Monkie Kid is the LEGO Group’s latest big bang launch, intended to cater specifically to its fastest-growing market: China. That doesn’t mean the sets are off-limits for everyone else, though, as you can now order them from LEGO.com wherever you are in the world. But if you’re not familiar with the Chinese tale of Journey to the West that inspired the new theme, you might find some of the characters and designs a little bizarre.
Fortunately, Blocks magazine is here to help. In our latest issue, which is now available to order (and, as shops reopen around the world, available to buy at all good stockists), you’ll find everything you need to know about LEGO Monkie Kid. As well as a primer on Journey to the West, we’ve gone behind the scenes on the theme’s development with Senior Design Director Simon Lucas, who also spearheaded the incredible The LEGO NINJAGO Movie range.
In a special eight-page feature, Simon reveals how he took his design team to Shanghai to learn more about Chinese culture, how a 500-year-old novel is still instantly recognisable today, and how the LEGO Group came up with its eponymous character. We also dig deep into the origins of all the LEGO characters, including the surprisingly dark backstory behind Pigsy.
That’s not all, though, as we’ve also spent time chatting to LEGO designer Justin Ramsden about how he brought 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech to life. The enormous mech boasts the largest quantities of drum lacquered gold elements of any LEGO set, but Justin also reveals how another rare LEGO colour worked its way into the model. It’s all illustrated with exclusive behind-the-scenes concept art and imagery, which you won’t find anywhere else.
To find out more about LEGO Monkie Kid, you’ll need to get your hands on a copy of Issue 69. Alternatively, check out our subscription deals, which can be started with Issue 69. Subscribers get the magazine early, free copies of the mag, and exclusive entry into our bi-monthly subscribers’ prize draw. Signing up between now and September 1 will put you in the running for 80009 Pigsy’s Food Truck.