Brick Breakdown: LEGO Red London Telephone Box

(Written by William)

It’s always exciting to check out a new LEGO Ideas set. There is something about them that feels fresh and different. Often, it’s because it is a model that we normally wouldn’t get from any other LEGO theme. The #21347 LEGO Red London Telephone Box is a great example of this.

Taken at face value, it’s a good-looking model full of nice detail. However, what exactly would draw a LEGO fan to pick it up? I mean, if you have a special connection with London, I can see a lot of appeal for the model. Perhaps a fan of history could respect the hundred-year-old design. But on the whole, this seems to be a rather niche product.

Fortunately, I still found some interesting features and building techniques that are worth talking about and that you might find appealing, even if you have no interest in phone booths or London icons.

LEGO LONDON TELEPHONE BOX – BUILDING EXPERIENCE

Whenever you increase the scale of any model, there is a lot more room for fine detail work. The London Phone Box is an excellent example of this. The building process is straightforward and divided into 11 numbered bags, so anyone can follow along with ease. But it’s what you build that’s impressive.

For one, large brick-built doors and hinges are often problematic. Hinges can appear rather bulky and obvious. Additionally, a door itself tends to have weak points. This is not the case with this model.

The door consists of a simple interlocking design to give it stability, while also building in the hinges to the door with LEGO Technic elements. Slotting these axle connectors into the side of the box is both very secure and cleverly disguised. There are even small tile protrusions to act as doorstops without looking too obvious and ruining the overall appearance.

The phone booth also gives builders an option of a rotary phone or a more modern design. There’s just one catch; when you get to bag #5 you must choose one or the other. The set is not really designed to make this change an easy swap. Also, many of the parts are used in both designs, so you will have to completely dismantle one to build the other option.

Finally, a part of the model that blew me away was the roof. Sure, it has a nifty domed top, and you are probably well aware of the light-brick inside. What really caught my attention though is the less visible inside section of the roof. In fact, the interior of this phone booth is a work of art.

In order to accomplish this, a large frame is made around the top of the booth. You will then build an interior frame that will eventually hold the light fixture. This interior frame is inserted upside down with no connection. This frame is simply made to recreate the interior molding found at the top of the booth.

By the time you add the light fixture, also upside down, you end up with this amazingly molded interior that looks much more complex than the already impressive top section of the dome. It’s definitely something made more for the builder than anyone who is just looking at the finished product.

LEGO LONDON TELEPHONE BOX – PARTS

The set does boast a few newer parts. There is the bar holder with clip connectors set at 90 degrees in the lamppost. You also get some printed elements like the brick with “Telephone” print and the ones featuring a crown at the top of the phone box. The interior elements featuring graphics are all stickers though. However, LEGO tends to do this when the graphics in question are meant to be items like flyers and ads posted up on a wall.

But what this set really excels in parts-wise is the quantity. A set that has a great part or two, tends to give very few copies of said part. But this set gives an abundance of useful pieces. There are a lot of red window frames with glass for any building you might create. The cobbled sidewalk is a treasure of lots of small tiles including the fairly new 1×2 rounded tile. The wrought iron fence is a mass of LEGO Technic connectors and bars that you rarely see in sufficient quantities, but this set gives you dozens. Pretty much every aspect of this model is a phenomenal parts pack.

The $114.99 price tag also appeals to those looking at this set as a parts-pack. With 1,460 pieces that’s only 8 cents/piece – a good price in today’s market. And the set may go on sale at some point due to lower interest, which would make it even more appealing. So, if you’re looking for lots of red elements, keep an eye on this set. It’s available at the LEGO Ideas section of the Online LEGO Shop.

LEGO LONDON TELEPHONE BOX – FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, I highly recommend this set for the building experience and the parts, although I know it’s not for most people. It was fun to build and has a ton of great parts for building my own creations. The scaling of the model is superb and the set designers managed to pack in more details than what I was expecting. I also think it looks good from every angle, which is no easy task with a display model. The subject of a Red London Telephone Box is interesting, but something I’m not sure many are clamoring to build. It’s actually kind of sad that LEGO didn’t do a blue Police box instead, then they could have gotten the Doctor Who fans as well. In the video below, I talk a bit more about the set.

What do you think? How do you like the Red London Telephone Box? Is this a set you’re interested in? Have you built it already? If so, feel free to share your own reviews in the comment section below!

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