Review : LEGO Ideas 21318 Treehouse

As promised, we now quickly tour the LEGO Ideas set 21318 Treehouse (3036 pieces - 199.99 €), a beautiful box that has a little more to offer than the big handful of plant elements made from sugar cane that LEGO puts forward.

This set is neither a licensed product which ultimately only serves to sell us a product derived from a known universe, nor a set to build in a few minutes before putting everything in the back of a drawer. It will therefore leave indifferent many fans of LEGO who usually focus on products derived from well-identified universes.

Yet it is indeed a high-level creative experience in which anyone who spends the € 200 requested by LEGO can participate. The initial project posted on the LEGO Ideas platform by Kevin Feeser had found its audience in a few months and this adaptation to the LEGO standards of the Treehouse should not disappoint all those who supported the project.

In my opinion, the designer César Soares in charge of the file at LEGO was indeed rather respectful of the spirit of the initial project. Some may regret the very shimmering side of the official version, especially on the roofs of the three cabins, which contrasts with the more sober and more organic version of Kevin Feeser. As far as I'm concerned, I prefer the atmosphere "Center Parcs"from the LEGO version, I'm not trying to get a new tree from the Endor forest here to put some Ewoks in.

Those who love elaborate construction techniques and hate repetitive assemblies will definitely find their value here. Do not expect to finish the thing in less than three hours, it will be necessary to show patience to set up the trunk, the three furnished huts and the branches covered with foliage. I think this is also a set to assemble without hurry and in small sequences, to really savor all the details.

If some people wonder where are the 3036 pieces in this construction, they will quickly find the answer to their question by unpacking the contents of the bags: the set is full of small decorative pieces to put in place over the 894 construction stages.

The initial project did not foresee any particular support and was satisfied with a neutral basis. The official version offers a pretty green base to build crossed by a small stream and on which you will have to install many accessories that will help furnish this part of the set.

The assembly of the trunk is a fine example of the original techniques used here with the aim of ensuring the rigidity of the part of the tree which will have to support the weight of the three cabins and the branches. The solid internal structure to be assembled is then covered with bark panels for a very convincing result with many variations in the finish. Each piece of bark is unique or almost: the finish seems almost random because it varies from one block of pieces to another and there are hardly any branches to have an identical structure. Small nod to the passage to Kevin Feeser with a pad printed piece bearing his initials and the words "Build your Dreams"to place on the trunk.

The cabins seem similar at first glance but here too, the designer incorporates a large number of variations, particularly in the structure of the walls. You don't get bored during the assembly of the different living spaces and you escape the impression of building the same thing three times.

A detail that is a little annoying at this stage: some structures are very fragile, such as several of the railings that surround the cabins, the posts of which are based on spotting scopes. It is not uncommon to end up with some elements that come loose during handling.

The trunk is divided into two parts to allow removal of the top of the tree which prevents access to the interior of the three cabins when it is in place. Well seen, although I think there won't be many people to try and have fun with this set. On the other hand, the interior of the cabins full of numerous fittings and other accessories, the solution set up here to facilitate access is welcome.

The roofs of the three cabins are also removable and they are identified by a color code which means that you do not have to spend long minutes looking to which cabin belongs to which roof or other. The colored inserts placed on the edge of the cabin walls match the two pieces placed on the back of the roofs. Smart and very practical.

We could discuss the choice of color for the roofs of the three cabins. This blue color will divide fans with on the one hand those who wanted a more organic color and on the other those who will consider that this blue breaks a little the visual monotony of the whole. It's up to you.

We build the set like a growing tree: from the bottom to the top. After the trunk and the large branches that support the huts, it is then necessary to assemble the upper branches to set up the foliage. The internal structure of the dozen large branches is identical but the finish varies from one copy to another to reinforce the organic side of the construction. The four small branches that are placed at the top of the tree are also based on an identical structure, the difference being made on the alternation of colors of the foliage.

A few black or gray fixing clips are still visible on the finished model, and even if the foliage hides them a little, we lose a little the wood side of the whole. Even if it means going so far into detail, it was necessary to provide these elements in Reddish brown and provide a visually perfect finish.

The placement of the leaves is documented step by step for each branch. If at this stage of assembly you are already fed up, you can always give free rein to your imagination and install the foliage according to your current mood. The final model will not suffer, it is after all an organic element that ignores notions of geometry.

Another detail that annoys me a bit: LEGO should definitely produce a better quality flexible cable than the sewing thread supplied for the winch. On a set at 200 €, this reel which is unraveling a little is not up to the task.

As I said above, the top of the tree can be removed to access the huts inside the ultra-detailed. Kevin Feeser and Cesar Soares obviously worked a lot on the choice of furniture and accessories installed in each of these cabins which are ultimately only spaces to admire.

Each cabin is easily identifiable: the parents' bedroom with a double bed and a dressing table, the children's bedroom with its bunk beds and the bathroom with its bin and toilet. Whatever the hut, it is relatively difficult to place a minifigure in it with adult hands and it therefore becomes almost impossible to make up stories in such cramped spaces. The same goes for the passage around the cabins, too narrow to allow anyone to move around.

In theory, it should be possible to move from one hut to another without having to go down the tree. This is the case here with a small wooden bridge between the bathroom and the children's bedroom. To go from the parents' room which is directly accessible by the main staircase to the bathroom, we will say that it is enough to jump from one platform to another. It's a shame, I would have liked to have had a real logic of progression between the different spaces with a small piece of additional wooden bridge to connect the parents' cabin to the bathroom, as was the case on the project original.

A note: For a set oriented "nature", it lacks some additional animals with for example several birds on the branches and some rabbits wandering at the foot of the tree.

LEGO offers in this set a function that seems interesting at first glance: the manufacturer delivers a complete set of vegetation with a duo of autumnal hues that will replace the spring assortment installed when you decide it's time to dust and dust. put your green leaves in the dishwasher. In theory, the principle is attractive.

In practice, it will take a lot of patience to replace each element by removing one by one the fifteen branches of the tree. You can obviously once again do as you see fit and mix the different shades together, buy a batch of white sheets for a wintry look, or invest in blue foliage to transport the build into the Upside-down world as in the Stranger Things set 75810 The Upside Down. aWith this last option, the roofs of the huts will already be the right color ...

The model can be moved quite easily by grabbing it by the trunk. It is also better to avoid catching it by the cabins and paying the price for the "modular" side of the set, the three sub-assemblies being easily detached from their support.

The assortment in minifigs is anecdotal here and the four figurines delivered in this box are there to give a little life to the construction. The character with the scissors is obviously the minifig version of Kevin Feeser, a hairdresser by trade when he's not working on a LEGO project.

In short, this set is in my opinion a real construction toy which highlights elaborate techniques with the added bonus of a sufficient level of finish to sell the organic aspect of the tree. However, it is difficult to talk about nostalgia with this product, the cabins I built when I was a kid were very far from resembling those offered here.

It's up to you to see if you have 199.99 € to put in this box, we have all been very much in demand by LEGO in recent years with more and more licensed products derived from universes that we are passionate about. Here, it is above all about investing in a nice, timeless exhibition product that will take up space (and easily dust) with its 40 cm high and its grip of 27 x 24 cm and which will offer very limited playability. .

I will still make the effort to spend € 200 on this set because I think we have to support this creativity that can do without super heroes, lightsabers and spaceships and because Kevin Feeser really did it. effort to come up with an original "idea" amidst many LEGO Ideas projects that are often a little too lazy or opportunistic.

THE LEGO IDEAS 21318 TREEHOUSE SET ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the August 2, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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.