The One Set I Can't Fit

I love LEGO. I love Super Mario. Both go way back for me.

It started with Donkey Kong on the Atari 2600. Coleco made that version in 1982, and I played it a lot. Then came Super Mario on the Nintendo, and that was the one that really got me. Years later, I picked it up again on my Switch. That screen is cracked now. Long story.

So last week at Comic-Con, LEGO announced a Donkey Kong Arcade set. 1,367 pieces, $199.99, out August 1. It’s the original brick arcade cabinet, with Jumpman, Donkey Kong, and Lady up on the scaffolds. Pull the lever and a barrel rolls down. Move the joystick, press the button, and Jumpman leaps over it. That’s the part that got me. It’s not just a model sitting there. It actually does something.

I would buy it in a second.

Except I live in 480 square feet. I already have the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System set. It’s still sealed in the box, sitting in storage, waiting. I haven’t worked out where it would go once it’s built. An arcade cabinet, even a small brick one, needs a shelf of its own. Every flat surface in my house already has a job.

So I do the next best thing. I pull up the photos and zoom in on the build. That part is free, and it takes up no space at all.

Someday I’ll have the room. Until then, those photos look great.