LEGO 72037 Mario & Standard Kart should have been a 2-in-1 set

The LEGO Super Mario theme’s designers may have missed a trick when it comes to building and displaying 72037 Mario & Standard Kart.

The LEGO Group officially revealed 72037 Mario & Standard Kart this week, with the 18+ set due for release on May 15 and available to pre-order right now. Coming in at 1,972 pieces, the LEGO Super Mario model presents the first-ever large-scale versions of Mario himself and his signature vehicle, both straight out of the smash-hit video game racing series.

However, as impressive as 72037 Mario & Standard Kart appears to be, we can’t help but feel it could have been so much more. One query that fans have been posting online is regarding whether or not the brick-built Mario can be stood on his own and displayed separately from his kart.

The answer to that seems to be a resounding ‘no’, with official images and descriptions of the LEGO Super Mario set stating that the character is ‘poseable’ at least, but there are no indications that the iconic plumber can be detached from the vehicle and placed in a standing position.

That feels like a bit of a missed opportunity for 72037 Mario & Standard Kart, although it might well have been an option the LEGO Super Mario design team considered at some point, then discarded due to what might have resulted in a revised piece count, greater complexity and a possible price increase.

While that thinking is certainly understandable, 72037 Mario & Standard Kart almost feels like it should have been a 2-in-1 build, with at least the potential to construct separate models and then combine them together if so desired.

72037 Mario & Standard Kart measures over 22cm with Mario sat in the vehicle, so there’s no way of knowing just how tall the character might be standing up until fans get their hands on the set. In fact, it’s even more disappointing considering that Mario could possibly have been stood next to 71411 The Mighty Bowser, with the brick-built version of his longtime nemesis measuring over 32cm tall.

The two sets would have undoubtedly complimented each other quite well and given fans some indication of what more LEGO Super Mario Kart models might potentially look like, something we’ve already speculated about.

For now though, we’ll just have to wait until creative fans can get their hands on 72037 Mario & Standard Kart and start modding it, which is highly likely to happen considering the nature of the LEGO Super Mario model.

72037 Mario & Standard Kart is due to launch on May 15, with pre-orders now open for the LEGO Super Mario set, which is priced at  £149.99 in the UK, $169.99 in the US, and €169.99 in Europe.

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