Official LEGO® image · © LEGO Group and/or the respective rights holders. Source: LEGO Italy ↗

Super Mario · SET 72051

Donkey Kong™ Arcade

A Donkey Kong level becomes a little brick-built arcade machine. Alongside the scaffolding, you assemble controls and the barrel route; the appeal lies in seeing how movement travels through the model.

Pieces: 1,367
Release year: 2026
Theme: Super Mario
Set number: 72051
LEGO recommended age: 18+
LEGO retail price · Italy: 169.99 €

View on LEGO Italy Official building instructions

Available at LEGO Italy when checked on 28 October 2026. Availability can change. Check the store for the latest information.

Retail price reported by the LEGO source for the stated market. Check the store for current price and availability; this does not establish the launch price. LEGO ↗ · Reference checked on 28 October 2026

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Official English name verified at: LEGO English catalogue ↗ · Checked on 28 October 2026.

A note on the piece count

The LEGO Italy product page lists 1,367 pieces, while the instruction service reports 1,371. We use the product-page count, checked on 28 October 2026.

TIME TO BUILD

How long does it take to build Donkey Kong™ Arcade?

Individual build

A starting point for planning your build. Times for each experience level are editorial estimates, not measurements submitted by HowLongToBuild users.

Model-based editorial estimate

Beginner

≈ 7 hSuggested range4 h 30 min – 10 h 45 min

Intermediate

≈ 4 h 45 minSuggested range3 h – 7 h 15 min

Experienced

≈ 3 h 15 minSuggested range2 h – 5 h

Based on one person building the set for the first time, following the original instructions and using numbered bags where supplied. Includes normal piece-finding and minor adjustments; excludes long breaks, filming, dismantling and modifications. Sources may use different methods. This range is neither a statistical interval nor a limit: your build may take less or more time.

How we estimate times · sources and method

Barrel mechanisms, controls and functional checks require more attention than the piece count alone suggests.

Sources do not always specify the builder’s experience. The three experience bands are our editorial assessment, based on the complexity of the set and individual accounts where available.

LEGO · model data and features ↗
Official model evidence for an editorial estimate, not a recorded time.

Checked: 28 October 2026 · Method v1.0 · Limited reports; not a statistical average.

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MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR NEXT BUILD

How much display space does it need?

Assembled-model dimensions are not yet documented for this set. Box dimensions cannot tell you how much display space it needs.

BEYOND THE BRICKS

Did you know?

The model, the history, the ideas

Inside the set

Barrels on a loop

A lever releases the barrels and a mechanism recirculates them. The set includes 21 barrels.

LEGO source

From joystick to jump

A joystick moves Jumpman and a button makes him jump. Donkey Kong and Lady complete the arcade scene.

LEGO source

Beyond the set

The stories, places and inventions behind your build.

When he was Jumpman

The cabinet’s carpenter.

Read the full story

Shigeru Miyamoto’s original Donkey Kong hero was Jumpman, a carpenter rescuing his girlfriend, before being renamed Mario. The arcade cabinet recalls an early stage of his identity, when his occupation connected directly to the game’s setting, before the later adventures associated with the plumber.

Nintendo · official history

The 1981 construction site

Barrels, hammers and versions.

Read the full story

Donkey Kong reached arcades in 1981, challenging players to climb a construction site towards Lady while using a hammer against barrels and fire. Nintendo’s Arcade Archives description preserves early, later and international versions, showing that even a familiar classic can have several historical editions.

Nintendo · Donkey Kong

Expanded stories updated on 29 October 2026

Written by HowLongToBuild · Sources are linked with each story · Checked on 28 October 2026. Historical facts and story details refer to the context described.

THE COMMUNITY’S EXPERIENCE

What was it like to build?

Three separate scores from 1 to 10. For difficulty, 1 means very easy and 10 means very difficult.

No approved ratings yet. Scores are never generated by this site or inferred from the recommended age.

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Building tips from the community

Specific steps, useful checks and sticking points. Contributions appear after moderation, in their original language. Do not upload instruction pages or personal contact details.

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SET THE MOOD

A soundtrack for your build

· Selected for the subject and atmosphere

Hazy electronic textures suggest imagined landscapes and memories. This suits world-building and atmosphere rather than merely matching any model containing circuitry.

OUR PICK

Music Has the Right to Children

Boards of Canada

Rhythmic and lively

Spotify ↗Apple Music ↗

Your listening moodChoose a different soundtrack

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