The LEGO Group has been increasingly creating sets which are primarily for display. This has seen several themes introduce similar style decor models. Last year, that push saw the introduction of Book Nooks, brick-built scenes that can be nestled amongst books. There were also bookends, offering a similar book adjacent display model. Joining the recent Wicked Bookends is a set inspired by Disney Pixar’s Toy Story. The long-running animated film series will be returning to the big screen later this year, but the inspiration for this upcoming set is a character from the very first film.
Slinky Dog made his debut in Toy Story and has appeared in all the sequels. He will also appear in Toy Story 5. Slinky is a dachshund-type toy whose body is a slinky, the famous metal spring, that can walk down stairs. Here, Slinky Dog forms part of the bookends but can also be displayed on its own. Here’s an early look at the LEGO® Disney Pixar Slinky Dog Bookends set.
Product Details
Set Name: Toy Story Slinky Dog Bookends | Set Number: 43301 | Pieces: 1311 | Theme: Disney Pixar
Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Sticker: sheet x 1 | Minifigures: Woody & Slinky Dog
RRP: £139.99/149.99€/$149.99/249.99AUD/189.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers from May 1st
The bookends aspect of the set is mostly focused on a pair of brick-built books. These act as the sections which help to keep real books standing up on an open-ended shelf. Both books offer nods to the wider Pixar universe. The purple book’s jacket spine features the Knick Knack, one of Pixar’s earlier shorts featuring a snow globe encased snowman. The blue book includes the Tin Toy logo, which is another early short featuring a musical tin soldier. Both of these animated shorts played a role in convincing Disney to back the original Toy Story film. It would have been nice if the logos were printed instead of stickers, especially as they are so prominent.
The smallest of the two books includes a hidden compartment accessed from the spine of the book. Pulling on the ‘Toy’ panel reveals a platform for the Slinky Dog figure to stand on. It’s an interesting method to incorporate the popular character into the set.
But these brick-built books aren’t just a buffer for bookshelves; they also hide some fun surprises. The larger Tin Toy book is home to a perch, upon which the set’s Woody minifigure can be seated. This is connected to a mechanism within the book that can be deployed by turning a knob on the back of the book. It’s a surprisingly smooth motion, not to mention it’s fun to see Woody spring into view from the side of the book.
That’s not the only fun feature found in the purple book. The others can also be truly seen when building the set. Around the area where Woody is placed and the mechanism to spring him from inside the book, you’ll find several small stacks of studs. These all represent various Toy Story characters such as Buzz, Bo Peep and the Pizza Planet Aliens. These have no real relevance to the set or its build, but they are a fun Easter Egg to discover when building it.
It wouldn’t be much of a Toy Story set with a toy, and this is where the set is really impressive. Slinky Dog is a unique toy, mostly due to the long, springy body. A series of half-circular Technic pipes have created this. These are linked together to give the impression of being a continuous spool.
Slinky’s ‘spring’ can be joined together to create a complete Slinky Dog model or slotted into the sides of each book to create the two bookends. It’s a little tricky to decouple the two ends of Slinky, but I do like the ability to store the two removable Technic axles, which link Slinky’s two ends, inside the larger of the books.
Of the two ends of Slinky, the front part is the most detailed. This includes a printed covered panel for the eyes and two unique cloth pieces to create Slinky’s ears. In regards to the eye section, for some reason, it looks a little odd. I can’t put my finger on exactly why that is. They just seem expressionless. But it’s something all of the upcoming buildable Pixar characters seem to be afflicted with. It’s quite surprising, as animated characters often fare better when turned into 3D LEGO models. But saying that, I couldn’t say how else the eyes couple have been achieved in order to appear a little better. Slinky’s rear end might not be as detailed, but I do like the use of ribbed tubing for his tail. This gives it enough flexibility to ‘wag’ when it’s moved.
The LEGO Group have long since cottoned on to the fact that adult LEGO fans love minifigures, so the set features two of them. As mentioned, these are stored within the two books. Woody is the same as the version featured in last year’s 4+ Toy Story Train set, as well as being similar to all of the ‘new era’ Woody minifigures. But the highlight of the set is the Slinky Dog figure. This is the first time the character has appeared in minifigure-scale and expands the OG line-up of characters.
There is a growing concern amongst older LEGO fans that there is too much focus on expensive, displayable models and this set fuels that argument. It could have just been a Slinky Dog model without the books. But I guess that would then omit the fun Pixar Easter Eggs and the need for the minifigures. I do think there are a little too many of these sort of display-focused LEGO models being released. But no one is forcing you to buy them. I certainly wouldn’t suggest picking up the set just for the Slinky Dog figure. However, it is quite fun to build, includes some great details and offers a visually interesting if expensive, pair of bookends. The LEGO Disney Pixel Slinky Dog Bookends launch on May 1st and can be pre-ordered 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 or Disney. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of it
