Review: 31208 The Great Wave
Posted by Huw,
The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print created in 1831 by Japanese artist Hokusai. It depicts three boats moving through a stormy sea, with Mount Fuji visible in the background.
The LEGO version, 31208 Hokusai - The Great Wave, is a faithful reproduction that utilises a combination of 1x1 round tiles for the background and layered plates together with a surprising variety of other intriguing pieces to create the dynamic form of the waves and boats in the foreground.
Summary
31208 Hokusai - The Great Wave, 1,810 pieces.
£89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 5.0p/5.5c/5.5c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A fantastic rendition of the famous artwork with lots of surprising details to discover
- Best Art set to date
- Suitable for display in non-LEGO rooms
- Nothing worth mentioning
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The picture, according to Wikipedia, has been described as "possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art",as well as being a contender for the "most famous artwork in Japanese history".
Some 1,000 copies were initially printed, followed by around 7,000 more, so they can be found in museums around the world as well as in private collections.
With this set you can grace your walls with it too!
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Construction
The background of the picture is constructed on six of the new 16x16 Art baseplate, of which four are light nougat.
The first layer is constructed using 1x1 round tiles to form the sky and clouds in the background, and plates forming the foundation for the waves.
Layer upon layer of plates, tiles and other parts are added until the picture is complete. I'll take a closer look in detail later. The thickest section of the sea, near the bottom, is 4 plates deep.
The tan plates and dark tan teeth pieces make up the three boats in the scene, although I don't think it's particularly obvious that's what they are unless you already know what they are!
Unusually for an Art set, the picture is surrounded by a substantial frame, nine studs in size.
A 7-wide white mount made primarily from 6x6 tiles is surrounded by a tan frame, which complements the muted colours of the picture.
The Technic axles around the edges are used to pin the picture in place within the frame.
Two picture hook pieces are provided to facilitate hanging from the wall.
The completed model
Overall it's about 52cm x 38cm and from a distance I think it looks spectacular. The elements required for the frame have obviously bumped up the piece count and price considerably, but the picture looks so much better in it.
Unlike most other Art sets that consist of nothing more than dots tiles, this one invites closer inspection and looks fantastic close-up, too.
There are unexpected parts abound, particularly on the crests of the crashing waves, where white leaves and birds (of all things!) have been used to give them texture and shape, and to capture the dynamicism of the original.
The crew in the three stricken boats are represented by printed tiles. It's unusual for Art sets to resort to prints to provide detail like this but in this case I guess it was warranted given that they are an important part of the scene and blue or white tiles alone would not have cut it.
Hokusai's signature, and what I presume is the name of the picture, are printed on tiles and affixed in the top right corner.
Viewing the picture from the side allows you to appreciate its depth and details, and how the waves extend beyond the edges of the picture.
Verdict
Until now Art sets have been rooted in pop culture and have tended to be a bit garish so, I would suggest, not really suitable for displaying in most people's living rooms.
This one, however, is quite different. For a start, it's a famous and instantly recognisable piece of art, and its muted colour palette makes it far more suitable for hanging in rooms where you might not normally have LEGO on display.
If someone who does not know it's LEGO sees it from a distance they may be surprised to learn than it is indeed made from plastic pieces when viewing it close-up, and they are sure to be delighted when discovering leaves and birds in the mix of parts used.
Pictures always look better in big frames with a complementing mount surrounding them and this one certainly does. The price would undoubtedly have been lower without it, but it would lose a lot of its visual impact without the negative space surrounding it.
Even with the frame bumping up the cost, the price of £89.99 / $99.99 seems quite reasonable, particularly when compared to other Art sets which consist of nothing much more than thousands of 1x1 tiles.
Overall, then, this is my favourite Art set to date and I now have it hanging in a prime position in Brickset Towers.
I'm sorry that my office looks 'lived in' and not as aspirational as those in official lifestyle pictures! No, I didn't write this review on that typewriter!
