Theme: Ideas
No: 21333
Release Year: 2022
Cost: US $169.99 / DE €169.99 / UK £149.99 / AU $259.99
Pieces: 2316
On to some art of a different sort. One of the most well known art pieces is Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. After a rather grindy Art set last time with The Rolling Stones, it was time to get back into a grind of a different sort. Back in February this set was announced to be in the next assortment of LEGO Ideas sets, and while it’s not what many were expecting, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with this one. When I first saw it I wasn’t convinced, but having built it now, I’ve changed my mind. It really is a very unique set.
There is an incredible amount of detail in the set, but first, the instructions. Included in the first few pages of the book is some information on Vincent van Gogh, the famous Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, and the story of The Starry Night. There’s also a little paragraph about the Museum of Modern Art, the other collaborator on the set! If you don’t know a lot about van Gogh or the painting itself, then this is definitely a unique way to learn about it. Bottom line, it’s considered van Gogh’s masterpiece. On to the set.
There’s no stickers. Huzzah! The detailed stars and moon in the sky are all printed dishes, as well as the small painting being done by minifigure van Gogh.
Just quickly, the minifigure version of van Gogh is great! The vivid orange beard and hair is there, and the torso and legs have a subtle brush stroke effect, much like his also-famous self portraits. It’s another fantastic way to get more van Gogh for your buck. He’s holding a paint brush with a blue tip (new with the set), and the new painter’s palette with the matching colours in the set.
Compared to the original submission from Truman Cheng, it’s cleaner and more colourful. Which is odd for a set with an overtly blue colour scheme. The overall feel of the changes mean a more sweeping, flowing look, perfectly suited to brush strokes. All changes that are 100% worth it.
The build is one filled with repetition and high detail, but I didn’t find it tedious. The first sections to build are the bottom sections that stick out of the frame. the left section, where the cypress tree will be, is a little more standard, but the real detail and intricacies lie in the right hand side, with the treeline and hills. Using what seems to be standard plates on plates turns out to be a unique and super effective way to create the rolling round trees from the painting. The tiny little houses and eventually the church add some great detail. The church in particular just looks spot on.
The back wall – the actual starry night sky – is honestly brilliant. Made pretty much solely out of 1×2 and 1×4 plates in various shades of blue – some rarer than others – the patterns show off the swirling effect with great detail. For small rectangles, they’re reasonably circular and swirly. It takes a while, and you need to concentrate – there was a few times I messed up, but it’s fun seeing it come together.
The frame is up next, and it’s simple, but looks really good! Add the frame to the artwork, ad the moon and stars, the swirling portion (which is made up of four smaller sections neatly layered together to create the effect) and the cypress tree, and it’s done.
The one detail that I thought was a little weird a the start was the little stand that attaches to the frame, to stand the minifigure van Gogh and the painting slightly in front. What I realised after thinking about it is that it looks like he’s painting it from the actual scene! It’s a brilliant and super fun detail. The set can stand up by itself if you don’t want to hang it up, as it’ll take drilling into your wall to get it right, as it’s rather heavy.
I am really pleased with this set. There are some stunning colours that all blend so nicely together, yet perfectly complement the original painting. It’s eye catching and really invites you to come closer to explore every detail. The layers in not only the background of the sky, but the landscaping at the front is next level. The village, trees, rolling hills, water and massive cypress tree just look so good in 3D. I really hope we get some more 3D artwork like this. Imagine a little LEGO gallery in people’s homes!
A special thank you to LEGO for sending me a copy to review. All thoughts on this set are my own and are not influenced in any way, shape or form. The provision of sets for review does not guarantee a favourable review.
