The Despicable Me franchise, which includes 3 movies and a fourth coming out this July, as well as 2 spin-off films focusing on the yellow banana-loving minions, has been hugely successful, with each film landing in the top 5 grossing films for the year they came out. Hence, it’s no surprise to see another batch of LEGO sets as part of the summer wave. The first set we’re covering is LEGO Despicable Me 4 75583 Minions and Gru’s Family Mansion, which includes 868 pieces, comes with 9 characters, and will be available on May 1st for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Unboxing the parts, instructions, and stickers
The set comes in a wide box with Despicable Me 4 branding and an image of the finished model of the house on a neighborhood street, much like it appeared in the first movie but with the addition of a large kid-friendly treehouse. There is also a line-up of the 6 human minifigures and the three minion minifigures.
On the back of the box, the house is shown from the back or inside of the model, and the characters are arranged throughout the house and yard. There are two inset images, one of the swivel features built into each side of the house’s lower floor interiors, and another showing a minion climbing the ladder from the minion lab to the boss’s big red chair.
Inside the box are 7 numbered bags of various sizes and a single unnumbered bag with a few large plates and various bendy parts. There are also two instruction booklets and a small sticker sheet.
The build
The first booklet covers the backyard treehouse and small play area connected by a zipline, starting with the smaller section which includes two drums, a surfboard, and a pair of tiki-like statues.
The tree base has a rubber “string” with colorful flowers attached and a pair of angled tiki torches, along with what looks like a gift, so maybe the scene is for one of the girl’s or baby Gru Jr’s birthdays. The upper level includes two bowls and a small candle. The long bendy vine is attached to the top and will connect to the smaller section for the zipline later.
The foliage for the tree consists of these new molded leaf elements which echo the attached 3 leaf elements (the set includes 6).
The treehouse is ready for action with both yard sections complete and the zipline attached.
Moving on to the second booklet we start right in on the first level of the house, which has 2 wings on either side of the front door. The purple door is flanked by 2 banks of purple windows. There is a mailbox on the right side of the house and a tan driveway on the left side.
Computer stations sit on either side of the front door and each wing of the house is built on a turntable to allow it to rotate 360 degrees once completed. On the left side is a tool rack and toilet while the right side has a water cooler, some boxes, and a ladder.
For the second level, the left side is the floor of the girls’ room which will include the iconic rocket bed from the movies. The right side has Gru’s lounge which will feature a tall red chair and a pair of large axes adorning the wall.
Along the wall directly above the front door is a family room with a long red couch. Since none of the girls have bendable legs it is standing room only for this “couch”. The front of the house adds another tall stack of purple windows and a round window with a sticker design showing a minion waving from inside.
Rounding out the interior details we add the rocket bed to the girls’ room, Gru’s chair, and a tall stove with pipe to keep Gru’s tea warm. Desserts are added on the upstairs coffee table and a large overhead lamp.
Two long black roof pieces are next, and two shorter roof sections as well, with one including another purple window. Each of the smaller roof sections has interior details like artwork from the girls and those two axes over Gru’s chair I mentioned earlier.
Finally, a long brown pipe and fallen leaves are added to the front of the house.
The Minifigs
The set comes with 5 minifigures, one baby, and three minion figures. Starting with the humans, we have Margo, Edith, Agnes, Gru jr, Gru, and Lucy. They all feature printed front and back torsos (except for the baby), and all except Gru and Gru Jr. have alternate facial expressions.
Edith has a vertical striped back, Margo and Gru have simple folds, Lucy has a scarf, and Agnes has horizontal stripes and overall straps.
For their alternate expressions, Edith and Margo look excited, Lucy sports cool blue shades and Agnes looks concerned.
For the minions (the box refers to them as mega minions), We have Mel who wears a mechanical eyepiece, Tim, who has a long yellow flex tube for arms, and Jerry, who looks like he may have been exposed to gamma radiation. Mel and Tim seem to be wearing orange hazmat suits.
The finished model
The finished model of the house is a great re-creation of Chez Gru, from the minion lab to the regal and somewhat dangerous throne. The addition of the backyard treehouse and kids’ art make the playset more suitable for playing with your family. I do wonder where Gru Jr sleeps as the house is missing a crib… but I’m sure the minions take good care of him.
Conclusions and recommendations
If you are a fan of the Despicable Me franchise and are looking for a way to get all the Gru family minifigures in one set then this set is for you. The build was fun and some of the roof-building techniques could be useful in making custom models. With lots of play features and plenty of ways to set up your own scene, the set even makes a good display. LEGO Despicable Me 4 75583 Minions and Gru’s family mansion includes 868 pieces, and will be available on May 1st for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
i miss gru’s nose… such a characteristic feature of the man