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Build your own LEGO® Buckingham Palace

Fancy setting up Buckingham Palace in your living room? How about the seat of the United States Congress, the Capitol building? LEGO® Architecture has released these two sets, and architecture buffs are clamouring to get building. These two much-anticipated LEGO® Architecture sets are finally available in South Africa, specifically, at Kiddiwinks! With the careful attention to detail and microscale design, it’s no wonder that many are so excited.

Adam Reed Tucker tending to his One World Trade Centre replica
Image via Daily Herald.

Since the core concept behind LEGO® bricks is particularly well aligned to the art of architecture, it’s not surprising that the idea to create an architectural range was considered back in the 1960s, but was only revived again when LEGO® connected with architect and LEGO® enthusiast and architect Adam Reed Tucker in the early noughties when he presented a two-and-a-half meter replica of the One World Trade Centre he had built out of LEGO® using pieces from various other sets. This was the building that fully collapsed during the September 11 attacks in New York, and Tucker had created the replica to show technical aspects of the building.

By 2008, Tucker had partnered with LEGO® to become a Lego Certified Professional, launching the LEGO® Architecture range with the introduction of the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center sets – both buildings that are based in Chicago where Tucker is based. A handbook filled with information about each building, from its history to the architect that designed and built it accompanied each set, turning the range into a collector’s dream.

They went on to release the Empire State Building set in 2009, along with the Seattle Space Needle and Guggenheim Museum. But it was only in 2011 that the first set of a building outside of the US was created: the Burj Khalifa, Dubai’s mega skyscraper. This was released in the LEGO® Landmark range.

The following year marked the release of the first British building set: Big Ben. It’s interesting to note that the just-released Buckingham Palace is only the second British building in the range, but it’s certainly no afterthought. In fact, the model has captured the essence of the building and has been favourably reviewed by Brickset for maintaining the complexity of design even on such a small scale.

Expect over 700 pieces in this set, and plenty of attention to detail, right down to the inclusion of a red double-decker bus so common in London and a strong focus on the neoclassical features of the building’s east wing.

The end result is good enough to display in your home or office and will no doubt get you thinking about embarking on a whole collection of the range if you haven’t already.

The Capitol Hill set contains over 1000 pieces, and is sure to be a challenge for even an accomplished builder. The wonderful thing about embarking on a build from the LEGO® Architecture is just how much you learn about the way the architects themselves were thinking when they designed these beautiful buildings. Capitol Hill model is no different and has a strong focus on the neoclassical style façade of the building. In fact, one reviewer using the name JYoung27 on the LEGO® Architecture website called this set the “best model yet”.

Capitol Building LEGO Architecture

“The US Capitol Building model was a surprisingly fun build,” JYoung27 went on to say. “I expected there to be many repetitive steps in it like with the White House or the Louvre, but everything was just a little bit different and kept a fun amount of excitement as you saw how the designers executed the details. The really fun surprise was the detachable dome that reveals the rotunda below with the statues inside!”

Kiddiwinks happens to be one of only two exclusive outlets in South Africa supplying LEGO® Architecture and the only one in the Western Cape. So, what are you waiting for? Get your set of Buckingham Palace and the Capitol building now by going over to shop.kiddiwinks.co.za or visiting one of our three retail outlets.

Happy building!

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