Review: 71245 LEGO Dimensions Adventure Time Level Pack

I’ve managed to get sucked into LEGO Dimensions once again with the recent release of Phase 2 of LEGO Dimensions. Phase 2 introduces a whole bunch of new characters and level packs and there’s one particular new addition which caught my fancy – LEGO Adventure time!

I kinda reluctantly picked up the Adventure Time Level Pack, mostly because I’m a big AT fan and the prospect of owning a minifigure version of Finn, one of the protagonists of the Cartoon Network show was too tempting to pass up.

If you’ve read some of my other LEGO Dimensions reviews, you’ll know that I don’t play the video game at all, and mostly just collect these for the minifigures, so my review won’t touch on the new Level that this set unlocks.

 

Name: Adventure Time Level Pack
Set Number: 71245
Pieces: 102
Price:  $49.95 (I recommend picking one up from Target for $39)
Exclusive to: N/A
Minifigures: 1
Theme: LEGO Dimensions Wave 6
Year of Release: 2016
Instructions: 71245 LEGO Dimensions Adventure Time Level Pack

I really can’t remember why I stopped watching Adventure Time. I used to be really into it till about 2012 when I suddenly lost interest in Adventure Time. It’s not that the quality dipped – it was and I believe still is one of the best animated series to come out of Cartoon Network, and the series is still going really strong, with a very passionate fanbase.

I’ve always felt that Adventure Time (and the entire Cartoon Network stable) would make a fantastic fit with LEGO. Which is why I was quite disappointed that AT’s debut into the LEGO universe came through LEGO Dimensions.

I think Adventure Time’s expansive universe, bright visuals and colourful cast of characters would’ve been awesome as LEGO models and sets, but for the time being, we’re kinda limited to exploring the world of Ooo in a video game, or the upcoming brick-built Ideas set.

Before we get into the minifig and the mini builds, here’s a look at the new Dimensions Year 2 bases. They’re gold this time around (they were Blue in the first run) and each character comes with their own signature base which unlocks the character and/or levels in the game once you place them on the Gamepad.

Finn’s base is pretty cool. I really love that the Adventure Time Snail makes an appearance as well. For those that don’t watch the cartoon, there’s a snail that waves at you hidden in each episode!

For most non-gamer LEGO fans, the minifigures in LEGO Dimensions packs are the primary draw of the sets and Finn the Human is a near-perfect minifigure that’s bound to delight fans of Adventure Time.

The bright colours and animation style translate incredibly well into LEGO. Finn comes with his trademark smile and white hat. A bit of gruesome Adventure Time trivia – the hat’s two rounded bumps are meant to look like bear ears, because Finn skinned an evil bear to get his hat.

The headgear is super on-point, fitting the Finn minifigure really, really well. Finn also comes with a green backpack, and a gold longsword. I believe that the gold sword is exclusive to this set for now as I’ve never come across it in this colour before. Pretty sweet.

Edit: Matt rightly points out that this sword also came with Series 13’s Classic King!

Finn also has a dual-sided head – the alternate side has his iconic toothy grin which LEGO have nailed as well.

Look at that adorable smile. I have to say that Finn is a shoe-in for one of my favourite minifigs this year.

Like other Dimensions packs, the Adventure Time Level Pack comes with two mini-builds. I guess they’re meant to supplement the Levels ingame, and unlock companions or vehicles to fight alongside your character?

One of my biggest complaints about the first wave of Dimensions sets were the fact that you had to go online to access the build instructions OR access them in-game.

I had hoped that in Phase 2, we’d see LEGO learn from that and include additional manuals in but nope, you still have to go online for instructions for the mini builds in the Adventure Time Level Pack. Pretty troublesome.

Anyway, the first is Finn’s best friend, Jake the Dog, who is able to transform into practically anything. The primary build is the Jakemobile, where he takes the shape of a car.

I was very happy with the printed curved slope with Jake’s face on it – printed elements are always a treat and due to Jake’s importance in Adventure Time, I was pretty pleased with the Jakemobile.

