[Review] 21122 Minecraft Nether Fortress

[Hinckley]

LEGO 21122 Minecraft Nether Fortress

A big thank you to the LEGO Group for giving us the opportunity to do a pre-release review of this set. Please pardon the dust in this review as I return to reviewing and photographing which I haven't attempted for a couple of years. I will most likely be switching out photos over the next couple of days as I improve my photo setup and re-filter some of these images I'm getting from my new camera. Part 2 will follow Part 1 by at least a few days as I develop something fun to do with FABULAND characters and the Minecraft world. That being said, Minecraft is new to me too! I've consulted my amazing niece and nephew to guide me through what I would never even have come close to understanding on my own. Enjoy, leave feedback, ask questions. Disclaimer: some of the criticism you offer may find its way back into improving this review.

Name: Nether Fortress

Set Number: 21122

Pieces: 571

Price: $79.99

Minifigs: 5 (including brick-built Ghast and Blaze)

Theme: Minecraft

Year of Release: 2015

Links: Bricklink Brickset

Packaging

We were fortunate enough to get this opportunity from TLG to do pre-release reviews of these sets. We were offered more but had no time to decide who would do the reviews so I received one of them so we wouldn't waste this opportunity. Outside of playing once or twice with my niece and nephew, I knew very little about the Minecraft world. Having spent the last two years returning to school for a second degree I had also slipped on my new LEGO set release news and didn't even know which new Minecraft sets would be released this year. So when I opened the package from TLG this was a complete surprise. Getting a nice big LEGO box in the mail was a visceral nostalgic experience! Having grown up in the States with limited access to FABULAND, I got a lot of what I wanted through the mail. This reminded me of those days as I opened up the non-descript brown box to have an exciting construction toy inside. The box is exciting in that it is large and promises a high volume of LEGO elements inside and the graphics make it look exciting as well. Maybe a little too exciting. The additional photo-shopping of "Portal energy tendrils" makes it look like there will at least be a dreaded sticker for that trans-purple panel, but that is not the case. Also, the elaborate background, that looks like it is constructed of LEGO elements, makes it look like you'll be getting a lot more elements than you do. I'm aware that there is a sharp distinction between the set and the background graphics but since they are block-y and some appear at first glance to have studs, it just makes it feel bigger than it actually is. That aside, the box is beautiful and offers a sense of fun, comfort and childhood memories.

The back of the box is designed similarly to the packaging we've seen from TLG in the last two decades. Long gone are the alternative builds and in their place are different shots of the main model highlighting its various play features.

Looking more closely at the images on the packaging we see an inset on the front that shows the characters included in the set. This is the discrepancy in how we, as fans, count the number of "minifigures" and how the licensed product puts importance on what characters from the IP are included in the set. Here, we are promised Steve, Alex, Blaze, Ghast and Zombie Pigman. If you are unfamiliar with Minecraft, follow any of the links to learn more about these characters. In doing so you would find, for example, that a Zombie Pigman always spawns with a golden sword that may or may not be enchanted. See? Only go if you really want to know. After learning from my niece and nephew what all the parts of this set represented, I found myself fascinated with the Minecraft universe. It's very odd and entertaining indeed.

In the lower right hand corner, we're given a cryptic and promising message that you can build your own creations with this set. Could it be? Is that possible with other LEGO sets or just this one? I never knew a LEGO set could build something besides what is pictured on the front of the box. Why have they kept this information from us? I find this enticing as it's not often we see this anymore. What could this promise actually entail?

Look! Steve found a loot chest! Watch out Alex! Don't mine that Nether Quartz with your diamond pickaxe right now, Blaze is behind you!! Uh-oh, Zombie Pigman, we dropped an enormous stream of lava on you when you stepped into that lava well room! If those words don't mean anything to you when placed together in that order, don't worry about it unless you want to learn about Minecraft.

Other play features highlighted on the back are the glow–in–the–dark glowstones and the reconfiguration of the main model, accomplished by hinge bricks. This feature mimics the Nether fortress's tendency to end abruptly. Nether fortresses are naturally occurring bridges in the Nether...I mean, duh...and some of the bridges are not complete.

