Review: 75685 Emerald City Wall Art
Posted by SetToBuild,
This set marks the second phase of LEGO Wicked with a complete change of direction. After the first wave targeted a very young audience, finally, adult fans are being treated to a phenomenal display piece!
Major characters and scenery from both The Wizard of Oz and Wicked are included in minifigure form rather than as minidolls, which many fans will appreciate. However, as you’ll find out, it’s clearly focused on the current representation of Wicked in movie form. In general, Wicked is (across book, stage and screen) more true to the original Wizard of Oz book than to the 1939 movie of the same name.
I’ve enlisted the help of Catherine (CrankyBricks) to explore the LEGO Wicked sets. Over to her after the break…
Summary
75685 Emerald City Wall Art, 1,518 pieces.
£139.99 / $159.99 / €149.99 | 9.2p / 10.5c / 9.9c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Stunning three-dimensional art piece with a treasure trove of hidden gems
- Six excellent figures
- Dramatic display presence
- Substantial build
- Unique prints
- Price relies on minifigure appeal
- Not flat for wall display
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box
Adult fans of Wicked rejoice—the tray-style box is black, which means this is the long-awaited first 18+ set for the Wicked theme. The box art on both sides mostly shows the hidden features and extra minifigures, since these surprises are too costly to hide within the build process—nobody would look past the set’s price tag without seeing all six minifigures on the front!
Inside are 14 individually uniquely-numbered paper bags, a clear plastic bag of 8x16 plates, a paper bag for the instructions, and no stickers.
Minifigures
Rather than the most recognisable pink dress represented in 75684 Welcome to Emerald City (minidoll) and 75691 Glinda & Elphaba Bookends (minifigure), minifigure Glinda now wears an elegant lavender dress. A minidoll version of this outfit is available at the same time, in 75690 Glinda & Elphaba Visit Munchkinland. The costume designer Paul Tazewell explains that this is Glinda’s first ‘bubble dress’. This dress emulates the original tones of the Wicked Broadway musical, which was iridescent blue and lavender, and serves as a stepping stone towards her pink ‘final form’.
This isn’t actually the first minifigure of Elphaba. The 1939 Wizard of Oz movie is widely credited with the invention of the green-skinned witch trope, and the Wicked Witch character, who we now know as Elphaba, has appeared in both Batman and Dimensions sets before now. Her skin has now been updated from lime to regular green; this was a first for the minidoll, but not a minifigure, as it was used as far back as 2014 for the Martian Manhunter. Today, we see Elphaba wearing her pinstriped floor-length jacket fully buttoned to cover the purple and black dress beneath, an outfit mirrored in this minidoll from 75687 Elphaba's Retreat.
Dorothy’s dual-moulded legs, paired with front printing, convey the skirt of her gingham dress well in a more durable form than a cloth piece would have, and the print aligned well on my copy. The hair mould is rubbery and is indistinguishable from the previous LEGO Movie 2 release, save for the bows’ colour. My only real complaint is that she has full-height adult legs—perhaps the dual moulding and printing was not considered achievable on the medium height legs?
The updated (left) facial expressions are both very childlike and less made-up than the previous LEGO Movie 2 minifigure (right), which is fitting because the Wicked storyline more closely follows the original books than the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie. In the books, Dorothy is only 7, whereas in the movie, Dorothy is 12 and played by a teenager. Similarly, her slippers are now ornate silver rather than sparkly red, emphasising the return to the original concepts.
Toto uses the adorable Alsatian puppy piece, now in its seventh appearance. In the book, Toto is described as a “little black dog, with long silky hair”, but W. W. Denslow’s original illustrations show a brown colouring more like a Yorkshire Terrier or Cairn Terrier (the breed used in the 1939 movie).
The colouring of the new dog matches that more accurately, but the short-haired mould does not, making this even further from the book’s description than the previous version which wasn’t that far off! Nevertheless, we all know Dorothy had a small dog, so I’m glad he’s here, whether or not the breed is defined.
