Review: 31157: Exotic Peacock
Posted by Huw,
The peacock is, according to Charles Darwin, "the most splendid of living birds" and 31157 Exotic Peacock looks to be the most splendid of the Creator 3-in-1 sets that have just been launched, so it was a day one purchase for me.
In this part of the review I look at the main model. I will examine the alternate builds, a butterfly and dragonfly in due course.
Summary
31157 Exotic Peacock, 355 pieces.
£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99 | 5.1p/5.6c/5.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A beautiful model of a beautiful bird
- Looks spectacular and eye-catching on display
- Adjustable feathers
- Bird is so good you won't want to take it apart to build the other models.
The peacock, the male of the peafowl species, has iridescent blue and green plumage and a huge train of beautiful feathers covered with eyespots which it fans out during courtship.
With its feathers on display, the model looks spectacular, with a wingspan of about 30cm.
Three-leaved plant pieces have been used to good effect to form the eyespots, including gold ones for the more elaborate and larger ones at the tips of the feathers.
The bird's body looks suitably curvaceous and colourful, made with pieces in three shades of blue and purple.
The backs of the feathers are neat and tidy, and just like on the real bird, fairly drab.
A pair of large curved pieces form the fowl's tail feathers which touch the ground to stop the model from tipping backwards. That is not necessary when the feathers are fanned but is when they are folded back.
Some wonderful parts usage is evident here for the the crest on top of the bird's head.
All eight feathers are hinged: the bottom two with click hinges, the others with Mixel ball joints, which allows them to be folded backwards and tidily interleaved.
Just like the real creature, it is eye-catching and spectacular: a model that exemplifies the novelty and inventiveness of the Creator 3-in-1 theme, which continues to yield many of the best models in LEGO's annual assortment.
Priced at just £17.99/$19.99/€19.99 for 355 pieces, including many rare ones, it's a something of a bargain, too.
My only complaint is that the bird is so beautiful that I don't want to take it apart to build the other models, so do not expect part two of the review any time soon!
It would be fun to make a peahen to go with it, although they are, of course, much more drab.
179 likes
53 comments on this article
That tail -or third leg- is not very polished though.
@Adrianucho said:
"That tail -or third leg- is not very polished though."
No but it's necessary and 100% accuracy was not the goal here.
Isn’t this just a rip off of the Peacock finale build that Sam Hatmaker and Jessica Ewud made the Season 1 of the Lego Masters TV show?
So many of that leaf piece- my favourite!
Great set! I've got mine next to the 3 in 1 31145: Red Dragon, which while not as complex or beautiful it is the cutest little thing in the world. The dragon is another one that I may never build the other 2 models.
Probably going to settle for the peacock only as well if and when i get the set...
Teal Millennium Falcon, here I come
@MorkMan said:
"Isn’t this just a rip off of the Peacock finale build that Sam Hatmaker and Jessica Ewud made the Season 1 of the Lego Masters TV show?"
It might've taken some inspiration from that model's reception, but it doesn't use the same build or techniques and it's not like the concept of a peacock is exclusive or original to them.
Wow, that's a real eye-catcher! I have a neighbour with a rogue, escaping peacock. She may be getting a late Christmas present.
PAVE LIVES TO DANCE!
LEGO birds must sell well because we seemingly get new ones every year. Here's hoping the upcoming Fauna collection includes an owl model!
They’ve got free-roaming peacocks at the local zoo, and they’re generally pretty docile (I don’t know how they react if you try to pet them, since I didn’t). On one trip, it was the middle of their mating season. Those things are _loud_. If a peahen caught their eye, half a dozen would instantly fan out their tails and race towards her, making all kinds of noise. A lot of the peahens ended up taking refuge in trees, since the peacocks didn’t seem to follow them up into the branches.
@MorkMan:
I was thinking they won a LMUS challenge where there was an additional reward of getting your model produced as a set.
That might be the most hilarious negative I've ever seen on a review
The dragonfly model looks cool, especially with those adorable little legs! And the butterfly makes a very clever use of the eye pieces!
I… I can make an origami peacock…
@MorkMan said:
"Isn’t this just a rip off of the Peacock finale build that Sam Hatmaker and Jessica Ewud made the Season 1 of the Lego Masters TV show?"
Eh, theirs was on a much grander scale and included various minibuilds around it. It’s similar in that “it’s a peacock” but it’s not like those are fictional birds that Sam and Jess invented
Builds like these don't seem that fun for me personally. Sure, the end result is beautiful. But the repetition! It's not so bad in and of itself, but remember that it's a 3-in-1.
