Summer 2025 - Introducing Book Nooks!
May. 23rd, 2025 11:44 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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acciobrickThis summer lego is introducing three different book nooks. One from the Harry Potter theme, one from the Lord of the Rings / Hobbit theme, and the third is a tribute to Sherlock Holmes. All three have a 01 June 2025 release date. Pictures of the LotR set have leaked now, so let's take a look at them, shall we?
First the leak a lot of people have been waiting for:
lego 10367 Lord Of The Rings Balrog: Book Nook | 18+ | 1201 pieces | 1 minifig | US $130*, DE/FR €120, UK £110
With over 1200 pieces, a 120 EUR price tag, and only one minifig (Gandalf, squaring off against the Balrog, complete with "You shall not pass" plaque), I don't blame them for choosing to leave the sides open, plus it's lego, so it's easily changed if we really care. I assume they'll take some heat for that choice, however. The leaked pictures are small, but they give us an impression of what the set will look like open and closed, and it seems the Balrog can be removed to be posed on its own.
I like the way they did the flames. I can't quite explain it, but for me it has a certain modern Celtic art feel to it, and I like the result better than I think I would if they'd tried to make more realistic flames. That said, I'm not tempted by this set in the least, and the fact it's a D2C (direct to customer) set means we'll see fewer price reductions, further limiting its appeal. Ultimately, I think one of the issues is I just can't find much to say about it. It's nice enough, but it also just... is, which isn't really enough for me. Let's contrast that with the next one to make my point...
lego 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook | 18+ | 1359 pieces | 5 minifigs | US $130*, DE/FR €120, UK £110
The set has more pieces and minifigs than the Balrog Book Nook for the same price, a clear advantage of Sherlock Holmes being part of the public domain and it not being a licensed theme, and as it isn't a D2C, we can also expect to see more movement in its price. It includes five minifigs: Dr. Watson, newspaper girl Paige / street urchin / Baker Street irregular, Sherlock Holmes, Professor Moriarty, and Irene Adler. Small detail that I like, Watson has a darker skin tone, which fits perfectly with how he's first introduced to Holmes and Holmes deduces he's served in the war in Afghanistan off his tan / sunburn. Moriarty also has a darker skin tone, presumably as part of lego's ongoing effort to introduce more diversity into their lineup. (My minor quibble remains that I can't really tell his and Watson's apart if they aren't side by side, of more importance, one might think, when - between the monocle and handlebar moustaches - their usefulness for representational sigfigs is surely limited.)
Irene Adler is reimagined as a black woman, which I suspect will cause some fuss, so I think it's worth pointing out that ACD himself doesn't dwell particularly on physical descriptions in canon, and certainly not hers. Granted, it's not that race isn't mentioned a number of times in the various stories, but I think there's something very deliberate in the choice on the part of an author not to define more closely for the reader what they've described as beauty. Why battle against expectations? Dainty is the only specific physical attribute recorded in Irene's various descriptions, leaving lego a very free hand.
Of course lego is also a visual medium, and the designers are forced to make those choices. (I'm presently making the mental shift from Lara Pulver to Josephine Baker rather neatly, although I'm not so privately wishing we had that hairpiece, period authenticity be hanged.) No question, the easier option would have been making Paige a PoC as she has no backstory, there is, however, in this sadly often all too divisive age, something to be said for choosing to go with the more significant character, and unlike the overly specific Moriarty and Watson heads, Irene's will fit well in far more settings. Cheers, and full marks for that, dear designers, as well as for including her at all, as she canonically only appears in 'A Scandal in Bohemia'.
Further helping to add diversity to the set, our Baker Street Irregular Paige is also female, when one might expect a male newspaper hawker in late Victorian times. My primary objection to any of those choices is that once again gloves abound, and neither Irene nor Moriarty have the matching hands. While it's at least not out of place for the era (although Moriarty's bright blue gloves are a touch odd), it does feel like a thwarted effort at inclusion when once again the minifigs haven't got matching hands. If they insist on expanding to this many skin tones, they need to commit and give us the hands the minifigs require, or at least sell them separately. Half measures are (somewhat 😆) rubbish.
