Review: 31119 Ferris Wheel
Posted by Paperballpark,
I’m very pleased to have been asked by Huw to review the new Creator 3in1 Ferris Wheel set 31119 Ferris Wheel, and I will be doing so with help from my 7-year-old stepson.
LEGO has a history of taking inspiration from larger ‘Creator Expert’ sets for some of the Creator range, and this new Ferris Wheel certainly seems to bear some similarity to 10247 Ferris Wheel from 2015, with Medium Azure supports and Yellow spokes on the wheel itself.
I bought 10247 Ferris Wheel back in the day, and it was a very popular set at the time. So, can this Creator version match it?
31119 Ferris Wheel is the fourth Ferris Wheel that LEGO have produced, with 4957 Ferris Wheel (2007) being the first, 10247 Ferris Wheel (2015) the second, and the small Toys R Us promo set 66650 Ferris Wheel from 2020 being the third. All of them are called Ferris Wheel, and all of them move.
31119 is also the third in an occasional series of funfair-style sets in the Creator 3in1 range, sitting alongside 31084 Pirate Roller Coaster from 2018 and 2019’s 31095 Fairground Carousel.
One advantage of the Creator 3in1 line is that you don’t just get instructions for the main build, but also for two other smaller builds. In an effort to be thorough, I’ve built them all so that you can decide if you want to or not.
As I anticipated that my young helper would want to keep the main Ferris wheel built, I started with the smallest build.
Swinging Boats ride
I suspect that the nature of the main build – with specific parts making up the spokes - will have made it harder to come up with alternative builds, but a swinging boats ride is a good choice, and works quite well with the parts that are available.
The build took about an hour to finish, which isn't too bad considering I had to open all the bags! We start with the minifigures and a couple of small mini builds.
The minifigures are pretty generic, with plain legs in common colours. I'm not an expert on minifigure torsos, but it looks like the blue and white striped torso with bow tie has only previously appeared in 60253 Ice-Cream Truck. There's two supplied here. Four of the minifigure heads are double-sided.
Something which is consistent with Creator sets is that any animals are always brick-built, and I think the representation of a dog in the small build is quite a good one – certainly better than in the later bumper car build!
The mini builds are a fairly basic gumball machine, and a very nice little toy grabber machine of the kind you find at fairgrounds which so frustrates little children. There's a rather obvious issue with this one though, because there's no glass in it! I think this can be slightly forgiven, as the designer has been restricted to using parts from the main build.
Halfway through the build, and we’ve built the main structure, which has a rather nice representation of a sailing ship above the canopy. There’s also stop and go buttons, an entrance gate, and it’s clear where the boats will clip onto when built.
While finishing the build, the problem of having a limited number of parts for the designer to use is also clear. It's quite clear that compromises have been made throughout the build because of the restriction on parts. This impacts slightly on the only play feature, in that the boats have a limited (although still quite decent) swinging range.
That said, the model is a good representation of a swinging boat ride, even if it's far from perfect, and it's nice and easy to move the boats by rocking the exposed tops of the supports with your fingers.
From the back we can also see what looks like a motor to drive the boats, which is the last thing to be built.
In terms of play value, my helper wasn’t around for this one, but I suspect that playability is quite limited given that all you can do is swing the boats back and forth. In addition, the minifigures sit on tiles, so aren’t very stable inside the boats. Overall, it’s a nice little addition to a fairground, but with limited playability it’s hardly the main attraction.
There were a lot of parts left over from this build – far more than I expected when I started it. I did think myself lucky that I started with the smallest build, because if I'd started with the main build, I'd have had to take a lot more apart in order to build the next one...
Bumper Cars ride
Once I’d taken the swinging boats apart, I started on the next build, the dodgems / bumper cars.
I thought this might be the ‘medium’ build, as it has about 40 steps more than the swinging boats, but it took about the same amount of time to build, and I reckon it uses a similar number of pieces.
The minifigures get their body parts rearranged for this build, and we get to build a slightly different dog. Unfortunately, this one looks like it has smoke coming out of its ears!
Getting halfway through and we’ve built most of the ride façade, along with a little ticket booth, which has a door at the back that folds down to form a ramp.
Next, we build the lettering, the side canopies, and the barrier enclosing the ride. This has click-hinges attached to clips, so it doesn’t stay rigid if you lift it up to move it, but it does easily allow you to lift the barrier up out of the way.
Finally, we build the four bumper cars themselves. Have you spotted the major inaccuracy with the build?
A real bumper car ride has the pole extending to an electrical grid in the roof, through which it gets the electrical power to drive. This representation has the poles but no roof, leaving us with the question of how they get power!
I suspect this is quibbling though, as the designer won’t have had the parts to create a roof, and including one would have blocked being able to play with the cars. My stepson certainly didn’t notice this inaccuracy, so I think the designer can be forgiven!