And for me personally it's a big NO as I don't have much room for Lego so I constantly have to unbuild and rebuild stuff. As I store everything in bags in bigger bags stacked in boxes.
For me set 31130 Sunken Treasure Mission was what taught me that. It's telling that it needs to be in seperate bags, even in the original packaging. Those 1x1 'suckers' man...
So ehm... beautiful model. Not particularly creator-ish. Probably great if you only build stuff once or twice.
I think we've picked up the majority of 3 in 1 sets the last few years. Anything that's not a vehicle or building. They've all been fantastic. Good sizes, good value, fun building experiences.
This set is hands down the cream of the crop, and not just because it is a beautiful bird.
@MorkMan said:
"Isn’t this just a rip off of the Peacock finale build that Sam Hatmaker and Jessica Ewud made the Season 1 of the Lego Masters TV show?"
I did a peacock for a building challenge on the Inside Tour in 2018 that's almost the same size as this set and has similar building techniques. It got a designer award, so obviously this is a rip-off of that, lol.
Seriously, great minds think alike. We've been getting so many bird sets (and yet still not enough) that a peacock was inevitable.
@Huw said:
"I don't want to take it apart to build the other models"
With the 3-in-1 sets, I usually build the alternate builds first for this very reason!
@ricecake said:
" @Huw said:
"I don't want to take it apart to build the other models"
With the 3-in-1 sets, I usually build the alternate builds first for this very reason!"
I did think about that but the numbered bags sort of discourage it.
@Huw: Perhaps this question has already been answered, and I just missed it, but when will you be posting the poll results?
Looks like a fantastic set, even as a parts pack with many plant bits , 4x quarter blue circles, lots of teal "wings" of both left and right variants , mini ball joints etc.
I built the 31109 alternate builds first, then the ship, then finally the dockside tavern again. Just built 31132, and am not sure I can ace breaking it down and building the house, as I'm fairly sure I'll want the ship in the end.
@mediAFOL said:
"I Just built 31132 , and am not sure I can ace breaking it down and building the house, as I'm fairly sure I'll want the ship in the end."
With 21343 : Viking Village around I keep the 3-in-1 ship, as I don't really expect much more in terms of Vikings soon as it was more niche compared to much longer theme like Pirates.
For Pirates, Barracuda Bay was the bigger, more original boat, so more choices there between ships/island/tavern, also the alternate builds from the Viking set aren't as good as the 3-in-1 Pirate Tavern imo (especially since Viking Village buildings released)
@MorkMan said:
"Isn’t this just a rip off of the Peacock finale build that Sam Hatmaker and Jessica Ewud made the Season 1 of the Lego Masters TV show?"
At least that is a variation on claiming it's an Ideas rip off.
A lovely set. I like this and 31150.
@WemWem said:
"PAVE LIVES TO DANCE!
LEGO birds must sell well because we seemingly get new ones every year. Here's hoping the upcoming Fauna collection includes an owl model!"
Upcoming fauna? My wallet cannae take any more, captain!
I like the rounded tiles holding the brackets together to form a simple and a clever way to keep the tail from collapsing. The model looks really imposing, and the ability to pose the feathers is a nice finesse. Thanks, Huw
Reminds me of the Peacock that guards the entrance to Benita Bizzare’s Jukebox in The Bugaloos.
Pretty impressive how it looks fantastic both fanned out and folded up.
I am a bigger fan of the feathers-folded look than the feathers fanned. There is something about the spaces between the feathers when fanned that doesn't look finished to me. Either way, the body of the bird looks very nice. Most impressive to me, as is the case with almost all Creator sets, is the price/value of three different quality models to enjoy building for a very reasonable price.
It's nice but something is "off". Doesn't look as nice as the exotic parrot.
The feathers looks weird, I think the plates they're built on are too big. Will pass on this one.
Wow, what a ripoff of the NBC logo.
@Ridgeheart:
Ha! Oh, that’s rich. You want to steal one? From _our_ zoo? Please give me enough warning that I can make sure to have the day off, and be sitting 50’ inside the gate with refreshments and a camera recording video. Peacocks stay deep in the zoo by the Polar Bear Cafe, but you won’t make it ten steps inside before you run screaming like the guides at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
@Schmopiesdad:
While the fanned feathers should have significant overlap such that you can’t see anything through the tail, the collapsed tail should drag on the ground with the ends laying flat. They should also probably be longer.
Great looking, reasonably priced set. Definitely on the list of possibles when the Year of the Dragon GWP appears.