Caveat, just to sabotage my own argument 😉, but in the interest of fairness, the decision to use "gloves" helps lego keep the inventory down, nominally a good thing: meeting the twin and often disparate goals of variety while restricting the requisite inventory. For example the Harry Potter theme's Dean Thomas' gloves in 76388 Hogsmeade Village Visit allow him to share a torso with the boy from 80109 the Lunar New Year Ice Festival. It also permits people to more easily make changes if dissatisfied with their choices, which should hopefully curb some whinging...
As for the build itself...
The facade to Holmes' flat (Holmes' home) in 221B Baker Street swings open to reveal a number of charming (if skinny) details and plenty of Easter eggs. There's a bulletin board with a map of London, Sherlock's beloved violin, an inkwell, side table, and fireplace with a clock on the mantle. The Easter eggs include (spoil yourself at your own risk)a picture of a paw print and lego Alsatian / German Shepherd for 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', a slip of paper with "Rache" printed on it from 'A Study in Scarlet', a 4 to represent 'The Sign of Four', a picture of 'The Blue Carbuncle', a photo of Irene and a letter signed "I" from 'A Scandal in Bohemia', a substitution cipher from 'The Dancing Men' (which adorably, if predictably, spells "lego"), and a red herring (ha!). There's a portrait of the Reichenbach Falls, mirroring Sidney Paget's art from 'The Final Problem'. Paige's newspaper references that - on the printed 'Paige', one might say - and the mystery of Moriarty's hiding place in the set with its headline 'Moriarty Disappears!'. The Carbunkle itself is hidden behind the door to the Book Shop (Elementary!), along with a blue book representing the first edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes', a striped chest (which happens to be the title of an 1897 ACD short story), a mask (possibly representing the King of Bohemia's vizard mask), and a paw print can be found in its rotating window. There's also an envelope there, which, if we follow the paw print convention, we might suspect represents the letter hidden in 'A Scandal in Bohemia'. Watson, clever clog, carries a biscuit in his attaché case to better lure the Hound. Sherlock has a watch and chain, where we must suppose he secrets the sovereign Irene gave him, in memory of the time he unexpectedly found himself a witness at her wedding. Behind the door to 221B Baker Street, there's a jar of honey with dropper. I have to wonder if that's a nod to H.F.Heard's 1941 'A Taste for Honey', the first of three novels about a Mr. Mycroft, heavily implied to be an aged Sherlock. Alternatively, perhaps it's a nod to Holmes' retirement from consulting detective work to become a beekeeper as alluded to in 'His Last Bow'. Or in a more modern take, there's a Neil Gaiman short story 'The Case of Death and Honey' in which Holmes is a beekeeper. Someone (Moriarty's Colonel Moran, perhaps?) lies in hiding in the flat above the bookstore, which means there should be room for a Napoleon bust there in a mod. (And if not, then it will be worth making a sticker of one for one of those windows.) Some letters (from prospective clients, no doubt) await on Holmes' side table, and there are more details behind the lower half of the book shop door. Similarly the door to 221B has some details behind it as well, Holmes' famous overcoat for one. The door to the building between the shop and 221B can be raised by twisting a knob to reveal a hiding spot for Moriarty.
The ground floor wall can swing open somewhat, too. Unlike the flat above, where the hinges serve double duty by allowing the front to open, it's most likely that it does so to angle the façade. There are no photos currently available to confirm that either way. The angles help create a forced perspective which also makes it easier to see and enjoy the buildings when the Nook is closed.
Some other nice details: The famous silhouette of Sherlock Holmes on the set's exterior. The new tulip pieces adding variety to the window boxes, and the gaslights' glass tulip lampshades immediately adjacent, playing with the theme. (I'm still wondering if the two tulips (tutu lips?) are somehow a play on 'The Man with the Twisted Lip', and a tutu calls to mind 'The Case of the Shy Ballerina' from the 1954 Sherlock Holmes TV series, or the episode 'Corpse de Ballet' from Elementary.) The 'Moriarty Missing!' newspapers and the Baker Street sign pieces are printed as opposed to stickers, as they're likely to be subjected to more wear than most of the rest. The façades and colour choices are quite pleasing, the architecture both suited and varied, and although house 222 has a bit of an Art Deco feel to it, particularly the door, Charles Rennie Mackintosh was certainly active by the late Victorian age. I'd have been tempted to use the rose piece on the bookstore to more overtly incorporate Art Nouveau, but perhaps they're too outsized for the narrow build. There are three different cloaks, always welcome additions, and a respectable deerstalker as part of the variety of hat-wear.
