Review: 77071 Supply Llama
Posted by SetToBuild,
Fortnite’s famous piñata-style Loot Llama, properly known as the Supply Llama, comes vibrantly to life in LEGO with its characteristic silly face and colourful body. In this wave, two of the sets are scaled to LEGO Fortnite, and two are standalone display pieces representing aspects of the main game; this is one of the latter. The Llama’s epic size does allow it to contain some true-to-scale LEGO Fortnite loot, which in the game it explodes into when petted by the player. After the Llama’s in-game debut six years ago, let’s see what LEGO has come up with for this Epic icon.
Summary
77071 Supply Llama, 691 pieces.
£34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 | 5.1p / 5.8c / 5.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The Supply Llama is the perfect companion for your gaming space.
- Decent price
- Great play feature
- Enjoyable accessories
- Solid structure
- None!
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
On August 29th, Brickset was invited to a roundtable discussion with LEGO Designers John Cuppage and Erik Jensen to chat about the development of the LEGO Fortnite sets. We learned about the challenges the designers faced and how they worked with Epic Games to come to their decisions. Throughout my reviews, I will reference this interview to add more context!
Box
The grassland biome is the setting of this box’s background, which is where you start your journey in LEGO Fortnite. Every world of LEGO Fortnite is procedurally generated, so that each player’s experience is unique.
Just as in 77070 Durrr Burger, the rear of the box emphasises the display nature of the set, but does hint at the one action feature which we’ll get into later. The ‘Fortnite’ logo is huge and matches the height of the LEGO logo.
Six well-packed bags are in the box. The more I encounter paper bags, the more I realise how much more substantial they make the set contents feel. They give the box some heft!
Thankfully the eyes of the llama are printed, but for the other graphics, we have this small sticker sheet. Normally I would be scared of die-cut stickers on big elements, but the top edge of these are flat to help the builder easily line them up with the top edge of the 4x4 tile they’re applied to. The other edges being freeform hide all manner of poor sticker placement.
Build Experience
Within the Llama’s body is a SNOT-built core, with brackets and 1x2x1 2/3 bricks with studs on the side, offering a surface to connect the creature’s piñata-like outer shell. Clips to hold the small hinged legs are at the base, bars to connect the multi-fronded tail at the rear, and a hole at the top to receive the neck’s anchoring axle complete the core’s connections. I don’t know why, but I always get a fuzzy feeling when I encounter classic red 2x4 bricks in modern sets, so I appreciated finding four in here!
The building process is an endurance challenge for your fingers. Placing that many cheese wedges is truly punishing! Particularly for the target age range, the required manual dexterity and attention to detail might be frustrating to some. Especially when trying to keep the hanging 1x2 curves straight when pressing the sides onto the core.
Left over at the end of the build, the spare parts are just as you’d expect. Trophy figs are always a nice bonus! Also, I’m glad the 1x2 tile has made the cut to be an extra part.
Completed Model
As mentioned in the Durrr Burger review, LEGO are targeting a reasonably niche market here, for young gamers who are looking to move away from playsets to display models. This scaled-up design is not the same size as the in-game LEGO model, acting as a more accurate representation of the original Fortnite Supply Llama.
Several wedge plates on either side create the llama’s neck's iconic shape and others provide some dimension to the legs. The use of multiple 1x3x2 arches gives the chaotic multi-fronded tail a lot of character.
The creature’s wacky facial expression with terrified-looking eyes and gaping toothy mouth are hilariously captured in brick form. The bridle detail is a nice touch using the sides of brown plates, and 1x1 brackets as the bit.
The body of the beast houses the set’s action feature. First, open the hatch on the top of the Llama’s back, and pour in the loot items. Although the Llama is built to represent the classic Fortnite Battle Royale Supply Llama, it contains items from LEGO Fortnite.
The items fall to each side within the body, guided by hidden slopes. Two trap doors on the sides are held shut by a simple clip-hinged part each, which when moved allows the loot to drop dramatically out of the model, particularly when shaken.
Among the loot items we have an unrefined ruby, a good luck charm, some slap juice, slurp juice, dynamite, and a grappler. It also contains a backpack, which is not usual llama loot; instead, it’s what’s left behind when your character is eliminated—if you can brave the journey back to retrieve it! These are all accurate representations of the LEGO Fortnite in-game items.
Conclusion
During the roundtable, it was asked why the physical LEGO sets didn’t come out at the same time as LEGO Fortnite’s launch last year—for example for movie-based IP, the sets usually herald the launch of the film. The designers told us that the overall collaboration began in August 2022 when TLG invited Epic Games for a “boost” to see everything they could both come up with in a week. The game development took only one year to implement, while the LEGO set development had a two-year timescale for design, production, packaging and all the other aspects of physical product production. The LEGO Designers also had access to beta versions of the game to assist in making sure the LEGO builds matched the in-game assets.
The colours of this model match the in-game colours perfectly. None of these are new LEGO colours, so it’s very fortuitous that medium azure, medium lavender, blue and dark purple aligned so well! This set does however bring a lot of pieces recoloured in medium lavender including 1x1 plates with handle, a 1x2 plate with handle, a 2x2 inverted curve, and a 2x2 45° slope.
At £35 for nearly 700 pieces, the value of this set looks good on paper. Given how many of those are repeating cheese slopes or baby bows, the real value is a little lower, but the finished model is substantial enough that I’m happy with the price. The action feature is a nice touch and will be enjoyed by kids who I’m sure will hide all manner of things inside!
101 likes
29 comments on this article
I haven't even touched Fortnite, but honestly I quite like it and will probably pick it up down the road. It's a neat build, bright colors, and as a display piece the llama is zany. My kids would love dropping things through it and would probably try to incorporate that function into their own creations after seeing it.
It's cute and barmy, but it's not a game I enjoy. With LEGO Fortnite they've just produced a tedious churning/crafting time-sink of a game, and there's not even that much reward or enjoyment in it in the way there is with a much shallower but more varied crafting tree (ahoy, Subnautica).
When you do get around to actually building with it, there are some reasonable pre-fab buildings, but try and build one yourself from the sub-assemblies available and you quickly realise it's near impossible. Without perfectly flat ground (which the procedural landscape generator does not give you) you can't align base modules in height to build on. And worse still, you can't get stuck in and build your own-sub assemblies from raw bricks, which should be fundamental in a LEGO construction game.
Rather sadly the only connection with the original Fortnite game, just like the racing game and other genres they've branched into, is the sole intention of driving young minds into another Skinner-Box cycle of obedience, ready to fleece them for micropayments the second they are old enough to sign up for their own credit card.
Super accurate to the game's zany llama, looks great and including Lego Fortnite stuff over normal Fortnite stuff is a pretty fun choice. Perfectly embodies the crazy vibe the llama has.
Wow, a character from my favourite game is now in the form of my favourite toy! I love the dropping feature, and it looks fantastically close to the source material. Wonder if they could add a small llama or a llama-themed outfit minifigure. I'll definitely try to pick this one too.
A nice upgrade to 40644 Piñata , even beside the fortnite Llama being originally meant to be the game's "Lootbox" as Save the World was intended to be the main Fortnite game, later on they made those llamas unable to be purchased with real money.
There are also still loot llamas in some random places in Battle Royale and LEGO Fortnite however, so this set is more relevant to that , and not Save the World Llamas, which makes the Loot in this set more relevant.
They should have spring loaded the rear legs to make it into a ‘Buckaroo’ Llama.
@Mica86 said:
"It looks well done, at a great price and i enjoy Fortnite.......but i don't want that thing in my house...its an eyesore and has no minifigs.
Id buy the tiny version in a polybag, it has a bit more charm to it."
A polybag of the small one would be great. I sourced the part from PaB for it and it was not cheap (on top of that, half the parts were not bestsellers so it took a long time to get them.
I build my own Fortnite diorama with a llama, a cow, a sheep and a rooster. There is also a rock with a spider on a 16x16 green plate. Each "providing" animal have a branch to chew, a carton of milk or wool or egg and poop. It looks good!
Yeah... I swallowed a phone...
Piñata Piñata Piñata
will there be more Fortnite Lego with minfigs next year? some of the faceprints from the Battle Bus are super neat
Are those arch parts on the tail dark blue? Because if so I don’t think we’ve had those in a long while.
EDIT: Aw man never mind. It says they’re purple.
@Joefish said:
"It's cute and barmy, but it's not a game I enjoy. With LEGO Fortnite they've just produced a tedious churning/crafting time-sink of a game, and there's not even that much reward or enjoyment in it in the way there is with a much shallower but more varied crafting tree (ahoy, Subnautica).
When you do get around to actually building with it, there are some reasonable pre-fab buildings, but try and build one yourself from the sub-assemblies available and you quickly realise it's near impossible. Without perfectly flat ground (which the procedural landscape generator does not give you) you can't align base modules in height to build on. And worse still, you can't get stuck in and build your own-sub assemblies from raw bricks, which should be fundamental in a LEGO construction game.
Rather sadly the only connection with the original Fortnite game, just like the racing game and other genres they've branched into, is the sole intention of driving young minds into another Skinner-Box cycle of obedience, ready to fleece them for micropayments the second they are old enough to sign up for their own credit card."
