The LEGO® Group has revealed the latest set to celebrate the Disney 100. The Walt Disney Tribute Camera arrives on September 1st honoring the founder of the company. It’s a very cool concept and it’s got all the hallmarks of a fun commemorative set. Like my recently reviewed Villain Icons (43227), this bad boy cashes in on a retro and nostalgic design to create a wholly new build. If your company reaches the 100 year mark, you’ve definitely seen technology change. And if you’re in the film industry, then that’s exponentially true. What a fun way to celebrate those early pioneering days of the media. Let’s check out the details.
Walt disney tribute camera
- SET #: 43230
- THEME: Disney
- COST: $129.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 811
- MINIFIGURES: 3 (Walt Disney, Minnie, Mickey) + 2 characters (Bambi, Dumbo)
- RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2023 (available for pre-order now)
- COST/BRICK: $0.16 (moderate value)
- BRICKS/FIG: 162 (great value)
- DIMENSIONS: 37 cm tall x 21 cm wide x 19 cm deep
That Retro Feeling
This camera design is wonderfully vintage. It’s a very clever approach and it should appeal to many a fan. It nicely speaks to the history of the company and cinema in general. Making the film canisters/reels the ‘100’ is pretty fab. I can’t speak to the exact accuracy, but it looks wonderfully developed (film pun!!). But the clear stand-out is that printed film strip that winds around the camera. Look closely and you will see LEGO-ized stills from several animated features past to present. It’s a huge draw for this set and the designers did an amazing job. The lead designer is all-star Wes Talbot who’s work includes another awesome vintage machine, the LEGO®️ Ideas Typewriter (21327). He also has several new Friends sets to his credit, as well as the gorgeous Rivendell (10316) D2C set.
The Tribute Camera has a swell offering of minifigures too. Walt Disney himself gets his first ever minifig and he looks great. That tiny moostache is awesome. Mickey and Minnie Mouse also return in their early black-and-white designs. Mickey and Minnie’s designs look nearly identical to their Steamboat Willie minifigs from the Ideas set (minus the hats). Minnie’s face print is different however as is her skirt element colour. The big surprise here is the inclusion of Dumbo and Bambi. These animal molds look wonderful and very much adorable. All five characters sit on a display stand that looks like a film slate and multiplane camera. Even if you’re not a big Disney fan, you gotta appreciate these amazing details and designs.
Imagineering
The Walt Disney Tribute Camera is yet another fun surprise for the Disney 100. The level of effort in many of these new sets is really impressive. Both companies are definitely pulling out all the stops to celebrate. As a display piece, this is wonderful. Retro designs are usually big hits with us AFOLs. And those minifigs are going to be a big draw as well. This set is currently up for pre-order on the official website. Now what do you think of this set? Are you excited for more Disney 100 stuff? What’s your take on these retro designs? And what else can we see from the House of Mouse? Comment below and in all the usual places. Thanks as always for reading and until next time, keep on brickin’. 🧱
– Frank
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