We are promised again that we will be allowed to build our own creations and even shown a glimpse of how we will accomplish that with a preview from the instruction manual! Wait a minute...how is it original if there are instructions?

The side of the box offers us a 1:1 using Steve as the scale demonstrator.

The other graphic we see on the side is the same configuration we see on the front cover.

Instructions

I haven't been purchasing a lot of sets while I was finishing school, so I'm not sure the LEGO Group has still been creating multiple instructions books like the have for the last 10 or 15 years. I did get the Parisian Restaurant and the Sydney Opera House but I didn't pay attention to the instructions as I basically parted them out immediately for other projects. That has been my habit these past few years, even before returning to school. But enough about me... The point is this particular set has a nice, thick book for the instructions. All instructions are included in this one saddle–stitched manual.

I appreciate that some things have not changed. The first page shows you (in the universal visual language of pictures) that you should open the numbered packages in order, building each part before opening the next set of parts bags. So, don't just open all of the bags and dump the pieces together. And now there are instructions on how each part of the brick separator works and a QR code for it as well. I have not entered the world of QR codes yet, so I didn't even notice that until I reviewed the pictures I took.

I hope they never get rid of the little drawing of the crying yellow head. Yellow heads wink and cry when you hit them with projectiles.

This ad seriously confuses me.

This spread is a bit of a tree killer in that it repeats the box art, showing the play features and then has a quick advertisement for other Minecraft sets in a colorful, rolling setting. The same sets are fully advertised on the next page and you've already purchased the set being advertised on the right, but hey...Saddle–stitching needs to be in multiples of four, so...

And here is an exciting little catalog of all the sets currently available in the Minecraft line. When put all together in a spread like this, it creates a beautiful and exciting little world. I'm not yet a big Minecraft fan, but this makes me consider buying all of the sets. Go propaganda and marketing!

There's a club advertisement and an ad for posting your own Minecraft creations online. It's exciting to see original creations being encouraged. I wish we would see this in other lines and not just Minecraft which already inspires future architects and engineers with it's versatile creative mode.

Parts inventory. Surprising that the inventory for a set this size would fit in one spread but there are a lot of multiples in this set as I imagine there are in all the Minecraft sets. If you love dark red, you will want this set. It is truly a dark red parts pack.

Win! Hey, where's the demonic child?

Build–Part I

Ghast's facial features are printed and not stickers! Yes!! That being said, I have divided the interview into sections according to how the parts and instructions are divided. These are all the pieces in takes to build the first section. The first part of the build contains the figures, by which I mean all of the characters. It also contains all figure accessories, the loot chest, and brown & red mushrooms. Here are all of the white parts:

All parts in light gray:

All other colors, including: medium flesh, dark tan, yellow, medium azure, red, black, dark red, dark brown and the orange brick separator:

Transparent colors:

Figure parts and accessories:

Before building this, I was aware of the pigs in Minecraft and I was aware of the zombies. I had eaten one and been eaten by the other. I had little to no explanation in my head as to how they would become this hybrid. After asking my niece and nephew, it turns out that there is little to no explanation as to how this breed of neutral creatures came to exist in the Nether, but here they are. At least one, anyway. He comes with his gold sword, which all zombie pigmen spawn with. They will leave you alone unless you hit them. I can't see what other use these figure parts would have besides Minecraft characters, but there are infinite possibilities in people's imaginations.

Blaze is brick–built. You can see here how he is constructed. Fire hose nozzles and 1x1 bricks with 4 side studs.

Here is the completed brick–built Blaze:

Alex and Steve with their diamond sword, diamond axe, diamond helmet and diamond chestplate. If you are unfamiliar with the game, the medium azure accessories are weapons and armor you can craft in the game after mining the right materials. They are crafted when you combine elements and there are some elements that can only be mined with diamond weapons. Alex and Steve are the default characters you play in the game. Like the Zombie Pigman, I can't imagine another use for these figure parts, but I have been surprised before by what parts usage people come up with.

This item is a loot chest. In the game, the Nether Fortresses spawn these in certain rooms.

Parts in this build that are new (or at least new to me) include this 1 x 2 modified plate with handle on two ends. I'm excited about this piece as I can't remember specifics, but I'm sure I've run into situations where I wished this piece existed.

