Review: 31122 Creator 3-in-1 Fish Tank
Posted by Lobot,
The majority of my building in the last 10 years has been limited the larger UCS Star Wars sets, and whilst they do have the occasional splash of colour, they tend to be primarily grey, black, white, or occasionally brown. And, the construction also tends to follow a similar pattern, which I’ll admit I find oddly reassuring in seemingly ever-changing world!
However, when Huw asked if I’d like to review 31122 Fish Tank, it seemed like a great opportunity to step out of my usual comfort zone and to try something a little different, and a lot more colourful!
Initial thoughts
In truth, I think the only 3-in-1 set I’ve ever built was the delightful 31021 Furry Creatures. I’d actually purchased it for my wife with the intention of ‘introducing’ her to the wonders of all things LEGO, but she looked less than impressed, so it ended up in my collection. In hindsight, whilst the cat and mouse were unquestionably cute, the set might have lacked a little colour. That can’t be said of this though, it’s positively overflowing with it!
In keeping with the others in the Creator 3-in-1 range, the front of the box displays a large image of the main build, with smaller inserts for the alternative models.
The set includes three instruction booklets, with the parts divided between three bags; two large which are only partially filled, plus a smaller one. There’s a total of 352 parts, including an impressive mix of colours; I was surprised to find that the set includes 30 blue inverted brackets which are barely visible in the box images and 18 black brackets; there’s one part which I hadn’t encountered previously, a 3x3 magenta dome top which currently appears to be unique to this set.
Fish Tank – main build
The construction of the tank is relatively straightforward; you firstly build the bottom section which uses all of the blue inverted brackets, followed by the top frame, which are then joined together via clips. There’s a bit of repetition, but it’s quick to do and the end result is surprisingly sturdy, if a little challenging to photograph! The extensive use of black tiles gives it a clean and refined look. And, before anyone mentions it, I missed a step in the construction of the frame, which I hastily corrected in the subsequent photos!
The next steps including building the different sections of coral, assorted fish, an urchin and, lastly, a mini submarine complete with jewel. The inverted sections of coral are particularly effective and provide a nice colourful backdrop to the fish.
There’s a nice variety of techniques used in both the coral and fish, and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable build. My only criticism is that the translucent round bricks used for some of the supports are a little on the ‘delicate’ side, so the occasional bit of re-attaching may be required, but that’s only a minor niggle.
I need to mention at this point that my knowledge of tropical fish is limited to what I’ve managed to glean from watching Finding Nemo a few times, but I was genuinely impressed by the quality of the designs.
In addition to what looks suspiciously like Nemo’s dad (Clown fish) and Dory (Regal Blue Tang), there’s also a Yellow Tang, Cardinal and an Anthias. The latter is arguably the weakest design, but it’s still a good representation of it, especially considering the scale and limited number of parts used.
The clown Fish and Regal Blue Tang are both excellent; the cone used for the ‘mouth’ section of the Yellow Tang does look a little strange, but it certainly adds character! However, when all the sections are combined, it creates a truly beautiful model.
Treasure Chest – Alternative build (1)
Next on the list is the Treasure Chest; it’s a relatively simple build and my least favourite of the three. The chest itself feels quite solid, and the top is hinged so it can be opened or positioned at a range of different angles.
The exterior uses a combination of tan plates which are covered with a mixture of plates, and a few plant elements which add some much-needed colour. The extensive use of black does look slightly odd, but this was clearly a sensible compromise and preferable to the alternative of having a brown-framed fish tank!
In addition to the chest, there’s a goblet, jewel encrusted sword, seagull and orange crab. The designs of the sword and seagull have clearly been limited by the available parts; they both have a rather ‘interesting’ colour scheme, but in all honesty they’re a little too different for my taste!
In contrast, the crab is brilliant; it’s fun to build and full of character and one of the highlights of the set. The small claw can be rotated, but the larger one uses a ball and socket-type joint which allows for a greater degree of articulation.
The overall build is considerably smaller than the tank, and there’s a significant number of parts left over, but aside from adding a few finishing touches to the chest it’s difficult to say how it could be improved.
Artist’s Easel - Alternative build (2)
The final build is an artist’s easel, and it’s almost on a par with the fish tank. The construction of the easel itself is quite straightforward; it feels very sturdy and was larger than I’d expected. The frame is primarily black, with some blue and grey highlighting, and it provides a nice backdrop to the painting.
