This was our 2019 December/ pre Christmas buold and I love it the display looks great! So for starters the pieces are tiny. This is my first architecture build and being a pretty big guy my daughter assembled most of this because the 1X1 can be pretty tedious. It can also be difficult to get all of the similar pieces aligned perfectly and that can be frustrating. The build can get repetitive. With that said it is well worth it my daughter loved the historical and learning aspect attached to this one. I think it looks so good once finished. The removeable top for the statues is also a nice touch. I dont regret building this one at all and it is definitely a keeper.

Box/Instructions

The book is very interesting with the introduction section, explaining the origins and history of the Capitol. The instructions are simple and separated so you can't lose yourself. There might be some pages that could have been merged though.

Parts

There's a good link between its description and the parts you find, especially the tiny little figures chosen to represent the statues inside. Very representative.

Minifigures

There's no minifigures in this set, as for all the Architecture series.

The build

Some parts of it are well designed, like the room where you find the statues. Some parts a very repeating, and that makes it a bit less of a challenge to build.

The completed model

Impressive that you can find so much details in a 17 inches piece of work. When you compare to the pictures in the book, you find it accurate. You can remove easily the central part with the dome, and find beneath it the statue room.

Overall opinion

Great design, great look and a well appreciated size. Recommended.

I'm Tom Alphin, Author of The LEGO Architect. It's fair to say that I'm biased; I love the official LEGO Architecture sets. When the early photos of this model and Buckingham Palace leaked in January, I was immediately drawn to this model.

I try to build the smaller models in the Architecture series without using the instructions, but decided that this model was too large to try and build in that way.

I was drawn to this model for several reasons:

• For one, I love models which capture classic examples of a given architectural style, and Neoclassical architecture can be delightful to re-create using LEGO.
• It also appealed to me as a US citizen who grew up near Washington, DC.
• Lastly, I hoped it would capture some of the joy of building that I felt while building the similar-looking White House model.

Box/Instructions

There isn't much to say here that hasn't been covered with all of the other Architecture series sets. The box and book are well above average, with a large, glossy instructional booklet that also includes a few pages about the building's history.

Parts

The model is mostly white, and the part selection reflects this. This set contains an obscene quantity of white #4070 - 1x1 "Headlight" bricks - 178 in total. (17% of the bricks in the box.) It's currently a fairly expensive brick in White, at 0.09$/brick in quantities over 100, but I expect prices will come down when this set goes on sale.

Other costly elements in White include a handful of #64644 - Mini Telescopes, #88293 - 3x3 Quarter Domes, and #15332 - Fence, Spindled.

Beyond this, we also see a very nice selection of Sand Green elements, a few Olive plates, and a mix of light and dark gray.

A couple completely new colors include:

• 2x Sand Green: #44375 - 6x6 Radar
• 6x Dark Bluish Gray: #90398 - Minifig, Utensil Trophy Statuette

Minifigures

No minifigures, but with 13 nanofigures in White and Dark Bluish Gray, this is one of the best sources for that element yet!

The build

The build process has a bit of a slow start, as you need to build the base followed by the street level paths and foliage. This would be fine if it weren't for a tremendous quantity of 1x1 tiles which are notoriously difficult to line up correctly.

The next phase starts off quickly with a couple rows of basic brick in the back, but then the build process slows down tremendously again as you carefully attach and line up all of those 178 headlight bricks over the course of about 40 steps. It's one of the most repetitive builds I've done in a long time, especially since the very wide model is perfectly symmetrical. A small highlight in the middle of this process is the moment when you build the gallery of statues beneath the large dome.

Thankfully, the build picks up a lot right after that. The rough appearance of the many rows of headlight bricks is quickly remedied when you start installing the columns which partially cover many of the headlight bricks.

The building's appearance quickly takes form as you make the model more rigid by adding a couple layers of plate/tile, and the main roof line. The techniques used to create the tall dome are quite effective, creating a nice layering of columns and other details.

The completed model

The completed model is excellent. There are some minor gaps in the facade behind the columns that you will notice from certain angles, but it doesn't reduce the effect. I like how much detail that they were able to fit into such a small model, even if this requires an painful quantity of headlight bricks.

I also like that the model includes a minor "play" feature. Similar to the recent Lincoln Memorial set, you can open the roof to look inside and see the statues beneath the domed roof.

Overall opinion

This isn't a bargain at 100$, but the price is somewhat justified by the larger than average elements for a set in the Architecture series which sometimes feels like a box full of tiny 1x1 plates, tiles, and cheese slopes.

The finished model is quite striking, and I feel like this is an above average entry into the Architecture series. I don't think it's quite as inspired as some of other large entries in the series like the UN Headquarters, Louvre or Imperial Hotel, but it's well worth building! (It doesn't hurt that the part selection is very versatile and you have a good chance of re-using the parts if you take it apart later.)

Happy building!