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LEGO Ideas Magic of Disney Review

by Thita (admin) on September 27, 2024

in LEGO Disney

(Written by William)

I’m not exactly sure what it is about LEGO Ideas projects, but I tend to forget what’s coming out right before they get released. This is especially true for the projects that don’t go through the normal LEGO Ideas project cycle. So, when LEGO offered the #21352 LEGO Ideas Magic of Disney for review, I was a bit puzzled as to what it was.

Don’t get me wrong, I vaguely recalled the competition that asked fans to build something that represented Disney magic, but since I didn’t compete or vote, I only heard about it as a distant story. In order to avoid biasing me any further, I made sure not to look up anything about the set before it arrived. After all, I’m always excited to build adult-oriented Disney displays and I reviewed several of them in the past. The question is whether or not this one would hold a candle to the others? The short answer, yes, yes it does! Now let’s dig into the set and see why I think it’s so magical!

LEGO MAGIC OF DISNEY – VIGNETTE COLLAGE

How does one build a LEGO model with lots of variety and distinct characters without it feeling disjointed? Well, it all comes down to choosing a thematic element that can connect small vignettes that might otherwise clash if placed next to one another. And boy oh boy, is this technique showcased to perfection in the Magic of Disney set!

The overall connecting factor is simple. The seven scenes around Mickey are all Disney properties. However, a good collage will then make all these scenes stylistically work together. This often starts by focusing on scale, which is actually trickier than one might think.

Consider the Casita from Encanto. This is a micro-scale building. Then you have the stained glass from Beauty and the Beast, which is a normal scale. Then you have Pride Rock from The Lion King. This last is an abstracted scale where it’s more of giving the impression of something without scaling to any one thing in particular. So, how does a builder still maintain the impression of scale?

Again, the answer is simple. Keep the focus of each build on the characters and how they scale to one another. That is easy since all of them are minifigure-scale. We have Bruno for Encanto, Belle for Beauty and the Beast, and Young Simba for The Lion King. This scaling gives a point of comparison to prevent the model from feeling disjointed.

The feature that turns this collage from good to great is that LEGO designers built context into the entire design. Using Mickey as a focal point, we have the general shape of each vignette looking as if they were bursting into life from him (note the waves crashing outward from Mickey on the left and right). Even the base of the front three scenes have a rounded cloud-like explosiveness and radiate outward with each vignette tilted like spokes on a wheel. This combines to create a brilliant composition, which makes a wonderful display piece.

So, to recap. If you are looking to make several vignettes and want to connect them all together, try to remember these three tips. Have a theme or story that connects the scenes together. Next, choose something from each little display to act as something that can scale with all the others – characters are often the best for this but don’t need to be the scaling object. Finally, choose the right composition that helps showcase and frame everything together. Elements that do well to connect things include overall shape, similar colors, or an expressed action like the explosion of magic happening in this set.

LEGO MAGIC OF DISNEY – THE BUILD

This model is broken down into three major phases among nine numbered bags. Due to this compartmentalizing, it is a rather easy set to put together. This often means expert builders might be a little bored, but I found the composition of the build interesting and LEGO designers even managed to hide in a couple of secrets in the model. As to not to spoil it, I will only say that there are a couple of hidden characters expressed in colored stacked plates inside Mickey’s body and in his head.

I personally call these hidden characters pixel pals, where stacks of plates are meant to represent a character almost purely by color alone. As a side note, there is a LEGO fan who goes by the name jtheels and creates 2×2 versions of characters they call Brick Buddies. And still, others just stack 1×2 plates and have you guess what character they made. Any way you look at it, it’s pretty interesting just how iconic a character can become. I was building with my wife when she looked at the side of Mickey and chirped, “Hey! That’s-” I won’t spoil it for you, but you might miss it if you aren’t paying attention.

As for the parts, fans will be happy to know that all the decorated pieces are printed. There are no stickers at all in the set. Plus, the characters are very nice. Belle, Bruno, Simba, Lilo, and Geppetto are all new characters in minifigure form. I was stunned to find that Lilo’s legs are printed 1×2 brick instead of short legs. Also, the back of Belle’s dress slope is also printed which is a little different for that particular type of dress/robe slope.

The first phase of the build is to create the front three platforms. On the back of this single unit is a LEGO Technic brick so that it can be easily attached to the back half of the model. Or, if you want to display it on its own it can also work that way.

