Earlier this month, the LEGO Group introduced a new theme called LEGO® Editions. The first sets released under the banner are inspired by the world of football, or for a select few, soccer. One of the new Editions sets released on March 1st was a replica of the FIFA World Cup Trophy, with the second being a football, and that’s the set I’ll be taking a look at here. As alluded to, the set has two names depending on where you live, so for much of the world it’s known as the LEGO Editions Football, elsewhere it’s the LEGO Editions Soccer Ball. Despite the differing names, the set is the same. So here’s what set 43019 has to offer.
Product Details
Set Name: Football/Soccer Ball | Set Number: 43019 | Pieces: 1489 | Theme: Editions
Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Sticker: sheet x 1 | Minifigures: n/a
RRP: £99.99/1199.99€/$129.99/179.99AUD/199.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
The build begins with the construction of a small stadium scene. This eventually sits within the completed ball. The scene represents the moments at the end of a tournament when a winning team is presented with their trophy. Several stickers are used to show the crowds filling the stands, along with a pair of jumbo screens. A group of 11 microfigs are used for the team, basic detail shows each player in a blue kit with the goalkeeper in pink, the same colour scheme used on the exterior of the ball. The platform these are mounted on, along with a trio of brightly coloured fireworks, can be moved and jiggled about by nudging a handle below the pitch, replicating their celebrations.
Although the set doesn’t use a lot of Technic pieces, the build feels more like a Technic set than a LEGO System one. An impressive level of engineering has been poured into its construction. Despite being built from several interlinking panels, which are a combination of large plain and printed discs, almost all gaps between them are filled in with smaller discs and rectangular strips. The true extent of the set’s impressive innards is well concealed, but thanks to the ability to lift the top section of the ball, you can still see just how intricate the build is. Even the method to move the liftable flap has been well thought out, with a set of tyres allowing the flap to glide over the outer surface of the ball.
Creating a sphere with LEGO pieces is not an easy task; creating one which opens to reveal a mini stadium is even trickier. But this set manages to nail both. However, as impressive as the construction of the set is and how it has been engineered, it may have limited appeal.
Despite the suggestion upon the reveal of the LEGO Editions theme, it’s not a purely football/soccer-specific theme. Instead, it appears it will encompass the wider world of sports. I guess it could be used to celebrate other sporting events in the future, although the global appeal of such events does limit this slightly. Similar to the World Cup Trophy, this is a fun celebration of football; unlike the trophy, the Football/Soccer Ball has a lasting appeal beyond the upcoming North American World Cup finals. The LEGO Editions Football/Soccer Ball is available now.
The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts in this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of it