This is a set clearly made with love and much consideration. Kudos.
I love the attention to detail and the sense of fun in this novel (heh) set. It manages to neither bust the fiscal nor spatial budgets, and of the three Book Nooks, it's the only one that's definitely made my short list for this summer's purchases.
lego Harry Potter 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express | 10+ | 832 pieces | 2 minifigs + Hedwig and Scabbers | US $100*, DE/FR €100, UK £90
I've discussed this set at length, and won't repeat it here. Suffice it to say I still think it's beautifully done, and I like that, unlike the other two, it can also be used as bookends, but as with the Balrog, it's missing the charm, details and whimsy of the Sherlock Holmes set, and I'm unlikely to pick it up unless it's at a steep discount. There aren't really that many details to choose from to single one out, but I like that Ron has his pockets stuffed with the candies Harry has purchased for him.
* Please note the volatile tariff situation has made the US price extremely subject to change. Your guess is as good as anyone's at this point.
And that's the three new Book Nooks for you. Which, if any, are you more likely to buy? Did I miss any Easter eggs in the Sherlock Holmes set? And is it too, too frightfully obvious which set I liked best? 😆
First the leak a lot of people have been waiting for:
lego 10367 Lord Of The Rings Balrog: Book Nook | 18+ | 1201 pieces | 1 minifig | US $130*, DE/FR €120, UK £110
With over 1200 pieces, a 120 EUR price tag, and only one minifig (Gandalf, squaring off against the Balrog, complete with "You shall not pass" plaque), I don't blame them for choosing to leave the sides open, plus it's lego, so it's easily changed if we really care. I assume they'll take some heat for that choice, however. The leaked pictures are small, but they give us an impression of what the set will look like open and closed, and it seems the Balrog can be removed to be posed on its own.
I like the way they did the flames. I can't quite explain it, but for me it has a certain modern Celtic art feel to it, and I like the result better than I think I would if they'd tried to make more realistic flames. That said, I'm not tempted by this set in the least, and the fact it's a D2C (direct to customer) set means we'll see fewer price reductions, further limiting its appeal. Ultimately, I think one of the issues is I just can't find much to say about it. It's nice enough, but it also just... is, which isn't really enough for me. Let's contrast that with the next one to make my point...
lego 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook | 18+ | 1359 pieces | 5 minifigs | US $130*, DE/FR €120, UK £110
The set has more pieces and minifigs than the Balrog Book Nook for the same price, a clear advantage of Sherlock Holmes being part of the public domain and it not being a licensed theme, and as it isn't a D2C, we can also expect to see more movement in its price. It includes five minifigs: Dr. Watson, newspaper girl Paige / street urchin / Baker Street irregular, Sherlock Holmes, Professor Moriarty, and Irene Adler. Small detail that I like, Watson has a darker skin tone, which fits perfectly with how he's first introduced to Holmes and Holmes deduces he's served in the war in Afghanistan off his tan / sunburn. Moriarty also has a darker skin tone, presumably as part of lego's ongoing effort to introduce more diversity into their lineup. (My minor quibble remains that I can't really tell his and Watson's apart if they aren't side by side, of more importance, one might think, when - between the monocle and handlebar moustaches - their usefulness for representational sigfigs is surely limited.)
Irene Adler is reimagined as a black woman, which I suspect will cause some fuss, so I think it's worth pointing out that ACD himself doesn't dwell particularly on physical descriptions in canon, and certainly not hers. Granted, it's not that race isn't mentioned a number of times in the various stories, but I think there's something very deliberate in the choice on the part of an author not to define more closely for the reader what they've described as beauty. Why battle against expectations? Dainty is the only specific physical attribute recorded in Irene's various descriptions, leaving lego a very free hand.
Of course lego is also a visual medium, and the designers are forced to make those choices. (I'm presently making the mental shift from Lara Pulver to Josephine Baker rather neatly, although I'm not so privately wishing we had that hairpiece, period authenticity be hanged.) No question, the easier option would have been making Paige a PoC as she has no backstory, there is, however, in this sadly often all too divisive age, something to be said for choosing to go with the more significant character, and unlike the overly specific Moriarty and Watson heads, Irene's will fit well in far more settings. Cheers, and full marks for that, dear designers, as well as for including her at all, as she canonically only appears in 'A Scandal in Bohemia'.
