LEGO has released the latest, and biggest, addition to its Architecture Skyline Collection – Singapore 21057.
Modelled after the fifth most visited city and one of the most architecturally forward-thinking cities in the world, the LEGO Architecture Skyline Collection: Singapore is the biggest and most complex LEGO city skyline model to date and showcases some of the nation’s most recognizable, and popular buildings.
The LEGO Architecture series houses some of the world’s most iconic landmarks such as the Empire State building and the Taj Mahal. First introduced in 2016, the LEGO Architecture Skyline collection scales it down and features landmarks from some of the most popular cities in a smaller build.
Since its launch, the LEGO Architecture Skyline collection has featured cities such as Venice (the first), Berlin, London, Tokyo, and many more. Singapore is the latest of this collection.
Using 827 pieces and measuring 16 cm high, 28 cm wide and 9 cm deep, the Singapore skyline model features some of the most iconic buildings in Singapore – the Marina Bay Sands, OCBC Centre, One Raffles Place, Lau Pa Sat food market, Gardens by the Bay with the Supertree Grove, Singapore Riverfront with the shophouses and The Fullerton Hotel Singapore.
One of the first things that fans of the Architecture series will notice is the new blue-banded box. LEGO seems to have made some design choices that collectors might not necessarily like.
The new box uses a “push-tab” opening that pretty much destroys the box once you open it. Of course, you can still use a sharp X-Acto knife to slice it open, but it is an interesting choice from LEGO nonetheless.
In the box, the set comes with a booklet that contains illustrated instructions, as well as information about Singapore and the inspirations for this model’s design.
Rated 18+, while the build experience is pretty enjoyable and there are a couple of nice techniques that attach the buildings to the base, it isn’t very complicated and it is a build that can be enjoyed by LEGO fans that are able to build their standard lines without much issue.
I have to say, as a Singaporean, I am satisfied with the choice of landmarks to represent the country.
First off, you have the iconic Marina Bay Sands (MBS). The three towers of MBS have become probably the most recognizable Singapore landmark over the years and this is a great opportunity to get an MBS build if you’ve always wanted one.
Designed by Rok Zgalin Kobe, the same person behind the first MBS build (21021), there isn’t much difference in the design and build between the two. However, you would be hard-pressed to find the first MBS set at a reasonable price as it has since been discontinued, so this is the perfect opportunity to get one.
Other than MBS, the set features two other skyscrapers that have been around quite a bit longer. Designed to be a symbol of strength and permanence, the OCBC Centre was the tallest building in Singapore when it was completed in 1976.
The set does a good job to recreate the building using printed plates to mimic the calculator-esque look of the building.
Next to the OCBC building, you have the much taller One Raffles Place. Completed in 1986, designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, the tower is made from two triangular structures and the set manages to capture the scale of the building as compared to the other landmarks.
While the Raffles Hotel might be the most well-known hotel in Singapore, The Fullerton Hotel is also rich in history. Located along the Singapore River and right beside Boat Quay, the Fullerton Hotel was the home to the country’s first Post Office.
It took around SGD $400 million in restorations to turn the neoclassical building into a five-star hotel in 2001. It still serves one of the best breakfast buffets.
A slightly non-descript part of the set, when compared to the other buildings, is Lau Pa Sat. This iconic food court brings together much of the food Singapore has to offer. The perfect, and probably the best, place to have satay in the evenings.
I do wish there were more details on the set as the actual building is quite a piece of art. Completed in 1984, the Victorian, octagonal building was made using cast iron pats shipped to Singapore from Glasgow, Scotland. I do feel that the set could have shown it a little more love.
Finally, adding a dash of colour to the set are the very unique Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay. The Supertrees are fabricated structures that are art-garden hybrids that are probably one of the most flamboyant of Singapore’s landmarks.
The set uses car wheel parts to recreate the trees in a very creative way.
The LEGO Architecture Skyline Collection: Singapore 21057 makes for a very nice display piece and brings together some of Singapore’s most iconic landmarks from across the years together in one set.
You can basically trace the nation’s architectural journey as a British colony (Fullerton Hotel and Lau Pa Sat), to a country that built its foundations on no-nonsense, rigidly traditional roots (OCBC Center), to its evolution as a commercial hub (One Raffles Place), and finally a modern tech-forward city (Marina Bay Sands and the Gardens by the Bay).
The LEGO® Architecture Skyline Collection: Singapore 21057 will be available at a recommended retail price of SGD 99.90. Fans that wish to purchase the set can follow the LEGO Facebook page for updates.