In the last of my Hallowe’en builds (for this year, at least), I always build 75904 Mystery Mansion. Like 75902, it’s not really a Hallowe’en set, but it has enough spooky things in it that I figure that it counts.

I love this set mostly because it provides the Daphne and Velma minifigures, so between that at 75902 you get the whole cast. I’m not as excited about the build…..well, I am about some of the build.

First, the minifigures – I love that I was able to get all the characters from just two sets.

Shaggy is the same as 75902, while Daphne and Velma have suitably frightened expressions for their alternates.

The really fun minifigures in this set are the villains: a ghost: a knight, and a vampire. I’ve gotten lucky again with the vampire’s cape; it survived the move with no major creases or folds.

Note how the “expression” on the knight is just a pair of yellow eyes, the ghost doesn’t have anything at all.

However, all three villains have an alternate face that show that all of them are wearing masks. I love this level of detail!

The Mystery Machine is the main mode of transportation, but sometimes a motorcycle with side car is used as well (I think this was for Shaggy and Scooby, but not sure). Anyway, even though there are no stickers, the colouring alone shows that it belongs to Scooby and the gang.

The Mystery Mansion is made up of three sections. The first that’s built is the greenhouse, that has some realistic details, including some broken windows.

I particularly love the jack-o-lantern piece. I don’t remember being used in many other sets, and I don’t know why it hasn’t been used many other fall seasonal sets.

The inside of the greenhouse is dominated by an Audrey-like Venus flytrap plant, which looks like it’s had plenty to eat based on the bone on the floor.

The other side of the mansion is dedicated to a kitchen, though you can’t tell that from the outside. Similar to the greenhouse, the exterior details are fantastic.

The kitchen comes with quite a bit of detail, though I have to say I find the freshly made sandwich to be quite incongruous with the surroundings. I’m not sure I would eat anything from there!

The upper floor includes a safe with some gold bars inside – I wonder if that’s the Mystery?

I think both of these sections of the set are fantastic. I’m not quite as impressed with the centre tower of the set.

Again, I think the exterior details are fantastic. I love the columns that are askew around the front door and how the overhead hanging is also crooked. Broken windows and window dressings that are crooked are used to good effect.

The upper section of the tower is also impressive. It’s dominated by the large clock. I really like how the mechanism that causes the clock hand to spin also rotates the platform with the bat (and ultimately, also the vampire, as if to show the bat turns into the vampire, and vice versa).

It’s the back of the model where I have more issues.

I like the casket on the upper floor, and of course the next level down is taken up by the rotating function with the bat/vampire. But the lowest two floors is taken up by a moving function where a large spiked pendulum swings from the upper floor to the lower floor.

While I think the function is fine, I would much rather have had the space inside the mansion to be used for more scene-setting. As it is, the key that’s hidden under the floor is pretty much an afterthought.

I was lucky with this set as well – no broken brown pieces, and nothing really creaked. I wonder if by this time LEGO had started to solve the issue of the brittle brown pieces.

I do enjoy rebuilding this set every year – it doesn’t take long, and the multiple panel pieces used for walls certainly helps cut down on the time. I kept this set because it was part of the Scooby-Doo theme, and not necessarily because of the build. It’s a fun house, but it’s no 10228.