There will be at least one new addition to the LEGO Architecture range this year and this is the benchmark 21056 Taj Mahal, a box of 2022 pieces which will be sold at the public price of 109.99 € from June 1st.

If the version of the set LEGO Creator Expert 10256 Taj Mahal (5923 - € 329.99) marketed in 2017 seemed too imposing or too expensive, this new interpretation of the place should convince you with its 23 cm wide and 20 cm high.

This is the Italian version of the official online store which sticks to it and it is logical: the manufacturer communicates a date for the announcement of the largest set ever marketed by LEGO with more than 9000 pieces, the reference 10276 Colosseum.

No visual from the product itself on this teaser, but I think almost everyone has already seen the photos of the box which are actively circulating on the usual channels.

See you on Friday at 15:00 p.m. for the official announcement of this very large box which should be available for Black Friday 2020.

The reissue of the LEGO Architecture set 21031 Burj Khalifa marketed in 2016 is now available for sale on the official online store under the reference 21055 Burj Khalifa at the public price of 44.99 € in France, 49.99 € in Belgium and 54.90 CHF in Switzerland.

Construction and inventory of 333 identical parts, public price inflated by 5 € for the occasion, this reissue which was only available since its launch in 2019 in the Middle East is now accessible to everyone via the LEGO Shop.

THE SET 21055 BURJ KHALIFA ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

THE SET IN BELGIUM >> THE SET IN SWITZERLAND >>

Today we discover a first low-resolution visual of the LEGO Architecture set 21054 The White House. LEGO has put the small dishes in the big with this new version of 1483 pieces which takes over from the more basic version of the set 21006 The White House marketed in 2010 (see below).

The manufacturer assumes in passing its new classification according to the target audience of certain products with the mention 18+ on the packaging which also benefits from a new dressing. This set will be available from June 1st at the public price of € 99.99.

(Visual of the box via skvis.no)

After Tokyo, it's time to take a quick look at the other early 2020 LEGO Architecture skyline: the set 20152 Dubai Skyline (740 pieces - 64.99 €).

As announced, here we find a selection of emblematic buildings of the most famous city in the United Arab Emirates, a constantly evolving city where cranes are almost as numerous as buildings. This will not mean that the set will become obsolete in the years to come, unless one of the existing structures is demolished to build something even bigger, taller and more impressive instead.

In order in this skyline: the hotel Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Subway Station Ibn Battuta, The Dubai Frame, The Dubai Fountain, the Burj Khalifa and the hotel Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.

First observation, the base of the set is covered with Tiles beige (Tan) instead of the usual gray pieces. It is in keeping with the geographical context of the city, even if the streets of Dubai are not simple dirt roads ...

On the construction experience side, there are some good and some not so good. It starts off pretty well with the two hotel structures Jumeirah emirates towers, two almost twin towers with a resolutely modern design. the LEGO version is obviously super-simplified and struggles a bit to reproduce all the finesse and grace of these constructions, but there are some interesting techniques here used to achieve this result.

At the foot of the hotel, there is the metro station Ibn Battuta with its golden dome and its rails which run on a set of pillars. I appreciate this type of detail on LEGO skylines, even summary, they help to give context to the different constructions and to dress the base of the model. Four palm trees are planted on the base, they are embodied by pieces in Olive Green very apropos.

We then install the Dubai Frame, the giant photo frame (150 meters high) which allows spamming on Instagram. No frills here, we forget the elegant friezes and the mirrors which circulate along the frame and we are satisfied with a golden door frame which gives an illusion on this scale.

Before moving on to the most imposing construction of this micro-diorama, we assemble the hotel Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. The real sail-shaped building is magnificent. The LEGO version does its best with a lot of stacked pieces, clips and Harry Potter candles for a result that I find really very average. It's a little clumsy, really very fragile and it is only with a little distance that the whole works visually.

The last construction is the most laborious and the least creative. The Burj Khalifa is just a stack of irrelevant items with over a hundred blue 1x1 round pieces. It's more varied than the monochrome version of the set 21008 Burj Khalifa marketed in 2011, it is in my opinion much less elegant than the version of the set 21031 Burj Khalifa marketed in 2016 and it is especially an abysmal boredom. This is not really the level of what can be achieved with a product from the LEGO Architecture range. In defense for the designer of the set, the overall rendering of the construction is quite faithful to the reference model.

At the foot of Burj Khalifa, there are two micro-fountains that embody the aquatic and musical spectacle offered to tourists, like what we find in Las Vegas in front of the Bellagio. Symbolic but sufficient.

In the end, I hesitate a little to qualify this set of product for tourists anxious to get a nice souvenir in an airport shop before leaving the city.

Nothing to say about the skyline in itself which allows to recognize Dubai at first glance thanks to the few easily identifiable structures, but we are however really hungry for the techniques used and the assembly of the Burj Khalifa offers nothing very exciting in this field. Mixed results therefore in my case for this box.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 25th December 2019 next at 23pm.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.