LEGO Super Mario Nintendo Entertainment System or LEGO Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block | Which makes the better LEGO investment?
Published: 6 months ago
Last Updated: 5 months ago
When it comes to LEGO investing, which makes the better LEGO investment between LEGO Super Mario Nintendo Entertainment System or LEGO Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block? We have looked at the 2 LEGO Mario sets from the Miscellaneous sub theme; LEGO Super Mario Nintendo System (71374) and LEGO Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block (71395), both of which are scheduled to retire this year; LEGO 71374 in December and LEGO 71395 even sooner at the end of July.
These potential LEGO investment sets are very different from the majority of LEGO Super Mario sets in style and approach, the big question for us is how will they fare as LEGO investments going forward.
Read Investabrick’s detailed analysis to see whether both, either or neither of these new LEGO sets you should add to your portfolio!
71374 LEGO Super Mario Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is a legendary gaming console that revolutionized the video game industry. Released in 1985 (how can it be that long ago!), it introduced millions to iconic games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. The NES brought arcade-quality gaming into homes, with its distinctive rectangular controller and grey-and-black design becoming instantly recognizable. LEGO pays tribute to this iconic system with a detailed brick-built replica, capturing the essence of the original NES console.
Set Details
The LEGO Super Mario Nintendo Entertainment System is a nostalgic tribute to the iconic gaming console of the 1980s. This exclusive set captures the essence of the original NES, complete with a brick-built console, controller, and Game Pak cartridge. We love that we can relive our childhood memories with realistic details like an opening slot for the Game Pak and a controller with a connecting cable. The set also includes a retro-styled TV with a flat 8-bit Mario figure on the screen, allowing you to scan an action brick with LEGO Mario (figure not included) for interactive gameplay. At Investabrick, we also like that there are only three large stickers and the small pieces are all printed, minimizing repetition and maximizing authenticity. The crank mechanism works smoothly, and the added Mario figure seamlessly interacts with the set, making it a great tribute to classic gaming.
LEGO 71374 Investment Potential
A stunning looking set with over 2,600 pieces and a price per brick of 10c, LEGO 71374 has been on retail sale for nearly 4 years and is scheduled to retire in December this year. A LEGO.com exclusive set with reproductions of the original console, controller, cartridge and a 1980s style TV this is sure to trigger some nostalgic memories amongst Nintendo fans but is it a set to add to your LEGO investment portfolio?
71395 LEGO Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block
The Nintendo Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block is an iconic symbol from the beloved video game franchise. Appearing throughout the Super Mario 64 game, these blocks hold various power-ups, coins, or surprises for Mario as he navigates the game's levels. Players eagerly anticipate hitting these blocks to uncover their hidden treasures, adding an element of mystery and excitement to the gameplay. This LEGO set faithfully recreates the iconic block, it's a fun addition to any LEGO Mario collection, allowing fans to bring a piece of the Mushroom Kingdom into the real world.
Set Details
The LEGO Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block is a great 2,064-piece set that brings the iconic video game to life. This block opens up to reveal instantly recognizable levels from Super Mario 64, including Peach’s Castle, Bob-omb Battlefield, Cool, Cool Mountain, and Lethal Lava Trouble. Inside are 10 microfigures of beloved characters like Mario, Yoshi, Princess Peach, and King Bob-omb, alongside Chain Chomp, Big Bully, Mr. I, Lakitu, and penguin figures. We think the attention to detail is fab, capturing the essence of the Mario 64 environments like we didn’t expect. The sets hidden secrets add an extra layer of excitement and value, making it a must-have for fans. Plus, for those who own a LEGO Luigi or Mario, there's an added secret challenge and bonus content to discover, adding even more fun to the experience.
LEGO 71395 Investment Potential
An amazing build and some stunning details from the iconic Nintendo game series, this is sure to appeal to fans of LEGO and Super Mario alike. LEGO 71395 was launched at the start of 2022, has always been a LEGO.com exclusive and is expected to retire in a few months time at the end of July. It comes with just over 2,000 pieces at a price per brick of 10c.
So, should you be looking add Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block to your LEGO investment collection?
LEGO Super Mario Theme Analysis
Here’s the big elephant in the room when considering these two sets as potential LEGO investments. The LEGO Super Mario theme track record is not the best and that’s being polite! LEGO Super Mario theme was launched 5 years ago in 2020 and the retired sets are currently showing an average annualised loss of 5% a year when you exclude the Character Packs. So clearly, buying LEGO Super Mario sets blind is a very bad idea. That said, we want to look to see if there are any sets that buck the trend and would indicate that it is possible to find sets that could prove to be good LEGO investments.
One thing to consider is that the majority of the Super Mario LEGO sets are smaller sets, aimed at the younger end of the market to build and play, many are expansion models with very few standalone models. And these 2 sets are very clearly higher priced, standalone models that are quite different to the majority of the theme, to the point where it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see them as LEGO Icons or LEGO Ideas models.
One area of LEGO Super Mario that has proved very popular is the character packs (which are now onto series 6) and enforces the popularity of the theme for us and gives us some encouragement that there will be successful LEGO investments within the LEGO Super Mario theme.
Within the LEGO Super Mario miscellaneous sub-theme sadly there are no retired sets to use as comparators as we think these would be the best guide. It may well be that these 2 sets are the ones
that give a better insight into future sets such as LEGO The Mighty Bowser (71411) and LEGO Piranha Plant (71426) which are the later releases within the sub-theme.
Likewise, when looking at comparable sets elsewhere we think of the LEGO Atari 2600 (10306) and LEGO PAC-MAN Arcade (10323) both of which may give us a decent steer but are again still available at retail sale.
Conclusion
These 2 LEGO Super Mario sets are so different in many ways but appear very similar from a LEGO investment perspective and are sure to split opinion amongst LEGO investors.
LEGO collectors are sure to love the nostalgic appeal from Nintendo Super Mario and the focus on retro gaming, the build quality and details are superb.
Both sets tick the boxes of retiring soon and having been LEGO.com exclusive sets, with strong demand and relatively limited supply and minimal discounting. The obvious box they don’t tick is the historical performance of the theme and it is on the importance of this where the decision hinges.
We are projecting future growth of both sets of 10% or close to, but wouldn’t be surprised to see them both well outperform that once becoming retired LEGO, but there is a degree of risk to them as an investment because of the LEGO Super Mario theme historic performance. If these sets were in LEGO Ideas or LEGO Icons and everything else the same, we would be seeing them as must buy investments!
If you are going to add one or both to your collection (or to build and/or display), keep an eye out for the next LEGO Insiders event, likely to be a double points weekend, potentially at the start of June 2024, we’ll bring you confirmed dates as soon as we have them at Investabrick but this will be the best value way to buy LEGO 71374 and/or LEGO 71395.
