- Sept. 15, 2018
- Reviews
- Nathan
- 320 Comments
- 15400 views
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LEGO 21311 Voltron is a LEGO Ideas set that hit it's 10K supported milestone over 2 years ago, and then finally approved for production about 1 year ago. I've been waiting not-very-patiently for it to arrive, but it's finally here. This final LEGO produced version looks fairly different to the original fan-designer's model, so let's take a look at how it turned out.
Box & Contents
The physical box measures 47.5 x 37.5 x 11 cm and weighs 2.6kg. It contains:
- 16 plastic bags of parts
- 6 instruction booklets wrapped in plastic, with the sticker sheet included
The instructions are great - there is one booklet for each lion and a separate one for Voltron's sword and shield, which also illustrates the transformation sequence.
The instructions also have a few pages describing the original Voltron series it is based on, as well as the usual information about the original LEGO Ideas fan designer and the LEGO designer team.
Parts
There are several parts that appear in new colors in this set. Most notably a whole bunch of new Metallic Silver parts which are used in key spots on the lion heads, the chest, the sword and the shield. There are also several new prints, including Voltron's mouth:
Minifigs
There aren't any :) As much as I hate on minifigs, I admit this set could have benefited from five of the tiny trophy-figs like the Saturn V set. Especially if the designers could have found a way to pop them into the lion's heads!
Build
I love that each lion gets it's own instruction booklet. Each lion is also built from their own separate numbered bags. This makes parallel building easy and a lot of fun - e.g. my kids could build the lions they want at the same time.
Book 1 - Yellow Lion
The yellow lion forms one of Voltron's legs. Probably the first thing that struck me was how colorful everything is. The core of the lion is very solid and based around a central pivot point that enables the head to bend 90 degrees to form Voltron's foot.
The head pivots around a single axle which doubles as the joint for the front legs. The head itself is pretty awesome looking and the lower jaw opens. The white 15070 tooth parts are used very effectively. The body is then built up with its various decorations and weapons.
Lastly, the tail and legs are added. The legs can rotate via axles in the hips, the elbow/knees and ankles move via hinges. The head can't move at all, other than the jaw and when it transforms into Voltron.
Book 2 - Blue Lion
The blue lion starts off very similar to the yellow lion. They both share the same core design, just in different colors and have different decorations attached.
The same pivoting neck system is used as in the yellow lion.
The finished blue lion is about the same size as the yellow lion but has it's own styling so they still appear as different models.
The hip joints in both the blue and yellow lions differ from the front to the back. Since the axle used in the front leg hips is also used to pivot the head into a foot when transforming, it doesn't move freely. So, the hip uses a 53585 ball/92013 socket combination which gives it some movement, although it's much tighter to move.
Book 3 - Black Lion
The black lion is a very different build to the other four. Since it forms Voltron's main body, it is much larger and needs to be much stronger to hold everything together.
The familiar Voltron chest emblem design is actually the belly of the lion. The connections for the lion's front legs (Voltron's arms) use 5 clips each for extra strength. Strangely, they are color coded red and blue whereas the connecting lion's are actually colored red and green.
The head can be detached easily (and often seems to fall off a little too easily while transforming). The lower jaw of the lion is actually Voltron's face which fully opens. Once connected, the head can also move up and down slightly, and turn side to side. The red wings on the back of the lion fold and stack on the lion's back.
Lastly, the rear legs (Voltron's thighs) are added. These are seriously thick and have a built-in angle to them which can't be moved. This is what allows Voltron to actually stand up later with a slight spread of his legs, otherwise the blue/yellow lions would be too close to each other.
The final black lion is a huge beast, and built like a tank!
Book 4 - Red Lion
The red lion forms one of Voltron's arms. It is much smaller than the other lions, but also much more flexible. The body itself is broken up into three separate segments that use ball/socket joints to hinge, which have a lot of friction and allow the lion to stay in position once it is hanging as Voltron's arm.
Unlike the previous three lions, the jaw doesn't move in this lion. Instead, it has a technic pin which is used to hold Voltron's weapons.
Book 5 - Green Lion
The final lion, is very similar in build to the red lion. Like the yellow/blue lions, the red/green lions share a core body design. The differences are in the decorating panels and colors.
Like the red lion, the green lion can also hold Voltron's sword or shield.
The size difference of the three types of lion designs can be clearly seen below.
Book 6 - Weapons
Lastly, you build Voltron's sword and shield.
The sword actually has to be pulled apart to be inserted into the lion's mouth, leaving a spare pin connector piece. The shield just uses a single long pin that can be folded out of the way when not inserted.
Transforming into Voltron
The legs on the yellow and blue lions are first tucked away. Their tails are simply folded back against their bodies. The necks are then pivoted about to form Voltron's feet. There are clips that secure them in place once they are in position. There is a small extension out the back of the leg which helps give it stability, and a small rubber tyre at the base of the foot that helps Voltron stand and prevent slipping.
