NOTE: I purchased the A-Frame Cabin (21338) myself, and this review is not sponsored in any way. I strive to always provide my honest opinion on LEGO® products. If you are curious about how I generate scores in this review, I invite you to read about the True North Bricks rating system.

INTRODUCTION

The A-Frame Cabin (21338) hit store shelves on February 1, 2023. I bought mine the day it came out. I rarely do that, and regretted it shortly after. Not because I don’t like the set, I LOVE the set. It made the top of my wish list as soon as it was officially revealed. I regretted buying it early because a week after the set came out, there was a surprise double points event. I suppose I could have returned it and re-purchased it. However, that requires excess communication with another physical human being. Subsequently, the set then languished in my pile of shame for a year, also proving I could have waited to buy it. With that said, having it ready at home meant I could start assembling it on a whim. And that whim recently arrived.

SET SPECIFICS

QUICK REVIEW

A-FRAME CABIN (21338) REVIEW

---

Value Score Breakdown:

The A-Frame Cabin costs $239.99 in Canada and includes 2082 bricks. The resulting cost/brick is $0.115 CAD. For an Ideas set, that is an okay value. However, it is more expensive than what I’m used to for the theme. With that said, the A-Frame Cabin is a pretty good value compared to all the other LEGO® sets out there from across all themes. Considering both of these comparisons, the set ranks fairly average in terms of cost/brick in my opinion. It’s not the best in its own theme, but good overall. Consequently, the cost/brick earns 81% in my books.

The A-Frame Cabin (21338) took me almost five and a half hours to build.

In terms of build time, I got five hours and 21 minutes total. At full price, you’re looking at $0.75 per minute of build time. That is fairly average for the Ideas theme in my experience. Once again, it fairs a little better when comparing to LEGO® sets in general. I would not go so far as to say the build time I got was excellent for this price, but it was good. Thus the build time earns a score of 83%. Averaging this with the cost/brick score gives the A-Frame Cabin an overall value rating of 82%. It’s a fairly average value based on comparisons to all the other LEGO® sets I’ve reviewed.

---

---

Build Score Breakdown:

The A-Frame Cabin includes 20 parts bags numbered 1-15. So, you get some duplicate numbers on bags, plus one of the bags is unnumbered. Additionally, two instruction manuals come in a cardboard envelope, and there are no stickers. Of the 2082 bricks you get, the vast majority are fairly common elements. However, you acquire some rarer parts in earth green, medium nougat, and dark red. Additionally, the set includes an otter and red song bird that both presently appear fewer than 10 sets. The selection of printed tiles also offers rarer pieces like a typewriter, acorns, the word “LEGO”, and a record.

I appreciated the compact, straightforward nature of this set. I don’t always like to build in my LEGO® room. Sometimes, I want to sit on the couch in front of the TV and build on a tray. Many larger sets don’t really allow that. But the A-Frame did. The base is nice and square. You add three little scenic side-builds to it, but all of them remain stud compatible. What I mean is you don’t build on any off angles, like in Rivendell, for example. The angular builds look nice on their own, and present neat build techniques. However, I find they are not easy to integrate with other sets. Therefore, not only does the A-Frame build process remain relatively compact, you can also easily adapt it onto a baseplate or into a MILS setup. I don’t dislike angular builds at all, but something simpler was certainly refreshing here.

The A-Frame Cabin (21338) offers a refreshingly straightforward base, but still looks great.

Despite being more straightforward, the base still offers great NPU (nice parts usage). You build the front stonework under the porch using 18 hammer elements (typically seen as Mjollnir in Thor sets). The technique involves slotting the handles into 1×1 bricks with knobs. Subsequently, those attach to 1x4x2 fence elements hidden in the structure. Despite the spacing between hammers, the effect is excellent. The technique is too wide to use as a stonewall fence, but as a foundation it works very well.

There is remarkably little that I do not like about the A-Frame Cabin. If I had to nitpick, I would zero in on three issues. Firstly, the shoutout to the Ideas Tree House. I am beginning to feel like the LEGO® set micro-builds included in sets are getting tacky. It’s one thing to include an Easter Egg in a special anniversary set of some kind. It’s another to start throwing them into every set that comes out. They lose their flare in overabundance. On top of that, the Tree House isn’t even an old set. As I write this, you can still buy it. The nostalgia isn’t there yet.

If I had to nitpick, I found issues with small builds and transportability.