The Lego Fortnite game is a lot more like Valheim than other crafting/survival games like Subnautica or the ever popular Minecraft. From that perspective, it's a lot more charitable, but I'd be lying if I said Lego Fortnite felt wholly complete. It was a side-mode made in a year, and it shows. That said, the constant updates certainly help in that regard, much like No Man's Sky. While I'd personally rather games come out later but feature-complete, that's not the model a lot of the AAA gaming space adheres to, especially among free-to-play titles.
As for the lack of connection with the "main game" that is Battle Royale, this is not too dissimilar to how Battle Royale was when it was added alongside Save The World over seven years ago now. I'd even go as far to say Lego Fortnite has more in common with Battle Royale and Save the World than it does with the other two alternative gamemodes that debut alongside it.
And about the microtransactions... Yeah, I'm kinda wishy-washy on that one. On one hand, it feels kinda slimy to try and sell kids on collecting cosmetics with real money, but on the other, the cosmetics are merely that; cosmetic. The actual gameplay of any mode is completely unaffected by your cosmetic choices (Except maybe Battle Royale, where your cosmetics of choice might make you a more enticing target for certain types of players, but that's less a matter of game design and more the human condition.)
I really don’t like how the boxes make them look like they have sound bricks. That would have been a great feature for this set particularly!
@peterlmorris said:
"Are those arch parts on the tail dark blue? Because if so I don’t think we’ve had those in a long while. "
They're dark purple. 76274 has 4 of those in dark blue though!
I play Fornite, and I am a productive adult. I love Lego more, and this is a great set. I don't need every single set to have minifigures, and this is bright, colorful, somewhat small, and will be a thing if pride in my game room! Would I like it more if it did have Jones or Midas with it... YES! But will I buy it how it is now and love it? YES!
I think the peelybone set is a little weird, but to each their own. This set is cool!
Thanks Lego!
The smaller one is cuter.
@SetToBuild said:
" @peterlmorris said:
"Are those arch parts on the tail dark blue? Because if so I don’t think we’ve had those in a long while. "
They're dark purple. 76274 has 4 of those in dark blue though!"
Oh thank you! I wondered if that was dark blue, as well. I feel like I’ve been waiting on those arch pieces to reappear in dark blue forever now.
Llamarama.
Cons: none?
Seriously? The glaring con is no minifigure
The smart thing for Lego would have been (and I am very glad they did not do it) to put at the very least 2 minifigs per set - of course more for the bigger sets or when required. That way, collectors and completists would have had to buy them all.
For this first wave, I intend to only buy the battle bus as it have most of the characters I want: the pink bear, the muscle cat and the banana person. There are a few more I'd like but I would not be surprised if we get a CMF collection of Fortnite next year.
Have no concern for Fortnite at all. However, as soon as I saw this purply llama, I knew I was going to want to get it. I'm very happy with the review and still looking forward to this.
Could you imagine how much this would have sold 6 years ago? Two words for you. Unlimited money.
@Sandinista said:
"Cons: none?
Seriously? The glaring con is no minifigure"
Yeah, but other than a small moulded llama, I didn't see a figure that made sense with this set. Not including one keeps the price down and it's more of a sculpture anyway.
With the Durrr Burger, including a Beef Boss minifigure made more sense because it would be on theme, at scale, and was a 9+ set.
" I don’t know why, but I always get a fuzzy feeling when I encounter classic red 2x4 bricks in modern sets, so I appreciated finding four in here!" I feel the same way. I still remember being quite pleased that there was one in 70816.
@Mica86 said:
"It looks well done, at a great price and i enjoy Fortnite.......but i don't want that thing in my house...its an eyesore and has no minifigs.
Id buy the tiny version in a polybag, it has a bit more charm to it."
I think it's beautiful, cute, endearing, and deserves hugs.
@Maxbricks14 said:
"The smaller one is cuter."
incorrect
@SetToBuild said:
" @Sandinista said:
"Cons: none?
Seriously? The glaring con is no minifigure"
Yeah, but other than a small moulded llama, I didn't see a figure that made sense with this set. Not including one keeps the price down and it's more of a sculpture anyway.
With the Durrr Burger, including a Beef Boss minifigure made more sense because it would be on theme, at scale, and was a 9+ set. "
Dude there’s literally minifigure accessories included. Those but no figure is ridiculous
As a fellow garishly-colored pack animal, I find this representation horribly offensive and should be immediately withdrawn from the market.
Wake up, Lego.
Ahhhh Demon Llama!
I may have to pick this up even though I have never played the game. Looks like a fun set.
@SetToBuild said:
" @Sandinista said:
"Cons: none?
Seriously? The glaring con is no minifigure"
Yeah, but other than a small moulded llama, I didn't see a figure that made sense with this set. Not including one keeps the price down and it's more of a sculpture anyway.
With the Durrr Burger, including a Beef Boss minifigure made more sense because it would be on theme, at scale, and was a 9+ set. "
"Giddy-Up" might have worked, despite probably needing a new molded piece made for it.