The two arm lions are the simplest to transform, and just need to have their legs and tails tucked away.
The black lion is the trickiest. All four of it's legs are actually detached, rotated, and then re-attached at different angles. The feet on the back legs are folded out straight and will be inserted into the back of the yellow/blue lions. The red wings are folded out, and lastly the head is folded down to reveal Voltron's face.
The yellow/blue lions are inserted, and join via four clips. The left and right clips are different so you can't swap the legs around even if you wanted to.
The red/green lions connect to the shoulder joints via two technic pins each. The shoulder joint itself uses a couple of bevel-tooth gears with a friction ball/socket, giving it a lot of friction when rotating the joint.
When fully formed, Voltron looks amazing. Even from the back, it looks great and is very strong and actually quite heavy too weighing in at 1.6kg.
Summary
There were many 80s cartoons that featured giant robots, but Voltron was definitely one of my favourites. When the original LEGO Ideas project was selected for production, I knew I had to have it.
The LEGO Ideas team spent a long time iterating over the design of this model, and the end result is amazing and well worth the wait.
The build was fun. Even though it would appear there is repetition across lions, it's really not noticeable - especially if you split the build between family members so everyone gets their own personal lion. Transforming the lions into Voltron can be a little tricky at first, and you're scared of breaking things but it's all very solid and can put up well with the handling.
Probably the only criticism I have is that the black lion's legs must be removed and re-inserted during the transformation process. If they could be made to simply rotate while still maintaining the strength required to stand and pose, that would be awesome. The original LEGO Ideas submission photos seem to show the black lion with more flexibility. Perhaps we'll see some fan-mods of it soon that attempt this.
While the set might be a tad expensive (US $180), there are over 2300 parts, and I think it will be a must buy for many LEGO fans my age that grew up on these cartoons.
Giveaway
So if you've read all the way to here, I have a 2nd Voltron set sitting next to me that I will be giving away to one lucky Rebrickable user!
To be eligible to win the prize, all you have to do is write a comment below giving your thoughts on the set (NOTE: multiple comments will not increase your chances, so no spam please!). After a few weeks, I will pick one person at random and contact them to arrange delivery.
UPDATE: A winner has been contacted and the prize is on the way!
Disclaimer: This LEGO set was kindly provided for review by The LEGO Group. Anything said in this post is the opinion of the author and not The LEGO Group.
320 COMMENTS
With the interest I showed they've starting watching the new series on Netflix!
I really hope they will use those silver parts in other sets as well. Otherwise those will be very expensive...
I like the result of what they did but given the price I'll pass...
Incredible set, love how authentic it looks. The fact they actually combine to form Voltron is just awesome. Pretty blown away I just stumbled on this.
Thank you very much for your review.
It help me to decide take it home.
I have seen some video reviews and I am not a fan of the transformations. The new printed pieces are cool, but they aren't reusable for mocs that hasn't something to do with Voltron. But that's just nitpicking. I give the set a 8/0
It would be great to be able to receive it now, moreover, as a Lego model
Would love to say this while transforming this model kit
Maybe father christmas will bring us Voltron ;)
But if it fit into my budget, I'd definitely pick it up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjzuBlYQ3M4
When I was a kid, i liked Bionycle. You could also build 3 into 1 big Bionycle.
Love the transformation into Voltron!
I might buy one a bit later....but maybe i dont need to, if i win the set. Lol
Awesome review, BTW, @Nathan! I have to say I already enjoyed the set even without having one just going through your review. Good luck to the lucky winner of your giveaway =)
I wonder if this is the beginning of a new era of transformable/modular LEGO sets (I'm talking about concept and techniques).
This set is definitely on my wish list
Cool that Lego made a set like the robots I tried to build 35 years ago (with less talent than them)
I'm not so young but i like this set anymore.
Thanks for the post. Hope I can be the lucky winner.
Thanks for the in-depth review!
Seeing this set brings back so much memories! Now I need to get it out of pure sentiment and leave it on the display. I know that it will spark the same feelings to anyone that used to watch these series back in their childhood.
This Lego Voltron is my chance to relive my childhood the right way!
911momo
Has TLG ever made an attempt of a transformers-like set?
... or I could just win this giveaway, who knows (fingers crossed).
Please pick me randomly ;-)
Great review - thanks for all your work!
I can't wait to purchase and build this set!
But I like the Looks and the Concept behind it. After reading this and other Reviews I'm realy thinking About buying this set. But there is no room in my Budget for this Price. So I have to wait for a sale...
:-).
I've been keeping my original Voltron set nice and shiney for +30 yrs. A few weeks ago I finally gave in to my 4 yr old and let him play with it, and unfortunately a few days ago the green lion broke :(
Suddenly saw this review and now I just can't wait to get one!
