Review: 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise
Posted by SetToBuild,
Let’s start by addressing the Phanpy in the room: a set this size (and price) in the first wave of the new Pokémon sets is downright ridiculous. The launch ads alluded to millennials struggling with adulting, jobs and taxes and then suggests “never mind, we’re here to pull at your nostalgia heartstrings with a massive set with a Wailord of a price tag”.
But who's to blame for LEGO continually pushing boundaries on how big a set they can sell next? Is it the fans? Are we the problem?
Summary
72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise, 6,838 pieces.
£579.99 / $649.99 / €649.99 | 8.5p, 9.5c, 9.5c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Faithful recreations of iconic evolutions can be yours in exchange for your first born child
- Well-designed models
- Interesting techniques
- New/recoloured parts
- Unnecessarily massive
- Laughable price
- Infuriating parts error
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The recent large-set-epidemic is partly the fans’ own fault. Back at my first Skaerbaek Fan Weekend a few years ago, I attended a Q&A session for fans to interrogate LEGO representatives. During the panel, an audience member’s hand raises—finally, an opportunity to ask the gotcha question that plagues our minds and wallets straight to their faces: “Why do LEGO keep releasing these massive, expensive sets?!”. The answer, to paraphrase, was simple: "because people keep buying them!”.
Obviously, this is a bit of an oversimplification—and the word ‘people’ is working hard in that response, because fans are not a monolith. Focusing on tapping the rich seam of wealthy casual adult LEGO enjoyers might be lucrative for The LEGO Group, but could just as easily leave long-term fans in the dust as wealth inequality is only increasing in modern society. This is why it was so spectacularly insensitive for the advert launching these sets to juxtapose the trials and tribulations of modern adult life with a new launch that could cost a month’s rent.
Many online LEGO communities are already plagued by terrible low-effort memes and clichés, so I just don’t appreciate the company themselves joining in!
Unfortunately with an IP like Pokémon entering the LEGO field, an increase in scalpers and ‘investors’ is also to blame. The FOMO from the artificial rarity of 40892 Kanto Region Badge Collection generated a disturbing frenzy that reminded me of a Pokémon reseller pushing over a child to wipe out a shelf of trading cards to flip for profit—an aspect of the Pokémon hobby that LEGO could really do without!
Finally, let’s not forget that the sales of this individual set may not particularly be LEGO’s priority. Maybe the whole thing is just a marketing gimmick, with the extravagant price and size aimed at generating headlines and clicks. But that’s enough of a provocative preamble—let's finally take a look at the set itself.
Box and Contents
The box is massive, measuring about 52x38x35cm and weighing 9.5kg. The vertical orientation is relatively unusual, and the box is less voluminous than others with a similar number of parts, like 75313 AT-AT. This is still the largest set I've ever reviewed, and it’s really testing the limits of my photo studio!
I wish that the Pokémon sets would have an image of the original source material art on the box, like Brickheadz do. In fact, the box is so big that it could have doubled as a poster! A diagram on the rear face illustrates how this giant model comes apart and lists the dimensions. The depth front-to-back is a bit difficult to measure, but with the tail straightened out, the tips of Charizard’s two flames are about 47cm apart.
The premium experience continues with Poké Ball-themed boxes inside, each marked with the elemental types of the three Pokémon: grass & poison (Venusaur), water (Blastoise), and fire & flying (Charizard). Inside each are one of three instruction books, and the following bags of pieces: 1–6 (stand) and 7–27 (Venasaur), 28–37 (stand) and 38–49 (Blastoise), 50–57 (stand) and 58–65 (Charizard). The final box also has a supplemental bag with larger parts and a paper bag with fabric wings. None of them include a sticker sheet.
Venusaur
Venusaur's base is a simple construction of plates and tiles with brackets and clips for the black frame to attach around the edge. A pair of 1x8 tiles are used in one spot, which could be to either add a different texture or break up other plate-on-plate layers, relieving stresses that could cause curvature, and making assembly and disassembly easier.
The stump construction reveals a new brick hidden within: a 1x1 piece that fits inside 2x2 macaroni brick—cool! It’s only used as an infill piece here supporting the tiles above, but there must be lots of interesting ways to use this new part.
Bulbasaur are normally found in temperate zones like the grasslands in the Kanto region, but their third dinosaur-frog-like evolution looks great standing near lush, giant leaves, and prehistoric-looking vegetation. All of this tropical foliage will have you saying “Let’s get this place HUMID!”
After the second bag, a 1x2 yellow plate and a 1x3 dark tan rounded plate remained, which are larger than standard ‘extra pieces’ so this felt like a mistake. I quadruple-checked the instructions and they were indeed surplus! A little digging confirmed that others have had this problem as well.
The builds are just as colourful as the insides of 72152 Pikachu and Poké Ball. As a MOC builder, I appreciate the wide variety of colours provided, and the presence of a classic red 2x4 is always delightful. Here you can also see the first of three elemental Easter eggs: a couple of green gems and leaves signifying one of the pocket monster’s types: grass.
The leg construction is a bit gappy with other colours showing through. Unsightly light bluish grey hinge elements on the toes are quite jarring during construction, but they aren’t so noticeable when looking at the big picture.
Large shapes make up each limb, which then slot together via ball joints and clips. The head eventually attaches to the two large white ball joint sockets and rests on long 1x6 slopes to force a slightly tilted posture.
