This year’s LEGO Black Friday set is about to sail on to shelves in 10335 The Endurance, so here’s everything you need to know before raising anchor on this 3,000-piece ship.
10335 The Endurance embarks on its maiden LEGO voyage on November 29, or Black Friday, headlining a four-day shopping event packed with offers, deals and gifts-with-purchase. Recreating the vessel Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed on a doomed voyage to the Antarctic, this is an unusual LEGO Icons set wrapped up in a tale for the ages – making for the sort of model that will instantly pull in history buffs.
If you’re weighing up a Black Friday purchase and want help deciding whether to pull the trigger, join us for a tour around the deck of the Endurance and see what everyone’s saying about the set so far…
10335 The Endurance price and details
Price: £229.99 / $269.99 / €269.99 Pieces: 3,011 Release date: November 29, 2024 Link: Head to
10335 The Endurance guns for microscale in a similar vein to 10294 Titanic, and while doing so doubles the number of LEGO Icons sets based on 1910s British shipwrecks. It’s a niche category, but one that the LEGO Group has twice tackled for Black Friday sets now – and though the two ships ultimately come in at very different scales, and 10335 The Endurance is far cheaper than 10294 Titanic, there’s still a lot to unpack in this latest release.
It's a hefty build that you’ll still need a sizeable space to display, measuring a full 80cm long and 47cm tall. That’s not quite as demanding as the Titanic (phew), yet 10335 The Endurance doesn’t skimp out on detail either – removable sections of the deck open up to reveal tiny rooms inside, while there’s also a working helm and rudder built into the model.
Counting 3,011 pieces total, this is a build you’ll spend a good while with (our review copy took up to four hours to put together), and it’s a fair bit bigger than sets with comparative piece counts thanks to those fabric sails.
10335 The Endurance gift-with-purchase
If you’re planning to order 10335 The Endurance on day one, you’ll also receive a set-specific free gift (an increasingly regular occurrence with flagship LEGO sets in 2024). This time round it’s 40729 Shackleton’s Lifeboat, a 232-piece minifigure-scale model of the smaller boat that Shackleton and his crew sailed in search of rescue after the Endurance became stranded in pack ice.
The set includes minifigures of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the trip’s photographer Frank Hurley, and it’s the only way you’re going to get your hands on any accompanying characters for the otherwise minifigure-free Endurance. 40729 Shackleton’s Lifeboat will be free with all copies of 10335 The Endurance from November 29 to December 2, or while stocks last.
10335 The Endurance will also qualify for both of this year's other LEGO Black Friday GWPs, 40699 Retro Record Player and 40700 Winter Holiday Train, both available from November 29 to December 2 (or while stocks last).
What people are saying about 10335 The Endurance
Early reviews of 10335 The Endurance are almost unanimously positive, talking up the set’s historical accuracy, educational value and similarities to the experience of building a wooden model ship. Several reviewers have also highlighted the ingenious parts usage littered across the vessel, from skeleton arms and flexible tubing that come together to create the rigging to the smart use of colour across the ship’s decking.
The sails are a particular highlight for many, not least for the ease with which they’re constructed and held in place (there are no knots required for the mooring, removing a particular pain point many ship builders have faced over the years).
There are still small areas for improvement – the lack of functions beyond the working rudder stymies interacting with the model once complete, and a bit of ice to really sell the story of the real-life Endurance wouldn’t have gone amiss – but they’re minor notes on a hymn sheet that is otherwise the basis for nearly every review we’ve read and watched on 10335 The Endurance.
"The Endurance is a wonderful LEGO set, and a faithful tribute to its real-life counterpart. To me it is the highlight set of 2024, and rightfully earns the spot of being sold on the premium Black Friday shopping day. While it certainly has its flaws for me, like the sloping on the bow or the small inconsistency on the kennels on top of the upper deck, it is otherwise a perfect model. Details such as the cabin interiors, parts usage like the skeleton legs for the lifelines or the white barrel as crow's nest, the colour blocking and the overall presentation give this set much gravitas."
New Elementary
| Pros of 10335 The Endurance | Cons of 10335 The Endurance |
|---|---|
| A magnificent tribute to the real-life story of the Endurance | A couple of tiny inconsistencies in the details here and there |
| Mostly stands up to scrutiny of its accuracy and details | Not the most functional model you’ll come across |
| Satisfying and deep build process | Mr. Freeze, Ice Cube and Vanilla Ice would all have a bone to pick with it |
Our verdict: A satisfying and authentic build that’s sure to appeal to history buffs and nautical nerds alike.
10335 The Endurance gallery
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