Inconspicuous

Review: 3450 Statue of Liberty Sculpture

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Welcome to my review of 3450 Statue of Liberty Sculpture! I am extremely fortunate to have experienced this set so much, even though I don’t own it. A close friend of mine no longer needed it, and was interested in the hefty price it fetched. In case anyone asked for pictures before ordering, we assembled it and it gave me an excuse to take pictures of it. This is going up for sale on Bricklink sometime in the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled!

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and equality that greeted immigrants as they came to America is search of opportunity. Lego released this green giant in a super-model that was quietly released and discontinued. Its price skyrocketed to around $500 used from its original $200 price tag. Is it worth its new price tag? Read on to learn the secrets of this silent guardian.

BASIC INFORMATION:

Set Name: Statue of Liberty Sculpture

Set Number: 3450

Number of Pieces: 2882 (2899 Bricklink)

Minifigs: 0

Price: USD $199.00

Theme: Sculptures

Year Released: 2000

RESOURCES:

Brickset

Peeron

Bricklink

THE REVIEW:

BOX:

Front:

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Despite such a huge box, very little of the set is advertised. The front of the box is covered by the large Set Information, an American flag, and a blue sky. The Statue’s 33 inch height is the only feature advertised on the whole box. I’m surprised that the suggested age limit is a low 14, because the set takes huge concentration, sorting, and building abilities.

Back:

4134814079_07d9af0cb7.jpg

All the back of the box has is the Just Imagine logo. I find this surprising for such a huge set, but there really aren’t any playability features to advertise. I also find it funny that they use the Just Imagine logo on this of all sets, because the logo was usually placed with alternate models that there were no instructions to, and this set definitely doesn’t seem like the set you could easily make alternate models with. Also here is a tiny Lego.com advertisement. I guess it goes to show how much advertising has grown recently.

Inside:

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Inside the box were 4 white sub-boxes that are very similar to the four white boxes found in the 10188 Death Star. Here there are only two, but the occupy most of the vertical space. The original box lid actually didn’t rest all the way on the bottom.

Box:: Thoughts: Big but not flashy. It's not really the kind of box you would keep, but you might as well.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Front:

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The instruction booklet is drastically different from the box art. The Statue is more prominently featured, with the New York City skyline in the background. The instructions are the size of many instructions today, like the Modular buildings, Venice Canal Chase, and Temple of the Crystal Skull, just to name a few.

Random Page:

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The instructions feature the absolutely necessary piece-call-outs with the sky blue background. Since the Statue is built by layer, each step is one layer. The new layer appears in sand green, while the previous step is gray. This page also shows that the Statue is hollow.

Ad Page:

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The only advertisements the booklet contains are for these two planes. That sky with cloud background shows up yet again.

Back:

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Yep, even more clouds. The back is almost identical to the back of the box.

Instructions:: Thoughts: A little bit thick, but clear and to the point.

PIECES:

I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures of all the pieces, but it wouldn't be that useful anyways. The pieces in this set are all sand green, apart from the torch and the baseplate. This is a bit of a bummer, but there's really no way to avoid it and keep the model accurate. However, it is a treasure trove of sand green which could be really useful in MOCs. There are bricks, plates, and jumpers all throughout. It would have been cool to have more tiles but very unlikely since the whole thing would have to be coated in them.

Pieces:: Thoughts: Sand green: love it or hate it. That's everything to this set's pieces.

THE BUILD:

No build shots, but for this set they would be gruesomely long. The build goes layer by layer, in a slow but steady process. It takes very constant attention to detail and there is plenty of room to slip. And if you do and you don't notice until later, you're in trouble! The build took my friend and I three days the first time, of fairly constant building. It was really cool to see the iconic statue slowly rise out of the rubble, and I'm sure this would make an amazing stop-motion build.

Build:: Thoughts: Extremely challenging and fairly boring. No interesting techniques used. You can really see the progress though.

COMPLETED PRODUCT:

Front:

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Here we have the finished product. Please note that the bottom is not lighter, it’s just the photo. Although it’s a bit blocky, it’s extremely accurate to the original. I think the ugliest part by far is the book. It looks more like a mangled piece of paper to me! However, I absolutely love the face and the torch.