An interesting technique I’ve seen in newer sets is the use of 1x1 opalescent jewels used as an extra bit of stability in a gap that is a bit shorter than a plate and a tile. This is a truly functional NPU! At the bottom right is a photo of another example I’ve seen recently in 77237 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
Further small assemblies are attached in a few different ways to sculpt the overall head shape. Many of the new slopes, wedges and curved slopes we saw in 72151 Eevee now appear here in medium azure.
At first I expected this construction to feel a bit like 77077 Klombo, but actually the body on the smaller Fortnite set was much more hollow, and sturdy nonetheless. As the largest of the three creatures, did this one really need to be as dense as it is to support the wider variety of slopes forming the overall shaping?
The flower is constructed with another of the exclusive yellow 2x2 round plate with bars from the thunder badge in the Kanto badges gift with purchase. The petals can lift or lower due to the stiffness of this connection, but it is not a click hinge so they do eventually droop (at different rates depending on the tolerances of each clip).
From the rear it’s clear to see the frog-like stance, and just under the leaves at the back is revealed a small compartment to store your deepest secrets.
Adorably, holding Venusaur up causes the back legs to droop, which makes this model feel oddly lifelike. This reminded me of a similar feeling with Bowser’s legs in 71411 The Mighty Bowser.
The flower slots into the square hole at the top and secures with just four clips within, so can be easily removed from the completed model. I do slightly regret this discovery, since bald Venusaur makes me a bit uncomfortable…
The designer has really nailed the Venusaur's fierce but cute facial expression. Interestingly, the eye prints on the 3x3 round tiles are perfect even when they can’t be rotated freely due to their multi-stud support—this must have required a lot of faith in the print procedure! You can rearrange the new bright green macaroni tube elements to pose the vines in different ways.
The flora nestled around Venusaur looks very natural, with all of the stalks bending in different directions. The little pixelated-looking gem-like plants are intriguing, and appealing to look at from a distance too.
The underside of the upper jaw was overlooked and doesn’t have the same colour uniformity as the rest of the model, but unless you’re looking for it, you won’t notice. What’s more important about this area is that the bottom jaw is extremely fragile; the 1x3 cheese slopes keep falling off with the slightest pressure on the jaw.
In summary; Venusaur is the largest model, and overall is well done but makes us wish there were a few more recolours of essential parts. It must have been interesting to have to figure out all the facets of a fictional creature with a wide variety of digital and physical renditions already. I wonder if the designers picked up any of the Tomy model kits to further explore the Pokémon in a 3D space?
Blastoise
The beginning of Blastoise's stand structure is nearly the same as Venusaur’s, but rapidly changes tack to build a curved wall of water on top of the plated base. Some minifigures could go surfing on this huge wave!
The back of this section is finished off just like I do on the rear of my own builds, with larger panels and 1x2x5 bricks. This is fine (no one sees that side!), and improved further by the colours being nicely muted and uniform in case a particular display orientation does reveal this area.
The windscreens creating the crest of the crashing waves are mostly held in-place by their construction dictating a particular angle, generating this satisfying shape with the minimum amount of fiddly positioning. It was a pleasant surprise that each wave is pressed down and is immediately in place, without the need to adjust them all afterwards and potentially accidentally bump them out of alignment.
A simple technique using macaroni and quarter tiles illustrates small waves in the ocean below. The base of the main wall of water arises from the horizontal plate-built surface using curved slopes and small inverted arches, then fades in a graceful gradient before transitioning from opaque to transparent pieces.
Blastoise itself starts off strong, with Technic beams acting like a ‘spine’ to connect the large body and with a tightly connected multi-layered central portion of the shell. A small trans-light-blue flame piece nestled within the complex core illustrates the element of water that represents this creature.
An astonishing array of sophisticated sub-builds snuggle together at numerous angles to create the mass of Blastoise’s core. A new tube piece, also used in 42221 NASA Artemis Space Launch System Rocket, starts the assembly for the marginal scutes.
Since the introduction of the Super Mario theme, LEGO designers have had a lot of time to perfect these shell builds, and it has clearly paid off! It seems they have learned from 71411 The Mighty Bowser and 40787 Mario Kart - Spiny Shell and smoothed these perimeter tubes even further in this latest example.
The carapace is an impressive puzzle, with gaps between each section that are beneficial in this case, since the shadows create the lines between each segment.
Despite the very firm core construction, the extremities are significantly less sturdy. With barely any movement at all, the ‘kneecap’ pieces on the fronts of the legs and the small rectangular back claw both come off too easily.
No details were left behind.
Modern sets all the way from Aston Martins to Aristocats are pushing the boundaries of the kinds of surfaces that are able to be printed these days. The recent prevalence of these specialised prints means it’s not surprising to see this bespoke nose, as well as the left-right pair of eyes on straight 1x3 slopes. I hope this is the new norm—the tomato eye stickers in 77078 Mecha Team Leader were incredibly tiresome to try and land properly on a doubly curved surface.
Whimsy self-referential touches never fail to please, such as where they’re still using the classic barrel (initially found in many castle and pirate sets) as gun barrels for Blastoise’s blasters.
The textured plastron looks amazing—I was all ready to be annoyed by exposed balljoints in the arm connections while I was assembling this area, but they are actually masked very well when finished.
The arms are not articulated at the shoulder or hand, and merely have a one-direction hinge at the elbow allowing Blastoise to awkwardly attempt to hug.
Relative to the stand, once mounted the Blastoise looks much more imposing than I first assumed, given how much smaller than Venusaur this model is.
However, similar to Venusaur, Blastoise is enveloped in the environment. When mounted atop the stand, the waves appear to crash upwards around the stone platform.