It'll be available at LEGO.com from Sunday, 1st January.
183 likes
56 comments on this article
Your office looks exactly like on promo pictures from Lego! Thank you for the Quick review. I wonder why there is no mention about the packaging and instructions? I would like to see the back of the box and some insights about instructions in a review...
Stunning! Might be my first LEGO Art set.
Soon everything in my house will be made of Lego: Lego Plants, Lego Paintings. For gaming the Atari, for work the typewriter. For music- the grand piano
I'll say that the frame, despite its simplicity, is its own unique part of what makes this set distinct. The negative space really adds something.
(I'm not sure if I like or don't like that the "wood" border looks like a victim of inconsistent molding. It looks more organic, but also, Lego shouldn't do that in an ideal world.)
@thor96 said:
" I wonder why there is no mention about the packaging and instructions? I would like to see the back of the box and some insights about instructions in a review..."
Not much to say about them, really. The back of the box photo is available on the set details page.
Tangential question: what determines whether a set reveal or review gets a poll on whether people will buy it? Didn’t see it in either here.
I have to say personally I’m not sold on this one, I hope they have a model in stores to sway my opinion :)
Nice review, I will definitely be picking this up.
I didn't see a link to the set's page. Can one please be added?
@tedgarb said:
"Tangential question: what determines whether a set reveal or review gets a poll on whether people will buy it? Didn’t see it in either here.
I have to say personally I’m not sold on this one, I hope they have a model in stores to sway my opinion :)"
We tend to add them mostly to 18+ D2C sets.
@ricecake said:
"Nice review, I will definitely be picking this up.
I didn't see a link to the set's page. Can one please be added?"
Done
I was really excited for this when I heard it was announced, but I just really don't like the dots for the background, and I think the lower right corner especially is too angular. I think I personally would've preferred something like the Van Gogh set, with texture and depth, but I understand why they didn't do that here. Not for me but I'm glad other people are enjoying
Looks great but I don't know why they put copies of 'Boerke' in those boats?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boerke
Or am I the only one seeing that? I'll just shut up now...
The shade of the dark blue looks pretty variable. It’s OK, but doesn’t impress me in the same way as the Van Gogh. I’d prefer a decent print.
Fantastic rendition. Obviously not quite the best art set but when I get it I certainly won't return to sender...
@T79 said:
"Looks great but I don't know why they put copies of 'Boerke' in those boats?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boerke
Or am I the only one seeing that? I'll just shut up now..."
Well, not really the only one, I too see a resemblance. You however are surely one of the very few in this forum who - up until now - had knowledge of the existence of this Boerke character. Thanks for sharing!
BTW, thank you Huw for your fine review and yes, I will be buying this little masterpiece as soon as it's available. I see a lot of effort and artwork put into this set.
It's worth mentioning that the 'picture' part of the set is pretty much 1:1 with the 'original' woodblock print.
I have it pre-ordered. It's meant to reach me on Monday, but hopefully I'll get it on Saturday.
Great review! It's a very nice set, and the price is great (which is a bit of a surprise).
@Huw, only thing missing from the office photo is you sitting on a sofa, holding a white mug, looking at the Lego set from afar :)
This set is a definite maybe for me. I really like it, but I'm not sure if I'd spend $100 on it at the expense of something more in line with what I usually collect.
I hadn't noticed the printed tiles for the people in the boats before reading the review. I'm not sure I like them to be honest, so I might sub them out for other parts.
Good review! Still not sold on the rendition of Fuji-san, but everything else holds op pretty well.
One detail I noticed was that the print on that 2x6 tile seems a bit skewed....but looking at the original that actually seems to be accurate. On the official pictures it seems perfectly straight though....so was this intentional or just an happy accident?
The frame is a genius addition that really makes this set pop. I reckon all Art sets could benefit from having that border to set off the image.
@1947andallthat said:
"The frame is a genius addition that really makes this set pop. I reckon all Art sets could benefit from having that border to set off the image."
