Review: 21327 Typewriter

I was a definite 'no' before, but now that I see the Technics inside I'm a 'maybe'. I was a bit disappointed that there is only one striker. I couldn't expect all of them, but maybe 5 would have been cool. I was gonna let that go and was leaning 'yes', but then this:

"On a real machine that would also cause the cylinder, and thus the paper, to rotate slightly to enable typing on the next line, but that does not happen here."

Now I'm a maybe. It would be a fun challenge to mod this thing to do what I want it to, but as a busy adult I'm not sure I'm ready for the time commitment there. But THANK YOU for the review!!!

Like the piano never had one, have typed on one of these when very young but it may of been an electric sort. This looks so good great colour to.
I still need this though! then piano it not built yet, soon a guitar is on way to is rumour!

What a very sad, sad, single armed typewriter. Do it right or don't do it.

I like it, but no top row of 1-9 and zero keys and no punctuation keys and no bell. Not sure I'll buy it.

Great review as always! Thanks! I am pretty impressed by the set

I’ve got to say, it looks beautiful

Absolutely beautiful model and I wish I A. had a personal connection to typewriters and B. a place to put it because it looks like an incredibly fun build. One thing I was surprised about was the open bottom beneath the keys. I was assuming a finished, plate-built bottom but ultimately it's not really a portable model so conserving the piece count for functions and more prominent details makes sense.

@MainBricker said:
"Very strange that people seem to like this set, yet are offended by the Adidas Superstar. Both are full-sized Lego representations of real-world items."

Agreed...I'm not a fan of either set. The typewriter brings back bad memories of my high school typing class. I do like the sand green color of the typewriter though.

As someone who grew up in a newspaper family, this is a must-have. My late Grandpapa would have loved this.

I'm glad Lego was able to work additional functionality into the model from what was submitted. The moving carriage and hammer elevate this from good to great. I'm also glad that all of the keys are printed. Normally I'm very pro-sticker, but lining up round stickers on round parts can be a challenge and would be especially so with 32 of them!

@Huw said:
" @CDM , I have a feeling that the base is open below the keys on real machines.

Thanks everyone for your comments about the review and I'm glad that it's persuaded some of you that weren't considering buying it to do so."

After looking at some pics you're exactly right.

As always, thanks for such a great review.

As many as 4 French versions of the letter? I wonder what justifies this, given the French language is essentially the same and the letter does not use any regionally-different words… The date format perhaps?

I also wonder what could be different between the Dutch-Dutch and Belgian-Dutch versions :D

It was a great review, and the build looks great. Sadly, it's one of these "I have nothing to do with it the moment it's done" sets, so I'll skip it.

As a side note, I'll add that it could be nice to have a short video or animated gif (if you can't/won't host videos) of the moving mechanics, as we can't get it 100% just from reading and looking at the picture.

From the photo did the original design have 4 moving hammers rather than 1? Although the inclusion of the other features like the shifting letter is more interesting, with the escape mechanism worth taking a closer look at as may have potential in clocks etc.

It looks lovely. I've had a hankering for an old typewriter for some time, but I know deep down that any time I need to write I'll reach for the laptop.
This sounds like a perfect melding of my desire for a typewriter and my love of the brick.

Just one minor observation, Huw. You say...

"The fact this is an Ideas set has been downplayed, with just a small logo in the corner indicating as much."

It also has 'Lego Ideas 035 ' on the main 'Typewriter' logo.

I learned to type on a manual typewriter and took one with me when I went to college...a necessity then, making this set very nostalgic for me.
BUT.... I had just finished showing my wife the photo of the set and stated that we weren't going to be purchasing. Then I read your review. The really amazing part of the set is the interior workings, which your review clearly explains.
I'm sold! Thank you!

I always say I speek Flemish instead of Dutch. I know it officially is the same but there are differences just like colour and color or holiday and vacation.
But I wonder how you would type the Ukranian or Russian letter with this Latin alphabet, let alone the Chinese one because the Chinese use more than 40.000 characters.

Well done Lego. So many people here who have gone from total dismissal to "well actually, it's very clever and looks good, so perhaps..." I've got at least three real typewriters in deep storage, untouched for years, and I'm tempted too. I may be getting my first set costing over £120. Yeah, well done, Lego.

This set looks like so much fun to build. I want to build it.

I'm still terribly disappointed that they left off the final column of keys that would have been required to remap it to the Dvorak layout that I've used for the last 25 years. This is a remarkable model, but I don't want to spend $200 on a display piece that prominently shows off a keyboard arrangement I have no desire to look at.

It's also weird they printed the Kristiansen letter in a proportional-width font which is only vaguely evocative of actual typewriter text. It definitely doesn't look quite right in the typewriter.

OK, I like the technical portion of the build, but IMO it really isn't worth the money...
Not when i can buy the A-wing, or something of equal value. But each their own I guess.