Sure, giant plant dinosaur frogs and fire-breathing dragons are neat, but Blastoise was always my favourite. In fact, the game box art starring Blastoise was the reason I chose Pokémon Blue over Red in the store! A giant turtle with water guns was just so cool to me and this model does those feelings every bit of justice—the couple of minor flaws are quickly forgotten.
Charizard
The final biome of the set is a volcanic centrepiece consisting of a column of Technic and SNOT bricks covered by a rocky facade with flowing lava. I wondered why they wouldn’t borrow some of the trans-clear plastic from 11040 Magical Transparent Box, and expected that the black Technic beams that hold up Charizard would stand out quite unattractively underneath the monster. As we’ll see later on, they’re not actually too distracting when looking at the whole model—they just look like part of the shadows under Charizard’s body.
A series of sloped and curved elements in the relatively new reddish-orange colour create the liquid hot magma that appears as though it’s dripping down the rocks and pooling at the bottom. The dynamic effect is incredibly successful.
Charizard’s core construction is the simplest of the three. Another use of the 1x1 opalescent jewels we mentioned earlier occurs just below the neck. When I came across these again in the same set, before thinking about their practical use, I thought they were some kind of bizarre Easter egg and was confused by Blastoise not having them. This isn’t the case, however—like the others, Charizard does have its element represented by a small flame inside.
The completed monster looks just as fierce as it did on the Japanese box art in 1998. The printed cloth wings are incredibly striking, with a very vibrant contrast achieved at the teal-orange interfaces—if only printing on ABS was this easy!
The tail segments use a common technique frequently seen among the likes of Ninjago dragons. This means it can be articulated to tuck around if the model is displayed with its back to a wall.
In all of the Pokémon sets, recoloured parts are doing a lot of heavy lifting to make each creature look authentic. For example, this well-placed orange pennant element covers the deeper Technic construction that holds up the wings.
When looking at the model head-on, a hole in Charizard’s forehead might make you wish there was a special element made to seal this up better, but I think it was executed well given the gappiness of the other models and this relatively unlikely viewing angle.
It may not be the first time coming across such a technique, but it’s not often you see the unikitty horn piece protruding through the back of an erling brick from its hole connection on the front. This makes just the end of the horn visible, creating sharp and fierce fangs for the creature. Furthermore, specialised printing of the eyes on these recent 2x2 wedge tiles sells the enraged expression.
An assembly of translucent plates and cut-corner tiles bulks out the base of the fire at the tip of Charizard’s tail, which is then topped with a large flame element. The visible strength of a Charizard’s flame is linked to the state of its wellbeing, so this must be a healthy one!
Charizard seems to have skipped arm day, which is pretty accurate to the source material! Articulation of the wrists is somewhat limited by the simplicity of the connection using just clips and a hinge plate, but there is a 1L tow ball joint at the shoulder which has a bigger range of motion. The same orange bar and ball joint elements are used to secure the cloth wings onto their frames.
The… uhm… 'attachment point” for the stand is blunt and unfinished in dark bluish grey, unlike Pikachu’s underside which is rounded off neatly with inverted curved slopes. Furthermore, the underside of the tail could have used some smoothing.
The things I continue to do for journalism…!
Thankfully, the distracting copyright information on the wing fabric is mostly hidden by the Technic elements that make up the wings’ structure.
Charizard’s legs are much stronger and more posable than Blastoise’s, and don’t fall apart when moving the model or changing the pose. Their robust construction is more similar to Venusaur’s. The curved slope which tucks in to define the thigh is a subtle but effective part placement. If you look closely in the right light, you can see black studs shining through the 2x2 quarter round curved slope where they are a little too thin, as happened with eevee.
While wild Charizards are known to inhabit volcanic and mountainous areas, and this is meant to be a Generation I-focused set, it would be fantastic to see someone make a MOC of the Charizard training grounds and natural reserve, Charicific Valley, seen in the Johto region.
It’s no surprise that Charizard looks fantastic, seemingly leaping off of this erupting perch.
In the early days of the Pokémon trading card game, Charizard was one of the most coveted by kids and collectors alike—the special foil version even more so. This makes for the perfect centrepiece for this commemorative set. Of the three pocket monster models, Charizard is the smoothest and most refined-looking, helped along by some special elements.
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Among the spare parts you will notice an unusual inclusion: three brick separators, one in each box. There's our solution to the cost dilemma: find three friends that like each Pokémon separately, and club together to buy the set and take one creature each! Alternatively, families with three Pokémon aficionados can set up an argument-free* activity.
*Disclaimer: Brickset does not offer any guarantees to this effect.
Completed Model
I'm going to contradict myself a bit since our outing with Pikachu by not standing by this stand. This large and dense base is very parts-intensive for no good reason. It obviously offers a fairly extensive backdrop as well as the structure for posing these large models, but did that structure need to be there at all?
The biomes themselves are attractively designed, and filled with unique and rare parts as well as recolours. The way that each area blends to the next is cleverly formed. However, it feels like the stand distracts from how amazing the models are. The stylised Pikachu stand had subtle references like the ‘25’ and its lightning bolt shape, but didn’t visually clutter the main model.
The three separate sections don't click together, and they slide around if you move the model, but because of their weight it’s not too hard to push them together seamlessly when on a flat surface. This was a sensible decision—they either needed to be very robustly connected, or completely disconnected, so it’s immediately apparent that you can’t pick up the whole thing. A weak connection might hold for just long enough to pick up the model before it came crashing disastrously to the floor!
