[REVIEW] 75810 - The Upside Down

[makoy]

11 hours ago, Clone OPatra said:

I could've written this exact post  I've never seen the show, nor do I care to watch it, but the set is so good on so many levels... if only LEGO hadn't revived Harry Potter and had such a great second wave coming.

It's true that a set like this isn't going to happen again, and it is simply mind-blowing in design concept and execution, not to mention the fantastic parts and recolours and amazing minifigures. And yet, and yet... budget for me is far from unlimited, and I have to think about what I'd regret missing more in five or ten years time: this or some of the new HP content. Ultimately, HP wins out.

Thank you so much for this beautiful review @makoy!

Thanks to your inputs I saved myself some time correcting referential errors earlier on.

I can relate to this dilemma since I collect Star Wars. I cannot be collecting both Star Wars and HP in full capacity. However, in my case, I had to stick with what I have been collecting much longer -- Star Wars. I think it makes sense you stick with HP as well if that is what you have been collecting.

2 hours ago, Vindicare said:

That’s exactly my reasoning as well. While this set is fantastic in every way, I’d rather miss this than any of the HP sets. 

Later on down the road, when it’s 2x points & if I have the money, I’ll likely get it. But I won’t really feel bad about missing it either. 

Sounds logical to me!  

 

2 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

PERFECT!  I don't think there's a better preexisting option out there for her, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any better than that! 

Yeah, I don't think there is a better alternative either. I think can stick with this for both season 1 and season 2 Elle and Lucas.

However, looking at season 3 Elle... we need to replace her hairpiece with a more common one.

 

1 hour ago, VBBN said:

I agree with others though, Jonathan, Nancy and Steve being MIA is quite disappointing. It's doubtful we will see much more from Stranger Things, so I'm not sure how else we will get them in an official capacity.

I think we'll be surprised with the agility of Netflix to look at the market reaction to this product and follow through accordingly. They are basically a data analytics company behind a video streaming platform. I am hoping TLG can tag along too.

 

3 minutes ago, Covi said:

Idd, I completely agree. It's a great set, I like the colours and the parts used, but especially how they gave with this set a new dimension to a build.

Some friends (which are not into Lego) already contacted me to express how much they like this set.

So I guess that's also another reason why they did this: a great way to get new people into the brand.

In my Instagram, a lot of non-LEGO folks had shown interest as well, so I think TLG and Netflix marketing had already consulted the crystal ball.

 

7 hours ago, Borex said:

Maybe they can give us these with a bricktober pack, or these new figure packs?

I like this kind of thinking! Btw, Stranger Things 3 will come out in July. The "teen love-triangle" subplot is totally missing in this set and I can see that as the main reason why these figures were not included.

 

3 hours ago, Hive said:

It seems to have about as many parts as an average modular, but with arguably better figures.

I think we'll have to wait for someone who collects modulars  to make that comparison as I don't collect modulars (at the moment...) 

 

 

[Digger of Bricks]

By the way @makoy, could you also perhaps try Dustin's new hat/hair mold on some random female figure (yellow-toned, flesh-toned, doesn't matter)? 

[reddx]

Excellent review. I too feel Jonathan, Nancy and Steve should be included if this is a one off set.. unless Lego is planning something in the works for Season 3.

17 hours ago, Clone OPatra said:

It's true that a set like this isn't going to happen again, and it is simply mind-blowing in design concept and execution, not to mention the fantastic parts and recolours and amazing minifigures. And yet, and yet... budget for me is far from unlimited, and I have to think about what I'd regret missing more in five or ten years time: this or some of the new HP content. Ultimately, HP wins out.

Like some fans here, I too have to decide between this and the new HP sets coming out. I do hope Lego is listening and will keep both on shelves a little longer, so fans have time to get both. 

[Pchan1983]

Impressive review!!!!  I ordered mine but AUS/NZ shop@home didn't have stock on launch day =(  It's good concept and look good individually but I think I will display it each side on it's own.  by the way, anyone has plan to buy 2 to make the house a fully enclosed house???

[makoy]

5 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

By the way @makoy, could you also perhaps try Dustin's new hat/hair mold on some random female figure (yellow-toned, flesh-toned, doesn't matter)? 

Here you go...just for you.