And yes, Finn can sorta ride the Jakemobile. I had to make some slight adjustments by removing Finn’s legs and attaching him to the Jakemobile with the help of an extra 1 x 2 plate.

All mini builds in LEGO Dimensions sets have three forms. The alternate form of the Jakemobile is Snail Dude Jake where he uh… takes the shape of a snail. Yeah, Adventure Time is pretty quirky like that.

Last but not least, you can also build a Hover Jake, in which he transforms into a hovercraft-dog-thing to ferry Finn around.

The Jake builds are pretty decent, and it’s kinda nice to have both of them in the set (sorta), but for the most part, it’s great to be able to display the two of them together.

The next build is pretty damn bizarre, the Ancient War Elephant… or more specifically, the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant if we’re going by official names. Yeah, what is that thing?

The Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant is a pretty obscure part of Adventure Time, and I couldn’t immediately figure out what the LEGO build was until I looked up photos of the Ancient War Elephant.

This is a pretty curious build to include in the Adventure Time Level Pack, but I guess the Ancient War Elephant has a pretty big role in the video game that I’m otherwise unaware of.

It’s a really weird LEGO build, and I’m still not sure what to make of it. The parts that you get are pretty decent – I like the pearl gold holders, and the white “Elephant trunks” but for the most part, it doesn’t quite do it for me.

The alternate builds are even weirder and I definitely don’t remember any of this from Adventure Time. This is the Cosmic Squad… which I’m guessing is some sort of space….seahorse?

The Ancient War Elephant also transforms into a… Psychic Submarine. Yeah, I also don’t think these were in the cartoons.

Sweet boosters at the back, though.

The choice for the Ancient War Elephant is a pretty puzzling one. For such an expensive Level Pack, I would’ve liked a more recognizable Adventure Time character or reference.

The builds are pretty creative and unique, but it just feels like a waste of the license to not include something more substantial. 

I think that Lady Rainicorn or even a micro version of Finn’s Treehouse would’ve been so much better choices.

Final thoughts: I used to rail on the LEGO Dimensions sets for being pretty pricey, but with Level Packs, you kinda have to factor in the unlockable game content into the overall price. I mean, you are getting a whole new level in the game, which is nothing to sneeze at.

That said, it doesn’t detract from the fact that if you’re like me and don’t play the game, it’s a very pricey undertaking. I have very fond memories of Adventure Time and like the cartoons, so despite this being quite painful to my wallet, I was still more than happy to part with AU$39 to get my hands on a Finn minifigure. 

LEGO have done a tremendous job translating Finn into a minifigure, and if you’re a big Adventure Time fan, I highly recommend putting this Level Pack on your radar, or saving up for it.

Jake (and the printed curved slope that goes with him) is also another nice addition – I’ll definitely be displaying him next to Finn. The Ancient War Elephant is a complete miss for me. It boggles the mind that LEGO would include it in the place of other more recognizable characters from Adventure Time.

I think that if you play LEGO Dimensions and like Adventure Time, this Level Pack is pretty much a no-brainer and you’re bound to get a whole ton of value out of it.

If you just collect LEGO and would love the Finn minifigure, I recommend waiting it out, at least till the retailers inevitably discount the latest wave of Dimensions Packs to snag him.

It’s unfortunate that Kmart Australia doesn’t stock LEGO Dimensions any longer, so your only real options are Target and Big W. Don’t bother with EB Games unless you’re price-matching – their pricing is crazy.

To be fair, there are plenty of other great LEGO sets you could be buying for $39, so if you have a limited budget, this might not be one of the better purchases that you can make. Unless you’re an Adventure Time fan, to which I say, go for it!

Rating: 4/5

Thanks for reading the review! Check out some other LEGO Dimensions reviews or the Review Hub if you’d like to explore some of my other LEGO reviews.

Have you gotten into the latest wave of LEGO Dimensions sets yet? Let me know in the comments which ones you’ve picked up or which ones are on your wishlist. I definitely can’t wait for Sonic!