Everything you need to know about the LEGO® Mario Kart™ – Luigi & Mach 8

The world of Super Mario™ is filled with unforgettable characters, and one of these is Mario’s green-clad younger brother Luigi. 

He’s beloved by many and has appeared in LEGO® sets in the past. Now, Luigi fans can build him on a larger scale with the Mach 8 kart, based on an iconic vehicle from the game Mario Kart™ 8. 

So, as the LEGO® Mario Kart™ – Luigi & Mach 8 is ready to speed into your home and your LEGO set collection, we spoke to Imagine Rigney, a Model Designer at the LEGO Group, to tell us everything you need to know about this new set. 

3. 2. 1. Go!

Designing an iconic Mario Kart™ vehicle

We started off by asking Imagine how he got started as both a LEGO set designer and as a Mario Kart fan. 

As it turns out, both went right back to his childhood. 

“I grew up building with LEGO bricks and playing video games,” he said, and so we had to ask if one of those video games was Mario Kart. 

“I played a decent amount of Mario Kart™: Double Dash!! ™ as a kid,” he says. “I still think that's my favourite Mario Kart game.” 

And with all of that experience with the series, he was the perfect designer to work on the new LEGO® Mario Kart™ – Luigi & Mach 8 set. 

We asked where he started on the design process. 

“I viewed lots of official references and spent a lot of time trying to figure out the curves on the kart,” he says. “It's based on the Mach 8 from Mario Kart 8, which seemed like the kart that would best complement Luigi.”

Complement indeed. This set lets you recreate authentic details of the Mach 8 and place your creation on the display stand at a dynamic angle, as if it is in the middle of an epic Mario Kart race. 

But it isn’t all about display. You can also take your creation for a spin, using the steering wheel to turn left and right while the flame exhaust spins automatically as the Mach 8 moves. 

With so many moving parts (literally!), we asked Imagine what were the biggest challenges he faced during the design process. 

“I spent a lot of time trying to recreate the curves on the model, trying to get Luigi to fit in the Kart, which was harder than you might think!” he says. “You may also notice that when the set is sitting on its base, the wheels have a slight tilt to them that makes the Mach 8 even closer to it's in game reference.” 

But it wasn’t all about accuracy, this set is based on Mario Kart after all, and it has to be enjoyable. 

“And, of course, I tried my best to make it a fun building experience!” Imagine says, and it looks like he has succeeded.

A thrilling game that keeps on racing

For decades now, Mario Kart has been thrilling and entertaining people all over the world, and each new iteration of the game only ever picks up more and more fans. 

We asked Imagine why he felt like Mario Kart remains so beloved. 

“Really anyone can play it so it's a great game for you and your family or friends to just sit down and have fun with,” he says.  

And he believes that it is at just the perfect level of difficulty to invite new players in, but to keep it interesting for more experienced gamers too. 

“It's easy to play but hard to master,” he says.

Choose your player

We’re delighted to welcome Luigi and this iconic vehicle into our lineup of sets based on the worlds of Super Mario and Mario Kart, series that have been delighting fans for decades now. 

Since Imagine is an experienced Mario Kart player, we asked him why he thinks fans of the character and the Mario Kart series will love this new set. 

“What's not to love!” he says. “It's Luigi and the Mach 8. This set gives Luigi the spotlight he deserves.” 

We couldn’t agree more!