Maybe, but they'd also get more expensive. The primary image is made of only six 16x16 frame bricks. Most of the previous Art sets were nine 16x16s with a thin black border, so now they're getting a lot wider if we start adding frame plates.
I've got the three-image combo Darth Vader on my wall, and it's pretty monstrous at 3x9 16x16 plates. Adding the weight and space of a frame would be...much.
I like this quite a bit. But, I wonder if Mrs. StyleCounselor will feel that Lego on the wall is just too much. Well, I guess there's a bit more room in my office.
Looks like something grandma knitted
Whilst the overall design and build-technique of these sets still does nothing for me, I definitely think this is the best one yet and can understand why it would appeal to a lot of people.
@Reventon said:
"Looks like something grandma knitted"
I do not agree. But, I can see it, and damn! that's funny.
Great review, as always! This is the most appealing art set I've seen so far. Loved the little PS about the state of Brickset Towers, I think the office looks very good, with a tasteful selection of sets :)
I'm a big fan of the original piece of art (it is literally the wallpaper on my computer, even), so this is right up my alley. Is it pricey for what you get? Surely, but at least it's still within a reasonably affordable price range. Considering LEGO easily could've made this a much bigger 5,000-piece, €/£/$300+ set if they'd wanted, I'm glad this is more within reason.
Damn it! People are liking it.
This means it won't be reduced like 76210 or 76215.
Well, if I'm lucky enough I might be able to get 20% off in due time. Not excited about it but I like it.
Awesome! That set is so beautiful!
Big, big fan of this and can’t wait to get it. I really need some Lego therapy right about now.
Beautiful, will get this one for sure!
@huw that office clock? looks like a great basis for an IDEAS project right there…. Boom!!
I'm still not sure I'd ever get one but let's give credit where it's due: this is a beautiful recreation in LEGO. So mad respect to the designer(s) who made this turn out so well.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @Reventon said:
"Looks like something grandma knitted"
I do not agree. But, I can see it, and damn! that's funny."
I think the issue is the area between the sky and the grey. The use of interspersed dots on the black background makes the dots and spaces too defined. Thus. it looks like cross-stitch. The designer should have used more nougat, white and grey background pieces in order to match the dots.
Dumbledore would love it. Apparently, he adores knitting patterns.
I have the brick-built version of this on my shelf and prefer it to this set. It's not an official LEGO set so most here will not be interested, but maybe it will be of interest to a couple people.
The best thing about this LEGO art set are the frame and the white mat. I hope that future (fine) art sets have these as well. They make a big difference.
"The tan plates and dark tan teeth pieces make up the three boats in the scene, although I don't think it's particularly obvious that's what they are unless you already know what they are!"
Even after I already know what they are, I still don't know what they are. It's the weakest representation in an otherwise great job.
Absolutely love this.
LEGO, Please make more like this and the botanical sets!!!
This is lovely, and it’s this stuff that’s pulling me back into the hobby with my kids. …some proof of our interest on Instagram: @quincy_3dk
The color inconsistency among the blue plates forming the foundation of the sea waves and along the tan frame is very very obvious. Several shades of blue and of tan are seen. Very "dynamic".
@illennium said:
"I have the brick-built version of this on my shelf and prefer it to this set. It's not an official LEGO set so most here will not be interested, but maybe it will be of interest to a couple people.
The best thing about this LEGO art set are the frame and the white mat. I hope that future (fine) art sets have these as well. They make a big difference."
Welcome back. Your comments have been always appreciated.
This set is amazing! It’s awesome to see how far these art sets have gone
@Vic0v0 said:
"The color inconsistency among the blue plates forming the foundation of the sea waves and along the tan frame is very very obvious. Several shades of blue and of tan are seen. Very "dynamic"."
Not that I can see. With very close inspection I can see that the apparant shade is very sensitive to the lighting condition: just slightly vary the incident angle. It's clear that the shades vary left to right because of this. Local apparant variation can come from the slight angle differences in building.
