A Mattel Mega original Xbox set appears to be heading our way, with a premature Amazon listing and a leaked manual combining to paint a detailed picture of what could be the most ambitious brick build Microsoft and Mattel have attempted together. The set has not been officially announced, but the leaks are specific enough to warrant a proper look.
What the leaks reveal about the Mattel Mega original Xbox set
The Amazon listing, which was pulled shortly after going live, revealed that the set will contain over 3,500 bricks, feature lights and sounds, include three playable dioramas, and weigh in at 8,400g with box. A price leak puts the set at $299.99. Someone caught a screenshot before the page disappeared, and that screenshot has been circulating ever since.
Then came the manual. A copy surfaced on Manuals.Plus, and it filled in the gaps considerably. The description attached to an unlinked image in that manual reads: ‘the fully assembled MEGA Microsoft Xbox console replica, showcasing its detailed design. The iconic Duke controller is positioned next to the console, and three miniature dioramas representing Psychonauts, Halo 2, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind are visible, designed to slot into the console.’
The Duke controller. The original Xbox’s enormous, polarising, absolutely iconic peripheral, rendered in bricks. If you ever wrapped your hands around one of those things in 2001, you will understand why that detail alone is enough to stop a person in their tracks.
Lights, sounds, and slotting dioramas
The manual describes three distinct interactive modes. Opening the console lid triggers the original Xbox boot sequence, complete with specific lights and sounds. Pressing buttons on the buildable Duke controller then activates one of four unique light-and-sound sequences, each tied to one of the embedded game dioramas. The dioramas themselves (Psychonauts, Halo 2, and Morrowind) slot directly into designated positions inside the assembled console body.
The assembly instructions that leaked alongside the description follow a logical sequence: unpack and verify components, build the main console replica, construct the Duke controller with its functional button mechanisms, assemble each of the three dioramas, slot them into the console, and finally install batteries (not included) for the electronics. It reads like a proper, considered build rather than a novelty spin-off.
There are also rumours that at least one minifigure from the set has already appeared on eBay, though that remains unconfirmed.
Context: Mattel has form here with Microsoft hardware
This would not be Mattel’s first Microsoft console in brick form. Retro Dodo covered the MEGA Showcase Microsoft Xbox 360 Collector Building Set, which originally carried an RRP of $149.99. That set, as listed by Walmart, contains 1,342 pieces, making the rumoured original Xbox set (at more than 3,500 pieces) considerably larger in scope and ambition. The Verge later reported the Xbox 360 building set available at Target for $99.99, giving some sense of how these sets move through their retail life cycle.
The jump from 1,342 pieces to over 3,500, and from $149.99 to a rumoured $299.99, tracks with the added complexity: interactive electronics, a Duke controller build, three fully realised game dioramas, and what appears to be a mechanically opening console lid. The Xbox 360 set was a replica; this sounds more like a playset.
Mattel have been building momentum on this Microsoft relationship steadily. The recently announced Halo Warthog set and the teaser trailer showcasing a broader collaboration with Microsoft suggest the original Xbox set, if confirmed, slots into a planned series rather than a one-off.
With a $299.99 price point and Christmas buying season on the horizon, an official announcement before the end of the year seems the logical next step for what the Mattel Mega original Xbox set could become.
