Lego Pokémon Eevee review - an adorable little display build

Verdict

At a great price, the Eevee model from the new Lego Pokémon line is the perfect, adorable little addition to any display, with all of the bricks coming together in a brilliantly cohesive way. While some parts of the build can get a little repetitive, and the joints don’t move as much as I’d comfortably like them to, the price is very fair, soit’s well worth buying.

Pros

• Absolutely adorable
• Great price
• Eevee looks not-so-Legoy once finished

Cons

• Some parts of the build are repetitive
• The joints aren’t as movable as I hoped

When it comes to Pokémon, I'm all in. Cards, games, merch, and well - now I have to shell out more of my hard-earned cash on Lego Pokémon sets. I've been given the chance to build and display the adorable Lego Pokémon Eevee set, a 587-piece set that gives the famous cutie a great spot on your shelves, and if this model is anything to go by, we're in for a treat with this line of products.

Eevee is the cheapest and probably the first Lego Pokémon set you'd likely build. Although Pikachu and the colossal Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise sets also release on the same day, at $59.99 / £54.99 at the Lego Store, Eevee is easily the most accessible. But it's not a simple, cheap model, by any means, with the final product making for a gorgeous kick-off to the 30th Anniversary of the franchise.

Specs

Ease of Assembly

For a decently-sized model, Lego Pokémon's Eevee model is a fairly simple set to build. With six bags full of bricks and pieces to put together, and a thoroughly detailed instruction manual to follow, Eevee is composed of six different sections that all slot together for the finished model, making it easy to build even for those with little Lego experience. Even though it's recommended for 18 years or older, I reckon anyone from the ages of 10 and above will be fine. However, you may want to watch out for younger kids in the home, as there are many small pieces.

The bricks snap together easily, and there were only a couple of times where I made mistakes, probably out of fatigue (it was a late night Lego sesh) rather than any lack of clarity in the instructions. I also enjoyed the fact that, for a small set, there was a fair amount of printed parts, making the finished Eevee look true to life, without the frustration of faffing about with stickers.

Overall, it took me around two hours to build (even with my fatigue slowing me down). I imagine more experienced Lego builders will take around 90 minutes, while those working with their kids or younger siblings may be at it a little while longer.

Considering how great the final product looks, it's not too long a build, and I felt that two hours over two evenings was a great timeline to complete it. There's even an adorable little easter egg that celebrates Eevee's various Eeveelutions, tucked away right inside it, which made it even more interesting.

While the build itself is fairly easy, it can get quite tedious. Both pairs of legs follow the same pattern, and the body is a variety of similar patterns, making the actual assembly part less interesting than I'd hopep it would be. As a 587-piece set, repetition can sour the entire building experience, and while I'm not entirely sure how else it could be done for a rather symmetrical model, redoing similar steps is simply not as fun as having a wholly unique assembly.

Build quality

With printed bricks as the final touches, and after hours of hard work, the Lego Eevee is absolutely stunning. It's much sturdier than I initially expected, and the parts overlap and wrap the entire build so that it looks smooth and seamless, with just a few studs standing out. The model, when finished, looks less like a Lego build and more like a standard Eevee toy, but with hours poured into crafting it to look perfect.

When it comes to the design, size, and overall look of the Lego Eevee, it's absolutely amazing - and I was glad my wife let me store it in a precious place alongside family pictures. It doesn't take up loads of room, and it's such an incredible little display piece that fits wherever you can pop it, though I am slightly sad that it can't be used for play. For the kids, obviously.

1/2

It's not really a play Lego set, and if the 18+ rating wasn't tip-off enough, the model's joints make that clear. While it does allow for posing, the limbs are fairly rigid. They click into select positions, and any further clicking will see each of the parts pop out. However, I do enjoy how far the ears tilt. They give the Eevee a surprising range of expressions, even if the happy little smile remains unchanged.

Considering the price tag of just $59.99, which works out to about 10 cents a brick (the average for modern Lego), the quality is excellent in my eyes. It really highlights how far Lego has come since I was a kid, capturing an incredible likeness to the popular 'mon without giving up on design features or sturdiness. If you're after a high-quality Lego model, Eevee is arguably one of the best on the market right now.

Verdict

Lego Pokémon's Eevee build is the cheapest entry point into this major collaboration, and it leaves a great first impression of what's to come. While the build can get a little tedious at times, the final model is a beautiful representation of one of Pokémon's original creatures, with a great price point and a high build quality to boot. If the rest of the Lego Pokémon line is as good as this, we're in for a treat. However, my bank balance won't be happy.