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 December 25, 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.

Today we are quickly interested in the LEGO Architecture set 20151 Tokyo Skyline (547 pieces - 64.99 €), a box that will join at the beginning of 2020 the already long list of panoramas of different cities converted with LEGO sauce. Here it is Tokyo that it is about with some emblematic structures of the Japanese capital, the Tokyo Tower, Gakuen Cocoon Tower mode, the park Chidorigafuchi, a view of shibuya, tower Tokyo skytree and the exhibition center tokyo big sight all placed in front of Mount Fuji with a forced perspective effect.

La Tokyo Tower is quite convincing, we find this red and white Eiffel Tower side of the 333-meter construction visible from all parts of the city, but without the lightness of the structure which is here embodied by solid parts. So we hesitate a bit with Tintin's rocket, but it was undoubtedly difficult to do better on this scale. At the foot of the Tokyo Tower, we find what appears to be the temple of Sensoji, a pagoda surmounted by a golden element. Nothing is specified about this structure in the instruction booklet.

La Gakuen Cocoon Tower Mode is in my opinion a little less successful. The 204-meter-high structure that accommodates several thousand Japanese students is a little more elegant than the LEGO version and the pad-printed pieces with a simple geometric pattern struggle to reproduce the "nest" effect visible on the real building.

Further in the skyline, there are two emblematic places of the Japanese capital: the path of Chidorigafuchi which runs along the moat of the Imperial Palace with its cherry blossoms in spring and the intersection of the Shibuya district, an incredible place that sees thousands of people crossing the street at the same time and in all directions without jostling each other.

Even if you've never been to Japan, you must have seen this place at least once in a movie. I was able to go there during a business trip and it is a strange feeling to find myself in the middle of the flow of people who cross this simple crossing.

The LEGO version obviously does not convey any of these emotions, but the presence of this place in this set is a detail that I particularly appreciate. There are buildings with their colorful signs, giant screens that display advertisements and ground markings that make it easy to recognize the place.

At the end of the display, we find the exhibition center Tokyo Big Sight with the very particular structure of its conference space relatively well reproduced here. Just behind, we install the Tokyo Skytree, a 634 meter high structure whose LEGO version is in my opinion unconvincing.

The metallic mesh which covers the tower is symbolized here by a few flexible tubes too far apart to produce a credible effect. Once again, I am well aware that the scale of these skylines does not allow all the fantasies usually seen on the sets of the Architecture range which only feature a single construction, but I am still a little disappointed .

It's hard for me to criticize the choice of buildings that make up this Tokyo skyline, I don't live there. Everyone will have an opinion on the subject depending on what they may have learned from their visit to the Japanese capital, but from my point of view as an occasional tourist, I think the selection is quite representative of what best symbolizes this city.

I remain a little on my hunger concerning the Gakuen Cocoon Tower Mode and the tower placed to the far right of the model. Mount Fuji, despite its rough finish, brings a bit of depth to the product and helps highlight the two elements that I think are the most successful here: Chidorigafuchi and Shibuya.

Overall, this set is a nice souvenir for those who have already been able to go to Tokyo and who have taken the time to visit the city a little without spending their entire stay in Akihabara ... The district would have deserved to be included in this skyline, with a few micro-buildings adorned with illuminated signs.

Lovers of micro-constructions based on LEGO bricks will also find their account there with a set that offers varied and always ingenious assemblies. Some structures, on the other hand, are a little fragile, but as it is a pure exhibition product that you do not touch after mounting it, this is not very serious.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at December 20, 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.

When we talk about the wolf ... End of the suspense concerning the content of the two sets planned for the beginning of 2020 in the LEGO Architecture range with the official visuals of both skylines announced: