Review: 31211 Macaw Parrots
Posted by Huw,The Art series of sets has taken a different direction away from placing dots on plates with this set, which is a two-dimensional model of birds designed to be displayed on a wall.
31211 Macaw Parrots is the first in what is presumably a new range of sets called the fauna collection, and it'll be available from January 1st.
Summary
31211 The Fauna Collection - Macaw Parrots, 644 pieces.
£44.99 / $59.99 / €49.99 | 7.0p/9.3c/7.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Something different, unusual and attractive to brighten up your wall
- Beautiful plumage
- Muted colours
- Can only be displayed on a wall
- Muted colours
- Unnatural looking foliage
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The set has two instruction manuals, one for each bird, allowing them to be built simultaneously with a companion should you wish. One of the books has an introductory section which includes the usual 'mindfulness' nonsense, including how the 'artwork articulates a new design language that [...] embodies the versatility of LEGO elements and colours', which is clearly aimed at the causal adult LEGO builder rather than us.
My wife built the models in a couple of hours and found it relaxing and enjoyable. I am told that, being mostly flat and two-dimensional, the build was straightforward other than the branch, flowers and foliage, which she found a bit fiddly.
Both birds are sideways brick built and devoid of surface detail other than around their heads. Slopes along the edges are used to good effect to mimic feathers.
The wings of the pink one are held at the correct angle and attached to the body using a Technic assembly that incorporates two 67139 PANEL 3X5, W/ 4.85 HOLE to facilitate hanging it on the wall.
The yellow bird's plumage utilises several pieces that are new in cool yellow, including the new 1x6x1 slopes along the front edge of its tail and body, and 1x4x1.66 curved slopes on its head and elsewhere.
It has a single hanging bracket on the back.
The branch it's perched on is constructed using orange Technic connectors, with aqua and vibrant coral leaves and flower heads. It matches the muted palette of the birds but does perhaps look a bit unnatural.
Unlike previous Art sets that can simply be propped up against something to display them, this one has to be either laid flat or hung on a wall, which I have done in my hallway.
The muted colours will not be to everyone's taste, but they are more likely to blend in with the surrounding decor than if they were made with bright, primary colours.
They certainly look good on the light green painted wall in my hallway which, unfortunately, is a bit dim at this time of year, so I was not able to get a better picture.
It's something different and, in my opinion, attractive and interesting, and LEGO should be commended for introducing sets like this. It won't appeal to everyone, but if you've a spot on a wall that needs brightening up, you could do worse than hang this on it.
Price-wise, £44.99/$59.99/€49.99 does not seem too bad for 644 pieces and, given that it will be a regular retail set that'll be sold at the likes of Amazon, it should be possible to get it cheaper in the fullness of time.
I look forward to seeing what else the fauna collection yields...
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31 comments on this article
Really really love this set actually. My only gripe is that lego really needs to make a new set of slopes that can mesh together. Those gaps on the yellow bird look awful IMO. But other than that, I love the 2D -ness of the build, and those colours are gorgeous.
I for one think these are very effective; I really like the colour choices. Unfortunately I also think they’ll be a pain in the neck to keep clean, which I fear is a recurring problem with all of the more ambitious Art sets.
I really like these and I'm considering picking them up. They're a bit GOLDEN GIRLS in terms of colors and iconography, but that's kinda why I love them.
An unexpected addition, and I'll be very curious to see what other things they come up with for this new subtheme.
It's a very Florida art deco style.
When i first saw these, they looked nothing like Lego. They're so pretty, would be a wonderful display piece.
Just gone onto my Wanted list!
They're definitely interesting, but I can't help but be a little disappointed since when I heard the leak of the "Fauna Collection" I thought it would be a line of realistic models of animals, similar to the Botanical Collection's representation of plants. At least creator 3-in-1 has been filling in that role a bit with that new giraffe set and the less recent tiger set, but a whole line of AFOL-targeted animal builds would've been a dream for me.
@AHYL88 said:
"This isn't something I'll go for but it looks great and there's almost nothing wrong with this; they're both also FAR larger than I thought they were! The only criticism from my point of view is building the feathers for the pink parrot looks very repetitive, as there's so many of them, with slight variations."