I was a pass when this was approved by LEGO Ideas and when it was first announced, but then I read… “It's also the perfect blend of System and Technic: a complex Technic mechanism inside an elegant System-built bodywork.” Sets that combine system and technic tend to be my favorite builds so I might end up getting this for the build even if I think the subject matter itself is a little boring.

I was rather hoping for an older version rather than 1950s, so what was going to be a yes has turned into a no, although it is better than I anticipated after the piano.

I think that the disappointment with the piano was to do with size and functionality. I know it would be unrealistic of lego to have a scale piano, but all the pictures seem to show off how small it was. The typewriter is comparable to the real thing and it has a lot of functionality which does not require an app. I was forced to recently replace my phone because the apps I use were updated in such a way that neglected to account for not everyone having up to date tech and given from what I hear of those who do download lego apps, not everyone can get them to work. So to have something which does not require extras and still does a lot is surprising. It also shows lego have listened to their customers, not to mention this is after the piano, so the expectations have altered due to that.

The pic with all the liftarms in bag 1: is that a new 2L Technic liftarm? Either double or single in red.

When you reference the Ducati Panigale, you say the escapement prevents the carriage from moving to the right, but that should be to the left, correct? On the serial/model number “plate”, the number 030774 is reportedly Steve’s birthdate, though I don’t know if that follows the MMDDYY or DDMMYY convention. The “missing” number keys apparently would have been incorporated into the letter keys (along with lowercase letters), but a choice was made to omit any extra characters so the tiles could be used as letter tiles (apparently they weren’t really thinking of the logistics involved in acquiring enough tiles to spell even a few words). Any rivets or screws that were visible from the sides would have probably been powder-coated to match the body of the typewriter, so complaints about the reddish-brown and tan connectors is still valid, especially since this is exactly the sort of situation that would allow them to request an exemption. Whether they were denied that request, or never made it because they needed too many other recolors for the rest of the design, we might never know.

It took me a little while to figure out how they alphabetized all the different languages. American English, as often is the case, is at the top of the list. Being the biggest market in general, the biggest market by language...and also the fact that some of us will be expecting it to be filed under “American”, this makes sense. Everything else seems to be grouped according to main language, then local dialects, as written in English (hence why Swiss French comes before DE). The only one I can’t figure out is why Brazilian Portuguese comes before Portuguese, since basic French comes before any of the local dialects.

@hawkeye7269:
If there’s any sloppy construction in your model, it can prevent mechanical features from working. The more complex the mechanism, the more careful you need to be with assembly. This means pressing any brick/plate/tile connections firmly together so there are no uneven surfaces that things can catch on. Moving Technic parts, on the other hand, need to move freely. This means the parts can’t be pressed together so tight that they pinch. The model also needs to be resting on a flat, smooth surface so it doesn’t warp out of shape.

@CDM:
@Huw:
I’ve never owned a typewriter myself, but relatives of mine did. I believe stationary manual typewriters would have had open frames so things that got dropped on the keyboard would fall out the bottom where they wouldn’t jam up the keys. Portable models (either manual or electric) probably had enclosed bases to keep stuff from getting inside when they were packed up for travel. I have no idea about stationary electric typewriters.

@essel:
@Jupiter:
The company I work for offers Spanish and Puerto Rican Spanish language options on the HR website. My supervisor at the time was Hispanic (raised in the US, probably of Mexican ancestry, and studying Spanish as a secondary language at the time), while a coworker had transferred from a Puerto Rican facility. I never found out how they were different, but both agreed that it made sense for them to offer a Puerto Rican dialect option. Canadian French in Quebec is also apparently very distinct from what’s spoken in France. Mostly it probably comes down to phrasing. Words and spelling may be identical, but it’s usually possible to tell the difference between a British production and British characters in an American production based on how heavily they lean into British slang.

@asherkobin:
That’s how I know my dad probably had a typewriter. I’m pretty sure he had to bend the arms back into shape a few times.

Luckily (maybe not the right word) I’m old enough to remember these in use by the older generation whilst I was learning IT, to me it looks great and reminiscent of those early days.

Also, for those wanting to watch a film with one in... All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy :)

I love this thing. It speaks to the writer in me in ways that I’m guessing the piano might have done to a musician.

I think sets like the Typewriter and the Piano are great education sets to help understand and appreciate how these devices work.

While obviously a real Typewriter and a real Piano is more authentic, those are much harder to pull apart and learn about how they work, and most people wouldn't feel comfortable putting it back together without breaking anything.

What is the colour of that tile with "System" printed on? It is darker than all of sand green of a typewriter but different shade than regular green.

edit:
Nevermind - it looks like a sticker that is simply too dark to match brick's colour

Do your keys ever get stuck, ?

