Set Review - #10307-1: Eiffel Tower - Icons (and a light kit!)

Full disclosure… I’ve had this set for a long time… like a few years. It took a long time for me to finally start building, then to finish building, and then to add a light kit. So this review is long overdue, but the good part is this set is still available if you are interested in purchasing it. If you’ve read the blog or followed it, you’ll know that i spent some time living in Europe. I had a trip planned for Paris, but sadly, this pandemic shut down the borders and I never made it there. I did however pick up set number 10307-1: Eiffel Tower a few years ago. This set was released on 25 November 2022. It contains 10,001 pieces (the additional piece above 10,000 is the brick separator. This set retails for $629.99 which works out to $0.063 per piece which isn’t too bad. I picked this one up a few years ago when LEGO ran a sale on it around Black Friday. I used some Insider Points as well so in the end I think I paid like $200 out of pocket. There was a GWP so even better. I don’t think I could have swallowed the $630 in one chunk so I’m glad I scored it when I did and that I had the points to help.

The box is huge. The set come in it’s own box and I had it shipped so the box was in another box. Here are the various sides of the box.

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Here’s the top and then when you open the first flap, the next flap has a quote from Mr. Eiffel along with his picture.

Inside the box are three numbered boxes that fit together to form the Eiffel Tower as a picture. The other cool part is that you assemble the sections of the tower on each box using the parts in those boxes. So box one builds the base and the four legs. It’s not an exact match, but it’s pretty close.

The set comes with 74 numbered bags, a few bags without numbers, some parts not in bags, and then three instruction books (one in each box). Below are the contents of each of the three boxes.

Contents of Box 1

Contents of Box 2

Contents of Box 3

With 74 bags, I decided it best not to go through each bag. If you want a full up review that goes step by step, you will have to look elsewhere. Sorry.

The builds starts with the base of the tower. This is created with Technic pieces and system parts. The first picture is from bags five and six. You can see the four spots where each of the legs of the tower will connect and then the center section which will become the area where there will be trees, lights, and benches. Of note, throughout this build, there are multiple bags for each instruction section. I’m not sure why they didn’t just number it step five and have two bags numbered five, but it works.

Bags 17 and 18 show a finished off center section and then they start to form the base of the tower in each of the corners. While the majority of the build from here on out is with gray pieces, it was nice that they used a few other colors so you can tell different corners apart.

By bag 28, you finish all four legs and you connect them with an initial frame. The legs are all built in a similar fashion and you use various gray pieces to build the internal frame of each leg. The frame does not actually provide any structural support. It’s just there for looks.

By bag 32, you add more of the detail of the structure connecting each of the legs. I like how they came up with the curved section by using flex tube and then different pieces connected to the frame at different lengths.

Bag 50 finishes up the next level and the next section of the tower. Each of the sections are similar to the legs using various parts to make the framework that doesn’t actually provide structure.

Bags 62 and 63 finish another section of the tower. In the center are little elevators. This section goes on top of the section from bag 50.

There is another level on top of the previous level. Then there’s the top. Bag 73 and then 74 build the very top (as seen in the next two pictures). It was great to have color at the very end with the flag at the top after all that dark gray.

Here’s the final build. It looks incredible and it’s so tall! I enjoyed the build although it was spread out over quite a bit of time. There are a lot of repetitive sections and you build with a lot of dark gray so that can be a turnoff for many. Also, once you are done, you need to have a place to put this. It won’t just fit on a small shelf or table in the corner. It takes up some space!

Getting this set with the discount and Insider points helped. I’m not sure I would have picked this up without a substantial discount and GWP.

What are your thoughts? Too gray? Great model of a landmark? Too expensive? Fun build?

When I bought this set, Light My Bricks had a light kit for this set on sale for about half off. I forget the total price. It originally was $260 and I think I got it for $130, plus they threw in some extra lights. (Note I purchased the 1.0 kit, not the 2.0 kit). I have reviewed a light kit before from a different brand and that one wasn’t too bad to install. This one was a beast! Besides all of the very small wires and connections, it was a challenge to thread all of the wires into the right places and to follow the instructions of what to remove and where to hook things. I definitely made incorrect connections along the way. The 1.0 kit starts with lighting up the base of the tower with little lights on many of the small lamps (you remove a bunch from the original build). This part took a very long time for me to get right. I ended up breaking a few pieces and had to ask Light My Bricks how to purchase replacement pieces. They were kind and send me new pieces for free. Once I got the base complete, you start to light up the legs of the tower. This uses some thicker strands of LEDs that make the set look awkward in the day time. At night and in the dark, you can’t tell and the lights look great. You also add in some RGB strips for color at each of the levels of the tower. I installed a few wrong so the colors aren’t all synchronized like they should be. Finally, at the very top, I followed the instructions and the two white lights don’t come on. At this point, I’m done messing with it so it will stay dark at the top in white mode, but will look great in color mode. Here are two pictures below of the lights. The white looks great (except for the very top) and the color is a cool function with the ability to set different levels at different colors or to have it continuously change color.

After this experience, I don’t think I will do another light kit. While the end product looks cool, it was too stressful for me to build. I enjoy assembling LEGO sets, but adding in the light kit was more frustration than it was worth. Light My Bricks has a 2.0 series out now which they claim is better. The instructions are supposedly better and it’s designed to show less wires. Has anyone tried them out?

Happy building!

Set Review - #10350-1: Tudor Corner - Modular Buildings - Icons - 1

WOOHOO! Another modular building to add to the lineup. This one is #10350-1: Tudor Corner and it was released at the start of the year on 1 January 2025. It contains 3,266 pieces and retails for $229.99. This works out to $0.070 per piece which isn’t too bad.