My second minor issue arises from the bed. Overall, the bed is fantastic. I love that it is wide and that the blankets are raised a little off the floor for a touch of realism. However, the narrowness of the pillow area versus the blanket raises my eyebrow. I get that this design makes the blanket look wonderfully fluffy. But the discrepancy is too big for my liking. It means the bed is just a touch too narrow for two Minifigures.

My final minor point of contention is that the A-Frame is hard to pick up. The side builds are not that firmly attached, both sides of the roof merely sit in place with no attachments, and the top floor comes off. All of these are wonderful features for interior accessibility and I would not change them. But getting chunky fingers under the base because you can’t lift it from anywhere else without things falling off is teensy bit annoying. You also have to transport the build in stages since you can’t safely carry all of it at once. The tree sections fall off too easily.

Four bags involve a bit of build repetition if that sort of thing bothers you.

Once again, those three complaints are not really complaints at all. I’m really nitpicking here, and these issues largely come down to personal preference. All the same, I can’t shake the feeling of tackiness with the micro Tree House. In terms of repetitive building, I did not find there to be much. In fact, I wasn’t bothered by any part of the instructions. However, I can see how some people might find bags 10 and 11 (building the roof slabs), as well as bags 14 and 15 (the final two trees) boring. Both sections consist of two identical builds, one involving lots of tiles, and the other lots of leaves. Again, they didn’t bother me, so I won’t take off points for it. I rate the build experience at 97% after taking off 1% for each of the minor issues I found.

---

---

Minifigure Score Breakdown:

The A-Frame cabin only comes with four Minifigures. In set consisting of 2082 bricks, that is about 521 bricks/minifig. That is a little better than the average Ideas set. However, Ideas is notorious for low Minifigure counts compared to other themes. To give you an idea, this set ranks around 85% in my review system when compared to other Ideas sets alone. However, compared to LEGO® sets in general, it earns 15%. This is where I face a bit of a conundrum. The subject matter for this set does not call for many Minifigures. The A-Frame only houses two at best given the size of the lone bed. However, you get two couples. So, one resident couple and one pair of visiting friends.

Despite being too few, the Minifigures are nice and have loads of accessories.

With that said, LEGO® could have improved character count with more animals. You get an otter, a squirrel, two butterflies, a frog, and a spider. But these are all small critters. I count them more are accessories than playable characters. Including an animal with moving parts, like a bear, mountain lion, or deer would have fit the story told by this set very well. A large carnivore would also suit the scared face of one of the minifigs a little better. Based on my usual rating system, the A-Frame fails in terms of character count. But, given that this is a couple’s retreat, I also don’t think the failure is completely justified. The set needs another big animal or something though. I rate the Minifigure count at 60%.

The Minifigures you do get are nicely and appropriately designed. On top of that, some of the elements included are presently on the rarer side. Two torsos and two hairpieces feature in fewer than 10 sets at publication. None of the Minifigures have stumpy, unmoving legs either, which is always a huge bonus for me. These characters all have double-sided faces, as well as front and back torso printing. Finally, two have dual-toned legs. The A-Frame also comes with loads of accessories to enhance your Minifigure stories. In terms of Minifigure design, this set earns 100%. Sadly, averaging this with the minifig count score really pulls the overall grade down. This set needs more characters. Overall, these Minifigures earn 80%.

Minifigure accessories included with the A-Frame Cabin (21338):

---

---

Entertainment Score Breakdown:

The A-Frame Cabin is wonderful. I enjoyed the build process, and I had a blast photographing Minifigures around the cabin. Additionally, I have more ideas on how to use it as scenery in upcoming non-review articles as well. I love sets that inspire me to take photos or produce other builds or art. My mind was swimming in ideas with this one.

Perhaps what I like the most about it is its adaptability for displays. It’s a beautiful cottage with some nice scenery that you can display on your shelf. However, as I mention in the build section, the straightforward construction of the base means the set is super easy to drop into your various LEGO® scenes and town builds. With that said, it might look out of place next to the modular collection. The scale is not quite the same. Regardless, the A-Frame Cabin was a purely enjoyable experience for me. It earns an easy 100% in this category.

---

The A-Frame Cabin has earned a display place on my shelf. There are a lot more photography sessions to come with this set. Have you built at the A-Frame Cabin? Is it on your wish list or in your pile of shame? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or reach out social media.

Until next time,

-Tom

Want to support True North Bricks?

If you like the content at True North Bricks, please follow on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, or TikTok for regular content. Additionally, you can support True North Bricks by making your LEGO® (and other) purchases using the links in the margin to your right. As an affiliate of those retailers, we earn from qualifying purchases. These earnings come at no extra cost to you but help to keep the content at True North Bricks free.