President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House Monday that he would meet with representatives from the U.S. film business to discuss his plan to impose 100% tariffs on foreign-made films. “I’m not looking to hurt the industry; I want to help the industry,” he said. “We’re going to meet with the industry. I […]
We Build LEGO Mario Kart: Mario & Standard Kart
The LEGO Mario Kart: Mario & Standard Kart, available for preorder right now, is a build that everyone can love. Casual builders will appreciate its bright primary colors and its big, chunky parts, which make for a surefire crowd-pleaser. Experienced LEGO builders will appreciate the intricacy of the Kart’s construction and the absence of stickers; every piece of visual flair is printed directly onto the bricks themselves.
The new set’s long, official name – LEGO Mario Kart: Mario & Standard Kart – denotes that LEGO Mario Kart is a subgenre under the larger LEGO Mario banner. By that logic, can we hope for more Kart sets of this size and scope? Yes, there are playset-scaled Kart sets (see at Amazon). But surely, there’s an audience for a large Luigi in a Sports Coupe or a large Princess Peach on a Cat Cruiser.
Divided across 17 bags, Mario & Standard Kart is two separate builds. The first build is the Standard Kart. You construct a LEGO Technic mesh, held together by pins and reinforced by bricks, to form the Kart’s floorboard. Then you attach the individual parts of the body shell via rods and clamps, including its rockets/exhaust pipes, its side panels, and its steering mechanism, which also forms the Kart’s front exterior.
The steering mechanism deserves special mention because of how it marries form to function. One end fastens to the front of the set via clamps, and then you ‘fold’ it onto the hood, as if it were a storm door on a hinge. You rig it so that when you turn the steering wheel, the front wheels also turn accordingly.
The Kart construction process is more involved and detail-oriented than you might think. The build looks simple, but it takes a lot of tiny, little steps to create that big cumulative effect. It’s a delightful contradiction that the build manages to look sophisticated – like labor went into its creation – despite its inherent childishness and whimsy.
Once you’re done with the Kart, you build Mario, whose construction follows the same general procedure as The Mighty Bowser‘s from three years ago. First, you build the torso, with ball-and-socket connections at its extremities. Then you build two legs, which attach at the bottom. Then two arms, which you attach at the sides. And finally, the head and hat, which you attach at the top. Interestingly, the hat is the most complex part of the Mario build; you attach two separate, smaller builds to the top of Mario’s head to create its signature, bent appearance.
Mario is ubiquitous, but building him meant that I also had to flesh out his smaller, less iconic details – the hair sticking out from under his hat, the marking on his gloves, the rolled up cuffs on his jeans. My 10-year-old son and I love building jigsaw puzzles together, and whenever we put together a famous painting, we notice colors and brushstrokes that we wouldn’t otherwise notice or appreciate. That’s what it’s like to build Mario out of LEGO – you see little things that contribute to the whole, even if they don’t stand out on their own.
Unfortunately, Mario is not separable from the Kart. He has no butt; his torso anchors directly onto a gray plate, which in turn attaches to the Kart seat. It is both frustrating and understandable why LEGO did this. A solo Mario build, with fully articulable limbs, would sell like hotcakes, and LEGO and Nintendo wouldn’t give it away so easily.
No doubt, thousands of LEGO fans will figure out a way to modify this model and make it stand independently of the Kart. But for now, there is no official way to make this happen. Maybe it would be a good DIY project for a rainy weekend?
Regardless, the final result looks fantastic. The Kart mounts on a buildable stand, which you can tilt upwards or downwards and rotate 360 degrees. This gives you some flexibility; you can pose the Kart any way you wish, whether going uphill, or going downhill, or sliding into a banked turn. I pose my Mario by having him grip the steering wheel with his left hand and pump the air with his right hand. You can almost hear the “Whoo-hoo!”
If this is the direction LEGO’s heading? I’m all for it. Two of the most impressive LEGO sets from the past three years have been Mario-themed. The Mighty Bowser debuted in 2022. The Piranha Plant debuted in 2003. The Mario & Standard Kart reaches that same high standard by balancing build quality with visual presentation. And the more big replicas of Mario iconography that we get, the better.