Regardless of the movie costume’s reception, I think that the Scarecrow figure looks excellent in minifigure form; I’m just disappointed there isn’t a minidoll version! The use of tan throughout was a good choice, and the facial expressions are adorable.
Interestingly, the new figure prioritises the LEGO-styling of the minifigure head not having a nose, despite the fact that the latest film does in fact have the same brown-painted nose as is shown on the older figure. I like the look of the dusty tan hair omitting the hat, and (without spoilers) the change of outfit is important too!
Although it can’t reliably be held by a minifigure, the award for one of the most underused elements of all time goes to the Tin Man’s funnel. It’s just too cute!
The Tin Man is the most similar to the previous appearance, simply with more detailed printing to match the greater detail visible within the costume in the latest movie. To me, the simpler version was more charming, especially with his little bow tie!
It was a real surprise to see the Cowardly Lion in true animal form. Not only is this a phenomenal mould, but his drooping, forlorn facial expression uses both the mould and print together to great effect. The inside of the mould is more hollow than you’d expect.
While the contrast between these two renditions is quite stark, the minifigure version is perfectly suited to the rather strange human-lion hybrid portrayal of 1939, so neither are ‘wrong’. The new version restores his animal form, but doesn’t acknowledge another difference: in the movie he received his courage in the form of a medal (a lovely printed 1x2 tile) while in the book he received ‘liquid courage’ instead!
Build Experience/Construction
The initial stages of the build consist of layers and layers of plates in both directions to create the ‘canvas’ for the ‘painting’. A rubber mallet or similar tool might come in handy for pressing down all these layers of plates on top of each other, as I kept finding that ones I thought I’d fully attached were not forced together firmly enough. This part of the build was definitely the most hard work.
Partway through bag 5, the build starts to layer. Once you start to tile the upper surface, the sky takes shape quickly, and the zones for Elphaba, the skyline and the foreground become clear. The 2x3 wedge plates in spring yellowish green here eventually get hidden by part of the Emerald City, so this was a nice way for the designer to sneak in some additional rare parts while also efficiently filling a space. The variety of colours in other hidden areas made it easier to avoid mistakes in the studded areas than in the pinks of the sky.
Curved and straight dark green tiles create an elegant border, and then several layers of multi-directional SNOT constructions quickly start to form the intricate Emerald City skyline. The detail was balanced well with avoiding too much repetition of small fiddly assemblies.
Once you start work on the deep foreground section, areas of studs-up construction mix with the more standard layered forward-facing plates and bricks. For example, this little viaduct for the train sits neatly over the hidden corner recess. The tulips here and elsewhere across the foreground are one of the most painful things to clip into all 26 positions (+1 on a stalk).
Completed Model
The completed model is truly stunning and is immediately recognisable with Glinda’s signature pinks and Elphaba’s signature greens. It’s a bit bigger than an A4 piece of paper, which was smaller than I’d imagined based on the size of the box and comparison with other Art sets. This becomes understandable when you see it from other angles later!
Without the minifigures, it is a little odd-looking. I do wish there was something slightly more appealing to put in Elphaba’s place (and Glinda’s) for fans who don’t want to display the minifigures in this way.
From this angle, you can see the significant depth of the base of this model. It makes this very easy to display without hanging, as it quite comfortably sits on this stable, wide surface. However, this does limit the options for wall display. If the place you planned to display this is shallow, easily knocked or often viewed from the side or beneath, you may need to reconsider.
Working our way now through the details of the finished piece, we see the Wizard’s hot air balloon and a swirling cloud, which can both be removed to clearly see the hanging points for no doubt while positioning this on a wall! Elphaba stands outside the ‘painting’ image, in a prominent ornate golden frame—perhaps an allegory for her outsider status as the Wicked Witch of the West.
