Review: LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store (21310)

Wednesday, August 16th, 2017 by Brickfinder

Along with the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Rocket, the Old Fishing Store project was one of the projects that I had followed closely when it was first submitted by fan designer Robert Bontenbal (RobenAnne) to LEGO Ideas back in 2015.

Fast forward two years and I have the awesome opportunity to review this amazing detailed set that is fast becoming one of the most anticipated sets to ever come out of the platform (next up: Voltron!)

This is currently the largest LEGO Ideas set ever made with 2049pcs and naturally the box is the same size as the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Rocket set.

The back of the box showcases just a handful of the play features and details that are included in the model which we will go over in more detail later.

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Build Experience

As mentioned above, this is now the largest set that LEGO Ideas has ever produced to date (which I think the title will most likely be handed over to LEGO Voltron when it gets released).

The instructional booklet is just at thick as the NASA rocket and comes with a small sticker sheet. I think that the amount in this set does not take away the enjoyment of building especially since it is already filled with a lot of printed tiles.

The build is divided up into seven ‘sections’ of two to three bags each. I much prefer this way of building as it allows more structure and progression to be experienced.

There is a sense of achievement when you complete each section which is important as building modular builds tend to be repetitive and you can lose interest really quickly.

Which is why I have to say that this is definitely one of the more fun building experiences that I had in years. They really planned each section to be enjoyed and not overload the experience with the same type of build over and over again.

So do not be surprised if the instructions brings you to a different section of the build while leaving a wall unfinished.

The interiors were also a joy to build as there were just so many tiny details packed within those walls. It gets pretty cramped in there but these are the kind of details that share a bit of history of what makes up Anton’s Bait Shop.

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Elements Galore

I think the entire builders community erupted with joy when the official announcement for the Old Fishing Store was confirmed as this meant that there is one set with a chock full of useful elements.

There is a variety of sand green elements here with a range of tiles in 1×2 (x107), 1×3 (x35) and 1×4 (x83) measurement. That is a lot of tiles in what used to be found only in small amounts from other sets.

The Old Fishing Store includes a slew of printed tiles with the 1×3 dark tan tile with wood print (x17) and the 1×4 medium nougat tile with wood print (x30).

Not to mention the exclusive 2 x 4 reddish brown tile with Anton’s Bait Shop print and a host of others like the 1 x 2 tan tile with the fish hooks print.

This would also be the first time that LEGO is introducing the Olive Green Profile bricks. Sand Green was the only shade of green that this brick was available in (total 7 colours so far) and this would be the first time I’m encountering this in another shade.

I found it quite amusing that the designers would include a set of four different coloured crates for this set which is yellow, light bluish grey, reddish brown and medium nougat. The only one missing is the dark bluish grey crate to make the set complete.

This set is most likely the most number of accessories contained in one box. There are fishing rods, air tanks, helmets, oars (white and reddish brown), scuba gear, live vests, lobsters, cat, harpoons, cash registers, spiders, seagulls and much more that if i started to list them would form another section in this review.

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Design

I was really pleased that when LEGO announced the Old Fishing Store as a set that they managed to retain most of the features and playability of Robert’s initial designs.

LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store (21310)

As you can tell already, the ‘modular’ style from the Creator modulars are incorporated here in this set with certain sections being able to be removed for access to the interiors.

The vertical tower with the telescope is removable to reveal the study desk below and the side of the store itself opens up for access to the interiors.

The added a removable roof for easier access to the store as like I mentioned that it can get a little cramped in there.

I really did like how they designed the walls by using the bricks with studs on the side and then layering the tiles over to give it a “wood panel” look.

“I started by doing some sketching on paper, then created a mood board to determine the details and colour schemes. Especially the use of the right colours was important to my design” ~ Robert Bontenbal

There are some parts of the wall which uses only one stud to hold up the tile which allows it to be placed at an angle to achieve a varied feel to the texture.

This was also the case with the roof with the tiles with the wood prints as they are staggered in all sorts of angles that evokes a very make-shift/patch-work feel.

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Minifigures

The set comes with four minifigures which from what I can tell are all exclusive to this set save for the little boy whose torso is from the LEGO Fun in the Park set (I could be mistaken).

The captain comes with a tan sweater weave and the female sports a torso with a fishing vest. The older gentleman has a sand green fishing wader design.

I think these are great additions to the line of minifigures that we have been getting in the usual City and Creator modular sets.

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Price

As some of you have already known, the price for this LEGO Ideas set is SGD$279.90 which makes this the most expensive LEGO Ideas set thus far.

Compared to the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Rocket (21309) which came in at only SGD$199.90, the price tag is a little hard to justify as they have similar piece count and the size of the packaging is almost identical.

The LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store (21310) has 2049 pcs and the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Rocket (21309) has 1969 pcs which essentially equates that an increase of 80 elements bumped the price by SGD$80.

I’m sure there are a lot more economic factors involved that I’m completely glazing over but the price point is a little bit hard to swallow.

However, the set still does work out to SGD$0.13 per piece and for the variety and the amount of elements that you get, it is still worth the purchase.

Here are the recommended retail prices of the other regions for comparison: SGD$279.90 / USD 149.99 / EURO 149.99 / GBP 139.99.

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Conclusion

This is a very well designed and detailed set with an enjoyable building experience that would make a welcome addition to any LEGO modular display. I would admit that the price tag could have been better (for Singapore anyway) but it is still a worth while set to buy.

Pros

• Very detailed model
• Playability features
• A lot of hard to find elements
• Enjoyable build experience

Cons

• Price point a little on the high side
• Reddish brown elements are a little brittle

The LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store will be available come September 1st in all LEGO Certified and Brand Stores around the world.

A sincere thank you to LEGO AFOL Relations & Programs (ARP) team and LEGO Ideas for sending me this set to review. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in this review do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the LEGO Group. Review sets sent in does not guarantee a positive review.

Also a big thank you to fan designers Robert Bontenbal and LEGO Designer Adam Grabowski for their work on this amazing set.