Set #21113 The Cave: LEGO first introduced Minecraft to their vast library of Licensed Themes during the LEGO Cuusoo days, before it evolved into Ideas. These were microbuilds, eventually though LEGO came to realize the sheer ability for profit that Minecraft represents. And so we now have LEGO Minecraft as an official Theme. I am not a Minecraft fan, I have never played the game and know next to nothing about the elements of the game, however I am a fan of creative LEGO ideas and while Minecraft might not be the most original of ideas, when you consider some of the Classic LEGO sets that are designed and created each day, however if you’re a fan of brick building than this Theme is definitely for you.

Box/Instructions

Box: Awesome design. LEGO Minecraft isn’t new, the design of these boxes matches those found with the LEGO Cuusoo/Ideas Minecraft Microbuild sets. The box has a nice pixelated look, all green, except the bottom flap that is brown. It is designed to match the game and it works brilliantly, the front shows the set and gives you a list of the characters found inside, the back shows off all the various ores you build and the alternative build of the model found in the back of the book. Great box design, good job LEGO.

Instructions: The instructions for Minecraft break the build between the two numbered bags used by LEGO for this set. They are very well designed, considering that this is mostly using 2x4 bricks, the simple nature and design of these instructions really impress. On top of that we also get a throwback to truly Classic LEGO sets of the distant past, Rebuild Inspiration is found in the back, showcasing an alternate configuration for the Cave. There’s even some nice artwork and a small write-up detailing what Minecraft is (for those of us who don’t follow the game or its popularity), as well as a nice showcase of the other sets from the wave.

Parts

This, in fact every Minecraft set, is basically a large box of LEGO bricks with very few other pieces in order to capture the style of the game. To that end I can’t say that there’s anything rare in this set. We have some nice printed 1x2 bricks with TNT on them and a bagette piece first used in LEGO CMF, still most Minecraft sets are a great source for bricks, so make excellent parts packs for MOC fans.

Minifigures

Steve: The Minifigures in LEGO Minecraft are super simple, there is very minimal printing, but that’s to be expected. This version of Steve is found commonly in many sets, the new square headpiece looks very nice, and features the most printing for the face, the torso has a small amount of printing. Accessories include a pail for carrying harvested ores and a pickaxe.

Spider: This enemy from the game is built with several plates in black and a few bricks, as well as a nice new printed head piece. The overall design of this spider is great, it’s suitably creepy and captures the likeness from what I’ve seen through online images quite nicely. It’s nice to see the creative way the LEGO designers create the creatures, enemies and characters from the game.

Zombie: Simple, lacking in accessories, but a stand out Minifigure all the same. The simple level of printed detail captures the game’s likeness very well. What more can I say about it?

The build

Bag 1: The build is relatively simple with this set, in order to capture the essence of the games keeping everything simple makes sense. What doesn’t make too much sense is splitting this build between two numbered bags. This build is one half of the cave, and honestly there isn’t much to discuss here. After spending a lot of years building intricate models the simplicity of this one is its charm though. No stickers, no printed elements, just bricks and putting them together.

Bag 2: The second portion of the cave has even less pieces than the first bag and the build is still just as simple. Most of the connector points are single stud jumper pieces, making it easy to customize the build anyway you want.

The completed model

The official build of The Cave is a very open model, it captures the essence of the game quite well from what little I’ve seen of Minecraft. The jumpers allow you to simulate mining ores, and the nifty looking torches are designed to help keep enemies away.

Forgive me for not discussing this as a gamer, as I have not played Minecraft before I can’t go into very large levels of details of the accuracy of the elements in the model. So I will approach this model more as a LEGO model/build, and honestly this is a great throwback to the beginning of LEGO when building with simple bricks and relying on imagination was the basic concept of the product.

This is a great model if you’re a fan of the game because of the sheer attention to detail bringing the game world to life offers, but it’s also a great model for fans of vintage LEGO sets. Sometimes just building with a bunch of bricks can beat out all the Themed LEGO sets of the modern age. What’s really fun is how you can take this model and merge it with other models in the Wave, it’s all designed with a bit of modular thinking, meaning that The Cave, while a simple and slightly smaller model compared to others, can be attached any number of ways to other models such as The Mine or The Farm.

Overall opinion

I wholeheartedly recommend this set for the fans of Minecraft and Classic LEGO builds. This set is one of the cheapest methods for getting Steve, and while it is basically a small structure for mining materials, it still stands out as a cleverly designed set with brilliant use of parts for form and function. Even though I’ve never touched the game and have no plans to, the unique style of this design stands out as a LEGO set, and the sheer endless possibilities one can have mixing, matching and combining the LEGO Minecraft Theme sets together is just a great all-around throwback to the days of my youth and Classic LEGO sets.