The back of the unified display somehow looks way cleaner than the rear face of the $1000 75419 Death Star . There are a few exposed technic pin holes, but I can’t imagine it’s intended for anyone to buy two of these to attach back-to-back.
The three Pokémon cluster tightly around this column and attach easily to their connection points. Apart from Blastoises’ kneecaps, moving them on and off the stand is fairly painless, but younger kids would probably start to struggle.
We’ve already established that this set is big and imposing just for the sake of being big and imposing, but it does a darn good job of it! The composition allows the colours to set each other off successfully—for example the new reddish orange colour pairs perfectly to differentiate the orange lava from the orange Charizard, and the two different blue tones frame the warm centre.
When taken off the stand, compared to the other 72151 Eevee and 72152 Pikachu and Poké Ball Pokémon sculpture sets, the scale is a tad off, but they still look great next to each other! They could absolutely have been sold separately with plaques, UCS-style.
For you Pokémon Yellow fans out there, yes, you can make this set 25 times better.
Surprise! A friend of ours has appeared from a previous review make some more mischief. WAHAHAHA!
Conclusion
Size complaints aside, let’s be clear: for readers with Poké Dollars and display space to spare, I can’t not recommend this set. We’ve heard before that designers are rarely in control of the price point or scale of a set, so within the given parameters, the team really knocked this assignment out of the park. Each Pokémon and their corresponding themed land is masterfully executed. Die-hard Pokémon fans will be delighted to display (and dust!) this phenomenal masterpiece with its intense presence, and LEGO fans will enjoy the special touches that such a big budget has afforded the design.
The overall experience feels very premium. The huge box, Poké Ball packaging, cute notes in the instructions and Easter eggs really ham up the nostalgia factor during the build, even if more Easter eggs could have been squeezed in.
Still, this set is huge and I've got some opinions about that. This isn’t the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars where the fanbase is desperately clamouring for monstrous models—Nintendo fans may not be short of money (see: the Nintendo store’s prices) but the Pokémon appeal of collecting ‘em all ties in far better to a wider range of small sets than this behemoth. The first Pokémon fans were born out of the Game Boy and trading card game era: handheld, compact, efficient and accessible—this is not that. Which begs the question: who asked for this?
Plenty of fans don’t even have a big enough living space to display this large a set, so it feels like a risky publicity stunt to release something so huge (and two very hard to get exclusives) when not accompanied by a wider range of more accessible smaller sets to capitalise on the launch hype. This might have been forgivable if it was immediately followed by the next wave, but we’ve had to wait months for news of the upcoming Smart Play sets. I am very relieved that LEGO didn’t interpret the reception of the ‘sculptures’ wave as a signal not to pursue more kid-friendly price points.
In the end, that's what's great about Pokémon: there's a monster that speaks to all of us.
I can’t wait to explore more of the LEGO Pokédex!
115 likes
61 comments on this article
Oh hey, Water Bowser looks pretty good. And the other two are also here.
Great review, I'm glad you called out the insane scale these types of sets have gotten lately, people need to bring that up against Lego more often
Over three months late, and the reviewer has to go on a long diatribe about the price of a set they didn’t pay for. Also, I’m not sure how much rent is in other countries, but good luck finding a decent place in the US for $650 a month!
This set was released on my birthday weekend and only 2 weeks prior i had been made redundant from my previous employer (thankfully I had a decent payout). So i purchased this as a treat to myself on day one to get me through a difficult time.
As a lifelong Pokemon fan I was excited for this set and after building, I felt it lived up to my expectations. Each build is great and it is a very imposing display piece.
I do however hope there are not to many large sets like this released by TLG, this trio is a great way to kick of the theme, but more accessible minifig scale sets are much more desirable
I think, given the number of very large, very expensive plushies currently for sale on Pokemon Center, there’s not much doubt that there are a lot of Pokemon fans out there willing to spend and even enthusiastic about spending large amounts of money on large Pokemon merch.
@Hiratha said:
"I think, given the number of very large, very expensive plushies currently for sale on Pokemon Center, there’s not much doubt that there are a lot of Pokemon fans out there willing to spend and even enthusiastic about spending large amounts of money on large Pokemon merch."
Granted, I don't visit Pokemon centers all that often, but last time I checked I didn't see any €650 plushies....and plushies of similar size as this set don't break the bank either..
Personally I don't see the price as the biggest issue here, at least not in the grand scheme of Lego pricing. It's more that this could just as well have been three separate sets.
@ShinyBidoof said:
"The laughably over the top rant in the opening paragraphs almost stopped me reading the article but at least once the review starts it shows what an incredibly impressive set this it."
Exactly This!
I almost gave up thinking what am I even reading here. Onto the actual review please.
Some of these comments are incredibly negative. I really appreciate the genuine, down-to-earth approach of this review.
It is undeniably stupidly expensive and the photos of each of the Pokemon separated from the set really make me wish that’s what they did instead. As you’ve said, the whole idea of catching em all is tainted when sets like this are the way they are.
Anyway, I’m a massive Pokemon fan but I’ve just not been able to justify any for the sets released so far. Thank you for the very honest review and I look forward to your opinions on the future Lego Pokemon sets too.
@WizardOfOss said:
" @Hiratha said:
"I think, given the number of very large, very expensive plushies currently for sale on Pokemon Center, there’s not much doubt that there are a lot of Pokemon fans out there willing to spend and even enthusiastic about spending large amounts of money on large Pokemon merch."
Granted, I don't visit Pokemon centers all that often, but last time I checked I didn't see any €650 plushies....and plushies of similar size as this set don't break the bank either..
