Review: 72151 Eevee
Posted by SetToBuild,
After a long wait, LEGO Pokémon is finally here! The smallest of the brick-built pocket monsters currently available is 72151 Eevee.
The set has some hidden secrets, with the first being in the set number itself. 151 is the number of entries that appeared in the first generation’s Pokédex, so it is a very fitting way to start the theme. This charming and cheerful creature is well-rendered in brick form, using a plethora of modern pieces to curve and shape its furry form.
Summary
72151 Eevee, 587 pieces.
£54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 | 9.4p, 10.2c, 10.2c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The first entry in our LEGO Pokédex is an absolute cutie
- Super effective sculpting
- Printed elements
- Many recolours
- Articulation
- No stand or scenery
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
My approach to reviewing Pokémon sets is focused purely on the new LEGO versions. We’re aware that other companies have had the Pokémon license in the past, but as a LEGO fan site and personally as a purist collector, I’ve opted to view these all with fresh eyes.
Box and Contents
Within the 18+ branded black box, there are 6 bags, instructions and no stickers. As the smallest set in the wave, it’s not too surprising that this is a punch tab style box.
Build Experience
As I was building the set, I noticed something familiar about the colours used for the internal construction. Turns out, the instructions state: “This Eevee does not evolve, but you’ll find as you build it, Eevee has evolutionary potential.” In the first generation, due to its unstable genetic code, Eevee could evolve into one of three variations (elemental types): Vaporeon (Water), Jolteon (Electric), and Flareon (Fire).
In the second, fourth, and sixth generations, Eevee developed five additional evolutions. They were Espeon (Psychic), Umbreon (Dark), Leafeon (Grass), Glaceon (Ice), and Sylveon (Fairy). In place of a brain brick, all eight Eeveelutions are represented as bread tiles inside Eevee’s head. I wonder if any of them will make it into LEGO—perhaps more likely if the new generation of Pokémon brings even more evolutionary forms.
The use of printed curved slopes for the eyes is a simple yet successful technique. Spoiler alert: In a future review, we might suggest another Pokémon could benefit from this approach!
Completed Model
Along with the all-important eye printing, the overall shaping and colouring of this model is achieved through many new pieces and recolours, particularly in medium nougat. Ranging from plates to curved slopes and corner curved bricks, it goes without saying that this model would have looked significantly different even just 5 years ago. Not among these new parts, however, is the very common medium nougat cheese slope. A handful of these form a simple tuft of hair atop Eevee’s head, which is surprisingly effective.
The ears are connected to the head with click hinge plates, which allow them to be positioned in several expressive directions. Interestingly, these brown and medium nougat parts also aren’t among the numerous recolours in this set, as these pieces have already been varied in colour quite extensively. Full rotation and a small amount of neck articulation is achieved through a ball joint connection, which is also really important to the expressivity of the model.
Not only are the fronts of the toes delineated on printed slopes, but the rear paws have pink pads printed on 2x2 boat studs. While you can see into the mechanics of the ankle joints here, the full uniformity of the medium nougat colouring makes this a nice solution for some unexpected articulation.
All four legs have a wider degree of articulation than I had anticipated. There are ankle joints formed by bar and clip pieces, hidden behind rounded tiles, in addition to the more standard hip joints. Somewhat annoyingly, but perhaps only noticeable to me, given the rest of the model is so uniform, through the thin moulding of the 2x2 quarter round curved slopes, we can actually see the yellow studs underneath.
The articulation in the legs is done so well that it’s strange that no stand was provided at all. A simple support might have been quite useful here, to allow for running or jumping poses. Eevee can just about stand up on its hind legs against a wall, although the neck can’t angle vertically, so it will remain looking up as if chasing a Butterfree.
While I’m a fan of leaving studs exposed (over the modern trend for very smooth-looking tiled models and MOCs), the hollow studs are a bit of an oddity. However, they do provide extra texture for ‘ear fluff’ without adding an extra brick thickness. The head shaping at the back is simple and symmetrical, so no complaints here.
Eevee’s fluffy tail is a masterpiece in sculpting. There aren’t any gaps visible in the transition from curved slopes to sloped bricks, then tiles, wedge bricks and plates, and finally, more curved slopes to tan rock plates. The tip is finally topped with a cone, cleverly angled for accuracy. The dark grey ratcheting hinges disappear into the shadows between the pieces, although admittedly, the similarly toned backdrop does help.
The neck fluff is as fascinating as the tail, albeit not quite as perfect, since some brackets are not fully covered, exposing more open studs. Another collection of curved slopes is framed around a central SNOT core, giving a sense of voluminous tufty fur.
