2 even though it was introduced in 2023's 10321 Chevrolet Corvette (see Thomas' review of the new arch in set 10321).
The Corvette also introduced the matching "infill" bow, Slope Curved 1 x 4 x 1 2/3 No Studs (3573) of which happily there are a matching 4 of in this GwP. I was pleased that, which just one of each, I was able to make a weird animal and shark fin.
Placing the infill bow into an arch of the same colour just results in the equivalent of 2 stacked 1x4 bricks! However if you were to apply some offset (as shown above left) you could achieve some interesting detailing in your creations.
The build
It commences with the rare black arches, which receive rounded feet before a whole bunch of colourful small pieces are added in rows. There's nothing thrilling in terms of technique, but certainly some nice element choices to achieve the loop-de-loop, and the red roller skate as Crabmeat is adorable.
By the end of Bag 1, we have built 3 curved panels to apply around the frame.
Flipping to the controller side with Bag 2, it's just a case of stacking plates and curved slopes on to the side studs. However it's an enjoyable build, especially seeing which slopes from the existing inventory they have chosen to created the curved edge.
Note also in the above pic the parallelogram-shaped hole top right, which will house the start button.
The final construction baffled me, as what looked like a weird futuristic rocking horse appeared before my eyes. I had completely forgotten that the controller comes with a stand.
I left the application of the stickers until the end, so you could see how it looks without them. I'm not convinced they're essential on the Sonic game side, although it's certainly nice to have the details of the grass and score.
The controller definitely feels blank without the decals. I opted for the Japanese stickers simply because I felt red A B C buttons looked best.
Speaking of those buttons... I'm terrible at stickers. Fifteen years of adult building hasn't helped; regardless of which trick I use to apply them they always seem to gain sentience in the final microsecond and land awry. Recently, when dealing with round tiles that are due to be stickered, LEGO designers appear to have been making the effort to attach these just by their central antistud so you don’t have to worry too much about the orientation; you can rotate the element to line up the design. That isn't the case here; all 3 are attached with multiple studs. Definitely wait until after you've attached these tiles before you apply the stickers – as directed by the instructions. Even so, getting the angle of the letters just right is a challenge.
Thankfully if you muck up the stickers you can always go for a spare region instead! There's a surprise there though...
Alongside the typical small leftover spare bits, there are also some spare black tiles – so that you can apply all 3 regions to tiles, and swap out as you wish! I'm not sure now necessary this is, but it's cool there was the budget for the extra tiles.
The controller feels excellent in the hands. The height and depth are close to the original, and the width is only about an inch narrower. Ironically, unlike the A B C buttons, the plus-shaped plate representing the D-pad is only attached by one central stud. It therefore rotates, but I don't mind that as it means you actually get some movement in lieu of any buttons being pressable.
I'm less satisfied by the start button which rotates too easily, ruining the effect of the lovely indentation created for it.
The micro Sonic stage is adorable. It represents the Green Hill Zone; the very first level from the very first game, and the same as the one featured in LEGO® Ideas set 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog™ – Green Hill Zone.
Conclusion
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When Game Boy is all prints, it's disappointing that this is all stickers. Also, the grass tiles already appeared as printed elements in 21331, but they are stickered here.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that the original Green Hill Zone set was long enough ago that the printed 1 x 4 tiles are discontinued / Q parts at this point, or else they would have used them again. Still a little frustrating, or perhaps disappointing, knowing a printed version of that part does already exist, though.
DeleteThe video game team usually tries to avoid stickers entirely. Making sure enough tiles were included for all the variant stickers seems like a compromise between being able to have every region represented and having to print all those tiles to do it.
ReplyDeleteAt least with stickers I've had good luck with using Windex or window cleaner on the sticker backside and sliding them onto the brick, and then dabbing a little to clear excess and sliding into final place, Especially for rounded stickers being able to rotate and slide is essential. I also attach rounded tiles and other small ones like this to a 2x6+ plate so I can be sure of orientation and have something bigger to grip onto.
ReplyDelete