Released after the Atari 2600 breadbox Lego with the Pac-Man slot machine now his next retro building set, which is primarily aimed at adults with fond memories – find out here whether (big) children also have something from the gluttonous Puck and the ghosts Blinky and Clyde chasing him in the non-electrified Lego version.
Test: Lego slot machine “Pac-Man”
“Pac-Man” from 1980 is probably the most popular arcade game of all time. Easy to play (escape through a labyrinth, when all the pills are eaten, continue) but also more and more difficult to complete from level to level.
The Lego set is impressively large (approx. 50 centimetres), but for understandable reasons only shows the upper half of the machine. The red joystick can be moved – a small consolation for the fact that this set cannot be controlled electronically, but at least mechanically, thanks to rubber inserts. The illuminated coin slot (no deposit required!) looks realistic. The large-format trio of Pac-Man, Blinky and Clyde on the roof of the machine can be removed and the chase is reversed at the push of a button: The little yellow one then, pumped up with steroids, chases the ghosts, it then goes from left to right, and Blinky and Clyde show their embarrassed blue faces (the back of the figure, so to speak).
This is where the biggest plus of the set comes into play. The cladding can be removed and a mechanism becomes visible; Gears in cooperation with rubber bands. The same applies to the actual slot machine, the rear view of which reveals a great machine wheel panorama, for non-technicians a ghost-in-the-machine effect worth seeing, which is very rare for Lego sets (and is more likely to be found in Robotics sets ). Basically a sympathetic suggestion: That old arcade boxes could be mechanically driven.
Four miniature ghosts – in addition to Blinky and Clyde, of course, Pinky and Inky – then chase Pac-Man through the maze. All characterizations (i.e. eyes) are prints, not stickers – fine. The maze itself is modeled after the original arcade twists. The remaining lives of Pac-Man as well as the level can be marked out manually. There is also a four-digit high-score display that can be changed using a small wheel.
Noteworthy is the – supple! – Character movement mechanics. All five figures plus the reward cherry rotate through the labyrinth in pre-determined paths using the crank, forwards or backwards depending on the direction of the crank. The appeal of the whole thing may wear off after two uses, but the slot machine is a presentation model. Incidentally, the slot machine in its entirety is available in miniature form as an add-on, i.e. with Lego figures and an arcade tower – similar to the 80s children’s room as a miniature, as was added to the Atari Lego set.
Conclusion: Around 270 euros is quite a chunk. But 270 euros for 2651 parts is generally fine, especially since many of the parts, such as Pac-Man or the add-on Lego figures, are not available separately in stores. For a pure exhibition piece, it also has a lot of play elements.
8/10
