It’s 2023 and the 2021 Bricklink Designer Program is wrapping up (finally). I just received my round 3 orders and by the looks of it from looking online, most other folks have too. If you’re not familiar with the program, the 2021 version took non-licensed designs that reached 10K votes in LEGO Ideas and gave fans an opportunity to vote on their favorites. The top five in each round were turned into sets. After some mess ups in round one, LEGO/Bricklink got it together, but demand was high and the limits were reached on all sets fairly quickly. Now you can find some of the sets on places like the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink store. Also if you’re interested in participating again, there’s a new round of voting that ends soon. You can see my selections and some details on the program here.

I haven’t decided which sets to build or add to the store from round three, but here are my initial thoughts on the sets after receiving them. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Not in any particular order, #910002-1: Studgate Train Station contains 4,062 pieces and retailed for $399.99. This worked out to $0.098 per piece which is right near the 10 cents per piece average that came out of some study. This set was designed by user BrickyBricks82. His real name is Pablo Sanchez Jimenez and you know him from his approved LEGO Ideas set #21322-1: Pirates of Barracuda Bay. It’s now retired, but you can find it on sale in the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink store.

As a train fan, I was super stoked to see this set. It looks incredible with dual tracks, two trains, the large roof/canopy structure over the rails, the clear parts over the roof, and some amazing details throughout. This one is a definite build for me. Sorry for those of you hoping I would put it in the store. I can’t pass this one up.

Next up is #910004-1: Winter Chalet. This one contains 2,705 pieces and retailed for $199.99. This worked out to $0.074 per piece. The set designer was user name sdrnet or Sandro Damiano. This one could be added to a Winter Village display pretty easily. Like most Winter Village sets, the front is fully decorated and the back is open for access to play in the building. There are a ton of details on the inside with multiple bedrooms and a full up kitchen and dining area. The floors are fully tiled too which helps to increase the piece count. This one is definitely more detailed than any of the $100 Winter Village sets and it has some European flare to it. I’m not sure if I’ll build this one or not. What do you think?

Going in number order, next is #910008-1: Modular Construction Site. This one contains 3,371 pieces and retails for 319.99 which works out to $0.095 per piece. The designer was user name ryantaggart whose real name is Ryan Taggart. We have a lot of modular sets and there are a lot of modulars on the Ideas platform and in the next Bricklink Designer Program. However, I have never seen one as a full up construction site with numerous workers and equipment. The working crane is one of the highlights for me. This one would go great in any city scene and could easily be modified to add or remove sections of the building. I like it!

Up next is #910011-1: 1950s Diner. It contains 1,379 pieces and retailed for $129.99. This worked out to $0.094 per piece. The designer was user name pix027 who is James Alan Cox. This design matches well with the shape of most diners out there from the 1950s and has some great details (and wait… stickers!?!?). The chef minifigure is a bit plain compared to some restaurant type sets out there, but it works. The car that comes with it is cool, but seems quite big considering the overall size of the diner. Maybe it’s just the picture? I don’t know.

The last one is #910027-1: Mountain View Observatory. This one has 3,889 pieces and retailed for $249.99. This worked out to $0.064/piece. The designer was user name ThomasW_BL or Thomas Wosch. I like the concept and the idea. The science museum and laboratory type theme is a great addition to any city and I think the design helps it fit in well versus just a plain building. This one has height and some plants which breaks things up a bit. You get a bunch of minifigures and a baby to take around the exhibits which is a bonus. I think I’ll be building this one.

Round one of the Bricklink Designer program happened back in the summer of 2021. The sets that I ordered finally got delivered in March 2022. I believe Europe got their deliveries first and then North America. This set is #910028-1: Pursuit of Flight. It was designed by JK Brickworks which is made up of Jason Allemann and Kristal. The set contains 541 pieces and retailed for $54.99 in the US. This works out to $0.102 per piece. The program only allowed between 5,000 and 10,000 copies of the set to be produced so you’ll only find this one on BrickLink or other secondary sales locations. Another option is to piece out the set using the instructions available online and building it yourself. I’m not sure how much that would cost, but it could save you some if you have a lot of the parts on hand or if you substitute colors and pieces with parts in your inventory or that you can pick up used.

The box is white with BrickLink’s logo. The front and back both have the logo while the front only lists the standard LEGO lettering with set number, age range (18+), piece count, the warning not to swallow tiny pieces, and the set name with designer. The back just gives another picture of the set with a different view and different planes attached. You’ll note on the bottom of the picture I took of the back is the BrickLink seal. I guess they are concerned about people opening the set and then re-closing it and trying to sell it off as new. Not a problem with this sticker.

The side of the box as you lift open the cover says “Bricklink Designer Program” and “2021 Invitational.”

Here’s how the set was packed. Instead of instructions in the form of a booklet, you get a card. The card gives you the option to scan a QR code which lets you download an app to view 3D instructions. I used the app instructions. They weren’t too bad, but it took some getting used to after building with paper booklets for so many years. I liked the ability to pivot the model on the screen to see other sides. To improve it, I would add in the ability to tell colors apart better; Multiple shades of blue and brown/red in this set were a challenge to pick out. I’m glad the set wasn’t much larger. Also, I would add in the ability to line up Technic pins like in the paper instructions to verify that you have the right size.

The card provided a link to go and download a .pdf version of the instructions. I tried the link, but it didn’t work. However, if you go to Bricklink and the Designer Program page, you can go to the page for each individual model and download the instructions there. You can still use a screen, or you can print them (if you have a lot of ink and paper).

This set contains four parts bags numbered one through three with two bags labeled number three. Bag one contains a teal brick separator to add to your collection.

Bag one builds the main base with the majority of the Technic parts. The brick section is fairly simple to put together with mostly studs on top. The Technic build just required that you watch how pieces were lined up and how long the various axles were. Overall, not too bad though.

The second bag adds a top to the box section that you built with bag one. The top has a microscale village with some buildings, roads, and trees. Using clear antenna pieces and some white plates and tiles, you add in some clouds. The last section you add in is the last of the Technic pieces. The longer axles were slightly hard to install as the pieces they attach to weren’t set in place below or at least one isn’t. I had to fish for that one, get the axle installed, and then I could attach the second one. Not a huge deal, just something to pay attention to if you build this one.

The last part of the build is assembling the aircraft in bag three. This set comes with five different designs, but you could easily add your own as desired. For this one, you get a triplane, a biplane, two single wing aircraft (one with the wing below the fuselage and one with the wing above the fuselage), and then a small version of the Wright Flyer. The triplane and biplane both come with a minifigure head with a flight cap to have it look like there’s a pilot (although it’s too small of a plane to fit the rest of the minifigure). The other three do not have pilots. You can interchange them as desired to “fly” them on the set. While the original Wright Flyer didn’t do a whole lot of maneuvering, it’s a fun concept to add that aircraft in.

Overall, I like the set and think it’s something out of the ordinary that we haven’t seen before in the Ideas line or elsewhere. The price is a bit steep considering what you’re getting, but it is a “low production” run set so that’s what you get. I’m curious to know if anyone built this on their own with their own parts or parts sourced from Bricklink or elsewhere. I’m looking forward to more of the Bricklink Designer Program sets.

Happy building!

Bricklink Designer Program 2021 - Round 3 Sets are Here!

Set Review: #910028-1: Pursuit of Flight - Bricklink Designer Program