But 180$ is kinda pricey so a bit of help would be appreciated... :)
Thanks for the great review
Thanks for the review and giveaway opportunity.
And I do agree with Nathan that this set will appeal more to the older “children” (AFOL), because it reminds us of our youth and this way we will get to relive it.
If I don't win this, it will still be a must buy for me at some point.
It`s big, have a lot of pices, and look great. No more, no less, set looks great
although i am missing some of the details from the ideas model. the beasts look more vivid.
Nevertheless, this is a unique and well designed set!
Good luck to you all!
This set looks absolutely fantastic. I'd absolutely love to have it in my collection (not that I have any room for it at the moment... But it's the sort of set I'd make room for!)
I love legos also, so it’s a great match.ike you said previously, I wish the design could have made room for a “cockpit” and mini figs.
I doubt they will make a bigger version to support a interior later on. I will eventually buy this set if I don’t win it.
Robot Rock from Daft Punk comes to my mind! Voltron needs a guitar!
I keep telling myself not to buy this, its just nostalgia... but it would make my day, month, year to be given one.
Overall, I believe it’s a great set, and looks to be a fun build. My personal preference is for mini figure based designs.
If I had to place the set in one of two categories, I would place in displays well versus plays well.
Considering its size, it is a beast!
winning is always nice, so i’ll Keep my fingers crossed.
'wtf, this is real?'
then
'awesome!'
then finally
'aww' (when seeing the price).
It's quite an surprise to see a classic released as fully working and big size Lego set. Unfortunately not in price bracket I'm willing to spend - I'm a technic guy, so would rather get some biig Technic set for the price, and for my regular Lego needs, I'm still hoping to get a XXL star destroyer for display first. Wouldn't mind winning one though :-)
The idea of joining smaller creatures together to create a super-creature sounds really fun.
It would be nice to play around with this set.
BTW, very nice review :)
Maybe, I will buy the set sometime with a discount, but I'm not sure...
Dave
Chalk this up onto my list of ‘would like to own’
My grandson and I share a love of Lego. He is also a fan of Transformers and when he readthis review, he is 6, it was made very clear that his set was what he wanted
for Christmas. I think we will have fun building this together.
Really informative!
Outside of some unique Brickheadz for friends and rather simple castle moc I haven't done/practiced to much.
My final goal w is Metroid-series gunship and models like yours are pretty inspiring as they, showcase the versatility of colors and lego in general!
Looks massive.
Hope lego develops more sets in this theme :)
Anyways, the review is very good and shows a lot of the features that helps deciding if this is something to invest in. Unfortunately, like many of the Ideas sets, this is a stripped down version of the original submitted - that I believe looks much better, at least for the back of the Voltron model and has minor size differences between the larger lions. Probably the transformation was easier with that set too.
Thank you very much for the review and keep it up. I like your job both with the site and the reviews.
Hätte Spaß mit dem zweiten Voltron eine Basis zu bauen.
But the set trully impressed me - the lions are all well made and have a very nice level of detail. The combined Voltron looks amazing too.
Maybe the black lion is a bit too bulky, but considering it's the main body, I guess it can't be helped.
Definitely a great set.
Now to try and work out where to get the money from......
https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-9304/The_Bobby_Brix_Channel/mini-lego-voltron-figurine/#mocs
;-)
I like the review photos though. They are taken at angles that you would not normally see for a review like this.
Cheers!
Looks like a great build through, I would love to win one!
The theme song which you can recognize after 2 seconds. The idea of the set back than was already great and seeing it in an official set gets the hart racing. Time to save up and buy a set which hopefully in the future will give my Kids as much pleasure as it will me.
As for the set itself, I love how each lion is unique in it's own tiny ways, despite most of them sharing building techniques with at least one other... However I despise the exposed studs on the legs, and would have preferred tile pieces be used to cover such.
The set looks really good and reminded me my childhood years when I used to play with this toy (of course it wasn't LEGO)...
One of the most original sets in my opinion due to the building experience.
At first I thought the shoulders would rotate, but I was surpised they had to be detached and first as well.
But still a great model.
Very nice post! Since this set released I didn't have time to read a review. It was a puzzle for me, how legs and arms are connected to torso. You have made a necessary work =) I have seen cartoons with transformers but I couldn't say with certanty that it was Voltron. In any case it is interesting set as for me. I am a fan of mechs. I tried to build mechs from BattleTech univerce and others. I think that this set is a usefull step for Lego to start produce new Mech theme =)
Now to Transformers... Autobots transform!!!
I have never even seen this cartoon series, so I don't have that emotional response to it. Could be age, could be country, not even sure if this was ever shown in the Netherlands. So definitely not a set that I would buy. Thanks for the review!
cool model though.