Review: 21301 Birds Posted by CapnRex101, 06 Dec 2014 15:30

It was only fairly recently that LEGO Ideas announced that the Birds would become an official set along with The Big Bang Theory, but we have already been provided with a review copy by the CEE Team. 21301 Birds will be coming out on the 1st of January and will be priced at £39.99 or $44.99, containing 580-pieces.

I was surprised to hear that the price was as high as it was before images were revealed a couple of weeks ago, but now that I own the set I think the cost is justified. Three fairly substantial models are included, and all three look great, although the Robin is by far my favourite personally, probably because we often see these flying around here in the UK at this time of year.

Box and Contents

This box matches the rest of the LEGO Ideas sets as it is made of a thicker cardboard than the standard box and opens at the front using flaps. The wooden design on the front and back looks brilliant and the natural theme of the set continues with some foliage printed behind the images of each model. The back of the box shows a map of the world with annotations to show where one might find examples of the birds included in reality and there are also shots of them in the wild which looks brilliant.

Inside are three instruction manuals and three numbered bags, one for each bird. There are interviews with the original designer, Thomas Poulsom, and details about each of the birds printed in multiple languages situated before the actual instructions in each booklet which are nice additions.

In his interview, Thomas discusses how he was initially inspired to construct a robin from LEGO when he observed one landing on a spade and how he hopes to continue building birds like these as well as some more exotic and even extinct species!

The Build

The build begins with the Robin, construction of which is not dissimilar to one of Chris McVeigh's famous spheres. All three models are absolutely laden with SNOT building techniques, but this one more than any other, with construction going in six different directions!

Once you have built the central section of the Robin, brown, red, grey and white plates are added to cover this. Initially these patches of colour appear rather haphazard but when the model is complete they look fantastic and achieve exactly the natural appearance one would hope for.

Construction of the Blue Jay is much like the Robin, with a central block of brackets, hinges and ball joints to which the panels visible from the outside are then attached. This build is a little more varied as not all of this bird is built horizontally or vertically unlike the Robin, where curves are formed simply by 'stepping' the plates.

Although this is a fairly entertaining build as a whole, the repeated addition of 1x1 plates to form the neck of the Blue Jay is rather dull. However, there can be no argument that the results looks excellent and are well worth the effort.

The third and final bird to be built is the Hummingbird. This is undoubtedly my least favourite of the three and construction is simplest for this model too. The entire body of the Hummingbird is built upside down with only the head the right way up, although even that makes use of SNOT techniques to create such a condensed but detailed design.

The flower too is not a particularly interesting build, although those dark green tentacle pieces make for an effective stem. This is a common technique in MOCs but I have not seen it in an official set before, and it may be new to some builders.

The Completed Model

All three models have their charms and they capture the subject matter nicely, but for me the Robin and Blue Jay are far superior to the Hummingbird as they look better on display. The colour scheme works well for each of them but the Robin is my favourite as the bold blocks of colour contrast nicely with one another, yielding an eye-catching display model.

The Latin terms for each bird are printed on a black 2x4 tile fitted to a display base for the models, a feature which further improves their displayability. The stand for the Blue Jay could do with some improvement as it looks a little plain with a simple light bluish grey axle piece, although this is an easy fix if you are not keen on it.

The Hummingbird lacks the detail of the others, predominantly on account of its smaller size. The shape of the bird has nevertheless been captured fairly well as far as I can tell and the addition of a flower adds to the display value. The stepped construction used for the wings looks slightly awkward from some angles but to me it seems to suggest the quick, fluttering wings which Hummingbirds are well known for, so although this is a simple technique it works rather nicely.

Overall

This is purely a set for display, and it fulfills that role brilliantly. I have no complaints regarding the appearance of the Robin or the Blue Jay, and even the Hummingbird features a good level of detail. The value for money is certainly there as although the models are quite small, all three are densely packed with pieces.

My only significant criticism would be for the Hummingbird, which looks a little bit strange beside the other, much larger birds included. The flower is a nice addition but I still do not think it quite matches the excellence of the Robin and Blue Jay, leaving me slightly disappointed with it.

For adults this set is going to be a winner, and it would of course make a great gift for any birdwatcher. Few models are as liable to provoke interest from non-LEGO fans as these and I imagine this set could bring many new fans to the hobby.

Many thanks to the LEGO Community Engagements and Events team for providing the set for review.