I am sure we've seen this launcher in sets before but this is my first encounter with it. It's very good at shooting 1 x 1 round plates. I vaguely recall hearing this referred to as a stud–shooter.

Let's build fire! This a necessary element in the Nether. After playing this game for a while with my niece and nephew, I think the LEGO representation of this world is sometimes more expressive than the pixelated Minecraft. While it might be a bit aggravating for people to see things such as fire represented in this way, the depiction is rather accurate to the game.

Here's a gratuitous in–progress build shot of the Nether Quartz...

...and the completed Nether Quartz. I wonder how the elements of this set work for playing out the concepts of the game. From my limited knowledge, I'm not sure any of the tools included in the set can be crafted from pretending to mine the Nether Quartz. However, I may be missing the point of having such a playset. Perhaps it is beyond mining at the point where the players have entered the Nether.

And the rest of the pieces combine to create the game elements of the torches and the red & tan mushrooms.

The Ghast build is fun and completely embraces the SNOT (Studs Not On Top) technique. The stud shooter is placed so it can shoot studs out of Ghast's mouth and be easily operated from above.

Here is the construction of the "trigger". The 1x1 white cheese slope will act as the top of Ghast's mouth.

For the triggering mechanism to work, this build employs good old fashioned gravity.

And the 1 x 4 brick with 4 side studs locks it all in place.

Here is the completed Ghast head, tiled on five of the six sides. The triggering point rises about a quarter plate above the tiles.

Here's where our cool new 1 x 2 modified plates with handles on 2 sides come into play.

They provide the strands of whatever it is that hangs below Ghast as he floats through the air. When loaded, the trigger sticks up a bit higher and pressing down on the center makes the stud fly pretty far with a good amount of velocity. Unfortunately, I hit a disembodied yellow head with it and it winked and cried. I wish someone would've warned me...

As Ghast isn't always shooting fireballs, the design of this set involved an ingenious way to magically change his face from neutral to shooting. Or you just remove the tiles and put on the other ones. I believe this is rare in LEGO instructions, but here you can see the step where you are told to remove pieces instead of add them. I flash back to having Main Street as a kid and never dismantling the crane to make the LEGOLAND Hotel sign. I didn't understand that was a possibility. If only the instructions had told me.

Here is non–fireball–shooting Ghast:

Build–Part II

Containing a dark–red builder's dream inventory:

Light bluish gray:

Dark bluish gray, black, dark tan, yellow, tan, blue, olive green and glow–in–the–dark:

Transparent dark purple, dark purple, trans–orange, orange and trans–yellow:

New, or new to me, are the brick–bricks in dark red:

And the 1 x 2 modified brick with (garage door) groove, also in dark red:

And the 1 x 6 panel wall in transparent dark purple. This piece is pretty!

So, onto part two, the Nether Fortress itself. The first includes the dark brown 16 x 8 plate! Oooooooooh! My favorite...

For being based on a very square and blocky game, this set uses some pretty cool offset techniques to achieve the facade of the bridges. This gives us some 1 x 1 tiles in dark red. I'm a dark red lover myself so this set does make me very happy.

I think this is also rare in LEGO instructions: "stick this piece underneath"

In–progress:

This play feature mechanism is pretty ingenious. Here are the separate parts...

...that create this friction lever:

The lever fits in at this point, which will become the lava well room:

Here is a patented "turn the model around" step:

So, you turn it around and...

...put this long dark red plate on SNOT–ways. I'm not sure why this is this way and my niece and nephew didn't have an explanation. I thought maybe some characters could walk up walls or maybe it's a different texture, but that didn't get any positive responses from them. Perhaps it is a place to attach Ghast?... at a 90 degree angle?

Glowstone is constructed the same way the Nether Quartz is:

Olive green and glow–in–the–dark go nicely together:

You build a steady flow of lava for the lava well:

And when it all comes together, the play feature looks like this:

To release the lava, lift the glow stone:

And it comes pouring down on whatever lies beneath.

