LEGO® Ideas has graced us with some pretty unique sets but the latest to join the line-up is a little more traditional. That’s not to say it’s not an interesting little set. When it was revealed a couple of weeks ago, the A-Frame Cabin proved rather popular with LEGO fans. I have quite a fondness for the Ideas sets and have been lucky enough to build the set ahead of its VIP release next week. But is the A-Frame Cabin a worthy addition to the LEGO Ideas range? Here’s my review of this interesting new set.
Product Details
Take time out to explore the simple pleasures of life in the countryside with this collectible LEGO® Ideas display model of an A-Frame Cabin (21338). The iconic, steeply angled roof is easily detached for access to the detailed interior. The bedroom on the upper level and the living area, study and kitchenette on the lower level are full of accessories to create a cosy atmosphere. The set also includes 3 colourful trees that can be connected to create an island, plus a canoe.
Delightful gift idea
Bring the idyllic rural scene to life with 4 customisable minifigures and 11 animal figures, including 2 new-for-February-2023 moths. An ideal gift for lovers of nature or architecture, this building kit comes with instructions to guide every step of your creative experience.
- Set Name: A-Frame Cabin
- Set Number: 21338
- Pieces: 2082
- RRP: £159.99/$179.99/179.99€
- Number of Bags: Bags x 15 + loose elements
- Stickers: N/A
- Minifigures: 4
- Instructions: Booklet x 2 + LEGO Building Instructions App
- Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online from February 1st for VIPs
The building’s simple design was first popularized in Europe and before being used as vacation homes in the US. Their easy construction and minimal design made them perfect dwellings for a woodland setting. So much so, the two seemingly go together hand in hand. The history of the building is detailed in the instructions, which have a great illustration of the set on the covers. Showing it’s possible to have ‘simple’ covers which are still unique to the set. The instructions also tell the story of the fan designer’s inspiration for building the set and sharing it on LEGO Ideas. The LEGO Design Team, who have taken the fan design and turned it into the set you’ll be building, are also featured in the instructions.
As I began building the set, which begins with the base, I was surprised by how small a footprint it has. The base begins with a simple frame upon which a few larger plates are added. There’s some interesting detail built into the front section of this part of the build. I do like it when elements are used in unusual ways and strips of Thor’s Hammer doubling up as foundation stones for the cabin works perfectly. This detail is built separately from the platform but clips into it. It’s topped by a couple of plates which create the Cabin’s decking. I did find these wouldn’t sit flush in the middle. These seemed to lack the necessary clutch power. But it just required a little tweaking of the bricks below. The central part under the decking area is actually a section which is clipped to the frame of the base. Therefore it can be a little unaligned. It’s just an unusual connection method, not poor design.
With the base complete, you start to add the details of both the exterior and interior of the ground floor. Due to the shape of the cabin, it’s built in two sections. This offers a simpler build experience, without the need for strange connection methods or an overreliance on Technic pieces. It also means you can access the interior a lot better. Both as you build and once the set is complete.
The upper section of the cabin is a separate section and another room. It simply connects to the base with a few 1×4 plates with 2 studs. These are enough to provide a slight amount of clutch connection but also allow you to easily disconnect the top section from the bottom. Just be mindful when picking up the set without the roof panels in place, that you do so from the base and don’t try to lift it from the top section.
One of the delightful things about both the original fan project and the final set is the level of detail they both include. Obviously, there are differences between the two but the detail in the final model is just as fun. The ground floor is home to a small kitchen and living area. The limited space makes these compact but that hasn’t stopped little features from being added. These even include a couple of LEGO Ideas Easter Eggs. On the ground floor is a Typewriter which is an obvious nod to the Ideas set released in 2021.
Some of the details seem a little random such as stacks of different coloured studs but these just had the charm of the setting. I also like how some of the details of the interior are built into the walls of the cabin. This is a great use of space and results in cool features such as the little sink. I must also mention the record player and the simple cabinet it sits upon. I love how detailed this small section is. You’ll also notice a printed tile from another excellent LEGO set, which has been repurposed as a doormat. It’s joined by a unique printed tile, showing a rustic wood carving hung on the wall.
After a full day of adventuring, you take a short trip up the stairs to the small bedroom. This takes up the entirety of the upper section. Again, you’ll find various nicknacks dotted about the room along with the second Ideas Easter Egg in the form of the 2019 Tree House. It’s also surrounded by a few discarded LEGO bricks including a dangerously placed brick on one of the stairs. There is also a fun nod to the fan designer in this room. With a printed 2×4 tile featuring one of Andrea’s other Ideas projects. The interior, although compact, is bursting with details and unique features. These perfectly encapsulate a charming rustic woodland getaway.