4 hours ago, reddx said:

Excellent review. I too feel Jonathan, Nancy and Steve should be included if this is a one off set.. unless Lego is planning something in the works for Season 3.

Like some fans here, I too have to decide between this and the new HP sets coming out. I do hope Lego is listening and will keep both on shelves a little longer, so fans have time to get both. 

I do hope TLG is listening. When people complained about the regional exclusive, they listened... so suggestion to have more sets like this should be heard as well. Really shooting for the moon here, but it's not bad to try.

51 minutes ago, Pchan1983 said:

Impressive review!!!!  I ordered mine but AUS/NZ shop@home didn't have stock on launch day =(  It's good concept and look good individually but I think I will display it each side on it's own.  by the way, anyone has plan to buy 2 to make the house a fully enclosed house???

I had thought about it... but I feel like you'll have a lot of tree elements that will not be useful for the build. If you're comfortable selling the minifigures to offset the cost, then why not?

[PaddyBricksplitter]

Great review!

I think it’s odd that Lego are doing a set based on a horror show. I never would have expected this.

I can’t wait for the new Black Mirror sets 

[makoy]

8 minutes ago, PaddyBricksplitter said:

Great review!

I think it’s odd that Lego are doing a set based on a horror show. I never would have expected this.

I can’t wait for the new Black Mirror sets 

Glad you like the review. What really bothered me about the bad press this set got before official release is that most people who think it doesn't fit the LEGO brand probably has not watched the show at all. The horror aspect of this show is actually very shallow. It is heavier in science fiction and period drama. The horror stuff is just the cherry on top of a rather good cake and icing. 

 

[PaddyBricksplitter]

45 minutes ago, makoy said:

Glad you like the review. What really bothered me about the bad press this set got before official release is that most people who think it doesn't fit the LEGO brand probably has not watched the show at all. The horror aspect of this show is actually very shallow. It is heavier in science fiction and period drama. The horror stuff is just the cherry on top of a rather good cake and icing. 

 

Every now and then the desires of adult Lego fans leak through and become actual products.

The only other thing with a similar theme would be the Gremlins set for Dimensions.

What surprises me is that Lego usually take a kind of moral stance against things that may be deemed “unsuitable” for children. 

I hope this set will be a big seller. Maybe we’ll see more cult or unusual themes appearing?

[Agent Kallus]

The omission of Steve, Nancy and Jonathan is understandable but is more painfull when one of the prominent scenes at the Byers house from season 1 is when the 3 of them fight the Demogorgon, whereas the main four kids though more important to the show as a whole, don't have many scenes in the Byers house.

@makoy If you have the time and the parts could you please try the hobbit hair on Dustin or one the boys in ghostbusters gear or both. 

[makoy]

18 minutes ago, PaddyBricksplitter said:

Every now and then the desires of adult Lego fans leak through and become actual products.

The only other thing with a similar theme would be the Gremlins set for Dimensions.

What surprises me is that Lego usually take a kind of moral stance against things that may be deemed “unsuitable” for children. 

I hope this set will be a big seller. Maybe we’ll see more cult or unusual themes appearing?

Well, speaking of moral stance -- I seriously have no idea who approves what theme or minifigures gets produced. I have trouble accepting that March Harriet in The LEGO Batman Movie made it into CMF series whereas Moe from Simpsons didn't. From there onwards, I always have trouble understanding what is deemed "unsuitable".

I hope you're right. More unusual themes could be good! 

Cheers!

9 minutes ago, Agent Kallus said:

The omission of Steve, Nancy and Jonathan is understandable but is more painfull when one of the prominent scenes at the Byers house from season 1 is when the 3 of them fight the Demogorgon, whereas the main four kids though more important to the show as a whole, don't have many scenes in the Byers house.

@makoy If you have the time and the parts could you please try the hobbit hair on Dustin or one the boys in ghostbusters gear or both. 

I like Steve, Nancy and Jonathan to be included as well but if you are counting only season 1, that's likely not the way the designer think about the house. There are season 2 references in the set, even season 3 -- so, considering that, the kids were around the Byers House just as much as anyone else. The set caters for both season 1 and season 2.

Unfortunately, I didn't collect Hobbits and Ghostbusters. The only fleshies I have are mostly Star Wars.

