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#2369 SET REVIEW: 71426 Piranha Plant

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We’re taking a bite out of the world of Super Mario with today’s review, the Piranha Plant! Is this 2023 set a worthy follow up to the Mighty Bowser and the previous 18+ Super Mario sets! Let’s hit the start button on this review!


Tips and Bricks logo. #2369 SET REVIEW: 71426 Piranha Plant Following the mighty Bowser, this iconic Mario enemy has arrived in LEGO form! Image shows the LEGO Piranha Plant set from Super Mario, with a round red and white plant head with sharp teeth, on a green plant stalk, emerging from a large green pipe. Our score: 22 out of 25 57.99 pounds, 59.99 dollars, 64.99 euros, for 540 parts. LET’S A GO INTO THIS REVIEW!

Part selection: NEW RECOLOURS: Tile, Modified 2 x 4 Inverted, green, x3. Slope, Curved 4 x 1 x 1 â…”, bright green, x40. Plate, Modified 2 x 2 x 2/3 with 2 Studs on Side - Hollow Bottom Tube, green, x4. Plate, Modified 2 x 2 with Tow Ball and Hole, green, x2. Arch 1 x 8 x 2 Raised, bright green, x4. Slope, Curved 3 x 2, bright green, x10. Slope, Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 Inverted, green, x2. Slope, Curved 3 x 1, bright green, x6. Technic, Axle Connector 2 x 3 with Ball Joint Socket - Closed Sides, Straight Forks with Closed Axle Holes, red, x2. Technic, Brick Modified 2 x 2 with Ball Socket and Axle Hole - Straight Forks with Round Ends and Closed Sides, green, x1. Technic, Liftarm, Modified Ball Joint Straight 1 x 2 with 6 Holes in Ball, green, x1. Plate, Round Corner 3 x 3 with 2 x 2 Curved Cutout, red, x2. Arch 1 x 3 Inverted, green, x8. Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2 Inverted, bright green, x2. Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2 Inverted, green, x16. Arch 1 x 2 Inverted, green, x8. Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 4, bright green, x8. Brick, Round 4 x 4 Dome Top with 2 x 2 Recessed Center, bright pink, x1. Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2, green, x4. Plate, Modified 6 x 8 Trap Door Frame Horizontal (Long Pin Holders), bright green, x1. NEW PRINTS: Tile, Round 3 x 3 with Dark Orange Circle and Rectangle with Bright Light Orange Highlights Pattern (Super Mario Coin), x2. Brick, Round Corner 4 x 4 x 2 2/3 Dome Top with White Circle Pattern (Super Mario Piranha Plant Section), x4. Brick, Round Corner 4 x 4 x 2 2/3 Dome Top with 2 White Circles Pattern (Super Mario Piranha Plant Section), x4. PARTS IN BULK: Plate 1 x 2, bright green, x15. Plate 1 x 2, green, x20. Plate 1 x 3, green, x15. Bionicle 1 x 3 Tooth with Axle Hole (Bohrok Eye), white, x7. RARE PARTS (3 sets or less): Slope, Curved 4 x 1 x 2 2/3 with Stud, red, x6. rick, Round 2 x 2 D. 45 degrees Elbow (25.5mm Standing Height), white, x8. Slope 45 2 x 1 Triple with Bottom Stud Holder, green, x4. Technic Bush 1/2 Smooth, dark pink, x5. Technic Cam, white, x4. Tile 2 x 3, bright green, x5. Wedge, Plate 4 x 2 Right, Pointed, lime, x2. Wedge, Plate 4 x 2 Left, Pointed, lime, x2. Technic, Liftarm, Modified Ball Joint Angled 1 x 2, red, x2. Tile, Round 2 x 4 Oval, green, x3. SCORE: 5 out of 5 part selection. This set is packed with new Green and Bright Green recolours that are vital for capturing the iconic plant and pipe design! The new recolours for SNOT parts and Technic joints are a real highlight!

