LEGO Technic’s new Monster Jam trucks are a reminder that LEGO can be fun, too

LEGO Technic’s new Monster Jam trucks combine pull-back carnage with unicorn and fire-and-ice motifs for a reminder that LEGO is at its best when it prioritises hands-on play.

Technic has played in the Monster Jam arena before: we’ve had sharks, dinosaurs, dragons… basically, if it’s huge and looks like it could crush a Prius with a shrug, the LEGO Technic team have probably recreated it. The latest releases double down on that formula with 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger, this time sporting a bold fire and ice makeover, and 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash, a unicorn-inspired fever dream that only Monster Jam could make real.

Monster Jam trucks are ridiculous, but in the best possible way. They’re 1,500HP methanol-fuelled stunt bruisers, built for jumps, flips, wheelies and cheers, with car-crushing tyres taller than most LEGO builders and enough engine grunt to make your bones vibrate from the stands.

Trucks like Grave Digger, Megalodon and El Toro Loco aren’t just vehicles, they’re characters. Loud, colourful, over the top characters that make for perfect LEGO source material – and so it proves again with 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger and 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash.

Opening Grave Digger is refreshingly straightforward, with an absence of numbered bags inviting a single-session build. This already sets the tone: this is a toy you build and play with straight away, not a multi-evening adult LEGO set marathon.

The first half of the build revolves around locking in the pull-back motor, which forms the structural backbone. You’ll gradually layer Technic beams and axles around it, reinforcing the frame so it can survive collisions, and it genuinely feels like building a miniature stunt chassis. It’s linear, logical Technic. No complex gearing, no fiddly sub-assemblies and perfect for younger hands or adults who just want something tactile and mechanical without a brain melt.

Once the interior skeleton is complete, the fun visual work begins. One side of the truck is built entirely in bold red, the other in icy blue, echoing a fire and ice motif rarely seen on Grave Digger. The panels clip on satisfyingly, escalating the shape quickly.

The sticker sheet does a lot of heavy lifting here, with flame patterns, Monster Jam logos and grille detailing, but it’s worth taking time to align them cleanly because they elevate the end result massively. At this scale printed elements would’ve been a dream, but the stickers are sharp, glossy and genuinely add character rather than feeling like chores.

Once completed, Grave Digger feels reassuringly solid and weighty, which is exactly what a monster truck should feel like in hand. There’s no rattling, no flex, no weak connection points. It’s a truck designed to crash – and look good doing it.

Sparkle Smash is where everything gets weird, in a good way. If Grave Digger is the sensible older sibling, Sparkle Smash is the glitter-powered, off the rails, chaos-driven younger brother.

Despite sharing scale and format, the internal build differs right from step one. The chassis is arranged in an alternate sequence, using beams in different orientations, and the structure around the pull-back unit is not a copy-paste of Grave Digger – a crucial win for anyone buying both sets.

It’s slightly more intricate in places, with extra bracing and connection points that hint at the sculpted outer shell to come. Where Grave Digger stays mostly Technic, Sparkle Smash starts blending Technic pins with System curves and plates. Pink and purple panel pieces form the bulk of the body, with smaller System bricks bridging gaps or smoothing edges to create that unicorn silhouette.

Then come the glitter stickers, and they’re glorious – holographic shimmer, rainbow streak accents, starburst motifs. It’s fun, it’s wild, it’s silly and that’s why it’s brilliant. Sparkle Smash has presence. It’s bright, loud, unapologetically characterful and it looks great either on its own or paired beside Grave Digger.

In a LEGO market increasingly dominated by huge flagship 18+ display pieces it’s easy to forget among the modular buildings, UCS starships and Technic supercars that the LEGO Group is, and always has been, a toy company first. Not every set needs to be something you build once, display on a shelf never to be touched (except for regular dusting). Sometimes LEGO is at its absolute best when it’s silly, loud, bright and built to be launched across the living room floor.

These Monster Jam trucks embody that. They’re fun, energetic, great-looking models that invite you to actually play with them. You build them in under an hour, stand back, admire them… and then instinctively pull them back and send them racing into one another. That’s the magic. You don’t need an instruction addendum or a 400-page manual – just a bit of space and maybe some homemade cardboard ramps (or even better, some brick-built ones).

The pull-back function is the star of the show, making the sets feel alive the moment assembly is done. They dart forward at proper speed, enough to crash, tumble and recover like their real Monster Jam counterparts. Build a quick ramp, line up a jump, or stage a head-on collision. And unlike System vehicles that will shed pieces mid-impact, Technic thrives under abuse. It’s one of the real advantages of the theme: that dense, reinforced beam structure is remarkably durable, giving you confidence to race them again and again without wincing.

Monster trucks are prime Technic territory, with tough frames, big tyres and exaggerated shapes, and both Grave Digger and Sparkle Smash prove it wonderfully, offering up great builds, great silhouettes and just great fun. Sometimes it’s nice to put down the 4,000-piece collectors’ model and remember what got us into the hobby in the first place. Sets like these remind you LEGO can still be thrillingly simple.

Our honest opinion: These two Monster Jam Technic sets are loud, fast, brilliantly-built reminders that LEGO is still at its absolute best when it prioritises hands-on play and fun over shelf-only display prestige.

These LEGO sets were provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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How long does it take to build LEGO Technic 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger and 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash?

You can expect to spend between 45 minutes to an hour constructing each Monster Jam Truck. 

How many pieces are in LEGO Technic 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger and 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash?

There are 263 pieces included in LEGO Technic 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger, while 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash contains slightly fewer at 243 pieces total.

How different are LEGO Technic 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger and 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash to build?

While both LEGO Technic 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger and 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash measure roughly the same dimensions, coming in at 12cm high, 19cm long and 11cm wide, they offer surprisingly varied builds under the hood, so you won’t feel bored if you buy both.

How much do LEGO Technic 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger and 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash cost?

LEGO Technic 42219 Monster Jam Grave Digger and 42220 Monster Jam Sparkle Smash each retail for £24.99 in the UK, $34.99 across North America and €29.99 in Europe.