LEGO Unveils Stunning River Steamboat Model Celebrating Classic Americana

The new LEGO River Steamboat is a stunning set that offers an engaging and rewarding building experience. The quality of a LEGO set is determined not just by its final appearance but also by the enjoyment of the build itself, and the River Steamboat exemplifies this perfectly. The construction process has a natural flow, with each step leading seamlessly to the next. The set's modular design, featuring easily removable layers, allows for full access and visibility of the ship's intricate interior details. LEGO has long catered to adult fans with its modular buildings, and the River Steamboat continues this tradition, delivering a modular boat with meticulous attention to detail that blends the unique and the everyday into a harmonious whole.

LEGO Ideas River Steamboat

$329.99 at LEGO Store
The River Steamboat hails from the LEGO Ideas line, where fans submit original designs and proofs-of-concept for community voting. Successful ideas, like this steamboat, become official sets, with the designer receiving a share of the profits. Past hits from LEGO Ideas include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jaws, and Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale.

We Build LEGO Ideas River Steamboat

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Inspired by the historic paddle boats that once navigated the Mississippi River during the 1800s, the LEGO River Steamboat captures the essence of these vessels. Initially used for industrial transport, these steamboats evolved into pleasure crafts offering amenities and gambling. Today, they continue to delight tourists, much like the riverboat cruise my wife and I enjoyed during our honeymoon in New Orleans, complete with dining, drinks, dancing, and live jazz.

This set is a true gem for LEGO enthusiasts. The LEGO River Steamboat features a jazz lounge and dining room, alongside practical areas like a boiler engine room linked to the paddle wheel. Pushing the boat activates the wheel, and the pilothouse's steering wheel moves the rudder. There's also a kitchen, sleeping quarters for the crew, an anchor on a chain, and adjustable boarding stages.

The build, comprising 4,090 pieces, is organized into 32 separate bags. Starting with the ship's base, which includes the boiler room and a miniature nautical museum showcasing various steam engines, the construction journey is fascinating. The kitchen adjacent to the engine room is equipped with a refrigerator, stove, and sink. The ingenuity of LEGO design shines through with elements like a hot dog bun from another set cleverly repurposed as an engine reinforcement.

One level up, the main deck houses the dining room and jazz lounge. The lounge, positioned above the stern, is adorned with tiny LEGO instruments, while the dining room boasts elegant tablecloths, stylish chairs, and light fixtures that enhance both the interior and exterior aesthetics. Wall posters advertise onboard entertainment, one featuring the A-Frame Cabin from another LEGO Ideas set.

The dining room is built separately and then placed into the larger structure, creating additional deck space for minifigures to enjoy the views. However, the set does not include any minifigures, which might limit its play value but emphasizes its display appeal.

The crew deck, one floor above the main deck, features sleeping quarters and a bathroom with essential amenities. Above this, the pilothouse contains the impressive steering mechanism, where turning the wheel affects the rudder through a rod threaded through all four levels of the ship—a testament to the set's intricate engineering.

I appreciate many subtle details in this set, from the repurposed croissant accessory used as white billowy flags to the neat, white railings and patterned tiles mimicking rugs. Despite its size, the set feels compact and efficient, with every piece serving a purpose.

As William Strunk articulates in The Elements of Style, "Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts." The River Steamboat embodies this principle, with every brick contributing to the overall design. Each room and space on the ship is both individually beautiful and integral to the whole.

LEGO River Steamboat, Set #21356, retails for $329.99 and consists of 4,090 pieces. It is available exclusively at the LEGO Store.

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