Personally I don't see the price as the biggest issue here, at least not in the grand scheme of Lego pricing. It's more that this could just as well have been three separate sets."
The shop is online, so you can go look at the expensive plushies available, starting with a Pikachu for £160, going up through a Lapras for £250, a whole range of eeveelutions for £380 each, and on up to a Porygon for £430, plus all the ones I didn’t bother to list individually that also cost hundreds.
I’ve caught none of them, no interest in Pokeymongo or whatever but good luck to anyone interested in it.
@K_Dubble_S said:
"This set was released on my birthday weekend and only 2 weeks prior i had been made redundant from my previous employer (thankfully I had a decent payout). So i purchased this as a treat to myself on day one to get me through a difficult time.
As a lifelong Pokemon fan I was excited for this set and after building, I felt it lived up to my expectations. Each build is great and it is a very imposing display piece.
I do however hope there are not to many large sets like this released by TLG, this trio is a great way to kick of the theme, but more accessible minifig scale sets are much more desirable"
Good luck with the job hunting. Fair play for treating yourself.
The price is a concern, yes. For this price, you could buy a turtle, a toad, a lizard, some paint, a Super Soaker, a potted plant, a glue-gun and some matches - and maybe you could give Nova a call to see if she wants to collaborate on a highly profitable and highly questionable get-rich-quick scheme.
She'll likely clear her schedule.
Ty for your review
Concerning the "because people keep buying them!”
The PAB sales should make it obvious there is a demand for castle armies yet they are unwilling to deliver
The hype for this set has all but passed now, bit strange to have a LAN review for this so late after release. Not sure what LAN gets out of this arrangement, unless they are looking for a mini surge in sales. But yeah, I think people who wanted this absurdly priced set have already got it by now
@KyloBen1012 said:
"The hype for this set has all but passed now, bit strange to have a LAN review for this so late after release. Not sure what LAN gets out of this arrangement, unless they are looking for a mini surge in sales. But yeah, I think people who wanted this absurdly priced set have already got it by now
"
Reviews of this quality are not prepared overnight. Not everyone buys sets of this size on day one, it'll be a major purchase for many, requiring months of saving up.
@Razzanator234 said:
"Some of these comments are incredibly negative. I really appreciate the genuine, down-to-earth approach of this review.
It is undeniably stupidly expensive and the photos of each of the Pokemon separated from the set really make me wish that’s what they did instead. As you’ve said, the whole idea of catching em all is tainted when sets like this are the way they are.
Anyway, I’m a massive Pokemon fan but I’ve just not been able to justify any for the sets released so far. Thank you for the very honest review and I look forward to your opinions on the future Lego Pokemon sets too."
It almost feels emblematic of the divide between the two halves of the AFOL space. One has the disposable income to enjoy the fact that most "adult" offerings by the company are ludicrous in both scale and price, leading them to dismiss the claims of the others who can't afford these luxuries and have basically abandoned the brand as the things they enjoy get priced out of any consideration for them.
If you are in the latter camp and can't eat three-figure asking prices for display models, you either have to settle for displaying sets whose designs are compromised to work in playability first and foremost, or look into other brands who produce reasonably-priced display pieces, albeit not at the level of parts quality Lego proper does.
This focus on oversized display models and gimped play models from TLG signals one thing: Adults are only welcome if they spend like a child.
@Hiratha said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Hiratha said:
"I think, given the number of very large, very expensive plushies currently for sale on Pokemon Center, there’s not much doubt that there are a lot of Pokemon fans out there willing to spend and even enthusiastic about spending large amounts of money on large Pokemon merch."
Granted, I don't visit Pokemon centers all that often, but last time I checked I didn't see any €650 plushies....and plushies of similar size as this set don't break the bank either..
Personally I don't see the price as the biggest issue here, at least not in the grand scheme of Lego pricing. It's more that this could just as well have been three separate sets."
The shop is online, so you can go look at the expensive plushies available, starting with a Pikachu for £160, going up through a Lapras for £250, a whole range of eeveelutions for £380 each, and on up to a Porygon for £430, plus all the ones I didn’t bother to list individually that also cost hundreds."
Guess Japan was the wrong place to look for Pokemon then....
Also kinda confused why some of those prices vary so wildly....seems not just about size. I'm clearly missing something.
I grew up dirt poor. If I got offended by every single thing I couldn’t afford, I’d be a miserable, bitter creature. If the existence of this set makes you mad, maybe it’s time to go outside and touch Grass-type.
I think it’s a thing of beauty that I will never own, which puts it in the same category as about a million other things. And then I get on with my day.
@ShinyBidoof said:
"Interesting that by waiting so long to publish this review the whole angle of the opening complaint is undermined by the announcement of the Smart Play sets, even if they are begrudgingly referred to at the end of the review.
The laughably over the top rant in the opening paragraphs almost stopped me reading the article but at least once the review starts it shows what an incredibly impressive set this it. Of course, despite the piece count and size we still get the price complaint but I suppose we were spared any sticker hysteria this time."
Is it possible to have an edited version of this that just comments on the actual set?
Also, not sure where you read about sticker hysteria as I'm usually pretty neutral about them!
A superb, well-written review.
I’m not a Pokémon fan, but do collect other fairly historically expensive themes, so I think I understand the “another massive and expensive set” take on this release.
Finally, some good critique of the Lego Group’s recent trajectory. Brickset reviews now feel a bit more impartial.
