Manufacturer: LEGO
RRP: £17.99 / $19.99
Release Date: 26th December 2019
No. of pieces: 189
Build Time: 40 Minutes approx.
This Welcome to The Hidden Side (70427) ghost-hunting toy combines the open creative play of LEGO building toys with an app – so interaction with the model triggers events in the digital world.
Digitally interactive building toy for kids This Welcome to the Hidden Side model reveals a ghostly world when viewed through a smart device equipped with the free LEGO AR app.
Kids then get to hunt ghosts, battle the boss ghost Lady E and explore and solve mysteries, either alone or online with friends. And with 4 minifigures, there’s also room for imaginative role-play fun!
Welcome to the Hidden Side The LEGO Hidden Side universe is set in the fictional town of Newbury, where ghosts haunt people and buildings.
The first wave of Hidden Side sets (released in 2019) offered an exciting new theme for LEGO; much like Ninjago and Bionicle, Hidden Side has a story behind the play that extends beyond the box contents.
It was a theme that we really hoped would take off, as the potential is massive – not to mention the great characters, colours and interactivity. Thankfully, it did take off, and 2020 now sees the release of the hotly anticipated second wave of sets.
Kicking off our reviews for 2020 we have the Welcome To The Hidden Side [70427] set. This one features a creepy black tree with turquoise leaves and dripping black branches and vines that stand guard over the entry to Newbury Park Subway station. An eerie face is perched above the doorway and when you tilt the ramp at the back, spiders and a bat fall down on any unsuspecting victims below.
Build time was around 40 minutes and the face was particularly enjoyable to put together with the skeleton body, curved blades and teeth elements coming together to display the creepy features. The curved archway of the subway entrance looks really good with an eerie tunnel effect as you look through it.
We love how the symmetry of the set is off – just like the Hidden Side world itself; everything seems normal at first, until you look a little closer. The face section is situated just to the right of the centre of the set, and likewise with the top tree branch. The bright colours of the turquoise and the ghoulish light green, really pop against the black and greys.
You get a total of 4 minifigures in the set; Ghost-Hunter Jack, Axel Chops (possessed), Scrimper and Waylon.
As with other sets in the range, when used in conjunction with the Hidden Side app it unlocks a whole new level of play where your set features centre stage in a ghostly, augmented reality world. New for 2020 is a Muliplayer functionality to the app, allowing the user to take part in challenges with friends both online and locally.
With an RRP of £17.99, Welcome To The Hidden Side gives you more than your money’s worth – especially with the four minifigures. Normally in a set of this size and price you’d get 2, maybe 3 minifigures – and don’t forget you also get two spiders and a bat thrown in for the win.
If you are just getting started with Hidden Side, we can’t think of a better entry level set to begin with.