Techniques: Each side of the jaw uses a Technic frame to create the jaw shape and attach the teeth! Image shows a red and green Technic build creating an outline of the jaw, with a white Technic cam in the center. Image shows the open mouth of the Piranha plant. Arrows point to a Technic Cam, part 6575, and Brick, Round 2 x 2 D. 45 degrees Elbow (25.5mm Standing Height), part 65473, creating the lip build of the mouth. The lips use an axle through a Technic cam (6575) to attach to the jaw! The jaw slots into a gap in the bottom of the head using a Technic connector (42003). Image shows the top half of the head of the Piranha Plant above the open mouth. Arrow points to a Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 3L with 2 Pin Holes, part 42003, to connect the two builds. Then the build uses a 1x1 with a hole (6541) and axle with a stud (6587) to keep the head attached! Image shows the back of the Piranha Plant head. There is a 1x1 with a hole in the back of the head. Image shows the back of the Piranha Plant head with an axle being built into the back. Arrow points to Technic, Axle 3L with Stud, part 6587, on the head.

Techniques: Image shows the stalk of the Piranha Plant, with a long green stalk with a leaf attached on either side, placed inside a green pipe. Arrow points to a green Tile, Round 2 x 4 Oval, part 66857, on the top of the stalk. Image shows the back of the Piranha Plant with a ball joint out of the back of the head. The Piranha Plant head attaches at the top of the branch and rests down. Image shows the leaf of the plant. Arrow points to a green Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Swivel, part 2429c01, on the plant leaf build. Both plant leaves use a pair of hinge plates (2429c01) to create the fold in the leaves. The branch slots into the pipe to keep it secure – but also means you can separate the plant and pipe easily!

Techniques: Images show a small build using Technic pins and 1x1 bricks with holes. The small build is built into the lower side of the plant pipe. Image shows the inside of the plant pipe from above, showing how the mechanism can push open the bottom of the plant pipe. Images show the lower half of the pipe, with the bottom now open and coins are falling down from out of the pipe. This small feature allows the bottom of the pipe to open, dropping any coins hidden inside! Image shows the inside of the top of the pipe. A small black build inside the pipe attaches using Technic joints and has a 2x2 gap to allow the plant stalk to be slotted into the pipe. This small build allows the plant stalk to slot into the pipe, to account for the weight of the build! Using a variety of SNOT bricks and plates is key to creating the pipe’s curved shape! Image shows the underside of the pipe build, using different SNOT bricks and plates to attach the sides of the pipe. SCORE: 3 out of 5 Techniques. The Piranha Plant is a mixed bag for techniques – the pipe and plant stalk use simpler techniques but the Technic build and unique parts for the Piranha plant head offer a great build!

Accuracy: Image shows the original design of the Piranha Plant from the Super Mario games. Images besides it shows the LEGO Piranha Plant set. The size of each part of the Piranha plant matches perfectly! Arrow points to the leaves on the original design. The leaves are more a bright green than lime. The pipe looks exactly like the Mario pipe – it’s a perfect recreation of this gaming icon! Arrow points to the head of the LEGO Piranha Plant. The round shape of the head and lips are captured with new prints and rare parts! Arrow points to the plant stalk of the LEGO Piranha Plant. The plant stalk is less curved on the LEGO set, to support the stability of the head. SCORE: 5 out of 5 Accuracy. There are a couple of small details that could be more accurate, but the overall build is near-perfect, capturing the Piranha Plant’s iconic design!

Display Value: Image shows the Piranha Plant set on display sat on a desk. The Piranha Plant’s head and leaves can all turn to create some slightly new positions and poses! The smooth rounded design of the head and pipe makes it look like it’s not even made of LEGO! Image shows a close up of the side of the head of the Piranha Plant. The jaw opens and closes easily, to create the look of a snapping attack – hopefully, no plumbers will fall into that trap… SCORE: 5 out of 5 Display Value. The Piranha Plant is a lovely display piece with just enough posing variety to stand out on display, and it could even fit well alongside botanical sets!

Value for Money: Image shows the Piranha Plant set, and an image of the black box of the set next to it. The Piranha Plant has a price per part ratio of $0.11 per part – roughly the average price per ratio for a set of this scale. SCORE: 4 out of 5 Value for Money. The price per part ratio would usually give a set a 3/5 for Value for Money, but this is by far the cheapest 18+ Super Mario set – compared to the Mighty Bowser or NES, it’s much more accessible for Mario fans!

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