Review: 21032 Sydney
Posted by CapnRex101,
Three Skylines sets were released in 2016 and the subtheme has continued this year with the arrival of three more models. 21032 Sydney is the smallest of these, containing 361 pieces and priced at £29.99 in the UK and $29.99 in the US. The smaller sets were by far the weakest in the first wave but this model has proved to be a very pleasant surprise!
Sydney's skyline is delightfully varied in both height and architectural style so is ideally suited to a set of this kind. It is among the most visually impressive Skylines models yet released and offers excellent value for money in relation to other Architecture sets so is worthy of careful consideration in my opinion.
The Completed Model
The most successful Skylines sets are those which offer a range of different buildings with varying shapes and that is certainly the case in Sydney. The buildings are arranged according to their placement within the city from the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the north to the Sydney Tower in the south and are situated little more than a mile apart in reality, making this the most authentic model yet in its reflection of a city's true geography.
Sydney Harbour Bridge is an iconic symbol of the city and this interpretation is instantly recognisable despite its small size. Construction of the bridge was completed in 1932 and it is made of steel which is recreated quite effectively using black pieces, although pearl dark grey might have been more authentic. The bridge consists of two arch trusses spanning over 500 metres, from which the deck is suspended underneath. This model includes only a single arch but its proportions are accurate and I like the black bars which simulate suspension cables despite not actually linking the roadway with the arch.
The inverted slopes beneath the bridge do not line up with the hinges above the deck quite as well as I would like but the model looks tremendous on the whole, due in part to the striking contrast between the black superstructure and the tan pillars at either end. These are realistically tapered towards the summit as tiles are attached to the sides and the base of each one is surrounded by dark green tiles to represent the grassy areas which are present in reality.
Trans-light blue tiles are arranged beneath the bridge, reflecting the clear waters of Sydney Harbour in relation to the trans-black tiles which are used to represent the Hudson River in 21028 New York City and the River Thames in 21034 London. Yachts are sailing underneath the bridge and these are represented by white tooth elements which are somewhat reminiscent of the neighbouring Sydney Opera House.
The waterway extends between the bridge and the Opera House, just as it does in reality, but this has been considerably narrowed in order to fit the buildings into a smaller space. Nevertheless, this arrangement is considerably more accurate than those found in other Skylines sets and it recreates one of Sydney's most famous panoramas in which the Opera House stands in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge when viewed from Mrs Macquarie's Point in the Royal Botanic Garden.
Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous buildings in the world and its unique shape is remarkably difficult to render using LEGO, as exhibited by 21012 Sydney Opera House which is among the weakest Architecture sets in my opinion. This effort suffers from a few familiar issues as a number of unsightly gaps are visible but its small size excuses this to some degree and I cannot think how it could have been improved without the creation of specialised pieces.
The model includes the correct number of 'shell' roof structures and I like the angled positioning of each one, although the curved design has not been captured particularly well. The entire building is constructed on a tan podium, the corners of which are formed using new 1x1 quarter circle tiles. A few of the subtler details are missing but the overall shape is reasonably accurate and the model is certainly recognisable as the Sydney Opera House. A printed 1x8 tile identifies the city, in keeping with other Skylines sets.
Deutsche Bank Place is considerably less well known than the first two structures but is architecturally striking and was an ideal selection for this model as its dark blue and white colour scheme is very distinctive. The building is designed around steel pillars which are represented using white bars of various lengths and the proportions are perfect, with tall spires extending beyond the habitable floors just as they do in reality.
I like the angular shape very much and the stacked dark blue plates look superb, with a stepped design which is faithful to the real building. The top level of windows should perhaps have been left out for the sake of greater accuracy but this would have necessitated the use of longer poles to form the spires and may therefore have compromised the structural integrity of the entire model.
The fourth and final model is the 309-metre high Sydney Tower which is the tallest structure in the city and in this Skylines set. It stands atop a dark blue building which is occupied by a shopping centre and from there consists of black and metallic gold elements which contrast beautifully and present an ornate finish, especially around the observation decks at the top. I like the metallic gold wheel hub which forms the narrower part of the upper levels and the tower is completed by a white 4L bar to represent a lightning rod.
Sydney Tower is strengthened by 56 tensile cables surrounding a central column. The scale of this model is too small to replicate the distinct support structures so conical elements are used to form the shape of the cables instead. These are somewhat difficult to see from a distance so an argument could be made that a simple cylindrical structure would have been more accurate, although I think the cones at either end look quite effective and go some way to distinguish this model from the TV Tower found in 21027 Berlin.
Overall
It would be easy to overlook 21032 Sydney given the superior size of the other sets in this wave but it is actually my favourite of the three! The construction techniques are not hugely advanced but the varied architectural styles and colours look brilliant in relation to some of the earlier Skylines sets which have been dominated by single colour blocks or design features. This set suffers from no such issues and includes a diverse range of buildings which combine to present a delightful display model.
I also think the set offers good value for money as it is far more visually impressive than either 21026 Venice or 21027 Berlin, both of which contain significantly fewer pieces but share the same price as this set in most markets. The UK is an unfortunate exception but even the £29.99 price point is justified in my opinion and I highly recommend this set to established fans of the Architecture theme as well as those looking for a reasonably inexpensive entry point.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
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19 comments on this article
Great review Capn! I might just pick this one up.
Great review. I have never been to Sydney, or even outside of the U.S. for that matter, but now I am tempted to add Sydney to my bucket list.
Great review.
The colors look great in this one.
Really liking this one, thanks for the review. I think the skylines were a genius idea. The Architecture series suffers with repetitive building but these sets minimise that due to the much smaller scale.
I just bought this set today. I grew up in Sydney but now live in Switzerland. In fact, I worked in the building next door when Deutsche Bank Place was being built. I think this set is a magnificent representation of my home town, especially at this price point.
Nice set!
Nice review. Being a big Oz fan I like this set too.
That's cool! With a medium-sized LEGO kaiju, you could recreate part of the beginning of Pacific Rim. :P
As an Aussie, this is at the top of my wanted list. Just need to hope I can find someone local who stocks it (the shipping cost to order it from Shop @ Home would be a killer)
Good review. Sydney is unimaginative in naming buildings with three of the four prefaced by "Sydney". I will have to read the London review to see why the author prefers this one.
AWWWW! IT'S ADORABLE!!!!!
I have a fairly strict policy of only buying the architecture sets of places I've visited in real life, so unfortunately this will not be a purchase for me, at least for a long time! I do like the detailed touches though and everyone seems fairly happy with the choice of buildings.
Now I just need a skyline of Rome, Florence, Paris, Amsterdam, Geneva or Copenhagen as places I've visited, but not sure whether those will happen. Paris seems likely?
The black bridge is really bugging me. It should be dark bluish gray. Apart from that, it looks quite nice.
Wonderful looking set, might get it even though it never been to Sydney. Still waiting for Lego to make an architecture set based on something in Toronto though...
I love the skyline sets, and I'll definitely get this one. I'm waiting for them to come out with one for San Francisco! Nice review!
@jonwil - David Jones stocks the architecture range.
I've avoided the Architecture sets (I should gave bought Fallingwater but waited too long).
Anyway, this is the first set I have considered buying (okay it is my home town) so
I am somewhat biased.
My only critique is the use of black from the Harbour bridge and the Sydney Tower suspension cables should have both been in shades of gray - as kibble said above - the black is just annoying especially on the bridge.
That being said, I'll probably buy and just make some adjustments (ahem)
Thanks for a great review!
Hey Seanosaurus, look at this it has a custom Toronto set.
http://brickarchitect.com/2017/custom-lego-architecture-skylines/