LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio review

11/05/202413/05/2024Rachael Davies212 Views 0 Comments

LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio pairs a stylish exterior with a technical interior, but how well does it perform as both a LEGO set and a working radio?

We’ve got our hands on LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio ahead of its release and have had the chance to put it through its paces as a LEGO set, (semi-)working radio, and smartphone speaker. That’s a lot for a relatively small 906-piece set to handle, so how well does it step up to the task?

Read on for all the details on 10334 Retro Radio, from the tip of the antennae to the artfully printed panels.

— LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio set details —

Theme:LEGO IconsSet name: 10334 Retro Radio Release date: June 1 (Insiders), June 4 (wide), 2024

Price: £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 Pieces: 906

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio —

LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio will retail for £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 and is available to buy from June 1 for LEGO Insiders ahead of its wider release on June 4. You’ll find it atLEGO.comand inLEGOStores, and potentially through third-party retailers, even if not straight away.

— LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio build —

10334 Retro Radio houses a surprisingly technical build inside its aqua casing but the payoff for the various moving parts and interlocking sections is well worth it. At the end of the build, you’re left with a set that truly doesn’t look like a LEGO set from afar, with the chunky knobs and brown accents making it look eerily like a real-life radio.

The illusion is only deepened by how well it functions as a working radio. The left-hand button turns the radio on and off, meaning you won’t be able to play sound when the radio is ‘off’. When it’s turned on, the right-hand knob comes into play with the ability to ‘tune’ the radio to different stations. The sound brick offers various retro radio sounds, from commercials to cheesy radio DJ jokes. One of the stand-outs is the beach surfer version of Everything Is Awesome, ushering a little bit of LEGO history into the mix.

While the Retro Radio looks convincing and impressive from a distance, it’s the minor details that really move this LEGO Icons set from good to great. Various printed pieces in an old-school font drive home the retro nature of the set and mean that it continues to persuade that it is not in fact a LEGO model but a real radio even when you lean in close.

There are some quibbles to be had with the build. The tuning lines are split across two printed plates that don’t quite align in our version of the set, causing a noticeable (if you look closely) dip in what should otherwise be a straight line. The whole tuning set-up is tucked away behind a transparent pane, making it hard to read in the first place. That’s good if you want to hide the slightly wobbly line but the details are perhaps better served by having a clear view.

It’s not only the sound brick that can offer you some jaunty tunes, either. Echoing LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box, there’s a slot for your smartphone in the back of the brick-built radio, meaning you can turn it into a working speaker for your own music played from your phone. Much like sticking your phone into a Pringles can, the confined space does actually amplify the music slightly when you close up the back.

It’s worth noting that your tunes might come out a little tinny, thanks to being locked in a plastic box, but that almost works in the set’s favour, making your music sound like it’s being played on an old retro radio. It’s all part of the charm of this truly impressive little set.

— LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio price —

10334 Retro Radio will retail for £89.99 in the UK, $99.99 in the US, and €99.99 in Europe – the very same price as the only other set to have the sound brick, LEGO Harry Potter 76429 Talking Sorting Hat. Considering the radio has almost double the pieces, you can really see the impact of the licence on the Wizarding World set – and feel like you’re getting a pretty good deal on 10334 Retro Radio.

— LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio pictures —

— LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio pros and cons —

All in all, LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio is a win for LEGO fans old and new. In the mood for a quick but complex build? It’s got you covered. Want a subtle bit of LEGO decor in your home? It’s the perfect fit. Looking for a quirky way to play music this summer? It can do that too.

It would have been easy to let the practical edge of 10334 Retro Radio quite literally speak for itself but the LEGO Icons team has packaged it up into a neat little design that does the clever inner mechanisms justice. Both inside and out, it’s an undeniably impressive build that is just as much fun to play around with as it is to simply look at.

10334 Retro Radio pros	10334 Retro Radio cons
Unique retro style	Surprisingly tricky interior build
Clever use of sound brick	Some minor aesthetic issues
Smart functionality with a smartphone

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Support the work thatBrick Fanaticsdoes by purchasing your LEGO sets using our affiliate links.

— Alternatives to LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio —

As noted above, the only other recent LEGO set to also integrate a smartphone is LEGO Ideas 21347 Red London Telephone Box, which doesn’t do it quite so neatly or effectively. Nonetheless, it’s another impressively-designed set that also lends itself well to display. If brick-built smartphone stands are your jam, either one will do you nicely – although 10334 Retro Radio has more practical benefits with the tuning function and sound brick.

10315 Tranquil Garden rivals its LEGO Icons counterpart in offering some of the same functionality as its real-life inspiration, with movable slots meaning you can arrange your Japanese-inspired garden as you please. The sets are of a similar size, making them perfect to display in small spaces, like a desk or coffee table. Either one is a solid choice: choose 10315 Tranquil Garden for a nature display and 10334 Retro Radio for a more technical one.

— LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio FAQs —

How long does it take to build LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio?

LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio will take you less than an hour to build, with some technical parts to tackle for the inner mechanisms.

How many pieces are in LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio?

LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio is made up of 906 pieces, including the nifty sound brick.

How big is LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio?

10334 Retro Radio stands 32cm tall, 23cm wide, and just 7cm deep – although still deep enough to hold a smartphone.

How much does LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio cost?

LEGO Icons 10334 Retro Radio will retail for £89.99 in the UK, $99.99 in the US, and €99.99 in Europe

Author Profile

Rachael Davies

I write about all the very best fandoms – and that means LEGO, of course. Spending so much time looking at and talking about LEGO sets is dangerous for my bank balance, but the LEGO shelves are thriving. You win some, you lose some.