The new LEGO River Steamboat is a stunning set that offers an immersive building experience. The quality of a LEGO set is not just in its final appearance but also in the journey of its construction, and the River Steamboat exemplifies this beautifully. The build process has a natural flow, with each step seamlessly leading to the next. The ship's design is layered, allowing each floor to be easily removed, providing full access to the intricate interior details. LEGO has long catered to adult fans with its modular buildings, and the River Steamboat extends this concept into a modular boat, showcasing meticulous attention to both unique and everyday details that come together to create a harmonious whole.
LEGO Ideas River Steamboat
$329.99 at LEGO Store
The River Steamboat hails from the LEGO Ideas line, where fans submit original ideas and proof-of-concepts for community voting. Successful designs become official LEGO sets, with the original designer earning a share of the profits. Notable past successes from LEGO Ideas include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jaws, and Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale.
We Build LEGO Ideas River Steamboat
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Inspired by the historic paddle boats that once traversed the Mississippi River in the 1800s, the LEGO River Steamboat captures the essence of these vessels which transitioned from industrial transport to luxury pleasure boats. These steamboats now offer dining, gambling, and entertainment, as my wife and I experienced on our New Orleans honeymoon cruise filled with jazz, dancing, and fine dining.
This set is a dream come true for LEGO enthusiasts. The LEGO River Steamboat features a jazz lounge and a dining room, alongside practical areas like a boiler engine room connected to the paddle wheel. When you push the boat, the wheel turns, adding an interactive element. The pilothouse includes a steering wheel that, when turned, moves the rudder at the boat's base. Additional features include a kitchen, crew sleeping quarters, and an anchor system with a chain that rolls on a spool. The ship also has rigging that raises and lowers the boarding stages on the bow.
The set, comprising 4,090 pieces, is divided into 32 bags for organized building. You begin with the ship's base, which houses the boiler room and a miniature nautical museum showcasing a piston engine, an aeolipile, and a Watt steam engine. The adjacent kitchen is equipped with a refrigerator, stove, and basin sink. LEGO's design minimalism shines through, with pieces like a hot dog bun from another set cleverly repurposed as an engine reinforcement.
One floor up, the main deck hosts the dining room and jazz lounge. The lounge, positioned at the stern, features tiny LEGO accessories like drums, a saxophone, a microphone, and an upright bass. The dining room is elegantly appointed with tablecloths and stylish chairs, complemented by light fixtures and posters advertising onboard entertainment, including a nod to the A-Frame Cabin LEGO set.
The dining room is built separately and then placed into the larger structure, creating a deck space for minifigures to enjoy the view. Notably, the set does not include minifigures, which might limit its play aspect but emphasizes its showcase quality.
Above the main deck, the crew deck features beds and a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. The pilothouse, the topmost level, includes the steering wheel connected to the rudder via a rod that spans all four levels of the ship—a testament to the intricate planning and engineering in LEGO design.
Small details like white billowy flags (repurposed from croissant pieces), neat white railings, and patterned tiles in the lounge areas contribute to the set's charm. Despite its size, the set feels efficient, with every piece serving a purpose.
As William Strunk Jr. noted in The Elements of Style, "Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts." The River Steamboat embodies this principle, with every brick, rod, and decorative element contributing to the overall design. Each room and space adds to the ship's aesthetic and functionality, making it a must-see for LEGO aficionados.
LEGO River Steamboat, Set #21356, retails for $329.99 and is composed of 4,090 pieces. It is available exclusively at the LEGO Store.
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