[Digger of Bricks]

3 hours ago, makoy said:

Here you go...just for you.

Whoa, thanks a billion!  You really did go above & beyond for such a simple request!  

[ProvenceTristram]

I don't know anything about this show; my guess is, it has way less of a following than much of what is on television, and will therefore draw lower than similar TV-inspired sets like the Big Bang Theory and Doctor Who. As nifty as this house is, my guess is that it is going to sell very poorly.

I don't understand the logic behind Lego Ideas at all. Great, unlicensed stuff gets tossed, and good, obscure stuff (with the extra hurdle of licensing) makes it through. Frankly, the whole thing feels more than a bit biased.

[chezzymann]

3 minutes ago, ProvenceTristram said:

I don't know anything about this show; my guess is, it has way less of a following than much of what is on television, and will therefore draw lower than similar TV-inspired sets like the Big Bang Theory and Doctor Who. As nifty as this house is, my guess is that it is going to sell very poorly.

I don't understand the logic behind Lego Ideas at all. Great, unlicensed stuff gets tossed, and good, obscure stuff (with the extra hurdle of licensing) makes it through. Frankly, the whole thing feels more than a bit biased.

The show is actually very popular. It should be a hit for collectors. And its not lego ideas. 

[Digger of Bricks]

Regarding what I'd hope to see if Lego were to follow-up this set, I don't think I'd be interested in a potential set of Hawkins National Laboratory, as I'm pretty sure such a build couldn't be done within a viable price range without cutting some serious corners. Rather, a set of Palace Arcade or Hopper's Cabin at the same scale and format as Lego's rendition of Joyce's House (not to mention, both of those locations could be likely done roughly at the same size as her house minus its corrupted counterpart) would be much more preferable, either one acting as well-enough for representation of Season 2 I feel. 

[Pandora]

Thank you Makoy, for such an amazing review! The amount of time you must have spent to write and photograph something as good as this is astounding, and I am in absolute awe. Not only that, but you have expertly tied the review in with the show to make it great for those of us who have seen the show, but also made it a fantastic review for those who haven't. Thank you so much for this!

This is a spectacular set and I can't wait to add it to my collection. The colour palettes for both sides are just wonderful, and really evoke the design from the show. I love the fact that they've included Eggos for Eleven and I'm in love with the dark blue plant leaves pieces, but I agree this set needed Steve and his baseball bat full of nails. I can see, though, that with Steve you need Nancy and Jonathan (both of whom I would also have liked) and I guess they just had to draw a line somewhere. I love the design of this set, and that you can fully display all of it either way up. It is a shame they had to make compromises, but I guess that's just what they are; I agree with your conclusions overall and I also applaud the designer on a job very well done.

I'm so glad you reviewed this Makoy, thank you. 

[makoy]

On 5/17/2019 at 11:40 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

Regarding what I'd hope to see if Lego were to follow-up this set, I don't think I'd be interested in a potential set of Hawkins National Laboratory, as I'm pretty sure such a build couldn't be done within a viable price range without cutting some serious corners. Rather, a set of Palace Arcade or Hopper's Cabin at the same scale and format as Lego's rendition of Joyce's House (not to mention, both of those locations could be likely done roughly at the same size as her house minus its corrupted counterpart) would be much more preferable, either one acting as well-enough for representation of Season 2 I feel. 

Don't forget Billy's black 1979(?) Chevrolet Camaro (RS/Z/28) that was used in the retro commercial of chief Hopper's police pursuit...  I hope it doesn't go unused.

4 hours ago, Pandora said:

Thank you Makoy, for such an amazing review! The amount of time you must have spent to write and photograph something as good as this is astounding, and I am in absolute awe. Not only that, but you have expertly tied the review in with the show to make it great for those of us who have seen the show, but also made it a fantastic review for those who haven't. Thank you so much for this!

This is a spectacular set and I can't wait to add it to my collection. The colour palettes for both sides are just wonderful, and really evoke the design from the show. I love the fact that they've included Eggos for Eleven and I'm in love with the dark blue plant leaves pieces, but I agree this set needed Steve and his baseball bat full of nails. I can see, though, that with Steve you need Nancy and Jonathan (both of whom I would also have liked) and I guess they just had to draw a line somewhere. I love the design of this set, and that you can fully display all of it either way up. It is a shame they had to make compromises, but I guess that's just what they are; I agree with your conclusions overall and I also applaud the designer on a job very well done.