LEGO Mario Kart: Mario & Standard Kart, Set #72037, retails for $169.99, and it is composed of 1972 pieces. It will launch exclusively at the LEGO Store on May 15. Preorder now.
Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He’s also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.
Backstage With UTA Agent Mike G: Late-Night Revelry and Elevating Clients Rauw Alejandro, Cardi B, Lil Wayne’s Live Legacies
Five hours before Rauw Alejandro takes the stage for his two-hour concert, his agent, industry veteran Mike G, is skillfully maneuvering through the residential streets of Los Angeles as Beverly Hills turns into Culver City, and then Inglewood. A Partner and music agent at UTA, Mike is in high spirits, and is determined to bypass […]
‘BoJack Horseman’ Team’s New Netflix Series ‘Long Story Short’ Sets Voice Cast, Release Date
“Long Story Short,” the Netflix animated series from “BoJack Horseman” creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, has found its voice cast. Lisa Edelstein, Paul Reiser, Ben Feldman, Abbi Jacobson, Max Greenfield, Angelique Cabral, and Nicole Byer will all voice characters in the series, with Dave Franco and Michaela Dietz set as recurring guest stars. Netflix also revealed the […]
Don’t Miss a 25% Off Discount on the Massive LEGO Star Wars UCS Razor Crest for May the 4th
LEGO enthusiasts, here’s a massive Star Wars set to add your collection at its lowest price ever as part of a May the 4th promotional event. For today only, Amazon is offering the LEGO Star Wars The Razor Crest 75331 Ultimate Collector Series Set for just $450 with free shipping (originally $600). That’s a savings of 25% off and the price is actually lower than what we on Monday, May the 4th, when LEGO Shop had it for $479.99.
25% Off LEGO Star Wars The Razor Crest (Ulimate Collector Series)
The Razor Crest 75331 consists of 6,187 pieces, which makes it the third largest Star Wars set in brick count. The resulting build is impressively large at 20″ long, 29″ wide, and 10″ high. This is an offical Ultimate Collector Series – or UCS – set. The UCS models are the largest and most detailed Star Wars sets that LEGO produces and an obvious pick for collectors. They are also technically challenging build that are aimed at adult (18+) builders and the instruction manuals are often hundreds of pages long; the Razor Crest is no exception with about 250 pages.
This is a faithful recreation of the iconic ship from The Mandalorian TV series. The detailed interior is easily accessible and features two removable engines and cockpit, two side hatches, a cargo compartment with space for the included Blurrg minifigure, a weapons cabinet, a LEGO minifigure sized carbon-freezing chamber, and detachable escape pod with space for another minifig. Five minifigs are included: the Mandalorian (set exclusive), Mythrol, Kuiil, Grogu in a pram, and a Blurrg.
Although this is a complex build, the interior is made of different color-coded interior components and different steps are individually packaged in bags to make the process more user friendly. Although the Razor Crest is fully intended to be more of a display piece, it’s more interactive than most other UCS sets with a lot of internal elements that you can explore even after the build is completed. If you’re a LEGO Star Wars collector, this is a must-buy.
Retired LEGO sets that are still available at Amazon
For more LEGO news and deals, check out the recently retired LEGO sets of April, the best LEGO Star Wars sets to build, an upcoming LEGO Mario Kart set geared towards adults, and our recent LEGO River Steamboat in-house build.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Someone Turned LEGO Simba Into a Millennium Falcon and Provided Instructions
LEGO has released a lot of realy cool Disney and Star Wars sets over the years, but never has there been a crossover quite like this. A LEGO fan has decided to take the seemingly innocent young Simba set and turn it into a Millennium Falcon.
Reddit user Minute_Food_2881 (Brad Barber) took to Reddit last week to unveil his creation, which takes the fairly cheep LEGO Simba set and turns it into a Millennium Falcon. It’s a rather impressive build considering the Disney set he’s working with is only 222 pieces and costs less than $20. Although the finished set looks like some sort of sci-fi horror where flesh meets spacecraft, it is undeniably shaped like a Millennium Falcon and is priced incredibly reasonably compared to other Millennium Falcon LEGO sets (though the most recent one happens to be on sale right now for $67.99 at Amazon).