The front of the box shows the set built from the outside with the Icons logo and greebling along with the Tudor Corner name. The back shows the set near the other recent modulars and some of the details. These include #10312-1: Jazz Club and #10326-1: Natural History Museum.

The set contains 20 numbered parts bags with each number having one bag. There is one bag without a number that contains some larger plates. The instruction book is in paper packaging and the baseplate is in a paperboard envelope.

Bag one assembles the base. Like most modulars, this step is a lot of tiles. You add a few pieces of the walls as well as the Technic pins to attach this modular to other modulars. This bag contains a female minifigure with an umbrella and a hat.

Bag two adds a lot of the flooring tiles and plates for the inside of the structure. You also build up some of the walls around what will become the bathroom and install the toilet with some toilet paper. The toilet appears to have been flushed which is a good start. No brown plates or tiles inside.

Bag three adds the haberdashery where various articles of cloth and materials are sold along with some hats. There is also a mannequin figure inside. It’s a full minifigure, but the face is blank. This section comes with a male minifigure who you can have work there. I built this set with my kiddos and we found that the desk in the back of the store is a bit tall. You either need to add a brick for the minifigure to stand on or lower the desk so he can see over it. Behind the haberdashery is a very small kitchen for the Old Guarded Inn (I can call it a pub. LEGO can’t). The kitchen is very small. A minifigure has no chance of bending over or getting to anything, but somehow they can manage I guess.

Bag four builds up the walls and adds the bar area of the pub with some food details, drinks, and barstools. The barstools are tiles instead of plates so a minifigure can sit on it, but will fall off if you hit the building too hard. You can easily switch the parts out for plates on your own, but a missed opportunity for playability there.

Bag five adds to the walls and adds in some stairs to the next level above the small bathroom.

Bag six just about tops off the walls, adds a front to the haberdashery, and starts the angled wall for the pub. This bag adds a minifigure to be the server for the Inn.

Bag seven adds a section of the wall for the pub. This section is on an angle and you use some clever techniques to keep the the angle while still staying within the tolerances for LEGO. I like the use of the dark green coloring with the black and the gold.

Had I remembered to take a picture of what bag eight did, I would be able to tell you that it adds a curve on the outer wall of the Inn with some printed tiles for the menu and specials. Then it adds another window and wall section for the front of the Inn.

Bag nine finishes the first floor. There are tiles with a few jumper plates added in around the tops of the walls for the connection to the next floor. Railings are added to the stairway. Also, a small gold fence is added above the pub with some plants. Additionally, some red awnings are added over the windows of the Inn.

Bag 10 builds the base for the second floor, adds in some tiles, a few wall parts, and a male minifigure with a big moustache.

Bag 11 adds some of the walls and the stairwell to the next level.

Bag 12 starts to assemble the clock makers shop. Along with the minifigure, you add a desk and start assembling various types of clocks. It’s pretty impressive the number of different designs of clocks they came up with to put in the shop. You also add more to the wall and build a window.

Bag 13 proves you can build as many LEGO clocks as you want. I was impressed to see that the clock designs just kept coming. You also add to the walls and outer decor which are all great, but the clocks are what stood out to me.

Bag 14 finishes up the floor with the rest of the walls and windows, plant life, and tiles on top so you can easily add and remove the next floor. I took this picture with level two on top of level one and I really like how the first floor has the added angle above the inn which is not continued on the second floor.

Bag 15 builds the base of the third floor and starts the Tudor style as you can see in the front of the picture with the angled pieces. The build isn’t that challenging, but it’s a good use of slopes and SNOT pieces to achieve this effect.

Bag 16 starts to build some of the walls and some of the interior to include items for the cats that live there.

Bag 17 adds more to the Tudor style walls and a window. You also get a minifigure that lives there with the cats.

Bag 18 finishes the floor with some additional details to include a book shelf, a rug, and a plant. You finish up the walls and add tiles to make sure the roof can be added easily.

Bag 19 adds the red sloped roofing. While not challenging to assemble, the dark red is a great contrast with the rest of the building and the use of angle pieces lines up well with the design.

Bag 20 finishes the set. You put a roof on the building which comes with a chimney sweep. You also add a chimney which the instructions say was left on after a building renovation for aesthetic purposes, but doesn’t actually connect to anything below.

Additionally, you add a bicycle with a cart in the front for transporting cats (I guess).

There’s a cool printed tile to use for a clock out front of the set that is added on.

Finally, you add a small chain fence in the front which the instructions say are also historical.

Here are some final pictures of the set. It was a great build and it was fun to see something different in the modular building lineup. You get some good pieces and the minifigure selection isn’t too bad. I still wish the price was lower, but I’m not sure there’s much we can do about that these days. I purchased when there was a double Insiders points event along with a GWP so that lessened the blow somewhat.

My downside for the set… I thought the little notes in the instructions got old. I understand LEGO is trying to create storylines within the modular building theme, but some of the references were a little corny. I say just keep the story to yourself so we can focus on the build.

What are your thoughts on this one?

Happy building!

Set Review - #10355-1: Blacktron Renegade - Icons

I was pumped when #10497-1: Galaxy Explorer came out and I was equally stoked to see #10355-1: Blacktron Renegade show up as a companion Classic Space vehicle. This one was released on 1 January 2025 and retails for $99.99. It contains 1,151 pieces which works out to $0.087 per piece. This isn’t too bad. This one is set to retire at the end of this year, but was recently on discount for LEGO Insider Days so it will potentially be on sale again at LEGO or at other retailers.