I was a little confused when told to put the mushrooms on. The instructions drop them right in as they were built in the previous step and are now being placed on the ledge of this tower room. But since we have 1 x 1 round glow–in–the–dark plates, I thought I was missing red plates to complete them. They don't appear in the step inventory (the little box in the corner that tells you what pieces are used in the corresponding step) and there are no red plates in the #2 bags, so I figured it out but it did cause a little bump in the road.

The instructions also demonstrate how the glowstone glows. Leave them in the sun all day and wait for a crescent moon to come out. It doesn't specify waxing or waning. I wonder if it matters...

The Nether Portal is next. If you're not a fan of the game, this is what brings you from above ground to the Nether, thus the Nether...Portal. As I mentioned earlier, the graphic on the transparent dark purple pattern only appears on the box, it is not printed on the piece, nor is a sticker provided. I really like the way the dark purple looks with the black:

Here is the completed portal:

As a play feature, I would call it lame. The panel simply comes off and then goes back in. There is no clever revolving or hinges used, just removal. Playing with the idea of a magic portal could really come up with some fun and creative solutions or maybe even be sold as a separate set. However, this is all it is at this point. Almost seems an afterthought.

Section 2 completed:

Build–Part III

More dark red parts, yes!!

Orange, trans–orange, black & tan:

I love the 1 x 1 round plate with hole and it's in this set in black. I'm not sure if we've seen it before but it's new to me and I like it!

Dark red hinge brick!

Onto the third and final section, the second tower. I love getting more 8 x 16 plates and this one starts with the light bluish gray one:

The great pattern that creates the bridge supports is repeated:

This side has more lava at the base:

The room with the loot chest. I think these are red mushrooms but my nephew suggested they could be indicative of a nether wart garden.

Another view of the loot chest. We were also assuming the medium azure 1 x 1 round plates were diamond dust.

An interesting technique is used for the roof of this last tower room. In lieu of an 8 x 8 dark red plate, 1 x 8 plates are used to keep the bricks together and a 6 x 8 plate fills in the gap.

The reason the 1 x 1 round plates with hole are used instead of regular 1 x 1 round plates...

...is to offset this railing. I appreciate that attention to detail. That little bit of depth makes a difference.

And section 3 is complete!

The entire model:

The extra pieces:

Whee! It's play time! All of the figures and accessories are now added including the torches, fire and mushrooms.

I'm sure there are many other ways to play with it, which we will explore in Part II of this review (coming soon).

Conclusion

I'm happy that The LEGO Group found a winner with the Minecraft line. This is especially exciting considering it was an IDEAS (CUUSO) project to begin with. LEGO really does a great job with their research and there are many features in this set that bring the video game play to life in LEGO brick form. Considering what a big part of the game the Nether Fortresses are, this will be an exciting set for an collector who loves LEGO Minecraft. For a non–Minecraft fan this is a dark red parts pack. The instructions are very thorough and there are many play features and a couple of new parts and parts released in new colors. I was excited to get this set and had fun exploring the Minecraft world and seeing how it was translated into brick. I would recommend this set for LEGO Minecraft collectors, especially since it comes with the Zombie Pigman, Blaze and Ghast. They are cool characters from the game and I'm sure people will want them to complete their collection or play experience. For non–Minecraft fans, this is mostly good for parts, but as the palette is limited, it is certainly not for every LEGO collector who isn't interested in Minecraft. There are many small parts and multiples of basic bricks and plates. The Minecraft world of creativity and construction is a great window into the world of creating things with LEGO bricks and I really like this as a licensed theme.

Ratings

Value: 4/10 – This is at about 14 cents per element which is well above what that we've come to expect in LEGO pricing. I find it even more strange considering how many small elements are in the set. Maybe it is at that price point because of the amount of characters included. The Zombie Pigman parts are unique and these types of characters tend to drive the price of a set up a little. All of the other Minecraft sets range from eight cents per part to eleven cents per part. I hope the LEGO site has the wrong price listed. I really do... Star Wars sets have a better price per part.

Design: 8/10 – The design is precise to the look of the location in the game. I really enjoyed the technique used in the bridge supports. It's a unique parts usage and looks unlike any technique I've seen used. The play features are well thought out and match actions you can do in the game and the re-configuration of the bridge is a great feature for new possibilities while building and playing. Including additional designs in the instructions is a plus (See Part II–coming soon). I would have preferred to see a better design solution for the portal.

