Review: LEGO 21332 The Globe

January 18, 2022 |

Hot off the official reveal, I’m honoured to be able to share an early review of the 2nd LEGO Ideas set of 2022 – 21332 Globe!

If you’ve ever wanted a life-sized brick-built LEGO globe to place on your desk, or decorate your home with, your time is now because LEGO have delivered exactly what they’ve advertised.

The LEGO Ideas Globe will be released on 1 February 2022, and will be available on LEGO.com or your local LEGO store.

See below for regional pricing and links:

If you’re purchasing the LEGO Globe, please consider using these affiliate links. I may receive a small commission with each purchase, which goes a long way in supporting the work I do on the blog!

Special thanks to LEGO for providing this set for an early review.

21332 Earth Globe Set Details

Name: Earth Globe
Set Number: 21332
Pieces: 2,585
Price: US$199.99 / AU$319.99 / £174.99
Exclusive to: LEGO.com, LEGO Brand Retail Stores
Theme: LEGO Ideas
LEGO Designer: Luka Kapeter (LEGO Senior Designer), Cristina Benesu (LEGO Graphic Designer)
Release Date: 1 Feb 2022
Buy from LEGO.com: [USA] [AUS] [UK]

So first thing’s first, when unboxing the set, I was delighted to discover that there are ZERO stickers in the set – all elements are printed, which is in my opinion, always a great way to start a set.

The LEGO Ideas Globe Instruction manual has plenty of great tidbits of information, as can be expected from most LEGO for Adults / 18+ sets, with glossy pages devoted to the history of globes, an introduction to the fan designer Guillaume Roussel, and profiles of the set’s designer and graphic designer – Luka Kapeter and Cristina Benesu.

LEGO is also using the opportunity to indulge in some wordplay, with their Rebuild the World Campaign, and also has this page at the end where they go over LEGO’s brand values such as sustainability, diversity and the importance of play.

The Build

Here’s some really candid shots of the LEGO Globe as it comes together.

It was a really fascinating build – LEGO is primarily a “blocky” medium, so creating curves and spheres is always a challenging exercise.

I was left really impressed by the build. You first begin constructing the Globe’s stand, which cradles the Globe – it’s quite sturdy, and has little rubber wheels underneath the base for extra stability and grip, to ensure the stand doesn’t wobble, or slide as you spin it around.

You then move on to the exterior – the Globe is completely hollow, so the majority of the build involves building the shell, or Earth’s crust – and you start with the equator – this ring of 6 x 6 plates that form the circumference of the LEGO Globe.

As the world is mostly covered by ocean, dark blue plates are used as the “base” of the Globe, and any landmasses and continents are applied built over these plates. You get a taste of this as you fill out the equator, and the Technic core, which stretches from end to end goes in next.

There’s a set of wheels inside that act as counterweights, to the opposing landmass, helping the Globe spin better! Thanks to Sam Johnson for the confirmation!

Next comes the most repetitive section of the build, where you build these slices or wedges for each Hemisphere, beginning with the Northern Hemisphere.

You can see on the underside, how these pieces are used to create the gentle slope that enables the Globe’s curvature.

Each hemisphere has 16 of these slices, which you build in sequence, decorating them with landmasses or continents as you go along.

It’s fairly repetitive, and after awhile, you’ll go on autopilot building these wedges, but I found it quite relaxing, and I quite liked when I realised that I was building a specific continent.

You fuse both hemispheres together, and dock it into the stand, and voila! You have yourself a LEGO Globe!

Watch the set come to life in my speed build on Youtube

The Finished Model

And here’s the finished model – as you build it, I was very pleased with how large it was – it’s definitely a life-sized globe, and has incredible display presence.

The Globe itself is quite large, with its circumference ~~diameter~~ coming in at about 83cm, and the entire model stands about 40cm high.

It does exactly what it advertises on the box – a brick-built Globe, and I was very impressed with the end-result.

It spins beautifully, and it’s a very satisfying to watch it spin. The wheels on the bottom give it a lot of stability, so you can go pretty fast with it if you like, although it’ll wobble quite a bit!

Here’s a closeup at all the major continents, which are marked on it via Printed Tiles. There’s plenty of dark blue ocean, lush green landmasses, arid deserts, and bits of ice on both the North and South Pole.

Here’s a run through the major continents!

Europe is okay – I think the Mediterranean Sea is a bit too large here, and it would look a lot nicer if it were 1 stud narrower. The poor British Isles are also quite small, and their shapes are hard to translate at this scale.

Africa is superb, and one of my favourite views on the Globe. The contrast between desert and more tropical sections is done really well here. I think the tan parts are used to represent desert areas, but also elevated mountain ranges.

North America is okay – the shape is close enough, but the Gulf of Mexico could be a lot curvier. The gaps between the plates also make it look quite distracting here as the landmass is spread out quite a bit.

South America is brilliant, and I do like the Andes Mountain range represented with tan, even if its a little too straight for my liking.

Asia is a mixed bag for me – continental Asia is well done, as is India, and the Japanese isles, but South East Asia, with its archipelago of Islands is quite hit and miss.

