LEGO 10307 Eiffel Tower has been a long time coming

10307 Eiffel Tower promises to be another popular LEGO Icons set, but it’s arguably one that’s been over a decade in the making. 

The LEGO Group’s long history means that a lot of what it makes isn’t really new. That isn’t a bad thing, of course – innovation is overrated, and more often the question isn’t whether you did something first. It’s whether you did it better than what came before you. 

That said, it’s clear that 10307 Eiffel Tower is one of the better versions of its subject matter. Its closest equivalent (2007’s 10181 Eiffel Tower) is a little smaller and blockier than its 2022 counterpart, measuring 108cm high. But it’s immediately recognisable, and it was the tallest LEGO set until 10308 Eiffel Tower stole its crown. It can even come apart in sections like the 2022 version did, and boasts a much smaller price tag – although it does use around 6,500 fewer pieces, so perhaps that’s to be expected.

What’s especially interesting about this set is that its official description states it was created ‘by popular demand’. That could be marketing fluff, but it could also be a sign that the groundwork for 10307 Eiffel Tower was already being laid at this point. 

As our own reporting has made clear, the Eiffel Tower is a well the LEGO Group has returned to on a few subsequent occasions. However, while there are some lovely models of the Eiffel Tower in LEGO form (like 21044 Paris), nothing had been quite as ambitious as 10181 Eiffel Tower was until now.

If the subject matter is so popular, why exactly has it taken so long for us to get this set? The most obvious answer is that the LEGO Group wanted to do the subject matter justice as its parts library and building knowledge have each expanded. 

10307 Eiffel Tower uses a mix of basic bricks and highly specialised elements (like rollercoaster tracks) to recreate the structure, and building the upper sections required an intuitive understanding of how LEGO works. As such, it’s not surprising this new version has taken over a decade to arrive.

Another reason might be that it’s not clear a market existed for such a model until fairly recently. While LEGO sets have steadily grown in scope over the years, models like 75192 Millennium Falcon and 10294 Titanic have pushed that idea to new heights. Even if a large-scale Eiffel Tower seems like a safe bet for a LEGO model, it’s fair to say that 75192 Millennium Falcon was safer still.

As such, 10307 Eiffel Tower arguably teaches us something important about the LEGO Group’s broader product strategy: if there’s something you want the LEGO Group to make (or refine) you may just need to be patient. With 10307 Eiffel Tower passing the 10,000 piece mark, it seems there aren’t any real limits on the company’s ambition in the near future.

10307 Eiffel Tower is available from LEGO.com on November 25. It’ll cost you £554.99 / $629.99 / €629.99.

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