The front of the box shows the full built set with the old Blacktron logo. The bottom has the greebled Icons look. The back shows some of the play features, the size, and how you can build other models with the pieces using instructions that can be found online using the Builders App.

The box contains eight numbered parts bags. Not sure why they are so big, but sure… There are two instruction booklets. It’s set up so you can build with another person. One builder can build the ship while the other builds the ground rover and the crew compartment of the ship.

Bag one builds the ground rover vehicle. It has four wheels, a crew compartment with a trans-yellow cover, holders for a camera and metal detector and then storage space. This bag comes with a minifigure and robot. It’s a pretty simple build, but I think it looks good and fits in line with the classic Blacktron style.

Bag two builds a crew compartment that resembles that compartment from #40580-1: Blacktron Cruiser GWP. This one carries two minifigures and the fold out wings on the sides are a smaller than the Blacktron Cruiser. The front uses a printed triangle with clips instead of a solid sloped piece like the Cruiser uses. The only challenge I had with this section was assembling the laser in front. I’m not sure if I did it wrong or if the instructions didn’t explain it well, but I couldn’t get the yellow 1x1 round plates to fit into the section of the camera that was stated. The camera still fits, but it’s not as sturdy as it could be since I didn’t get this section right.

Bag three assembles the main frame of the ship. Technic pieces hold together the two sides and the rest is a mixture of plates and bricks. You also add in the landing gear which are the same as the recent Galaxy Explorer. I found these a bit hard to access when swooshing it around, but it’s not a major issue.

Bag four adds more detail and structure to the frame.

Bags five and six add additional plates to keep the build sturdy along with some other parts to add to the aesthetics. The front has clips to add or remove sections of the ship as desired.

Bag six adds the drop-ship capability to clamp onto or drop off the ground vehicle. You install a Technic mechanism where you move it to one side or the other and it releases the clamps that hold the vehicle. It’s pretty simple, but gets the job done and is a fun play feature.

Bag seven adds some rocket motors. These can be added or removed in the same way the other sections clip onto the main frame of the ship in the front.

Bag eight finishes the model. You add in some small ships that clip onto the main frame in the symbol of Blacktron, a communications section in the front, and some power packs that don’t stay on if you swoosh the ship at too much of an angle. The instructions throughout the build guide you through what you are building and explain what they are as they aren’t 100% obvious when looking at them.

Overall, I enjoyed the build and I think the end product looks great. Growing up as a LEGO Space fan, I was easily suckered into buying this set. My kiddos had fun playing with all the functions, but at $100, it’s not exactly in the kiddo price range. It was recently on sale for Insiders Day and we’ll see if it is on sale again before it retires. If you’re not a Space fan, it might not be the best to get unless you’re looking for pieces like the trans-yellow canopy pieces.

I look forward to re-building some of my other space sets and getting a few space scene pictures for the blog in the future. In the meantime, happy building!

Set Review - #10331-1: Kingfisher - Icons

We’ve had a number of Botanicals sets and this one seems to be a test into a line of nature themed sets. #10331-1: Kingfisher was released on 1 February 2024 in the US for $49.99. It contains 834 pieces which works out to $0.06 per piece. The set has a base and then shows a Kingfisher leaping back out of the water with a fish in its mouth. In the background are a few cat tails. It’ll be interesting to see if this set spurs further nature sets or not. Another point to note is that this set is at a much lower price point than many of the multi-hundred dollar sets designed for adults. I was able to get it on sale for $40 so it’s great to see options at lower price points that still have a good build experience and are geared towards adults.

The box shows the front of the set on the front and then the other side of the set on the back. The back also has a picture of it on display and then a computer drawing of it with dimensions.

The set contains six numbered parts bags and an instruction booklet.

Bag one starts to build the base using some Technic pieces mixed with bricks to get the round shape on the base. It’s slightly repetitive, but not too bad as you just have to repeat each half and then 4 of the sides of the circle (if you can say a circle has sides).

The second bag adds in some clear and translucent plates to get the water and then the shape of the water moving as the bird zooms out. You also add in the Technic parts that hold up the bird and the bottoms of the plants.

Bag three adds the legs of the bird and the bottom of its torso. You can see the Technic part holding it up, but it doesn’t take away from the rest of the build which is good. The mix of colors is great too with the lighter blue, dark blue, and then the… um… what color is it? Brownish-orange?

Bag four builds one of the wings. There is no possible movement in this set as the wing is fixed in place. The wing has a main section and then each of the outer feathers are attached separately. The connection to the main part of the body is pretty seamless and there aren’t any major gaps on the bottom.

Bag five adds the other wing. It’s a mirror image of the previous built side. I split the build up with my kiddos so it wasn’t too repetitive for me, but it could be if you build it yourself and don’t want to repeat similar steps. This one is locked in place as well so no movement, but you get the pose of the bird leaping out of the water.

Finally is bag six with the head and then plants in the back. The beak is a rubberized piece that might be from Jurassic Park sets… maybe? The fish inside the beak doesn’t exactly look like a fish, but by knowing what the build it, you get the idea. The head is also fixed in place so you have to live with it’s position or try to adjust it with different pieces. The plants in the back are a nice addition and it would be cool to add a whole scene on your own if you wanted to. As mentioned, I’ll be curious to see if we get more nature themed sets similar to this one in the future. I enjoyed this one and had fun building it with my kiddos. We have it on display in our house for now and it’s a cool little set to have out there. At the $40 price point I picked it up for, it wasn’t bad, but it’s also not a licensed product so I’m sure there’s plenty of profit baked in for LEGO.

