LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox may be the theme's most adorable animal set so far, even if its alternate builds don't quite live up to the main attraction.
Overcoming the lofty expectations for LEGO Creator 3-in-1 animals put in place by 31129 Majestic Tiger was never going to be easy. Thankfully,
Whether or not LEGO Creator 3-in-1
— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox set details —
Theme: LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Set name:
Price: £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 Pieces: 667
LEGO:
— Where to buy Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox build —
LEGO Creator 3-in-1
— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox build —
The main build in
That said, once you've finished putting together the main build, you might not want to take the fox apart to discover the other two models anyway. It's an incredibly successful depiction of the animal that is a lot more poseable than you would expect from official images. Almost everything that we expected to move does and the variety of positions it can pull off is impressive to say the least.
A small stump is included on the side, though it's not quite as useful or integral for the fox as it is for one of
The shaping of the fox is nothing short of a masterclass in LEGO design, using a wide variety of curved and angled elements to capture the iconic visage of a fox. This ingenious construction makes the model simply adorable and we look forward to keeping it prominently on display.
The fox's body is just as impressive as the head and the tail is a particular highlight. A pair of simple joint elements have been used to great effect to best pose the tail while keeping its shape, despite a visible gap. Otherwise, gaps are indiscernible across the main model and it helps the fox feel much more lifelike than most other LEGO sets.
Rest assured, the fox is the best of the three builds and it almost feels unfair to compare it to the squirrel and owl, not least because – like most Creator 3-in-1 secondary and tertiary builds – they don't use every available piece included in the set.
With no tree accessory to pair it with – just a single acorn – the squirrel is the smallest of the three creations in
The tail can be adjusted, though only towards the tip as the bottom is locked into position despite being on a joint. The legs can be freely rotated as can the head. This means that you can pull off a few interesting poses including grasping the acorn with the tail or hands and running with the squirrel's tail in the air.
Unlike the fox, the squirrel can't lie down as easily and it's not quite as photogenic as the larger model. Since the squirrel leaves around half of the pieces unused, it's not on the same level as the fox at its core though.
The owl looks more realistic than the squirrel and has a fascinating technique to recreate its black, beady eyes. Unfortunately, looks are about all this build has going for it, as strong as they are.
Despite the wings being on ball joints, they are nearly entirely locked at their sides and cannot be spread out. While it's perched on the branch this makes sense but its literal connection to the tree is tenuous at best. Otherwise, the head can rotate 360 degrees as you would expect from a LEGO owl.
The owl sits on the branch via four studs and its weight compared to the tree means that it falls off more than you'd expect. Make sure to use two hands when picking it up – one on the owl and the other on the tree – or you'll find yourself rebuilding at least the head.
The tree itself is good enough and feels more substantial than it does for the fox, despite being a similar size overall. Still, a more substantial owl using some of these pieces might have been preferred with greater posing options, similar to the impressive fox model.
Despite their shortcomings, though, the owl and squirrel still look superb. You just might not feel a burning desire to buy three copies of this one to build them all simultaneously.
— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox price —
For £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99,
— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox pictures —
— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox pros and cons —
It's not that the squirrel and owl in
That's high praise for the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 set and it's well-deserved.
| 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox pros | 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox cons |
|---|---|
| All three builds are adorable | The fox is a lot more poseable than the other animals |
| The fox's movement range is surprising | The owl's connection to the tree isn't too secure |
| Great value in the main model... | ...but the two other two leave many pieces unused |
This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.
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