I'm so glad you reviewed this Makoy, thank you. 

Welcome. It's all for the love of bricks. 

[Digger of Bricks]

20 minutes ago, makoy said:

Don't forget Billy's black 1979(?) Chevrolet Camaro (RS/Z/28) that was used in the retro commercial of chief Hopper's police pursuit...  I hope it doesn't go unused.

Actually, Billy's Camaro was blue rather than black...

Plus, I'm pretty sure the black car opposite Hopper's Blazer in the teaser is instead a Pontiac Firebird/Trans-Am of the same era.

If anything, my hunch is that build belongs to a future Speed Champions set for 2020. 

[makoy]

Fuzzy memory and I stand corrected. It looked like a Camaro. But you're right it's the same era and it could be any black also.

Hoping there's a follow up set though... crossing fingers.

[Digger of Bricks]

13 minutes ago, makoy said:

Fuzzy memory and I stand corrected. It looked like a Camaro. But you're right it's the same era and it could be any black also.

Hoping there's a follow up set though... crossing fingers.

Nonetheless, Billy's Camaro would most likely be the best complementary vehicle to pair with a hypothetical set of the Palace Arcade. 

[Agent Kallus]

On 5/17/2019 at 4:40 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

Regarding what I'd hope to see if Lego were to follow-up this set, I don't think I'd be interested in a potential set of Hawkins National Laboratory, as I'm pretty sure such a build couldn't be done within a viable price range without cutting some serious corners. Rather, a set of Palace Arcade or Hopper's Cabin at the same scale and format as Lego's rendition of Joyce's House (not to mention, both of those locations could be likely done roughly at the same size as her house minus its corrupted counterpart) would be much more preferable, either one acting as well-enough for representation of Season 2 I feel. 

Depending on how the third season goes, maybe a build of the starcourt mall or it's ice cream parlour would work?  Though if lego wanted to make the lab I'm sure they know which corners to cut and It'll end up looking nice if perhaps a little shrunk compared to the size in the show.

[Digger of Bricks]

2 hours ago, Agent Kallus said:

On 5/17/2019 at 10:40 AM, Digger of Bricks said:

Regarding what I'd hope to see if Lego were to follow-up this set, I don't think I'd be interested in a potential set of Hawkins National Laboratory, as I'm pretty sure such a build couldn't be done within a viable price range without cutting some serious corners. Rather, a set of Palace Arcade or Hopper's Cabin at the same scale and format as Lego's rendition of Joyce's House (not to mention, both of those locations could be likely done roughly at the same size as her house minus its corrupted counterpart) would be much more preferable, either one acting as well-enough for representation of Season 2 I feel. 

Depending on how the third season goes, maybe a build of the starcourt mall or it's ice cream parlour would work?  Though if lego wanted to make the lab I'm sure they know which corners to cut and It'll end up looking nice if perhaps a little shrunk compared to the size in the show.

Regarding a hypothetical set of the lab, the best I'd accept from such would be a dollhouse-style build with an accurate microscaled exterior and several minifigure-scaled rooms within. Same can be said for Season Three's Starcourt Mall.

[misupix]

I love the Show and the set.

But I immediately felt there where some main Characters missing...

Came up with these:

[ndunnavant]

Kudos for Lego putting the character Eleven in bags 11! Whether or not it was on purpose, I found it amusing. 

[makoy]

On 6/1/2019 at 9:57 AM, ndunnavant said:

Kudos for Lego putting the character Eleven in bags 11! Whether or not it was on purpose, I found it amusing. 

Very much on purpose because you have to mix bags 10 and 11 to make up the final build. It is amusing even if done on purpose. 

On 5/25/2019 at 12:01 AM, misupix said:

I love the Show and the set.

But I immediately felt there where some main Characters missing...

Came up with these:

-snip-

Btw, this looks great!

[LegoFjotten]

Got around to building this set over the last two evenings, and it is just amazing! A really inventive set, fun build, great colors, great minifigs... I would give it 10/10. I will be so surprised if this doesn't turn out to be my favourite set of 2019!

Well played Mr. Ramsden, well played indeed!