Review: 21039 Shanghai
Posted by CapnRex101,
The popular Skyline subtheme includes some tremendous sets, the most impressive of which are often those that blend modern architecture with historical structures. Shanghai is definitely among the most architecturally diverse cities in the world and therefore seems ideally suited to this series.
21039 Shanghai captures that diverse range of architectural styles perfectly, featuring not only the ancient Longhua Temple but also buildings that were completed during the colonial and modern eras. I think the model looks superb in official images so have high expectations for this Skyline set, especially since it contains 597 pieces and costs £54.99 or $59.99, surpassing the other products from the subtheme in both size and price.
The Completed Model
Eight different buildings from across Shanghai are included, more than in any previous Skylines model. They are divided according to their geography, with the older buildings located on the western shore of the Huangpu River while the modern financial district is situated to the east. The resultant architectural variation is marvellous, encapsulating the city's long history and changing economic status through the development of its constituent buildings.
Settlements have surrounded the confluence between the Huangpu River and the Suzhou Creek since the seventh century AD. No buildings from that period remain standing today but the Longhua Pagoda originated in 977 AD and is represented here by a stack of alternating red 1x1 round plates and black 1x1 plates. The Chenghuang Miao Temple is similarly constructed and looks alright, although its tiny scale captures little architectural detail.
Several Neoclassical buildings of obvious Western origin are situated within The Bund waterfront area, perhaps the most famous of which are the HSBC Building and the neighbouring Custom House. These tan structures are immediately recognisable and look excellent on the whole, although I think the HSBC Building should have included a pinnacle above the dome. Presumably that was omitted due to the set's small scale.
Radisson Blue Hotel Shanghai New World was completed in 2005 and is probably lesser known than the other buildings in this set. Nevertheless, I appreciate its inclusion as this tower helps to soften the transition between older buildings at one end of the skyline and modern structures towards the other. Furthermore, the unique dome, which contains a revolving restaurant, looks perfect when compared with the original hotel.
A narrow band of water, representing the Huangpu River, separates the older section of Shanghai from its modern financial centre. The distinctive Oriental Pearl Tower has become a renowned symbol of the city and this rendition looks magnificent, consisting primarily of stacked 1x1 round bricks which support its spherical observation decks. Unfortunately, these are not actually spheres but the rounded modules still look good.
The entire weight of the Oriental Pearl Tower is distributed between six reinforced concrete columns at its base. They are all included here but the spacing between the angled columns looks rather awkward to me. I imagine it would be extremely difficult to improve upon the current design at such a small scale but this inaccuracy is still worthy of acknowledgement.
Six curved panels form the Shanghai World Financial Centre's spectacular exterior. That organic shape seems ill-suited to LEGO but I think 21039 Shanghai would feel incomplete without the skyscraper as it has received numerous architecture awards from around the world. An impressive selection of medium blue 1x2 jumper plates, 1x3 jumper plates and 2x3 tiles create a recognisable silhouette but the shape of the original structure has not really been captured effectively.
The final structure represents the Shanghai Tower which is the second tallest skyscraper in the world, surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Its beautiful twisting design looks magnificent, accurately replicating the unusual shape of the real tower and standing out across the entire Architecture theme as no other model includes such an interesting curves!
Shanghai Tower has been ingeniously constructed using 3x3 curved half beam elements and flexible tubes, as demonstrated below. These flexible pieces are often found in fan creations, creating curved shapes, but their use here is unusual for an official set.
Overall
The city of Shanghai represents a spectacular collision between ancient, colonial and modern Chinese architecture and that has been replicated beautifully here. I appreciate the dramatic difference in height between these buildings and their distinctive architectural styles combine to create an attractive display model, featuring a brilliant colour scheme as well as some interesting building techniques. The twisting Shanghai Tower is particularly impressive.
However, I believe some room for improvement remains. The Shanghai World Financial Centre looks striking but its shape has not been captured effectively and the base of the Oriental Pearl Tower lacks detail. Nevertheless, this is a brilliant addition to the Skyline range and I would recommend adding it to your Architecture collection, especially when the set is discounted.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
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13 comments on this article
The upper half of the Pearl Tower has been put on incorrectly and should be rotated 180 degrees, but other than that it's another good review and fine set. Are those DBG Bohrok eyes new?
Nice review captn, as always. I'm especially impressed with the financial center, but I see now how they did it, as at first I was confused.
I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE!
@StarWarzFan7777 - Thanks; I have updated the photos.
I think it would just add more to the review if there was a picture of "snapped" Shanghai tower in midsection to see if from "inside".. how the bricks are put together.. just an idea.
Is that a new review of this set? Because I swear that I had read another review of this set here months ago, funny.
Anyway, great set. I really love how the Shanghai Tower was made and I don't think that the WFC looks bad.
Love the Shanghai Tower, such an ingenious use of flex axles. Flex axles are generally used for aesthetic purposes on Technic models - 8448 being a good example. However, this is the first use I'm aware of them being used for genuine structural reasons, at least in an official set. I also believe this is the first time an Architecture building has been built from predominantly Technic, is that correct?
@Paul Davis: 21103-1 was also primarily Technic-based, but that was nearly 10 years ago.
@giovannesl I could have sworn I did too, although it might have been at New Elementary.
@Aanchir: I presume you mean set 21003: Seattle Space Needle, and not the BTTF Time Machine ;-).
I could of sworn I read another review somewhat more in-depth of the construction, specificly the Shanghai tower...
Still captain's great review don't normally get architecture sets. But imma gonna need this one.
@Supertaco77, try this article:
https://brickset.com/article/32471/how-the-shanghai-center-building-was-built
They had it on display at Barnes and Noble with some other architecture sets. It looks huge compared to Chicago and London. Much too large for my display space.