@KyloBen1012 said:
"The hype for this set has all but passed now, bit strange to have a LAN review for this so late after release. Not sure what LAN gets out of this arrangement, unless they are looking for a mini surge in sales. But yeah, I think people who wanted this absurdly priced set have already got it by now
"
I often come back to reviews of sets I have bought after their release date and especially for ones I have acquired through garage sales.
@WizardOfOss said:
" @Hiratha said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Hiratha said:
"I think, given the number of very large, very expensive plushies currently for sale on Pokemon Center, there’s not much doubt that there are a lot of Pokemon fans out there willing to spend and even enthusiastic about spending large amounts of money on large Pokemon merch."
Granted, I don't visit Pokemon centers all that often, but last time I checked I didn't see any €650 plushies....and plushies of similar size as this set don't break the bank either..
Personally I don't see the price as the biggest issue here, at least not in the grand scheme of Lego pricing. It's more that this could just as well have been three separate sets."
The shop is online, so you can go look at the expensive plushies available, starting with a Pikachu for £160, going up through a Lapras for £250, a whole range of eeveelutions for £380 each, and on up to a Porygon for £430, plus all the ones I didn’t bother to list individually that also cost hundreds."
Guess Japan was the wrong place to look for Pokemon then....
Also kinda confused why some of those prices vary so wildly....seems not just about size. I'm clearly missing something."
Like anything, it’s supply and demand. Rarity and popularity on the collector’s market goes a long way in determining price.
@ohrmazd said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Hiratha said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Hiratha said:
"I think, given the number of very large, very expensive plushies currently for sale on Pokemon Center, there’s not much doubt that there are a lot of Pokemon fans out there willing to spend and even enthusiastic about spending large amounts of money on large Pokemon merch."
Granted, I don't visit Pokemon centers all that often, but last time I checked I didn't see any €650 plushies....and plushies of similar size as this set don't break the bank either..
Personally I don't see the price as the biggest issue here, at least not in the grand scheme of Lego pricing. It's more that this could just as well have been three separate sets."
The shop is online, so you can go look at the expensive plushies available, starting with a Pikachu for £160, going up through a Lapras for £250, a whole range of eeveelutions for £380 each, and on up to a Porygon for £430, plus all the ones I didn’t bother to list individually that also cost hundreds."
Guess Japan was the wrong place to look for Pokemon then....
Also kinda confused why some of those prices vary so wildly....seems not just about size. I'm clearly missing something."
Like anything, it’s supply and demand. Rarity and popularity on the collector’s market goes a long way in determining price. "
When sold at the Pokemon Center already? So, if they expect a certain plushy to doe well with collector's, it's gonna be €400, otherwise it can be as low as €60? Please don't tell that to Lego....
We chastise the LAN for not addressing some of our concerns like set sizes and cost and then we lambast them when they do. We are a tough audience.
Thank you @SetToBuild for an expansive, insightful, and enjoyably opinionated review. I love the additional color our reviewers here bring and welcome its continued inclusion, whether I agree or not with the takeaways.
I really appreciated the paragraph of the ludicrous size & price of recent adult—focused sets
These do not need to be so big and should be separate sets. The back is unfinished, too. Just more overpriced display slop.
@yellowcastle said:
"We chastise the LAN for not addressing some of our concerns like set sizes and cost and then we lambast them when they do. We are a tough audience."
Unreliable Audience wants to fight!
Unreliable Audience sends out Lambastion!
What? Lambastion wants to evolve into Yellowcastle! Well, we can't have THAT.
@Crux said:
" @yellowcastle said:
"We chastise the LAN for not addressing some of our concerns like set sizes and cost and then we lambast them when they do. We are a tough audience."
Unreliable Audience wants to fight!
Unreliable Audience sends out Lambastion!
What? Lambastion wants to evolve into Yellowcastle! Well, we can't have THAT."
Master betrayed us. Wicked. Tricksy, False.
@watcher21 said:
"Ty for your review
Concerning the "because people keep buying them!”
The PAB sales should make it obvious there is a demand for castle armies yet they are unwilling to deliver"
I'm with ya! I know they've "done the market research", but we could use some battle packs, and really, a proper return to a traditional castle theme!
Where’s a @FlagsNZ review when you need it?
should have been 3 sets, like the big Harry Potter castle
My only concern with sets this size is Lego is shifting too far toward collector display pieces at the expense of children's toys. I love the occasional large-scale set aimed at me, but I do sometimes worry they're losing the big picture--we adults, I suppose, are easy money because unlike kids, we can afford it. All that said this set looks amazing and I'm not sure why the price complaint, it seems resonable especially when you put it next to what Star Wars costs.
@WizardOfOss said:
" @ohrmazd said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Hiratha said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Hiratha said:
"I think, given the number of very large, very expensive plushies currently for sale on Pokemon Center, there’s not much doubt that there are a lot of Pokemon fans out there willing to spend and even enthusiastic about spending large amounts of money on large Pokemon merch."
Granted, I don't visit Pokemon centers all that often, but last time I checked I didn't see any €650 plushies....and plushies of similar size as this set don't break the bank either..
Personally I don't see the price as the biggest issue here, at least not in the grand scheme of Lego pricing. It's more that this could just as well have been three separate sets."
The shop is online, so you can go look at the expensive plushies available, starting with a Pikachu for £160, going up through a Lapras for £250, a whole range of eeveelutions for £380 each, and on up to a Porygon for £430, plus all the ones I didn’t bother to list individually that also cost hundreds."
Guess Japan was the wrong place to look for Pokemon then....
Also kinda confused why some of those prices vary so wildly....seems not just about size. I'm clearly missing something."