The skyline is really striking both from a distance and up close. It extends from an impressively tiny Shiz University on the left (using forced perspective, really giving the impression that this is further away!) to the grand Emerald City towers. As I noted in 75684 Welcome to Emerald City, I’m not entirely convinced by the use of teal. I wonder if the designer perceives the colour differently to me, or if LEGO parts limitations drove this decision.
More hidden moments are scattered through the upper parts of the display. Behind a cloud on the right is a flying monkey (of course, a drawing of the LEGO flying monkey found in 75689 Emerald City & Kiamo Ko Castle). Beneath this in a tower is Oz’s face, and in the central tower is a silhouette of Elphaba and Glinda holding hands.
Tiny boats sail on the river as it approaches the university. The river very cleverly transitions from a thin ribbon of wedge plate edges to a traditional one-brick-wide stripe, and to a neat pairing of a slope and inverted slope perfectly interlocked. On the other side, an adorable microscale train approaches the Emerald City on miniature tracks atop the tree-lined viaduct.
The forced perspective transforms again in the foreground, to a sort of hybrid plan and elevation view of Munchkinland and the Yellow Brick Road. A single bubble-like 2x2 clear dish floats over the centre of the road, reminiscent of the scene in 75690 Glinda & Elphaba Visit Munchkinland.
Pulling on the lowest house removes the 8x16 plate that Munchkinland is built upon, revealing the minifigures behind. Each figure comes with its own traditional 3x4 Collectable Minifigure base in white, and the whole group can also be lifted out together for separate display as seen in the cover image of this article. The covering at the front allows this to be done without detracting from the display quality, unlike the removal of Elphaba or, to some degree, Glinda.
Glinda is displayed in the opposing corner to Elphaba, as far away as possible—is this symbolic of the emotional and physical distance between the two witches? Her characteristic bubble is supported on a sturdy hinge, and the transparent bubble motif is repeated subtly nearby with 1x1 transparent clear tiles. If viewed from below, she appears suspended within the bubble, but from other angles the slightly unsightly green and tan edges of the build’s underside start to show. (Similarly, the whole display would not look great if mounted too high on the wall.)
Behind Glinda is a little patch of nougat tiling and some floral and swirl details. These are attractive and relevant but I’m surprised they were included, as even without the minifigure, they will be quite hard to see if you don’t have gallery lighting in your room.
Little hidden moments continue right to the very end—beneath the printed Wicked logo is a tiny representation of the four adventurers from the Wizard of Oz, and round the corner is a peek into an overgrown cave-like hollow, which is Elphaba’s forest hideout.
The array of spare parts is an indicator of the mosaic-like nature of this set, and offers a broad range of colours and shapes (unsurprisingly, lots of green!).
Conclusion
The minifigure selection is truly wonderful in this set. The Wizard is a notable exclusion, but let’s remember—despite his titular reference in The Wizard of Oz, neither of these stories are actually about him! Fans who want “accurate” versions of the four hidden characters will be delighted, and minifigure lovers who admire the new movie’s costumes will have been eagerly awaiting their arrival too. Will they be disappointed that the largest set of the theme doesn’t include Glinda’s pink dress?
The £140 price tag is difficult to compare to Art sets: the only set between the £90 Mona Lisa and the £170 Sunflowers is the £150 Starry Night, which shares the deep design and forced perspective effect, but uses 50% more pieces. Comparing to the Mona Lisa, which has a very similar part count, the additional £50 can somewhat be justified with six minifigures and exclusive prints, but given that the former also had several recoloured parts and gold ink pieces, it’s hard not to feel that we’re paying a self-important Universal fee. The price-per-piece ratio being nearly double that of mosaic-style sets is a tough pill to swallow, no matter the striking result, hidden secrets or IP connections.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed building this set, and despite not being a die-hard Wicked fan, I was surprised and delighted throughout the process, notwithstanding my sore fingers!
77 likes
28 comments on this article
That's not Toto.
Not for me, but nice enough looking.