Further helping to add diversity to the set, our Baker Street Irregular Paige is also female, when one might expect a male newspaper hawker in late Victorian times. My primary objection to any of those choices is that once again gloves abound, and neither Irene nor Moriarty have the matching hands. While it's at least not out of place for the era (although Moriarty's bright blue gloves are a touch odd), it does feel like a thwarted effort at inclusion when once again the minifigs haven't got matching hands. If they insist on expanding to this many skin tones, they need to commit and give us the hands the minifigs require, or at least sell them separately. Half measures are (somewhat 😆) rubbish.
Caveat, just to sabotage my own argument 😉, but in the interest of fairness, the decision to use "gloves" helps lego keep the inventory down, nominally a good thing: meeting the twin and often disparate goals of variety while restricting the requisite inventory. For example the Harry Potter theme's Dean Thomas' gloves in 76388 Hogsmeade Village Visit allow him to share a torso with the boy from 80109 the Lunar New Year Ice Festival. It also permits people to more easily make changes if dissatisfied with their choices, which should hopefully curb some whinging...
As for the build itself...
The facade to Holmes' flat (Holmes' home) in 221B Baker Street swings open to reveal a number of charming (if skinny) details and plenty of Easter eggs. There's a bulletin board with a map of London, Sherlock's beloved violin, an inkwell, side table, and fireplace with a clock on the mantle. The Easter eggs include (spoil yourself at your own risk)
The ground floor wall can swing open somewhat, too. Unlike the flat above, where the hinges serve double duty by allowing the front to open, it's most likely that it does so to angle the façade. There are no photos currently available to confirm that either way. The angles help create a forced perspective which also makes it easier to see and enjoy the buildings when the Nook is closed.
Some other nice details: The famous silhouette of Sherlock Holmes on the set's exterior. The new tulip pieces adding variety to the window boxes, and the gaslights' glass tulip lampshades immediately adjacent, playing with the theme. (I'm still wondering if the two tulips (tutu lips?) are somehow a play on 'The Man with the Twisted Lip', and a tutu calls to mind 'The Case of the Shy Ballerina' from the 1954 Sherlock Holmes TV series, or the episode 'Corpse de Ballet' from Elementary.) The 'Moriarty Missing!' newspapers and the Baker Street sign pieces are printed as opposed to stickers, as they're likely to be subjected to more wear than most of the rest. The façades and colour choices are quite pleasing, the architecture both suited and varied, and although house 222 has a bit of an Art Deco feel to it, particularly the door, Charles Rennie Mackintosh was certainly active by the late Victorian age. I'd have been tempted to use the rose piece on the bookstore to more overtly incorporate Art Nouveau, but perhaps they're too outsized for the narrow build. There are three different cloaks, always welcome additions, and a respectable deerstalker as part of the variety of hat-wear.
This is a set clearly made with love and much consideration. Kudos.
I love the attention to detail and the sense of fun in this novel (heh) set. It manages to neither bust the fiscal nor spatial budgets, and of the three Book Nooks, it's the only one that's definitely made my short list for this summer's purchases.
lego Harry Potter 76450 Book Nook: Hogwarts Express | 10+ | 832 pieces | 2 minifigs + Hedwig and Scabbers | US $100*, DE/FR €100, UK £90
I've discussed this set at length, and won't repeat it here. Suffice it to say I still think it's beautifully done, and I like that, unlike the other two, it can also be used as bookends, but as with the Balrog, it's missing the charm, details and whimsy of the Sherlock Holmes set, and I'm unlikely to pick it up unless it's at a steep discount. There aren't really that many details to choose from to single one out, but I like that Ron has his pockets stuffed with the candies Harry has purchased for him.
* Please note the volatile tariff situation has made the US price extremely subject to change. Your guess is as good as anyone's at this point.
And that's the three new Book Nooks for you. Which, if any, are you more likely to buy? Did I miss any Easter eggs in the Sherlock Holmes set? And is it too, too frightfully obvious which set I liked best? 😆
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