Like anything, it’s supply and demand. Rarity and popularity on the collector’s market goes a long way in determining price. "
When sold at the Pokemon Center already? So, if they expect a certain plushy to doe well with collector's, it's gonna be €400, otherwise it can be as low as €60? Please don't tell that to Lego...."
Without having access to their internal reasoning and without going into the wide variety of other aspects that go into what something costs (like, for example, volume — I doubt they sell anywhere near as many £380 Jolteon’s as they do £20 ones, so the costs to make them can’t be spread out as much and each one needs to be more profitable)…
Pretty much all sewing is still done by A Person (or People, depending on the structure of the assembly line) with minimal automation beyond a sewing machine, so the labour time is a major cost. The patterns for the expensive ones look pretty complex with a lot of different pieces and precise sewing (plus the textiles typically used for plushies are also not particularly easy to work with), and there’s a limit to how fast that can happen even with extremely skilled sewers. That and what is likely higher quality, and therefore more expensive, textiles (they’re visibly different from the textiles used for the cheaper ones even in a photograph, and may well be even more obvious to the touch) will dictate much of the price difference.
First of all, did anyone else wince when reading the word "faithful" at the beginning of a Pokémon article? (No, I'm still not over the disappointment of Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl.)
As for the price: I'm conflicted on how to feel about this set. On one hand, I think $650 for a LEGO set is quite ridiculous and will never buy it no matter how much I love Pokémon. But I also think the $400+ Star Wars models are beautiful and am currently planning to get the Sail Barge before it retires; I really like the level of detail you can get with expensive sets.
I think the quality of this set in particular needed to be much better to justify the price. The Pokémon do not look as good as I expected, especially their faces, and the base is a bit strange (why is Venusaur standing on 4 perfectly placed stumps?). The size of each one compared to Pikachu is also silly - WAY too many pieces went into the base.
@tomthepirate said:
"A superb, well-written review.
I’m not a Pokémon fan, but do collect other fairly historically expensive themes, so I think I understand the “another massive and expensive set” take on this release.
Finally, some good critique of the Lego Group’s recent trajectory. Brickset reviews now feel a bit more impartial."
Thanks for reading! That was precisely my aim.
@Pseudoty said:
" @ShinyBidoof said:
"The laughably over the top rant in the opening paragraphs almost stopped me reading the article but at least once the review starts it shows what an incredibly impressive set this it."
Exactly This!
I almost gave up thinking what am I even reading here. Onto the actual review please. "
A giant set deserves a giant intro!
Next time, remember that most Brickset reviews have nearly the same structure. Scroll on down to Box & Contents if you easily get word fatigue.
@GotMeBrickedUp said:
"Where’s a @FlagsNZ review when you need it?"
Not 100% sure what you're getting at, but FlagsNZ is the greatest at this game. (Reviewing, not Pokemon)
@SetToBuild said:
" @GotMeBrickedUp said:
"Where’s a @FlagsNZ review when you need it?"
Not 100% sure what you're getting at, but FlagsNZ is the greatest at this game. (Reviewing, not Pokemon) "
I really don't get why people have been hating on any of the reviewers, and I've seen it several times lately. Personally I appreciated hearing your thoughts on the price of this set, and I like the unique things each reviewer brings to the table.
Thank you @SetToBuild, this is in incredibly well written review.
I don't think the price is as much a deal-breaker as what you're actually getting for all that money.
This would set me back about $1000 Australian ... for oddly-shaped Pokemon with giant gaps all over their bodies and faces.
I said this right at the start of the Lego/Pokemon collaboration. Pokemon are so organic with so many rounded shapes that I think this is the limit of what can be accomplished with Lego bricks. This is the line in the sand that Lego just can't quite get past. Which is fine -- whatever, right? -- but they're not giving these things away for free, and I don't like the idea of paying so much money for a sub-standard product.
(at risk of flames, I'm also going to quietly add that I think Mega did a *great* job with the franchise, and I own heaps of those, and they're lovely)
For the record, I like the review. I thought it was well-written. The price and size of these giant, expensive sets are valid talking points.
Finally got orange 1x2 hinge plates in this set for my moc jeep!!
Been waiting 7 years!!
@Huw said:
" @KyloBen1012 said:
"The hype for this set has all but passed now, bit strange to have a LAN review for this so late after release. Not sure what LAN gets out of this arrangement, unless they are looking for a mini surge in sales. But yeah, I think people who wanted this absurdly priced set have already got it by now
"
Reviews of this quality are not prepared overnight. Not everyone buys sets of this size on day one, it'll be a major purchase for many, requiring months of saving up."
I'm always happy to see a Brickset review of major sets like this no matter when they come out. This site's reviews are my favorite written reviews and as someone that's never going to buy this, I enjoy reading a review regardless of when it releases!
Thanks @SetToBuild, this was a very nice review and my favorite of your articles so far. I appreciate your detailed thoughts and the great photos, especially of these characters posed with the other large-scale Pokemon.
Ack, I almost thought that you guys were going to skip this review! I was really looking forward to it too, so I'm glad to see it at last! Excellent as usual @SetToBuild , very thorough and informative, and I loved the humor too. (Although you missed an opportunity for the Charmander "I frew up" meme :-P)
This is easily the most painful set that I've had to skip, I love the Kanto starters to death but I'm not going homeless to obtain them. This review confirms what I was thinking about the stand just being... not necessary. If this was three sets of just each starter without a stand, I would 100% buy each of them. I hope they consider doing this at some point!
It looks beautiful but 650€ is rough. Especially when you know half of that goes to the stand.
