Over the last couple of years, LEGO® Ideas has teamed up with US retailer Target to bring several fan-designed LEGO sets to market. Beyond retailer exclusivity in North America, the partnership has merely increased the number of LEGO Ideas sets released. Be the past projects or all new creations sourced through challenges. In 2023, one such challenge tasked budding builders with creating something which celebrated STEM aka Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Hot on the heels of the Twilight set comes The Evolution of STEM, here’s a closer look at the upcoming set.
Product Details
Set Name: The Evolution of STEM | Set Number: 21355 | Pieces: 879 | Theme: Ideas
Number of Bags: Bags x ?? | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: Sheet x 1 | Minifigures: Marie Curie, Sir Isaac Newton & George Washington Carver. | Insiders QR: Yes
RRP: £69.99/$79.99/79.99€/129.99AUD/99.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online
After the challenge was launched in late 2023, the ‘Knowledge is Power’ project by LEGO Ideas user Danielbradleyy was announced as the winning design in March 2024. The challenge was to create a set featuring between 50 and 1000 elements that celebrate the wonder of STEM. Daniel’s original design featured an open book brimming with mini-builds that celebrated important moments and discoveries related to STEM.
As you can see from the original design, the final set differs in places, but the base concept of an open book exploding with knowledge remains. The book becomes the base for the various mini-builds, each tied to an important moment in humankind. They include a couple that are hidden in the pages. Popping on the edges of pages reveals a line of Morse Code (which spells something) and a colourful strip of 1×1 tiles showing the optical-light spectrum. They are covered by a new long curved slope element. These are so hidden that I completely forgot about them.
The fun thing about the set is discovering all the different things it celebrates. These are represented by various mini-builds, they all surround a large twisted column. This is a strand of DNA, which is connected to a rotating platform. Twisting a knob on the back of the set causes it to turn, in either direction. The same mechanism causes an oversized carbon atom to bob up and down.
Other parts of the set represent things as varied as the motor car, bees, space exploration, robotics and computing. It does appear to be a mismatched mixture of things and scales but the result is a visual treat. Keep an eye on the instructions as you build, as they offer nuggets of trivia about the different things you are building.
The set features a trio of real-world ‘STEM heroes’ who made important discoveries which still resonate today. They include George Washington Carver, Marie Curie and Sir Isaac Newton. These real-world people, join the likes of Jane Goodall, Galileo Galilei and Leonardo da Vinci
George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist who promoted the planting of different crops to improve soil quality. He has a strong association with peanuts which is represented on his minifigure by a 1×1 round tiles featuring a trio of peanut shells. Most of his visual references show him without a hat, but there are a few images in which he’s sporting a flat cap, as he wears here.
Maria Skłodowska-Curie (commonly known as Marie Curie) was a Polish scientist and the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She discovered two elements and her work investigating radioactive substances led to advancements in medical science and treatment. Her minifigure is just as unassuming as the lady who inspired it. I must say her alternate face feels a little too emotional but I do like her accessories. One is a chemical bottle and the other is a 1×1 tile featuring the chemical compound for Radium. As a neat little bonus, this element glows in the dark.
Sir Isaac Newton was a 17th-century English polymath. He is famous for establishing the laws of motion and a better understanding of gravity. So the tale famously goes, Sir Isaac was relaxing under an apple tree when one of the falling fruit hit him on his head. This helped him to define the laws of gravity. His minifigure makes exceptional use of dual-moulded legs to recreate his era’s use of fancy trousers and long socks. If his hair looks familiar, that’s because it’s a recoloured version of hair used for LEGO Friends’ Nova.
Although a smaller Ideas set it’s packed with detail and this results in a wonderful build experience. Although the final set differs from the fan design, the essence of it remains and Daniel’s original build has acted great guide to what the set has become. The set appears to have angered parts of the internet due to the naming of Marie Curie and the way the DNA twists, and whilst this may be considered an annoyance for some, this is a LEGO set and not a scientific tool. But hopefully, younger LEGO fans who may see it will be inspired to learn more about some aspects of the set. Regardless, it’s another impressive example of how varied the LEGO Ideas range continues to be and it’s been one of my favourites to build. The Evolution of STEM set can be pre-ordered now and will be released next month.
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The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz for this review. However, the thoughts expressed in this review are those 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.