Monkey King Ultra Mech

"Scoring an impressive 82.9 BrickScore across two reviewers, the Monkey King Ultra Mech is a premium display centerpiece that earns its price through exceptional aesthetics, elite minifigure printing, and a satisfying 1,705-piece build — with articulation and jet design being the only meaningful sore spots."

Both reviewers agree that the Monkey King Ultra Mech (80045) is a visually stunning, elaborately detailed display piece that represents a worthy evolution of the original 80012 Warrior Mech. The angular armoring, outstanding color blocking in red, gold, and teal, and beautifully printed minifigures — including three first-appearance Journey to the West villains — are consistently singled out as highlights. While the display and minifigure scores sit at the top of the scale, both reviewers flag limited knee articulation and jet design weaknesses as the main shortcomings. The set is squarely aimed at adult collectors and Monkie Kid enthusiasts rather than play-focused buyers.

Where they split: The Rambling Brick was more enthusiastic overall (90/100, 4.5/5), emphasizing the build experience and instruction quality, and would recommend it to anyone with a budget and an interest in mechs. Brickset Reviews was slightly more measured (75/100), giving more weight to the jet's shortcomings, articulation limits, and sticker use, though both ultimately recommend buying. Neither reviewer disagreed on the core strengths (aesthetics, minifigures) or the core weaknesses (knee articulation, jet).