It’s not just the interior which impresses, the exterior is pretty unique as well. As a woodland cabin, it’s been built from ‘wood’ that is perfectly recreated with various tiles and plates. They are added to the walls of the cabin in such a way as to provide a unique textured surface. It does feel odd to have plates sitting at different elevations from each other but the result is a natural-looking finish to the walls. It also offers connection points for additional details such as chimneys, vents and an Octan-branded fuel supply. The toilet offering is extremely rustic with nothing but a roll of toilet paper and a shovel. I really like how the walls are achieved. It does feel odd having an uneven surface from a building perspective but appearance-wise, it’s perfect.
The triangular shape of the building means it has a large roof. This is built as 2 separate panels which then sit flush with the frame of the building. They don’t physically connect to the rest of the building. Instead, they lay against it. A similar system has been in other sets with varying success. Thankfully, for this set, they aren’t loose nor are they hard to add or remove from the frame of the building. I would suggest making sure you build this part of the set in a well-lit area. It can be a little difficult to see where the various reddish-brown tiles are placed.
A-Frame Cabins aren’t exclusively found in idyllic woodland settings but their use of holiday homes means they are closely associated with a more natural environment. This is portrayed by 2 additional buildable sections. The first of which is a small covered wood store. This uses various-sized round tiles to represent the supply of logs. It sits under a short tree, which is decorated with a mix of red, brown and orange leaves, giving it an autumnal feel. You notice a wedge is left in this section with a lone Technic pin. This is used to connect the section of scenery to the left side of the cabin. It doesn’t connect securely, the Technic pins are more there as a means to couple the sections together. It would be easy enough to swap the blue pin for a black one should you wish to help it remain in place.
A similar section is built once the cabin is complete. It’s much bigger than the wood store section and thus is rather more detailed. It features an area to store the included canoe and relevant safety equipment. But it’s the little rocky section I absolutely love. A small rocky panel section is connected so it’s laying down and is surrounded by various other elements to give the area a fantastic natural look. The area is also home to two additional trees. They stand much taller than the red tree and use yellow leaves on one tree and mostly green on the other. I’ve seen comments on people’s disappointment with the trees being changed too much compared to the original fan submission. But the style of the trees in this set can be a little tricky to construct. So anything more complex would be even more difficult to build and probably more prone to coming apart. As with the smaller section, this part of the build can also be slotted into the base of the cabin, towards the rear on the righthand side.
Both of the land sections can also be connected to each other to create a separate section of scenery. They slot together perfectly and I assume this is why the connection method is a loose one, so they can easily be moved around without having to unclip them. Again if you do want a tighter connection simply swap the blue Technic pin for a black one. These 2 pieces of land look great when connected to the cabin but they also go together perfectly as a separate section. Providing different ways to display the set, which is an interesting option to have.
The set’s description boasts the inclusion of 11 animals. These are a mix of generic creatures such as a spider and frog, along with some of the newer creature elements including a squirrel, 2 birds and 2 butterflies. These are joined by a brand new moth element. I say new, it is the piece used for the butterfly but with a unique print. The otter makes its second appearance after its debut in the recently released LEGO City Otter Battle Pack.
The set’s minifigures are a big departure from the fan design. In place of the 2 rustic fellows are a group of 4 friends. They are suitably kitted out in outdoor wear, which is a mix of previously used torsos and legs, along with some new ones. The torsos are quite trendy which is vastly different to what the chaps were wearing in the fan design but they still have a retro vibe to them as well. Unusually all the characters are adults, but I quite like that. Especially since there’s a LEGO set and some bricks inside the cabin.
https://flic.kr/p/2odowSo
Set v Source
Almost every single LEGO Ideas set is inspired by something else. Be that an object or well-known IP. But their true inspiration is the original fan-created project. The A-Frame Cabin was originally created by fan designer Andrea Lattanzio. He was inspired to build the set after creating other unusual buildings for other Ideas projects. There are a few changes between the original design and the final product. The trees have been changed and the cabin is a little more compact, but it hasn’t lost all of the fun little details. In fact, it features plenty of new ones to find.
Overall
LEGO Ideas remains a wonderful showcase of the possibilities of the LEGO brick. I do enjoy the unusual sets such as the Typewriter and Globe, with some of the sets inspired by IPs also proving interesting builds. But I have a soft spot for sets which could be considered a little more traditional. Sure, there have been changes from the original fan project but they aren’t so extreme as to make the set you build feel vastly different. The A-Frame Cabin will be available early for LEGO VIP members from February 1st. It will then be available for all from February 4th.
Coming Soon: UKIrelandUSCanadaGermanyDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
This set was provided to BricksFanz by the LEGO Group for purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
