Review: 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure

August 29, 2023 | 9

Sometimes simplicity is key when it comes to LEGO, and that’s why 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure is one of the most enjoyable and endearing sets of 2023.

It does exactly what it says on the box, a buildable up-scaled version of the iconic LEGO minifigure, and I’ve chosen today, the 29th of August to publish my review to as it’s officially the birthday of the LEGO Minifigure!

On 29th August 1977, LEGO submitted the patent for the Minifigure to the Danish patent office, and this is the day that LEGO has selected as the birthday of the LEGO minifigure, which turns 46 this year! It wasn’t until 1978 that the first minifigure would make an appearance, but nevertheless today is an important date in LEGO’s history.

What better day to check out 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure, one of my most beloved LEGO sets of 2023 and a set that most LEGO fans will be most eager to build and display.

40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure is available directly from LEGO.com and LEGO stores.

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set for this review!

40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure Set Details

Name: Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure
Set Number: 40649
Pieces: 654
Price: US$49.99 / AU$79.99 / £44.99 / €49,99 / CAD$64.99
Exclusive to: LEGO.com / LEGO Stores
Theme: Iconic
LEGO Designer: TBD
Release Date: 1 June 2023

After making its debut in 76393 Harry Potter and Hermione Granger two years ago, LEGO have finally gone back to their roots in 2023 with the Up-Scaled Minifigure depicting the simple minifigure on its own, devoid of license, or any other fancy decorations.

Just a simple smiley-faced minifigure with a red torso, blue legs and a blue cap that’s 27cm tall.

In many ways, it’s also an homage to the giant-sized statue that greets visitors to LEGO’s Campus in Billund, Denmark, which is also coincidentally identical to this set.

With a super-sized scale, the Up-Scaled Minifigure looks familiar from all angles, and does a great job capturing all the familiar angles, shapes and proportions that feels familiar.

The LEGO Minifigure, I daresay is even more iconic to The LEGO Group than the brick, so it was a lot of fun building this massive version and seeing it come to life.

It has all the familiar articulations like a LEGO Minifigure, so its arms swing by its size, and its leg also swivel back to front, however due to the size and weight, it’s a bit of a challenge posing it like this.

Sitting is of course, the most comfortable pose.

Most minifigures rely on accessories to give them a bit of texture and personality, and this cool minifigure has a blue cap, which you can also remove to reveal the inner parts of its head. While there isn’t the single stud like a typical minifigure, the deisgn is mostly a utilitarian one to affix the large brick-built cap on its head and fasten it into place.

Oh, and you can also turn the hat to the side to make the minifigure look cooler. We all know that when you turn your hat like this, you instantly look cooler and more stylish.

And one of the best things about the Up-Scaled minifigure is that its hat hides an incredible secret. Flip the dome open and you are greeted to a smaller LEGO minifigure piloting the Up-Scaled Minifigure.

It’s a mech! Or a homage to Ratatouille. Or a bit of both.

I was left wondering if there is also a smaller minifigure in the statue at the entrance of LEGO’s Campus in Billund.

This is just a delightful and whimsical surprise that will make you break into a smile. Don’t we all have a tiny version of ourselves in our heads, pulling levers and operating gears to control our every move?

The smaller minifigure, apart from being a tiny clone also functions to establish a sense of scale when you put them next to each other.

It’s really a large build, and very nice to display. Here’s the Up-Scaled Minifigure next to some other larger-scaled minifigures I have to showcase the different sizes at play.

While the Classic Space Astronaut LEDLite Torch and Keychain are really cool, they’re not brick-built.

And it also leaves me wanting an Up-Scaled Classic Space Minifigure too.

As I was looking for other items to compare it to, one thing really astounded me. These official plastic LEGO Storage Bricks somehow are also just the right size and scale to the Up-Scaled Minifigure and I do wonder if this is a nice accidental surprise, or someone decided to match the scales of these items.

Either way, it’s super satisfying.

What I liked:

• Simplicity and nostalgia at its finest and an awesome homage to the iconic minifigure
• Fun to build
• It’s also a mech

What I didn’t like: 

• I need more of these and want so many different versions

FINAL THOUGHTS:

For fans of LEGO Minifigures and their iconic design, 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure is just a delight.

It’s a delight to build, a delight to display and such a simple yet effective rendition of the beloved LEGO minifigure.

Aesthetically, the comically large size makes for an eye-catching model, mostly because you just don’t expect a LEGO minifigure to be 27cm tall, and the solid colours make for a cracking set to display and to look at, to remind you of a LEGO minfigiure.

The addition of the control room, piloted by an actual LEGO minifigure is the icing on this up-scaled cake, and a stark reminder that LEGO Play is fun, and can manifest in unexpected ways that are only limited by your imagination.

40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure is one of the most charming sets this year, and one that every LEGO fan should own in their collection.

Rating and score: 4/5 ★★★★✰

Build [4] – Fun build, especially if you haven’t built Harry and Hermione
Real Value [3] – It’s not the cheapest set, but as a display model, it’s quite sizeable and has plenty of presence
Innovation [3] – Not the most unique as this is a form factor that has been done before, but it being a mech is such a fun touch
Coolness [5] – It’s a giant 27cm tall LEGO Minifigure built out of LEGO Bricks. Very hard to top!
Keepability [5] – It’s a big homage to the LEGO minifigure and so easy to display

Thanks SO much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this quick review of 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure!

40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure is exclusively available from LEGO.com or your local LEGO store.

What do you think of the Up-Scaled Minifigure? Which other Up-Scaled minifigures would you like LEGO to produce next?

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for an early review!

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