Review REVIEW: 21124 The End Portal

[Bob De Quatre]

Introduction

In this review I'll present you the Lego set #21124 The End Portal, from the Minecraft line. As I'm not a Minecraft expert, there may be some errors or imprecisions, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! Lego continues to release Minecraft sets, 4 sets every 6 months, meaning this is a succesfull theme that reaches its public. The End Portal is the second biggest set for this wave and should be pretty interesting. In Minecraft, an End Portal can be used to access a location called The End, where you'll have to defeat an Ender Dragon. So this set is in direct link with set #21117 The Ender Dragon relesed in 2014. From what I saw online, the portal itself seems pretty accurate to the game, but let's take a look at the whole set.

I'd like to thanks Eurobricks and The Lego Group for the opportunity to review this set.

Set information

Set Name: Minecraft The End Portal

Set Number: 21124

Number of Pieces: 559

Theme: Minecraft

Year Release: 2016

Prices: £49.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 (Euro prices may vary from one country to another)

#21124 on Brickset

The eyes of ender have led you across a snowy mountainous landscape to a secret stronghold. Don your diamond armor, grab your diamond sword and proceed with caution! Search for bookshelves in the cobwebbed, torchlit library. Battle the scary cave spider and seize the chest containing diamonds, redstone and an iron ingot. Then defeat the endermen to retrieve the eyes of ender and activate the End portal!

Packaging

The front of the box follows the Lego Minecraft design, with the green square patterned area on the top with a Lego Minecraft lago and a creeper face. All usual indications are there: the set number and recommanded age, the minifigs included with their name, and a picture of the set itself. As always with the Minecraft sets, there is the "Build your own creations" add which deceived me in my previous Minecraft review...

The rear of the box shows the set completely folded and small pictures show the play features.

Content of the box

The box contains 2 instructions booklet and 4 numbered bags. We can see a lot of basic bricks and plates, but that's always the case with the Minecraft sets.

Instructions booklet

The two booklet sport the same picture as the front of the box. Not much to say without opening them...

The building instructions are extremly easy to follow. The very light blue background makes it easy to read and there shouldn't be bricks' colors errors... Ok, I made a mistake when the first white bricks showed up and used light bluish ones. But that was easily corrected.

Half of the second booklet is about the "Build your own creations" part. And I must say that it is way more interesting than I hopped. In fact I prefer this alternate build! After a quick explanation on how to use the (included) brick separator, we are asked to remove and destroy the two "wings" of the set, while keeping intact all the moving stuffs like torches and blocks. Then we get back to "normal" instructions, and you'll see the result later, in the "Play features" section of this review.

Minifigures

The minifigures included in this set are Steve, in a full diamond armor set, two Endermen and a brickbuilt Cave Spider. Each uses special molded bricks specific to the Minecraft theme. I'm glad that the spider's head and the Endermen head and body can be easily repurposed for use in completely different themes, and they might be featured in a coming Andromeda's Gates build

Interesting parts

If you are a fan of the Tap 1x1 without hole end, this set is made for you! According to Bricklink, this part appears in light bluish grey 128 times in 105 sets... You'll got 32 here, plus 2 spare... But the jewels of this set are the 1x1 dark blue tiles, with a Eye of ender print. You'll get 12 of it, plus one spare. They have a lot of potential, like creatures eyes or control screens. The Endermen body and legs part may prove usefull, but I have to say they are really badly molded.

Build

As always, the bag number 1 will give us the minifigures and all the accessories for the set, like the torches or the blocks.

The content of bag #2.

The bag number 2 will give us the base of the central stage of the set and its only moving play feature. The bottom of the portal can be switched from lava to "activated portal" by sliding the blue blocks on the side. I have to say that the sliding could have been smoother with a simple tile on the plate that connect the blue parts to the lava/portal element.

With the bag number 3 we'll build the portal itself.

I really like how the portal is build and how it looks. And those printed tiles!!...

The portal is quite true to the original material.

Bag #4's content.

The fourth bag brings us the two wings of the build, a library where the Cave Spider lurks, and a room with a chest.

The completed set, with minifigures.

There aren't much spare parts considering the 559 parts of the set, but they are always welcome.

Play features

The main play feature is, as explained before, the sliding parts that transform the portal from a pool of lava to a fully activated portal. Just drop Steve in the activated portal, and a #21117 The Ender Dragon will magically appears before your eyes! I'm kidding of course... Am I?...

The alternate build is some sort of a prison cell, guarded by the Cave Spider. I really like this build, more than the original.

Conclusion

Design: 8/10 - A Minecraft design, true to the reference material.

Parts: 6/10 - Lots of basic parts, and a dozen of great printed tiles!

Build: 8/10 - Easy and straightforward builds. A bonus point for the alternate build!

Playability: 6/10 - Not much things to play with, except from moving the minifigures around.

Minifigs: 7/10 - A Steve and two Enderman and a Cave Spider, that's nice.

Price: 8/10 - A little more than 10 cents per piece, 3 minifigs, a brickbuilt spider and some cool parts.

Overall: 43/60 (72%) - A nice set for Minecraft fans, maybe not as nice to the non-fans. Some pretty nice parts but not much playability.

[Forresto]

I love the prospect of the underman and the spider for Space related MOCs but $60 seems a bit steep to me if i'm going to be entirely honest. I love the set but this will have to go on discount before I consider picking it up.