This was a great build. Many advanced AFOL's could design the Sears Tower, the Empire State Building, the Robie House, or Villa Savoye. This set required a superior creativity and engineering aptitude to design. The designers deftly captured the iconographic roof or "sails" that make the real building so captivating. Not necessarily evident in the photos, the building is actually two large structures that are set off from each other at an odd angle (maybe 15-20 degrees off center). The execution of this characteristic is also noteworthy, because, as we all know, it can be a challenge to capture asymmetry in Lego. The waterfront faces of the buildings are also curved and make ample use of tall, tinted transparent pieces to replicate the large gallery windows. The completed set is beautiful and remarkably solid; it be can moved without fear of accidental disassembly. I can only hope Lego will design more exciting large-scale architectural builds like this one, with the unique forms and curves that elevate it above ordinary architectural models.

Living in Europe, I'm situated right under the Sydney opera house. It's an iconic building I'd love to visit, but it’s far away and for now this exquisite and huge Lego model of it will have to do.

The proportions and colors chosen seem reasonably accurate. Everyone will instantly recognize the building. The big cracks in the characteristic white “fins” are a little disturbing visually.

If you like dark tan pieces, this set is for you as it is packed with different bricks, plates and tiles in this rare color. Unfortunately, the color variation amongst the pieces is disappointing. Some are brighter and some are too dark; in fact I'm considering ordering a vast number of replacements bricks from Lego. It can also be noted that the blue baseplates included in the set are very hard to find.

The size and the wow factor of the finished model is similar to other big builds, such as the Tower Bridge. But this set stands out, having very little build repetition; the shape of the opera house is so irregular and original that the sections are never repeating. This makes the build very enjoyable and refreshing. Contrast this with the Tower Bridge or Big Ben where you build the same stuff over and over again.

The building techniques used in this set involves pretty much everything we've seen. There are SNOT builds, Technic builds, ball joint builds... you name it. So it's a true feast for the Lego connoisseur. Indeed, the construction is very challenging and even an experienced adult will have to go back at times to make corrections. The age label on the box is warranted. Unfortunately, the regrettable errors in the instruction booklets will confuse you even more.

If you enjoyed other big builds in the Lego landmark series, there is no way you will be disappointed by this set. It has now retired, but many boxes are still available in stores.

QUALITY:

Not sure which factory these sets come out of, but the pieces are all really crisp and tight fit, some require a real firm positive click....very satisfying.

On the other hand the poly bags are unusually fragile and several were split, including several that were in the separate internal box. They all felt flimsy and didn't require any effort to open. Actually was missing one piece, never had that before on any other sets, totaling over 20,000 pieces. Packing the sail pieces together with other pieces is not a good thing as several has scratches from sharp corners on other pieces.

BUILD:

Good fun build, although some sections are over engineered from a design perspective whilst others sections are are too simple and flimsy, falling apart quite easily. Although for a model this size it's remarkably solid to pick up and move around, just don't touch the sail pieces. I guess it's always going to be a display piece so there's no real playability. The 4 instruction booklets are good although why some are landscape and some portrait I've no idea, it doesn't really help with the layout and as an electronic pdf makes it awkward.

COMMENTS:

The foreword in the booklet could have included some more information on the unique design aspects, for those that have never the the building personally. Enjoyed the build, bit pricey compared to others sets.

9/10 - missing piece and split poly's

The LEGO Group's very own Jamie Beard suggested that - for at least the six years that he's been working as a designer - the Sydney Opera House was a project that had been shelved and returned to several times over. This makes a whole lot of sense when one considers the striking complexity of this modernist architecture, but it also signals the desire to re-create one of the world's best known landmarks.

Lest we also forget that this product nods towards Australia; a country where Lego incurs more costs and has a smaller inventory. This isn't to say that the Sydney Opera House makes up for those shortcomings, but I'm quite sure that TLG understood the hardships their customers.

But stacking up against previous entries in this 'Landmarks' sub-theme (now officially part of the Creator Expert line), does the Sydney Opera House hit all the right notes?

Note to reader: More involuntary puns ahead!

Packaging and Contents

"Ahhhh"... That gentle sight of relief was my reaction to seeing numbered bags. It's generally forgotten that the process of sorting bricks into different bricks adds labour to the product, though in the case of Sydney Opera House, it's hard to imagine building this model without them. 10214 Tower Bridge is absent in this area, though the incredible price per ratio of that particular product more than makes up for it.

There are four instruction booklets with this particular set, and each has a wealth of 'bags-within-bags', so to speak.

I'm also a great fan of the packaging. Sure, this isn't something that will make or break a purchase, but it's nice to the trend for a daylight image on the front and then a nighttime version on the back, because it helps to re-create the atmosphere of being at this landmark during different occasions. The box is also the exact same size as the Tower Bridge.

Parts

Let's just get this out of the way... baseplates! If it's not enough getting a half and a full baseplate, you also get an extra large 48x48 plate in blue for the very first time. Like landmark products before it, the Opera House also comes with a wealth of 'same colour' elements that will no doubt be of interest to AFOLs; in this instance, a dark tan.

Backstory

It's interesting that the Sydney Opera House has taken so long to be re-created in Lego elements, but it had to have been inevitable. This is one of the most iconic examples of modernist design that the world has seen, and for a building that was conceived over a fourteen year period, one can't ignore the ambition for wanting Australia to have its own crown jewel.

Although part of Sydney harbour, the design compromises of several different buildings: an admission booth/information centre, an opera house and a concert hall. The unique structure was then inspired by sails, for Sydney is home to a great many boats that are used for both racing and leisure.