Only question is 1,2 or 3!
@huw what’s the difference between this piece, https://brickset.com/parts/6057390/plate-w-bow-1x2x2-3 and the one used on that set?
@PurpleDave said:
" @Ridgeheart :
Ha! Oh, that’s rich. You want to steal one? From _our_ zoo? Please give me enough warning that I can make sure to have the day off, and be sitting 50’ inside the gate with refreshments and a camera recording video. Peacocks stay deep in the zoo by the Polar Bear Cafe, but you won’t make it ten steps inside before you run screaming like the guides at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The city of Arcadia California has free roaming peacocks. They can be a nuisance and need to be relocated when the numbers grow too large. I'm not suggesting trying to capture one, but it would probably be easier there than a zoo.
https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-east/news/2021/06/29/arcadia-residents-having-peacock-problems "
I want to like this model, but the colors and details just aren't there to match the Indian Peacocks at my local zoo.
The poor thing doesn't even have wings...
@dimc said:
" @WemWem said:
"PAVE LIVES TO DANCE!
LEGO birds must sell well because we seemingly get new ones every year. Here's hoping the upcoming Fauna collection includes an owl model!"
Upcoming fauna? My wallet cannae take any more, captain!"
It's life, Jim, but not as we know it.
An OK representation in my opinion. The tail is passible but the main body colours just don't look right!
On a real India Blue (AKA Common) peacock, the neck is a much darker blue, the back is an iridescent green and the wings are finely striped brown and black.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peafowl/media/File:Peacock_by_Nihal_jabin.jpg
Gee, I wonder what the other models look like, Mr. Reviewer.
@shedjed said: "Great set! I've got mine next to the 3 in 1 31145: Red Dragon, which while not as complex or beautiful it is the cutest little thing in the world."
I was lucky to find the red baby dragon on shelves, here in Australia, a week before Christmas. Completely agree with your assessment. It is one of the cutest, most adorable builds Lego has ever released.
@Zrath said:
"Gee, I wonder what the other models look like, Mr. Reviewer."
You can find out by looking at the additional images :-)
Really nice model, but I cannot understand why they used those grey pieces on the back. Any other colour would've looked better, LITERALLY any other colour. The alternate models don't seem to require the dark grey either, so there's no reason for it at all.
Obviously you're not really ever going to be looking at it from the rear, but still such a strange decision. Black, white or even light grey would've been better.
"My word. You're a tripod!" :)
@R0Sch said:
""My word. You're a tripod!" :)"
There's a reference I didn't expect...
The set does look nice, but I'd be worried about the staying power of the mixel joints on a display piece like this.
@danishbricklayer said:
"The set does look nice, but I'd be worried about the staying power of the mixel joints on a display piece like this."
On the plus side, since they are the most strictly color-locked parts ever, you don’t have to worry about being able to afford replacement parts if there are issues later on.
This wave of 3-in-1 CREATOR sets are all fantastic. I've generally gone off buying new lego releases... but some of these are tempting me back.
@Ridgeheart:
Wow, not even a little curious what would cause you to flee in terror from our zoo?
@Ridgeheart:
Oh, semi-sweet summer child, what makes you think it has anything to do with the peacocks? No, to reach them, you have to first get past this:
https://penguins.detroitzoo.org
It’s only the largest, and most technologically advanced penguinarium in the the world! Home to over 75 penguins, this award-winning fortress looms just inside the entrance to the Detroit Zoo. Go ahead. Walk past it. I. Dare. You.
Clearly inspired by the duo who should have actually won Lego Masters season 1.
@Emmafofemma said:
"Clearly inspired by the duo who should have actually won Lego Masters season 1."
Frankly, I was surprised that they didn't get cut in the first half. They took a really long time to get their legs under them, and shouldn't have lasted long enough to get past that point. Once they did, I can't say they didn't earn their spot in the final, but their builds were never as polished as Tyler's.
I've heard some of the behind-the-scenes drama from S1, and one thing is clear. Tyler was picked to make sure they had a strong contender so the show wouldn't be an embarrassment. Sam & Jess got in because the show's producers were casting it like a traditional reality competition. They weren't very focused on making sure every team could be in contention, and it was painfully obvious after the first episode how things were going to go. You can really see the results of this in S2, when every team that was in on diversity casting was gone by the midpoint, vs S4 when the final featured six minority contestants.
@MisterBrickster said:
"Teal Millennium Falcon, here I come"
lol
Can you explain to me what that final piece is used for?