Is the LEGO Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ (80013) a Good Investment Set?

4th October 2022

Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ is one of several Monkie Kid sets retiring at the end of 2022. With time running out to buy this set in stores, we review its investment potential to see if you should buy it if you're looking for a good investment.

The set

Monkie Kid is one of LEGO's newest themes, having only been around since 2020. It is inspired by Monkey King, the legendary mythical figure who is one of the main characters in the classic Chinese novel The Journey to the West, which is considered to be one of the greatest works of Asian literature. The theme was therefore designed to appeal to the eastern market, with the sets having some Asian influence and references.

Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ was released in the first wave of sets and at first glance it's a great looking model. It's also much larger than expected from the box art, being a colossal 26 studs wide, so there's a lot of space on the deck to manoeuvre the ship's crew around. However, there are some pinch points, such as the side passages, that are a squeeze for Monkie Kid and co. There's also a lot of obstacles for minifigures to navigate around as the build is packed with detail and texture, which makes for a very dense and interesting model. There are also some truly excellent play features, the best being a very well-hidden stud shooting cannon at the ship's bow. A downside is that the sticker count is scarily high, but for those well practiced in the art of applying them, there's not much to be worried about.

The eye-catching outside is only half the story, as the whole boat can be opened up to reveal a fully fleshed out interior with a variety of rooms. Each area is very separate and has its own purpose. Our favourite is Sandy and his menacing cats sleeping quarters, which has a homely and charming feel to it. There's even room inside the boat to store Monkie Kid's mech and one of the small accessory vehicles provided. Overall, this is a wonderfully imaginative set that is a lot of fun to build and play with.

The Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ retails for £149.99 / $169.99 / €169.99 and has a piece count of 1,959. This equates to a price per piece of 7.7p / 8.7c, which is a little pricey on the face of it, but there are many large parts that make up the build.

The Minifigures

Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ contains eight minifigures, all of which include some very nice and vibrant printing, especially Monkie Kid, Mei, and Pigsy. General Ironclad and his henchmen lack some identity as they have been given plain translucent red headpieces, so are going to be less desirable than the four protagonists. Each character has also been given an inventive weapon or accessory, which further enhances this set's playability. Our favourite minifigure is Mei, who has a beautiful dragon design on her torso and a nice hair piece with green highlights. Her Power Ranger-style helmet gives the impression that she is one of the most fearsome characters in the Monkie Kid world.

All the characters here are used across the Monkie Kid theme so only the Ironclad Henchman with Jet Pack is unique to this set. Therefore, as nice as they are, it's not expected that any will be worth a significant amount after this set retires.

Unique Parts

Due to the colourful and distinctive look of this set, it's no surprise that it contains a number of unique and rare pieces. This includes many of the parts used to make up the shipping containers and boat's hull. Having a large quantity of uncommon and useful parts can make the set attractive to collectors and builders, and thus push up its price after retirement. This is likely to be the case here.

Looking to the future

Being an unlicensed theme, there is less hype around LEGO Monkie Kid, particularly in the western world. However, it has produced some memorable sets that are well worth adding to your collection. Despite its lower popularity, Monkie Kid is one of the best performing themes in recent years in terms of the average increase in set value. This proves that it's not always the most talked about sets that are the most profitable. As Asia is a key growth market for LEGO, it's likely that the appeal of Monkie Kid will only increase as LEGO's presence in the continent inevitably grows.

Conclusion

Investment opportunity: GREAT

Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ is a very fun and interesting set that offers brilliant playability. The colourful design is very eye-catching and there is enough display value for this set to appeal to adult collectors. As an investment, what acts strongly in this sets favour, is that it's a flagship set of a highly creative and revered theme, that has produced several other great sets. The unusual part list also adds further to its investment potential.

The majority of Monkie Kid sets that have already retired now sell for considerably more than their original RRPs and we expect Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ to also perform very well.

Disclaimer: This article or any others on brickranker.com should not be considered financial advice and investing in LEGO is risky.

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