I'm absolutely delighted that there's some depth to it and it's not just a mosaic.
@Huw could we see how it looks like next to the Starry Night?
@MZ_1 said:
" @Huw could we see how it looks like next to the Starry Night?"
Unfortunately no, as I don't have that one.
What was the "accompanying soundtrack" mentioned in the press release?
@Huw:
While an estimated 8000 prints may have been produced from the original woodblocks, barely over 100 survive today. Of those, quality is all over the map. There’s a British museum whose copy has no discernible color in the sky. The Prussian blue used for the sea was a relatively new synthetic pigment (and cure for radiation!) that didn’t fade as fast as many natural pigments, but the pink and yellow used in the sky were prone to fading if exposed to too much light, which is probably what happened to that copy. There’s a print in LA that does have a pink sky, but the clouds are missing, indicating it was printed very late in the run (certain details lost definition and disappeared as subsequent prints were made). I was kinda hoping they’d note exactly which print they based this off of, as there’s quite a bit of variety to those that remain. Even good, early prints might show different saturation levels if there’s been any degree of fading.
Also, it looks like your birds are mostly pointing in the wrong directions.
@Jackthenipper:
I hear decent prints of this are valued at over $1 million. Or did you mean a gift shop print?
@PurpleDave said:
"I hear decent prints of this are valued at over $1 million. Or did you mean a gift shop print?"
I got mine at a 100 yen-store! And it's in flawless condition, both the print itself and the fabric it's printed on!
@WizardOfOss:
My friend who lived in Japan for a few years found a really nice wooden puzzle of the image, but unfortunately was not able to find a second copy to ship to me. Barnes & Noble stocks a puzzle of it that I’ve been very tempted by, but it’s just a standard laminated paper style so I’ve never been quite ready to make that jump. Now I don’t have to!
Anyways, there are prints, and there are copies. Prints are actually original pieces produced from the carved woodblock patterns, they’re exceedingly rare (considering how many are believed to have been made in this manner), and just as valuable. Copies are reproductions of any of these original prints, and may take any form from what museum gift shops refer to as “prints” (usually when referring to one-off original paintings like the Mona Lisa) to bookmarks and tote bags.
Obvious joke should have been obvious ;-)
I've not been swayed by any of the art sets so far to date, but this one has definitely grabbed my attention. I've had a blank space on the living room for months and have been looking for the right thing to fill it, and now I've got the answer!
Big fan of Hokusai here. Love what I can see of this set in the photos. The frame I noticed immediately. Done in a Japanese style, it complements the beautiful wave. The birds for the tips of the foamy waves are brilliant! I think that the designers must be Hokusai fans as well.
@mediAFOL said:
"What was the "accompanying soundtrack" mentioned in the press release?"
Just like the other sets, LEGO has made a sort of podcast for each of the sets to accompany you while you build it. The one for this set is already uploaded on LEGO's
official YouTube channel.
@dawid said:
"Soon everything in my house will be made of Lego: Lego Plants, Lego Paintings. For gaming the Atari, for work the typewriter. For music- the grand piano "
Me too! I just love it!
Think I'll get it, though may try to make Fuji more defined. It's lost in this rendition, yet to those in the know it's actually more important than the wave.
I got it yesterday and built it. All great except 2 things:
various shades of beige on the frame - seriously get your shit together LEGO.
6x6 white plates have mould marks in the center -> LEGO should have used 6x2 instead.
Had no intention to buy this until I saw it built in store and realised how stunning it really is. I have never bought an art set before but I've built it tonight and its now my favourite ever. It's refined, classy, doesn't need to show off as the artists work is captured beautifully. If you have doubts, get to your nearest lego store asap.
Sorry to go off topic but ive seen it on Brickset before (I think) @huw can you send a link to the article (if there was one) about the Lego hanging optical illusion piece in the picture. Please