LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot review

Get ready to construct a whole multicoloured menagerie of creatures with one of this year’s best LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets, 31136 Exotic Parrot.

The LEGO Creator 3-in-1 theme has been on something of a roll recently, with seven diverse and relatively inexpensive sets released on March 1, plus plenty more exciting models lined up for summer 2023. In this review we’ll be taking a look at one such recent build, 31136 Exotic Parrot, an offering that includes a trio of tropical animals to make, each with their own distinctive look.

One area where the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 theme really shines is with its buildable animal offerings, with three different species included in a set, each offering varying degrees of challenge when being constructed. That’s exactly what you get with 31136 Exotic Parrot, a set that features a colourful blue and yellow macaw, a striking fish and a playful frog that would all feel right at home in a tropical rainforest.

Younger builders will undoubtedly be delighted with the opportunity to make each creature in turn, then take them apart and assemble another. None of the models are particularly tricky to put together, but they’re certainly satisfying enough and definitely look pretty impressive as completed display pieces.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot set details —

Theme: Creator 3-in-1 Set name: 31136 Exotic Parrot Release: March 1, 2023

Price: £19.99 / $24.99 / €24.99 Pieces: 253

LEGO: Available now

— Where to buy LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot —

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot is available to buy from LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and third-party retailers. Be sure to check out all of the latest prices for the set below.

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— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot build —

The best place to start with 31136 Exotic Parrot is by making the brightly-coloured bird itself. It’s promoted as the main build in the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 set, being the largest and using the most pieces. Constructing the parrot is a fairly basic process, whereby a solid green base is gradually built up and forms a small tree and branch for the animal to perch on. Two pink and white orchids are placed on the trunk, along with a smattering of greenery and additional flower pieces.

While some of the elements included in 31136 Exotic Parrot might be a bit fiddly for smaller hands, there are no steps in the process that should cause any real frustrations. Mirroring its real-life counterpart, the parrot primarily consists of varying shades of blue and yellow, complemented by white, green and black pieces on the bird’s face. The avian’s wings are connected to its body via ball and socket joints and repositioned, while the tail can be moved up and down. The model doesn’t offer a tremendous amount of poses though, with the head being fixed in place, but it’s enough to make the parrot look convincing enough as a display piece.

You might then want to leave your completed macaw as it is, unless you’re looking to dive straight into making the next creature in the set, as the completed parrot is a bit of a rickety affair. The problem lies not with the main body of the bird, but the way in which the set’s designers have used various Technic elements to connect the animal to its perch, allowing it to rotate. The whole thing just feels very loose and liable to collapse if touched or moved, which isn’t ideal for younger builders wanting to show off their creation.

Fortunately, the two alternative builds offered by 31136 Exotic Parrot are much more solid pieces. We switched to making the tropical fish next, a model that uses less elements than are required for the macaw and one that may well be our favourite creature in the set. This time around it’s the animal that’s constructed first, with the fish made from various hues of blue, plus a slightly-articulated bright yellow tail and fins making the model really pop.

The fish’s display base may not be as extravagant as the parrot’s stand, but it’s much more solid and also manages to stay together when being moved around. A handful of brightly-coloured pieces and some greenery produce a convincing underwater environment, with the aquatic creature attached to the base via a single ball and socket joint that allows for some basic poseability.

That brings us to the third and final (or second alternative) build in 31136 Exotic Parrot, a brightly-coloured frog. This is the simplest of the models to make, requiring fewer pieces than the macaw and fish, but no display base to place the completed amphibian on. Again, a selection of different shades of blue are used throughout, with the frog having a moveable yellow mouth and similarly-hued underbelly.

The animal’s large eyes really stand out due to a combination of red, yellow and printed elements and the frog’s rear legs can be repositioned thanks to ball and socket joints. Green leaf pieces are smartly reused to create the amphibian’s four webbed feet, although getting the frog to sit flat on a surface requires a bit of trial and error. The only other slight downside to this alternative model is that the creature’s smaller front legs do seem to be a little on the fragile side and we accidentally knocked them off on more than one occasion.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot characters —

There are no minifigures included with 31136 Exotic Parrot, although it could be argued that the characters in the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 set are the three animals themselves. If it is minifigures you’re after in this theme, then we’d suggest picking up the more expensive 31118 Surfer Beach House, 31138 Beach Camper Van or 31139 Cozy House.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot price —

When it comes to value for money, many LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets are hard to beat. Not only does 31136 Exotic Parrot offer a trio of different models to construct, but each one is unique and simple to build. At £19.99 / $24.99 / €24.99, the three builds are well worth the RRP.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot pictures —

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot pros and cons —

When it comes to diversity, affordability and ease of construction, it’s hard to fault 31136 Exotic Parrot. The LEGO Creator 3-in-1 set delivers three quick and easy animal-based models, all of which make for impressive display pieces when completed.

That’s not to say the builds aren’t without some minor niggles – the fragility of the parrot’s perch and its lack of head movement for one and the frog’s fiddly limbs for another – but those are unlikely to deter anyone from putting together this colourful menagerie. The best Creator 3-in-1 sets inspire you to buy three copies, and this might just be one of those models…

31136 Exotic Parrot pros	31136 Exotic Parrot cons
Great price for three animal models	Parrot’s stability can be an issue when moving the model
Each build is easy to assemble	Builds can’t be posed in many positions
Completed models make for colourful display pieces

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot —

There are plenty of alternative LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets available, with each one offering up a trio of models to make. We’d definitely recommend such recently-released builds as 31134 Space Shuttle, 31137 Adorable Dogs, 31138 Beach Camper Van, 31139 Cozy House, 31140 Magical Unicorn and last year’s 31129 Majestic Tiger.

If you like the look of 31136 Exotic Parrot but aren’t feeling the colour scheme, there’s also another version on the way in 31144 Exotic Pink Parrot.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31136 Exotic Parrot FAQs —