For toy enthusiasts in Taiwan, "gashapon toys" are surely a familiar sight. Insert a coin, turn the handle, and little bundles of joy will roll out one by one, making you either scream with delight or immediately go for another turn. I'm sure there are more than a few collectors so obsessed with gashapon that they have a machine right in their own homes. However, today we're bringing you a LEGO version that you can build from scratch: the "Minifigure Vending Machine"!
▼ The front of the LEGO "21358 Minifigure Vending Machine" box features a black and gradient dark blue background. Besides the vending machine model, it also shows the contents of one of the capsules opened up for you to see.
▼ The retro-style "Vending Machine" lettering truly evokes the feeling of stepping back into a 90s arcade or an American general store. This is also the 66th set in the LEGO Ideas series.
▼ The back of the box showcases the play features, lifestyle photos, and more of the minifigures inside the capsules.
▼ Assembled dimensions: approximately 17 cm long and 28 cm high, about the height of a 12-inch action figure.
▼ On the top are the little toys inside this gashapon machine: 16 awesome LEGO minifigures!
▼ Let's hurry and open it up to see the contents! The 1343 pieces include 11 numbered bags of parts and two extra bags for the plastic capsule shells.
▼ One instruction booklet, and this time, no stickers.
Flipping it open, we find an introduction to the original fan designer of this set, Belgian LEGO fan Rob Vangansewinkel. Rob, under the username Goosestore, submitted his design for the "MINIFIGURE PRIZE MACHINE" on the LEGO IDEAS platform, and it was successfully commercialized after receiving 10,000 votes of support.
It mentions that Rob has loved LEGO since childhood, with his greatest interest being the Space theme. However, like most toy enthusiasts, his playtime gradually decreased with age. It was only after taking his son to LEGOLAND in Denmark a few years ago that he rediscovered his passion for building with LEGO.
▼ This section introduces the history of vintage gumball machines and ends with a charming question: What would be the most suitable little prize to put inside a LEGO gashapon machine? It can't help but make us think about what kind of small toys we could put inside.
▼ Another major selling point of this set is the specially designed minifigures from the LEGO company, which we'll take a closer look at later.
The inspiration for this product comes from a vintage gumball machine that was at Rob's parents' house during his childhood. He thought, "It would be cool to make a LEGO version of a gashapon machine with LEGO minifigures inside." Initially, he designed the model digitally, but to ensure that this gashapon machine, filled with individual minifigures, would actually work, Rob began building with physical bricks. He went through at least 20 different versions, even disassembling a real gumball machine to study its internal structure, and finally completed a mechanism that could smoothly dispense a capsule with the turn of a handle.
And the official LEGO version takes it a step further by incorporating a "coin-operated" feature! During assembly, you can truly feel just how ingenious and complex this mechanism, which must connect all the moving parts, really is. Absolutely amazing!
▼ The first step is to put the minifigures into the capsules. For this editor, who subconsciously assembles any minifigure parts on sight, this step alone was a completely different experience.
▼ Alright, let's start the fun!
▼ Finished! First, let's take a look at the gashapon machine from all angles~
▼ The predominantly red exterior is very sleek. To replicate the 90s retro machine as closely as possible, the studs have been largely covered up, using a large number of flat tiles.
▼ The top lid is very easy to remove, making it a breeze to refill the capsules! Seeing so many capsules inside the machine is incredibly satisfying, and the transparent visual effect is beautiful.
▼ Now let's get a capsule! The first step is to insert a coin~ Just placing it in like on the left isn't enough; you have to push the coin in to activate the mechanism for a smooth turn.
▼ The secret to the mechanism that "allows the machine to turn smoothly when a coin is inserted, but jams without one" is revealed in the image below! LEGO created a special rotating wheel with a slot. If there's no LEGO coin in the slot, a blue plate-like piece from the machine will block the side of the slot, preventing it from moving (as shown in the upper red circle in the picture below). Only after inserting a coin can it push the plate-like piece, allowing the wheel to turn smoothly (as shown in the lower red circle). This mechanism is just brilliant!
▼ OK~ Let's turn the handle~
▼ The handle and the device inside that drives the capsule shells are connected by a yellow Technic piece.
▼ A capsule, it's out! Looks like this one is a soldier from the Castle series' Krakens faction~
▼ The coin drops out from an opening on the side. A gashapon machine that gives you a prize and your coin back—how generous!
▼ Let's take a look at the internal track.
▼ Actually, even at this stage of the build, the capsules can already roll out smoothly. Even in its unfinished state, this editor rolled it repeatedly. It's super fun.
▼ The curved part design that allows the capsules to roll out smoothly.
Next, let's look at the minifigures! The lineup of 16 minifigures this time can be said to be a very generous offering. The 8 figures in the picture below pay homage to characters from the in-house Space and Castle series. On the Castle side, we seem to have soldiers from the Griffins and Krakens factions.
▼ The golden Classic Spaceman is truly awesome! It feels like you won't be able to get it if you don't buy this set.
▼ Even for characters of the same type, there are variations in their expressions and accessories.
▼ The other 8 figures, from left to right, are a resort-style Paradisa minifigure, a character from the Pirates series, the original fan designer Rob Vangansewinkel, a designer wearing a LEGO IDEAS logo outfit, and a character in a Fabuland animal costume.
▼ The most meaningful one is the designer himself, holding a mini gashapon machine made of just a few parts—it's fantastic, so very LEGO! And the LEGO IDEAS designer is also very appealing.
▼ The capsule shells, made with new parts, come in two color schemes: yellow and blue.
LEGO 21358 "Minifigure Vending Machine" Review Summary:
While building this LEGO set, thoughts like "This is it! This is the one!" and "If I could only buy one LEGO set so far this year, it would absolutely be this one" kept popping into this editor's mind. Beyond the charming retro-sleek design, the incredibly clever mechanical engineering, and the stunning minifigure lineup, the medium size that's easy to display after building and the endlessly replayable experience of being able to swap out the contents of the capsules are just fantastic! The thought that many of these minifigures might be exclusive versions only found in this set makes it impossible to pass up. And besides, who doesn't love an incredibly fun model like a gashapon machine?
LEGO 21358 "Minifigure Vending Machine"
Recommended Retail Price: NT$6,099, Total Parts: 1343 pieces, Available Now
