REVIEW: Mario & Standard Kart - LEGO 72037

This week, LEGO released the Mario & Standard Kart set #72037 as part of its adult-oriented LEGO Super Mario line.  This 1,972 piece set is intended for ages 18+ and has a suggested retail price of $169.99.  

I'm a big fan of the Mario Kart series (going back to my SNES days) and I'm a big fan of LEGO, so will this set be a perfect marriage or will my expectations end up divorced from reality?  Read on to find out.

As expected with most 18+ sets, the Mario & Standard Kart box has the usual black background with only the set itself in bright color.  The look works well here; Mario's red, white, and blue (with a splash of yellow) color scheme is bright and vibrant.  

The build begins by having you assemble the chassis of the kart.  The kart does include a working steering wheel (though the turning radius is not very sharp).  There are also large exhaust pipes (with printed pieces) that help to balance the look of the front and back of the kart at this stage.  I should note that this set has NO stickers at all, so every detail you see is printed directly onto bricks which I appreciate.

My seven-year-old son and I worked quite quickly together building the kart.  Sure, the box says this is an 18+ set, but in reality, the techniques are not so advanced for anyone who's built a decent number of LEGO sets.  I love the look of the large tires in the back (and the printed hubcaps, of course).  

You may have noticed that the kart in the above picture appears to be off the ground.  You'd be correct, because this set comes with a simple (but effective) stand to put the kart on for display purposes.

The kart doesn't actually connect to the stand, but rather, it simply slots in over that large center cylinder on the stand.  You can then tilt the stand a bit to make the kart look like it's going downhill or perhaps up and over a jump.  As I said, simple, but effective.

Once you have the kart built, it's time to build the driver:  Mario!  

The Mario figure is built basically built from the bottom up after putting together a bit of his torso.  Mario's legs do not move in such a way to allow him to stand up, he's basically stuck driving his kart forever (no stomping Goombas for you, Mario)!

I was particularly impressed with the build process for Mario's head.  There were a number of interesting ideas, many of which didn't even bear fruit until much later (often bags later) in the build experience.  The LEGO designers did an awesome job of making a character build interesting from beginning to end, especially for a character with minimal moving parts and poseability.

The finished product looks amazing, I especially love how Mario's hands appear to be grabbing the steering wheel (and a special shoutout to the designers for getting the look of white gloves with individual fingers looking perfect)!  

The Bottom Line (out of 10):

Build Experience:  10

Play Value:  3

Kid Value:  2

Adult Value:  10

Overall:  10

Overall, I give the Mario & Standard Kart set a perfect 10/10 score.  This set knows what it is (a nostalgic display piece for adult collectors) and the set meets those goals admirably.  There are no bad angles to the finished kart (or Mario, so long as you keep him seated in the kart).  I will say that the play value isn't great here.  Sure, the kart is nice and chunky (and surprisingly solid and well-built), however, the wheels barely turn making the kart difficult to really race around a playroom floor for a kid.  That said, anyone thinking of buying this set is probably doing so for love of their own childhood and/or as a display piece, and for that, this set is absolutely perfect.  It was a joy to build from start to finish, and now all I can do is wait to see if LEGO releases another figure and kart in the future (perhaps Koopa Troopa)?!