The downside of large printed slopes is the tendency for scuffs and scrapes from travel or flaws in the printing to mar the clean, accurate effect. The creature’s right eye in my copy of the set has an imperfection in the edge of the black ink.
The cheeks were made possible with the new-for-2026 part 7904, which, while only in medium nougat in this set, already appears in five other colours elsewhere!
In most media, Eevee appears on the smaller side as far as Pokémon go, but usually at a fairly similar size to Pikachu. However, when comparing the LEGO models, Eevee looks particularly tiny.
The spring yellow 1x1 bread tile has appeared in only two Wicked sets. Other than that, the leftovers aren’t anything to write home about.
Conclusion
The build experience was very enjoyable, not only because of the hidden Easter eggs, but also in discovering details of the build itself, its techniques and new parts. I don’t remember any terribly frustrating moments, so I’m surprised that this set was restricted to an adult audience.
Rather than just the subtle nod in this model, I would love to see an ‘Eeveelutions’ set with either just the first three as larger models, at this sort of scale, or a smaller set with all the variations available.
The model is as cute as its adorable source material, and is perfectly sized: modest enough for wide appeal as a shelf display and to easily hold in one hand, but large enough to fit sufficient accurate detail and shaping. Some other purist fans will inevitably decry the smoothness of the finish. To me, this is just about at the limit of accuracy before not looking like LEGO any more, so it narrowly avoids sacrificing the brick-built DNA.
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50 comments on this article
That last photo figuratively killed me. <3
I’m starting to think the lifestyle photos of the LEGOs should just be outside in the grass, the model looks much better there than anywhere else!
@AVCampos said:
"That last photo figuratively killed me. <3"
yea! I second that! excellent last photo and you got them both looking at the same place.
I'd much rather take the cat over the brick built pokemon.
Another Hermes name change....
Gotta build them all....
This isn't the theme for me but I loved that final photo and how it deftly addressed the negative comment about the lack of stand or scenery by situating it in 'the wild', great review and detail.
That picture with the two models really doesn't flatter the Pikachu one! I'm definitely more interested in this size of Pokémon model. Or smaller.
not sure why "No stand or scenery" is a negative when having a stand or scenery would, as we all know, drastically increase the price
as it is, this is the only one of the current Pokemon sets that i would actually consider buying
I still believe that the Pokemon Center should have been the GWP and the badge set should have been a $40 set
I've no interest in the theme, but this looks great for those who like Pokemon. It's definitely the best of the lot.
I have this waiting in the box for a rainy day, and looking over the images in this review, it was definitely the right choice! I'm not terribly interested in Eevee, but this build just looks perfect and adorable. It'll make a nice consolation after not being able to afford the set that I actually want at least (Kanto starters) lol.
What I'd really love to see though is an Espeon & Umbreon set. Colosseum bros, where you at???
@ACubeInABox said:
"I’m starting to think the lifestyle photos of the LEGOs should just be outside in the grass, the model looks much better there than anywhere else!"
Especially if you cut off the right half of the picture and focus solely on the item in it that is actually cute...
Mee-ow.
;-)
++++ No stand or scenery that will drive up the prize
This little cutie is deadly to my wallet
This is such a fantastic set they should just do the eevolutions as a series.
I love this set, especially the fun references inside. I will definately be getting it, as it's the cheapest, and my favorite pokemon too!
The Eevee is sooo much cuter than the Pikachu. This one actually tempts me a bit now.
looks great
I will get this set and probably a few more of those coming later in the year. It is reasonably cute, fairly accurate to the source material, does not take too much space and the price is... well, it's Lego, the price is not great but ok-ish. I've already received 40911 and I also ordered all the parts from Lego for another one that I'll give to my nephew which is a big fan (the sticker sheet should be available pretty soon from a shop in the Netherlands).
@Robot99 the Kanto box is very easy to reproduce. There are significantly more pieces in the set than what is truly needed. If you can find instructions, build it on Stud-io and then swap all the small adjacent parts into bigger one (it will be stronger). While you are at it, change all the awful colours used at the bottom to have a clean all black finish underneath. Once again, the sticker sheet - which is hardly necessary for this set - should be available rather soon. The most expensive parts are the 4 glass pieces.
I hope Lego does not produce a set with all 8 evolutions in the same box. This would be akin to the Great Deku tree where you spend quite a bit on a set and a quarter of it remains in the box. If they want to do something like this, maybe a Vaporeon/Glaceon set, a Leafeon/Jolteon set, a Sylveon/Espeon set. For Flareon and Umbreon it is a bit more difficult because they are totally different in colour (maybe a smaller set for each of them).
