The LEGO River Steamboat is not just a beautiful set; it's an engaging experience that captures the essence of what makes LEGO special. The quality of a LEGO set is often judged by both its build process and its final appearance, and the River Steamboat excels in both areas. Its construction is a journey of discovery, with each step seamlessly leading to the next, reflecting the forward momentum of the steamboats that inspired it. The layered design of the ship, with easily removable floors, ensures that all the intricate internal details are both accessible and visible, enhancing the overall experience.
LEGO has long catered to adult fans with its modular building series, and the River Steamboat extends this concept to a modular boat. This set mirrors the meticulous attention to detail found in LEGO's modular buildings, showcasing both the unique and the everyday elements that come together to form a cohesive and impressive whole.
LEGO Ideas River Steamboat
$329.99 at LEGO Store
The LEGO River Steamboat hails from the LEGO Ideas line, where original concepts proposed by LEGO enthusiasts are submitted and voted on by the community. If a concept gains enough support, it becomes an official LEGO set, with the original designer receiving a share of the profits. Past successes from the LEGO Ideas line include sets like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jaws, and Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale.
We Build LEGO Ideas River Steamboat
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The LEGO River Steamboat draws inspiration from the historic paddle boats that navigated the Mississippi River in the 19th century. Initially used for industrial transport, these boats evolved into pleasure crafts, offering amenities and entertainment, a tradition that persists today. My wife and I experienced this firsthand during our honeymoon in New Orleans, enjoying a riverboat cruise filled with dining, dancing, and live jazz.
This set is a must-have for LEGO aficionados. The River Steamboat comes equipped with a jazz lounge and a dining room, but it also includes practical areas like a boiler engine room connected to the paddle wheel. Push the boat, and the wheel rotates. The pilothouse features a functional steering wheel that, when turned, adjusts the rudder at the boat's stern. Additional features include a kitchen, sleeping quarters for the crew, an anchor on a chain, and adjustable boarding stages at the bow.
The set, comprising 4,090 pieces, is thoughtfully divided into 32 bags for a structured build experience. You begin with the ship's base, which houses the boiler room and a miniature nautical museum featuring historical steam engines. The adjacent kitchen boasts a refrigerator, stove, and sink, showcasing LEGO's ingenious use of minimalistic design and color variations to transform pieces like a hot dog bun into engine reinforcements.
Ascending to the main deck, you'll find the dining room and jazz lounge. The lounge, positioned at the stern, is adorned with tiny LEGO accessories for a full band experience. The dining room is elegantly appointed with tablecloths, attractive chairs, and light fixtures that blend indoor and outdoor aesthetics. Wall posters advertise onboard entertainment, with one featuring the A-Frame Cabin from another LEGO Ideas set.
The dining room is built separately and then integrated into the main structure, creating a spacious deck area where minifigures can enjoy the scenery. However, the set does not include minifigures, which might have added a playful touch but perhaps reflects LEGO's intention for this set to be more for display than play.
Above the main deck lies the crew deck, complete with sleeping quarters and a bathroom featuring a toilet, sink, and shower. The pilothouse, located at the top, showcases a remarkable engineering feat with its steering mechanism. A rod threaded through all four levels of the steamboat allows the steering wheel to control the rudder, a testament to the meticulous planning and execution by LEGO designers.
The set is filled with delightful details, from repurposed croissant pieces used as billowy flags to neatly arranged white railings and patterned tiles mimicking rugs in the lounge areas. Though the set feels compact for its 4,090 pieces, the detailed craftsmanship and well-appointed rooms justify every piece.
As William Strunk noted in *The Elements of Style*, "Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts." The River Steamboat embodies this principle in LEGO form; every brick serves a purpose, every element contributes to the overall aesthetic, and every space is both functional and beautiful.
The LEGO River Steamboat, set #21356, retails for $329.99 and is composed of 4,090 pieces. It is available exclusively at the LEGO Store.
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