Minifigs: 7/10 – With other sets at this price point it would've been nice to see the price raised slightly to include more pigmen. While the characters are cool and unique to this set, I think The LEGO Group missed an opportunity to satisfy fans who want more figures for this line. It reminds me of the original offering of Scout Troopers in the first Star Wars release.

Playability: 8/10 – The play features are well thought out and specific to this area of the game. I wish more thought and design had gone into the portal but I believe collectors who purchase these sets for the play features will be satisfied with everything that you can do in the game that is represented here in brick form.

Parts: 9/10 – This is a great parts pack with several unique parts and colors. I am happy this is the set I received as it was a surprise that we had the extra opportunity and because it has so many parts that I will use in my creations. I am really excited to have an 8 x 16 plate in dark brown.

Overall: 72% – Pick this up if you are a Minecraft LEGO fan or if you are a LEGO collector who loves dark red bricks. Otherwise, this set is probably not for you.

[Hinckley]

Part 2

[SonofTheShire]

Thanks for the review, Hinckley!

About the portal play feature: in the game, portals are not always active. Fire can be used to activate them and a Ghast attack, for instance, will deactivate one. I think the easy removal of the panel is just to allow you to have the portal on or off as you want.

[Hinckley]

Thanks for the review, Hinckley!

About the portal play feature: in the game, portals are not always active. Fire can be used to activate them and a Ghast attack, for instance, will deactivate one. I think the easy removal of the panel is just to allow you to have the portal on or off as you want.

Thank you! Dragonator pointed that out to me as well. I will add that to the review. That's yet another play feature.

[tkatt]

Thanks for the review, it was a fun read. I have one question. It appears that Steve is wearing diamond pants in the scale demonstration picture, is this an error on the box? I don't see them in any other photos.

[Hinckley]

Thanks for the review, it was a fun read. I have one question. It appears that Steve is wearing diamond pants in the scale demonstration picture, is this an error on the box? I don't see them in any other photos.

Good catch. That is, in fact, an error on the box. Are diamond pants even a thing?

[Eggyslav]

Nice review Hinckley, you did a good job on researching Minecraft, but I need to point out something: the block you refer to as "Redstone", is in fact a block called Nether Quartz. Redstone is a different thing altogheter. But still, for a Minecraft newcomer, that's a very merithorical review, can't wait for part two.....

[Hinckley]

Nice review Hinckley, you did a good job on researching Minecraft, but I need to point out something: the block you refer to as "Redstone", is in fact a block called Nether Quartz. Redstone is a different thing altogheter. But still, for a Minecraft newcomer, that's a very merithorical review, can't wait for part two.....

VBBN pointed out the same thing. I will update that. Thanks for pointing that out.

[mostlytechnic]

Since I just did a review of a very similar in price and part count set, I noticed something weird about your manual. Again, same size set - but no page about the brick separator, even though my set had one too. Mine has a page with the same "numbered bag" part of that page, but nothing about the separator on it.

[Naijel]

Good review. Thanks. However, it's a little odd reading so many times things like "I don't know about this, I've been away....".

[Hinckley]

Since I just did a review of a very similar in price and part count set, I noticed something weird about your manual. Again, same size set - but no page about the brick separator, even though my set had one too. Mine has a page with the same "numbered bag" part of that page, but nothing about the separator on it.

I was off on the price. I will need to go adjust a few things. It's retailing for $79.99

Good review. Thanks. However, it's a little odd reading so many times things like "I don't know about this, I've been away....".

Ah, yes. Perhaps I'm letting the self–consciousness show too much. I can see how that would be awkward. I'll go back and edit some of that out.

[LucasLaughing]

Nice review! I think this is my favorite set as far as the new Minecraft releases, but that's coming more from the perspective of a Minecraft fan - I can see how LEGO builders who aren't into Minecraft wouldn't be impressed. That dark red though...

"The instructions also demonstrate how the glowstone glows. Leave them in the sun all day and wait for a crescent moon to come out. It doesn't specify waxing or waning. I wonder if it matters..."

I agree with your nephew about the plants next to the treasure chest being Nether Wart, although in the game it only generates in certain rooms, so that's weird placement for it...