Review: 31215 Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers
Posted by MeganL,
The Art theme continues with another 3D rendition of a van Gogh work, this time with 31215 Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers. The last set based on a van Gogh painting, 21333 Vincent van Gogh - The Starry Night, has been one of my favourite builds from the last few years, so I was excited to build this as well.
Although the building style is distinctly different than The Starry Night, the end result is just as satisfying.
Summary
31215 Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers, 2,615 pieces.
£169.99 / $199.99 / €199.99 | 6.5p / 7.6c / 7.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A mostly fun (the sunflowers can be repetitive) build, the end result is a stunning recreation of a classic van Gogh
- Excellent 3D techniques
- Faithful rendition of source material
- A multitude of warm gold parts
- Sunflower building is quite repetitive
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Inside the box, there are 34 numbered bags, 4 unnumbered bags with assorted plates for the "canvas", and an instruction book. Not surprisingly, there are no stickers!
The instruction book gives a brief overview of van Gogh's career, particularly around the Sunflowers series. The set reproduces a repetition of the fourth variation of the Sunflowers series, which is currently on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
This repetition is distinguished by the addition of a slat of wood at the top of the painting that was added by van Gogh. The set version of Sunflowers is smaller than the original, with the set coming in at 54 cm by 41 cm, while the original is 95 cm by 73 cm.
There's a QR code provided that links to a podcast featuring the designer of the set.
The completed model
The build begins with constructing the frame, which is then set aside while working on the canvas. After connecting the canvas and applying the base layer of "paint" you can see how the painting starts taking shape.
The wood slat mentioned in the instruction book is faithfully recreated using reddish brown bricks.
The rear view of the model shows the slat as well. The back of the model is quite tidy, and there is a hook available to hang the final model on the wall.
The detailed builds starts with the sunflowers at the top. While the final output is quite realistic, assembling all the "petals" can be quite tedious. After attaching to the canvas, there's still some rearranging to be done to make sure that all the petals are even. You can see that I still quite haven't managed it, even after trying for some time.
The use of different shades of brown and gold is used to good effect in showing the variations of colour of the sunflower blooms. I did notice that in constructing one of the sunflowers, there may be an error in the instruction book. I had parts for one less petal than the instructions indicated (three parts total). Fortunately, it was on one of the sunflowers that was covered by another, so I was able to arrange it so any gaps weren't noticeable. However, that could have just been my building error!
My favourite parts of this build were building these brighter yellow blooms. The 3D techniques were quite fun and I really enjoyed all the good parts usage in making these flowers pop off the canvas.
Taking a look at the side view shows some of the layering of the sunflowers.
The bright yellow blooms have a bit more depth and texture to them.
The true test for one of these pieces is to see how it looks on the wall. I took the pictures for this set with a blue background (as opposed to my usual grey) as I wanted to see the contrast. But most people don't have bright blue walls (at least I don't!). So how does it looks with more neutral colours? This is taken at the entrance to my kitchen - it fits rather well.
Next, I tried the dining room, which is painted an olive colour. I think this looks a bit better, mostly because of the contrast.
Overall thoughts
I'm quite happy to see another Art set that brings the 3D effect to a classic painting. The end result is very attractive and would fit in quite well on any wall, whether it's in a LEGO room or not. The building techniques are great - the gold sunflowers look fantastic, and that makes the repetition and fiddling around with the petals absolutely worth it. The bright yellow blooms provide a nice break and also have good building techniques of their own. There are plenty of new colours in this set, a complete parts list can be found here.
I would not recommend this set for adults just getting into the hobby (unlike 31214 LOVE), though I can see this is a natural progression for those who enjoy the Botanical sets.
One cautionary note - with all the nooks and crannies in this set, it's sure to be a dust magnet. I'll be breaking out my makeup brushes regularly to keep this one clean!
This set isn't cheap - at $200, it's an investment. Is it worth it? I expect for art and botanical fans, it definitely will be, along with those who are looking for an eye-catching addition for their wall art collection.
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29 comments on this article
Although this (and the Botanical's) lines do nothing for me I can see the appeal of this set (for the final look if not the actual build). It is certainly better than 31213 which is still the thing of nightmares every time I see it.
Looks very good and gives me a good excuse for all those makeup brushes.
Nice review. The set looks interesting.
Yet. I can't see myself acquiring it until the late discounted phase. I have too much already, and a Bricklink Designer Program raid is in the works for this fine morning.
I do have a penchant for Van Gogh as we have similar bar nicknames.
Just stop after finishing the canvas, and say it's a Picasso ;-)
Imho it looks better than original painting and it's cheaper, so great deal! :)
Set seems dull on normal pictures but I have to say that on photo with curtains colours are great and suits.
