LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary review

LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary is a gargantuan set that offers a wealth of play opportunities, but may be a bit too busy for some LEGO fans.

Designed as a celebration of the growing Monkie Kid theme, 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary pays tribute not just to the set’s own immediate progeny, but also to decades of LEGO history through stickers that touch on older themes both well remembered and somewhat obscure.

While fans of the Monkie Kid cartoon or other Monkie Kid sets will appreciate 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary in its own right, more seasoned LEGO collectors will get the most out of this set when appreciating its nods to LEGO sets of times gone by.

--- LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary set details ---

Theme: LEGO Monkie Kid Set name: 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary Release date: January 1, 2024

Price: £159.99 / $189.99 / €179.99 Pieces: 2,330 Minifigures: 15

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--- Where to buy LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary ---

80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary can be purchased directly from LEGO.com and official LEGO Stores. LEGO Monkie Kid sets are only available through official channels, so you won't find them at third-party retailers.

--- LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary build ---

At first glance, 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary looks like a bit of a mess. There’s so much going on with the set, so many disparate concepts and ideas that directly – and very deliberately – clash with each other, that it’s difficult to even take the set in. To simply look at it is to be none the wiser as to what you’ve actually seen; there’s just too much to look at, and your brain finds it difficult to focus.

For some builders, such a wild, eclectic set is sensory overload. For fans of the Monkie Kid theme, though, this explosion of colour and variety is more than just visual white noise – it’s the perfect culmination of everything that Monkie Kid has been building towards since its inception.

Monkie Kid is by no means the oldest LEGO theme, but in the few short years it’s been on the market – four or five, depending on where you live and how you count anniversaries – it’s already established itself as an endlessly inventive theme that’s filled with bold ideas and ever-growing price tags.

More than anything, 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary resembles a kind of stripped-down version of a NINJAGO City set; a sprawling urban landscape complete with shops, restaurants, a ferris wheel, and even a traditional Chinese pagoda.

Where Monkie Kid differs from NINJAGO is in its intended audience. NINJAGO is meant to be a vague but nonspecific interpretation of Japanese history and culture, with any clear and specific references sanded off (hence the made-up language). In contrast, 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary is filled with actual Traditional Chinese text because this set is meant to be more than just a loose cultural appropriation.

Monkie Kid is a Danish company’s best attempt to cater to the emerging Chinese market, which is why the theme rests primarily on the Chinese folk tale that is most widely recognised in Europe: Journey to the West, the story of the Monkey King. For fans of the folk story, the existing Monkie Kid theme, and the cartoon adaptation that serves as advertising for the toy line, 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary comes packed full of references and Easter Eggs that pay homage to one of LEGO’s rising superstar brands.

Yet for LEGO fans who are less familiar with the Monkey King or the Monkie Kid adaptation, there's still plenty to get excited about, as the set comes absolutely packed with references to LEGO sets and themes from days gone by. These come primarily in the form of stickers referencing LEGO icons including Fabuland, Time Cruisers, Classic Space, and the ever-present wooden duck, among many others. For a LEGO collector who enjoys a throwback, this set is a kind of Where’s Wally, and it’ll take a while to spot every single old set that’s represented here.

Part of the reason that it’ll take a lot of effort to spot these references comes down to the sheer volume of stickers there are in the set. It feels like the graphic design and concept art teams really wanted to justify their budget, as there are, in total, 75 stickers in 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary.

Peeling and carefully placing each of these stickers ends up taking the bulk of the time spent building this set, and given that this is aimed at a 10+ audience, this number does feel excessive and a little unfair. The builder may find themselves going through a version of the five stages of grief while sticking these on, from convincing themselves that actually this is kind of fun, to raging at the audacity of the LEGO Group to make them manually apply this many details to a set that’s cost well over a hundred pounds.

It doesn’t help that an entire sheet of these seventy-five stickers are transparent, intended to be applied to trans blue LEGO elements. The effect in theory is lovely, filling Megapolis with glowing blue holograms. In practice, though, the combination of transparent stickers and transparent LEGO is a perfect recipe for permanent fingerprints, stuck underneath stickers so that they can never be erased.

Nevertheless, the sticker details are absolutely gorgeous, and these do add a lot to the charm of the set. It’s just a shame that some of the fun of the designs are lost in the endless drudgery and anxiety that comes from trying to get each and every sticker’s position absolutely perfect.

The set is built around a few key support struts, resembling a chunk of an above-ground urban transit system such as a tram, train, or monorail, albeit without a track. On to this base, a series of modular units can be attached, and while there is an ideal position for all of these to fit, the set can combine with 80044 Monkie Kid's Team Hideout and 80036 The City of Lanterns to create an even larger monstrosity.

--- LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary characters ---

For anyone looking to get a complete set of Monkie Kid minifigures as easily as possible, it’s hard to beat 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary. The set is filled to the brim with characters, from relatively minor players all the way through to pivotal stars of the cartoon series.

Again, the graphic designers and concept artists have outdone themselves: these characters are filled with detail and sparkle with character and personality. For minifigure collectors or anyone looking to build a more diverse collection of minifigure parts, this set is an absolute treat.

It’s also worth mentioning the set’s two non-minifigure characters; a brick-built 2D-GONG, and Mo, the bright blue kitten. These are fine inclusions, even if 2D-GONG is achieved with (yet again) a sticker.

--- LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary price ---

80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary is one of the most expensive Monkie Kid sets to date (although this may not prove true in a few more years, given the theme’s trajectory). At £159.99 in the UK, $189.99 in the US, and €179.99 in the EU, this is by no means a cheap offering.

On the one hand, there is an awful lot of LEGO in the box, and any Monkie Kid fan who purchases this set (or has this set purchased for them) will hardly feel short-changed. The entire wobbly, modular set will deliver hours of fun both in the initial building of the set, and in the subsequent play.

That said, for those who aren’t as keen on Monkie Kid as a concept, there are other sets at this price point and size that may deliver a more satisfying experience, not least because this set is hardly ideal for putting on display, with its large size dimensions and fairly hollow play spaces.

--- LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary pictures ---

--- LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary pros and cons ---

80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary is the current pinnacle of all things Monkie Kid: an eclectic, diverse set that’s perfect for fans of the cartoon series or of Chinese folklore in general. The minifigures succeed in both quantity and quality, and the sheer number of stickered elements fill the set with delightful references, even if they are a source of constant anxiety while building.

That said, much of this set’s charm will likely be lost on LEGO fans who aren’t particularly interested in Monkie Kid (or want something a little less chaotic for their shelves). Full appreciation of all of 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary’s eccentricities requires intimate knowledge of the wider Monkie Kid canon, meaning that this set is at best a pleasant distraction for anyone who can’t read Chinese or who doesn’t wish for Monkie Kid pyjamas.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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--- Alternatives to LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary ---

Among the rest of the Monkie Kid theme, the best alternative to 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary is 80036 The City of Lanterns, which has a similar design style and aesthetic in a slightly smaller package.

Anyone who wants a slightly more detailed and three-dimensional alternative to 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary will likely be better off with a NINJAGO City set, such as 2023’s 71799 NINJAGO City Markets.

--- LEGO Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary FAQs ---