What are your thoughts on this one? Do you want to see more like it? Or should LEGO just stick to Botanicals and leave the animals to the Creator 3-in-1 line?

Happy building!

Set Review - #10314-1: Dried Flowers Centerpiece - Icons - Botanicals

The Botanicals line has continued strong with set #10314-1: Dried Flower Centerpiece which was released 1 February 2023. This one was priced at $49.99, but with all the sales can be found for around $38 right now. It’s going to be retiring soon so look for it to fall even lower as retailers look to get rid of inventory. The set contains 812 pieces which works out to $0.062 per piece. This isn’t bad although most of the pieces are rather small. If you really like the set, you can get more than one to make a larger display as shown on the back of the box. I just purchased one to build so onto the review…

The set contains seven parts bags and two instruction booklets. It’s possible to split the set up between two people so you could have one person build bags one through three and another builds bags four through seven.

Bag one assembles the base of the first half of the arrangement. Nothing overly extraordinary to report here.

The second bag adds in some of the plants around the edges of the base. The use of pieces is great with pumpkin pieces, crowns, whips, and Technic gears along with some of the usual plant pieces. Even if you don’t like botanical sets, you get some great colored foliage pieces for MOCs or forest scenes so it’s a good parts pack.

The third bag finishes up this half of the arrangement. The standout is the flower with the oar pieces connected to orange wrenches around a steering wheel type piece. The Ninjago hat as the center is great too. You also add in some other flowers to include some made with orange epaulets.

Bag four starts the other half of the arrangement. It looks very similar to bag one.

Bag five is similar to bag two. The build isn’t exactly the same, but there is some repetition between the two. It’s a smaller build so not too painful here.

Bag six finishes up most of this arrangement with the highlight being the rose. It’s impressive how the designers figured out how to overlap the wheel well pieces to create a flower like shape.

The last bag connects the two halves and also gives you the option to build a separate connecter piece. Buying two sets would allow you to connect the four halves and make a fun arrangement. You could put a real candle in the center or some other fun brick designed item to have a cool table decoration.

Here are a few shots of the final build. It’s not very large, but my NLS found a way to display it in our house for the fall and it looks great. If you’re a fan of the Botanicals line, I recommend picking this one up before it is gone if you haven’t already. If you are looking for a good parts pack with some foliage pieces, this is one to look for some sales on Black Friday to grab it at a discount for parts.

Happy building!

Set Review - #10332-1: Medieval Town Square - Icons

After the success of #10305-1: Lion Knights’ Castle, it’s no surprise that LEGO returned to the theme with #10332-1: Medieval Town Square. This one is a re-make of #10193-1: Medieval Market from back in 2009. It’s also the third set in a line of larger sets LEGO has brought back if you include the Ideas set from 2021, #21325-1: Medieval Blacksmith. Back to the set at hand, this one was released on 1 March 2024 and it contains 3,304 pieces. The retail price in the US is $229.99 so the price per piece works out to $0.07. This isn’t too bad, but you also need to factor in that it’s not a licensed theme and there are a lot of small pieces mixed in too.

I ordered my set from LEGO Shop @ Home. It arrived in an outer cardboard box designed for the set. The sticker on the outside says the set was produced in March 2024 and it looks like it was made in Mexico I wonder how long it will take for us to see sets from the US once the plant in VA is complete?

The set box itself shows one side of the set on the front with the Icons logo and 18+ greebling. The back shows some of the play features

The set contains 25 individually numbered parts bags, an un-numbered bag with some of the larger plates, and an envelope containing the instructions and stickers.

The set contains two instruction books in the paperboard envelope. Book one includes some details about the set, designer, and history of the castle theme.

Sadly, there are stickers in this set which you’d hope wouldn’t be there at this price point. The sheet isn’t super big, but there are a few larger ones which are always a pain for me to put on.

Bag one starts off with some small accessory builds. It includes a chair, a desk/furniture piece, a food stand, a stand for the wood worker, and then a spinning wheel for making string/yarn. There’s also a minifigure with a hammer as she is the woodworker.

Bag two starts to build a building for the wood worker. It includes an awning with some discoloration (different colored tiles) and some weapons inside.

Bag three adds the second floor and a crane/pulley system to lift stuff up. There is a wagon wheel up top and you attach one of the pulley system. The pulley has a Technic gear on the outside to raise or lower the hook. Inside the building you assemble a latch system so that the hook doesn’t just fall to the ground if you let go. It’s not too complicated to build and is a nice small touch for this section.

Bag four adds the thatched roof to the building. It is placed on top and stays with gravity, but can be easily removed for playability.

Bag five builds the section for the tapestry maker to work while bag six adds the roof to it. This section connects to the first building with some hinge pieces. This building is slightly different from the last one as it as a darker colored thatched roof and a small window built into the roof. Inside are some different string/yarn colors to use and you can attach a tapestry in work to the jumper plates on the floor as well.

Bag seven adds the chimney with a piece for smoke coming out which is used throughout the build. Outside of the set is a small garden area with some carrots, pumpkins, and a bee hive. The tapestry maker is included in this bag. He comes with some scissors and a small bag.

Bag eight starts to build the kitchen for the cheesemonger. I’m not sure how accurate it is for what it takes to make cheese, but close enough. This bag includes a small kitten and then a girl minifigure who is working in the kitchen.

Bag nine builds up the walls with a cool technique used throughout the build to make it look like there’s timber framing. I did some Googling and it said this is the Tudor style. Can anyone confirm that? There are a few plants on the window sills, and a flag on the outside for the shop.

Bag 10 adds the roof, chimney, and some smoke.

