Welcome to Apocalypseburg (70840) is big. Everything about it is big…including it’s photographic potential!The box is big, the instruction book is big (452 pages), the bag county is big (18 sets of bags, 30 in total), the piece count is big (3178), the Minifigure count is big (12), the sticker count is big (55) and its toy photography potential is big too!
The story
The following are excerpts from the instruction book.
“When we left Emmet and his best brick buddies at the end of THE LEGO MOVIE™, he was the sweetest, most optimistic guy you could meet. In THE LEGO MOVIE 2™, however, Emmet’s eternal optimism and master-building skills have been put to the ultimate test – Bricksburg is in ruins, and everyone is just trying to survive in the ensuing chaos. The future of play itself is at stake.”
“Apocalypseburg is Emmet’s new, haphazard-looking hometown.”
“It has all the post-apocalyptic mayhem, action and humour to let you recreate some of your favourite movie scenes, plus a few extra locations.”
“THE LEGO MOVIE 2™ kicks off exactly where the first movie ends, with ‘DUPLO® Invasion’ when the little sister comes down to the basement to play with her brother Finn, with their dad’s giant LEGO display. The movie then skips forward a few years and we find ourselves in the aftermath of the DUPLO attack, in the makeshift citadel of ‘Apocalypseburg’, which has been crudely constructed from the debris of Bricksburg.”
The vista
You might have heard some knucklehead say that Apocalypseburg is big? And yes, that size looms large when photographing it. But with big builds comes big challenges, especially when transporting. I never thought I’d struggle with a LEGO set bigger than Voltron. Luckily the Welcome to Apocalypseburg big instruction book even gives instructions how to move and transport this behemoth (Don’t pick it up my Lady Liberty’s arm!).
Welcome to Apocalypseburg!
Luckily, I only had to move the set out into our paddock to photograph it. But that was stressful enough!
The details
Oh, where to begin? Welcome to Apocalypseburg! is jam-packed with details. Everywhere you look there’s amazing scenes and settings just waiting to be captured.
Hoops!
The haphazard-looking nature of the build adds to the photogenic nature. There are hidden gems scattered throughout Apocalypseburg. From the VW camper wreck…
Combie ruins/surf’s up!
…to the metallic gargoyles that sit atop buildings…
Gargoyles of the Apocalypse
…to barbed-wire, warning signs and tattered curtains…
Keep out!
…to makeshift housing constructed of discarded tramcars, Apocalypseburg is a joy to photograph.
Brick Sq
One cool thing about photographing Welcome to Apocalypseburg! is that, like LEGO Modular builds, the upper levels and rooftops can be easily removed to allow more light to enter the rooms.
Coffee Unchained, pumped from a gas pump, with a dash of rat!
The seemingly cobbled together nature of the build adds some truly interesting and inviting angles, angles that add an unusual and refreshing aspect to photographing this LEGO set.
Super Secret Police
And then there are the partially obscured, hidden treats, buried within the build.
Hidden gems
Bat Merch
So, as far as LEGO sets go, Welcome to Apocalypseburg! is not only very big, it’s also very big on photographic potential. Sure, it might be a bit of bugger to transport, but with so much detail waiting to be explored through a lens, why would you transport it?
I thoroughly enjoyed the build, but I’ve enjoyed photographing it even more. Now that’s a big call!
The giveaway
We’re excited to be giving away a number of THE LEGO MOVIE 2™ sets to celebrate the release of Welcome to Apocalypseburg. Thanks to The LEGO Group have a first and second prize pack to giveaway.
First prize consists of Emmet and Lucy’s Escape Buggy! (70829), Unikitty’s Sweetest Friends EVER! (70822) and Benny’s Space Squad (70841).
First Prize!
Second prize consists of “Battle-Ready Batman™ and MetalBeard” (70836), Unikitty’s Sweetest Friends EVER! (70822) and Benny’s Space Squad (70841).
Second Prize!
To be in the running to win these wonderful prize packs, all you have to do is create your most creative ‘post-apocalyptic, dystopian’ LEGO photograph. Share your photos on Instagram or MeWe using the tag #tp_ dystopian. You can enter up to 5 photos, and you can submit them until the end of February. We will pick our favourite photos after then and announce the winner and runner-up shortly after.
Good luck!
The thanks
Huge thanks to The LEGO Group for providing the sets to review and giveaway.
– Brett
Don’t forget our The Toy Photographers 2018 Yearbook is currently available to purchase for a limited time!
If you’re looking for a cool place to hang out with other toy photographers, check out the Toy Photographers MeWe group!
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That VW Camper detail is fantastic! Is there more of it inside or just the shell?
Alas, it’s just the shell. But the shower/bathtub old truck conversion around the corner from the VW Camper is pretty amazing too!
Awesome review Brett! Makes me want to save those pennies to get my own set!
Oh, you’d have a lot of fun with this one mate! Yes, it’s pricey, but it’s a whole bunch of fun to build, and it’s photographic potential is amazing!