Review: LEGO Ideas 21328 Seinfeld

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO Ideas set 21328 Seinfeld, a box of 1326 pieces inspired by the project by Brent Waller who had been able to unite a large public and bring together the 10.000 supporters necessary for the examination of the "idea" by LEGO. The rest was just a formality, the project having been definitively validated by LEGO, and the final product will be on the shelves in a VIP preview from July 21.

As with the other boxes of the same barrel regularly marketed in the LEGO Ideas range, this set is above all a pure fan service product. The studio's recipe for a popular sitcom has already been widely spun off by sets 21302 The Big Bang Theory (2015) et 21319 Central Perk (2019) and more recently by the set 10292 F⋅R⋅I⋅E⋅N⋅D⋅S Apartments, we use here the same principle adapted to the treated subject.

Here, the scene is to the glory of the sitcom Seinfeld, a very popular series on the other side of the Atlantic in the 90s which had a bit of trouble to meet the same success with us for various reasons including a dub in French just passable.

More than an exhaustive reproduction of the filming studio, this is clearly a product very inspired by the official model of the tray marketed for nearly $ 500 and which does not include either the bathroom of which only the door remains, nor the bedroom which is in principle accessible through the passage where the green bicycle is stored.

First finishing detail that is obvious: the floor of the apartment is completely covered with Tiles which form a nice floor. The designer who took over the project made sure to leave tenons available to install the furniture and position a few minifigs in the places and the effect is frankly successful. The and 10292 F⋅R⋅I⋅E⋅N⋅D⋅S Apartments with its floor while exposed tenons suddenly seems really lacking in finish next to the simple but effective aesthetic work done here.

We could argue about the color of the upper part of the walls, with a white that does not really match the hue seen on the screen. In the sitcom, the walls are rather gray, even very light blue, but they are in any case not immaculate white. The contrast however benefits the product with a floor and furniture really highlighted by these walls which are a little discreet.

The furniture to assemble in this box is also very successful with pretty techniques that should appeal to lovers of Modulars and elements all really faithful to the accessories that populate the studio. I will spare you the countless references to different episodes of the series, I will not pretend to remember each of the episodes that I saw in the 90s and that I have never seen since. I still remember the Commando 8 air conditioning installed by Kramer on the office window and Frank Costanza's "Festivus Pole", two elements included in the set.

As with other LEGO products that feature a popular sitcom, fan service is provided down to the smallest detail and fans of the series should be well served. The big sheet of stickers provided comes in reinforcement to add a big ladle of fan service, difficult to imagine the fridge without the many magnets, sticky notes and decorations seen on the screen. Too bad for the very imprecise cutting of some stickers that must be shifted by placing them to compensate for the uneven borders.

As usual, everything that is not on the sheet of stickers that I scanned for you (see below) is pad printed. This is particularly the case of Tiles that form the pattern of the living room rug.

Each of the episodes of the first seasons of the series began with a sketch that served as the theme of the episode concerned and the main construction is accompanied by a small module that reproduces the scene of the Comedy Club on which Jerry Seinfeld performs. No curtain, we will be satisfied with a red brick wall and the element is independent of the rest of the studio, it will be necessary to find a place for it on the shelf.

On the minifig side, it's frankly more mixed with figurines that struggle a bit to embody the actors seen on the screen. Luckily Jerry Seinfeld has got a new haircut that paired with the blue shirt immediately brings the character to mind. It is also the outfit of each member of the cast that guarantees the association of ideas more than the face or the hairstyle. I'm not a fan of the blue background on George Costanza and Newman's glasses, we lose a bit of the usual codes of LEGO minifigs.

To choose, it is still Elaine Marie Benes who seems to me the most successful with her outfit and her hairstyle and despite her generic face. George Costanza is wearing his iconic red jacket and the skull / hair piece works quite well, as does the smirk on his face. The character almost deserved a pair of short legs to really mark the size difference with the rest of the cast. Cosmo Kramer's shirt is fitting, but the 60s thug hair isn't convincing. Newman is totally missed, nothing goes except the outfit and LEGO insists with this hair that I find unsuitable and yet already seen on the head of Dennis Nedry, another cult character played by actor Wayne Knight.

The pad prints are very correct, except for the flesh-colored areas which vary in hue depending on the color of the part on which LEGO has applied the ink. The legs are neutral but this is not a criticism, the subject treated did not necessarily call for pad printing at this level.

As for references 21302 The Big Bang Theory (2015) et 21319 Central Perk (2019) et  10292 F⋅R⋅I⋅E⋅N⋅D⋅S Apartments (2021), this box is intended only for fans of the treated sitcom. Seinfeld is not a cult series in France but it is indeed across the Atlantic. The goal here is for LEGO to provide fan service to the hilt and to please everyone who enjoys the series, which this new set does quite well. It has also benefited from a particular care on the finish and the furniture, we feel that the designer has really tried to offer something entertaining in terms of construction techniques.

Too bad for the projectors which are once again different from those of the other sitcoms sets offered by LEGO, there was however material to try to maintain a kind of common thread between the different boxes by keeping the design of these accessories as it is. appears in the set 21319 Central Perk.

If you liked Seinfeld, you should like this box despite its few flaws and minifigures that look very rough when taken out of context. The public price of the set is set at 79.99 €, it is the price of nostalgia.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 29, 2021 next at 23pm. For newcomers, know that you just need to post a comment to participate in the draw.

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.