Side:

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This side is relatively boring, but it allows us to see the gap under her arm as well as her wrist. I think her wrist looks a bit thin, but perhaps the actual statue looks this way too.

Other Side:

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From the other side, we can see her lovely skirt and the wrist again. I really love the skirt because the way it spreads is really accurate. On this side you can see the wrist even better. It looks even thinner and blockier from this side.

Back:

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The book looks a little better from the back. In this picture, you can also see the complex curls of her hair. I think this is another really cool part, because the 3D contours are awesome.

Book:

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Here’s a close up of the book. That little hole isn’t a mistake! It looks out of place. I think using plates on the book could make it less ugly.

Face:

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To me, the most impressive part of the entire statue is the face. Lots of jumper plates are used to create incredibly realistic detailing. Ironically, the nose is built with SNOT. It blends in quite nicely. I could stare at that face for hours. :wub:

Torch:

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Another interesting part is the torch. The flames look really cool, and are contoured backwards. The wrist and especially the torch have a knack for falling off. My new kittens were fascinated with the statue and the one part that didn’t survive their attacks was the torch, which fell and made a nasty dent in my studio. (I think design flaws should be tested by cat!). Besides the baseplate, this is the only non-sand green part of the entire set. :tongue:

Top:

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Although it doesn’t reveal anything interesting about the set, I've provided a top shot. The crown looks quite nice, although it’s fairly unstable.

Comparison:

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Here's a comparison with the actual thing. You can see how blocky the Lego one looks, but considering it's made out of bricks and not slopes and tiles, it's quite accurate. I think Lego did a fine job, and it still looks amazing on display even if it isn't perfect.

_______________________________________________

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Totals:

Design: 9/10 Amazingly accurate but a few weak sections, like the wrist, torch, and book. The face is just gorgeous.

Parts: 7/10 More sand green than you would ever want in a lifetime. I personally love it!

Build: 3/10 Challenging and boring. However, you can see progress.

Playability: 5/10 It's always hard to judge playability on models. On one hand it's not fun to play with, on the other, it's not intended to be played with. I usually compromise and have each worth 5 points (playability: 0/5 displayability: 5/5)

Price: 7/10 2882 pieces for $200 is excellent. For $500 of rare sand green, it's still not bad.

Total: 31/50 Despite a low rating, I think this set is amazing. Once the build is over, you're fine and this set is far too beautiful to part out. Look over the ratings and you'll see that many categories that "regular" sets are judged on really don't apply to this one. I find that ratings can't make the decision for you and that you should make the decision for you. If you have any interest in this set, don't hesitate! The sky is the limit on how high the price may rocket.

Bonus:

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I couldn’t think of anything funny to do with the statue, so I decided to throw a party. Some of the guests don’t get along. :laugh:

Thanks for reading!

-Inconspicuous (Inky)

Edited by Inconspicuous
Indexed

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I'm curious to find out what would happen if Lego decided to re-release this as a Legend or if they decided to do an updated version utilizing new pieces and techniques.

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Thanks for the review, Inky!

There's so much sand green here! You'll never need any bricks of that color again if you buy this set. :grin:

The build seems like it would be extremely boring, but the end result is spectacular! With the reference picture of the actual statue, it looks quite accurate. :thumbup:

The face is marvelous! The use of jumper plates for a half-stud offset for the lips and eyelids is perfect.

And I was just wondering, how many pages are there to the instructions?

Good luck on helping your cousin friend sell this beauty! :classic:

EDIT to reply to post below:

80 Steps, torch as a sub-model. That's 80+ pages of actual build. Also, it's a friend's, not my cousin's. :tongue:
Wow, that's a lot!

:grin:

Edited by ILikePi

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And I was just wondering, how many pages are there to the instructions?

Good luck on helping your cousin sell this beauty! :classic:

80 Steps, torch as a sub-model. That's 80+ pages of actual build. Also, it's a friend's, not my cousin's. :tongue:

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Nice revieiw Inconspicuous :thumbup:! Good pictures and text, and a great party at the end!

