Now, I’m not going to lie: I haven’t spent a lot of time playing Minecraft. That said, I cannot deny what it means to the generation of kids currently growing up, even those in their early 20s, for whom it has been an integral part of their upbringing since 2009. That said, I was intrigued when some of the latest wave of Minecraft sets crossed my desk.It’s been a while since I have taken a look at any of these sets, and I’d like to thank the LEGO Group for sending these sets over ahead of time for review. I thought I’d start small, and take a look at 21251 Steve’s Desert Expedition: apparently the first LEGO Minecraft set where the action takes place in the desert biome.

The set has 75 pieces and comes with a Steve mini figure, as well as a baby camel and a flying Phantom. This year we are seeing a slight clawing back of the unfortunate price bump seen in 2022, and this set is one of those that represents the return of the small boxed set to the $9.99USD; $AUD14.99 pricepoint (compared to last year’s $17.99AUD for fewer pieces).

Lets take a quick look…

Here are the elementts laid out by the knoller in chief.

The set is predominantly plates and modified plates with a few bricks for good measure. There are no stickers, rather all of the elements requiring decoration are printed.

The baby camel head element is a bizarre extended brick, with small markings just on either side of the head.

We have a transparent dish and antenna, as well as ransparent orange flames and candle flames.

There are some medium nougat elements with perinted decorations, while some 1×1 dark brown bricks help to hold the roof up on the shelter

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Steve is our Minecraft Everyman. In his blue shirt, and strangely cubic head, he has a mystic axe to help him to survive in the desert. This year he has a new expression on his face, and update on his effort in recent years. He has been darkened from pale nougat to nougat compared to previous versions. His eyes appear ready to burst out of their sockets too.

Here are New Steve, and Classic Steve, side by side…

Steve has the opportunity to tame the baby camel: it might not be big enought to ride just yet, but its time will come. the head and neck element terminates in a 1×2 plate at the base, while a stud on the front allows the nose to be attached. a 1×2 plate and tile go towards creating the hump. Fluted 1×2 bricks give the feeling of two legs at the front and back of the baby camel.

Here is the flying Phantom, the antagonist in the set. With a base of inverted tiles, a couble of hinge plate, some ball joints and some dark blue tiles bring this creature to life. The effect is enhanced by the printing of pixelated eyes on the 1×2 tile that forms the face.

Finally the base:

The tent is formed using alternating bricks and plates while a small spring and cactus bring a little life to the scene. Meanwhile, Steve keeps warm in the bitter desert nights through the small fire. A crafting table allows Steve to repair his axe, and create new tools (I guess).

On the whole, I find this set appealing to my inner 6 year old. Which is appropriate. We have a hero, an occult enemy and a baby camel, and a small desert campsite. I found myself somewhat intrigued, as there do not appear to be any other sets in this wave associated with a desert biome. I’m sure time will reveal just what is in store for this terrain in the future. As a small set for a child who is into Minecraft, I suspect it includes most things that you need.

LEGO Mincraft 21251 Steve’s Desert Adventure will be available on January 1,2024 and will be priced at 10.00 (USD); 9.99€ £8.99 and 15.99AUD. You can check it out at LEGO.com here.

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Until Next Time,

Play Well!

This set was provided by the LEGO Group for Review Purposes. All opinions are my own.