There is a bigger issue with the build though, which became obvious when my stepson started playing with it – the enclosed area is simply too small to be able to play with the cars in. Indeed, after just a few moments of playing, he decided to ignore the barrier altogether and make the whole of the floor rug the arena! He also decided to use the poles as handles to hold them, and soon we had flying dodgems and jet-boosted dodgems…
It’s obvious that this build, with the non-fixed nature of the bumper cars, offers far more play value than the swinging boats would have done. In a way it’s a shame that this build has been relegated to second-build status here, with the compromises that entails, as I think a larger stand-alone bumper car ride set could have been even better play value.
That said, I’m quite impressed with what’s been managed with the limited parts available. On that note, it’s time to take it apart (my stepson was quite disappointed) and build the main Ferris wheel…
Ferris Wheel ride
The main build is split up into 5 different bags. Bag 1 builds the mini builds and the base, bag 2 builds the supports and the steps, bag 3 builds the wheel, and bags 4 and 5 each build four of the gondolas.
I let my stepson build most of the Ferris wheel, while I was relegated to the task of part-finder…
Bag 1 proceeded well. The two mini builds were soon done, followed by the base a while later. There was some playing with the balloon cart in between, which is probably a good thing, even though it slowed progress!
This step also builds the simple mechanism which turns the wheel, which consists of a couple of gears attached to a wheel and rubber tyre. A rubber band is used to apply some pressure to keep the wheel pressing upwards against the yet-to-be-built Ferris wheel.
Bag 2 builds the supports for the wheel, the sun, the clouds, and the steps at the side. There’s also a blue and grey thing at the side next to the flowers, which we suspected is a bin, albeit a very high one.
The next bag is where it really starts to come together, as we build the wheel itself. The build from here onwards is very repetitive, but thankfully the construction isn’t too complicated. I got promoted from part-finder to joint builder to help with some of the repetition, and we got through bag 3 quickly and with very few complaints about building the same thing over and over.
Once the wheel is attached, we can work the mechanism to turn it, which my stepson was excited about.
Bag 4 builds the red and green gondolas. Again, the builds are repetitive, but splitting the workload meant they were done quite quickly.
The gondolas have a simple opening door and a place for the minifigures to sit inside. The construction ensures the gondolas are kept relatively level when the wheel turns.
This bag also builds the third variation of a dog, and in my opinion it’s the best one of the three.
The last bag builds the remaining four gondolas and secures them all into the wheel via the use of minifigure hammers. By this point we barely needed the instructions for the gondolas, and with my stepson racing me to build them, we got them finished pretty quickly.
Conclusion
The main build is a very nice representation of a Ferris wheel, and as befits the 9+ age rating on the box, isn’t too complicated to build. Sure it’s not as impressive (or as complex) as 10247 but it’s not as expensive, and I would probably say it’s more fun to build. In addition, if you look at funfair Ferris wheels, most of them look more like this than 10247.
Let’s turn to the play value. My stepson enjoyed playing with it, and although I doubt the playability of the swinging boats, there’s no doubt that both the bumper cars and the Ferris wheel offer good play opportunities. I would say that the bumper cars offer more scope for imagination though, and so will probably be played with longer.
My suspicion with the Ferris wheel build is that the more rigid play structure created by it means it will be played with for a few days, then put on display in my stepson’s room and mostly forgotten about. That said, it’s a nice-looking set, so will look good on display.
The set has just over 1000 pieces and will cost £75 / $80 / €80 so in theory offers similar ‘price per piece’ value to other Creator sets released this year, but somehow the finished thing just doesn’t look as substantial as other sets, and I honestly can’t say I’d recommend buying it at full price.
The best way I thought about it was this: if I were in the LEGO store with £80, I’d probably end up buying two smaller sets like 31116 Safari Wildlife Tree House and 31118 Surfer Beach House instead of this. Those two sets together are £75, and although they have a few less parts in total than the Ferris Wheel, it feels like you’d be getting more for your money.
So in conclusion, it’s a nice playable set which will make a great addition to a funfair layout but I think there are other sets which are better value, but if you can get it for 20% - 25% off, then I’d recommend it, and you and/or your young ones will enjoy playing with it.
Thanks to LEGO for providing this set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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37 comments on this article
this set will be perfect for my city!
Didn't even know it had red cabins at first since they are pretty much almost hidden on the official pictures 31119 : Ferris Wheel.
Lovely set for sure, but I'll wait for a bigger discount as it's a hard competitor at €90 vs the €100 31120 : Medieval Castle. (last year 31108: Caravan Family Holiday was €90 here too vs the 31109 : Pirate Ship).
I appreciate the bigger 3-in-1 sets overall though.
Overall, this is a good series of Theme park sets below the Expert Scale , along with previous sets like 31095 : Fairground Carousel 31084 : Pirate Roller Coaster and various Friends sets.
Since I have the big one I’ll skip this one…I feel like they’d look really weird together.
The fact that this set is like smaller version of 10247 fills me with joy!
Even colors are right!
My fav detail however are those brickbuild baloons <3
I wonder how easy it'll be to motorise... one of the drawbacks of Power Functions getting retired is that motorising sets like this is awfully expensive :/
The dog's off its leash...reminds me of my neighborhood.
The alternate models are really good
@Mister_Jonny said:
"I wonder how easy it'll be to motorise... one of the drawbacks of Power Functions getting retired is that motorising sets like this is awfully expensive :/"
It should just be a matter of swapping the turning handle for an M motor, then getting it running at the right speed.
