LEGO’s Up House Is Both Charming And Affordable

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for pulling it off. Speaking of minifigs, you also get a squirrel, a bird, and a rooster, so if you like LEGO animals, you’ll now have a few more.</p><figure id="b0a7"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*AzXu7-v4Mr1VOKcZsf2pAA.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p id="6869">Having seen a few early reactions to the set being announced, <b>what most reviewers called out as a negative, was the number of balloons in the set. </b>They didn’t think it was enough, calling for more. <b>I respectfully disagree</b>, and on this occasion defend the LEGO designer(s). Firstly, let’s not forget that these collaboration sets get reviewed by the partner as well, in this case Disney. So, they agreed to the number of balloons in the set. Secondly, both in the images, and live, looking at the set, <b>I feel like adding any more balloons would have made the set look disproportionate.</b> Now, I am fully aware that in the movie, that is actually the case, I mean, yes, you need a crap-tonne of balloons to lift a house, but had LEGO opted for adding 100 or so of them, would have resulted in a much pricier and more brittle set, and <b>LEGO is all about playing well, not scientific accuracy</b>.</p><p id="8228">Where I do wish LEGO would have made a different decision is <b>the little front-yard bit that’s entirely detached from the main build. That’s kind of annoying, and so is its size</b>, as there is hardly any space to fit the three characters, especially Russell, who due to his massive back-pack needs ample space to stand.</p><p id="1c10">It’s worth noting that this is not a modular building, but <b>it is an open back house, so you can play around with the characters as much as you like</b>. The interior hallway, bedroom, living room and attic areas are all well decorated, though some with the help of stickers. Here, however, it works. The chimney shaft is what reinforces the two floors and ends with the balloons on top.</p><figure id="9b92"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*IsUbKB_f5ptnDhy5yXGU8w.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p id="ce5a"><b>The balloons are probably the only somewhat repetitive aspect of the 4 stage build.</b> In terms of building technique, there isn’t much to write home about, it’s all mostly stacking. Probably <b>the cleverest part is the victorian sitting room’s front done with a couple of interesting angles</b>, especially for someone who hasn’t built a ton of LEGO before. In general, it should take no more than a leisurely two hours to build.</p><p id="a49d" type="7">If you have the animated movie ‘Up’, stick it on, while you’re building the set. Double the fun! 😉</p><p id="ce48">LEGO’s ‘Up’ House is one of those sets I have zero issues recommending. It’s <b>fun to build, brightly coloured pieces everywhere, tells a good story and all-round fun to play with</b>, and while not necessarily meant to be a display set, it’s definitely display-worthy. Don’t think twice. Get it while you can!</p><div id="30b3" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/5-lego-set-pairings-you-wont-regret-cf07784d27c8"> <div> <div> <h2>5 LEGO Set Pairings You Won’t Regret</h2> <div><h3>LEGO sets are great on their own, but paired with another, you can take things to a whole new level…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div>

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    </div><p id="bc08"><i>Attila Vago — Software Engineer improving the world one line of code at a time. Cool nerd since forever, writer of codes and blogs. Web accessibility advocate, LEGO fan, vinyl record collector. Loves craft beer! <a href="https://attilavago.medium.com/my-200th-article-hello-its-time-we-met-3f201ad1303"><b>Read my Hello story here!</b></a><b> <a href="https://attilavago.medium.com/subscribe">Subscribe</a> </b>and/or<b> <a href="https://attilavago.medium.com/membership">become a member</a> </b>for more stories about <a href="https://medium.com/@attilavago/list/lego-all-the-things-083f80bd3c51"><b>LEGO</b></a><b>, <a href="https://medium.com/@attilavago/list/technology-tech-news-a2d2d509b856">tech</a>, <a href="https://medium.com/@attilavago/list/coding-software-development-d123369e3636">coding</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/@attilavago/list/accessibility-4b67c1d08ef3">accessibility</a></b>! For my less regular readers, I also write about <a href="https://medium.com/@attilavago/list/the-random-stuff-96bfc5a222e5"><b>random bits</b></a> and <a href="https://medium.com/@attilavago/list/writing-writing-tips-f83ef5e79de5"><b>writing</b></a>.</i></p></article></body>

The LEGO ‘Up’ House, set #43217 review for Disney and Pixar fans…

Traditionally, I wouldn’t go for LEGO houses for several reasons. Firstly, I have no space for them in my Dublin City centre apartment, and secondly, I consider all LEGO houses and buildings a slippery slope for a LEGO city, which of course I would absolutely love to build, but without having the necessary real-estate to house one, I am trying not to tempt myself. You might wonder, then, why did I make an exception when it comes to the Disney-Pixar ‘Up’ House? Well, this review will answer that question, and a few more. And just in case LEGO reviews are your thing, subscribe for more, as I publish a few every month.