I love my set, because I kind of enjoy really big builds. It was a bit dull to build challangewise, but as you wrote one could really see the progress.

I was extremely lucky - my set came with extra pieces to build the sandstone base :grin:! So this is my setup:

gallery_148_29_22427.jpggallery_148_29_33531.jpggallery_148_29_69532.jpg

The set has pretty basic pieces but a couple of rare ones also:

1 - 3747a.gif Slope, Inverted 33 3 x 2

4 - 3063.gif Brick, Round Corner 2 x 2 Macaroni

8 - 3665.gif Slope, Inverted 45 2 x 1

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Wow, that's dedication. Looks like a gigantic build. I only voted Average since I'm not much for the gigantic builds of sstuff like this, but I'm happy you did this, so I can experience this set too!

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I think it is outstanding. I wish I owned this set. I imagine if you are a big fan of this color this would be an ultimate must have. Its one of those sets that will probably come back eventually.

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Wow thats one big model! :oh:

Great review Inky! :thumbup:

All that sand green... :wub:

This is a nice set, but I don't think I'd buy it.

It's sort of accurate, I think the flowing of the dress could have been captured alittle better but Lego have done a good job with it. :thumbup:

Thanks for the review Inky!

CommanderFox

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Great review. The set is fine for anyone over probably 18. I'm not a big fan, but it is still pretty cool. The instructions are kinda wierd but they are OK. :sceptic:

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I was extremely lucky - my set came with extra pieces to build the sandstone base :grin:! So this is my setup:

gallery_148_29_22427.jpggallery_148_29_33531.jpggallery_148_29_69532.jpg

Would you care to elaborate? I'm very curious how you ended up with the pedestal. Did it come sealed in the box? Was it some special promotional addition? The set has been quite a mystery, and I'm wondering if there is some other piece I missed.

Thanks for the comments guys, I'm very proud of this review. :classic:

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Would you care to elaborate? I'm very curious how you ended up with the pedestal. Did it come sealed in the box? Was it some special promotional addition? The set has been quite a mystery, and I'm wondering if there is some other piece I missed.

Thanks for the comments guys, I'm very proud of this review. :classic:

It was a joke :grin:! I designed and built the pedestal myself from pictures like this one:

statue-of-liberty.jpg

If there would have been extra pieces included the box would have had to be twice the size and them some ... :sweet: !

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It was a joke :grin:! I designed and built the pedestal myself from pictures like this one:

SNIP

If there would have been extra pieces included the box would have had to be twice the size and them some ... :sweet: !

Oh, I get it. The stand looked so good I couldn't tell if it was official. :grin: If they ever do remake it, I think some sort of stand would be cool.

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Great review... thank you for sharing your thoughts. I think the Statue of Liberty is worth the $200 price. When it first came out, I told myself to wait a bit longer before buying it, hoping there won't be much of a demand and eventually would go on sale. BIG MISTAKE! I found out the hard way how wrong I was when it sold out both in the Lego store and S@H. I've seen several being sold on eBay but the price was way too much for me to afford.

As the saying goes, "patience is a virtue." A few years and many full moons later, I encountered a posting online, a lady who is selling an almost complete Statue of Liberty that belongs to her son, who doesn't want it anymore. I e-mailed her and told her I'm interested. At first she was asking $50 for it; I told her no problem but then realized how big this set was, she asked if she could get $60 for it. Again I told her no big deal. I'll take her offer. Here is the icing on the cake: She lives 2 hours' drive away from me. I told her I'm willing to pay for her time and gas if we could meet halfway. She counter-offered to drive the Statue of Liberty literally to my doorstep for an extra $20 (for a total of $80).

So I told her it's a deal! The Statue of Liberty came with the box which was in better than good condition and all of the 4 smaller boxes. Most of the bagged parts were still unopened but as I was almost at the end of putting the set together, realized that I'm missing a few pieces. After purchasing the needed pieces to complete the set online, I knew I needed to have a pedestal to do this marvelous set justice.

I'm lucky enough to know someone who does MOCs and custom Lego works for a fee. After showing me a mock-up of the pedestal and agreeing on the price, the work was started and in a month's time (I think), my Statue of Liberty pedestal was delivered.