Bag 11 connects the three buildings together and adds some fencing so you can build a pen for the goat. This one is yet another print which is different from the original one and from the one that appeared in the Series 25 Collectible Minifigures. Everyone is so excited about the goat that they forget to mention that you also get a squirrel. WOOHOO!

Bag 12 builds a tree. On the tree you put some wanted posters which calls out the crook which happens to be a Wolf Pack minifigure. Then you get a Wolf Pack minifigure which is the first return of that subtheme in a while. Also in this bag is a small stand to place a log so you can hack at it with the ax.

Bag 12 ends the first instruction book.

Bag 13 begins to build the Broken Axe Inn. It starts to build the first floor with the start of what will be some furniture and fixtures. This bag includes the inn keeper minifigure who comes holding a glass.

Bag 14 completes the first floor and walls of the inn. There’s a keg, some candles, a lute, table/counter area, and a chess board with two large pieces.

Bag 15 gets to work on the second floor with some food and a cooking area. You get a loaf of bread, a crab, a fish, and a cooking space with some extra wood to stoke the fire.

Bag 16 completes the walls on the second floor, adds some windows, adds a pie cooling in the window, adds some kitchen utensils, and adds a roasted bird of some sort.

Before finishing off the roof on the inn, bag 17 takes you over to the shield painter’s area where she’s dripped a lot of paint on the floor. The shield painter minifigure comes in this bag.

Bag 18 completes the first floor of the shield painting space and adds in some stairs.

Bag 19 starts on the second story using the same Tudor style building technique as seen earlier.

Bag 20 builds a bedroom for the inn which includes a bed and some furniture.

Bag 21 adds a roof to the inn and then another floor to add more on top.

Bag 22 adds roofing over the inn.

Bag 23 adds a bedroom where the tax collector hangs out. If you haven’t read any reviews or seen any videos on the set, there is a fun hiding spot for the tax collector to store some extra coins.

Bag 24 adds a watch tower for a guard to hang out. The minifigure included is a Lion Knight so it fits in well as if this town square is near the Lion Knights’ Castle. I wonder why they did that? Hmmm???

Bag 25 finishes up the build. You add some plant life outside, a bird’s next, and a small tree. You also add the roof on top of the tax collector’s room. Finally, you include a stand for the shield painter to use when painting shields.

The set comes with eight minifigures. Many folks always complain that there are never enough minifigures in a set, but I think eight is a decent number for this one. I’ve introduced the rest already except I failed to show the tax collector. The tax collector has a cape and comes with a tile that you add a sticker to for his record book. He also has a quill for writing.

The Bricks for Bricks Bricklink store is closed and it’s still in transition so I don’t have access to my usual building spaces. At some point in the future, I hope to have a good space for taking photos. In the meantime, I set up the full set and took two pictures to capture the full thing. Overall, I thought it was a great set. It was fun to build, it has some great play features, and you get some fun pieces for future MOCs if you decide to take it apart. It’s a little pricy, but the price per piece is decent. I used this set as an opportunity to grab a cool GWP that I was interested in. Look for options to get double Insider points or a GWP or two to snag this one. I’m not sure if or when it will go on sale, if ever.

I did get the full thing in a top down photo.

As mentioned earlier, the buildings attach to each other with hinges so you can open them up for play. Here’s a picture of the inn and shield painter’s space opened up.

Finally, the buildings for the cheesemonger, wood worker, and tapestry maker opened up.

Happy building!

Set Review - #10326-1: Natural History Museum - Icons - Modular Building

LEGO knows that every year is they keep producing awesome looking modular buildings that I’ll shell out whatever price they set and this year is no exception. #10326-1: Natural History Museum was released on 1 December 2023 for $299.99. It contains 4,014 pieces which works out to $0.075 per piece. This one is bigger than past sets as it includes a 32x32 baseplate and a 16x32 baseplate. Lots to dig into so let’s go…

The box is pretty standard. The front shows the full set with a set name logo and mentions the modular building collection. It also has the Icons branding on the bottom. The back shows the other modular building sets available now along with some of the features of this set.

The box contains the parts bags for bags 15 through 33 and then another box. When you open that box, you get the remainder of the parts bags, a bag that isn’t numbered, the base plates, and the instructions.

The instruction book is pretty hefty as you would expect for a set of this size. You also get the banners to hang on the outside of the museum advertising exhibits.

The first bag adds the flooring to the 16x32 baseplate. You also get a female minifigure that works at the museum.

Bag two adds some of the flooring to the 32x32 baseplate and connects the two together. I like the addition of some bones in the floor that are eventually covered up to be found at some later date.

The third bag adds in more flooring. You also get some plants on the outside, and a toilet in the back. There are also some tile pieces on the floor that end up being a clay pot that has fallen over. There’s also another surprise under one of the floors that I’ll save for when you build it or another reviewer spoils it for you.

Bag four adds tiling on top of some of the raised floor areas and adds in the front steps to the museum.

Bag five starts to add in some more details including more to the bathroom, a small lab area, some steps, and finishes off the flooring patterns.

The sixth bag makes the walls higher and adds in some doors.

Bag seven starts to add in some of the displays at the museum along with the front desk area. I won’t go through each of the displays so you can have fun figuring them out when you build the set (or just read the captions in the instructions that describe each one). You also get another minifigure who is a worker at the museum.

The eighth bag builds up some of the front of the building.

Bag nine starts to build up the olive green walls. You get railings at the entrance of the building and some windows as well.

Bag 10 builds up more of the details of the front and the walls of the sides of the building.

Bag 11 continues to finish off the front of the building with windows and some more olive green pieces.

