Lego Education recently released a new set to commemorate the expansion of the Panama Canal. The set is a model of the third set of locks at the Panama Canal, done in collaboration with Panama STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), and is a limited production run of 40,000 sets. The box lists 1184 pieces, though while creating a Lego Digital Designer file, I noted that there seem to only be 1183 pieces in the set. What's even more confusing is that the instructions inventory part count sums to 1182. The set costs $250 USD and can be ordered online for an additional shipping and handling fee directly from Panama STEM: https://www.panamastem.com/shop/2000451/set-del-canal-de-panama/ I ordered the set to the tune of $299.95 and received it in about a week.

Unboxing

The box was simply wrapped in brown paper and sent via DHL, so it arrived very beat up but still intact. I'm not too worried about re-selling the set, but YSK that if you ship this internationally, it doesn't seem to be very well taken care of. The box itself is the same size as the larger Creator sets, like 31026 Bike Shop & Cafe. It's a white box with sparse but large imagery, featuring a full-size picture of the canal model, and some inset imagery that shows off the model's functionality. Branding for the Panama Canal, Panama STEM, and an indication that this is to celebrate the third set of locks is also featured. The top of the box details the five micro-scale ships included with the model as well as the one minifig. The back of the box also has a series of images that show how a ship navigates the canal.





Opening the box you'll find 20 total bags of parts, corresponding to 5 numbered groups. There are 2 unmarked bags of large parts, 3 bags for group 1, 4 for group 2, 4 for group 3, 4 for group 4, and 3 for group 5.

The set contains 5 instruction booklets corresponding to each of the 5 groups, and a sticker sheet containing a single sticker. The instruction booklets are just that: instructions. There's no history of the canal, no detail on other interesting facts, and very little information on how to operate the model itself.

The Build

The first set of bags brings us the sole minifig, a white and blue ship, and the leftmost section of the model. The model is split into five different sections, and this leftmost section simply creates one of the gates that allows ships to enter and exit the chambers. The left side of the model exits to the Caribbean Sea, and the right side to Gatun Lake.

The minifig is extremely basic, with no printing and a simple smiling face. He has black hair, a white torso, and blue legs. The blue ship is a simple construction that looks great at a micro scale, but I'm more excited about the four other ships that are pictured on the box.





This first section is pretty simple and straightforward, with lots of light bley, blue, green, and reddish brown. You build a basic frame with an inlet/outlet, then build two gates with dark bley pieces and black Technic gear racks. These gates then slide in and you complete the section to make sure they stay in place. They open and close easily with 20-teeth gears. This is the first of five sections, and each section attaches to others using Technic pins, so in a way the design is modular, but all 5 sections only make sense in one permutation.





The second set of bags builds a chamber and another set of gates. This section features more moving parts, with a chamber of water (represented with blue tiles) that raises and lowers using a crank. This section is elegant in its simple design, with some SNOT technique used to create the chamber. Once completed, it raises and lowers with ease. The gates are identical to the first section in both mechanism and design.



This section contained a sticker which I did not apply, but it looks like any other Lego sticker on a 2x4 tile. I'll also add that I'm disappointed that such an expensive set, especially with a partnership like the Panama Canal, would have stickers instead of printed tiles.



The build gets repetitive through the next two groups of bags. Groups 3 and 4 both have you constructing the same mechanical setup, just raised in height by two bricks each time. There are minor differences like the addition of a tower, but the mechanisms for both the chamber and gates remain the same.



The last bag brings us 4 more micro-scale ships and the last section. I think the tanker and cruise ship look best, but you can be the judge. The last section is simply a raised structure with water, representing Gatun Lake. No moving parts here at all.

Thoughts

When assembled, the model is definitely an impressive sight. It's approximately 23" long and has spaces for all 5 ships to be displayed. It has great playability, and it's a lot of fun to see how the locks and chambers operate. With the exposed studs and open gearing, it really feels like a good old-fashioned Lego set, but it has a certain level of polish given the tiling for the water and wonderful micro-scale ships.



I would only make a couple of small changes. First, one black Technic pin is used to join each section to the other, but I preferred to use two to provide more stability. Luckily, there are exactly four pins in the remaining extra parts. Second, I would like to have seen a printed minifigure torso and printed sign. The minifig could do well to get kids or adults interested in the Panama STEM community.



The pricing, however, is this model's biggest downfall. $300 for this set is simply too much, no matter the market or exclusivity. The model has no unique parts, nor any licensing or printing, so one would think it should come in around the $100 mark. Given the exclusive distribution channel and nature of the set, perhaps a $50 mark-up is warranted, but $250 is absurd.



Furthermore, I'm disappointed with the instructions. I would expect this type of model to have a more Architecture feel to it, with instructions that detail the history of the Panama Canal, the undertaking of the third locks, and how various features of both the model and real-life canal work. Perhaps Lego Education specifically gears this set towards educators or exhibitors, but it's being heavily marketed to consumers in Panama. The instructions and lack of printed pieces are a huge let-down for the price.



Parts: 2/5 - No rare parts and a mostly greens, blues, light bleys, and reddish brown.

- No rare parts and a mostly greens, blues, light bleys, and reddish brown. Playability: 4/5 - Keep in mind this is an educational set, so it's not going to have infinite replay value, but it's good for what it is.

- Keep in mind this is an educational set, so it's not going to have infinite replay value, but it's good for what it is. Building Experience: 4/5 - The mechanisms and micro-scale ships are nice and the overall build is enjoyable, but there's some repetition.

- The mechanisms and micro-scale ships are nice and the overall build is enjoyable, but there's some repetition. Value for Money: 1/5 - The price point is too high for what you get.

1/5 - The price point is too high for what you get. Overall: 3/5 - If I were to BrickLink this and get it for a more appropriate price, it might go up to a 3.5 or 4, but as-is I feel just OK about it.

If you're interested in obtaining this model, I strongly suggest you simply part it out through your own collection or BrickLink. Unless you absolutely need the sticker, there's simply no reason to shell out the money for it. I've created an LDD file for the set which can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Fc9So7YLRuMkhLZzNuaTJMM0E/view?usp=sharing More photos of the model are available in this Imgur album: http://imgur.com/a/aiBfK