The overall effect of this design is penetration, as the sails pierce the horizon line with immense impact. It would have been quite easy to design an uninspired block of concrete with no consideration for longevity (fashionable during the 1960s), but the fact that the Sydney Opera House makes a statement says a lot about the willingness to place music at the forefront of creative art. The interesting thing, of course, is that building almost harmonises with the music played inside it.

Build

What I have started to notice with 'Exclusive' products more recently is the challenge elements has been significantly altered by design. In the past, a "difficult set" would be one in which I needed to look twice at a stage in the instruction manual, specifically to understand how parts would be placed in relation to those already set down. These days, the term difficult tends to connote how you may grasp the architecture itself - or indeed how much patience you have.

I bring this up because the Sydney Opera House was, surprisingly, one of the easiest Exclusive products I've had the joy of building yet.

Now then, is this a bad or negative thing? No. Absolutely not. In fact, I applaud TLG for wanting to level this playing field, because it invites more people to build these models without fear of being overwhelmed. The focus on smaller sub-builds helps to keep you interested through the entire process, and in the case of the 'sails', really gives you a tingly feeling as you construct elements almost as if it were a jigsaw puzzle. Once all these parts come together, the feeling of accomplishment is immense.

One truly beautiful function of this model, besides its obvious look, is the fact that it can be disassembled and put back together with relative ease. This method of thinking in the design stage not only allows the owner to transport or package the model into a smaller container, but it creates more options in the building itself.

The Opera House can first and foremost be split into two halves quite simply; just remove a couple of tiles and you're free to pull the build apart. This is where this product range has a lot of freedom, as the interior of the building has free space to be used for other functions - in this instance, a Technic system that becomes part of the primary spine/joint.

With the two halves taken apart, you can then remove the two sails from the larger base, which are the opera house and the concert hall. Each also gives an easy demonstration as to how they're created in the first place, which is nice for showing off to friends and family. The white panels are easily taken off, and within you can show off the true mind-boggling complexity of this design.

What makes the foundation even more special is that it looks more complicated than what it actually is to build - though I think great credit should be given to the (relatively) simple instructions. Every stage of this build is well thought out, and allows for plenty of breathing space. Again, this only reiterates the great decision to rebrand this product line 'Creator Expert', as it provides a benchmark to which the build can be judged.

The four primary stages of construction - each divided by its own set of bags - also helps to make the build more manageable if you're completing it across several days. This tops off what is an exceptionally well considered product; one that, whether the building itself looked beautiful or ugly, would still demand praise for its execution, for it shows how much TLG now care about the customer experience.

Highs and Lows

I found quite by surprise that the highlight of this product isn't that it is just the Sydney Opera House, but that that it looks absolutely fantastic from just about every angle. With the building itself being situated on a harbour in real life, it's understandable the building should look good no matter where you stand, but it only helps to appreciate the organic design. Of course not all Landmark models will have the fortune of being pretty from all angles, so this is only another good reason to display this model properly.

In an ideal world (perhaps not so for the lady of the house), the builder would place the Sydney Opera House on a surface that can be walked right around!

So can the product really be criticised in any form? I have no immediate issues with it, other than the lack of a name sign.

Of course, this isn't a high priority feature since the architecture itself should be instantly recognisable, but I would have appreciated a little separate build that formed a stand, and on it, a sticker would be placed that contained interesting facts and data about the building (such as real-life dimensions, weight, capacity, year of completion etc). The Star Wars 'UCS' models have these, and they're fictional!

A quick word about the 'Architecture' range...

As I discussed in my Empire State Building review, one of the more clever 'brand taxes' at the moment is the Architecture range, which invites the customer to a very specific build experience that is accompanied with additional information and brilliant presentation. For these reasons alone, we have to be blunt and admit that the Architecture theme exists purely for its own standards, whilst cleverly accommodating a vast price range.

So what makes the Landmarks sub-theme different? Quite simply, it doesn't need the nonsense of faux executive branding to be impressive.

And this is where a conflict occurs. The Sydney Opera House is the first Landmark model that has also been present in the Architecture range, and as such, the stylistic differences of these products draw attention to just how irrelevant the latter now is. So are we going to see more of these tiny models later re-produced into 'Landmark' counterparts? Time will surely tell - they are afterall only released every 3 to 4 years. But I would personally be put out having spent upwards of £70 on Fallingwater to then find a Creator Expert version immediately dwarfing it.

Final Thoughts

Being £40 more expensive than 10214 Tower Bridge, one could argue that this offers worse value for money by losing out on almost 1100 bricks. This is to some extent true at the present time, but it's always worth remembering the four year inflation and the number of large pieces in this product - and of course the former did not contain number bags. With the Tower Bridge gone, the Sydney Opera House will then stand on its own as a surprisingly decent value product at 8 pence per brick.

As for the product design, I could not be happier in any way, shape or form. From the opening of the box to placing the model on display, this was a superb experience that has the added bonus of being easily transportable (unlike previous 'landmark' products), as this is quite important for the more mature builder that needs to re-arrange furniture. Friends that have seen this model could not believe that it was all made from Lego, and that is truly the real beauty with a product like this. It defies belief that a human being actually sat down and designed it, such is the intricacy, precision and intelligence to produce something as vital as the branches inside the sails.

Just throwing it out there, but for the next landmark product, I would love to see... the Great Sphinx from Egypt. Sure enough, we don't know who exactly the designers were, but that would make a stunning model. Judging by previous products, they all fall into the urban dictionary at being instantly recognisable, so whatever comes next will again satisfy a market somewhere around the world.