@HOBBES
Oh I was talking about the expensive Venusaur/Charizard/Blastoise set, not the badge box lol
Not for me personally, but I know that the Pokemon fans out there are gonna love this. Looks like a pretty decent build.
99% sure though that someone out there is going to repurpose those rear printed pads as butt cheeks on a moc of some kind sooner or later....
@AVCampos said:
"That last photo figuratively killed me. <3"
Happy to see some people still know the meaning of the word 'figuratively'. Also happy it didn't literally kill you. :-)
I don't care for Pokemon myself, but this looks legitimately great, and I like the DNA Easter eggs.
not sure where i could possibly say this comment so I'm doing it here.
all my internet life i have absolutely avoided any kind of advertising blocker as i have always understood that free websites do need some sort of income, but just now when i loaded Brickset i had 2 pop up ads one after the other the second one caused me to open whatever it was advertising so thanks for that....then when i get it closed i get to the home page and there is a advert banner at the top, bottom, left and right of the home page....oh and an advert in between each post......its getting ridiculous and i will now be getting an add blocker
insanely overpriced.
For 30€ this would be a maybe, when at discount.
But for 60€....sjeesh,...
@Lego_guy said:
"not sure where i could possibly say this comment so I'm doing it here.
all my internet life i have absolutely avoided any kind of advertising blocker as i have always understood that free websites do need some sort of income, but just now when i loaded Brickset i had 2 pop up ads one after the other the second one caused me to open whatever it was advertising so thanks for that....then when i get it closed i get to the home page and there is a advert banner at the top, bottom, left and right of the home page....oh and an advert in between each post......its getting ridiculous and i will now be getting an add blocker"
If you log in you shouldn't get any ads.
I know a lot of people look forward to Pokemon minifigs but I think the creatures work far best as buildables like this. The price is insane as always.
Distracted by the wonderful weed-free grass you've got going on there in your yard. So jealous!
Set looks great outside as others have said, but be careful of what UV does to ABS!
Considering that the negatives against the other Pokemon sets were that they came with a stand, it seems odd that no stand is a negative here.
Looks like a very satisfying build. Might cop later on
Consistency of the scale of each of these going forward was always going to be key to anyone collecting. Off to a shaky start aleady then.
Cutest, smallest and best, so far.
@tm76 said:
"Consistency of the scale of each of these going forward was always going to be key to anyone collecting. Off to a shaky start aleady then."
I don't think that ever would've been possible. Pokémon have canonical heights, with the numbers varying wildly; Natu is less than an inch tall, while Wailord is 4 and a half meters. They would look silly next to each other scaled to the same size. Some Pokémon are also a lot more detailed and wouldn't look good on a smaller scale, while some are too simplistic to be appealing as a huge build.
“No stand or scenery” as a Negative when that is what everyone else is complaining about with the other Pokemon sets.
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the outdoor photos! They were fun to take and made me feel like I was in Pokémon Snap :)
Eevee has long been my favorite Pokémon, so I'll definitely be picking this cutie up.
@Brick_Belt said:
"This is such a fantastic set they should just do the eevolutions as a series."
My heart says "Yes, please," my wallet and lack of space say "For the love of Arceus, no!"
Great looking set. Great review (as usual).
Very cute set. I think this theme has potential. I wonder if they will release any minifigure scale sets with special molds for Pokemons.
I already liked this review,, but the last pics really made this read a delight. Well done!
@Robot99 said:
" @tm76 said:
"Consistency of the scale of each of these going forward was always going to be key to anyone collecting. Off to a shaky start aleady then."
I don't think that ever would've been possible. Pokémon have canonical heights, with the numbers varying wildly; Natu is less than an inch tall, while Wailord is 4 and a half meters."
Four and a half metres? I thought they were supposed to be "pocket monsters", hence the name even.
That's quite some pocket you would need.
@AustinPowers said:
" @Robot99 said:
" @tm76 said:
"Consistency of the scale of each of these going forward was always going to be key to anyone collecting. Off to a shaky start aleady then."
I don't think that ever would've been possible. Pokémon have canonical heights, with the numbers varying wildly; Natu is less than an inch tall, while Wailord is 4 and a half meters."
Four and a half metres? I thought they were supposed to be "pocket monsters", hence the name even.
That's quite some pocket you would need.
"
Wailord is actually 14.5m long. The funny part is Wailord weighs only 398kg, which puts it at the density of *air*. Wailord is just a giant, cute whale balloon!