Bag 12 tops off the whole floor with tiles so it can be connected to other floors. You also add in a set of stairs to go to the second floor.

Bag 13 finishes off the first floor. The front of the building gets some columns on each side of the door and then some minifigure statues as well. There’s some additional plant life too. Since I haven’t shown the back yet, there are a few details including a pipe which leaks water to let a plant grow, and a dog checking out the trash to see if there are any bones. There is a door in the back as well.

Bag 14 builds the dinosaur skeleton. As shown on the front of the box, the skeleton is not permanently fixed to the floor so you can pick it up and move it elsewhere as desired. It’s a pretty decent build considering the size and where they had to fit it. It does have some non-white pieces for attachments, but the light gray works.

Onto the second floor…

Bag 15 assembles the plates that make the base of the floor with two spots to look down and also let the stairs connect and dinosaur skeleton peek through.

Bag 16 builds up some of the wall and adds the base for where the model of the solar system is placed.

Bag 17 adds in some railings around the holes in the floor so no minifigures fall down. You also build the model of the solar system which is a great design at such a small scale. This bag comes with a boy minifigure.

Bag 18 adds some displays to the floor and adds a female minifigure with a camera. This minifigure has a prosthetic leg.

Bag 19 builds up the walls around this floor.

Bag 20 adds in some windows, more walls, and a few more displays to include a map with a rocket zooming by (Classic Space symbol???).

Bags 21 and 22 build up the wall structures and add in more windows.

Bag 23 finishes the floor with tiles on the top and you add on the plastic banners.

Bag 24 adds to the columns that match and fit right in with the first floor despite the break between the two floors.

Bag 25 attaches the plates that make up the third floor/roof.

Bag 26 begins to build up the roof area with a few plants and the start of some of the decorative architecture.

Bag 27 adds in more of the roof walls and the door to the stairs to the second level.

Bag 28 starts to add more detail. The roof level includes a small office and you build out some of the details of the office. This bag comes with the museum curator minifigure.

Bag 29 adds the structure around the office area which actually looks pretty good considering there is an office inside.

Bag 30 builds up more of the architectural details for the roof.

Bag 31 finishes off the structural details, adds in a telescope for the curator to use and then adds in some sky lights that open up to both levels of the museum below for some natural light.

Flipping the set around, bag 32 adds in the roof/awning section of the front of the building that covers up the stairs leading into the museum. Now that I’ve flipped it around, you can see on the left and right side, there are some arch/window pieces. It’s hard to tell from the picture I used, but there are microfigures inside as miniature statues which is a fun detail.

Before wrapping up the build, here are the seven minifigures you get with this set minus the two statues. You get a good mix of workers and museum goers. It’s always great to have more, but I can’t complain with the offerings that come with this set.

Bag 33 adds some final details to include a park bench, a mail box, the blossoming tree, a lamp post, some birds, and the stand for the window washer to use to clean the windows.

Overall, it’s another great modular building to build. Someday I hope to assemble all of my modulars in one place, but for now, you get just an individual picture. The price continues to go up on these, but the piece count on this one is higher and it is larger so not too many complaints there. There are plenty of great pieces inside too so if you’re a MOC builder, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re a fan of the modulars, definitely look for an opportunity to snag this one. Maybe with a good GWP or double VIP points. I think it’ll be a while before we see a sale on this one.

Happy building!

Set Review - #10318-1: Concorde - LEGO Icons

LEGO has gone into some different directions over the past few years and this set is another venture into something we haven’t seen before. #10318-1: Concorde is a model of the first supersonic, commercial airliner the world has seen. This set was released in the US on 4 September 2023. It contains 2,038 pieces and retails for $199.99. At that price, it works out to $0.096 per piece which is right about the 10 cent per piece average we all tend to use as acceptable for a set.

I ordered my set online from LEGO Shop @ Home. It arrived in it’s own box with some damage to the shipping box that caused damage to the set box (thanks UPS!). Nothing major and the set was still intact, but kind of disappointing.

The front of the box shows the full set built minus the stand. It has the set name printed in the same font as printed on the aircraft. It also contains the Airbus logo. The box back includes some cut aways of the set to show what it looks like inside the various parts of the set. It also has a diagram showing the length of the set and a picture of the actual aircraft.

The set contains 12 parts bags and then another box inside with more parts bags. In the end you get 21 numbered parts bags with one bag per number. You also get a paper bag with the cockpit wind screen. This is my first look at the new paper bags. They look okay to me. I’m glad LEGO made the switch to something a little more Earth friendly. The instruction book comes in a paperboard envelop so it’s nice and protected.

The instruction book includes details on the aircraft, its design, and information on the LEGO design team.

Bag one starts off the build of the wing. It starts with the back of the wing and starts to move forward. The center of the wing box starts to build the hardware that will work the landing gear movement.

Bag two continues to move forward with the delta wing and Technic pieces to continue the gear mechanisms. Additionally, you build some orange pieces into some parts that help you build the wing assembly. These pieces clip on and are removed later on in the build.

I failed to take separate pictures of bags three and four. They build out the wing further and you get some of the main hardware of the rear landing gear assemblies.

Bags five and six continue to build out the wing box and the center fuselage section with the landing gear mechanisms. The bag five picture is of the top of the aircraft and the bag six picture is the bottom of the aircraft.

The orange build support pieces are removed at the end of bag six. Bag seven continues the wing build and adds on some larger pieces as the top of the fuselage. These pieces have printed windows on them. Bag eight continues the wing, Technic parts, and fuselage.

