Review: 31170 Pink Flamingo
Posted by Huw,
Recent Creator 3-in-1 sets have been fantastic, especially those that build animals, offering unrivalled creativity and value for money.
The bar has been set high by the likes of 31163 Playful Cat and 31154 Forest Animals so we have come to expect all three of the models in such sets to be exceptional.
The just-released 31170 Pink Flamingo looks like it could be up there with the best of them, given that it builds three appealing creatures and contains a wealth of vibrant coral pieces.
Summary
31170 Pink Flamingo, 288 pieces.
£19.99 / $24.99 / €24.99 | 6.9p/8.7c/8.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An exceptional Creator set that delivers three great models
- Flamingo's reconfigurable neck
- Alternate models are excellent
- Vibrant coral pieces
- Good value for money
- The bird's legs should have been white
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Flamingo
Flamingos are beautiful birds whose plumage hue is influenced by what they eat. Vibrant coral is a good match for the feathers of the most flamboyant examples, so both the colour and the shape of this model are excellent.
The waders generally have pink or white legs, so the black ones here don't look quite right, although the standing on one leg pose is spot on. The interface between neck and head is also not ideal and, as usual, the grey ball joints don't look right.
The bird is mounted on a small plinth, decorated with pink foliage. Green hues would have made it stand out better but the pieces would not have been as versatile for use in the other two models.
The large 2-wide 'macaroni' pieces that form the neck are connected together using Techinc pins so the sections can't be rotated in-situ. However, you can take them apart and rearrange them to create different poses.
Cockatoo
Pink Cockatoos inhabit arid areas of Australia and are generally not quite as vibrantly coloured as this brick-built version, but nevertheless it looks excellent. Design compromises are normally evident in the alternate models of 3-in-1 sets, but there are none here: it's good enough to be the main model.
The neck rotates, and the wings can be angled and twisted slightly, allowing for a range of poses.
Axolotl
Axolotls are a variety of salamander that are critically endangered in their native Mexico. Their cute baby-like faces make them popular pets. They have the unusual ability to regenerate their appendages and vital structures, so are used widely in scientific research.
I found this sentence on the website of an aquarium supplier amusing: "If more than one pink axolotl is being kept in the same aquarium, it is important that they are similar in size and the aquarium is spacious, as axolotls are well known for cannibalism. If the odd limb goes missing, there shouldn't be any concern as they are able to regrow the limb completely." !
The foliage pieces look purpose-made for the amphibian's external gills, and it is clear now why they are pink and not green. The head and tail are attached with ball-joints and the front legs with hinges, so some posing is possible. The leftover 'table scraps' have been used to build some unconvincing underwater plants.
It is another exceptional alternate model with no design compromises evident.
Verdict
Creator 3-in-1 animal sets rarely disappoint, and this is an outstanding one. All three models are excellent and other than minor niggles about the colour of the wading bird's legs, there is nothing to criticise. I particularly like the ability to reconfigure the flamingo's neck to create a variety of different looks.
The 288-piece set costs £19.99 / $24.99 / €24.99 so in common with other Creator sets, it's excellent value for money, being devoid of expensive minifigures and licencing fees. At that price you may be tempted to buy three...
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25 comments on this article
I love the Axolotl!
This set looks great — all three models look excellent! I actually kinda like the side build with the axolotl....
I haven't been buying or collecting Creator in a while, but that might be changing this year!
Very rare for the alternative builds to be as much fun in my experience, but for me that axolotl is the MVP.
And at least Creator sets comparatively don't axolotl people in terms of price. Ahem.
...
All three models look fantastic. For me, the Creator 3-in-1 animals from the past few years are kind of the highlight of LEGO as an artform - the alternative models are often SO GOOD that it's hard to choose how to display the model! And all of this achieved through the same handful of bricks.
The designers who come up with these sets are geniuses, and I will likely be picking up this lovely model.
I was in John Lewis the other day and overhead a parent trying to convince their partner that the 3-in1 sets *stifled* creativity. Baffling.
The only problem I see with this set is that if I bought three, I'd just want three flamingos. There is no upper limit to the number of flamingos.
The axolotl is my fav. just out of curiosity how many parts are left over after building it?
The axolotl is great!
Regarding the flamingo's leg color: if you had asked me to draw a flamingo from memory, I would have given it black legs too. I was surprised when I looked up photos of real flamingos. Maybe living in Baltimore (where the plastic pink flamingo lawn ornaments were popular) has tainted my perception of the real animal.
Axolotls are sadly almost extinct in the wild, but have a healthy population in captivity!
I worked with a few of them across a few different zoological facilities, and they’re a lot of fun. Most of the time they cruise around like goobers, but during feeding time, they become monsters. We fed ours bloodworms, nightcrawlers, black worms and other items. They would eagerly be waiting near the Los to inhale whatever food item you offered them.
Real flamingos may have pink or white legs, but you know what has black ones? Plastic flamingos.
If people don't like the prices of other themes, then say hello to Creator.
The Creator 3-1 sets, especially the animals, have been so impressive overall. I have three girls that do not care so much for many of the themes but these sets are home runs every time for them. I will pick up a copy of this for each of them.
Another bird with legs of the wrong colour!
These are pretty cool. Nice, thorough review.
Creator designers are on top of their game
The bird build is more similar in colour to the Pink Galah which are very commonly seem, than the more rare Pink Cockatoo.
@HuskyDynamics said:
"Real flamingos may have pink or white legs, but you know what has black ones? Plastic flamingos."
I guess all Lego flamingos are plastic flamingos, when you get right down to it...
I imagine the black legs are simply an aesthetic choice, so that they stand out against the bright pink better than white legs would
I just bought this set along with the 3-in-1 Panda. Can’t wait to build all 6 models from them both :)
Quick animal fact: axolotls have the largest sequenced genome known to man.
Because I live next to flamingos habitat, I may buy three sets, not to have the three models, but to have three flamingos in different poses on a diorama.
Black legs haha, the things people do
Yes, the flamingo was a day-one purchase for me. I love the bright colour, I love the posing, even the black legs don't bother me too much.
The Creator animal sets have just been so good, the last few years.
Ball joint. Seriously, what's the issue with recoloring them?
@Lyichir said:
" @HuskyDynamics said:
"Real flamingos may have pink or white legs, but you know what has black ones? Plastic flamingos."
I guess all Lego flamingos are plastic flamingos, when you get right down to it..."
Muchos árboles de lego también tienen los troncos negros...
@Gus_teXeda said:
" @Lyichir said:
" @HuskyDynamics said:
"Real flamingos may have pink or white legs, but you know what has black ones? Plastic flamingos."
I guess all Lego flamingos are plastic flamingos, when you get right down to it..."
Muchos árboles de lego también tienen los troncos negros..."
Indeed, such as 6054 (My first large-scale Lego tree) and its re-imagining, 40567.