Hello Brickset users. Welcome again to yet another review by me. This time, we are reviewing the Cave. Overall, I really like this set. This is really nice. Let's jump into the review

Box/Instructions: The box is pretty clear, showing the set surrounding a forest biome. The instructions ar every clear and no technic parts are involved. Another wonderful upside is everything is printed instead of stickers.

Parts: Parts are really nice. You get many common colors and designs. The most striking parts to me are the ores and TNT, minifigure heads and accessories and torches.

Minifigures: Minifigures are basic for the most part. You get a zombie, which you can find in many other sets. Steve is armed with an iron pickaxe to mine the ores. This is also common, as both can be found in several other sets. The spider, however, is exclusive to this set and The Mine.

The build: The build was really easy. All I needed help on was the spider, which was a little difficult. Everything else was very straightforward.

The completed model: The Cave looks like a cave. The chest is nice. The ores and the figures are a welcome inclusion. Just try not to get hurt, as there are many places where you are likely to die! (Just kidding!) I really like the completed model.

Overall opinion: I think the age group is fine. I see anyone not having much of a problem with this set. This is both a great set for kids and collectors because you can act out scenes from Minecraft, or just display it and combine it with other sets to make a minecraft world. The price is really good, for only a low price of $20. I would highly recomend this, wheter you play the game or not.

As I got back into Minecraft by buying a new account (I lost my old one), I thought it would be nice to buy some Minecraft sets. The sets themselves have grabbed my attention before (especially 21118 The Mine), but I had never been tempted to buy one until now, and it appears I picked a good one to start with!

Box/Instructions

The box is very well detailed, covered in grass block-like printing all around, and even looks like dirt on the bottom! It also displays Steve and a zombie with some "action features" and an alternate build. The instructions are also well decorated, with grass block printing (again) in the background. the instructions also tell you how to build the alternate model, which is really just a slight variation of the main build.

Parts

For such a small set, some wonderful parts are included. A light nougat chest, two 1x2 white printed tnt bricks, an iron pickaxe, a light grey bucket, and special molded heads for Steve, the zombie, and the spider. For the price of the set, the value of the parts is astounding, and would be great for reselling online.

Minifigures

This set has two or three minifigures depending on how you look at it. Steve, a zombie, and a spider are included, all of which have special heads and, if applicable, torsos. Lego could have gotten away with only including Steve and the zombie, but I am very glad that the spider is included as well.

The build

The build of this set is split into two parts, the first of which makes most of the actual cave section and the second makes the entrance and platform on top of the cave. The first build was surprisingly in depth and more complicated than I expected, but the second was a bit under whelming. For a set this small, however, the build was surprisingly good.

The completed model

My only complaint about the model is that the sections it is built in are not very well connected. Usually they are only held together ny four studs, and I had some trouble getting it to stay together when building it and during transportation. Another small thing I would have prefered is the color of the gold ore to be yellow instead of golden, to better match the in-game block. Despite these flaws, I still am very happy with the appearance of the set as a whole.

Overall opinion

I was really surprised about how good this set turned out to be. It is a wonderful introduction to the minifig-scaled Minecraft sets, and would go well with any other sets in the line. I fully recommend this set to anyone interested in the Minecraft theme.

Box/Instructions

The box is rectangular and quite small in size. The front of the box shows the set in all its glory in a Minecrafty back ground and also states to "build your own creations" and that inspiration is included. The back of the box shows Steve mining ores, running away from a zombie and creating obsidian. It also shows the alternative model which is at least more game accurate than "The First Night". The box also shows the ores included with the set along with the TNT. When you open the box there are 2 bags of pieces and an instruction book. The instructions are bigger than most people would expect and are very clear.

Parts

There are lots of good parts in this set including the bread, the bucket, the chest, the iron pick and many more. My favorite is the spider's head.

Minifigures

The minifigs in this set are very game accurate and look good. My favorite is the spider.

The build

The build is very quick and easy but fun. I would say that a 6 year old could make it.

The completed model

The model when made looks very much like the typical cave that you would go in when you play Minecraft. The removable iron, coal, gold and red stone ores look very good. you also get torches, TNT and a chest. The lava is very good and looks just like it does in the game.

Overall opinion

This set is a must have for Christmas but it is selling out quick in the stores. Ultimately whether you like Lego or Minecraft or both you have got to have this in your collection.

21113 was one of the first minifigure scale lego minecraft sets, released in 2014. For it's £20, I'd say it's worth it.

Parts

There are a lot of unique pieces, such as the iron pickaxe, a light-grey bucket, two printed TNT pieces and the custom minifigure pieces.

Minifigures

The minifigure collection in The Cave is good, containing Steve with his iron pickaxe, and two of the most common hostile mobs, the Zombie and the Spider.

The completed model

The completed model is fine, although it can be hard to transport, unless you put a large plate under it. Steve can mine ores, as well as run away from zombies.

Overall opinion

I would recommend this set to people who either are starting up their collection, or who have The Mine, as this is practically a scaled-down version of The Mine. This set gave me a lot of fun playing it.