Bags nine and 10 build the forward edge of the delta wing and then the front fuselage section of the aircraft without the nose section. The bag 10 picture shows the place where the front landing gear will be stowed. For bag 10, you really had to pay attention to how the Technic pieces were assembled, but I think the instructions did a good join pointing that out. You install more orange plates for ease of build in bag 10. These are removed shortly, but they help to keep the set together during assembly.

Bags 11 and 12 start to look more like an aircraft with the wing compete. You also start to build the fuselage out more. Bag 12 includes a small section of the passenger compartment with two bathrooms and some seats. This is the only section of the aircraft with an interior and I’m okay with that. It’s a display model and not a play model (in my opinion).

Bag 13 adds in the wheels and completes the landing gear. The Technic axle in the rear of the aircraft is what will spin to raise and lower the gear. It’s an impressive assembly and I’m a fan of how the design team put it together.

Bags 14 and 15 add the engines on either side of the aircraft. The builds are mirror images of each other, but the slight repetition wasn’t too bad.

Bag 16 begins the cockpit assembly. It doesn’t look like much when completed as you can see, but it will come together in the next bag.

Bag 17 finishes the cockpit area along with the paper bag that was included with the windscreen piece. I was thankful for the printing and no stickers. The set is mostly white, but the red stripe and logo help to distinguish the set. As advertised, the nose does the “droop snoot” movement like the actual Concorde did which is some great functionality for the large set.

Bags 18 and 19 add the tail section of the fuselage. Bag 18 is mostly internal structure and then bag 19 adds the external panels and connects the section with the rest of the aircraft. Spinning the tail cone section will raise and lower the landing gear.

Bag 20 completes the aircraft. This includes the ailerons and flaps on the main wing, the tail, and rudder. This is all minor functionality, but another great addition to the model to make it seem more realistic.

Bag 21 finishes the build with a stand. Despite the massive size of the model, it all sits rather well on this small stand. The stand also includes a printed tile with studs on the back. So glad that it wasn’t a sticker!

Here’s the final monstrosity. It was a great build and I think it looks incredible. Despite the abundance of white pieces, there are a lot of great pieces for future MOCs (inside) if that’s what you do with your sets. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone, but I will say that you need to consider your space limitations. It’s big and finding a spot for it could be a challenge if you don’t have a dedicated LEGO display location. Maybe hanging it from a ceiling would work? I haven’t found a spot for it yet.

I think it would be great if LEGO did more sets like this one. Is anyone else on board with that thought?

Happy building!

Another Set From the Pirates Theme to Build

It’s been out since 4 July 2023 and I broke down and put my order in for it. Yesterday, #10320-1: Eldorado Fortress arrived at my home. I didn’t have the original set from back in the day, but I did have some of the smaller Pirates sets and I enjoyed playing with those as a kid. I’m looking forward to building this one and maybe even pulling out my #21322-1: Pirates of Barracuda Bay set, rebuilding it, and making a Pirates scene. I won’t do my full review yet, but I’ll give my first impressions. I like that the box has a similar look to the sets from the 1980s and 1990s with the yellow stripe saying the set name in the corner. I’ve seen a few folks say they are disappointed to not have the raised base plate like the original set. I’m okay with not having it. I’d rather have the pieces.

There are a bunch of great looking minifigures too. I’m glad to see the return of the Imperial Soldiers and to get some new ones to include females. I haven’t opened the box up yet, but from the box pictures, it looks like there are two female officers and the tricornered hat has hair attached which is cool.

The other one listed is shown on BrickSet.com as the Imperial Soldier, Governor. I never had one of these as a kid so this is a fun addition.

I’m looking forward to the build and the completed product. Now I just have to find the time to put it all together.

Have you built this one already? What was your take on it?

Happy building!

Set Review: #10305-1: Lion Knights' Castle - Icons

We haven’t had a castle in a while and thanks to the LEGO 90th anniversary and a fan vote, we get #10305-1: Lion Knights’ Castle. This set contains 4,514 pieces and retails in the US for $399.99. This works out to $0.089 per piece. The set was released on 26 July 2022 in the US and was announced at LEGOCon 2022. I ordered this one during a double VIP points period before Christmas 2022 and got a number of GWPs as well. I also used $200 in VIP points and a $50 gift card I received to help cut back on the cost.

This is a long review and I doubt many will make it all the way to the bottom so I’ll do the wrap up here. Overall, this was a great set. There were a lot of great building techniques and parts used and it was fun to build. I enjoyed seeing how the sections fit together and what little bits the designers threw in. There are also a lot of great minifigures to add into your collection which is awesome. It’s an expensive set and I’m not sure I would have purchased it without VIP points, a gift card, double VIP points, and GWPs. If you’re looking to buy this set, besides saving up for it, be sure to look for ways to maximize your purchase with GWPs, double VIP points, or other bonuses.

Here’s the box I received from LEGO Shop @ Home.

Here’s what it looks like when you open it up. The packaging is similar to how #42143-1: Ferrari Daytona SP3 was packaged with the set sandwiched between two thick pieces of cardboard.

Here’s what the box looks like. It’s got the old fashioned yellow coloring and the 90th anniversary logo. The front shows the full set while the back gives some details.

The sides of the box show a highlight of the anniversary and tribute to the castle theme, another view of the castle, and then the minifigures.

The set contents are some parts bags and then a box with more parts bags. Bag #26 for me was busted open. I was thankful that no parts were missing, but disappointed that this happened in a $400 set. Overall, there are 26 numbered bags (some have more than one bag per number) and an unnumbered bag. Also, the instructions are in a paperboard envelope for protection.

There are two instruction booklets. The instructions give some history of the castle theme and information on the designers. Also throughout the build, there are various notes written in an old English way talking about some of the various parts of the build.

