LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane review

LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane eschews the launching mechanism core to the rest of the theme – and ends up being one of its best sets.

76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane sees the LEGO minifigure debut of Sonic’s best buddy Tails, and also features his inventor’s workshop and biplane the Tornado. Unlike some of the new Sonic sets, this one is designed primarily for roleplay, without a focus on ramps or speed spheres, and it is stronger as a result.

— LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane set details —

Theme: LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog Set name: 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane Release: August 1, 2023

Price: £37.99 / $39.99 / €42.99 Pieces: 376 Minifigures: 2

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane —

76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane will be available to purchase from LEGO.com, LEGO stores and third-party retailers from August 1, 2023. Check back after the set has officially released to be informed of the best deals.

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— LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane build —

LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog is a range that focuses primarily on speed, with Sonic strapping into a speed sphere that launches him across an obstacle course to recreate the experience of playing a video game. This process works better with some sets than others, as just like in his video games, Sonic doesn’t always obey the laws of physics as onlookers expect he should.

It’s something of a relief, then, that 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane is a set that focuses solely on roleplay, without the need for any gimmicky speed spheres. The set features a small dollhouse-esque workshop for Sonic’s best buddy Tails to tinker in, complete with various tools and scientific equipment.

The workshop is the kind of vaguely-defined, open-ended tech space that has appeared in a thousand LEGO sets before, and is a perfectly functional example of this kind of playset. There are nice, open alcoves so that hands of varying sizes and levels of dexterity can move minifigures in and out, and there’s enough novelty among the many elements included on workspaces and counter tops to keep said hands entertained for a while.

There’s also a deckchair, because apparently, the only thing Sonic loves nearly as much as going fast, is not going anywhere at all. There are a lot of deckchairs in this range.

The big draw of the set, though, is the Tornado. This famous mainstay of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has been seen in LEGO form once before, in the LEGO Dimensions set 71244 Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack, but the biplane has never been seen at this scale and with this level of detail before.

The plane is a tremendously nostalgic build. There’s something fundamentally retro about its construction, which puts to mind far older biplanes such as 5928 Bi-Wing Baron from the Adventures theme over 25 years ago. It’s not that the Tornado in any way resembles what Bi-Wing Baron looks like; instead, it somehow channels the feeling of putting together a set from the late ‘90s. This is old-school construction techniques with modern bricks, and it feels like LEGO sets used to feel, before everything got a lot more complicated.

This being the case, it’s not hard to recommend 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane for the biplane alone. The rest of the set is entirely acceptable, but there’s a little bit more magic in the Tornado than can be seen from looking at pictures.

— LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane characters —

Next to Sonic the Hedgehog himself, Miles ‘Tails’ Prower is probably the more beloved of the heroes from SEGA’s flagship platformer series. A fox who can fly by rotating his two tails like helicopter blades, Tails was always going to be a difficult character to translate into minifigure form, and the finished article has a few unfortunate drawbacks.

First and most importantly: Tails can’t sit down. He’s been given the shortest of the current minifigure legs, which lack a joint, and this means that, despite the fact that he’s meant to be flying a plane which has been designed with a seated minifigure in question, he doesn’t really fit.

The legs are only part of the problem. Tails’ namesake, his two tails, are enormous, and have been moulded separately rather than as a pair, as they are often depicted in games. This makes for an awkwardly wide minifigure who bumps into both sides of the biplane cockpit when he’s driving, and it’s difficult to wedge him into place.

The head is either perfect or annoying depending on personal preference. Some people love LEGO minifigures that look exactly like cartoon characters, while others feel that they lack that classic LEGO charm. More so than Sonic, Tails feels like a minifigure that’s wearing a Tails mascot costume, rather than a LEGO version of the character.

The Sonic minifigure head feels a little more acceptable, not least because it’s been around for over five years already, and because it’s a bit better proportioned and doesn’t feel quite as huge.

There are four sets that feature Sonic in the new Sonic the Hedgehog range, with two different facial printing options, and this is by far the more expressive of the two. Rather than staring blankly forward, this Sonic has a cheeky wink, which gives him a great deal of personality and which will no doubt be a blessing to anyone looking to make stop-motion movies starring the World’s Most Famous Hedgehog.

The set comes with one cute animal friend for Sonic and Tails to rescue, Cucky (that’s his official name), as well as a badnik: a Buzz Bomber. The badnik, alas, falls a bit flat – literally. The build lacks the curves and depth of Buzz Bombers from the video games, and of all the badniks to be given LEGO treatment, this one feels least visually similar to its source material.

— LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane price —

At £37.99 in the UK, $39.99 in the US, and €42.99 in the EU, 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane feels a bit pricey for its content. The Tornado is not a huge build and Tails’ workshop is barely there, so this isn’t fantastic value for money.

That said, there’s some good stuff in this set, and Sonic fans will no doubt be happy to pay for a chance to build the Tornado out of LEGO and get their hands on both Sonic and Tails in a single package.

— LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane pictures —

— LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane pros and cons —

The highlight of 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane is the plane itself, which somehow manages to capture a little of the joy and wonder from LEGO eras past. While the rest of the set is a little less interesting, the Tornado is practically perfect, and well worth a LEGO Sonic fan’s time.

76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane pros	76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane cons
Tornado biplane is joyfully nostalgic	Buzz Bomber feels underdeveloped
Tails’ workshop is filled with neat science things	Tails can’t sit comfortably in his own plane
Sonic minifigure has a wonderful expression	Not a huge build for the money

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane —

For those looking for a different kind of plane from another iconic brand, it’s worth checking out 77012 Fighter Plane Chase as an alternative to 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane. This set comes from the Indiana Jones range, and features Indy and Henry Jones Sr. minifigures along with a car.

Alternatively, 21178 The Fox Lodge is another set for fans of video game foxes. The set comes from the LEGO Minecraft theme and includes a Minecraft fox costume minifigure, along with three brick-built foxes. This was previously the closest that Sonic fans could get to a Tails minifigure.

— LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog 76991 Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane FAQs —