Lego Downton Abbey (21373) Is Strange, But You Could Be Delighted
If you were told to draw a Venn diagram of “fans of Lego” and “fans of Downton Abbey ”, you’d rightly think it’d be as close to two circles as you could get — but yet, after rumors aplenty, the Lego Group has unveiled another Ideas MOC commission to bring us Downton Abbey (21373).
Today’s long-awaited announcement is the third of a trio of fan-made ideas, including the spectacular, Gillian Anderson-endorsed X-Files (21369) , and Wallace and Gromit (21371) . It’s the vision of Czech creator Sebastian “BRO3” Veselka , who previously pitched a Red Dwarf set unsuccessfully, which kills me, even though it’s ironically more niche than Downton . I really want to have a long chat with him — I’m British, yet I couldn’t name a single person from these shores who adores both shows.
While I’m no Downton Abbey fan, it’s more proof that MOC designers could be the future for Lego — a largely untapped resource that must scale with the company’s ever-growing output to target those more niche audiences. To its credit, it’s a lovely set, even for those who know nothing of Highclere Castle and its almost oppressively English inhabitants.
Lego Ideas Downton Abbey (21373) specifications
Pieces: 4,711 RRP: $349.99 (£269.99; €749.99) Dimensions: Over 12in (30cm) tall, 17.5in (44cm) wide, 6.5in (16cm) deep Minifigures: 13 (The Dowager Countess, Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, Lady Mary, Lady Edith, Tom Branson, Mr Carson, Mrs Hughes, Mr Bates, Anna Bates, Thomas Barrow, Mrs Patmore, Daisy Parker) Availability: In Lego Stores and online from October 1 (Insiders); October 4 (general sale)
The set goes full Upstairs Downstairs with its design, forcing the serfs to the first floor and putting our rich, deserving heroes in delightful digs on the second. Downton Abbey (21373) is modular, so you can lift the top level off to expose the kitchen, servants’ hall, and Mr Carson’s office. Above, you’ve got the main hall, library, and grand dining room.
There’s a big focus on “authentic period details,” including different lighting sources, “an early electric mixer” in the kitchen, and an early 1900s candlestick telephone in Carson’s office. The set also boasts a whopping 13 double-faced minifigures from the season six household (and a dog. Surely a dog is a minifigure?).
Veselka said: “Rebuilding Downton Abbey as a Lego set felt like the perfect way to celebrate the series in a personal way, bringing together my love of British architecture, my memories of watching the show with my family, and the atmosphere of the 1920s.
“Seeing the project reach 10,000 supporters in just three months was incredible. I’m so grateful to everyone who supported it and can’t wait for fans to travel back in time and step inside the Crawley family’s iconic home in Lego brick form.”
Although I’m the last person able to confirm this (give me a Star Wars set and I’ll tell you everything), there are, apparently, plenty of Easter eggs in the Downton Abbey (21373) set. For me, I’m just amazed that a Lego Ideas set comes in at a shockingly good 7.4 cents a piece, but that’s clearly because it’s a thumb-piercer: lots of tiny, sharp-cornered pieces to ensure the details aren’t lost.
A personal disappointment for me is that there’s no dining table red-tiled details through which we can relive Lord Grantham’s burst stomach ulcer, when he projectile vomits blood across the table (naturally, PG+ warning), in what might be one of my favorite TV show moments of all time — so much so that I nearly started watching Downton Abbey out of sheer excitement, only to learn it was in season six and I just couldn’t commit to that.
Admittedly, it is Lego, so there’s absolutely no chance of those shenanigans, though I’d love to see what the MOC community is capable of. Maybe we can work together to create a belated GWP-style set?