I apologize for not being able to post a picture but to give you an idea, (and this is my Statue of Liberty's claim of fame), it is exactly the same pedestal you will or have seen in Legoland California, except of a dark grey (or bley?) color, mine is tan in color. In reality, there are only 2 of these in existence that I know of.

So there you have it. I just couldn't resist sharing with all of you this wonderful story. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I had fun writing it.

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It was a joke :grin: ! I designed and built the pedestal myself from pictures like this one:

If there would have been extra pieces included the box would have had to be twice the size and them some ... :sweet: !

Care to share any more photos of your pedestal? I have been planning to add one of these to my own 3451 set for a long time, but there's no need to re-invent the wheel if you have already done it!

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Kind of reviving an old topic, but I recently acquired the 3450 Statue of Liberty and really believes this one needs a pedestal to rest upon.

In anyone willing to share his/her building instructions, pictures and/or parts list?

Thanks much!

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Kind of reviving an old topic, but I recently acquired the 3450 Statue of Liberty and really believes this one needs a pedestal to rest upon.

In anyone willing to share his/her building instructions, pictures and/or parts list?

Thanks much!

Same here.

Yesterday I was the lucky dog to shoot the lady at ebay's. A long dreamed dream came true. Paid 450€ - not bad, eh? :grin:

Now I'm desperately awaiting the parcel.

Btw.: Instructions are also sold on ebay. But they've got a hefty price tag... Not even mentioning the instructions with the bricks. :hmpf:

So if anyone has got a pedestal, any photos would be of help.

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Thought I would bring up this relatively old topic again - Seems this set can't help but keep increasing in Value! I finally took the bullet and bought the set and built my own pedestal. Seems there is quite a large variety of custom pedestal's around the place for this set. Here's a picture of my setup:

8563991468_31190659f9_z.jpg

3450 Completed on base by LegomanNZ, on Flickr

I definitely recommend the set - but at the price it fetches it certainly isn't for the faint of heart! Lovely model, but I concur that it really needs the pedestal. I can't take complete credit for my pedestal, I did take inspiration from several other models, and my final model is somewhat reverse-engineered from one that I really loved.

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Thought I would bring up this relatively old topic again - Seems this set can't help but keep increasing in Value! I finally took the bullet and bought the set and built my own pedestal. Seems there is quite a large variety of custom pedestal's around the place for this set. Here's a picture of my setup:

Lovely pedestal! I'd suggest that it warrants its own thread; if you have other photos of the detail of the base, then you might consider posting some close-ups with commentary. Just a suggestion! :wink:

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Thanks for sharing your pedestal MOC, Legoman!

In my opinion this is the best pedestal I have seen so far. :wub_drool:

I still haven't got the amount of bricks to build my own pedestal, but I'm sure your MOC will heavily inspire my version.

Instructions? :innocent:

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Looks great!

Lovely pedestal! I'd suggest that it warrants its own thread; if you have other photos of the detail of the base, then you might consider posting some close-ups with commentary. Just a suggestion! :wink:

Thanks for sharing your pedestal MOC, Legoman!

In my opinion this is the best pedestal I have seen so far. :wub_drool:

I still haven't got the amount of bricks to build my own pedestal, but I'm sure your MOC will heavily inspire my version.

Instructions? :innocent:

Cheers guys :classic: I might open up a topic when I manage to finish it.

There's no way I'm doing instructions (Sorry, but I really don't have time for that for a ~X000 piece model), but I'd be more than happy to take photo's on the inside construction - the model is made in 3 modules.

Hopefully I'll be able to put up a topic in a couple of weeks :classic:

Sam

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In BL Set Inventory we can see 4 Sand Green Slope 45 2 x 1 but only 2 are used on the head. Where are the other 2 used?

 

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Not that reviving a 10 year old topic with the last entry being 6 years old seems a good idea, I nevertheless can answer your question:

Actually all 4 slopes are used in the face, two of them are hidden!
In the instructions the first two are used on step 59 (page 64), the ones visible on step 62 (page 67). :wink:

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