LEGO Reviews Super Mario72042

Prince Florian & Castle Bowser

Name: LEGO Prince Florian & Castle Bowser 72042
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 72042
Rating: 4.82 (226 reviews)

74 · RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: BBB20251,251 pcsHigh agreement · 96%

Expert reviews

2analyzed

Owner ratings

226

Consensus

BUY

BrickScore

Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"With a BrickScore of 74.2 and an owner average of 4.82 out of 5 across 226 buyers, Prince Florian and Castle Bowser earns its Recommended standing as the most mechanically inventive set in its wave, with a flying fortress transformation and debut minifigures that make it the clear pick for Super Mario collectors."

Reviewers across the board treated Prince Florian and Castle Bowser as a standout entry in the 2025 Super Mario wave, praising the engineering of the flying fortress transformation, the interactive fireball-launching mechanism, and the debut of Prince Florian as a minifigure. Owner ratings back this up emphatically: 4.82 out of 5 across 226 ratings, with LEGO's own buyers scoring play experience 4.5 out of 5. The set connects seamlessly with existing Super Mario starter courses, rewarding fans who already own the interactive figures.

Where to Buy

Affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.

Max Profit Opinion PREMIUM

Is this a smart buy? BrickPicker's data-grounded investment verdict.

Unlock the Max Profit Opinion: our stance (buy / accumulate / hold / pass), the reasoning, the exact data behind it (eBay + BrickLink comps, CAGR vs MSRP, our retirement model), and whether the reviewer community agrees.

Unlock with Collector or Reseller

LOVED (7)

01Bowser's castle that lifts off its stand and transforms into a flying fortress
02Fireball-launching mechanism triggered by raising the castle
03Secret passages and hidden prison cell revealed when castle is lowered
04Eight interactive tags compatible with LEGO Mario, Luigi, and Peach figures
05Minifigure lineup: Prince Florian's debut, Wonder Bowser Jr., Pink Yoshi, and Musical Piranha Plant
061,251-piece count at $0.08 per piece seen as solid value for the theme
07Clear, numbered bag system making the build easy to follow

CRITICIZED (4)

01Greens on the finished model appear less vibrant than box or digital imagery
02Castle pieces can detach when transported, making it fragile for moving
03Pink Yoshi was seen as a missed opportunity for a more distinctive color variant
04Interactive figures (Mario, Luigi, Peach) sold separately, adding cost for the full experience

What reviewers are saying

"And now it's time for the epic–yes, the EPIC–Wonder I've been preparing! Feast your eyes on... BOWSER'S RAGE STAGE!"

Brickset Reviews

"When I first saw set 72042 I was confused and a little bit annoyed. I had no idea what this was supposed to be and immediately went to 'we got this instead of something more iconic!'."

Rebrickable Reviews

Ecosystem

71411 The Mighty Bowser — The newer set's sculpting is more seamless and accurate to the newer game despite already being impressed with the prior design

Other Mario 'game' sets — There has been better 'game' Mario sets recently in looks but this is certainly one of the more original and interesting builds in the series.

Other Mario interactive game sets — It suffers from almost every Mario 'game' set I've built. There are too many compromises for the game aspect.

Super MarioTier 1Investment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Consensus

BUY

Brickset Reviews

Editorial Source

BUY

"And now it's time for the epic–yes, the EPIC–Wonder I've been preparing! Feast your eyes on... BOWSER'S RAGE STAGE!"

Key Pros

✓Great sculpting of Wonder Bowser's face that improves upon prior designs
✓Dual play-and-display approach feels unrivalled
✓Smooth finish with no visible studs, consistent with Nintendo LEGO aesthetic

Key Cons

✕Pink Yoshi is repetitive choice rather than rare variants like Red Yoshi or Light-Blue Yoshi
✕Prince Florian has an unfortunate mold mark on his green leaf-like hair tile

READ FULL REVIEW

Rebrickable Reviews

Editorial Source

"When I first saw set 72042 I was confused and a little bit annoyed. I had no idea what this was supposed to be and immediately went to 'we got this instead of something more iconic!'."

Key Pros

✓Creative and unique build with innovative play mechanics
✓Fun build experience using familiar SNOT techniques
✓Excellent parts selection with numerous new parts (bright green/purple color introductions)

Key Cons

✕Too many compromises for game interactivity over display aesthetics
✕Top of castle lacks detail, not optimized for display-only viewing

READ FULL REVIEW

Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Buy now (0)Wait for sale (0)

Exclusivity

Brickset Reviews: Released by LEGO; standard retail availability

Rebrickable Reviews: LEGO-exclusive Super Mario theme; set is current retail availability

Resale

Rebrickable Reviews: Not discussed

Minifigures & Standout Parts

In this set (4)

Wonder Bowser Jr.

$15

Prince Florian

Pink Yoshi - White Tile, Round 2 x 2 Half Circle Extended on Front

Fiery Note Piranha

Standout parts (per reviewers)

New-in-orange flower element
A new color variant of the flower element, complementing Prince Florian's crown
Printed 2x2 jumper tile
Used for Prince Florian's cheery expression; jumper tiles with prints are sophisticated character design elements
Curved macaroni 'ledge' elements in dark green
Appears for the first time in dark green, though the element has been available since 2024; used for decorative flaming base
Trans-orange elements
Used to make Fire Piranhas appear extra spicy
Large macaroni tubes
Used for sculpting Wonder Bowser's hands; now characteristic of large-scale LEGO Super Mario models
Printed curved dish element
Green graphic on curved dish representing Wonder Bowser's swirling black and neon green striped hair; avoids problematic stickers on curved surfaces

What Owners Say · summarized from 32 written reviews (LEGO, Amazon, Walmart)

Owners overwhelmingly love this set as a fun, well-made build that combines LEGO quality with Mario nostalgia; nearly universal praise for ease of assembly, durability, and interactive features, though some find the price high relative to piece count.

COMMON PRAISE