I returned to the US from Germany and received some of my LEGO sets that were in storage. I had some time and re-assembled a few. It’s not my traditional full up review where I show the box and parts bags, but I can show the final (dusty) product.
Set #10226-1: Sopwith Camel was released on 2 June 2021 in the US and it retired on 3 October 2014. It is actually the second version of this biplane with the first one being #3451-1 from 2001. The 2012 version had 883 pieces and retailed for $99.99 in the US. This worked out to $0.113/piece.
First picture is a top view of the model. At the time, the dark green/forest green color wasn’t used as much as it is now (in my opinion) so to have that much green was awesome. The big Royal Air Force roundels on each side of the wings stand out as well.
While this set is larger than minifigure scale, it does have some playability. There is a control stick in the cockpit that is attached to strings. With those controls, you can adjust the ailerons (move stick left/right) and elevator (move stick back/forward). The rudder on the tail is moveable, but must be done by hand.
This set had a few stickers. The set number is the aircraft identifier and then the name “Sopwith” is printed on a sticker on the tail.
The engine looks pretty impressive and the propeller spins (not automatic… you have to do it by hand). The use of the silver colored bricks is pretty cool. I find it interesting that LEGO included the two guns in the front and there wasn’t an uproar. I guess since it is historical, they could get away with it. Maybe like Pirates sets and the cannons on ships?
Here’s another view of the set. It’s a good looking model in my opinion and makes a great display piece along with some functionality. I may be biased as I work in the aerospace world, but I would love to see more like this. I was disappointed that some of the Boeing 737s in the Ideas competition that received 10K votes didn’t make it. We’ll see if the Sopwith returns after 10 years as an 18+ set. If it does, I recommend scooping it up. Not sure how much the old one is on the secondary markets, but my guess is not cheap.
What are your thoughts on this one? Does anyone else own it?
Happy building!