@Huw:
Either you tweaked the article, or I just brushed past that bit. From the photos, it does kinda look like it could be facing forwards with the keyboard removed. Anyways, we’re so used to seeing the cursor move to the right on a screen that it’s easy to forget typewriters kept the “cursor” stationary and shifted the whole page to the left and up as you type.

@Agent00Z:
A grand piano has a rigid steel or cast iron frame that weighs a few hundred pounds, and with strings attached under high tension. After taking it apart, I doubt most people would feel comfortable in general...unless the nurse dialed up the morphine a bit more than usual.

@Mestari:
The keys are all printed. The System logo on the front, and the serial/model number plate on the back, are stickers to mimic the metal plates that would normally be affixed in those positions. I’ve seen one mention that they’re “chromed”, which of course is impossible, but they might be printed on a foil backing?

So Lego can make a typewriter into an Ideas set, but not Avatar: The Last Airbender or The Legend of Zelda? :/

@Slithus_Venom:
They’ve already produced an Avatar theme, and thus far have not green-lit any Ideas projects based on legacy licenses with the notable exception of NASA. Space, Castle, and Pirates, sure, but those were all original IP.

For Zelda, the most appealing project was a Wind-Waker boat, which got rejected because it would have required new molds at a time when that was strictly off-limits. They also didn’t have any Nintendo licenses at that time. Now they have Mario, so the foot is in the door...but Mario was specifically designed as a playable electronic game. I don’t see Zelda translating to that system very well, given how many ranged attacks exist in those games. Molds are no longer an issue, but the last few 10k projects just didn’t look like something anyone but a Zelda super fan would recognize...or buy. The best outcome I can see is if the Wind-Waker boat was resubmitted in light of the changes that have happened since it was rejected (which even includes a new elf-eared hat that’s perfect for Link). I’ve barely played any Zelda games, but I’d buy that boat for sure.

Why does the review say 27 letter and punctuation keys when there are 28?

Im not really into this set, but I am impressed with it and especially the way the color works so well for it.

Excellent set, which I'll definite get at some point. I got the Grand Piano when it was reduced by £60 on Amazon. Hoping for a similar percentage reduction on this within a couple of months.

Next up, a fully functional comptometer to keep it company please!

Cool set, great review :) I'll definitely be getting this

Great review. This set is a definite must have for me.

As for
"There's also a sticker sheet, which is so small that you may not realise it's lurking at the bottom of the cardboard envelope housing the instructions and therefore might throw it away with the envelope, as I did! Luckily it didn't get any further than my waste bin."

That made me smile, because imho that's exactly where every sticker sheet belongs anyway.
:-)

@essel said:
"As many as 4 French versions of the letter? I wonder what justifies this, given the French language is essentially the same and the letter does not use any regionally-different words… The date format perhaps?

I also wonder what could be different between the Dutch-Dutch and Belgian-Dutch versions :D"
Didn't even notice that before my daughter asked me about the differences when I showed her all the language options.
Strange also why they only have German once, when there are distinct differences for example between German, Austrian and Swiss versions of German. But hey, perhaps we need four different versions of French even more, after all what do I know?

@fakespacesquid This... doesn't really make a lot of sense as an argument. It highlights the merits of Lego itself, but it doesn't argue for the existence of a specific model.

Most (or at least many) people who buy Lego do so because a specific combination of parts appeals to them, rather than the individual parts themselves. Being able to assemble AND disassemble a model is certainly Lego's best feature—I modify my models all the time—but we still discriminate in our buying choices; that's why this review exists in the first place. A set needs to succeeds on its own merits (which apparently it does for most readers of this review). Arguing you can take it apart or remodel it doesn't change that.

If your key selling point of this typewriter is that it doesn't HAVE to be a typewriter—that we can rebuild it into something else—why make a typewriter (or indeed, any specific model) at all? Why not just sell generic boxes of bricks (or individual pieces) and be done with it? Why even review sets if their primary selling point is the parts rather than the whole?

You can't overlook the price of these models, either. The Lego NES costs around £200—for a model that is aesthetically splendid, but functionally limited. I'm thoroughly impressed at how they've managed to recreate the action of Super Mario Bros. in Lego form. But I didn't buy it because I suspected the novelty would wear off fairly quickly, and because I was able to get an NES Mini—something that mimics both the form AND function of the original—for a lot less money.

There's certainly a place for this kind of thing (if its early reception is any indication) but I don't think the ability to make non-typewriter models from the pieces is the best argument for its existence.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion - free speech - just don't argue if your opinion is not to others tastes... that said

Wow - kudos to the designer. This in my opinion is what a lego idea set should be - something from the normal, not a variance on a theme

Brilliant review and at some stage a purchase for me

thumbs up

@Mister_Jonny:
While sets bought as sets are certainly where most of the sales will come from, sets absolutely get bought as parts packs. Any set that includes a decent range of parts in a rare color will always attract attention from anyone who ever has, or ever expects to, build in that color.