The next stage of the model involves building the opposite waves of water that act like four stands for Lilo, Geppetto, Sabastian & Flounder, and the brooms from Fantasia. On their own, they do look a little empty in the middle. Plus, the exposed LEGO Technic brick in front is hard to ignore. However, if you put the Mickey statue in the center, this could work as another decent display piece.

That leaves Mickey as the final character to build. This is a much more scaled down version of Mickey compared to the Mickey and Minnie statues we’ve seen before. However, I think I had more fun building this one. The size of this wizard Mickey is large enough to feel substantial – especially with the hidden secrets built inside – but he’s small enough to be cute. His hands are probably the only thing that looks a little bad from the back. That means with some clever angling, like putting his hands palm up, you can make him look good from most angles.

LEGO MAGIC OF DISNEY – PARTS

As mentioned before, all decorated parts are printed. This includes the stained glass window behind Belle as well as the parts on Mickey like the slope that makes up his eyes, the half conical panel that makes up the middle front of his hat, and the cone that makes the top of his hat. All other printing is on parts you’d expect like minifigures.

Other parts that caught my attention include the rose inside the glass dome. It sits on an ice cream cone bottom, but the flower is a solid piece with a receiving hole on its underside. This means it fits easily on any stud. We also get some nice slopes that look like elongated cheese wedges in blue. I’ve only run across these slopes in white so it was nice to see another color.

And finally, a special 1×1 slope that helps make Mickey’s face. The new slope is a 1x1x1 1/3 quarter dome. This puts it at four plates tall and helps round out corners that would have taken a lot more creativity to smooth out. I do recommend checking out the accompanying video below where I show this element off.

LEGO MAGIC OF DISNEY – FINAL THOUGHTS

I’ve personally built quite a lot of Disney display pieces over the last few years. There was the large #43222 LEGO Disney castle, the #43179 LEGO Mickey & Minnie Buildable Characters, the #43225 LEGO Disney Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell, and the #40600 LEGO Disney 100-Year Celebration, just to name a few. Compared to all of these, dollar for dollar, the #21352 LEGO Ideas Magic of Disney has got to be my favorite.

At $100 MSRP, the price seems fair. Collectors will want the set for its unique minifigures that are exclusive to the set. Builders will have a decent time building the model and if they don’t want to keep it together, I think this makes a fantastic parts pack. It is accessible for old and new fans of Disney and LEGO. And if that wasn’t enough, I think this one travels a whole lot better than any other Disney art piece. Most of the others I was afraid to move and I tended to knock off half a dozen things just moving it short distances.

In short, this has the quality I’d expect from both a Disney and LEGO product designed to be a collector’s item. However, it has the sensibility of what a fan would want thanks to it being a fan-created project to begin with. And it does all this while still being more affordable compared to some of the monstrous sets we’ve gotten in recent years. It checks off a ton of great things in my book and hopefully, it does the same for you. In the video below, I will show you the set in a bit more detail, and if you want to check it out, it will be available starting on October 1st and you can already pre-order it at the LEGO Disney section of the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? How do you like the adult-oriented LEGO Disney display sets? Do you have any of them already? And how do you like this latest addition to the collection? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!

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New Fan Exhibits at the LEGO House!

by Thita (admin) on September 26, 2024

in Community News

The LEGO House, located in Billund, Denmark, is the ultimate LEGO destination for fans of all ages, drawing visitors from over 120 countries in 2024 alone. Since its opening in 2017, adult fans of LEGO from around the world, known as AFOLs, have been selected to showcase their unique LEGO builds in the Masterpiece Gallery exhibition. From the 25th of September to the following year, the LEGO House presents a new exhibition featuring exceptional fan-built creations by fifteen carefully chosen AFOLs.

“The LEGO House is a global community clubhouse, where we bring together unique LEGO stories to inspire LEGO enthusiasts from around the world – and the Masterpiece Gallery is a prime example of this. Each year, I look so much forward to seeing the remarkable creations built by LEGO fans from around the world. Every build in the exhibition reflects great effort and creativity and brings joy to everyone who visits. We look forward to sharing the exhibition and hope our guests leave inspired to continue building their own ideas with LEGO bricks, no matter their age,” says Kathrine Kirk Muff, Managing Director of the LEGO House.

This year, the Masterpiece Gallery exhibition is one of the most diverse and ambitious curation of LEGO models to date. Designers hail from Australia, China, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The LEGO House is the pinnacle location for them to express their love of creating with LEGO bricks, their rich cultures, and their wildest design ideas.

