LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box review

LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box is the next fan-made set to make it on to shelves, but is this one worth ringing home for – or have the design team just phoned it in?

Sitting on a compact base and scaled back from the originally huge fan design, 21347 Red London Telephone Box still packs a punch in all its red-brick glory. An icon of most London streets that is now rapidly disappearing in real life, this homage to old-school communication can be set in either the era of the rotary dial phone or in the '90s, the last decade when telephone boxes were a necessity.

Does 21347 Red London Telephone Box hold up as a LEGO Ideas set in 2024, or should it have vanished alongside its actual counterparts on London streets? Read on for our in-depth review.

— LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box set details —

Theme: Ideas Set name: 21347 Red London Telephone Box Release: February 1, 2024

Price: £99.99 / $114.99 / €114.99 Pieces: 1,460 

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box —

LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box is available from February 1, 2024 for £99.99 / $114.99 / €114.99. You'll find it at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores.

— LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box build —

21347 Red London Telephone Box's build is rather repetitive – as you would expect from what's essentially a tall red box. The bulk slowly comes to life in sections of transparent windows and red bricks, resulting in a final model that's more impressive than you might expect at first.

The use of lined plates along the corners makes the telephone box feel more than a simple square, while the use of a light brick in the interior makes it appear genuinely cosy. The LEGO Ideas set doesn't try to do too much in what's already a pared-down version of the original fan design – and in doing so, hits the mark perfectly.

Colours outside of the dominant red are introduced throughout the set via the tiles and flowers dotted throughout, as well as the stickers inside the box itself, brightening up what could otherwise be a rather domineering block of scarlet. While there are admittedly a lot of stickers, you probably won't mind putting them on because they are some genuinely creative references to both LEGO history and the designer himself. It's a nice touch that there's enough plates that you don't need to choose which stickers to use. Simply attach them all and switch them out at your leisure.

The attention to detail in making sure the design of 21347 Red London Telephone Box stays close to the real-life K2 is clear to anyone who has spent any time in London, picking out details like the curved door handle and ridged corners that you might not even have noticed when walking by one in the street. It's firmly set in a brick-built London, thanks to the black wrought-iron railings and lamp post, but a quaint version, judging from the charmingly haphazard cobbled street.

Arguably, the only complaint is the slightly needless inclusion of it also functioning as a smartphone stand. The lamppost and the bollards obscure most of the screen, so you can't really use it for anything where you'd need to be able to see the screen, like watching videos or taking a video call. You could use it for playing music but it really feels like an extra feature that's not really needed. Luckily, not putting your phone on the set doesn't leave it feeling lacking something, so it doesn't impact the experience of the build at all.

— LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box price —

For its size, 21347 Red London Telephone Box is a fairly respectable £99.99 in the UK, $114.99 in the United States, and €114.99 in Europe. It might seem a lot for a relatively simple build at first, but the joy of this set is in the details. The build process, while repetitive, is enjoyable and the final result is something that would work well on any shelf, compact but striking – and well worth the price.

— LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box pictures —

--- 21347 Red London Telephone Box pros and cons —

21347 Red London Telephone Box captures the true spirit of LEGO Ideas: a simple idea from a fan done well. The concept of a telephone box is not a unique one but it has been executed perfectly by the LEGO Ideas team, with enough attention to detail without being fussy. The inclusion of Easter eggs to both fan designer John's personal life and the history of LEGO Ideas is always fun for builders to unpack and makes the full sheet of fiddly stickers worth the hassle.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO Ideas sets using our affiliate links. Thanks!

— Alternatives to LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box —

When looking at similarly-priced display-focused builds, one that instantly jumps out – specifically because it captures another landmark – is LEGO Architecture 21042 Statue of Liberty. It's slightly taller than 21347 Red London Telephone Box at 44cm, but stands alone on its base, without any of the contextual backdrop that the LEGO Ideas set benefits from. Truly, it's likely down to personal preference for which landmark you want to display more, but the nature of the telephone box being smaller means more detail is captured in 21347 Red London Telephone Box, where some needs to be skimmed over for 21042 Statue of Liberty, such as the blank face of the woman herself.

Another option that lends itself perfectly to sit on a desk or shelf is 10315 Tranquil Garden. Contained to a sturdy base like 21347 Red London Telephone Box, the LEGO Icons set captures the same level of detail as the LEGO Ideas one. Both are strong aesthetic choices and 10315 Tranquil Garden likely offers a more varied build.

— LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box FAQs —