LEGO® Super Mario™ review & MOC: 71408 Peach’s Castle Expansion Set

In August 2022 the world of LEGO® Super Mario™ expanded yet again with 71408 Peach’s Castle Expansion Set. Today we're playing a bit of catch up with a look at the new elements and prints it introduces, as well as a handful of MOCs inspired by its inventory.

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® Super Mario™ Peach’s Castle Expansion Set
US$129.99/ £114.99/ 129.99€/ AU$199.99
1216 parts
1 August 2022
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New elements

The largest new mould present is x3 Tower Roof 4 x 8 x 6 Half Cone with Roof Tiles in Red (6400111 | 1746). It currently remains exclusive to this set and colour. Neo-Fabuland builders will surely enjoy the bright red but I suspect most castle or harry potter fans will be more on-board if a less vibrant colour arrives.

It shares the same 8 module diameter base as Cone, Half 8x4x6 (48310) but tapers steeply to a 2-module wide top instead of 4. Another relative is Roof 2x4x4 (35563), a smaller cone with a more shapely roof tile texture. The new cone also reminds me of the Belville 6x8x9 Roof / Tower Topper (10487) which could be seen in sets as recently as 2020, as Caz Mockett discovered in her 70437 Mystery Castle review.

Next is the tiny Plate Round 1 x 2 Half Circle with Stud (Jumper) (1745), exclusive to this set in Red (6400110) and also available in Light Bluish Grey in 2023 sets like 10312 Jazz Club and 75347 TIE Bomber. Hopefully we'll be seeing it pop up in even more colours throughout this year and beyond.

Naturally it fits right in with the existing range of jumper plates, blurring the lines between square and rounded varieties nicely.

Unique potential uses are harder to catalogue. The two 2023 sets mentioned above make great use of it for surface level decorations using variations of the technique on the right. I'm hopeful it will come in handy for resolving internal structure problems too. Such 'Ah ha! that's the part I need!' uses are almost impossible to predict but they’re super-satisfying whenever they crop up.

Tile 1x2, With 1/2 Circle (1748) is a close relative of the half round jumper. It comes in 3 other colours but is exclusive to this set in Tan (6408047). Why do we need this when we could just use a pair of 1x1 quarter round tiles (25269)? Well, having a single piece just looks cleaner but there are some practical applications this new part offers too.

Namely, the ability to place it centrally on a single stud - a fact also true for the new jumper. This opens up some fun potential for pattern making in tight spots but also harkens back to the old 'X' style 2x2 round plate (4150) which had similar functionality until it was replaced with the new 'O' variant (14769), as discussed in one of the earliest New Elementary articles, nearly 10 years ago.

Sticking with the half-round theme, Support Half Round 2x4x13 (1749) has appeared in a number of 2022 sets but is exclusive here in White (6408048).

It's a less industrial-looking alternative to its counterpart Support 2 x 2 x 13 with 5 Pin Holes (91176) but serves much the same purpose as a sturdy LEGO Technic compatible support in builds.

Slope Curved 2 x 2 (1750) is the latest addition to the inverted curved slope family. It appears 6 times in this set in White (6400127). It's another 'universal' element that could find its way into pretty much any build or theme, although humorously it has only appeared in castle-themed builds so far, most notably the mighty 10305 Lion Knights' Castle.

Much like its studs-up counterparts, its outer radius is one module which matches up nicely with any element sporting the inverse curve. 

Recolours

Aside from those that double up as new elements, only 2 exclusive recolours of standard parts remain:

• 2x Cone Half 6 x 3 x 6 (Elliptic Paraboloid) in White (6399754 | 35155)
• 1x Wave / Flame Rounded with Base Rim in Transparent Purple (6408044 | 28618) - Although its earlier mould variation with two pins (6126) was available in 4856 Doc Ock's Hideout from 2004.

Don't mind the Wall Panel 1 x 4 x 6 Curved Vertically in Dark Purple (6388473 | 34732), it has actually appeared in two other sets to date and should belong with the following lesser seen recolours:

This colourful batch of parts appear in 2 other sets or less:

• 2x Brick Round Corner 5 x 5 x 1 in White (6448375 | 76795) 
• 4x Plate Round Corner 3 x 3 with 2 x 2 Round in Bright Light Blue (6383105 | 68568)
• 1x Brick Round 2 x 2 x 1 1/3 Inverted in Magenta (6380635 | 24947)
• 1x Slope Inverted 45° 6 x 1 Double with 1 x 4 Cut-out in Tan (6312481 | 52501)
• 2x Brick Arch 1 x 4 in Bright Light Orange (6071607 | 3659) 
• 2x Tile 4 x 4 Curved, Macaroni in Red (6390262 | 27507)

Moving on to Super Mario specific recolours, 1x Wedge Sloped 4 x 4 with Diamond Spikes (67931) appears in Blue and White (6400148) for the first time. While 1x Plate Special 8 x 8 x 2/3 Octagon with Rim in White (6318110 | 67929) and 1x Pipe 6 x 6 (Warp Pipe) in Yellow (6315114 | 66787) both make their third appearances.

