LEGO Technic 42119 Monster Jam Max-D review

Believe it or not, 42119 Monster Jam Max-D is based on a real-life monster truck, and it makes for a most eye-catching LEGO Technic set.

Coming in at £17.99 / $19.99 and aimed towards the younger Technic builder, 42119 Monster Jam Max-D and sister set 42118 Monster Jam Grave Digger offer an authentic and fun first venture into the world of monster trucks.

— Set details —

Theme: LEGO Technic Set name: 42119 Monster Jam Max-D Release: January 1, 2021

Price: £17.99 / $19.99 / €19.49 Pieces: 230 Minifigures: 0

lego

LEGO: Available now

— Build —

Unable to steer and without suspension, the build for 42119 Monster Jam Max-D is relatively simplistic for a Technic set. But it still enjoys the same level of durability and strength that this medium brings – at least in comparison to traditional LEGO System sets. It also comes with a pull-back-and-release motor at the back for an element of playability.

Whilst all that is suggestive of a juniorised set, the authenticity of the model in capturing monster truck Max-D’s unusual mix of colour, aggressive shaping and ridiculous size makes for something that sits as excellently on display as perhaps racing around the living room floor. Stickers help achieve the overall design effect, as do the horns, because yes this monster truck has horns.

Skip ahead to 25:39 or 36:00 in the below video to see the real Max-D in action and for a better understanding of how, for a £17.99 Technic set, a great level of detail has been captured.

— Characters —

As mentioned in the review for 42118 Monster Jam Grave Digger too, LEGO Technic is not a theme open to minifigures – but if it was, including a driver in 42119 Monster Jam Max-D would perfectly round out the set, particularly given that these are built at minifigure scale.

— Price —

For £17.99 / $19.99, 42119 Monster Jam Max-D packs in the right level of authentic detail and playability to create a toy car that looks great sat on the shelf and fun in the hands of a young driver navigating the perils of the living room. It may not steer or bounce up and down, but it captures the crazy joy of monster trucks that any fan of that motorsport would want.

— Pictures —

— Summary —

As mentioned in the review for 42118 Monster Jam Grave Digger, 42119 Monster Jam Max-D brings a great first experience of monster trucks from the Monster Jam series to LEGO Technic, at a scale that offers enough for younger and older fans alike. It also gets the creative juices flowing (particularly after watching the real-life monster trucks in action) as to what could be possible moving forward, if this was a line to be revisited or re-scaled.

And that’s when you know you have a good LEGO Technic set, when in the fun of what you have, you start to think about what else is possible.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

42119 Monster Jam Max-D is available at LEGO.com from January 1, 2021 – support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO through one of our affiliate links.

Author Profile

Rob Paton
As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

Rob Paton

As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

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