Review: 43232 Peter Pan & Wendy's Flight over London
Posted by CapnRex101,
43232 Peter Pan & Wendy's Flight over London expands the superb diorama series to include Disney, joining Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and Indiana Jones sets. The blending of scales is interesting, as is the distinctly blue hue to this nighttime scene.
I think the model looks fantastic and appreciate this unique approach to the diorama format, as other examples have approached their subjects more literally. However, the cost of £57.99, $59.99 or €64.99 seems potentially very expensive.
Summary
43232 Peter Pan & Wendy's Flight over London, 466 pieces.
£57.99 / $59.99 / €64.99 | 12.4p/12.9c/13.9c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
While small, relative to the price; this diorama is unique and looks wonderful on display
- Clever combination of scales
- Beautiful colour scheme
- Appealing minifigures
- Potential for more buildings on the base
- Expensive
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
43212 Disney Celebration Train was released earlier this year, containing updated versions of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Both minifigures return here and they look great. Peter Pan's dual-moulded hat and hair piece is brilliantly detailed and the element created for Tinker Bell reflects her onscreen hairstyle as well, originating from 71040 Disney Castle.
I like Peter's dual-moulded arms too, but the minifigure lacks printed legs, which represents a regression from his 2016 Collectable Minifigure. Similarly, Tinker Bell was arguably better with the fabric skirt in 71040 Disney Castle, although the printed design looks reasonable, while the modern wings developed for VIDIYO are also vastly superior. Perhaps a nanofigure version of Tinker Bell could have appeared with the minifigure, for display in the diorama.
Wendy was present among the mini-dolls in 43215 The Enchanted Treehouse recently, but this is her minifigure debut. I think the character has been translated nicely, thanks especially to the nougat hair element, which includes magnificent detail. The curls on the back look splendid and correspond exactly with Wendy's appearance in the 1953 film.
There is also a hole on the reverse, where a hair accessory is placed in 43215 The Enchanted Treehouse and should have been here as well. Wendy's nightgown is perfect though, featuring an accurate band with a bow around the waist, alongside dual-moulded arms to represent short sleeves.
Smiles appear on both sides of Wendy's head, which was actually developed for Cinderella in 43222 The Disney Castle. This part suffices for either character, other than the bright pink lips, essential for Cinderella, but ill-suited to Wendy. Unfortunately, her brothers are not included to complete the Darling children.
The Completed Model
While the diorama format remains intact, this model is considerably smaller than others in the range. For example, 75329 Death Star Trench Run measures 22cm wide, whereas Peter Pan and Wendy's Flight over London is only 14cm across. Even so, this diorama offers reasonable presence on display and is large enough to capture the sequence from the animated film.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this model is the combination of different scales. Tiny 1x1 plates and 1x1 slopes represent houses in the foreground, featuring dark blue, sand blue and bright light blue roofs. The scattered trans-yellow street lamps look excellent and I like the printed 'Disney 100' tile, although something specific to Peter Pan could have been better still.
When mixing multiple scales, the transition between them is generally the greatest challenge. The winding River Thames softens the transition here and looks nice, although another tier of buildings between those in the foreground and the larger Darling house would have been ideal. However, the Darling house and the neighbouring trees look beautiful, incorporating dark blue wigs as leaves on those trees.
Nana barks as Peter Pan departs with Wendy, Michael and John, so is included as a sand blue silhouette outside their house. The dominating shades of blue continue into the sky, punctuated only by golden stars and trans-yellow street lamps, which look marvellous. Peter Pan and Tinker Bell stand out too, supported alongside Wendy by trans-clear bars. The curved bar is new, only appearing in two other sets at the moment.
The Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben after the bell inside, makes effective use of bright light blue crates to create its textured exterior. The iconic clock faces are impressive too, accurately decorated with the time of Peter Pan's flight over the city. Moreover, the clock faces and the moon glow in the dark, which is always a welcome feature.
As expected, the back of the diorama is bland and obviously not intended for display. Even so, there are no unsightly colours and the structure behind the backdrop is completely concealed when viewed from the front. I think a mechanism to move the characters could probably have been included, but the existing design definitely suffices as a display model.