It’s more than just a house…

While LEGO’s modular buildings are fantastic, majestic and also a great investment, the ‘Up’ House is probably none of those things. OK, maybe a good investment in the long run, if you never open the box, but this is neither a majestic, nor fantastic set. This is a small-to-medium sized, charming, fun set. Beyond that, it also comes with a message. If you have not seen the animated movie, what I took away from it was that even a long life is far too short not to live it to the fullest. That message stuck with me in ways that shaped many of the decisions I have taken in the last decade or so. While I can’t claim I’m doing my absolute best to live to the fullest, I do try to make that a reality every single day.

For me, LEGO’s ‘Up’ House is a bit like a letter from the future, a reminder that we can’t take life for granted.

Just in case it wasn’t obvious from the box design, Disney is celebrating its 100-year anniversary, which makes it just 9 years older than its partner, the LEGO Group. It’s an interesting collaboration that brings us, among others, the ‘Up’ House, set #43217. For the low price of 55 euros, you get just two pieces shy of 600 bricks, so not a bad deal at all. Heck, it almost feels like somehow the licensing cost that usually inflates collaboration set prices, was left off. Maybe it was, who knows?

This is meant to be a 9+ rated set, but as always, I’ll disagree with that, and recommend it to anyone of age 7 or older. Heck, with a bit of supervision from a sibling or parent, even a 6-year-old could pull off building it. The bottom line is, if your kid loves the movie, get it for them regardless of age, the rest, you’ll figure out later. It’s such a fun set to build, that it’s a must-have.

The three main characters from the movie, Dug — the dog, Russell — the kid, and Carl Fredricksen — the old guy, are all very well represented in minifig form. Kudos to the LEGO Group’s designers for pulling it off. Speaking of minifigs, you also get a squirrel, a bird, and a rooster, so if you like LEGO animals, you’ll now have a few more.

Having seen a few early reactions to the set being announced, what most reviewers called out as a negative, was the number of balloons in the set. They didn’t think it was enough, calling for more. I respectfully disagree, and on this occasion defend the LEGO designer(s). Firstly, let’s not forget that these collaboration sets get reviewed by the partner as well, in this case Disney. So, they agreed to the number of balloons in the set. Secondly, both in the images, and live, looking at the set, I feel like adding any more balloons would have made the set look disproportionate. Now, I am fully aware that in the movie, that is actually the case, I mean, yes, you need a crap-tonne of balloons to lift a house, but had LEGO opted for adding 100 or so of them, would have resulted in a much pricier and more brittle set, and LEGO is all about playing well, not scientific accuracy.

Where I do wish LEGO would have made a different decision is the little front-yard bit that’s entirely detached from the main build. That’s kind of annoying, and so is its size, as there is hardly any space to fit the three characters, especially Russell, who due to his massive back-pack needs ample space to stand.

It’s worth noting that this is not a modular building, but it is an open back house, so you can play around with the characters as much as you like. The interior hallway, bedroom, living room and attic areas are all well decorated, though some with the help of stickers. Here, however, it works. The chimney shaft is what reinforces the two floors and ends with the balloons on top.

The balloons are probably the only somewhat repetitive aspect of the 4 stage build. In terms of building technique, there isn’t much to write home about, it’s all mostly stacking. Probably the cleverest part is the victorian sitting room’s front done with a couple of interesting angles, especially for someone who hasn’t built a ton of LEGO before. In general, it should take no more than a leisurely two hours to build.

If you have the animated movie ‘Up’, stick it on, while you’re building the set. Double the fun! 😉

LEGO’s ‘Up’ House is one of those sets I have zero issues recommending. It’s fun to build, brightly coloured pieces everywhere, tells a good story and all-round fun to play with, and while not necessarily meant to be a display set, it’s definitely display-worthy. Don’t think twice. Get it while you can!

Attila Vago — Software Engineer improving the world one line of code at a time. Cool nerd since forever, writer of codes and blogs. Web accessibility advocate, LEGO fan, vinyl record collector. Loves craft beer! Read my Hello story here! Subscribe and/or become a member for more stories about LEGO, tech, coding and accessibility! For my less regular readers, I also write about random bits and writing.