You can currently pick up the same set this guy used for only $15.99 on Amazon. He has also provided detailed instructions about how to build it yourself via the Rebrickable website for only $3. If you have a love for both Star Wars and The Lion King, now is your chance to combine those two things into something much worse.
New LEGO Star Wars Sets That Aren’t This
Outside of this weird creation, LEGO actually did release a bunch of new Star Wars sets this month for May the Fourth. While there were no Millenium Falcons in this lineup, there was a new Jango Fett ship, a Star Wars logo build, and several cool new helmet. You can find a list of all of the new Star Wars builds available below or dive into our larger list of new LEGO sets for May for all of the latest options.
The Coolest Figures and Collectibles Revealed for Star Wars Day 2025
A big part of the fun with Star Wars Day each year is seeing a new wave of toys and collectibles revealed by companies like Hasbro, Sideshow, and Hot Toys. This year’s event certainly didn’t disappoint, as we got glimpses of a wide range of upcoming products, ranging from less than $20 to over $1500. What can we say? Being a Star Wars collector is nothing if not an expensive hobby.
From Sideshow’s epic Luke Skywalker Red 5 statue to Hasbro’s nostalgia-heavy Episode III figures to Hot Toys’ mind-bogglingly detailed Jar Jar Binks figure, these were the coolest figures and collectibles revealed during Star Wars Day 2025.
Hot Toys’ Star Wars Figures
Hot Toys revealed quite the impressive lineup of 1:6 scale figures for Star Wars Day, including a couple of major characters who have surprisingly never gotten the Hot Toys treatment before now. The real surprise is definitely the Jar Jar Binks figure. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that this Jar Jar looks like he walked right off the screen. He’s even got seamless arm joints and two swappable face sculpts for recreating all those wacky poses.
Hot Toys is also filling a glaring hole in the Sequel Trilogy lineup by finally releasing a Poe Dameron figure. Fittingly, Poe is wearing his Resistance X-Wing jumpsuit. We’re also getting another of the fan-favorite Republic Commandos in the form of Clone Commando Boss, and the company’s new Star Wars Rebels-inspired line of animated figures is getting a Darth Vader to accompany the previously announced Stormtrooper figures.
Hasbro’s Star Wars Toys
Hasbro revealed a number of new figures in both the 6-inch Black Series line and 3 3/4-inch Vintage Collection line. Hasbro continues to capitalize on the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith by releasing new Black Series figures in packaging based on the classic RotS toy line. Next up are Aayla Secura and a Magnaguard droid. Black Series collectors can also augment their Imperial trooper collections with a Rogue One-themed 2-pack that includes both a Shoretrooper and a Death Trooper.
On the Vintage Collection front, Hasbro has a couple very interesting multi-pack releases in the works. The “Stormtroopers of the Empire 3-Pack” features a Snowtrooper, Scouttrooper and a Sandtrooper. The “Cantina Adventure 4-Pack” includes four aliens from the iconic Mos Eisley sequence, including Hammerhead, Walrus Man, Greedo, and Snaggletooth. It should go great with Hasbro’s crowdfunded Mos Eisley Cantina playset.
Finally, Star Wars prop collectors will be happy to know that a new ForceFX Elite lightsaber based on the weapon used by Rebels’ star Ezra Bridger is in the works.
Sideshow’s Star Wars Figures and Posters
Not to be outdone,. Sideshow Collectibles had a wide lineup of figures, statues, and art prints to reveal. Undoubtedly the showpiece of their Star Wars Day lineup is the Luke Skywalker: Red Five, Standing By Premium Format Figure. This massive 1:4 scale, mixed media statue features Luke decked out in his X-Wing jumpsuit and climbing up the ladder to his trusty ship. What really makes this piece special (and especially expensive) is that Sideshow went to the trouble of actually sculpting a portion of the X-Wing so that it hangs in mid-air.