Overall
I was uncertain when 43232 Peter Pan & Wendy's Flight over London was announced, as the diorama looked nice in official images, but departed greatly from the established format. After building the set, my opinion has improved. The muted colour scheme is attractive and I think combining various scales has worked, partly because this reflects the exaggerated style of the original animation.
Also, I am glad the age recommendation is only 10+, rather than 18+, as I can easily imagine this model as an ornament in a child's bedroom and probably one younger than ten, for whom the construction should be easy enough. Inevitably, the price of £57.99, $59.99 or €64.99 feels expensive for a model of this size, particularly with only three minifigures, but I think this set is worth of consideration once discounted.
109 likes
49 comments on this article
Whew! Steep price. Looks nice.
The nanofig idea would have really been cool!
I'm never-never going to get this at full price.
Nope, sorry. Still not convinced by the blended scales.
Didn't check the price on top so made an assumption and incorrectly thought as I was reading through, "this is decent value at $29.99!"
Yikes.
"potentially very expensive"
I don't see what potentially has anything to do with it haha. This would be pushing it at that price with the other two Darling children AND Peter having proper, non-phoned in legs. As is, it is thievery that would make Captain Hook blush.
Harry Potters dioramas?
The forced perspective is really bizarre to me, generally with this things, the larger scale is at the front and things shrink as they recede from the viewer - you know, like in reality? Looking at this model I just don't understand at all what kind of perspective they're trying to get me to see it from. It feels more like a moc than an on-sale product, it's somehow both bland and garish at the same time, and the phoned-in figures just add to that effect.
I love the colour-blocking and the use of forced perspective, and that little backdrop is awesome. In fact, I love that so much, I'm going to rebuild that in a large scale for one of my better dioramas. Great parts-usage all-around, lovely recolours.
I don't like this version of Nana. Nana was a lovely Newfy, not some featureless alien blob. This thing is monstrous, and worthy of derision and contempt, and not MY Nana.
On the one hand, I'd like to see Tink as a nano-fig. On the other hand (HEY!), Pan already looks so much (HELLO!) like Link, and having him accompanied (LISTEN!) by a tiny fairy, it's just... I don't know (OVER HERE!), somehow it just doesn't sit right with me (WATCH OUT!).
Nice but pricey
@person_that_uses_brickset 76419 or 71043?
What I like about this one is that it's also evocative of the Peter Pan's Flight dark ride in the Disney parks, which has a very similar forced perspective section for the flight over London. I do agree that they should have put more effort into the figures. Peter in particular needs his shorts!
I'd rather have had a Tinkerbell microfig and figures of Michael and John, given that they're both integral to the scene.
Wacky proposal: a bunch of London Disney dioramas covering different eras. Throw in Mickey's Christmas Carol (covering the 1840s) and Mary Poppins (1910). I guess you could add The Great Mouse Detective (1897) if people want to get really picky.
@watcher21 said:
"Nice but pricey
@person_that_uses_brickset 76419 or 71043?"
I count them more as architecture sets personally, nice to know that they are dioramas. I thought dioramas tried to capture a moment and not just a building.
@gatorbug6 said:
""potentially very expensive"
I don't see what potentially has anything to do with it haha. This would be pushing it at that price with the other two Darling children AND Peter having proper, non-phoned in legs. As is, it is thievery that would make Captain Hook blush."
Review sites often pretend that they haven't built the set yet when they write the intro. It's supposed to draw the reader in, i.e., "let's check it out together." The idea is for you to click again to see "below the fold" so the site can monetize the second click as well. I think that's what the "potentially" means in this case, rather than trying to suggest that there's a scenario in which the set is not expensive.
Thanks for the review. This is a fun set.
I do think the buildings are unbalanced.
I agree a nano version of Tinkerbell would have been a nice bonus.
I wonder if we'll get similar sets if this one sells well.
That gives me a little hope of them making a Marian for a Robin Hood set. But I can see them giving priority to newer movies.
Looks nice, but my goodness Disney are extortionists!
@Bmuralles said:
"Looks nice, but my goodness Disney are extortionists!"
