Comparing LEGO Architecture Trevi Fountain to its real-life inspiration
LEGO Architecture sets are based on real-world wonders, so how does 21062 Trevi Fountain shape up when compared to its Italian inspiration?
The newly-revealed 21062 Trevi Fountain is the next LEGO Architecture to join the slowly growing theme. It’s based on the real-life Trevi Fountain in Rome, which dates back to the 18th Century and draws in thousands of visitors every day to throw coins into the water for luck in love.
Aside from obviously being far smaller than the real fountain, how well does 21062 Trevi Fountain capture one of Rome’s most famous landmarks? Let’s take a closer look.
Minifigures stepping up to the job
Side by side, the brick-built fountain captures every detail of the real one, from the three tiers of water flowing into the main pool to the faux windows on the main facade. Minifigures and even horse head element – last seen in 2022 as an accessory to the Knight of the Yellow Castle from LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71043 Series 23 – have been used to recreate the statues.
Only torsos have been used for some sculptures that rear out of the water, as well as three full minifigures for the central three statues. Smaller sculptures around the top are recreated using microfigures, although that scale is slightly off. Nonetheless, it’s a clever to way to LEGO-fy the build, capturing the essence of the fountain’s details in an appropriate brick-built fashion.
It’s all about the fountain
Indeed, 21062 Trevi Fountain is certainly an interpretation of the real fountain, made to suit the demands of a LEGO set. For example, the focus is largely on the stonework of the fountain, rather than the water. The pool is much larger in real life but it means that you’re not wasting valuable – and expensive – bricks on repetitive blue tiles. There’s enough water that you know 21062 Trevi Fountain is a water feature, without it feeling samey.
In other areas, the real-life features have been captured perfectly. The rough and asymmetrical form of the rocks in the water have been cleverly achieved with layers of different coloured slopes, representing the natural rockiness, even with smooth LEGO bricks.
Pink bricks add some depth
Another creative liberty that the LEGO Group has taken (but with good reason) is including layers of pink bricks behind the statues and windows. While the colour differences are not as stark on the real Roman fountain, the use of a varied colour palette adds greater depth to the build overall, emphasising the alcoves that the minifigure statues are nestled in. It may not be true to life but it certainly improves the look of the LEGO set as a whole.
At 1,880 pieces, LEGO Architecture 21062 Trevi Fountain will be available to buy from March 1 for £139.99 / $159.99 / €159.99.
Featured image: Wilfredo Rafael Rodriguez Hernandez on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC0 1.0
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