Like with any Super Mario set, Peach’s Castle comes with lots of chunky rounded plates, one of which is exclusive: 6x Plate 6 x 6 Half Circle with 2 x 2 Cut-out in Light Bluish Grey (6399753 | 89681). The remainder shown are only in 2 other sets or less:

• 2x Plate Round Corners 4 x 8 x 2/3 Half Circle in Dark Azure (6353588 | 73832)
• 2x Plate 6 x 6 Half Circle with 2 x 2 Cut-out in Bright Blue (6386992 | 89681)
• 1x Plate Round Corners 8 x 8 x 2/3 Circle in Dark Purple (6326551 | 66790)
• 2x Plate Round Corners 4 x 8 x 2/3 Half Circle  in Medium Nougat (6353587 | 73832)
• 1x Brick Special 8 x 16 x 2/3, Two Rounded Corners in White (6345751 | 74166)

Here's a couple of revived recolours that are worth highlighting, both were around in the early 2000s but haven't been in sets again until 2022:

• 4x Brick Special 1 x 4 with Groove in White (6381970 | 2653) present in 4 sets.
• 4x Technic Pin 1/2 in White (6388018 | 4274) a popular revival, present in 14 sets.

Prints & stickered tiles

Since there's no sticker sheet included in the set, we're treated to a multitude of printed elements:

• 1x Brick 1 x 2 with Face, Black Eyes and Smile Print in Light Nougat (6323870 | 72282)
• 2x Brick 1 x 2 with Clock Timer on Two Sides Print in Dark Turquoise (6382132 | 94288)
• 1x Tile 4 x 4 with Bob-Ombs print in White (6382155 | 94892) (Exclusive)
• 1x Tile 4 x 4 with Flower Octagon print in White (6382133 | 94289) (Exclusive)

• 1x Brick 1 x 3 with Eyes with Blue Eyebrows Print in Bright Green (6407528 | 94983) (Exclusive)
• 1x Tile 1 x 4 with Groove and Red Eyes (Bowser) Print in Bright Green (6309102 | 68981)
• 1x Glass for Frame 1 x 6 x 7 Princess Peach print in Transparent (6407819 | 94855) (Exclusive)

• 1x Brick Round 2 x 2 with Pin Holes with Magenta Undershirt Print in Red (6323861 | 72278)
• 1x Tile Round 2 x 4 with Mouth, Single Tooth/Fang print in Tan (6407870 | 94985) (Exclusive)
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with Bob-Omb Eyes Print in Dark Blue (6308929 | 68905)
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with Goomba Face Print in Dark Orange (6308927 | 68903)

• 1x Brick Special Cube with 2 x 2, White Circles Print in Dark Pink (6323867 | 72280)
• 1x Tile 2 x 3 with Tan Stripes in Oval Print (Koopa Stomach) in Yellow (6334668 | 76883)
• 1x Tile Round 2 x 2 with Bottom Stud Holder with Brown Lines Print in Tan (6310515 | 69093)
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with Yellow Crown Print in Yellow (6407839 | 98804) (Exclusive)
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Groove and White Teeth and Tongue Print in Red (6309105 | 68983)

Plus an unpictured Tile Round 2 x 2 with Roman Numerals Clock Print (6157942 | 27347), which managed to evade my search.

LEGO Super Mario barcode tiles in 71408 Peach’s Castle Expansion Set

Finally, as you'd expect from a large Mario set, there's a bunch of 2x2 tiles emblazoned with pre-applied barcode stickers - essential for the video game mechanics.

• 1x Tile Special 2 x 2 Inverted with Cake and Barcode in Tan (6409582 | 100618) 1
• 1x Tile Special 2 x 2 Inverted with Pictureframe and Barcode in Reddish Brown (6407681 | 100619) 1
• 1x Tile Round 2 x 2 with Yoshi Fruit and Barcode in Bright Pink (6407666 | 100604) 1

• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Goomba and Barcode in Dark Orange (6315663 | 69469) 11
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Bowser Head and Barcode in Green (6409583 | 100617) 1
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Bob-omb and Barcode in Dark Blue (6384336 | 98825) 2

• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Double Arrow and Barcode in Medium Nougat (6407678 | 100616) 1
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Speech Bubble with 3 Dots and Barcode 5 in White (6407688 | 100626)
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Clock and Barcode in Dark Turquoise (6360089 | 79865) 2

• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Ludwig von Koopa and Barcode in Blue (6407676 | 100614) 1
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Throne and Barcode in Red (6407677 | 100615) 1
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with 'Start' and Pipe and Barcode in Yellow (6407675 | 100613) 1

MOC's inspired by 71408 Peach’s Castle Expansion Set

Robot

I chose the barcode tiles as my first challenge as they'd probably just be keeping my LEGO VIDIYO Beatbit tiles company if I didn't find a use for them. 

Enamoured with the video game 'Stray', I thought the speech bubble tile would be perfect for a robot head.

…And what's a robot without a cute fluffball to befriend?

Space Lift

Sticking with the sci-fi genre, I used the new inverted slopes to make some space crates. The one ring came in handy for achieving stud reversal in such a tight spot.

Space crates in hand, I needed something to put them on. I grabbed some of the larger elements in the set and combined them in different ways until an idea materialised. 

The result is this space-age lift built around two half round supports (1749) and an octagonal plate (67929). I also used the blue octagonal shell with diamonds (67931) for a patrol bot body, borrowing from the ERIC bot design seen in 76831 Zurg Battle for its head and that of the lift operator.

I'm quite pleased with details like the 1x4 arch bricks (3659) hugging the sides of the supports and the little cheese slope cut-out above the chevron print. I am however, kicking myself for not using the new 1x2 half round tile (1748) back there, after singing its praises earlier.

Closing thoughts

With so many new elements, recolours and prints, 71408 Peach’s Castle Expansion Set has a lot to offer even if you don't end up building it as per the (digital) instructions. Unfortunately it is also currently the most expensive set in the theme - aside from bundle packs and the big display pieces. So if you're only interested in the unusual elements and cool prints, congratulations, this is the article for you. But more importantly, you'd probably find better value for money with one of the cheaper Super Mario sets.

 

Editor: Chris Baginski

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