I am originally from Malaysia, and I think the triangle tile used is quite jarring, as the Malay Peninsula doesn’t jut out that much into the Indian Ocean, so I’ll definitely try to fix it.

And here’s home – Australia. First of all, kudos to the designers for including Tasmania. There’s a running joke in Australia that maps constantly leave out Tasmania, so it’s great to see this wasn’t the case here.

New Zealand, with the North and South Island is also done well, and I love the two dots representing Fiji, and I guess New Caledonia in Oceania.

Australia is one of the continents that look like a fault or massive earthquake has ripped it apart, and that’s one of the downsides of the Globe, certain parts of it look really gappy, so much so that you can sometimes see the insides, and it ends up quite distracting when you’re trying to admire the landmasses.

The three major Oceans, the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Ocean are also represented on the Globe, and I really love this gorgeous Compass tile in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

There’s also a 2D ship sailing away in the Pacific!

Oh and the best part about these printed Continent and Ocean tiles… they glow in the dark, which create a really cool effect at night when you turn off the lights!

A lot of Australians including myself will no doubt be delighted with this tile… we’re quite lucky that the name of our country matches up with the continent’s name!

Everyone in Australia is going to want one of these tiles.

Lastly, here’s a look at Antarctica, and the Arctic Ocean on the planet’s poles!

I’m pretty sure it was intentional, but I really appreciated the use of red and yellow round plates under each pole, to represent the Earth’s magnetic poles!

On Antarctica, you’ll also find the fan designer’s initials – GR for Guillaume Roussel and the year 2022 in Roman Numerals.

And last but not least, here’s a look at the printed plaque which has The Earth on it. I love the mini map!

Some surprising things – the Globe is really sturdy – here’s my holding it up at what you might think is its weakest point, but it holds up its weight impressively well!

LEGO Ideas Globe on display

This is a terrific display piece, and if you own and love the LEGO Map, you’re bound to love the set!

Here’s how the Globe looks next to the map!

And as a size comparison, here’s how it looks next to the Bonsai Tree and 75313 UCS AT-AT

What I liked:

The Globe delivers what it promised
Spins really well
No stickers, and all printed elements!
A really nice model to display in your home/office
Beautifully engineered

What I didn’t like:

The build can be quite repetitive
Some gaps make it look weird
It’s quite pricey

FINAL THOUGHTS:

There’s a lot to like about the LEGO Globe – it delivers exactly what it promises, a brick-built LEGO Globe that spins marvellously.

Its a fine piece of LEGO engineering and design – spheres are traditionally difficult shapes to get out of LEGO, but through a clever mix of Technic and plates, LEGO have pulled it off.

I cannot overstate how fun spinning it around is – it feels so effortless, and satisfying, and I find myself constantly reaching over to it and giving it a twirl for the fun of it.

No stickers is always a pleasant bonus, but the bonus glow in the dark features feel like a cherry on top of a very substantial cake.

The LEGO Globe works best as a display model, and this is one of those rare LEGO models that feel almost ornamental, much like the LEGO Botanical Collection. It’s a fun little piece to display in your home, office or in your study, and it will absolutely make you look cultured, and old-world rich.

As a toy, or model, I think LEGO have done something special here in that they’ve provided the tools for a very competent sphere to be made out of the box.

Creative types are going to have a lot of fun customising the Globe, as you can immediately change its appearance by swapping out the plates, and turning it into different planets. Maybe a Death Star?

It’s also a great educational sets – maps are great, and in a world where we have Google Maps and Google Earth in our pockets, the utility of physical maps have somewhat diminished, but for younger kids, a large tactile globe like this makes for a great learning tool, and fun too, especially if you’re a Geography teacher, or a parent wanting to teach your kids about the world.

I do think the set is quite pricey at US$199.99, which is on the higher end of things, but you do need to remember that this is a substantially large set, so it definitely looks the part next to other large display models.

That said, it’s not going to appeal to all LEGO fans, especially if you like minifigures, or licensed properties, and can’t see why you would pay US$200 for a globe, when you can easily pick a really nice vintage one on Facebook marketplace for the fraction of it.

But like many LEGO Ideas sets before it, the LEGO Globe delivers a unique, and never-before-seen building and display experience, and oozes with old-world charm. If you have the capacity to afford it, I would highly recommend picking one up!

Rating and score: 4/5 ★★★★✰

Build [4] – Repetitive at parts, but not boring as I really enjoyed seeing it come together.
Real Value [3] – The pricetag is quite dear, but thankfully, its size and displayability more than make up for it.
Innovation [5] – A giant sphere-in-a-box is so exciting, and the engineering techniques in it are marvellous
Coolness [4] – It’s a brick-built LEGO globe that doesn’t shy away from studs.
Keepability [4] – With its display presence, you’ll be proudly displaying this for ages.

Thanks so much for reading, and hope you enjoyed this detailed look into the LEGO Globe!

What do you think of The Globe? Will you be adding this to your wishlist?

21332 The Globe will be available on 1 February 2022 exclusively on LEGO.com, or your local LEGO store.

Special thanks to The LEGO Group for sending this early review copy over!

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