The landmarks of the world are a great source of inspiration for LEGO sets and now a new LEGO Creator model is being released to provide collectors with one of London’s most iconic structures. The updated LEGO Creator Expert 10253 Big Ben, due out in July 2016, is one of the largest, most detailed pieces of LEGO architecture to date and the fifth largest set yet.
Builders can carefully create every element of this amazing structure – from the fine details of the roof and landscape to the crucial elements of the bell and clock.
The name Big Ben can sometimes be a little misleading, but it is understandable when this is still the common nickname for this iconic British structure. What is interesting about this model is the fact that not only do builders get the chance to create that familiar clock tower – which is now known as Elizabeth Tower – there is the rest of the palace to build, some external elements for context and the bell. It is the bell that it the real Big Ben, which chimes out across the Thames to tell London the time, and this crucial element has been recreated in LEGO form to sit inside the tower. Players can lift off the decorated roof to see the mechanisms inside.
There is so much detail to this set within the architecture of the building, 60cm tower and additional elements that buyers will be kept entertained for hours. There are hundreds of little bricks to form the palace, with its detailed stonework and slate roof, and when it is all completed, it is sure to be a perfect representation of the building as it was in its former glory. It begins with base plates of blue and green and building bricks in a soft sandstone brown, and ends with lots of tiny details in the architecture, tinted translucent windows, trees, and even a series of gold ski poles to add that final element of grandeur.
Of course the stand-out feature of this set has to be the clock tower because not only does it have a clock dial on all four sides of the grand building, these faces actually work. There are four clock dial stickers for each side of the tower – which capture the style of the building with fine detail and Roman numerals – and each side has moving hands to mark the time. On the inside, a clever mechanism works to adjust each face simultaneously via a small control at the back of the building. With a simple twist, the hands will all move and every face will be identical.
A lot of time and effort must go into the creation of this LEGO Creator Expert 10253 Big Ben, but it is definitely worthwhile.
This new LEGO Big Ben model needs a steady hand and committed mind in order to see this 4163 kit through to completion, which is surely why it is being sold as a 16+ model. There is a lot of fiddly work needed to recreate the tower, place the internal bell, set the clocks and add all the finishing touches, but it all comes together to create a conversation starter that stands out from many LEGO models.
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