Review : LEGO ICONS 10356 Star Trek: USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO ICONS set 10356 Star Trek: USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D, a box of 3600 pieces which will be available on the official online store from November 28, 2025 at the public price of €379,99.

As you probably already know, this version of the Enterprise is inspired by the series Star Trek: The Next Generation It aired from 1987 in the USA and from 1996 in France. Those hoping for a version based on the 1966 series with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are therefore disappointed; LEGO has chosen to go back less far and capitalize on the nostalgia of a more recent generation of fans.

That being said, the Enterprise has more or less retained its characteristic look throughout the series and films of the Star Trek franchise, and those who might be relatively disappointed not to get the first variant of the ship will easily be content without complaining too much.

Recreating a ship like the Enterprise with LEGO bricks was a challenge, and you can tell the designer struggled in places to create the most believable model possible. The result is acceptable in my opinion, considering the aesthetic constraints, but there are still a few finishing details that might disappoint those hoping for something more polished, particularly the front disc.

While the model retains the oval shape of the original spaceship, the surface treatment disrupts the intended effect by introducing lines and notches that visually disturb the overall design. LEGO has made an effort to enhance the rounded shape by including printed pieces that form the disc's edge with near-perfect continuity, but this effort is negated by the placement of the surface plates, compounded by the presence of brown pieces that add little visual interest.

The use of flexible tubes to represent the gap between the rim of the disc and the central area doesn't strike me as very convincing; it's a rather simplistic shortcut that gives this high-end model, sold for €380, a cheap look. These tubes don't bend completely uniformly, and the result is, in my opinion, far from satisfactory.

The rest of the 62cm-long ship is more successful, with well-defined curves and a very decent finish on the two propulsion units. This model is not lacking in detail, which should appeal to fans who can overlook the overall design: an accessible shuttle hangar, two Type-15 micro-shuttles, a saucer held in place by an ingenious system and detachable for recreating the scenes in which this element is separated from the rest of the ship, and a plethora of stickers that add some character to the whole thing. In reality, no one will really take advantage of this "feature" that allows the ship to be split in two, except perhaps for easier storage in its box without having to disassemble everything.

For those wondering, there is no interior in this spaceship; don't be misled by the promotional video currently circulating on social media. In fact, if you look closely, you can find the mention "Bridge setting is not part of the LEGO set".

Assembling the model is enjoyable, with highly original techniques that achieve the desired result, and despite a few slightly repetitive phases, it's never really boring. The disc's design is the most tedious step; you quickly realize that the finish will be very rough and that the expected curves are only vaguely represented. The black patterns on the disc's edge are pad-printed.

The spaceship is mounted on a somewhat crude but unfailingly stable stand, with a presentation angle that does its best to highlight the object and visually conceal the black stand. The staging is dynamic, and the stand is almost forgotten when viewed from above.

The small, printed display plate isn't attached to the stand; it's presented separately, somewhat isolated. The included minifigures are lined up on a second, rather uninspired stand, adorned with a sticker reminding us that this product is inspired by the series. Star Trek: The Next GenerationThere was undoubtedly potential to combine everything to make it a more ambitious element of the model.

As is often the case, the background color of some of the stickers doesn't perfectly match the color of the pieces they're applied to; there are even several shades of gray on the pieces used. This is particularly noticeable on the surface of the saucer; LEGO still hasn't managed to achieve a consistent color scheme.

The joke of the moment is actually another mistake that LEGO didn't notice before printing the included stickers. There is indeed a mistake in the phrase printed at the bottom of the gold sticker: "...to boldly go where no man has gone before."should have been"...to boldly go where no man has gone before."

The minifigure selection is quite substantial here with nine characters and a cat: Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Riker, Lieutenant Worf, Lieutenant Commander Data, Doctor Beverly Crusher, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, Councilor Deanna Troi, Bartender Guinan, Young Wesley Crusher and Spot the cat.

It's difficult to criticize LEGO's selection; the cast is decent, and LEGO hasn't skimped on the essential details needed to make certain characters believable. However, one can be concerned about the manufacturer's inability to properly print on a black background. All the uniformed minifigures suffer from the same manufacturing defect: a slightly dark tint that doesn't quite match the color of the characters' arms. This is a shame, considering that the appeal of these minifigures relies solely on these colored areas, the uniforms being complemented by pairs of neutral legs. Once again, the heavily retouched official images are a bit too optimistic compared to reality.

Each character is accompanied by a more or less iconic accessory, some of which are direct references to scenes from the series: a teacup for Picard, a paperclip for Riker, the cat Spot for Data, an engineering tool kit for La Forge, a Phaser for Worf, a TR-560 Tricorder for Crusher, a portable tractor beam for Wesley, a PADD (Personal Access Display Device) for Deanna Troi, and a bottle for the barmaid Guinan. All the better for the most dedicated fans, who should appreciate these nods directly to them.

Was it absolutely necessary to attempt a reproduction of the Enterprise at this scale? That's far from certain, given the aesthetic compromises and the somewhat messy appearance of the saucer's surface. A version Midi Scale could have been convincing, it would inevitably have overlooked certain details but it would also have allowed us to avoid the somewhat crude rendering of certain areas in the current version.

Star Trek isn't Star Wars, and I doubt LEGO will ever release a whole series of Enterprise variants. There's certainly a market for the product shown here among the franchise's many adult fans, but there's no guarantee a full range of variants would find an audience, especially with designs too similar to justify collecting. So, we'll probably have to settle for this version from a series more recent than the 1966 one. A shame for those like me who would have preferred to get the original cast.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at November 29, 2025 at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate.