Review: 31393 Forest Animals: Grey Wolf
Posted by benbacardi,
Two years ago, LEGO released 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox, giving us the option of building from three woodland animals—a fox, a squirrel, and an owl. This year, the theme-within-a-theme continues with 31393 Forest Animals: Grey Wolf, but with a more North American twist—a wolf, a falcon, or a raccoon.
The number of brick-built animals in the Creator range just grows and grows, with some truly excellent models produced lately, and 31393 Forest Animals: Grey Wolf is no exception.
Summary
31393 Forest Animals: Grey Wolf, 657 pieces.
£44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 | 6.8p, 7.6c, 7.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Another excellent animal-based 3-in-1 set, with a particularly good wolf and raccoon.
- Excellent wolf and raccoon models
- Great detail in the fur and faces
- Good display pieces
- Unsightly shoulder gaps in the falcon
- Limited leg and tail articulation in the wolf
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Grey Wolf
The primary model of the set is the titular Grey Wolf. LEGO have been perfecting their animal builds for many years now, and seem to have settled on using a variety of slopes, rock plates, tiles, and exposed studs to represent fur—the resulting texture is certainly effective. The wolf's lower fur and belly are white, with darkening shades of grey the further up the body.
The limbs are connected to the body with click sockets, which allow them to rotate. Combined with the ball joints at the ankles, the wolf can be posed in a variety of walking or standing positions, but there is no other articulation within the stiff legs—the poor creature has no knees! The head and tail are attached via ball joints, and have a decent range of motion; the neck can also be adjusted up and down in addition to the head.
The wolf's head looks great, covered in shaggy fur on the sides and beneath the neck, and with a hinged jaw that can be opened or closed. The eyes are printed light blue discs on a "Bar 1L with rounded top", which is clearly a new printing process LEGO have introduced this year, being having only been used previously in 31368 and 75438 Yoda Bust (each in unique colours).
I dismantled the head slightly, intending to take a clearer picture of the printed eyes, but the poor creature looks terrified!
The tail is a solid build, tipped with black fur instead of white, and the shape looks excellent. Attached via a large ball joint, it can be posed however you wish, though has no further articulation.
Internally, the body is the usual strong construction with SNOT techniques. The wolf even has a little heart tucked away beneath its ribs!
Finally, a small patch of rocky ground and an autumnal bush is provided as some token scenery.
Comparison with 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox
As the second in the "Forest Animals" series of sets, I thought it would be interesting to provide a side-by-side comparison with its predecessor, 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox. My son's favourite animal is a fox, and as such this set has remained fully constructed on his windowsill since my review two years ago!
Both animals are very similar in size, which is not surprising given the wolf contains only ten fewer parts than the fox. In reality, of course, the fox is a much smaller creature, but building a wolf at the same scale would have been an enormous set!
They are both constructed in a very similar way, although the fox has more articulation in its hind legs and can therefore actually sit down. I prefer the use of the new half-rounded brick for the nose, which wasn't available when the fox was produced.
Finally, the wolf's tail is a lot skinnier than that of the fox, and again the fox has more articulation in it than this year.
Given the builds were such similar sizes, I couldn't resist creating a hybrid creature! Unfortunately the wolf's legs don't fit on the fox due to the shaping of the surrounding body, and the front fox limb here is not fully clicked in place, but it still worked surprisingly well! Poor creature; it didn't stay like this for long!
Falcon
The second forest animal we can build with the set is a Falcon, sitting on a short perch. Naturally the colour scheme is the same as the wolf, but the beak and talons are a striking yellow that was previously hidden within the wolf's body and patch of earth. The falcon's body is primarily white on the underside, with large grey wings and a tail.
The two wings are attached via the large click joints, which gives them significant freedom of movement and can be posed in a variety of poses, such as tucked away by the bird's side as above or poised for flight.
The legs are also articulated at both the hips and the ankles, so the falcon can be angled forwards on its perch for a more dynamic pose. The tail's ball joint allows a similar freedom of movement.
The build is let down somewhat by the view from behind and the large unsightly gaps between the wings and the body, highlighted even more so by the large black click joints and underside of tiles.
The designers have done their best with the parts available, but there is something off about the wings and I don't think the design gives the impression of feathers in such an effective way as fur is represented on the wolf. The head and beak, however, looks very accurate.
Raccoon
Finally, the third model is everybody's favourite "trash panda", a raccoon! These distinctive scavengers are well known particularly throughout North America for raiding people's rubbish for treats, and the one in this set has found himself a half-eaten pear to munch on.
Much smaller than the wolf, the raccoon's colouring uses more black than the previous two models to create the characteristic stripes on the tail and face. The same technique is used to create the fur, and the front limbs do have knees, but they aren't articulated and are locked at a ninety degree angle.
The raccoon's stripy tail looks excellent, though is similarly not poseable beyond the ball joint at the base. The rear of his back legs is slightly square and blocky, too.
The creature's face is adorable, however! Black and white rock pieces do an excellent job of showing the furry mask-like colouring around the eyes, and the whole thing looks very cute for such few pieces.
Verdict
The Grey Wolf is undoubtedly the highlight of the set, with an attractive colour scheme, convincing shaping, and plenty of articulation making it a satisfying display model. The small scenery provided may be unnecessary, but does add a little bit more interest and colour and allows you to pose the wolf at an angle as it howls to the moon above.
While the falcon is a little less successful, particularly from the rear, and the raccoon has a few inevitable compromises at its smaller scale, both remain enjoyable alternate builds with plenty of character. LEGO are really getting good at representing a wide variety of animals in brick form at a sensibly-priced scale, and the detail around the faces is particularly impressive.
Whether you're an animal enthusiast, or simply wanting another handsome woodland creature to display alongside the excellent Red Fox, this is an easy set to recommend. I wonder what forest-related animals we can look forward to in the future?
31393 Forest Animals: Grey Wolf is available at LEGO.com for £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99.
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23 comments on this article
AWOOOOO?
I like wolf's derpy face.
Sorry... unpopular opinion...
In no universe should Lego be making animals like this, they just look aweful, the blocky style just robs all the grace from the animal.
That wolf looked cursed without the snout.
That stripped back wolf face looks a bit like a startled koala.
I’d probably be terrified too if someone had just snapped my nose off.
I like the set but I don’t tend to get 3-in-1 animal sets above the £25 mark all that often. Might depend on the sales.
For some odd reason, the third model in a Creator 3-in-1 set is usually my favourite, and the raccoon is no exception! That stripy tail is spectacular.
@kingalbino said:
"Sorry... unpopular opinion...
In no universe should Lego be making animals like this, they just look aweful, the blocky style just robs all the grace from the animal."
I feel the same way about most Brickheads, but here we are, in a universe where these things get made and sold.
EXTREMELY OFF TOPIC, but just to check if I'm the only one having this problem:
I just placed an order at LEGO.com, and while I'e gotten an order number and I've noticed money's been withdrawn from my bank account by LEGO, I haven't gotten an e-mail verifying my purchase. Also, the LEGO page says my order is still being processed -- which seems unusual. Has this occurred to anyone else as well, or should I be worried?
A few more pieces to give the wolf knees would take this from 'good' to 'great', even if the scenery had to be sacrificed to keep the "parts budget" the same. That stiff-legged stance just doesn't work. And giving it the ability to sit, like the fox, would open up a lot of display options.
The color layering here is lovely. In that sense it captures perfectly the sense of gradient a grey wolf has. It's lovely!
That said, I'm actually not ever one to point them out often, but the grey mixels balljoint stand out a LOT on those legs. The stripe they give makes the legs look more rigid than they already are. The final picture looks so stilted.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @kingalbino said:
"Sorry... unpopular opinion...
In no universe should Lego be making animals like this, they just look aweful, the blocky style just robs all the grace from the animal."
I feel the same way about most Brickheads, but here we are, in a universe where these things get made and sold.
EXTREMELY OFF TOPIC, but just to check if I'm the only one having this problem:
I just placed an order at LEGO.com, and while I'e gotten an order number and I've noticed money's been withdrawn from my bank account by LEGO, I haven't gotten an e-mail verifying my purchase. Also, the LEGO page says my order is still being processed -- which seems unusual. Has this occurred to anyone else as well, or should I be worried?"
There were several people talking about order problems on the insider announcement post, so you’re not alone and may find further info on resolution there.
@benbacardi said:
"I dismantled the head slightly, intending to take a clearer picture of the printed eyes, but the poor creature looks terrified!"
I’m not surprised, given the brutal treatment it’s just received.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
"I just placed an order at LEGO.com, and while I'e gotten an order number and I've noticed money's been withdrawn from my bank account by LEGO, I haven't gotten an e-mail verifying my purchase. Also, the LEGO page says my order is still being processed -- which seems unusual. Has this occurred to anyone else as well, or should I be worried?"
