Waddlewing

"With a BrickScore of 71.8, the Series 5 Character Packs are a genuine step up in build quality and character detail over previous waves, but the opaque box packaging that kills tactile identification is the series' most polarizing flaw — loved by those who enjoy the surprise, resented by collectors who depended on feeling bags to avoid duplicates."

The LEGO Super Mario Series 5 Character Packs (71410) earn broadly positive marks for their significantly upgraded builds — roughly double the plastic of Series 4, larger 6×6 biome bases, fully printed decorations, and more substantial character models — but are dragged down by a notable price increase (42% in the UK, 20% in the US, 67% in Australia) and, most divisively, the switch from feelable blind bags to opaque cardboard boxes. Expert reviewers see the Series 5 upgrades as genuinely justifying the higher price, while a vocal contingent of owner reviews is frustrated by duplicate pulls, purchase limits, and the inability to identify characters before buying. The characters themselves — especially newcomers like Nabbit, Hammer Bro, and Waddlewing — are well-regarded for design and play variety.

Where they split: The packaging change is the sharpest fault line: enthusiast reviewers and some buyers embrace the blind-box mystery and appreciate the eco-friendly cardboard aesthetic, while a substantial group of owner reviewers rate the set poorly specifically because of duplicate pulls and the loss of the feelable-bag method. On value, expert reviewers (The Rambling Brick, Brickset) conclude the price increase is justified by doubled plastic content and larger bases, but many casual buyers — particularly in the UK and Australia — feel it crosses a line for an impulse purchase.