I was genuinely impressed by the quality and design of the parrot; it was thoroughly enjoyable to build and includes an interesting mix of parts. Some of these are layered together which gives it a semi-3D look. The end result though is truly brilliant and it would make a great display piece, as hopefully you can see from the photos. I initially thought that the grey claws were used to create the feet, but I eventually realised they’re actually the claws, which is quite logical really!
Verdict
Overall, I’m highly impressed by this set. The fish tank is very well-designed, enjoyable to build and makes a lovely display piece, or playset for younger fans, although as mentioned it does require a degree of careful handling. The alternative builds are both very different; the parrot ‘painting’ is beautifully designed and looks far better than I’d expected it to. The chest is the least impressive, and several elements of the design have been clearly limited by the available parts and colours, but that’s totally understandable given the type of set.
It will be available from 1st June at £24.99/€29.99, and in the US for $29.99 from 1st August, which seems very reasonable considering the quality of two of the builds, and I’d highly recommend purchasing it if you’re looking for something a little different.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review represents an expression of my own opinions.
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32 comments on this article
The sword reminds me a bit of the Master Sword (from the Zelda seres)...
Thanks for the review, Lobot! This seems like such a simple idea for a set but it's done really well.
It would be easy to rearrange the occupants of the tank, and even add some others - like the underwater robot from a couple of years ago...
A nice first review, @Lobot. I didn't really think much of this on the release photos, but with this review I may change my mind.
The clownfish is more likely to be Nemo himself than Marlin, as it was Nemo who ended up in the aquarium with the Tank Gang. But Nemo is more seen with Dory in Finding Dory than Finding Nemo, so I guess it could go either way.
I'm a fan of Finding Nemo, and this set is a great starting point to get kids thinking about putting together a LEGO aquarium, however the scale is too small for me and I don't plan on recreating the scene from the film, so if I get this at all, I'll more likely use it as a parts pack.
I love the easel, and it's nice to see LEGO continue the 2.5D art style.
I so want to put a Gungan in that thing.
@namekuji said:
"I so want to put a Gungan in that thing."
I don't know if there was ever an official mini-scale Gungun Sub, but I think one would look great in there.
I like the parrot, it looks vaguely like a Matisse cut-out
From reading the comments LEGO gave us one of the best display cases for whatever project we want to make in that tank: a land animal enclosure, a Jurassic Park/World sea animal attraction, our own costume fish tank, etc. They gave us a set which opens more possibilities than simply taking it apart and the only extra parts we would need are some for the top (to keep dust out) and whatever we want to make there by the Brick, we could put the shark moulds there with some scenery and mini scale subs and there: Megalodon attacks a sub.
Edit: just saw the tank more closely and this doesn't have glasses on the sides.
@JasonBall34 There was a microscale Gungan Sub in the 2012 Advent Calendar.
Feel like the kid in The Emperor's New Clothes again.
This set looks as if it was made up one sunny afternoon. As if there was a really close deadline to be met.
"Creator" 3 in 1? i've seen better designs in CLASSIC sets.
The 3 in 1 Creator seem to be positioned in the market as the "Let's get that cheap Lego set for this stranger's birthday, we don't really care if he likes it, might as well return it"
Nice review and great pictures! This looks like a lovely set and perfect to have on my desk.
This looks fun, the tank frame really makes a great template for building microscale dioramas. Nice!
Hi,
Great review. What is the dimentions of the fish tank though? Would it be enough to fit 16 minifigs from the collectable mini figures series as a display box?
Thanks
@plastish said:
"Feel like the kid in The Emperor's New Clothes again. (...)"
Ah, no, see, that's where you're wrong: you're nothing like the kid; he was stating the FACT that the emperor was wearing no clothes, but you're of the OPINION that Creator 3-in-1 sets are not good LEGO sets. D'you see?
Creator 3-in-1 makes a FANTASTIC gift for those new to LEGO, and for experienced builders as a source of inspiration for MOCs. They're the ones I reach for first when I have 'non-LEGO' guests. Best theme going!
@mhudaib said:
"Hi,
Great review. What is the dimentions of the fish tank though? Would it be enough to fit 16 minifigs from the collectable mini figures series as a display box?
Thanks"
Found it on Lego’s website:
The Fish Tank toy measures over 5 in. (13 cm) high, 8 in. (22 cm) long and 4 in. (11 cm) deep – the perfect size to play with at home or proudly display in a bedroom.
I think it will fit just fine for 16 minifigs
'Snice, but I, too, had naively assumed there were clear sides.
