LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon review

LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon builds on the colour scheme of one of the best minifigures from the theme to great effect.

For a very reasonable price, 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon offers colourful characters that match nicely with the brick-built narwhal that makes up the main build. Like all LEGO DREAMZzz sets, it has two versions but, unusually, there’s no clear winner for which version is better.

Read on for our in-depth review of 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon – and its pod-racing double version.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon set details —

Theme: DREAMZzz Set name: 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon Release: January 1, 2024

Price: £12.99 / $15.99 / €14.99 Pieces: 156 Minifigures: 1

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon —

LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon launches on January 1 at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores, available to buy for £12.99 in the UK, $15.99 in the US, and €14.99 in Europe. It’s likely to also be sold through third-party retailers like the previous wave of LEGO DREAMZzz sets.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon build —

The hot-air balloon version of 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon is the primary build of the set so we’ll start with it first. The fairly simple basket part is made colourful with gold details and pink and yellow balloons, making the perfect nest for Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny to ride in. Admittedly, it’s pretty hard to get the minifigure in there but, once she’s in, it’s also hard for her to fall out, meaning you can swoop the hot-air balloon around without fear of Izzie toppling out.

The narwhal is surprisingly posable, with a mouth that opens wide to some truly horrifying proportions, as well as a tail and flippers that are fully posable.

Looking at the second version of 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon, the LEGO Group might describe it as an ‘agile chariot boat’ but all we can see is a podracer straight out of Star Wars. It’s not quite as flexible of a design as the first iteration, with the way that the poles attach meaning you can’t pose the tail in quite as many ways.

However, it’s easier to get Izzie to sit in the basket, lending it more to play scenarios where you might want your intrepid hero to jump in and out of the basket.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon minifigures —

Speaking of our hero, there’s only one minifigure included in 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon but it’s one of our favourites from the theme. After all, when you can match your hefty shoulder pads and armour to your hair, what more do you need? To cap it all off, Izzie does also come with a vibrant sword, printed full-body armour, and a tiny version of Bunchu the Bunny.

He’s so tiny, in fact, that he can be carried away by the evil Grimspawn – kind of. That’s clearly what’s meant to happen judging from the box pictures and instructions, but the Grimspawn is so small that if he attaches his nifty tool to Bunchu, they will both just stand next to each other. The bunny is not very stable when connected to the Grimspawn’s instrument, but that might be because it’s made from a purple carrot and a spanner. It’s creative part usage, but not the sturdiest of weapons.

Coming to the Grimspawn himself, he is also so small that he’s tricky to balance. Luckily, the LEGO designers have included a nifty solution via its wings. You can point them forwards or backwards to help balance the little figure, despite him being weighed down by his 1×2 stud backpack.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon price —

It’s hard to argue with a price tag as low as 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon‘s but it could honestly still be a good deal if it cost £5 more. Both versions are equally as impressive as the other so, more so than in other LEGO DREAMZzz sets, you truly get two equally fun builds in one for £12.99 / $15.99 / €14.99.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon pictures —

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon pros and cons —

Both versions are equally as impressive in 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon, where often the secondary builds for LEGO DREAMZzz sets are not quite as strong as the first. The only real issue this poses is that you’ll have to pick between the two of them – but the set is so affordable, you could easily buy two versions to use both of them at once.

71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon pros	71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon cons
Doubles as a pod-racer	Unstable accessories
Equally impressive in both versions
Awesome value for money

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon —

Comparing 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon to the first set featuring the duo, 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny, is a fair task, featuring many of the same characters and a buildable creature. When it comes to detail, 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon certainly has the advantage, with more decorative detail on the narwhal and more flexibility in the fact that both of its build options are equally worth playing with. If you’re looking for a set featuring Izzie, we’d certainly wait for 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon to come out in January.

Elsewhere in the LEGO DREAMZzz theme, 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot has a similar price point and highlights just how detailed 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon is. While the former is a fairly basic mech, 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon contains a lot more detail and play features, giving it the edge over the earlier LEGO DREAMZzz set.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71472 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon FAQs —