I am really thrilled to be reviewing this set. Several members of my family chipped in this year at Christmas to get me this set, and I spent all of Christmas Day assembling it. This set is massive, and I had rearrange my LEGO city to accommodate it. It now towers above all of the buildings, much like the Ferris Wheel in London!
Set Summary
Name: Ferris Wheel
Set #: 10247
Cost: $229.99 CDN
Brick Count: 2464
Minifigure Count: 10
Manuals: 1 (138 pages)
Release Date: June 1, 2015
Summary Review: 91%
Value: 100% (At $0.09 per brick, you are getting a great deal.)
Build: 100% (Stunning build that works flawlessly.)
Minifigs: 63% (Ok, generic townspeople. Nothing special.)
Enjoyment: 100% (Full day of building, and I would not change the design.)
Review:
VALUE: 100%
With 2,464 bricks and a price tag of $229.99 CDN, the average cost of a brick in this set is about $0.09. That is an awesome value that you can’t really complain about, even at full price. This set gets 5/5 for overall value.
BUILD: 100%
The Ferris Wheel is 60 cm high. The base area is 48 studs x 48 studs (38 cm x 38 cm), which means you could place it on to one of the large LEGO base plates. The whole thing towers over all of the buildings in my current city arrangement. But, that is a good thing as it will provide a more interesting skyline in photographs.
Overall, the set has an amazingly detailed look. The front features a park bench, an ice cream stand, and a nice ramp leading up to the Ferris Wheel itself. The base is also decorated with flowers and two small ornamental trees. The ice cream vendor’s cart opens up and has some small ice cream balls inside.
The Ferris Wheel has a very clever design. I am always amazed how someone actually comes up with these things. It makes you wonder just how long someone had to tinker with this to get it right. One of my MOCs takes me weeks, if not months. I suppose Master Builders are professionals though. I was particularly impressed with the beams that hold up the wheel. The actual wheel is no small wonder either.
The gondolas are sleekly designed. I love that LEGO put opening doors on each, it really adds some nice authenticity. The gondolas are really built for one Minifigure, but you can squeeze two in for a romantic ride.
Another wonderful feature is the under workings that make the Ferris Wheel spin. It is set up with gears and axles so that you can turn a crank and make the wheel turn. This crank can also become hands free with the addition of a LEGO power pack. The instructions include a couple of pages that detail the set-up. There is also a lever that operates the main platform. The platform can be raised to allow riders easy entry and disembarking from the gondolas. When the Ferris Wheel is in operation, the platform lowers using a rack and pinion system.
There is really nothing that I do not like about this set. It is absolutely beautiful and it works flawlessly. I give it 100% as a build score.
MINIFIGURES: 63%
The Minifigures in this set are nothing to write home about. That is not to say that they are bad, they are just not terribly exciting. They are meant to be everyday, average people. There were no new Minifigure parts that I had not previously seen. I would have liked to have had a Minifig in more of a fairground sort of attire though. There is no one who really looks like a ride operator.
The two Minifigures who really stood out for me were the ice cream vendor (who has an appropriate uniform), and the old man (who has the nice suit detailing with the pocket watch on his torso). I will not go into depth with each Minifigure because, like I mentioned before, there really is nothing that we have not see before here. You can also check out the pictures to see them in a little more detail.
Just to quickly summarize what you are getting, there are 10 Minifigures. Using my usual rating scale of 10 points per Minifigure, this means that overall these figs would get 100 points. Of those, four are those stupid ape-children that I do not like on account of the disproportionately long arms and fixed legs. Since six Minifigs have normal legs, this gives the set 6 points. None of the legs have any printing though, so there are no additional points awarded there. All of the characters have more than just the generic smiley face, but only 3 have a double sided face, which adds 13 points to the score (10 for detailed faces, 3 for double sided print). The torsos all have front printing, and only one does not have back printing, adding 19 more points. Generally, the detailing of all the figures is nice, adding another 10 points. There are about seven small accessories (including multiple ice cream cones, some money, a pretzel, and a balloon), which add 7 more points. This brings the Minifigure design score to 55%. Like I said, nothing to write home about. But, they are still nice, generic additions to the town.
There is one Minfigure for every 246 bricks in this set. This gives a Minifigure value score of 3.5/5 (70%). Putting these two scores together gives the Minifigures in this set an overall rating of 63%.
ENJOYMENT: 100%
This set took me about nine hours (540 minutes) to build. This means that each minute of build time costs $0.43. That is an ok fun value in my book, and it would normally earn it a score of 70%. But, I feel that any set that entertains me for the better part of a day is worth 100%. As for my overall enjoyment, I love this set and I would not change a thing about it. So, it earns a full 100% in terms of how much I like it. Overall, this gives the Ferris Wheel and rating of 100%.
Final Score: 91%
This is one of my favorite LEGO sets. It is phenomenally designed, it gives you tons of build time, and it is a great value. I wish the Minifigs were not quite so generic, but they are good for populating my city. I highly recommend this set!
Until next time,
-T.N.B.
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