It's still a cute little model for the price and I'd get it for somebody's birthday- firstly to build as a fun display and then, after a week or two, as a brick mine.
Wasn't there a cute fish tank on Ideas? with moving fish?
Thanks for the comments everyone :-)
@mhudaib:
Internal dimensions - 26 x 12 studs (excluding the 1x2 inserts)
External dimensions - 22cm wide x 11.5cm deep x 13cm high
I like the fish tank submitted in for the Ideas. It looks so much better than this.
This is really cute. It's nice to see something a bit different from a smaller Creator 3in1 set, so many of the smaller sets are vehicles and not everyone who wants Creator type sets is interested in vehicles.
Too bad no Mount Wannahockaloogie.
Creator 3-in-1 is the best line of Lego.
@JasonBall34:
1. @namekuji said Gungan (presumably a minifig), not a Gungan sub.
2. 9509, Day 1 (Unlike Bricklink, Brickset doesn't treat the daily builds as individual sets, but it's in the upper left corner of the group photo).
@Lordmoral:
That was something I figured out very early on, and which dramatically reduces the appeal of this set. The goofy way the upper frame is held together, combined with the lack of any sort of clear material to represent the glass makes me think it makes more sense to just buy a tiny fish tank (I once owned one that was 2.5 gallons), or a fish bowl. I'm actually reminded of a molded tank design that was like three hexagons merged together, which I was advised against buying because it was plastic and had several stress points that could lead to it breaking. That sort of tank would be perfect for LEGO fish, since you'd never need to add water.
Aside from the obvious Nemo/Marlin and Dory, we also get Bubbles the Yellow Tang, Gurgle the Royal Gramma (depicted in purple and yellow,) and perhaps Gill the Moorish Idol!!
I love love LOVE fish and really want to get my hands on this one! Not a fan of the alternate builds though.
In the past, putting a trans(clear) antenna all the way into a technic pin (like in the sword handle) would definitely get them stuck for eternity. If you'd even manage to get it all the way in.
@Lobot, how did that go putting the sword together?
As someone who has had several fish tanks (RIP my many fishy friends), I just can't see the tank as complete w/o an aerator and filter. They wouldn't be hard to build though, but the tank would need to be enlarged a bit as it's already crowed. Maybe some clear craft plastic sheets would do well for the illusion of enclosed sides as well? The set definitely gets my rusted gears turning, although no idea where I'd put it... on the other hand plastic brick fish won't die off...
To be honest (unpopular opinion here), this is one of the worst LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets I have ever seen. The colors are bland (especially for the alternative builds) and the construction of everything looks like a MOC made by a 6 year old. Not impressed at all.
@NickLafreniere1 : I appreciate your opinion, but I think it is actually the other way around.
While this might not be the best ever Creator 3 in 1 set, it certainly is a great one.
This is the kind of thing LEGO was made for.
Not 4,000+ piece wannabe-recreations of licenced source material or Technic-labeled display pieces of yet more licenced material.
There's a feeling one gets currently that TLG is trying to out-MOC the MOCers with their lineup. Why bother creating (just as one example) a cool MOC of the Daily Bugle when you can be lazy and uncreative and simply buy an off-the-shelf one directly from LEGO? Same with all the Star Wars display pieces, the "Technic" supercars like the Sian, etc.
LEGO used to be about creativity, endlessly building, taking apart and rebuilding just for the fun of it. Honestly, if I simply want a display piece of something, I buy a model kit. Better representation of the source material, better value, better everything.
The Creator 3 in 1 line is a reminder of what LEGO is best at and best for.
Therefor, thank heavens for sets like this and thank you @Lobo for a great first review.
The illusion of a glass tank and floating fish are very well done that I will definitely buy. Although the sea bed looks a bit sparse and needs more coral and underwater foliage. I understand there is a piece and price limit for creator 3-1 but the fish tank could have being simplified by just using spaced out snot bricks along the base rather than dozens of brackets. These would also be more useful in the alternative builds.
I would cover the tank with the [transparent] baseplate - did you see a dust in the water?
@Galactus - I didn't have any problems with assembling/disassembly of it; the connections feel suitably solid without being too tight.
@AustinPowers - Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it :-)
"The extensive use of black does look slightly odd, but this was clearly a sensible compromise and preferable to the alternative of having a brown-framed fish tank!"
There's also the fact that the foliage pieces imply that the chest has been underwater for a while, which might well have discolored it.