I know this is going to sound pedantic, but I don't think Wicked is necessarily more accurate to Baum's original novel than the 1939 film, as it wasn't trying to adapt that book--instead, it's an adaptation of the successful musical, which was based on Gregory Maguire's book, which was inspired by Baum's novel.
And while I appreciate the comparison to older minifigures, I don't really consider these to be the same characters--since the story of Wicked is really more of a "re-imagining" of The Wizard of Oz--as opposed to a new adaptation. Like, we aren't supposed to watch the 1939 Wizard of Oz and think that Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch was secretly pining for Ray Bolger's Scarecrow.
(Sorry--I had to get that out of my system, because this is a pet peeve of mine.)
All of that aside: I enjoyed this review. I don't think the set is necessarily worth $160, but it does look great! Overall, I prefer the Glinda/Elphaba bookends set (which is still overpriced, but feels like a better value to me).
My Toto: "I bless the rains down in Af-ri-ca."
"Oohh, oohh!"
I built the set before Xmas. It was funny and easy, and now it is on the wall and very pleasant to see. I agree that it is overpriced, considering that under the external layer, we have only standard pieces, but it is not a Lego exclusive, and you can find some offers. Personally, I love it more than The Starry Night; the architecture reminds me of Art Deco, and I brought it not for the movie but for the subject. I appreciate the fact of having only printed part (and I guess why for TNG Enterprise, Lego didn't the same). Now I have only to verify how much time I'm able to keep dust far from the Elfaba hat.
I'm still trying to determine what the little recess on the right side is supposed to be...I can sort of see the forest and the lion's tail?
Designer is an escher fan?
@StudMuffin24 said:
"I'm still trying to determine what the little recess on the right side is supposed to be...I can sort of see the forest and the lion's tail?"
It's mentioned in the review's text right above that picture...
@jjr_2009 said:
"I know this is going to sound pedantic, but I don't think Wicked is necessarily more accurate to Baum's original novel than the 1939 film"
One of the major selling points of this set is that it contains four detailed minifigures which are characters from that book, so I felt it was relevant to explain to those not familiar with the many different interpretations that they shouldn’t expect these to look like the previous Lego versions, which were based on the 1939 film. However, I didn’t want to waste paragraphs explaining the complicated branching tree of source material, so clarifying that the divergence of the Wicked and Wizard of Oz storylines happened in written media rather than film or stage was enough!
I'm not into Wicked but I thought this set, when first revealed, was stunning. I'm not sure if I'll ever end up getting it but I like it. I like it a lot.
It would be great, but main lack is Toto and lion is not minifig
I wish they had found a way to let some light in behind Glinda (sorry, Guh-linda), the bubble is just so dark. I hesitate to say light brick...maybe if there was one available with white light.
@Murdoch17 said:
" @StudMuffin24 said:
"I'm still trying to determine what the little recess on the right side is supposed to be...I can sort of see the forest and the lion's tail?"
It's mentioned in the review's text right above that picture..."
I only see it refer to it as "a little recess"?
@StudMuffin24 said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
" @StudMuffin24 said:
"I'm still trying to determine what the little recess on the right side is supposed to be...I can sort of see the forest and the lion's tail?"
It's mentioned in the review's text right above that picture..."
I only see it refer to it as "a little recess"?"
Above the second to last picture (which is what I thought you were referring to):
"Little hidden moments continue right to the very end—beneath the printed Wicked logo is a tiny representation of the four adventurers from the Wizard of Oz, and round the corner is a peek into an overgrown cave-like hollow, which is Elphaba’s forest hideout."
