Set Review: 21023 Flatiron Building
Wednesday, July 1st, 2015 at 9:16pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager [Source: Zatth]
Don't worry, we'll have more reviews of the summer Bionicle sets soon, but for now we're taking a break and looking at 21023 Flatiron Building from the LEGO Architecture theme. BZPower Forum Assistant Zatth has picked up this miniature model of the iconic building and will be sharing his thoughts on it with us all. Does the set stand tall and proud, or will it crumble under a closer inspection? You'll have to read on to find out!
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
As with all other Architecture sets, the box is gorgeous: the black box is ominous yet tempting, and the picture of the set makes you wonder how to build that which you are seeing. (If you know the Flatiron building, it looks like a giant triangle. Kind of.) Needless to say, this'll grip your attention.
The back of the box is also lovely, with a sentence or two in three languages about the building, a photo of the actual structure, and a top-down and profile image of the set. The sides of the box show the set deconstructed.
The instruction booklet, like the other Architecture sets, are bound up pretty nicely. They include info on the building, its origin, Flatiron Building today, some stats, and info on the Architecture line. One of the sides of the box also has a sort of quasi-deconstructed-peek-inside picture of the model, so you also get an idea of how the building process will be. Nifty little detail for sure.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
The baseplate made the build get interesting; the asymmetry made sure that, from the beginning, some sides would be different, and that was fun. Making the skeleton wasn't a repetitive part of the build, though if you find stacking bricks and plates on top of each other boring then this bit might not interest you.
The outside shells, however, did get repetitive in some areas. They are intricate to build, don't get me wrong. But the two large sides are exactly alike, and the back of the building uses just two shells that are almost identical. Still, it's a fun build just for the level of detail.
Set Design
Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.
The set doesn't really have any super new pieces. The only things I could find to highlight were three slope-y pieces (not sure what the official nomenclature is for them) in tan and dark tan, as well as the tile with the name of the building on it.
Aside from those 'new or interesting' pieces, you get a good batch of tiles, bricks, and plates, in tan, dark tan, a bit of dark trans, and some light and dark bley. So if you wanna get bricks, tiles, and plates in those colors, this'd be a decent set to get for that purpose.
The set itself is lovely. It certainly looks like the original, and any fears about the SNOT-side wall having glaring holes can be assuaged; the way the set is built, you'd never suspect that it uses those hinge-like pieces to achieve that angle. You'd honestly believe that LEGO can naturally build like that. It's also small enough that it can be displayed, but large enough that you, and anyone else, can appreciate the intricacy and detail on the model. So kudos for a lovely set design.
Playability
The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?
This set really isn't built to play with. BUT DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU. GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOUR OWN SCENE FROM A MOVIE WHERE TWO LARGE CREATURES FIGHT AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE FLATIRON BUILDING. NOW ALL OF YOUR GODZILLA/KING KONG/PACIFIC RIM DREAMS CAN COME TRUE.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Lovely set design
- Interesting SNOT-based skeleton
- Tan, dark tan
Cons
What's not to like?
- Outside plating gets a bit repetitive
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Sure, the Architecture sets are price-y. But if you're a fan of architecture, the LEGO line, and want to treat yoself to a fancy shmancy LEGO set, this is a pretty good one; the build is fun yet easy enough, and you leave with an aesthetically wonderful set to display and parade wherever you go!
Thanks of course to Pablo for putting together this in-depth review. Please join me in the Talkback to thank him yourselves as well as to ask any questions you might have. And now we'll be returning to our Bionicle set reviews, so keep your eyes peeled right here on BZPower!
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