Review: LEGO 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night

May 17, 2022 | 19

Now that 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night has officially been revealed, I’m honoured to be able to share my full review of this remarkable set!

The #41 LEGO Ideas set is a LEGO Art set on steroids, and true to the LEGO Ideas theme, introduces a model so unique, and bold that you would never expect something like this to work as a LEGO set.

21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night has a release date of 1 June 2022, however, LEGO VIP members will have exclusive early access on 25 May 2022, and will be priced at US$169.99 / AU$259.99.

Let’s jump straight into the review!

See below for regional pricing and links:

• 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night [US] – US$169.99
• 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night [AUS] – AU$259.99
• 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night [UK] – £149.99
• 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night [EU] – €169.99
• 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night [CA] – CAD$219.99

If you’re purchasing the LEGO Vincent Van Gogh The Starry Night, 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.

21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night Set Details

Name: Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night
Set Number: 21333
Pieces: 2,316
Price: US$169.99 / AU$259.99 / £149.99
Exclusive to: LEGO.com, LEGO Brand Retail Stores / MOMA Stores
Theme: LEGO Ideas
LEGO Designer: Søren Gehlert Dyrhøj (LEGO Model Design Master), Niken Ayumurti Hartomo (LEGO Senior Graphic Designer)
Release Date: 25 May 2022 (VIPs) 1 June 2022 (general release)
Buy from LEGO.com: [USA] [AUS] [UK]

Here’s a look at the instruction manual for the set. Interestingly, the set is a collaboration with New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), one of the most distinguished modern art museums in the world, and also the permanent home of Starry Night.

The manual has plenty of educational information about Vincent van Gogh, who was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter and his masterpiece, The Starry Night. The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas painting, and is widely regarded as Van Gogh’s magnum opus, in addition to being most recognized paintings in Western art.

It’s always a great sign when you unbox a LEGO set to discover that there is no sticker sheet within. The Starry Night boasts all these gorgeous printed elements, which really elevate and bring the model to life, and in my opinion is a fantastic move by LEGO.

The Build

The build was very involved for a 2,316-piece set, with plenty of intricate details being constructed out of a very basic selection of elements.

You start with the base, assembling the trees and town in the painting – if you enjoy microbuilds, you’ll have fun here, although the there’s quite a bit of repetition, especially for the waves.

The colour palette and element selection really stands out, and you get to play with so many “rare colours”, many of which are new variants, and this will surely be a popular set for MOC builders to harvest.

One of the highlights of the build was in Bag 5, where you build the backdrop of The Starry Night. As you can see it’s constructed almost entirely out of 1×4 and 1×2 plates, which you layer meticulously over and over again.

It was quite relaxing, and I really enjoyed it, even if it did take me a while.

Here’s a look at the frame, which was also a fun build.

It’s really handy for cheesy photos like this.

Or to showcase your LEGO.

And here’s how you finish the set off, combining the base with the backdrop, and adding in the moon and stars, before finishing off with the tall Cypress Tree.

The Completed Model

Just like The Starry Night, the finished model is an absolutely jaw-dropping thing of beauty. The design team have done a remarkable job adapting fan designer Truman Cheng’s vision and concept, and amped it up to a whole new level.

Here’s a look at the original submission – as you can see, not much has changed, and the general look and feel is retained, but the retail model benefits from a tidier build, and of course, the printed elements.

The set takes one of the most famous and iconic pieces of art that isn’t the Mona Lisa, and transforms it into a 3D painting that “pops out” of the frame – it’s a really cool effect, and works so well here.

The colours, also reach out and grab you, and I love what the designers have done here, blending Bright Light Yellows, Light Aqua, Dark Azure, Medium Blue, Bright Light Blue and so much more.

Never have I built a set with such a great aesthetic, and so many wonderful colours.

Here’s a look at the Vincent Van Gogh minifigure which does a great job of capturing his bright crop of orange hair, and beard. His blue jacket and brown pants have flecks of brushstrokes, which accurately mimic his style of self portraits.

Van Gogh comes with a new blue paintbrush, as well as a new paint palette which features some of the primary colours used in the set, which is a really nice touch.

