LEGO Ideas: 21110 Research Institute Review

Hi everyone, it's been a while since we've done a set review here at Oz Brick Nation, we've been too busy building all the awesome new sets that have come out in the last couple of months!

Today, we'll be having a look at the new LEGO Ideas set, 21110: Research Institute, which was released on 1st August. This set is the latest to be produced as a result of the LEGO Ideas (formerly Cuusoo) program. The concept for the set was developed by Ellen Kooijman, and the first page of the instructions introduces Ellen and shows her at work in her laboratory. The set name was originally proposed as "Female Minifigure Set", and has been renamed "Research Institute" by LEGO for production. 

The demand for this set has been phenomenal, and it sold out within a couple of hours of its release, and, combined with the release of 21109: Exo Suit, sent the LEGO online shops around the world into meltdown. It was sold out for a couple of weeks, then made available again a couple of times, and each time it's sold out within an hour. The future production and availability of this set is currently unknown, but LEGO really need to review their production planning for this set. 

Set Number: 21110

Theme: Ideas

Set Name: Research Institute

Part Count: 165

Australian RRP: $29.99

Featuring: 3 minifigures, dinosaur skeleton, telescope, microscope




There are 3 bags contained within the box, and each bag builds one of the vignettes (vignette - small LEGO scene, usually built on an 8 stud by 8 stud base). Each vignette contains a different scientist at work.

The first bag builds the Chemist, the second the Palaeontologist, and the third the Astronomer.

Chemist

Palaeontologist

Astronomer

Completed Set

Verdict

This set was fairly quick to build, and most of it can actually be built without instructions by looking at the pictures (except the dinosaur, which has some clever building techniques to achieve the skeleton look). It took me about 15-20 minutes to build the whole set. And the best part of the build? No stickers! The star map on the astronomer vignette has been printed on the piece.

The concept of this set, which was to introduce more female LEGO minifigures into the LEGO world, has been achieved, and done very well.

Overall, this is a clever little set, and I'd definitely recommend it to LEGO fans of all shapes and sizes! The standout for me is the dinosaur, built using a small number of parts, but the end result is amazing.

See you soon for another review at Oz Brick Nation, we hope you've enjoyed our quick look at 21110: Research Institute.

Please leave your comments below!

PS: More information on the original concept for this set, including other vignettes Ellen proposed, can be found at:
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/15401