If you have a confirmation number, and the payment has gone through, I wouldn’t be worried about the order going through. When they get a surge of orders, sometimes the e-mail notices get lost, but the important thing is that it did give you a confirmation number. However, it can never hurt to call and verify.
Now, as for status, heavy orders can again cause delays, but there’s one other critical issue that might cause problems. If you only ordered stuff that’s backordered, there may not be anything to trigger an initial shipment. Their rules on GWPs for backorders and preorders have changed several times over the years, but I have definitely heard of people getting screwed out of either a GWP or a VIP Reward because their order got parked until they had something else to trigger that first shipment. I did take a bit of a risk and used one backordered item to clear the spend threshold, but I also bought something else that was in stock, plus I grabbed a Reward code. Everything but the backordered item shows In Warehouse.
I don't know about this one.....parts of it are very smooth while others ar studded or otherwise roughly detailed, and that contrast doesn't really work for me. The fox as a whole looke a lot more cohesive.
Cat... bunny... birthday animals... hamster... turtle... dinosaur... shark... puppy... hummingbird... dolphins... lion... koalas... wolf... red panda... ducks... and that's just this year
Might as well rename Creator to Build-a-Critter
@PurpleDave said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"I just placed an order at LEGO.com, and while I'e gotten an order number and I've noticed money's been withdrawn from my bank account by LEGO, I haven't gotten an e-mail verifying my purchase. Also, the LEGO page says my order is still being processed -- which seems unusual. Has this occurred to anyone else as well, or should I be worried?"
If you have a confirmation number, and the payment has gone through, I wouldn’t be worried about the order going through. When they get a surge of orders, sometimes the e-mail notices get lost, but the important thing is that it did give you a confirmation number. However, it can never hurt to call and verify.
Now, as for status, heavy orders can again cause delays, but there’s one other critical issue that might cause problems. If you only ordered stuff that’s backordered, there may not be anything to trigger an initial shipment. Their rules on GWPs for backorders and preorders have changed several times over the years, but I have definitely heard of people getting screwed out of either a GWP or a VIP Reward because their order got parked until they had something else to trigger that first shipment. I did take a bit of a risk and used one backordered item to clear the spend threshold, but I also bought something else that was in stock, plus I grabbed a Reward code. Everything but the backordered item shows In Warehouse."
Thanks for the useful info! I double-checked, just to be sure, and all items I ordered were LEGO exclusives that appear to be in stock and ready to be shipped. The GWP also seems to be still in stock in my region.
I still haven't gotten a confirmation mail, but I'll give them a few more hours since I realize Insiders Week must be busy for them. If it takes them any longer I'll be reaching out to them.
@Denmark_Dragon said:
"AWOOOOO?"
Okay, so, let me get this straight; Your name is Denmark_Dragon, but your from the united states? Wow, okay, so let me just start out by saying that I respect all cultures, but something about you is WRONG. And I apologize in advance for this, but I think you should CHANGE your NAME to Danish_Dragon instead, so that no is confused.
Thank you in advance, and please don't forget to hydrate!
@kingalbino said:
"Sorry... unpopular opinion...
In no universe should Lego be making animals like this, they just look aweful, the blocky style just robs all the grace from the animal."
To say that Lego shouldn't make something because YOU don't like it is ridiculous.
Just don't buy it.
@Hiratha said: "I like the set but I don’t tend to get 3-in-1 animal sets above the £25 mark all that often. Might depend on the sales."
I find myself in the same boat. I do like these Creator animal sets, but I tend to only buy the smaller ones.
Excellent review, as always. I love how you incorporated the red fox. And while I think I prefer the fox, they did ok with the wolf, though best from the side. I feel they mostly missed with the falcon. As a former zookeeper, all of these great Creator animals the last couple of years have all been must buys.
Nice review, Ben! So, is the mixed creature a folf, or a wox?
I want to like the wolf, but it lack just enough movement to convince me as a model. The raccoon looks excellent though, despite limited movement, so here we are.
@skibidi_rizz said:
" @Denmark_Dragon said:
"AWOOOOO?"
Okay, so, let me get this straight; Your name is Denmark_Dragon, but your from the united states? Wow, okay, so let me just start out by saying that I respect all cultures, but something about you is WRONG. And I apologize in advance for this, but I think you should CHANGE your NAME to Danish_Dragon instead, so that no is confused.
Thank you in advance, and please don't forget to hydrate!"
Er, @skibidi_rizz shows as from Denmark to me. Danish Dragon might still be more correct, while also sounding like a fiery pastry. :)
The lion set in which the printed eye pieces were used is 31386, not 31368.