Here’s his back printing, and yes, the minifigure has no ears. Which is normal because minifigures don’t usually have ears..

And yes, he also comes with a minifigure-scale version of Starry Night, which has been translated into a more cartoony, visual on his canvas, which sits on an easel.

It’s printed, and a gorgeous little accompaniment to the Van Gogh minifigure.

There’s a cute little stand that can be swivelled, allowing you to place Van Gogh, as if he were painting and drawing inspiration from the large LEGO artwork in front of him.

The textures, and depth created by the 3D-effect really work well here, and I love the intricate layering work here. It really boosts the composition of the entire set, and because there’s just so much going on, it really draws you in as you’ll notice cool little things here and there.

I love the little houses, and waves in the background.

As your eyes move upwards into the sky, you’ll get drawn in by the large expressionistic swirls, especially the big one in the middle that dominates the canvas.

Because of the 3D-effect, it looks great from all angles, and the build techniques used to create these simple, yet elegant structures are inspired.

What LEGO have done that instantly elevates and improves on the original Ideas submission is the introduction of these printed dish elements. The graphic design is top-notch and this really ties the entire model together, and give it that otherworldly look that you expect when you visualise The Starry Night in your head.

These printed elements are probably one of my favourite thing about the build, and I cannot tell you how happy I am that these are printed.

Here’s a look at the back of the frame, where you can see a place where you can hook and hang it up on a wall if you please.

Hanging is optional as the model does balance and stand on its own if you’re not a fan of drilling hooks into your walls.

What I liked:

• A beautiful LEGO set that embodies the ethos of LEGO Ideas
• Stunning colour palette does Van Gogh’s masterpiece justice
• Van Gogh minifig and printed Starry Night painting
• All the printed dishes
• Looks incredible on display
• Awesome parts pack and element selection

What I didn’t like: 

• Build can be quite repetitive in certain sections
• Maybe could have sat within the LEGO Art theme

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I hope the photos I took does 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night justice because this is one of those classic sets where a picture really does tell a thousand words.

LEGO have done an incredibly satisfying job at taking one of the most recognised and renowned works of art, and masterfully translated it into LEGO, giving it its own spin with the pop-out 3D-effect.

There’s just so much to love about this set, and just like Van Gogh’s masterpiece, it has an otherworldly, almost ethereal aura about it, which is crazy when you realise it’s made out of thousands of blocky plastic bits.

The 3D-effect works really well here, drawing your eye in to all the tiny little details, shapes and textures, in a way that is only made possible with LEGO.

If there’s one small oddity, is whether this should sit within the LEGO Ideas theme, and not LEGO’s already established Art theme. I don’t know the answer to this, but after building it, it does feel more Ideas than Art, although I acknowledge this is a very valid question.

There’s nothing I actively dislike about this model, and I think it’s a really superb set that has no equal. The choice of creating all these lovely printed dishes are inspired, and really elevate this set beyond what it already is.

I would highly recommend this set, especially if you enjoy the world of art, and history, and Van Gogh’s post-expressionist works. This is a sublime set that really pushes the envelope when it comes to what you think is possible with LEGO.

Mark launch day in your diary and save up, because this is one set you don’t want to miss out on as it’s one of the best experiences, and models that LEGO have ever created. This gets another perfect score, because this is essentially a flawless model, and a truly astounding and fun model.

Rating and score: 5/5 ★★★★★

Build [4] – You get to play with so many colours, and shapes. Repetitive in parts, but also relaxing in others.
Real Value [4] – For 2316 pieces, I think the pricetag is quite fair, especially when you consider all the rare colours, and printed elements
Innovation [5] – A very cool concept, executed to perfection, plus you can hang it up like a real painting. The addition of the frame really set it apart
Coolness [5] – One of the most iconic pieces of art, rendered in a unique LEGO form.
Keepability [5] – It’s got awesome display presence, and will be a great conversation starter. You may be tempted to harvest it for parts.

Thanks so much for reading, and hope you enjoyed this detailed look at 21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night.

What do you think of the LEGO Starry Night?

21333 Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night will be released on 1 June 2022, LEGO VIP early access on 25 May 2022, and will be available from LEGO.com

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

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