@crankybricks said:
" @jjr_2009 said:
"I know this is going to sound pedantic, but I don't think Wicked is necessarily more accurate to Baum's original novel than the 1939 film"
One of the major selling points of this set is that it contains four detailed minifigures which are characters from that book, so I felt it was relevant to explain to those not familiar with the many different interpretations that they shouldn’t expect these to look like the previous Lego versions, which were based on the 1939 film. However, I didn’t want to waste paragraphs explaining the complicated branching tree of source material, so clarifying that the divergence of the Wicked and Wizard of Oz storylines happened in written media rather than film or stage was enough!"
haha That makes sense. And yes, I think they definitely included Dorothy and Co for people who are more casual fans, because they really don't have a lot of screentime in the films (at least in these forms).
No flying monkeys? Are they part of the Wicked story?
(I haven’t seen the films.)
@gunther_schnitzel said:
"No flying monkeys? Are they part of the Wicked story?
(I haven’t seen the films.)
"
There is a flying monkey on a printed tile. It's hidden behind a cloud, as said and pictured in the review. There is also a monkey fig in set 75689
I will never understand why the Lion has new mold.
I'm not a huge Wizard of Oz fan (although the four WoO figures are part of the reason I was glad to get a complete set of TLM2 CMFs) and I've never seen either movie, the play they're based on, or read the book *that's* based on, so this isn't anything I have any interest in, but I can definitely appreciate the work the designer put into it. BTW, am I the only one who thinks that the Tin Man's face print resembles some versions of Zane?
@StyleCounselor said:
"My Toto: "I bless the rains down in Af-ri-ca."
"Oohh, oohh!""
My favorite cover of that song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk5Dwg5zm2U
Thanks for the review very informative
@lordofdragonss said:
"I will never understand why the Lion has new mold."
Probably because doing him as a minifigure wouldn’t make sense, and because the existing lion element was either too big or out of production. What we got is a good representation of the movie character, I think.
I just picked this up on discount, I love the art series, so this will make a nice addition.
Whatever else it is, it's a beautiful set with what looks to be a really impressive presence when built.
As soon has this goes on a sale of 30% of more, I am buying a copy for me.
Haven’t seen the movies. But I know Lego have the mold for the Westie/Cairn terrier. Why not make a black version to stay true to the novel…? EDIT. Apparently it’s a Border Terrier in the new movie. Hmm. That still doesn’t explain the mold used. Weird. Anyway, cool set. Good colors. Ok bye!
@TheOtherMike said:
"I'm not a huge Wizard of Oz fan (although the four WoO figures are part of the reason I was glad to get a complete set of TLM2 CMFs) and I've never seen either movie, the play they're based on, or read the book *that's* based on, so this isn't anything I have any interest in, but I can definitely appreciate the work the designer put into it. BTW, am I the only one who thinks that the Tin Man's face print resembles some versions of Zane?
@StyleCounselor said:
"My Toto: "I bless the rains down in Af-ri-ca."
"Oohh, oohh!""
My favorite cover of that song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk5Dwg5zm2U"
Anything w Weezer and/or Al is cool.
@jjr_2009
Yeah for all the claims of being closer to the source material you can instantly tell Wicked is based off the movie with one very noticeable detail; it’s a whole plot thing that Elpheba is green…which the book version of Wicked Witch of the West is not. The 1930s movie version was to make a bigger deal out of being in colour. There’s quite a few other details like that that make it rather obvious the author is far more heavily relying on the classic movie than the original books but that’s the one I’d consider the clincher
@StyleCounselor said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"I'm not a huge Wizard of Oz fan (although the four WoO figures are part of the reason I was glad to get a complete set of TLM2 CMFs) and I've never seen either movie, the play they're based on, or read the book *that's* based on, so this isn't anything I have any interest in, but I can definitely appreciate the work the designer put into it. BTW, am I the only one who thinks that the Tin Man's face print resembles some versions of Zane?
@StyleCounselor said:
"My Toto: "I bless the rains down in Af-ri-ca."
"Oohh, oohh!""
My favorite cover of that song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk5Dwg5zm2U "
Anything w Weezer and/or Al is cool."
I genuinely thought you were promoting AI there for a second. The pain and betrayal that coursed through me, you could bottle it.