Set Review ➟ 21051 Tokyo Skyline

2021-03-16 | Adrian Barbour

• Released: 2020
• Parts: 547
• Price: £54.99 / USD59.99 / 59.99€

The LEGO architecture skyline range has typically provided high quality, if somewhat overpriced, models that do an exemplary job of highlighting the unique architecture of various major cities around the world. Given the chance to review the Tokyo skyline set, I leapt at the opportunity to see if this design would capture the essence and feel of a city I still feel a special connection to, having once lived there for several years. The New York skyline set (another city I have a certain connection with, though in this case only through bricks) was one I particularly enjoyed and still have on my shelf. By comparison, Tokyo as a city presents a much greater challenge in terms of its many contrasting elements – old vs new, nature vs technology, austerity vs exuberance – so how well does the Lego version succeed in balancing all of this into a suitable LEGO representation?

The box is of the reusable type also common to LEGO Ideas models, which helps present the set as a premium product worthy of its price tag. The rear box art helpfully identifies the six main architectural components of the model:

• The distinctive red and white Tokyo Tower
• The convex Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower
• Chidorigafuchi Park with cherry blossom trees
• The colorful buildings of Shibuya Crossing
• The tall and slender Tokyo Skytree
• The Tokyo Big Sight convention center

The box contains four bags numbered across two building stages (one small and one larger bag for each stage) plus a bag of white Technic flex axles and a loose instruction book. There is no sticker sheet, and a range of printed parts are included. The first pages of the instruction book presents pictures and information for each of the six main buildings, while the build process itself is split into two stages – one for the base and Tokyo Tower, and another for the remainder of the model. The set also includes a teal brick separator.

The build process starts with constructing the sturdy black base with a layer of grey tiles on top. The instructions are easy to follow, though I did notice one ambiguity regarding the placement of a 1x1 round plate whose positioning is only made clear in a later step. The printed 1x1 crosswalk tiles are really great parts, and we get four of these (plus one spare) for Shibuya Crossing. The left side of the base extends a full 13 studs deep for attaching the base of Tokyo Tower, which means the completed model requires significantly more depth of shelf space than the comparatively slender New York model. Tokyo Tower itself is cleverly built, with an inverted central section below the striped spire, and a base which makes good use of red 3x6x1 curved windscreens. The techniques and parts used are nice, but the base does end up looking a bit too bulky, with a transition from middle to base that isn’t as smooth as it should be. Also included is an unnamed pagoda building in sand green (presumably Sensō-ji in Asakusa, or could it be the Chureito pagoda near Mt Fuji?) plus the first of three cherry blossom trees.

The second building stage begins with Chidorigafuchi Park, located on the moat around the Tokyo Imperial Palace, and this looks great despite using basic techniques. The accuracy here is also questionable, as the two ‘riverbank’ jumper plates should really be green, and the building behind is again unnamed. Is this meant to be the palace main gate (despite not matching in terms of colour or architectural style)? Or is it perhaps meant to be the Zōjō-ji Buddhist temple? Shibuya Crossing is next and this busy center of shopping and nightlife is a location I am more familiar with. The geometry of streets and buildings isn’t accurate, but it’s still immediately recognisable and adds a needed splash of colour and modernity. The rainbow building of stacked trans 1x1 rounds was another point where the instructions were a challenge, yet the combination of trans parts and printed tiles works really well. I particularly liked the use of a pre-existing 1x2 printed tile and the 1x4 solar panel tile as building fronts.

Tokyo Big Sight is built next – a structure presumably chosen more for its distinctive architecture than its significance. Its inverted roof section sits snugly with inverted 1x1 pyramids resting on upright 1x1 pyramids below, and a trans 1x1 plate and pyramid feature as an entrance. The Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower is perhaps the best-designed of the three tall features, and uses cross-hatched prints on 8x2 curved slopes for its three main faces. These are securely connected in the center with Technic parts, and the result is very faithful to the real building.

Mt Fuji serves as a backdrop to Chidorigafuchi Park and Shibuya Crossing, built in white-capped sand blue. Some might question its inclusion here, as it’s not really an architectural feature, but I think it adds a lot here. While its visual prominence is exaggerated, Mt Fuji’s presence is an iconic part of the Tokyo landscape, and its inclusion adds a bit of nature and contributes well to the suitably crowded look of the overall layout. The final part of the build is the 2000ft-tall Tokyo Skytree. This is accurately designed, but is also the least stable part of the model, built on a single central axle with the outer flex axles providing shape but no structural support. (The flex axles also have dimples halfway along their length, so for best results you’ll want to orient these dimples to be facing inwards for a clean outer appearance.)

The completed final model looks fantastic and, to my eyes at least, really captures the feel of Tokyo while maintaining the high standards of previous skyline sets. Especially in comparison with the New York skyline model, this build is appropriately much busier with greater depth and more overlap of features. We get the tall recognisable structures of Tokyo Tower and the Skytree contrasted with the natural features of Chidorigafuchi Park and Mt Fuji, and the bright modern buildings of Shibuya contrasted with the more traditional pagoda building and temple/shrine.

If I am to be critical then I would prefer a more accurate base to Tokyo Tower, better stability to the Skytree, and Mt Fuji could perhaps have been better-shaped and placed another stud or so rearwards behind the buildings. There is also an issue of relative scale (ignoring Mt Fuji of course!) as the Skytree is meant to be twice the height of Tokyo Tower. One solution would be a smaller Tokyo Tower, which would also reduce the depth issue caused by its overly-wide base. But then you’d also need to scale down Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, and that would be unfortunate as this building is really nicely designed at its current scale. So perhaps the current set’s scaling is a good compromise. Afterall, these skyline sets have never been intended as accurately scaled replicas, but serve rather as more abstract representations of their respective cities’ architectural features and overall character – and on that count I think this model definitely succeeds. Tokyo is an amazing city and it’s great to see it receive a suitably detailed and iconic representation in LEGO form.

We wish to thank LEGO for providing this set for review. The opinions in this review are not supported or endorsed by LEGO.