Ultimate Lego Set Collection: The Eiffel Tower

I was extremely luck to be in on a recent build of the Lego Eiffel Tower set. A friend ordered it a month ago and due to high demand and back orders, he just received it. He’s been building Lego sets for three years now but as soon as he opened the box he knew that this was something that was going to have to be a team effort. The mega sized Lego Eiffel Tower is impressive to see but you can’t really appreciate all of the detail to it until you sit down and build one.

The model, when built according to the provided instructions, stands a massive forty three inches high and is built on a standard twenty by twenty base plate with roadway stenciling. One of the biggest problems with building it is that you are dealing with bricks that are all the same color. This means you have to pay close attention to the actual size of the brick in comparison to what you are being shown in the illustration in the instructions.

If you build this according to the instructions you will end up with something that can be broken into three sections. Why? If you ever need to move it or transport it, it is nice to be able to remove the pieces and pack them safely. Another reason is to see the interior detail of the structure. There is a lot of intricate work inside it and the support system that they used is incredible. This can also be a great lesson for younger kids; they can learn about how something so massive in size can be supported with an almost skeleton frame.

Some of the perks of the set include a working elevator. No, it isn’t machine powered; it is a small wheel that turns and raises or lowers the lift. The lattice work pieces that are used for railing add a nice bit of detail to the outside of the Tower but to me the observation deck with smoked window panels is what really makes this look authentic. If you are worried about the three sections coming apart, don’t they nestle into each other and stay in place until they are lifted out of position.

Building this wasn’t easy. My best advice is to read through the assembly instructions completely before you open a single bag of bricks. Work in a team and know exactly which step comes next in the build. It is helpful to separate the pieces according to part; this way you will have piles of the same brick to pull from. I have been building Lego sets for years and this one is one of the most challenging I have worked on. The frustration level can be high if you don’t catch a mistake quickly so double check your progress every few pages.

Who would appreciate something like this? Anyone that is into the extreme Lego building sets or loves puzzles. While this isn’t considered a puzzle, it can be a real challenge to build. Because the pieces are (for the most part) all the same color you don’t have a lot of color references to work with when going through the instructions. This is suggested for those over the age of sixteen because of the amount of time that it takes to build as well as the small pieces that are in the set.

Would I consider buying this set? Having built one of them I am considering purchasing one after the holidays when the larger Lego sets will be on sale. While this would make for a great gift for your Lego lover, it is a set that requires a lot of time and patience to build. At over three thousand pieces this is truly a mega Lego set for extreme builders!

Name: Eiffel Tower
Set Theme: Ultimate Sets
Set Number: 10181
Piece Count: 3,428
Age Recommendation: 16 and older
Difficulty Level: Hard
Build Time: 3 – 4 hours
Price: $199.99