Excellent review, I really enjoyed reading it. Nice balance of commentary, build analysis, and references to source material and real-world info. Great job
A note on the Blastoise kneecaps - I see a hinge brick behind them that isn't connected to anything. Is it supposed to connect to the kneecaps to give the needed stability to them?
@EstragonHelmer said:
"A note on the Blastoise kneecaps - I see a hinge brick behind them that isn't connected to anything. Is it supposed to connect to the kneecaps to give the needed stability to them?"
Good spot. I think you may be right
Great review!
I'm not particularly interested in Pokemon or large dust-collectors, but this was an enjoyable and interesting read.
@EstragonHelmer @LegoMike
"A note on the Blastoise kneecaps"
Ah yes, good catch! Although, they both popped off while they were still attached to that piece in the first place. The leg bridges over a gap with no studs and that hinge plate doesn't have great clutch.
I’m not a huge fan of Pokemon, I don’t know why you’d think I am.
This set was an amazing build after years of grey Star Wars builds. This and the Eevee set were very enjoyable, although I skipped the cursed pikachu set. I didn’t enjoy how the base took as long as the Pokemon to build. Felt like a way to justify the price tag.
Fun fact that the build takes about the first season of the anime depending on build speed, distractions and only skipping the epic intro song 50% of the time.
Nice review! While I do enjoy all of the Brickset reviews for different reasons, I do think @SetToBuild's review style is my favorite.
Frankly, @SetToBuild cooked with this review.
This set exists to be big and expensive. If it were a MOC, I'd find the sheer dedication to detail and creative techniques impressive, and I'd probably buy the MOC artist a coffee to show some love.
As a product, this truly is self-indulgent. Three models that could make for good and accessible sets on their own crammed together with excessive display fluff feels like a decision made as a sort of "loss leader" for the theme, to get eyes on it and little else.
Say what you want about MEGA BLOKS or MEGA CONSTRUX or whatever their gravestone calls them, but they actually understood the assignment of "Pocket Monsters," and no LEGO, the katakana doesn't translate to "Deep Pockets Monsters."
Still a neat set but thank you SetToBuild for saying what those of us who aren't married to the concept of CONSOOM PRODUC are all thinking.
@GBP_Chris said:
"Still a neat set but thank you SetToBuild for saying what those of us who aren't married to the concept of CONSOOM PRODUC are all thinking."
According to the FAA, you need a blinking light to warn airplanes about that horse you're on.
@Andrusi said:
" @GBP_Chris said:
"Still a neat set but thank you SetToBuild for saying what those of us who aren't married to the concept of CONSOOM PRODUC are all thinking."
According to the FAA, you need a blinking light to warn airplanes about that horse you're on."
Aw man, I might have to sell my 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise for the fines.
What was the "infuriating part error" listed in the negatives? Did I miss something?
@DekoPuma said:
"What was the "infuriating part error" listed in the negatives? Did I miss something?"
Appears to be getting extra pieces.
“ After the second bag, a 1x2 yellow plate and a 1x3 dark tan rounded plate remained, which are larger than standard ‘extra pieces’ so this felt like a mistake. I quadruple-checked the instructions and they were indeed surplus! A little digging confirmed that others have had this problem as well.”
Kinda ridiculous to call that infuriating imo.
@jhoya said:
" @DekoPuma said:
"What was the "infuriating part error" listed in the negatives? Did I miss something?"
Appears to be getting extra pieces.
“ After the second bag, a 1x2 yellow plate and a 1x3 dark tan rounded plate remained, which are larger than standard ‘extra pieces’ so this felt like a mistake. I quadruple-checked the instructions and they were indeed surplus! A little digging confirmed that others have had this problem as well.”
Kinda ridiculous to call that infuriating imo."
It is when you go through the build three times looking for a mistake, and then you realize the only mistake was thinking LEGO's QC is still good.
@sipuss said:
" @jhoya said:
" @DekoPuma said:
"What was the "infuriating part error" listed in the negatives? Did I miss something?"
Appears to be getting extra pieces.
“ After the second bag, a 1x2 yellow plate and a 1x3 dark tan rounded plate remained, which are larger than standard ‘extra pieces’ so this felt like a mistake. I quadruple-checked the instructions and they were indeed surplus! A little digging confirmed that others have had this problem as well.”
Kinda ridiculous to call that infuriating imo."
It is when you go through the build three times looking for a mistake, and then you realize the only mistake was thinking LEGO's QC is still good."
How is receiving extra pieces a mark against Lego QC? I understand the frustration of looking through the instructions, but blaming QC is silly.
All of them seems unpolished. Wrong colors, lack of posability, holes...
Meanwhile the bowser was amazing huge build...
Charizard is best one, but lack of posable neck is weird
thank you for a detailed, thoughtful review.
"Sure, giant plant dinosaur frogs and fire-breathing dragons are neat, but Blastoise was always my favourite."
I've never played any Gen 1 games (unless you count Let's Go, Eevee! which was a remake of Pokémon Yellow), but as someone who usually chooses Water-Type starters, I completely understand.
@GotMeBrickedUp said:
"Where’s a @FlagsNZ review when you need it?"
This wasn't long enough? (Just kidding, @FlagsNZ, @SetToBuild. I love you guys.)
@SetToBuild said:" @GotMeBrickedUp said:"Where’s a @FlagsNZ review when you need it?"
Not 100% sure what you're getting at, but FlagsNZ is the greatest at this game. (Reviewing, not Pokemon)"
So he's the best, the best that ever was?