LEGO Cruella De Vil’s Car (43277) Review: A 101 Dalmatians Must-Have

StudSon has been a 101 Dalmatians kid since he was four years old. When the Cruella De Vil car set dropped, the conversation about whether to get it lasted about thirty seconds before I caved. 378 pieces, the iconic black and white car, features that actually work. Here is what I found out.

The Build Experience

This one was all StudSon. He built it start to finish without asking for help once, which tells you the instructions are solid and the difficulty is calibrated right for a builder with some experience behind them. He was done in one sitting, no complaints, no frustration. The finished car has doors that open, a roof that comes off, and a steering wheel inside that actually turns. It plays well. It looks good on the shelf. It sits next to the Speed Champions cars in his collection and holds its own, which is not a small thing for a Disney set.

StudDad’s Take

The build quality is solid. The design is faithful to the movie. Every feature you would expect from a vehicle set is present and working correctly. My issue is entirely with the price and I am not going to pretend otherwise. Disney licensing adds real cost to these sets and at $49.99 for 378 pieces you feel every bit of it. That is a lot of money for a set this size, and LEGO knows exactly what they are doing because parents of 101 Dalmatians kids are not walking away from it regardless. I respect the business decision. I do not enjoy being on the receiving end of it.

The sweet spot for this set is $40 or below. At $40 it is a fair buy. At $49.99 it is a Disney tax I would rather skip.

StudSon’s Take

I love this set so much. The car is exactly how it looks in the movie and the doors open and the roof comes off and the steering wheel turns. I built it completely by myself with no help from anyone and it took one afternoon. It lives in my room now on the shelf and I am not moving it ever. Cruella’s car is the coolest car in any movie and now I have it in LEGO form and that is amazing.

I give it 9 out of 10. It loses one point because I wished it came with more dalmatian puppies. There should be at least five puppies. Two is not enough puppies for a 101 Dalmatians set. That is my only complaint and it is a big one.

Should You Buy It?

Wait for 20% off. That brings it to about $40 and at $40 this is a straightforward yes for any Disney fan or anyone shopping for a 101 Dalmatians kid. We bought ours at that price during the holiday season and felt good about it. At $49.99 full MSRP, it only makes sense if this IP is genuinely meaningful to you or the person you are buying for. Put it on a price alert, check it before the holidays, and grab it when it dips. It goes on sale regularly enough that waiting is the right call.

Check Current Price on Amazon →