Pokéballs are basically magic - they automatically shrink every oversize pokémon down to fit inside, and reduce the weight to match.
(Natu is actually 20cm tall, not ~2cm.)
Excellent review thank you. Very informative, and nice pics.
@AustinPowers said:
" @Robot99 said:
" @tm76 said:
"Consistency of the scale of each of these going forward was always going to be key to anyone collecting. Off to a shaky start aleady then."
I don't think that ever would've been possible. Pokémon have canonical heights, with the numbers varying wildly; Natu is less than an inch tall, while Wailord is 4 and a half meters."
Four and a half metres? I thought they were supposed to be "pocket monsters", hence the name even.
That's quite some pocket you would need.
"
They fit into a Pokeball which fits in the pocket.
@gearwheel said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @Robot99 said:
" @tm76 said:
"Consistency of the scale of each of these going forward was always going to be key to anyone collecting. Off to a shaky start aleady then."
I don't think that ever would've been possible. Pokémon have canonical heights, with the numbers varying wildly; Natu is less than an inch tall, while Wailord is 4 and a half meters."
Four and a half metres? I thought they were supposed to be "pocket monsters", hence the name even.
That's quite some pocket you would need.
"
Wailord is actually 14.5m long. The funny part is Wailord weighs only 398kg, which puts it at the density of *air*. Wailord is just a giant, cute whale balloon!
Pokéballs are basically magic - they automatically shrink every oversize pokémon down to fit inside, and reduce the weight to match.
(Natu is actually 20cm tall, not ~2cm.)"
I still remember seeing a comic on DeviantArt that had Ash (or some trainer, anyway) in a Pokémon battle on a train. He uses Wailord, and suddenly the train is full of whale.
@Lego_lord said:
"Very cute set. I think this theme has potential. I wonder if they will release any minifigure scale sets with special molds for Pokemons."
There is a rumoured (and pretty much confirmed) UCS Pokeball coming with a diorama inside with minifigures and at least one molded Pokemon included (probably Ash with miniature Pikachu).
@LukeSkywalker said:
" @Lego_lord said:
"Very cute set. I think this theme has potential. I wonder if they will release any minifigure scale sets with special molds for Pokemons."
There is a rumoured (and pretty much confirmed) UCS Pokeball coming with a diorama inside with minifigures and at least one molded Pokemon included (probably Ash with miniature Pikachu)."
That's good news. But when you say UCS, it sounds a bit above reasonable price tag.
@gearwheel said:
"Wailord is actually 14.5m long. The funny part is Wailord weighs only 398kg, which puts it at the density of *air*. Wailord is just a giant, cute whale balloon!
Pokéballs are basically magic - they automatically shrink every oversize pokémon down to fit inside, and reduce the weight to match.
(Natu is actually 20cm tall, not ~2cm.)"
Dang, sounds like I don't know how to read heights. That checks out X-D
@Lego_lord said:
" @LukeSkywalker said:
" @Lego_lord said:
"Very cute set. I think this theme has potential. I wonder if they will release any minifigure scale sets with special molds for Pokemons."
There is a rumoured (and pretty much confirmed) UCS Pokeball coming with a diorama inside with minifigures and at least one molded Pokemon included (probably Ash with miniature Pikachu)."
That's good news. But when you say UCS, it sounds a bit above reasonable price tag."
Yeah I’m just using the moniker à la Star Wars haha, but I think it is rumoured to cost $260, with 2239 pieces and out August 1.
Ratchet joints are not CCBS, CCBS are basically new Bionicle balls and sockets, while ratchet joints are basically system parts (originally Knight's Kingdom but Exo-Force quicly revised them to purely system).
@Squicman said:
"Ratchet joints are not CCBS, CCBS are basically new Bionicle balls and sockets, while ratchet joints are basically system parts (originally Knight's Kingdom but Exo-Force quicly revised them to purely system)."
True! I always lump them together in my head because they're in the same drawer in my parts collection haha
I bought Pokemon Blue when it came out and I’m currently leveling a Jolteon in Leaf Green and walking to evolve a shiny Umbreon in GO! Long live Pokemon!
@Squicman said:
"Ratchet joints are not CCBS, CCBS are basically new Bionicle balls and sockets, while ratchet joints are basically system parts (originally Knight's Kingdom but Exo-Force quicly revised them to purely system)."
I'm going to "well, actually" your "well, actually" and point out that while CCBS used those balls and sockets, there was more to it than that. CCBS used pieces like https://brickset.com/parts/design-90623 and https://brickset.com/parts/design-90617 to build skeletons, to which panels and other pieces were attached to finish the character.