Review: 30571 Pelican and Friends
Posted by Huw,
30571 is this year's Creator 3-in-1 animal polybag. It can be found in various places across the world now, including Target in the USA and at the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Birmingham where they have a very good selection of polybags available at the moment.
I picked one up there a few months ago but having built the pelican I didn't want to break it up to build the other models to review, so I bought two more when I visited again recently.
Pelican
The main model is a very cartoonish pelican. It has a massive beak, ingeniously made using a 2x3x2 cupboard on its side, into which a silver fish can fit.
Its wings are way too small but they look OK. They are hinged using ball joints to enable them to be angled as you wish.
The sea/beach/plank is a welcome addition to the set and when the bird is perched on top it makes it a very attractive little display model.
Three 'Design plate 2x3's are utilised on its back and head to give it a feathery texture.
Bird
Instructions for two alternative models, a bird and a bunny, can be downloaded from LEGO Customer Services.
The designer most likely took inspiration from a cockatiel for this model, with its distinctive head feathers.
Again, the wings can be posed and the 'design plate' gives the back a feather-like texture.
Rabbit
By this point I think the designers were struggling a bit to come up with another model that wasn't a bird.
I suppose it has rabbit-like features -- big ears and whiskers but it's not terribly convincing!
Verdict
The pelican is wonderful and is one of the better Creator polybag animals we've had in recent years so if you're a fan of brick built creatures and have an opportunity to pick this polybag up, you will not be disappointed.
There's probably no need to buy three to build all the models simultaneously, though...
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24 comments on this article
That Pelican is a masterpiece! The other two, tough...
I can envision the pelican squawking, "MINE! MINE! MINE!" ;)
(Yes I know those were seagulls in the movie)
Love the pelican. The rabbit does look like a bit of a desperate attempt though!
Great review @Huw! I recently snagged this polybag not too long ago (right before Easter), and have since built all three models. I absolutely love the pelican, it's just really awesome - the small bird/cockatiel, albeit simple, I think is actually a pretty decent alternate for a polybag. The rabbit, I think, is really cute but not very convincing, as Huw stated.
@Colby Customs: I know, TBH that's also what I thought!
I guess I better head to a Target soon! This is quite cute..
Bought this a while back. Love the pelican.
Even though it is clearly stated on the packaging, I either overlooked or forgot and was completely unaware that this was a 3-in-1 and there were other options to build until this article. After seeing the alternate models, though, I’m happy to keep it as a pelican.
Thanks for the review! I saw this at Walmart, didn't buy it. Maybe I will now.
That pelican is fantastic, not sure about the rabbit! Thanks for the review.
Great models, especially the pelican, and it's nice to see that we can get pretty good pieces in polybags these days. I like those black design plates!
How much was it from the discovery centre @huw?
Into Pokemon for years. Bought this because it resembles a Pelipper enough for my happiness.
I’ll be on the lookout for one of these.
Also you misspelled convincing
"I suppose it has rabbit-like features -- big ears and whiskers but it's not terribly CONVICTING!"
I would certainly convict it for scaring children! :D
I thought at first that the theme friend was referring to the fish (there are some people) but in, I suspect LEGO is talking about the other two animals, that rabbit needs some work.
$3.99
Pretty cool, but the bird looks kinda weird.
Fish are friends, not food.
Pelican: I have a cupboard beak!
Hamster: am I a joke to you?
The pelican looks great, but I can't help wonder why the clips that hold the top of it's beak are a different colour from the rest?
Because they've not been made in light orange.
The Pelican is a pretty neat little polybag build, but the other two builds are meh. My only real issue with this set was that the brown tile pieces for the dock should have been jumpers so you could attach the pelican. You have to balance him on there as it is now and it would have been far easier to just switch those tiles out with jumpers and create a connection spot for stability.
I tend to avoid brick-built animals (they're just not my thing), but the pelican is quite cute.
Great little polybag! It was in the Easter seasonal section of Target. I was able to get a few at 50% off ($1.99) last week.
good meme set