I won’t go through each of the builds in detail, but will point out a few spots. Also, I built this set across different tables to include one that I brought outside (Florida was warm enough for outdoor building) so sorry for the different backgrounds.

Bag one builds a small market stand, a cart for the ox to pull, a beverage keg, and includes a farmer with a pitchfork.

Bag two builds the base of a section of the castle. This section is the start to a kitchen area and includes some food items.

The third bag finishes up the kitchen. It has a fireplace/oven, a water source, a large amount of utensils, and some supplies along with a cook.

The fourth bag adds another section which includes a Forestmen’s hide out area. There are some weapons, a map to the treasure, and a target. This section is accessed via a trap door in the castle on the floor above.

The fifth bag builds up the next floor with includes a fireplace and harpsicord It also has a trap door to the hide out.

The fifth bag builds up the walls. I like how they spaced in textured bricks with the regular smooth bricks. There are also some plants growing throughout and the angles fit in well. It’s great that they are not all 90 degree angles and they change throughout.

The sixth bag finishes up some of the wall section and a roof section. You get a chamber maid and a knight with a sword and shield.

The seventh bag starts up the mill section.

The eighth bag builds the mill. There’s a water wheel that spins and is connected with Technic parts to the mill area. Then you build out a section to dump the wheat into for it to fall into the grinding wheels. It’s a lot of detail for a small space. You also get a minifigure guard with helmet.

The ninth bag adds a banquet hall above the mill. This hall has a table with two chairs and then some shields on the wall with various prints (not stickers!!!!). The outside has some flowers for decorations and some plants growing up the side.

The tenth bag adds a play area for two kids. One has a Forestmen’s outfit and is holding a mini-minifigure. The other is wearing blue, but not in one of the normal uniforms from Castle. He is standing by a mini-model of the LEGO Castle #375 in my picture.

Bag 11 adds a bedroom area with a bed, small desk, rug, and a fireplace. It comes with a minifigure who has the Lion Knights’ uniform, but hair instead of a helmet. You can outfit him as a knight with some of the pieces from the armory. I didn’t picture it well here, but there’s a hidden door that opens when you open up the wall. Inside is a golden frog. I’m sure there’s a back story behind it, but it’s a fun detail to the set.

Bags 12 and 13 add in a thatched roof over the play and bedroom area. It also adds a tower for a look out to stand on. I like the piece use to make the roof look thatched.

Builds 14 and 15 build the next section of the castle. One fun part of the build was that I didn’t know what each section was as I was building it. I couldn’t tell at this point what exactly I was building. It made the builds more exciting. So don’t memorize any of the reviews you read/watch before building a set.

Build 16 puts together a wizard and a hidden treasure chest.

Bag 17 builds the dungeon with two cells and a poor skeleton minifigure inside one. It also comes with a Forestmen minifigure. There’s trap door so you can get in and out of this area. I posted pictures of the door open and closed.

Bags 18 and 19 build what ends up as an entry way through a ramp up to the castle and a connection to a draw bridge. More on that later. There’s a small armory inside with some helmets, weapons, and shields. You get another minifigure here.

Bag 20 builds the drawbridge, but you don’t make it functional until later. You add some plant growth around an archway and what ends up being a tree. I find it interesting that they chose black for the tree. Maybe it’s a specific kind? Or maybe they just thought black went better with the castle? I don’t know…

Bag 21…. I didn’t realize what this was until later on in the build…I also didn’t get a good picture of it (sorry). You build a castle bathroom here. That’s right! It’s a place for minifigures to use a medieval toilet. It’s pretty much a seat area with a hole that goes to the outside and then they have a stick for wiping I guess. And you’ll notice the chocolate frog on the ground outside. Yeah, it’s not a chocolate frog… unless that’s what comes out of minifigures. Hilarious!

You also build a door that can be raised/lowered using a textured 2x2 round brick on the outside. This blocks the entrance by the ramp when needed.

Bag 22 builds up more of the structure and adds to the armory. They apparently need a lot of weapons to defend this place.

Bag 23 continues to build this area up with some windows, a cheese slope awning over one of the windows, and arch window, and the armory.

Bag 24 builds up the tree outside. It also adds the mechanism to raise and lower the gate to the drawbridge. This is some interesting functionality as it can lock into place or be lowered quickly as needed. You also get the queen, a horse, and a knight. What’s fun about this set is you get a lot of female knight figures. It’s probably not historically accurate, but it’s a fun change to show a diverse castle populace.

Bag 25 adds some minifigures, tops off some of the towers and walls, and adds in some flags. I like the use of the rounded pieces for the tops of the towers. I’m not sure what we call these pieces, but they are fairly new to the LEGO system as I can recall.

Bag 26 builds up the ramp to get to the castle. It also adds some of the Black Falcon knights who look like they’ve journeyed to visit the castle. There is a knight of sorts on a horse, a guard on the ground, and then the poor minifigure with the huge pack to take care of the horse.

If you don’t like the minfigures in this set then you’re not into the castle theme. Ten Lion Knights (including the queen), 3 Black Falcons, 3 Forestmen, and 5 others to include the wizard. Oh and the skeleton that I forgot to include. Tack on 2 horses, an ox, a baby sheep, and a few birds, and you get a lot here. It’s a great selection!

Here’s the final set all assembled without minifigures from a few different angles. The first two pictures show the draw bridge up and then down. There are a couple of other views as well.

Bonus points if you’ve made it to the bottom of this pose. You can open up the castle for play purposes and to see inside into all of the different rooms. Having this option is nice as it’s more than just a model castle, but one that you can play with.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far. Happy building!