These new sets are great additions to the LEGO Architecture series. This has been a great year for the LEGO Architecture series, with 6 sets announced so far. (2011 is the only other year with 6 new sets.)
I just prepared a lengthy preview of both sets with some initial analysis. That review includes photos of the real buildings as well so you can make your own judgement. I've shared some of the highlights from the article below...
Buckingham Palace and US Capitol Building LEGO Set boxes. (Photos from promobricks.de)
Buckingham Palace:
Buckingham Palace model as displayed at Nuremberg (photo from promobricks.de)
Upon a closer look, we see a base which is 26 studs wide, 24 studs deep, and about 8 bricks tall, not including the flagpole. (By contrast, The Louvre set has a base which is just 22 studs wide, the same 24 studs deep, and is a little taller at around 12 bricks high.)
As such, my best guess (without attempting to build sections of the model using my own bricks) is that the Buckingham Palace will be 800 bricks and a price of 79.99$
United States Capitol Building:
Perspective view of LEGO US Capitol Building model. (Photo from promobricks.de)
This is a really exciting model with proportions which look like they are very true to the real building. The high level of detail is really appealing to me, although the over-reliance on part #4070 – 1×1 Brick w/ Headlight may make the build process very repetitive.
By my count, the base is 48 studs wide and 14 studs deep, with the bulk of the model about 6 bricks tall, and the tallest portion is around 17 bricks tall. I think this will be the second largest set in the LEGO Architecture series, with around 1300 pieces and a price of 129.99$
For more detailed analysis, read the whole article I just posted at brickarchitect.com.
Sincerely,
---Tom Alphin
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Comments
Just love the builds with all the small 1x1 plates and bricks & enjoy taking the time to line them up properly.
As a point of reference, the majority of sets in the series are in the range of 9¢-12¢ per part, which is typical of most LEGO themes.
The sets with the best price per part have been:
By contrast, the worst were:
---tom
"As a point of reference, the majority of sets in the series are in the range of 9¢-12¢ per part, which is typical of most LEGO themes."
This is the problem the price per part is the same as other themes but the parts themselves are a lot smaller in Architecture than in any other theme making Architecture sets poor value.
The more I look at the US Capitol, the more the main dome bothers me--the shape of the solid part of the dome is way off. Looking down from the air, it's a great model--looking at it in any other way, it's just...wrong. Not that I can think of a way to do it better in Lego parts, mind you.
I like the way they included a sense of the space immediately in front of Buckingham Palace, and the touches of the Routemaster bus and the classic London cab, but it really doesn't grab me and put me in an armlock either. This may be the year I finally buy the Trevi Fountain....
That said, a set like new Venice set is clearly overpriced since it uses pretty small/common parts and still costs 14.1¢ per part.
Finally! Confirmed September 1 release. $99 is a great price. My wallet is ready and willing!