For the first time ever, Manchester United fans can now build and showcase a unique and authentic LEGO® model of the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
10272 Old Trafford – Manchester United, 3898 Parts,
US $299.99 – CA $349.99 – DE €269.99 – UK £249.99 – FR €269.99 – DK 2199DKK AUD $449.99
Available 16/1 for VIPs at LEGO.com, with general availability from 1st February.
Historically, I have not been much of a sportsball fan. To quote the LEGO Movie “Go, local Sports Team” However, when I was growing up, if I had not been aware of any other English football team, here in Australia, I knew that Manchester United existed. Manchester United’s fans are spread around the world, and are passionate in their love for the club.
This year is the 110th anniversary of the the opening of Manchester United’s home ground, the stadium at Old Trafford. It may have suffered significant damage while being bombed in the Second World War. Most of the stands might have been redesigned and rebuilt several times, but it remains the second largest stadium in Great Britain- second only to Wembley stadium, and certainly the largest stand used for regular home and away matches. (the largest recorded crowd at Old Trafford was 76,962, in March 1939. The current capacity of the ground is 75879, and so will need to be expanded once more if this record is to be broken.
This new Creator Expert set is one of the first sets to depict an actual sports ground, and it is the third in recent years to feature an English landmark. You could certainly argue that it is not as prominent in the minds of as many people around the world as the Tower Bridge, or the British Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
This new set is a big one, with 3898 pieces. this makes it, by current counts the 17th Largest Set – in a list which includes two Millennium Falcons and two versions of the Taj Majal.
There is a lot of detail to be seen in this set – from the tiered seating in the stands, the players tunnel, the cantilevered roof to the stands, the statues of the club’s heroes: the United Trinity of Best, Law and Charlton – represented by nano figures.
There is a lot of labelling and branding on the stadium – labelling the stands, including the rows of seat; the texture of the ground and so forth. Ultimately, it would appear that there are a lot of stickers to apply: some big, some small. All of it designed to add to the value of the final model. I couldn’t bear the wait – The LEGO Group have sent me a copy of the set to review. It arrived a little late to have it ready right now… but here is the answer to the question, “Is the pitch printed or stickers…”
The build appears to be modular: with seperate modules attaching to the central pitch. The Sir Bobby Charlton (South) stand, West stand at the Stretford End, the Alex Ferguson (North) stand the East Stand. This will be a testing build, and so being able to break the project up into distinct parts is a decided advantage.
[Billund, January 13th] Manchester United and LEGO® fans alike can now build Old Trafford brick by brick. The 3898-piece LEGO Creator Expert model is a spectacular tribute to one of football’s most iconic stadiums and makes for a true collector’s item that is bound to take center spot at home or the office.
The model is a true celebration of the passion for the game shared by fans all over the world, paying special homage to Manchester United fans. Developed particularly for fans aged sixteen and up, the high attention to detail makes this LEGO model of Old Trafford so special. The 1:600 replica model features several authentic details including the United Trinity statue and the Munich memorial clock.
The model will bring Old Trafford to the homes of Manchester United’s enormous fan base of 659M fans worldwide and to those that have not yet been able to experience the stadium in person.
Manchester United’s Director of Partnerships, Sean Jefferson comments:
“Our Old Trafford stadium is as iconic as Manchester United itself and we are proud to be able to bring it to life in LEGO form. I think everyone has played with LEGO bricks at some point in their life, however it’s still amazing to see the level of detail the LEGO designers have managed to recreate in this piece. We are sure it will be hugely popular amongst Manchester United and LEGO fans alike.”
Building this set is sure to be a nostalgic experience for Manchester United fans while also providing a rewarding building experience for LEGO fans. The building instructions includes information on the stadium and its rich heritage and history as well as the designers that have brought the set to life.
“To create Old Trafford in LEGO bricks was a tremendous design challenge for the team, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. The 110-year-old stadium provided us with so many important locations, features and stories to tell as we constructed this model. We are excited for our fans to be able to experience all of that history and attention to detail as they construct and proudly display this iconic stadium.” – Michael Psiaki, LEGO Design Master.
Kickoff is on January 16th 2020 when the model will be available directly from LEGO Retail Stores and www.LEGO.com/Old-Trafford exclusively for LEGO VIP members, with general availability beginning February 1st 2020, in time for the stadium’s 110th anniversary.
As we discussed recently in our wrap up of the decade, there has been an increase in the number of larger sets currently available, and an increase in the proportion of licensed sets. This large, licensed set is directly designed to play to the hearts of adults who love Manchester United (and there are allegedly over half a billion of those world wide) as well as AFOLs with a taste for football.
The Rambling Brick has been fortunate to have received a copy of the set for review purposes – but perhaps a little late to review now, in a way that will do the set justice. Keep an eye out on the blog, or our social media channels for details of this review. I’ll have to admit, I am looking forward to it.
What do you think of the set? Does it appeal if you were not a Manchester United Fan? Are there any specific aspects you would like to see highlighted in my review?
Leave your comments below, and until next time,
Play Well.