Located on the top floor, the gallery highlights these talented builders and their imaginative LEGO designs that push the boundaries of creativity. For any AFOL, having their creations displayed at the LEGO House is a dream come true, offering a unique opportunity to share their passion with a worldwide audience.

One of the AFOLs is Victoria Worsley from the United Kingdom. She has been a LEGO fan for 9 years, but her fascination for LEGO play began from references in her childhood. Victoria has created two builds for the gallery – a 1950s-style diner, and a house, both populated with LEGO Belville figures.

“I still can’t believe my builds will be exhibited at the LEGO House. It feels like a dream come true. In my models, I draw inspiration from older LEGO themes, particularly those originally designed to appeal to girls, like Belville. I am extremely proud to have been selected to exhibit, and I hope that my work will inspire others, but especially girls and women to start building too,” says Victoria Worsley.

For many AFOLs, LEGO bricks are a medium for artistic expression, relaxation, and social connection, and the LEGO House has been designed to be the ultimate experience for all fans of LEGO play, no matter their age.

As the AFOL community has continued to grow year after year, now close to 25% of all visitors to the LEGO House each year are adult LEGO lovers visiting without children. For the LEGO House’s own Master Builder, Stuart Harris, who helps select the exhibitors for the Masterpiece Gallery, this means that the level of creativity continues to amaze him.

“The LEGO fan community continually inspires us with their creativity and technical skill, showcasing the limitless possibilities of the LEGO brick. In our selection process, we evaluate the overall theme, nice usage of elements, color, storytelling, details, and humor. We also attend LEGO fan conventions across Europe, North America, and Asia each year. I am consistently amazed by the creativity and passion of AFOLs, who reveal new possibilities with the LEGO brick that I might never have imagined,” says Stuart Harris, Master Builder at the LEGO House.

One of the artists exhibiting in LEGO House is Donny Chen. He lives in Australia and works as a piano teacher. Donny has been a LEGO fan for 13 years, particularly focusing on innovative designs that draw on his Chinese heritage. He is showcasing three of his creations, including a golden dragon constructed from almost 7,000 pieces to commemorate the Lunar Year of the Dragon.

“Every new build is a chance to learn something new, and I really enjoy tackling different challenges with LEGO bricks. For me, it’s the variety and overcoming obstacles that make building with LEGO bricks so much fun,” says Donny Chen.

Another artist contributing to the Masterpiece Gallery is Roldan Grace from the United States. He is the youngest exhibitor this year in LEGO House, being only 19 years old. Roldan has been playing with LEGO bricks since the age of 4, and it has played a significant role in his entire childhood. Roldan loves to create architectural models, animals, faces, and abstract sculptures. At the LEGO House, he will be showcasing his impressive large Knight on Horseback model, which consists of over 11,000 bricks and is accompanied by a Scarlett Macaw and a Wandering House, to create a unique universe.

All fifteen LEGO exhibitors will personally transport their intricate and delicate models to Billund. They will work together with Stuart Harris and the LEGO House team in the installation of their builds in the Masterpiece Gallery, ensuring they are presented exactly as intended, and providing them with the ultimate pride as they stand back and admire their creation in the full lineup before the doors open and the public get to enjoy the spectacle of the new exhibition. Below is the list of exhibitors at the Masterpiece Gallery:

Donny Chen, Australia
Dicken Liu, China
Roldan Grace, United States
Victoria Worsley, United Kingdom
Jessica Bavier, United States
Victor van den Berg, Netherlands
Khang Huynh, Vietnam
Nathan Don, United States
Tamami Takado, Japan
Martin Gebert, Germany
Steven Howard, United States
Takuya Fukugawa, Japan
Andrew Steel, Australia
Aiden Kessel, Australia
Jiwoo Seon, South Korea

The exhibition in the Masterpiece Gallery will be accessible to the public from the 27th of September, 2024. For LEGO fans, a visit to the LEGO House in Billund is a must-see, and for many, it is a bucket-list destination as Billund represents the heart of LEGO play, where fans can fully dive into a world of bricks and creativity.

On 26th September, an exclusive AFOL event will host 600 participants for a day packed with unique fan experiences and the chance to connect with fellow enthusiasts. Attendees will be among the first to explore this year’s Masterpiece Gallery, and tickets for the event have already sold out. For more information about the LEGO House and upcoming events, visit LEGOHouse.com.

Have you been to the LEGO House? Or would you like to go? And how do you like the exhibits created by LEGO fans? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!