As you will learn in the review that follows, some of my predictions came true and others weren’t quite right… Box Impressions Because of its huge footprint and height, this is really a statement piece, much like the LEGO Titanic and something you’ll need to get creative about to display. In North America, it will be available starting at midnight on the east coast, which means 9:00pm on November 24th (Thanksgiving) if you live on the west coast like I do. First Impressions Opening up the flaps reveals a portrait and quote from Gustave Eiffel, translated into several languages. (Different languages on either side, too!)

The set contains a big pile of bags, and when you don’t know how many bags you need, you’ll have to search the entire pile each time. Now, when you find the bag with the correct number, you know you have all the parts you need and you can continue building faster.” Another year, another Largest Set Ever. And yes, the 31203 World Map still has the highest part count, but adding dots to a large plate doesn’t meet my requirements for being a LEGO model, so I am excluding it. I'm mostly with HOBBES here. While there are these solutions, they don't work in all cases. Here it's very much helped by the sheer size of the thing, so building an entire section upside-down and putting another section on top is fine. But in a smaller build such pieces could really help. While the platform is mainly constructed using fairly traditional techniques, the frame underneath is actually upside down. This enables a relatively simple connection between the legs and the first level, incorporating more clips. These clips allow the joints to flex slightly, which strengthens the design because the connection points are unlikely to come apart. Eiffel Tower offers an incomparable, one-of-a-kind LEGO experience and final display piece that soars high above everything else that has come before it and has us questioning if this can even be fairly categorised as a LEGO set like all the others.

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The warning was this: “You’re about to enter a world of pain.” There may be only 8 of these larger tree assemblies, but each one consists of 30 1×1 round leaf elements, 5 central branches, and a 3-piece trunk. That’s a total of 38 pieces per tree, or 304 parts for the group. Which is more pieces than you see in some entire LEGO sets. And did I mention the branch/leaf combos are really hard on the fingers to assemble? Well, they are. With over 10,000 pieces, the experience of building the Lego® Creator Expert 10307 Eiffel Tower Paris is unlike any other. There are 74 numbered bags in the Lego Eiffel Tower set. And while there are plenty of repetitive sections, the level of detail in this set is incredible, and it's clear that a lot of time and effort went into creating it.

For the curious, since the real tower is 1083′ tall at the tip, a minifigure scaled version would have to be about 1:44, or over 24′ tall. Reducing all the way down to the nanofigure (the tiny minifigure trophy/statue) scale of about 1:165 results in a tower about 6.5′ tall. Some might argue that LEGO could have gone for that benchmark with this set, but c’mon. This one feels big and expensive enough already, thank you.

The iconic rebel ship deserves a place in the collection of serious Star Wars fans, but it’s hard to dispute that it’s overpriced, given that it has a lot fewer pieces and a much larger price than the Eiffel Tower. How about you? Do you have room in your heart (and your wallet) (and your home) for this set? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! And because it’s so large, it’s also really satisfying seeing this incredible structure take shape in front of your very eyes. Equipment Telescope / Torch / Spyglass (6396412 | 64644) is one of those elements of which I’m surprised it didn’t exist already in this colour.

It’s been about 15 years since LEGO’s last massive Eiffel Tower model in 10181 Eiffel Tower, a set that most of my readers (me included) probably don’t own. Fun fact, the Eiffel Tower was meant to be disassembled after 20 years following the Exposition Universelle in 1889, but Gustave was a savvy and cunning operator, and managed to keep the tower intact by making it host scientific experiments, as well as radio antenna, which the French military found useful, and they decided to extend the life of the Eiffel Tower, and it ultimately stands to this day. Like the Titanic, I can see this set doing really well with fans, and those wanting a LEGO experience like no other that befits the LEGO Icons branding.This is a massive, expensive, and highly anticipated set which deserves serious consideration. To conclude this review, let’s consider the aesthetic aspects of the completed build, value compared to similar sets, and other considerations like learning moments and the practicality of displaying a large (and potentially fragile) set. Aesthetics Three large platforms are accessible to the public, although a fourth is also situated between the second and third levels. Dubbed the intermediate platform, this area was formerly used to move passengers between lifts. Ideally, it would be positioned diagonally in relation to the surrounding superstructure, but the increasingly narrow space required a compromise. At 10,001 pieces, this is a long build, and it’s not recommended to blitz through it, and I’m pleased to say that I actually had a really enjoyable time building it, going so far as to say that the build itself IS one of the main drawcards of the set.