Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty review

Essential info:

Price: $119.99/£89.99

Model number: 21042

Number of pieces: 1,685

Dimensions: 17 x 5 x 5 inches / 44 x 14 x 14 cm

Recommended age: 16+

There are few monuments in the world as iconic as the Statue of Liberty. Standing 305 feet tall on New York’s Liberty Island, it’s a statue that almost everyone is instantly familiar with, no matter where in the world they live. 

As such, Lego Architecture’s recreation of the Lady Liberty, measuring about 1/100th of the real thing, is equally recognizable. No detail has been spared in bringing the monument into your living room, even down to the color match and the brickwork on the pedestal.

Being part of the Lego Architecture series (opens in new tab), which kicked off back in 2008, that attention to detail is to be expected. This is one of the first ranges to be marketed towards adults, designed to bring real-world structures and buildings to life in Lego form. Undoubtedly, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most impressive (and one of the longest-running) sets in the range, capturing the magnificence of the 19th century statue impeccably.

(Image credit: Future)

Is it the perfect Lego set? Perhaps not as the nature of it means that you’re going to encounter some repetition while building, and the small pieces means that it’s sometimes fiddly. 

Despite this, it’s certainly up there with our favorites, creating a fine balance between detail, size, and price. It looks fantastic, and it’s not going to break the bank. And, with Lego sets continuing to get bigger and more expensive as time goes on, that’s not something to be sniffed at.

Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty review: Build

(Image credit: Future)

• Some fiddly sections
• Having so many pieces of the same color makes the instructions occasionally unclear

As we’ve already alluded to, the Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty has some fiddly sections to build. That’s largely down to the fact that (1) Lego Architecture sets are almost exclusively made up of the smaller types of pieces and (2) the Statue of Liberty is largely only two colors. 

The sea of beige and green means that following instructions can get a little tricky as one brick fades into another. So, you’ll need to pay extra close attention to ensure everything is exactly where it should be, especially when you’re building Lady Liberty herself.

(Image credit: Future)

The plinth is perhaps the easiest part of the build, albeit the most repetitive. Being symmetrical on all four sides, it’s fairly easy to follow through to completion, and will likely be the quickest part of the model. When it comes to the statue, however, Lady Liberty’s textured body can cause some problems. We did find that having one or two small pieces out of place doesn’t really affect the overall effect; the texture on the statue is meant to reflect a flowing cape and so a couple of erroneous pieces are almost impossible to spot.

With all that said, a few tricky sections aren’t enough to ruin the experience of putting together the glorious Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty. We were kept fully engrossed in the two or so hours it took us to build this. When the finished model looks as good as this, a few technical niggles are easily forgotten.

Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Incredible details
• Really does look like a scaled-down version of the real thing

Lego’s Statue of Liberty model is so realistic that it looks like it should have a micro-scale version of Liberty Island to rest on. It’s just beautiful, with so much detail applied to both the plinth – with its intricate brickwork – and the copper statue itself, with bricks being layered to create a textured effect. Finer details, such as the statue’s seven-ray crown and the golden torch in its hand have been recreated, too. 

The only thing we’re missing is a face, but that can be forgiven. We imagine the only way Lego would have been able to recreate that is with a sticker, and we’re glad the set remains sticker-free (although a Lego-style face on the Statue of Liberty would have been pretty funny).

(Image credit: Future)

A minor detail, too, but we love the style of box the Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty comes in. Like many Architecture sets, it opens up like a pizza box, making it useful for emptying pieces into (and generally better for storage and reuse). It adds a premium touch to the model, which is very much appreciated.

Should you buy Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty?

(Image credit: Future)

While adult Lego fans have more choice than ever when it comes to complex, show-worthy sets, the Lego Architecture range (opens in new tab) is still one of the best choices. Spot this in the corner of a room and many guests will do a double-take when you tell them it’s made out of Lego bricks. (Not that having Lego in your lounge is anything to be ashamed of, we hasten to add!) 

But if you’re looking for an inconspicuous display piece that also happens to be great fun to put together, then yes, you should absolutely buy the Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty. Particularly if you have any ties or attachment to New York City. What better memento could you have?

Other Lego sets to consider

A more recent entry into the Lego Architecture set that we love is the Great Pyramid of Giza (opens in new tab). It’s only slightly more expensive than the Statue of Liberty at $130/£120 and with a much wider footprint it feels rather substantial (technically it’s only half a pyramid, but it still looks incredible and this makes it easier to display).

We also love the Taj Mahal (opens in new tab), although this is a very intricate set with lots of small pieces, which will require much more patience than most Lego builds! This retails for $120/£105.

If it’s another NYC keepsake you’re after, why not consider the New York City Skyline (opens in new tab)? At $60/£45 it features several iconic buildings from the city: the Flatiron Building, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, and, of course, a tiny-in-comparison Statue of Liberty.

Or travelers will adore the Lego Ideas The Globe with it’s antique-style frame and little country and ocean nameplates, all for $230/£200 (opens in new tab).