They are, but in this case blame LEGO, not Disney. LEGO sets the prices where they want to set them. They could charge $20 less and still make a very nice profit. The one and only reason they are charging this much is that they believe, based on consumer market research, that enough people will pay it.
But Jurassic Park is not a Disney property. :P
Good review, good set, terrible price.
@illennium said:
"Review sites often pretend that they haven't built the set yet when they write the intro."
I wouldn't go so far as that but certainly we don't tend to give away our conclusion in the intro!
Really like this. Peter Pan was one of the first films I ever saw at the pictures and this diorama captures it beautifully. A bit pricey, but not excessively so, based on the price per end result likeability factor, not some other pointless metric.
Overall, one of my 2 favourite Disney 100 sets, along with the Tribute Camera.
I am a big fan of Peter pan so this went on my list immediately. It does seem a little overpriced but luckily I have birthday money to spend to soften the blow
$60 for this set is ridiculous. Disney 100 marketing campaign sucks the life out of toys by making them overpriced. For a 466-piece basic set like this, $40 should be the price point. The additional $20 is inflation for licensing, and it's insane.
There are so many other sets within the 450-piece range that are much better deals: Adorable Dogs, Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase, Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van, Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica, Birdhouse, Tales of the Space Age, THE BATMAN – BATCYCLE, Bugatti Bolide Agile Blue, Majestic Tiger, etc. So many examples clearly show that Disney is milking people out of money with their additional licensing costs. Any of these other sets are better choices for price-per-piece comparison. Some offer more playability as well.
I know we joke about the Disney Tax - but jeeeeez this IS Disney Tax taken to another level. As lovely as this set is, the price just makes this a massive NO for me.
This has got to be the smallest 450 piece LEGO set I've ever laid eyes on. Did they make the whole thing out of 1x1 plates
I don't have any real desire to get this, but I really want those GITD clock faces to show up on PaB.
I will get this. And as I am wont to do, tweak it to be ridiculous. Since Disney owns Marvel, I'll add some Marvel minifigs embroiled in some aerial battle... and fire and stuff! Wheee!
I really like this diorama - it looks very striking with its use of the many shades of blue. The price is definitely not OK, especially as it appears there are many small 1x1 pieces of various kinds.
A lovely desk tchotchke but much too expensive.
Hopefully I can pick this up at around € 50, because I really like it. Only a couple of months until the Black Friday madness starts again. ^^
I believe I can fly...
@StyleCounselor said:
"Whew! Steep price. Looks nice.
I'm never-never going to get this at full price."
Just think happy thoughts...
Wendy definitely looks like an older lady, and Tinker Bell... well... a big fairy, no doubt.
"Review: 43232 Peter Pan & Wendy's Fight over London"
oops, read that one wrong. Definitely got me to click though :)
I genuinely can't fathom how anyone would be ok with paying 65€ for this. But apparently there's enough people for Lego to think they can raise the prices exponentially.
@person_that_uses_brickset said:
"Harry Potters dioramas?
"
76405 Hogwarts Express Collectors Edition due to the plaques and black station base.
@ickis: Throw in a mini-scale Star Wars ship, while you're at it.
Is that leftmost bridge supposed to be Tower Bridge? That's not where that is...
And, yes, incorrect bridge placement is clearly the most fantastical part of this scene featuring flying children.
I like the colors and mixed perspectives. I like the concept too; it’s a fairly iconic and recognizable scene. The overall display looks wonderful.
At this price point, which is once again ridiculous, only the best should be expected. Wendy’s hair needs a bow, not an unsightly hole. Peter should have detailed printed or dual molded legs. Tink should have a cloth skirt. At $45USD, maybe even $50USD, I’d give Nana a pass, but at $60?! Yeah, you better include a more accurate dog mold too.
@Pollywanna said:
"The forced perspective is really bizarre to me, generally with this things, the larger scale is at the front and things shrink as they recede from the viewer - you know, like in reality? Looking at this model I just don't understand at all what kind of perspective they're trying to get me to see it from. It feels more like a moc than an on-sale product, it's somehow both bland and garish at the same time, and the phoned-in figures just add to that effect."
It’s not the perspective that’s awry, it’s (mostly) the assumed viewing angle. Seen more from above with the minifigures re-angled, the perspective makes sense(-ish). What doesn’t is the ‘Disney 100’ plaque which should have been hinged.
@CapnRex101 @MisterBrickster @Feroz @FARLANDER, Looking down, Tinker Bell who is leading the flight would appear the same size as Peter and Wendy, so a minifigure, not a nanofig, is the right figure size for her.
I am tired of display sets. I want propper cheaper playsets.
Peter Pan has always been one of my favorite Disney movies, so this set would be tempting, if it wasn't for the price.
At a nice discount though I might consider it.
The Peter Pan ride at Disney World is kind of structured like this with the forced perspective; Big Ben is bigger and as you move away from the city things get smaller to imitate you flying above it. So in that sense, I kind of get what’s going on here.
@PurpleDave, I know Big Ben is actually the name of the bell and not the tower. Seems like something you would call out on.
@Pollywanna:
If you want realistic forced perspective, yes, foreground should be bigger than background. Sometimes in animation, though, you might see both foreground and background shrunk in relation to the middle. I’m not really sure what the intent is (maybe to show distance in relation to the focal element?), or if this even happened in this film. I do know that if they did it realistically, you wouldn’t see much of the Darlings’ house, because the ones in front would block your view.
@MisterBrickster:
Ooh, that’s true. Forced perspective really falls apart if your POV shifts, which it absolutely will on a theme park ride. Selective compression lets them emphasize key elements while making the entire setting seem far below your feet.
@illennium:
If the review is being written as they build the set, and not entirely afterwards, there’s a lot more truth to that than it might feel like, when you read it a day later.
@davefaust78:
I saw an endcap that was entirely filled with D100 non-LEGO toys, and there were some character figurine packs for something like $20 a pop. I started poking through them, to see which characters they included. There were maybe a dozen boxes on the shelf. Every single box had a different set of characters, so buying a full set would have meant cleaning out the entire stock. Oh, and several boxes had _ONE_ character I’d want, which makes 43226 seem like a deal.
@monkyby87:
I’m aware the bell is named Big Ben, but I have no idea what the clock tower is named. I suspect most people outside of London aren’t either, so they tend to stick to the one name they know.
Anyways, it’s not HP-related, so I had ample opportunity to say what I wanted to say when it was announced. I hadn’t read this article, and still mostly just skimmed the pics because I’m more interested in the parts than the set. But I think you’re the 3rd or 4th person I’ve seen post corrections today.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @ickis: Throw in a mini-scale Star Wars ship, while you're at it."
OMG! As the kids say, bet!
"First star to the right, and straight on 'till Morning!"
...I never understood that line. Not one bit.
The tower used to be simply be called the Clock Tower, but now it's called the Elizabeth Tower after the late Queen..
Anyway - the set I think looks great, the forced perspective works quite well (providing you're standing in the right place) but the price is obscene which makes it a hard pass. Looking at it, I'd have guessed £30 at most. And Peter Pan is far from my favourite Disney film.
@Murdoch17 - I never understood that one either!
Or you could have the Insects Ideas set for £12 more and 600+ more pieces.
Even with the minifigs and glow in the dark printed pieces that's a huge difference.
I guess this is priced for "outsiders" who will buy it for the subject matter, and Insects is priced for regular buyers of LEGO sets. (I don't wish to be exclusive when I say "outsiders" but I can't think of a better way to describe people who aren't that familiar with LEGO products and will pay whatever because they're fans of the subject).
@Murdoch17 said:
""First star to the right, and straight on 'till Morning!"
...I never understood that line. Not one bit."
Muggle. Wait, wrong IP...
@Paperdaisy said:
"(I don't wish to be exclusive when I say "outsiders" but I can't think of a better way to describe people who aren't that familiar with LEGO products and will pay whatever because they're fans of the subject). "
Well, considering the VIP rebranding...
@Murdoch17 said:
""First star to the right, and straight on 'till Morning!"
...I never understood that line. Not one bit."
Kingdom Hearts never adequately explained it either, but in fairness, that's true for roughly 100% of everything in the series.
Absolutely wonderful, little set! At an absolutely insulting price!! This price is a slap in the face. There is no way, I would ever consider buying this.