Review: 40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books
Posted by CapnRex101,
A series of dioramas paying tribute to famous people has been produced over the last several years, originally focused on celebrated authors. 40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books is another addition to this range and looks great, featuring three vehicles from the author's works.
These microscale vehicles work well together as an ensemble, displayed in an open book, similar to 40291 Creative Personalities from 2018. LEGO has yet to confirm its availability, but other sets from the series have typically had fair purchase thresholds, so hopefully that extends to this one.
Update: The purchase threshold is £135, $150 or €150.
Summary
40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books, 351 pieces.
This homage to the works of Jules Verne is a delight, using a clever diorama format
- Ingenious format
- Striking display model
- Amazingly detailed mini vehicles
- Jules Verne minifigure is bland
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigure
The minifigures in these Historical Tribute sets are quite inconsistent in quality, as only some include new elements. Jules Verne is among those comprising existing pieces, unfortunately, but the bearded head, which is generally associated with Obi-Wan Kenobi, bears a reasonable resemblance to Verne. I like the hairstyle selected too.
In addition, the format jacket suits the minifigure, returning from 76252 Batcave - Shadow Box and a couple of other sets. A similar torso and exactly the same head were previously used for Gustave Eiffel in 40579 Eiffel's Apartment, so LEGO evidently has a preferred way of portraying French people from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries!
Verne comes with a printed envelope and a quill pen, represented by a black flame. This piece has appeared a few times before, normally in Monkie Kid sets, but remains fairly uncommon in black.
The Completed Model
Historical tribute sets can take various formats and this one is reminiscent of 40291 Creative Personalities, which pays homage to Hans Christian Andersen, including the author beside a rendition of one of his most famous works. This diorama features three of Verne's novels, with the Nautilus from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, a steam train from Around the World in Eighty Days and a hot air balloon from Five Weeks in a Balloon, packaged inside a book.
The book is constructed using plates, with four A-frame plates creating the angle of the open book and cleverly disguised beneath the railway bridge. There is no curved spine of the book, unlike on 40291 Creative Personalities, but that would likely destabilise the model. However, a brick-built bookmark is included and looks superb, as does the dark red book cover.
A sticker is applied on the edge of the pages, featuring Jules Verne's name. This is not actually the author's signature, which is a strange choice, but I love the map-inspired details around the name, mirroring Verne's association with adventure stories. The pages form an attractive border around the vehicles and a few studs are found in the corners, where the minifigure can stand.
Blue and dark blue elements comprise an ocean inside the pages of the book, with the Nautilus partially submerged in the middle. Depictions of the famous submarine vary, but its traditionally sharp shape is recognisable here, even partly underwater. Moreover, this combination of pearl gold, medium nougat and dark tan pieces looks marvellous, alongside trans-light blue windows and a tiny propeller on the stern.
The wooden bridge behind the submarine also looks nice, mixing reddish brown and dark tan elements to good effect and with contrasting black parts on top. I like the 1x4 lattice fences in particular, while the train is impressively detailed for its size. The dark green, trans-yellow and dark bluish grey colour scheme is appealing and the tiny wheels look splendid, especially since the spacing between carriages seems realistic.
Although travelling by hot air balloon is briefly discussed in Around the World in Eighty Days, a balloon is not actually used in the book, only in subsequent adaptations. This hot air balloon is instead based on Fives Weeks in a Balloon. Once again, this model looks excellent for its size and I love the orange and sand blue colours. The sand blue 1x1 quarter dome piece is actually new, while the orange version has only appeared once before.
Overall
40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books is a charming promotional set. Adventure is obviously at the heart of Verne's works and this model definitely conveys that sense of fun, with its various modes of transport. All three look lovely and the shaping of the Nautilus is especially laudable, closely resembling illustrations of the submarine.
The weakest aspect of the set is probably the Jules Verne minifigure, which could have been improved with a unique torso, or perhaps one of his novels as a printed accessory. Even so, I think the author is recognisable when compared with photographs. The purchase threshold has now been confirmed as £135, $150 or €150, which is slightly higher than previous sets in this series, but still very reasonable.
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35 comments on this article
t's been a while since a GWP tempted me into a purchase, but I think that's about to change.
Love it! I hope some AFOLs right now are planning a series of books in this format ... or even a collab such as Shakespeare's plays : )
"Hello there."
"General Verne!"
A very nice little GWP... Noel Edmonds' getting a bit grey now!
Threshold should do nicely for the Retro Radio plus a couple of Brickheadz.
