Review: 21026 Venice
Posted by Huw,
From its humble beginnings in 2008, the Architecture theme has come a long way and by all accounts has become a resounding success for LEGO, with a steady stream of models released every year which for many, are the among the highlights of the company's output.
Usually we are blessed with around three sets a year with their availability spread out across the year, but in 2016, four are being released at once. What's more, three of them are quite different to that which has gone before: rather than being models of one notable building, they are miniature cityscapes featuring a handful of famous buildings from cities around the world.
In this review I will take a look at the smallest of the three: the 212-piece 21026 Venice which builds six of the Italian city's landmarks: the Rialto bridge, St. Mark's Basilica, St. Mark's Campanile, two statues and the Bridge of Sighs.
Box and Contents
As with all Architecture sets it's packaged in a high quality box that's easily opened without being destroyed.
The front shows the completed model; the back names the buildings and the dimensions of the model, which are 255mm long by 140mm high.
There's not much empty space in the 26x14cm box.
Inside are three bags of parts and a thick perfect bound 99-page manual which contains photographs of, and information about, the buildings in English and Italian as well as the instructions.
The Build
The base is built first and it's actually quite laborious, requiring 28 steps of instructions. The bottom two layers consist of primarily black plates and four black 'Plate 2X6X2/3 W 4 Hor. Knob' to mount tiles along the front edge.
A layer of tiles and grey plates complete the base. It accounts for probably 1/3rd of the parts in the set, certainly in terms of volume if not number. In common with all Architecture sets a printed 1x8 tile is provided for the front.
Construction of the buildings commences on the left with the Rialto Bridge. White wheel arches have been put to good use to form the body of the bridge which is topped off with white cones and cheese slopes.
Next, St. Mark's Basilica. Given the scale, it's a pretty good representation of the building. The roof is constructed from sand green cheese slopes which are uncommon outside Architecture sets.
The most recognisable landmark in Venice, St. Marks Campanile, stands tall beside the basilica. The 1x2 textured bricks represent is facade effectively. The 2x2 brick at the top is printed on one face with the Lion of St. Mark. It's a shame it's not printed on all four faces.
Beside it are the statues of St. Theodore and the Winged Lion of St. Mark. A white micro-figure is used for one of them.
Finally, a very simple structure representing the Bridge of Sighs completes the cityscape.
The Completed Model
The finished cityscape is unmistakably Venice: bridges, churches and towers. The essence of the city has been captured effectively.
Here's a rear view: it's not been designed to be viewed from the back.
Here's the white micro-figure statue in more detail:
Overall
The three cityscapes take the Architecture line in a new direction, and on the basis of this set, one that I like. Perhaps the finished model is not as impressive as the more detailed larger scale buildings in the range but it's full of interesting details and ingenious use of parts to achieve them, so it's still a pleasure to build and behold.
It's a set that could be perennially sold as a high quality souvenir in the city of water alongside Murano glass and Venetian masks, although I suspect, like all LEGO sets these days, it will have a short lifespan.
I can't comment on value for money as I don't know the price but I suspect it will be higher than that of similarly sized sets, partly due to the higher quality packaging and instructions.
Finally, if like me you like to keep your Architecture sets assembled in their box you will be pleased to see that with very little deconstruction you can do so:
The set will be available from shop.LEGO.com and brand stores from the 1st of January.
Thank you to the LEGO CEE team for providing the set for review.
Tomorrow I will take a look at 21027 Berlin.
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20 comments on this article
How about a contest to design additional cities? I think that would be a lot of fun and the possibilities are endless!
Great review, Huw, and excellent, informative photos!
If I remember correctly from another post I made some time ago, Venice and Berlin will be sold for €29.99 and New York for €49.99. I don't know how that normally translates to other currencies but £20-25 sounds realistic.
By the way, I love these new skyline sets. One reason why I never bought any of the Architecture sets before was the fact that they looked very monotonous to build, but this does not seem to be the case with these new sets.
It's $29.99 in the States.
Also, I can't agree that LEGO Architecture sets have a short life-span. The Space Needle set is still going strong, for example. It was introduced in January 2009, almost seven years ago! Many of these sets are on shelves for quite a long time.
From the previews, Venice impressed me the least. So, if this is already good fun to build I have high hopes for the others. If prices won't be ridiculous, these sets are an absolute buy!
As pretty basic as this is, I think it's excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the cityscapes we already know about and to see which ones they do in the future.
This looks brilliant, and is going on my ever-expanding wish list. Can't wait to see other skylines, as I agree they are less monotonous, with a lot of interesting features.
Eh... I don't like this very much, frankly. New York looks better IMO.
A contest to make our own micro cities from our imagination would be sweetZ
29,99$ for a 212 piece set? Is "greed" a good word for it?
Mixed feelings about this different direction for the series. On the one hand, it's a visually impressive profile, but on the other hand, lost is the great detail of some of the Architecture models that allow you to appreciate the actual architecture of the building. Overall, I think I prefer a more detailed model of a single structure but will still purchase a few of these as a change of pace.
I like this review! I understand the fact that Architecture has traditionally been more expensive, but as the 212 parts are mostly tiny parts, I would think that this set deserves at most a $24.99 price tag.
I also wish I was not a Grammar Nazi (so called), but "different to" in paragraph 2 should be "different from." I'm sorry, I can't help it. -_-
Anyways, I have high hopes for this new line of sets and think it will be a success. I hope TLG makes one of my city! Thanks for the review :D
Looks good, really captures the essence of the setting.
@Lego_Nerd98: The OED says that both are acceptable (perhaps a UK/US difference in usage?)
I think it looks great, and $30 is a pretty decent deal, all things considered. I'll definitely be getting these.
It's a LEGO Church! I want to buy as many as I can afford, hoping that LEGO get the message: More religious buildings please!
Love the high level of detail put into the winged lion statue!
I am actually a bit disappointed with the model; when I saw it the first time I put in the wish list, but thanks to this wonderful reviewed I have appreciated that the model is an absolute non-sense. It is just a collection of Venice parts all in one line. The only correct part is the Tower close to the Basilica; the two bridges are actually somewhere else. If I compare this with the other "italian models" this is really the worst. I think it is really a shame.
Good review, although Venice is probably the one I'm least excited for in this new batch. Big fan of the Architecture series, but this past year I was a bit disappointed. I really like this new direction with cityscapes, and I will definitely be getting the new Burj Khalifa too, even if I have already got the old one (one of my favourites). I really hope they continue with more cityscapes - my wishlist includes London, Paris, Rome, Dubai, Cairo, Athens, Tokyo, Chicago, and Sydney (all obvious choices I should think).
Having been to Venice I would love to own this however I don't exactly remember if I have been to these specific landmarks. If this is £15 or lower I would happily purchase it, not beyond £20. I love this new concept but I think they are slightly small, if they were slightly larger I would be pleased.
One step closer to an Assassins Creed set :-)
I love the white trophyfig/nanofig! It'll probably end up being ridiculously expensive, though.