LEGO 40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books gift-with-purchase review

LEGO 40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books is one of the best gifts-with-purchase of 2024 and a unique entry into the ongoing tribute series.

40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books is the seventh entry in a growing line of tribute gifts-with-purchase. and is sure to impress with its high-quality build. It's also proof-positive that this extensive range of sets still has potential, while building on a familiar template with an equally-familiar minifigure.

Update: LEGO 40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books is now available on all LEGO orders above £135 / $150 / €150 from June 21 to 23 for LEGO Insiders and for everyone else from June 24 to 30, or while stocks last.

The model depicts a partially open book with three vehicles crossing a body of water and a Jules Verne minifigure on the edge of a page. It's a simple but dynamic display piece that doesn't take up much room while still drawing the eye.

The LEGO Group has confirmed that the balloon represents Five Weeks in a Balloon from 1863, the train is for Around the World in 80 Days from 1872 and the Nautilus submarine is for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas from 1870. It's a strong selection of stories to include in the tribute set and it's fun to see the Nautilus getting any LEGO representation at all.

The brick-built book has a space either side for the Jules Verne minifigure, which has a similar appearance to Galileo Galilei in 40595 Tribute to Galileo Galilei and Gustave Eiffel in 40579 Eiffel's Apartment. These similarities make the minifigures a bit too familiar for collectors of the tribute sets, though it's a suitable depiction of Jules Verne nevertheless. These guys did all have similar features in real life.

The model itself depicts a book with stories bursting out. It's highly reminiscent of 40291 Creative Personalities but the execution is much more successful here. By opting for the book to be partially open, the model is considerably more dynamic and has a small cloudy backdrop that adds to the diorama.

There's no doubt that 40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books is one of the most appealing and successful historical tribute LEGO sets yet and only further demonstrates the versatile potential of this range, which now consists of seven sets. Taking in almost all of them together, Jules Verne is similar compared to other tribute minifigures, but the impressive build more than makes up for it.

Our only major gripe with the model is that the Nautilus is half-submerged. While that's appropriate for the submarine, the intricate design of the vehicle – as frequently depicted in pop culture – could have been an incredible set on its own, as proposed on LEGO Ideas previously. That said, it's obvious why the LEGO designers would want to celebrate three of Jules Verne's inspirational stories instead of just one, and the Nautilus being included in any form is still appreciated.

As it stands, 40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books is possibly the best gift-with-purchase of 2024 so far, and certainly one of the most appealing entries in the tribute collection. That's despite the obvious similarities in the book-based build and its grey-haired, bearded minifigure. Still, collectors will likely be planning on acquiring it all the same.

You can pick up 40690 Tribute to Jules Verne's Books with qualifying purchases very soon (the LEGO Group has yet to officially confirm details on its availability). Keep an eye on Brick Fanatics for more as we get it.

This set was provided for review purposes by the LEGO Group.

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