A few weeks back I reviewed #21042-1: Statue of Liberty which was released back in 2018. I was so impressed that I picked up #21046-1: Empire State Building. This set was released on 2 August 2019 in the US. It retails for $129.99 in the US and with 1,767 pieces it works out to $0.074/piece. I found it locally for around $85 so be on the lookout for discounts.
Back in 2009, LEGO released #21002-1: Empire State Building (Brickset link). I have that set, but it is back in a storage container somewhere in the US so I won’t spend a lot of time talking about it other than mentioning that #21042-1 is being released 10 years later.
The Empire State Building has been a popular build out of LEGO bricks. A quick search just on YouTube shows numerous fan built models at much larger scales then this set. Take a look if you have a minute.
Here’s the box. The front shows the set while the back shows the set next to a picture of the real building. It also mentions the full set height at 21.5 inches.
The set contains 9 parts bags. They are numbered one through five with five being the only one that has a single bag. There is also an instruction booklet which provides some information on the building in the front as well as throughout the build.
The first set of bags builds the base of the building. It includes the standard printed black tile with the name of the building. It also has the streets around the building with some taxis driving around. The tiles are offset to have a small sidewalk and then you can see the first floor with the “glass” layer before the building is started. Bag 1 also starts the base structure of the building itself. The build has a lot of SNOT usage as you can see with a lot of studs pointed out.
The second set of bags completes the base levels of the building and then starts to build up. You can see how the structure continues to have numerous studs pointed out to help capture the outer portion of the building made with the 684 1x2 grill tiles included in the set.
There are some interesting techniques used in this build to include placing tiles vertically in-between studs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this technique used before, but I like the concept and will look to use it in the future.
The third set of bags starts to go vertical. You can see all of the 1x2 grills going into place. As a close up photo of the model, it doesn’t look that great as you can see all of the studs underneath. From further away it doesn’t matter as much so I’m not going to complain here.
Bag 4 really makes the building form into shape (and my camera didn’t know where to focus). It gets a bit repetitive so if you don’t like placing 1x2 grills or repeating sides, then this set may not be for you. I like how you can use LEGO bricks to make realistic looking models so I’m okay with the repetitive build.
Bag 5 finishes the set off. It adds the final details to the building and then the top. I like the use of the silver colored pieces on the top.
Overall, I like the set. It’s a realistic build and I think it will make a great display piece in a future brick cave for me. I’m glad I picked the set up at a discount. While it is a decent price per piece, a lot of the pieces are very small so it is to be expected. Definitely look to see if you can find it discounted like I did.
I hope LEGO puts out more sets similar to this one in the Architecture line. What are your thoughts?
Happy building!
