[Review] 21000 Sears Tower (Architecture)

[Luciant]

Indexed

21000 Sears Tower

21000-1.jpg

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Set Details:
21000 Sears Tower
(Architecture) Released 2008
69 Pieces with 0 Minifigs
Retail Price: $19.99 USD
Price Per Piece: $0.29
Brickset Description:

Introducing the LEGO Architecture Landmark series of real-world construction models! This striking black-and-white replica of the famous Sears Tower in Chicago, U.S.A. measures 9" (228 mm) tall and 3.1" (80 mm) wide at its labeled base, and includes a booklet full of details about the building's design and history, plus facts about the real tower. A creative and eye-catching accent for any desk, shelf or mantelpiece! Replica of real-world architectural landmark Sears Tower! Booklet included with details on design and history! Measures 9" (228 mm) tall and 3.1" (80 mm) wide!

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Background
So I held off buying the cheapest of the theme for the last, mainly because I had to con myself into paying the ridiculous PPP for this set. I am a collector and had to finish this theme... so I watched the sales/deals forum: http://www.toysnbricks.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, found a lovely 30% off deal, and snagged it at least for a few bucks off (plus the extra 10% in store discount for being a B&N Member). Even with a decent discount, I'm not happy about this set already.

Box Top.jpg

Box Bot.jpg

Box Open.jpg

Experience.jpg

The box of this set is crisp like the rest of the theme. No alternate builds. Love the motto they put on each of the boxes.

Minifigs
There are no minifigs for this set. Minifigs are WAY out of proportion for this set.

Instruction

Inst.jpg

Inst 01.jpg

Inst 02.jpg

I absolutely love the instruction books for this theme. Always a nice binding, historical information about the building and facts. The step by step is very easy to follow.

Parts/Stickers

Parts.jpg

In the back of the instruction book is a nice part list. There is only 69 pieces, so there aren't many. There are no stickers, and only 1 unique piece, while all the others are common.

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Construction

01 Begin.jpg

And so we begin!

02 Base.jpg

03 Base.jpg

04 Base.jpg

The base of this set is constructed to give it a nice solid black edge border, with the nameplate proudly displaying the set's title. This is the only unique piece in the set. I do love how this theme makes a solid base.

05 Base.jpg

06 Bottom.jpg

07 Building.jpg

Here we are building the bottom of the building. Kind of boring, and basic if you were building your own, very 'modular'. So far, I'm not entirely impressed.

08 Edges.jpg

09 Tower.jpg

09a Tower.jpg

We're almost finished with the building, and the construction has been very basic. I tried to show how the set at least 'smooths the edges out' when it does leave a ledge.

Complete.jpg

Complete Side1.jpg

Complete Side2.jpg

And finally we are done. The set is a good representation of the Sears Tower, but I'm not extremely impressed.

Closeup.jpg

Figured I would try to show the edges on the set again.
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Summary

Building: 2 / 5
Appearance: 4 / 5
Pieces: 2 / 5
Value: 1 / 5
Playability: 1 / 5
Overall: 2 / 5

Building:
This set is extremely easy to build, and probably takes less than 10 minutes. It doesn't use any unique tricks, or anything special which makes it somewhat disappointing.

Appearance:
The set does look very similar to the real Sears Tower, so I had to give it a nod for that. The set is a great display set, so it got higher marks because of that. More detail could have gotten it to a 5.

Pieces:
There is 1 unique piece, and the others are boring, basic pieces. The glossy black color makes them decent for MOCs, but there aren't enough pieces to really make it worth your while.

Value:
The value of this set is terrible. Even if you are able to snag it for 50% off, it's still over-priced. You definitely aren't going to buy this set just for MOCs.

Playability:
There is no playability to this set. It is a display piece. Minifigs are about 1/5 of it's height, so it might make a nice backdrop piece for a city.

Overall:
I'm disappointed in this set, but I knew I would be going into it. I just can't justify many sets with such a high PPP without them having some special hook to them which this set does not. I urge you to avoid this set unless you are a crazy collector such as myself and have to have completion.

[pumbaugh]

I look at this series of LEGO sets differently. I could be wrong, but my general take on them is that they are meant to be more of a keepsake piece than a regular building set. You see all these sets sold in the gift shops of each respective building, and they have obviously taken more time and placed it into the quality of the manual and information provided in them. As with most things in gift shops they are overpriced. They clearly are not the general run of the mill sets, does that justify the price hike per piece? No, but after visiting these sites with my son I have no problem shelling out 20 bucks for this keepsake than many of the other over priced junk found in the gift shops. Its a bonus they are found online and outlets like B&N.

If you haven't visited said buildings, or in my case driven by this building everyday for many years, you may not see the value....but certain iconic buildings can justify the officially licensed product and the information booklets that come with them.