Another day, another case of the leaked Lego Donkey Kong Arcade set appearing in the wild.
Someone seems to have actually bought and built the model after it turned up at Target last week, and their finished build on reddit gives us our best look yet at how the leaked Lego Donkey Kong Arcade set works. For starters, yes: even though it's a display piece like many of the best Lego sets, it's 'playable' and allows you to roll barrels from the top right down to the bottom. However, it looks like Mario/Jump Man is true to his name and mainly leaps over the obstacles rather than having a full range of movement across those girders. This becomes clear when the builder flips the kit round to show off its back, which has exposed parts to make it all work.
While there's a lot of love for the Lego Donkey Kong Arcade set itself, fans in the replies have mixed opinions about these exposed workings; some think it's neat to see how the sausage gets made, while others would prefer them to be covered up like the Lego Pac-Man Arcade kit. I'm with them – while I appreciate that this more industrial look keeps costs down, it being a true mini arcade cabinet would elevate the overall design.
Update from today’s purchase. Donkey Kong Arcade set 72051 from r/lego
Regardless, this isn't the only Lego DK news floating around after the weekend. Indeed, this video follows another surprise leak. Argos in the UK went early with its listing and quickly took all those juicy promo shots down, but not before someone managed to save it all via reddit.
While it's a little baffling that Lego hasn't come out and officially revealed this kit following retailer leaks and fan builds, but the existence of an Argos listing (even if it's since been removed) suggests that a full reveal is on the way shortly. I'd be amazed if we didn't get an official announcement either today or tomorrow, so keep a close eye out.
For more collectibles based on everyone's favorite ape, don't miss the best Donkey Kong merch - it includes some of the best toys for DK fans! As for other upcoming sets, the leaked Lego Star Trek bridge looks brilliant, but fans are divided on price.