I don't understand the point of these models that are more expensive than the real thing. Not only the Adidas and this typewriter, the piano is silly expensive when you can get for a bit more a very good electronic keyboard with weighted and pressure sensitive keys.

@austinpowers, @pecadorl
Y'all know this is a LEGO website, yeah?

Just checking, because sometimes people forget.

@bananaworld said:
"
@austinpowers , @pecadorl
Y'all know this is a LEGO website, yeah?

Just checking, because sometimes people forget."
Of course I do. We are on the same side.

I was simply seconding the notion of @fakespacesquid versus @pecadorl 's remark that he doesn't understand the point of sets like the typewriter (or Adidas shoe, piano, NES etc.)

@MainBricker said:
" @sipuss said:
" @MainBricker said:
"Very strange that people seem to like this set, yet are offended by the Adidas Superstar. Both are full-sized Lego representations of real-world items."

I think it's the combination of close release dates ("Ugh, another one of those?), the "nostalgic feel of old device vs cross-promo with a company making overpriced shoes" and general quality of this vs the shoe (it really doesn't look like what it's supposed to be)."

There is a certain amount of irony on a Lego site of people moaning about other objects being overpriced."

Exactly, all hobbies are expensive. Some people want to spend $200 on plastic blocks, others $200 on sneakers.

Also, the irony in saying the typewriter has a nostalgic feel and the Superstar doesn't, even though that shoe has been around for over 50 years and was kind of groundbreaking.

"Unfortunately, those hoping for a new supply of sand green 1x8 bricks to make BrickLinking a 10185 Green Grocer a bit cheaper will be disappointed to learn that there are none in this set."

Darn.

I think it's pretty ingenious how they figured out that the sand green 32L axles could be used both as flower stems and as structure for a typewriter — in sand green.

I've seen a few typewriters but the most recent one I saw was in the Pullman coach at the Orient Express exhibition that's currently ongoing in Singapore until September. I believe it's an actual Remington Portable typewriter and not a replica, though I understand there to be a mix of both real artifacts and replicas at the exhibition (the rolling stock themselves are, of course, the real things, shipped from France, though it's unclear if the specific coaches were part of any Orient Express services — this one served on the Côte d'Azur). It's even got an AZERTY layout, which does seem to make it quite a shame that you can't remap the keys on this model.

But for what it is, and what's there, I really like this. I love the personal touch of the letter by Thomas Kirk Kristiansen and the fact that the fan designer got to be involved with him on the production of this model. I almost want to get it. I can never have enough sand green in my LEGO room.

@AustinPowers said:
" @fakespacesquid said:
" @pecadorl said:
"I don't understand the point of these models that are more expensive than the real thing. Not only the Adidas and this typewriter, the piano is silly expensive when you can get for a bit more a very good electronic keyboard with weighted and pressure sensitive keys."

Why do you get Star Wars sets when you could easily get more accurate action figures and models?"
Or why buy Technic Supercars / remote controlled vehicles or Creator Expert cars when you can get scale models or RC vehicles with far better functionality at the same or better price? "

I have plenty of Star Wars sets but only one UCS (death star playset) because I like Lego as toys not as models. I want Lego to be close to the source material but still blocky and with studs. I don`'t like large smooth surfaces trying to hide that are made from Lego blocks.

Compared to RC models Technic has an extra educational value, you can learn a lot while building the mechanisms. I also have a lot of Technic sets but I didn't buy any of the last cars based on specific vehicles.

And any Technic or Star Wars set are much cheaper than the real (or imaginary) thing :-)

I for one like these new and different LEGO sets/designs. Yes, they can be very niche, but they do have appeal. Be it flowers, typewriters, or sneakers. We all have our interest/passions and to have them realized in LEGO...always a win!

I only wish they had used a traditional IDEAS-style box with the lifting lid. Could have been modified to be like a Typewriter Case...and possibly fit the finished item :)

Why was the U.S. English shown instead of the UK English? I thought this was a proud British site. :P

@Huw:
If they didn’t muck up the US version with Britishisms, what differences do exist between the two?

It just occurred to me: if the moving hammer does actually hit the silver tiles making up the guide, would long-term play start wearing out the silver drum lacquering? On my 41902 Sparkly Unicorn Bracelet, the same silver drum lacquering on the 1x1 quarter tiles is wearing out due to abrasion and exposure to the elements. Not that anyone's going to play that much with this model, but still, something to think about...

I ordered on release day and I'm looking forward to starting to build it soon.

I should be in the target market for the Grand Piano too (I'm a musician). I don't care that it doesn't play but I am annoyed they included the electronic junk and app. I would rather the price have been lower.