@MeganL said:
"a complete parts list can be found here"
It's far from complete, with just 60% or 1578 of the 2615 parts listed - all the new ones are missing!
I actually thought that first photo of it hung on the wall was the real thing for a second. Looks spectacular.
I have just finished building the Milky Way set and saw this as a similar project for the future - the techniques look quite different though (Milky Way is just putting pieces in an order on a 16x16 Technic brick although I found it strangely relaxing!) - definitely looking to pick this up though; it will need a 3d case / frame (as I bought for the Milky Way too) as dusting it will probably end up with many parts on the floor...
Will eventually purchase this unless there is a trade war over Greenland.
Have the world map, which was turned into a map of Europe and a Mondrian. Also have the Wave and the other Van Gogh. Starry Starry night could be modified to be flatter as it looks odd hanging from certain angles. And Milky Way is also on my list...
I like the idea of constructing as though it's being painted with a base level of darker colours then the overlay of the flowers.
I like building the art sets but I find the audio selections a disappointment. It might be interesting to some, but to me it hasn't been so far and I'd really appreciate more interesting options to be provided.
@MrClassic said:
" @MeganL said:
"a complete parts list can be found here"
It's far from complete, with just 60% or 1578 of the 2615 parts listed - all the new ones are missing!"
I've found the parts lists on Brickset aren't as up to date in the last year or so as they used to be. I've found that Rebrickable is better now for checking full inventories.
The top part of the vase needs a border or something to help contrast it with the lower part and the background. Otherwise, it looks great hanging on the wall.
There was a missed opportunity here to say "when I was finished building I had this part left over" and it's an ear.
"I'll be breaking out my makeup brushes regularly to keep this one clean!"
I read this not noticing that @Huw didn't write this review!
I like that set. I'm not sure I'll get it but I like it.
It's as if Lego knew that I was out of display cabinet space and is now asking, "Ah, but what about your walls?"
Looks like someone vomited all over the Lego Mona Lisa
Masterpiece
Intriguing, but something I can do without. Now if TLG had chosen to work with van Gogh's Irises--well, that can be a MOC later on for me. If I ever find the time....
The German title of this painting is „Fifteen Sunflowers“. So also the „bright yellow blooms“ are sunflowers.
Good review of an interesting set!
It looks fabulous and is a must-buy, but I think the price is slightly excessive. I might wait for a sale on this one.
@SMC said:
""I'll be breaking out my makeup brushes regularly to keep this one clean!"
I read this not noticing that @Huw didn't write this review!"
As noted in the comments on a recent article, makeup brushes are perfect for dusting LEGO. I do not wear makeup, but I do keep several makeup brushes handy in the LEGO basement.
Man, I love these art sets! - These are the best sets I’ve seen to do with kids over a series of days. (A bag is a chapter, is our approach)
Thanks for the review!
You know, at the reveal I wasn't too wed to this one - great concept, but it looked odd to me. I'm glad for this review then: because it looks substantially better to me seeing it in action and in the building process.
Unfortunately not my biggest interest, and it's a bit pricey, so I won't be picking it up. I can see the appeal though! Looks wonderful.
I like the look of the set, but I don't like it enough to spend 200 Euro on it. Plus I already have the Starry Night set and the Hokusai Wave, so enough to go on our walls. There's not a lot of empty wallspace here anyway.
@AustinPowers said:
"I like the look of the set, but I don't like it enough to spend 200 Euro on it. Plus I already have the Starry Night set and the Hokusai Wave, so enough to go on our walls. There's not a lot of empty wallspace here anyway. "
Just wondering,the piece with Japanese hiragana and kanji writing in the Hokusai set 31208,are they printed or stickers?
Also regarding this latest Van Gogh piece I wonder if there’ll be another minifig of him....
@Euroseb11 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"I like the look of the set, but I don't like it enough to spend 200 Euro on it. Plus I already have the Starry Night set and the Hokusai Wave, so enough to go on our walls. There's not a lot of empty wallspace here anyway. "
Just wondering,the piece with Japanese hiragana and kanji writing in the Hokusai set 31208,are they printed or stickers?
Also regarding this latest Van Gogh piece I wonder if there’ll be another minifig of him...."
Art sets don't have stickers: the Japanese writings are prints.
I bought the Starry Night and the Great Wave immediately but I will pass on this one which I find quite disappointing. I hope Lego will make a Monet set soon (hopefully Impression Sunrise or the Nympheas).
@Altair1970 said:
"I bought the Starry Night and the Great Wave immediately but I will pass on this one which I find quite disappointing. I hope Lego will make a Monet set soon (hopefully Impression Sunrise or the Nympheas)."
I would love to see a Monet set so much….