It kinda looks like a mess
The main build looks great and would go well with the Pirate roller coaster. Really like the gondolas and glad there are 8 and not say 4 or 6, although using hammers to attach is a bit strange. Thank you for showing the alternative builds as now know to give them a miss, or build first.
It's ok, but no where near as impressive as 10247; from the aesthetics to the actual mechanics, 10247 is far more accurate and remains one of my favorite sets.
I feel like the whole "Fair" theme has been dumbed down and simplified since the roller coaster.
@Paperballpark nice first review. Nice, but no wowgfactor. I'm tempted but as you point out, there's just too much competition even in 3-in-1 right now for this to be a must-buy.
Yeah, lots of small pieces skewing the price. I really think LEGO need to come to grips with reality and not try to sell every 1 x 1 tile for 10 Cent a piece. That aside somehow the set looks a bit boring. Not really much in terms of original details or surprising building techniques. Really feels like it could have been bashed together on an afternoon.
"31119 Ferris Wheel is the fourth Ferris Wheel that LEGO have produced, with 4957 Ferris Wheel (2007) being the first, 10247 Ferris Wheel (2015) the second, and the small Toys R Us promo set 66650 Ferris Wheel from 2020 being the third. All of them are called Ferris Wheel, and all of them move."
You are forgetting 41130 Amusement Park Roller Coaster, which was a Friends set that included a Ferris Wheel of about this size.
I really like the bumper car build, but as you noted, the driving area is tiny. Thank you for the review!
@Librarian1976 said:
"You are forgetting 41130 Amusement Park Roller Coaster, which was a Friends set that included a Ferris Wheel of about this size."
Oh yes, of course! Thanks for pointing that out :)
FUN
I had no idea 10247 has already been discontinued for three years! Time flies at the funfair I suppose.
Nice review, @Paperballpark! I'm liking these 'guest' reviewers for getting lots of reviews out.
As already mentioned, thanks for presenting the three models in the order that one would build them, i.e. the 'correct' order ;-)
Great review, and it's even better due to the fact that a child was involved in the construction, play, and review. It gives much more value since more demographics are targeted and can give their opinions! As AFOLS we tend to look for different things, so it's great to see different sides to it.
If we want to be technical about past Lego Ferris Wheels, one only has to look at https://brickset.com/sets/tag-Ferris-Wheel to see even more, though a couple are kind of questionable.
Great review @Paperballpark !
@Dare_Wreck said:
"If we want to be technical about past Lego Ferris Wheels, one only has to look at https://brickset.com/sets/tag-Ferris-Wheel to see even more, though a couple are kind of questionable."
What's weird about that tag is that 854012 is listed but 21034 isn't.
I will say this, if built once to put up on a shelf to display, at least it was only 80USd and not 200USD
@TheOtherMike said:
" @Dare_Wreck said:
"If we want to be technical about past Lego Ferris Wheels, one only has to look at https://brickset.com/sets/tag-Ferris-Wheel to see even more, though a couple are kind of questionable."
What's weird about that tag is that 854012 is listed but 21034 isn't."
Tagging is an ongoing process and, due to the nature of the task. will never be completed.
I don't know why but I think I like this better than 10247. I like it is smaller but still have all the functions and still maintained the minifig scale. Best of all it's less than half the price. Now wish they make a smaller carousel.
Worth to mention that Lego produced others Ferris Wheels: 41130, 76035, 41689, 21034, 3816 and 854012.
Duplo: 10840 and 10956
Fabuland: 3681 and 3683
Can you add a picture next to its big brother?
Nice review, and my compliments to your assistant!
I wonder if the three “dog” builds are meant to be representative of balloon animals, especially with those elongated bodies?
@fulcrumbop said:
"Can you add a picture next to its big brother? "
I'm afraid I've long since dismantled the larger set 10247.
Cute set! Lots of play possibilities for kids.
Also .... 5 minifigs in a Creator 3-in-1 set is huge!
Great review; not a must-have for me, but I'm sure my son will love it!
@mdonahue7 said:
"I feel like the whole "Fair" theme has been dumbed down and simplified since the roller coaster. "
Guess it's the difference between the Creator and (Creator Expert) 18+ lines. Don't forget they did the Haunted House last year, which (to me) wasn't dumb.
So, you've got 10247 and this, 10261 and 31084,. To me, it's not dumbing down, it's just different versions, and I expect there to be a new 18+ ride this or next year.
« if you look at funfair Ferris wheels, most of them look more like this than 10247. »
It’s the opposite for me : legs and structures, tire wheels to make the ride turn, access and platform mechanism... In my opinion the 10247 is closer to real Ferris Wheel than this.
Lego made apparently some mistakes here. They forgot to add 1500 pieces, slap 18+ on the package and sell it for 299.99 Euro. Happens from time to time.
That red-and-white-stripes torso makes me think of torsos from the '80s or early '90s.
I just want to add, that there is another exclusive Ferris wheel here in China. Unfortunately I cannot add pictures, but if interested get in contact with me.