Originally built as the centerpiece for the 1889 World’s Fair, the Eiffel Tower has cemented itself as one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks. The massive structure remains an incredible sight to behold as it rules 1,083 feet over the Parisian skyline. Now, you can have it ruling the skyline on your display shelf with the LEGO Icons Eiffel Tower.
That’s right, you can erect your own version of the Eiffel tower somewhere in your home, allowing you to build your own engineering marvel like Gustave Eiffel’s firm did back in the day. Except, instead of taking over two years to build like the original, you should be able to have a miniature replica in a much shorter time. Granted, we have no idea where you’re going to put a toy this tall in your home, but if you can figure it out, the set looks like it’s going to make for a fun project.
The LEGO Icons Eiffel Tower is an equally imposing model of La Tour Eiffel, which stands a lofty 59 inches tall. That’s right, the darn thing is literally just an inch shy of five feet, making this the kind of toy that probably won’t fit on a typical shelf. It’s so big, in fact, that it’s the tallest retail model LEGO has ever made, which should make it a compelling set for diehard collectors and fans.
The set recreates the original tower in a design that matches the Parisian structure’s construction, giving builders a unique insight into the engineering behind it. As such, it consists of four parts that can be individually assembled and stacked together, similar to the way the cultural landmark was originally built. They recreate all the individual engineering elements, too, from the arches and cross bracings to the railings and supports, so it feels like you’re erecting an actual tower like a French civil engineer from the 19th century.
The LEGO Icons Eiffel Tower recreates the three observation platforms at the top of the tower, along with the broadcast tower, Eiffel’s private office, and the elevator that transports you to the top. Of course, the whole thing is topped by a French flag waving high above the city. According to the outfit, it also recreates the tower’s appearance when you view it from the bottom looking up, so you can feel like you’re a tourist admiring the structure from below. To really drive in that tourist feel, the set lets you build a replica of the Esplanade at the base of the tower, complete with lampposts, benches, trees, and shrubs that replicate what’s found at the actual site.
Obviously, a five foot tall LEGO model uses up a whole lot of bricks. In this case, that would be a whopping 10,001 pieces, which makes it just second to the LEGO Art World Map in terms of brick count. Yes, it even has more bricks than that awesome Colosseum and the massive Titanic. Sadly, there are no minifigs of tourists taking pictures for their social feeds, but you can probably wrangle up some characters in your minifig collection for that.
The LEGO Icons Eiffel Tower comes out November 25th, priced at $629.99.