Official reveal of 21316 The Flintstones LEGO Ideas set!

February 16, 2019 | 4

LEGO have finally revealed the first LEGO Ideas set of 2019 – 21316 The Flintstones!

The set, which pays homage to the iconic Hanna-Barbera cartoon (that turns 60 next year!) is due to be released on 1 March 2019, and will retail for US$59.99 and AU$99.99.

LEGO VIPs will get early access to the set on 20 February as well.

Regional pricing and links to the LEGO.com product pages below:

• 21316 The Flintstones [US] – US$59.99
• 21316 The Flintstones [AU] – AU$99.99
• 21316 The Flintstones [UK] – £54.99
• 21316 The Flintstones [EU] – €59.99 (regional EU pricing applies)
• 21316 The Flintstones [CA] – CAD$79.99

The set which is based on the successful Ideas project by Andrew Clark is mostly unchanged, saved for a much cleaner building facade and the unfortunate removal of Pebbles and Bam Bam.

The set does include the four main characters, Fred and Wilma Flintstone, and Barney and Betty Rubble as minifigures, which is the biggest draw of the set.

I’ll be honest, when the official photos hit my inbox, I was super underwhelmed. The set allegedly contains 748 pieces but it doesn’t feel like that at all.

The interiors are pretty primitive (yes pun intended), and looking at the walls, it seems like the designers have stuffed in tons of plates and studs into the structure, possibly to artificially inflate the piece count, or to just give it a craggy rocky look.

Either way, the interiors are pretty basic. There are some printed elements throughout the set such as wall painting, and the animal-print curtains.

There’s just not a lot going on in the house, and it probably doesn’t help that the insides look absolutely tiny and cramped.

The most interesting part of the set to me is the Flintstones Car, which to the designers’ credit, is executed quite well.

The set, also includes some bowling pins, which is a nod to Barney and Fred’s favourite group activity.

I don’t know about you, but unless you’re a massive Flintstones fan, this set just seems like really poor value.

The design, while true to the original project submission just seems lazily executed. Apart from the home’s accuracy, it just doesn’t seem interesting at all thanks to the drab interiors – there’s just so little going on with this set.

It definitely does not feel like a set with 748 pieces, and I’m really curious to actually see the set in person.

It’s also super expensive, coming in at US$59.99 and AU$99.99. For a set with 4 minifigures and a really basic structure, the pricing just seems completely out of whack – which is a far cry from recent LEGO Ideas sets which have been amazing value.

I don’t know – outside of the obvious nostalgia bait, as hard as I try, I can’t seem to get myself super pumped about this set.

LEGO Ideas sets are usually Day 1 purchases for me, but I’ll probably hold off till I’m able to get this set on sale, and even then, I’m not thoroughly excited about it.

Maybe it’s just me – let me know what you think of this set in the comments section and if you’re looking forward to pick this up at release!

The LEGO Ideas Flintstones set will be available from LEGO.com and LEGO Brand Retail Stores on 1 March 2019, with VIP early access from 20 February 2019 onwards.