I’ll start by saying, I get that there are those who have zero interest in this set. But for everyone commenting on social media, aghast at its very existence, you are very much in the minority. The potential fan base of those who are and will be buying this sets vastly dwarfs those ‘devastated’ by its pending release. Not every LEGO® release will appeal to everyone. I am not a BTS fan, their music doesn’t feature in my playlists and I couldn’t name a single member of the band. But even I am aware of their significance and I may have found myself whistling Dynamite since watching the song’s music video for the purpose of this review. I will also highlight my own surprise at the set getting chosen. It was up against some interesting builds and the submitted design was quite basic. But this is a review of the set you’ll be able to build from March 1st. Let’s see if it really is Dynamite or destined for the bargain bin.
Product Details
Capture the joyful energy of 21st-century pop icons RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook with the LEGO® Ideas BTS Dynamite (21339) music video set. Find your building groove to recreate colourful scenes from the video for their multi-platinum single Dynamite, with LEGO brick versions of the disco, record shop, doughnut shop, ice-cream van and more. Add LEGO minifigures of the group members to the different locations or place them all on the special stage and turn the wheel to see them dance.
Just like the Dynamite video
A great gift idea for those who love BTS, this play-and-display model is packed with authentic details, such as BTS records in the record shop, buildable palm trees and the basketball hoop in front of the wall with a mural. Find instructions in the box and on the LEGO Builder app to guide every step of your fun build.
- Set Name: BTS Dynamite
- Set Number: 21339
- Pieces: 749
- RRP: £89.99/$99.99/99.99€
- Number of Bags: Bags x 10 + loose elements
- Stickers: Sheets x 2
- Minifigures: 7
- Instructions: Booklet x 1 + LEGO Building Instructions App
- Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online from March 1st
As with all of the LEGO Ideas sets, the experience begins with the instructions. This features a little background on the band, the fan builders behind the original project and the LEGO Design Team who crafted it into the final set. I was quite surprised to find there isn’t a single photograph of the band or the music video, which inspired the set. In fact, it’s extremely odd there isn’t, beyond just mentioning them.
One thing some people may not like is the set’s heavy use of stickers. There are three sheets included in the set. It’s a shame there are so many but they are needed for the relevant details dotted around the set, mainly in the interior sections, which include a record shop and kitchen.
The set includes various sections, which combine to create moments from the video. It also includes a little bonus, which wasn’t featured in the fan submission or the music video, but more on that later. Smaller buildable elements include a small white Ice Cream van. This is featured in the video and almost has a cartoonish appearance. The LEGO version does an interesting job of recreating it, especially the large ice cream cone melting over its roof.
There’s also a pair of palm trees and a retro-style adverting sign. This comprises of two long rods, on which a series of plate clips are connected. They spell out the word ‘donut’ as well as featuring a brick-built arrow. A smaller sticker sign, also spells out the word coffee, this isn’t misspelt, the last ‘e’ has fallen off, just mentioning it in case people start pointing it out as an error.
As mentioned, the set also features something new in the form of a stage. This can be a separate section but it can be connected to the rear of the main building, which also doubles as part of a stage. This stage section is one of the best features of the set. Not only does it act as a display stand for the seven minifigures, but it also features a simple gear system, which allows them to ‘dance’.
The largest part of the build is a multi-use building. This large ‘L’ shaped strip of building is largely a facade. As mentioned, behind the central part is an area which doubles as a stage. This is bordered by two smaller units. On the left is a Diner, this is only briefly shown in the video, where it’s called the Dynamite Burger & Donut joint. Although it’s a much smaller area compared to what is shown in the video, it does have plenty of detail. Similar to the Ice Cream truck, in the video, the diner is topped with a large donut sign. You’d expect it to be a similar build to the same sort of sign featured in a past LEGO City set. Instead, it’s a completely brick-built sign.
Across the other side of the building, you’ll find the Record Shop. This is one of the first areas featured in the video and is styled as an old vinyl record store. Again, it’s a much smaller space, but it captures the feel of the moment in the video. This area features a large amount of 2×2 tiles. This obviously, perfectly doubles as vinyl records and features a mix of printed tiles and stickered elements. The printed pieces are just random tiles from other sets such as the wildlife picture or radar screen, both I’m sure are banging albums. But the rest of them are stickers and are styled to represent various BTS records such as BE, Persona, Ly, 7 and Wings. It’s a shame these aren’t printed.
The outside of the middle section is very plain, but to be fair this is the same in the music video. Jazzing it up to look a little more exciting would stray too far from the source material. This section of the set also gives a false impression that the set offers a simplistic build. Sure it’s not the most complex of sets but it is by no means basic.
Finally, the minifigures. It wouldn’t be a BTS set if the band wasn’t included. There are seven members of the band and they are also featured in the set, in which various members appear in various bags as you build. The band has a similar style between them, but they all wear their own individual outfits which result in a nice selection of new torsos. They also introduce a couple of new or recoloured hairpieces, which I’m sure will appear in other sets in the future.
Set Vs Source
BTS are a South Korean boy band formed in the early 2010s. They became global sensations a few years later and one of their biggest hits is Dynamite, you may not have heard of the band, but I’m sure you’ll have heard the song at least once. The video for the song is the main inspiration for this set. It finds the band in a stylised American neighbourhood. In fact, it has LEGO Friends vibes to it or for those of a certain age, Paradisa. The band performs outside a disco, a donut shop, alongside a vintage ice cream van and inside a record shop. All of which feature in the set.
Fan Submission
As I’ve already mentioned and has been highlighted before, the original fan submission by builders JBBrickFanatic and BangtanBricks was quite basic. The digital creation certainly didn’t have the visual flair some other fan builders add to their submissions. Yet, that didn’t matter as the project took mere days to reach 10,000 votes. You can see exactly what the original project looked like and read more about why the builders chose to celebrate BTS and their hit song in brick form here.
Overall
I fully understand this set will not appeal to the average LEGO fanbase. However, I do not support the notion that because some don’t like it, it should never have been chosen to become an official set. It’s not taken the place of another set either. In one review round four sets were chosen, so that quells that argument. This set is for the fans of the band and is shown by the engagement with the various teasers and announcement posts made by the LEGO social media channels. Would I have purchased the set? Probably not, but this is due to my lack of interest in the subject matter. If I was a fan of BTS, I would be clambering to own this set as it provides a unique piece of merchandise.
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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.