I thought that might have been a problem but my wife did not complain about it.
I don’t think the ‘mindfulness’ aspect of Lego is nonsense at all. In fact, I’d say that’s one of the most appealing factors of a Lego build for me (well, except when it comes to applying stickers, and my stress level jump up tenfold).
Lots of color inconsistencies on that bright light yellow bird. However this time it might help make it look more natural.
I'm sure someone will like these. I can see a kid or young teen wanting to build and hang in room.
Not for me but definitely will be discounted down the road.
Positive: Muted colors
Negative: Muted colors
Please explain
Very pretty. I have the urge to bite them.
Thanks for the review. Since the pink one has two hanging brackets (I don't understand why), doesn't it hang crooked when you use just one bracket?
Con: Bad quality of yellow pieces. 50 shades of yellow.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Positive: Muted colors
Negative: Muted colors
Please explain"
This was my favorite part of the review!
I love these. My only problem is I don’t have any walls to display them as there’s Lego shelves everywhere
If they do the traditional three flying ducks, I'd probably get them.
Because you brought up the color choice, I suppose people might find ways to rebuild this set in more realistic colors.
Interesting concept but this set isn't for me. Will be interesting to see what other fauna they immortalize in this way. Hope they go for more realistic colors if they do any animal that appeals to me eventually. This color palette is too art deco mid 1900's for my liking.
@yellowcastle said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Positive: Muted colors
Negative: Muted colors
Please explain"
This was my favorite part of the review!"
Mine was "beautiful plumage".
@Rimefang said:
"It's a very Florida art deco style."
Indeed. I kinda hope they'll do a reverse-31144 and rerelease this in a more lifelike color palette. Alternately, I suppose I could just use the online instructions to work up a more accurate part list.
@Huw:
Judging by the reaction to the mosaic sets, many AFOLs typically consider them to be mind-numbingly repetitive, while casual builders find them to be more relaxing. It's really just a matter of what sort of experience you're seeking, whether this will be a hit or a miss. You're primarily a Technic fan, while I've been building show-quality MOCs for a few decades, so complex techniques are an enticement rather than a drawback. Many of your readers, on the other hand, exclusively build sets, and prefer those from earlier decades. To many of them, these may even seem needlessly complicated.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer:
The colors used are uncommon, and include a variety of new elements, therefore seen as a plus. They look nothing like any real parrot I've ever heard of, therefore a minus...unless you're into that 1980's pastel aesthetic.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Positive: Muted colors
Negative: Muted colors
Please explain"
Some will like them as they are, some would have preferred them to be more realistic.
@jaredhinton said:
"Lots of color inconsistencies on that bright light yellow bird. However this time it might help make it look more natural. "
When the bug becomes a feature...
@chrisaw said:
"I don’t think the ‘mindfulness’ aspect of Lego is nonsense at all. In fact, I’d say that’s one of the most appealing factors of a Lego build for me (well, except when it comes to applying stickers, and my stress level jump up tenfold)."
I agree. I do think the way that it's written about in marketing is a bit puffed up and silly but there is truth behind the puffery.
On the subject of repetition, there are a lot of very repetitive crafts, so if you are making this and comparing it to, say, knitting or cross stitch you wouldn't think it was an issue.
I can understand that Lego has chosen these unnatural colors for the sake of art, but why they named these birds "macaws" (instead of the ring-necked parakeets which they obviously are) is beyond me...
@Studnotontop said:
"Very pretty. I have the urge to bite them."
Do Macaws...taste good?
I don't count the unnatural looking foliage as a negative, I see it as a feature. Artistic licence.
Although I like how they look, I do not choose to collect display sets. There are some impresssive sets like the 21313 Ship in a Bottel, 21327 Typewriter or even 10306 Atari and 71374 Nintendo, but I just can't . I'm ok with looking at just the pictures. This one is the same. It looks beautiful and colorful, but I'm not gonna get it.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Positive: Muted colors
Negative: Muted colors
Please explain"
one was his?
one was wife?
you guess which which?
I'm quite tempted to build the yellow one but with the attire of a local 'evasive' bird here, the ring-necked parakeet, so in lime and/or bright green.