A better minifgure with exclusive parts would have enticed me to get it. Since that's not the case, it will be a pass for me.
Maybe the purchase threshold will be $150
Ah, I was wondering why 5 Weeks was singled out for the balloon, as I always associate one with 80 Days. And I’m sure the signature is from Jules Verne’s secretary, since it’s common practice to authorize that for non-essential purposes.
If I was in charge, the purchase threshold would be $80.
That's probably why I'm not in charge.
Doc: You've read Jules Verne?
Clara Clayton: I *adore* Jules Verne.
Doc: So do I. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", my absolute favorite. The first time I read that when I was a little boy I wanted to meet Captain Nemo and...
Clara Clayton: [laughs] Don't tease, Emmett. You couldn't have read that when you were a little boy, it was only first published ten years ago.
That torso should be useful for my sig fig!
When did Alec Guiness portray Jules Verne?
Thanks for the review!
These tribute sets have always looked good to me, but this is the first one made me think: must have!
While I certainly would be very interested in more sets inspired by Jules Verne's books, I do wonder if there really is a big market for it. Perhaps it's more likely that one of the other brands will give it a go?
@MegaBlocks said:
"When did Alec Guiness portray Jules Verne?"
I thought it was George Lucas.
Already available here. Minimum AU$240 spend. Doesn’t interest me personally so will pass.
@8lackmagic said:
"t's been a while since a GWP tempted me into a purchase, but I think that's about to change."
Yes, this is a really great set!
So £125 UK and I notice Australia also has the trophy for certain category purchases over £55 ($105 AUD)
The color on the torso is superb! Matches the quality of the signature. Lego graphic designers working overtime! Poor artists.
@StyleCounselor said:
"The color on the torso is superb! Matches the quality of the signature. Lego graphic designers working overtime! Poor artists. "
Tiss Paker.....
@Belboz said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"The color on the torso is superb! Matches the quality of the signature. Lego graphic designers working overtime! Poor artists. "
Tiss Paker....."
Trying (and failing) to stay positive. ;)
I agree with what @Galaktek said: we absolutely need a Shakespeare tribute next!
I'm surprised there's nothing there for Journey to the Center of the Earth. Although might require a lot more vertical space than they wanted to deal with.
The minifig wasn't what attracted me to 40595, and it's not what attracts me to this. In both cases, it's the builds representing what those men did.
its $150 or £125
Have all the other tributes except Eiffel so I guess I’ll have to take the plunge here. I had been doing good at not buying new sets this year and trying to work through my backlog instead, oh well I made it 6 months I deserve a treat.
This is my favorite of the tribute GWPs! It feels like a step above the rest. Hope the purchase threshold isn't something crazy like $200 or $250.
Just made an order with this and the yellow Trophy!
I think a curve could have been done at the ends even if it was just a single piece, the effect would look good.
Not a fan of the books or films, but I appreciate the tribute evolution. I doubt my favourite authors would ever see the light of day in Lego, but inspiration for moc forms.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
""Hello there."
"General Verne!""
You fool!
I've been trained in your author arts by, Write Dooku...
@TheOtherMike said:
"The minifig wasn't what attracted me to 40595, and it's not what attracts me to this. In both cases, it's the builds representing what those men did."
Couldn't agree more. This is a lovely set and I hope the threshold isn't too high! I managed to visit a store today, and I was very much impressed by some of the recent releases that were on display. On that note - I hope we'll see some reviews here for the new big City sets soon!
Its available now in australia as lego VIP for purchase $240 at lego store
EU € 150. threshold for 40690
40688 € 65. spend on City, Classic, Friends, NINJAGO® en DREAMZzz™ bleh another skip
Just got one in the UK with my order - I had thought that PaB parts counted, but apparently not as I had to get the sets over £135 for it to appear. I was initially worried that I'd missed it already in the 30 minutes since it became available!
@ZeroGravitas said:
"Just got one in the UK with my order - I had thought that PaB parts counted, but apparently not as I had to get the sets over £135 for it to appear. I was initially worried that I'd missed it already in the 30 minutes since it became available!"
Bestseller PAB works fine, the standard PAB stopped counting sadly.
Are you sure that the balloon is not representing The Mysterious Island? Maybe it is a cultural difference, but I have never heard of Five Weeks in a Balloon.
@Yooha said:
"Are you sure that the balloon is not representing The Mysterious Island? Maybe it is a cultural difference, but I have never heard of Five Weeks in a Balloon."
I've heard of it, although I've never read it.