Well, that was fast. Just last month, LEGO Review Board had green lit two new LEGO Ideas set as part of the Second 2018 Review Results. One of the submission that has gotten the nod was The Central Perk Coffee of Friends, which we had excitedly featured here a couple of weeks ago, and the other was this: Steamboat Willie, a Mickey Mouse set based on the original cartoon character from 90 years ago, submitted by LEGO Ideas member Máté Szabó, AKA szabomate90.
Barely a month on, the latter is already an official set. Yes, already. Now, you have agree that was super fast! Officially known as LEGO Ideas 21317 Steamboat Willie, the 751-piece set was adapted as the official set by LEGO Designer John Ho and features decorated elements and minifigures created by Graphic Designer Crystal Marie Fontan. As with any LEGO Ideas-turned-official-set, there are bound to have tweaks by LEGO, but largely, the idea remain the same.
Anyways, here’s the official description:
“Disney Mickey Mouse fans will love this LEGO® Ideas 21317 Steamboat Willie building toy marking the 90th anniversary of the most famous cartoon character ever. Mickey Mouse made his screen debut in a 1928 black-and-white animated short film called ‘Steamboat Willie’, which was also the first Disney film to have synchronized sound. This LEGO brick version of the S.S. Willie features steam pipes that move up and down and paddle wheels that rotate when the boat is pushed along. The boat’s bridge has room for a minifigure and play-inspiring nautical details such as the ship’s wheel, life buoy and buildable bell. On deck there is a working crane to lift the ‘potato bin’ cargo aboard and this unique toy building set comes with new-for-April-2019 Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse minifigures, each with special silver-colored decoration, plus a parrot figure. An ideal LEGO set for kids and adults to recreate scenes from the original Mickey Mouse cartoon or simply build and display this striking monochrome model.”
LEGO Ideas 21317 Steamboat Willie is set to hit the shelves, namely, LEGO online store and brick and mortar LEGO stores, worldwide starting April 01, 2019 (note: not an April Fool’s joke!) for RRP of $89.99. Oh, wow. That’s kind of pricey, innit folks? Seriously, though, I see that this is a must-have for any Disney/Mickey fans.
You know this is a set LEGO is particularly proud of when LEGO is having a Box Signing Event for it and doing it at a worldwide scale. As with such events, fans can meet and greet with fan designer Máté Szabó and of course, get their sets signed by the man himself. The following are the locations for the Box Signing Events:
30th March, 2019 – Shanghai, China
Time: 10 AM – 2 PM
Location: The LEGO Store at Disneytown Shanghai (Store locator)
31st March, 2019 – Beijing, China
Time: 10 AM – 2 PM
Location: The LEGO Store at Wangfujing Street
3rd April, 2019 – Orlando, Florida, USA
Time: 5 PM – 8 PM
Location: The LEGO Store at Disney Springs (Store locator)
6th April, 2019 – Paris, France
Time: 10 AM – 1PM
Location: The LEGO Store at Disneyland Paris (Store locator)
So, now you know. Don’t say we never let you in on this.
Oh, if you are not aware… The LEGO Store at Wangfujing Street in Beijing is the latest LEGO store in China and the first flagship store in the Chinese capital. The LEGO Store at Wangfujing Street, which is a popular shopping and entertainment area for Beijingers, spanning 626 square meters (6,738 square feet) and it is the company’s third flagship store in China that opened last month, on February 22, 2019. Also, Steamboat Willie already has a promo video which you can find below.
All images courtesy of LEGO.