Sideshow is also continuing to release 1:6 scale figures alongside distributing Hot Toys’ releases. Sideshow is focusing on its “Scum and Villainy” line, which highlights the many aliens and creatures that don’t necessarily receive attention from Hot Toys. The second wave of Scum and Villainy figures is focused on characters from Jabba’s Palace in Return of the Jedi, like Bib Fortuna, Klaatu, and Vizam.
Finally, Sideshow showed off the latest 1:10 statue from Iron Studios, which happens to be a shrunken-down version of their 1:4 scale Darth Vader statue. This Empire Strikes Back-inspired piece still looks mighty cool in the new, smaller scale.
Let us know in the comments below what your favorite Star Wars Day 2025 reveal was, and why it’s Hot Toys Jar Jar.
For more Star Wars collecting fun, check out our ultimate guide to Star Wars figures, and check out the many Star Wars Collectibles available on the IGN Store.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
Warwick Thornton’s Colonial Thriller ‘Wolfram: A Sequel to Sweet Country’ Boarded by Paradise City Sales Ahead of Cannes Market (EXCLUSIVE)
Paradise City Sales (formerly Memento International) has boarded Warwick Thornton’s “Wolfram: A Sequel to Sweet Country,” following his 2017 movie which won Venice’s special jury prize and Toronto’s Platform prize. Currently filming in Australia, around Alice Springs, “Wolfram” is a colonial thriller set in the 1930’s, four years after the events of “Sweet Country” and […]
Archstone Entertainment Nabs Worldwide Rights to Ron Perlman, Emma Roberts, Dennis Quaid Animated Fantasy ‘Saurus City’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Archstone Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to “Saurus City,” an animated feature from Suspended Animation Studios, 405 Productions Inc. and Bonfire Entertainment. The family-friendly adventure, blends cutting-edge 3D printing, handcrafted artistry and CGI. It also boasts an all-star voice cast including Ron Perlman (“Hellboy”), Emma Roberts (“We’re the Millers”), Dennis Quaid (“The Substance”), Tim Meadows […]
Devolver Digital Is Going Out of Its Way to Launch a New Game the Same Day as GTA 6
Rockstar Games has revealed that Grand Theft Auto 6’s release date is May 26, 2026, and indie game publisher Devolver Digital says it’s already making plans to be there with a new game of its own.
The company took a lighthearted shot at what is indisputably set up to be the biggest game launch of 2026 with a release date announcement of its own on X/Twitter. Now that GTA 6 has a proper release date, Devolver Digital has announced plans to release a mystery title on that same May 26 date. It’s a chaotic marketing strategy that Devolver Digital seems serious about following through on at least for now.
The mystery game’s release date arrives after the company previously made the promise to launch a game of its own when Rockstar finally announced its long-awaited GTA 6 release date. We now know that date to be May 26 of next year, so naturally, Devolver Digital has a message: “You can’t escape us.”
You can’t escape us.
May 26, 2026 it is then. https://t.co/eVa5bB1vrh
— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) May 2, 2025
Devolver Digital has an extensive library of smaller-scale titles such as Hotline Miami, Enter the Gungeon, The Messenger, Katana Zero, Cult of the Lamb, and more. Whether the company plans to release a follow-up to an existing series or something new entirely remains to be seen. Upcoming entries in its catalog of games include Baby Steps and Stick It to the Stickman, two projects that are due out before 2025 comes to an end. There’s also Enter the Gungeon 2 and Human Fall Flat 2, which are both expected to arrive sometime in 2026, though developer No Brakes Games has already assured fans that it has no intention of releasing the latter on May 26.
We can confirm that Human Fall Flat 2 will NOT be releasing on May 26, 2026 https://t.co/zl3GbjSmia
— Human Fall Flat (@HumanFallFlat) May 2, 2025
More than a year out from launch, GTA 6 is already positioned to be a juggernaut video game. It’ll be Rockstar’s first numbered entry in its critically acclaimed sandbox series since 2013, with many doing everything they can to ensure they’ll be able to play on day one. Devolver Digital is doing its best to get a slice of that pie in a very Devolver Digital way, but we’ll have to wait to see exactly how it will do so.
For more, you can read up on Rockstar’s history of delaying it big-budget releases. You can also learn more about how a game like GTA 6 affects more than just Rockstar’s plans by clicking here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).