While many people recognize Sonic from video games, and even from a fairly awful movie or two, there are lots of great characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, including Shadow, who, according to Wikipedia, is an artificial creation, and an occasional antihero of the franchise. The set features a glass holding cell where Shadow is created/captured, a small duck in a rhino-shaped vehicle, and a chopper. LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76995: Shadow’s Escape includes 196 parts and will be available on December 1st for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £18.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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Unboxing the parts and instructions

The set comes in a fairly small thumb-punch box with Sonic the Hedgehog branding, and a graphic of Sonic running through a gold ring at the bottom right. The box also includes a printed graphic setting of what looks like a race track, with the finished model arranged in an action scene. There is another scene on the back of the box, and a few inset images showcasing the set’s play features.

Inside the box are two numbered paper bags printed with a generic graphic line art of LEGO elements and an instruction booklet. This set is the first that I have opened that has the new paper bags that LEGO has been announcing plans to move to in their packaging. There is no sticker sheet, as the few details in the set are printed.

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The build

The set consists of three parts… Shadow’s chopper, a chick riding a rhino thing, and Shadow’s holding cell, and the build starts with the chopper. The round tiles are printed with an icon that represents Shadow’s iconic hair/fur. The handlebars are made from black paint roller parts and attach to the long front forks. There are two 5-sided white shields printed with more chopper details.

Next is a strange vehicle which is either a rhinoceros or a mutated duck breaking out of its shell, driven by a tiny chick or duckling.

Finally, a small holding tank with a printed computer panel displaying Shadow’s statistics. The top of the tank features an abstract Eggman head, including his signature mustache. The side of the tank includes a platform that you can press down to pop the glass front off the tank out to allow Shadow to escape.

There is also a swinging toll beam that can be raised and lowered.

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The Minifigs

The set comes with 2 characters. Shadow has leg printing front and back to give him some snazzy running shoes, and also features front and back torso printing. The head is a custom mold with excellent details. The tiny chick is about the size of a 1×1 round cylinder.

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The finished model

The finished model is a fun scene, and the chopper is a very cool design for such a small size. The lack of stickers is a nice surprise for a set clearly aimed at a young audience.

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Conclusions and recommendations

As simple as the set is, I can confidently recommend this set to any fan of the franchise, and compared to the Mario sets, this feels much more in line with LEGO play standards, as opposed to simply re-creating video game play. At the listed price, it also makes a pretty decent parts pack, especially considering the printed elements. LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76995: Shadow’s Escape includes 196 pieces, and will be available on December 1st forvUS $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £18.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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