As an AFOL, and massive supporter of Manchester United since the mid-1990s, I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that Manchester United had partnered with LEGO back in late 2019. I expected that they'd be working on an Old Trafford model, and once it was announced/teased I could barely contain my excitement. I bought it on VIP pre-order and I don't think I'd ever been as excited as I was for this build.

The scale the LEGO designers chose (you can read and listen to them discuss this with a simple web search), has led to some (sometimes warranted) criticism, but I do believe they did one of the most iconic venues in all of sport, justice.

Overall, I think the parts usage was borderline genius given the intricacies of the architecture of the Sir Alex Stand, the Stretford End and the East Stand, but because of issues of scale, it runs into some problems with realism. The interior corner seating are not executed as smoothly as the rest of the interior (and certainly the exterior) of the build, and the corner exterior support trusses of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand appear to have been a real challenge for the designers, one, it appears, they decided to “punt” on.

The choice to build this as a modular, five-piece set was another genius move in my opinion given the intricacies of the building they were replicating, and despite everyone's issues with scale, the designers should be applauded for their execution overall.

As for the actual build itself, I completed it in just under 10 hours over the course of several days. I don't know if it was my lifelong United fanhood that made those 10 hours seem like 3-4, because I had so much fun building, but there are so many little pieces in this set that time is eaten up quickly without really realising it.

Positives

• Incredibly fun build.
• Wonderful display piece.
• A stunning representation of the real thing, particularly the exterior.
• Good value at its $300 price point.

Negatives

• The scale is about 10-15% too small, which results in the following issues:
• Sticker placement in this model is not representative of the real thing.
• The corners of the interior stands result in gaps that serve to lessen the realism that exists in the main areas of the stands.
• The exterior corners are limited by their size and design of the support structures look like a capitulation to an early commitment to scale.

Please keep in mind that for me, the positives far outweigh the negatives, but because so many have complained about the issues with the scale, I had to touch on them as well.

This piece is a must-have for any Manchester United fan,that can serve as a great conversation starter among friends and family.