Review: LEGO Animal Crossing – KK’s Concert at the Plaza – A Fun But Expensive Set
The second round of LEGO Animal Crossing sets brings two key locations from Animal Crossing: New Horizons The island comes to life in Danish brick form. Next to the Dodo Airlines terminal, KK Slider performs his Lego debit transaction in the setting of KK’s Concert at the Plaza.
This is the more expensive of the two sets, and includes three minifigures (including a new version of Isabelle), a Town Hall facade including a clock, noticeboard and flagpole, KK’s camper van and a small cafe serving tea and sweets.
But is the Lego KK Slider set worth your money? How does it compare to existing sets like Tom Nook and other with Isabelle? We’re here to answer those questions…
LEGO Animal Crossing – KK’s Concert at the Plaza (77052)
Price: $79.99 / £69.99 / €79.99
Piece: 550
Ages: 7+
Minifig includes: KK Slider, Audie, Isabelle (pink printed hoodie)
What’s in the box?
The KK set includes six bags—plastic bags—with the first build being the cafe, the camper divided into the second and third bags, and the Town Hall, roof, and accessories found in the remaining bags.
You get a pretty thick set of instructions with this build, and it’s recommended for kids 7+—just like Nook’s Cranny set—versus the 6+ rating of other Animal Crossing Lego sets, probably because of the small pieces. You also get a Brick Separator included, so no need to break your nails trying to separate the bricks when you make a mistake.
Audie and the cafe
Full disclosure: we love Audie. We first met her in New Horizons, and every time we see her going about her business on our island, she brings a smile to our faces. Seeing her at the beginning of the tutorial immediately put us in a good mood, and her cute pineapple print and goggles made for a great first impression.
This little cafe is hardly a grand build, but the yellow/green stripes are satisfying to assemble—the tiny cupcakes and tea set are not. Plant lovers, note that the autumn orange tree is the only one included in this set at the time of writing.
KK Slider and RV
Next is the leader.
Although cute, KK’s minifig lightly Not very impressive. His tail is a printed detail, presumably so it doesn’t get in the way when you sit him down to play his set, but other than that it’s a plain white body with short white legs. The head mold is great and there’s nothing really to complain about, but considering his status as one of Animal Crossing’s most beloved characters, we’re a little disappointed with Totakeke. We’d like to see some way to attach his guitar to his back, perhaps, or some other added detail.
KK’s stage was pretty basic, with a mic, an amp, and a music album set up on one of two couches, but luckily he showed up on a cool ride with a printed license plate and music notes printed on the side.
The camper van is modeled after the first vehicles introduced in the Welcome amiibo update in New leaf. There’s a large storage bin on the roof of the camper where you can store your gear, and when the bin is removed, the sides of the car open up for easy access to the gorgeous blue/orange interior. From what we can gather, KK drives while sitting on the bed, sipping coffee and munching on a slice of Chicago deep dish. Top dog.
With gray lollipops as rearview mirrors, the camper is arguably the most fun part of the playset.
Town hall
The Town Hall itself follows the exact same template as every other building in the range, and like most, it has a distinctly primitive and ‘saved’ feel if you’re used to more outlandish Lego builds. There are some nice details though, including the rounded tops on the white windows, the contrast of the purple roof with the white on the orange stone, the pillars and the clock – another print (there are no stickers in this set).
Our favorite details are the speakers mounted on either side of the door—a simple but effective use of standard 1×2 bricks to expose the underside—and the small tape player with a volume knob.
The island’s flag is also fun, with two designs you can switch between (we kept the spare flag in a box on the roof of KK’s car and pretended he’d made it half an inch wider earlier in the morning), though you’re also encouraged to create your own designs from the available pieces—a neat reflection of the flag customization in the game itself.
A crowbar component is included in the set to easily remove small pieces where the Brick Separator is too bulky. The image in the manual makes it clear how to use the crowbar, but for a moment we thought Lego was confirming our headcanon that KK is a cunning, Lock-Stock-style old man ready to smash some people’s heads in if things get tough during a show.
The noticeboard with the little yellow bird completes the exterior of the Town Hall for another set that (rightly so, considering the target audience) is more about play than display. After building the set and taking photos for this review, my kids spent the afternoon putting it together, having a minifig afternoon tea and lighting a bonfire around the garden with Audie and Isabelle riding on the roof of the camper. The box may say ‘7+’, but our five-year-old was hooked.
Cost of KK’s concert at the Plaza
And now, here’s the thing. KK’s Concert at the Plaza is the most expensive Lego set in Animal Crossing $79.99 / £94.99 / €79.99Get over Nook’s Cranny and Rosie’s House for five units of your local currency.
For that price, you only get 15 more pieces than the Nook set, although there’s another minifig here. When you sit back after finishing the build, it doesn’t feel like a lot of plastic for 80 notes, even for a licensed set.
