LEGO Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection revealed

The 50th LEGO Ideas set bundles together a box of bugs in 21342 The Insect Collection, based on a project submitted to the crowdsourcing platform by Spanish fan José María.

A landmark model for the LEGO Ideas theme, 21342 The Insect Collection marks 50 models brought to life by members of the fan community. It also calls back to a much older LEGO Ideas set in 21301 Birds (#9 in the collection), offering three individual displays of different wildlife creatures. In this case, that’s bugs rather than birds, with a Blue Morpho Butterfly, Hercules Beetle and Chinese Mantis taking centre stage.

If you’ve been following María’s project on its journey from LEGO Ideas submission to store shelves, you’ll know that that’s two fewer insects than the builder originally pitched. But the pair of missing bugs are actually present and correct… sort of. A smaller honeybee hovers next to the butterfly’s branch, while a tiny 1×1 ladybird tile acts as the prey for the Chinese Mantis.

Those aren’t at quite the same size and scale as María’s initial design, but the LEGO Group has clearly decided to prioritise display stands for the three main insects over including all five at a larger size. Building the complete quintet on stands would also have seen the price balloon beyond expectations, but as is, 21342 The Insect Collection will retail for a manageable £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 for 1,111 pieces when it launches on September 4.

“When we saw José María’s brilliant design, we knew it would be an instant hit with our fans!” said Head of LEGO Product Group Federico Begher. “The intricate design is testament to José’s impressive academic background and passion for photography and nature. His excellent designs enabled our team of talented designers to really capture the essence of these remarkable creatures, from the colours to the structure and size. 

“Every detail has been carefully crafted in LEGO bricks, resulting in a one-of-a-kind LEGO collection of three insects from around the world in one set. We are thrilled to share this magnificent build with the world and cannot wait to see the joy it brings to fans.”

Each of the three insects is built on a display stand that reflects its natural habitat: the Blue Morpho Butterfly is perched on a branch from the Amazon rainforest in South America; the male Hercules Beetle sits on a decaying log in Central America; and the Chinese Mantis is atop a thin branch from an Asian forest. Much of the set’s parts go into those habitats and the details surrounding them, including buildable flowers (so this might also sit nicely next to the Botanical Collection).

The LEGO Group has also partnered with Foley artist Sanaa Kelley to create a new ‘Green Noise’ playlist, which reimagines ‘LEGO clicks and sounds’ as the ‘unique sounds of each insect’ included in 21342 The Insect Collection. Each of the three tracks runs up to 45 minutes long, and uses clicks, snaps and flutters of LEGO bricks and packaging to mimic the butterfly, beetle and mantis.

“I’ve had the most enriching time working with the LEGO Group to create the Green Noise playlist,” Kelley said. “Our collaboration has felt like a full-circle moment as a few years ago I embarked on a course to learn more about insects to debunk my fears and enhance my knowledge of the sounds they make!

“Now with the LEGO Group I have finally been able to put my studies into practice and bring to life the sounds of the Blue Morpho Butterfly, Hercules Beetles and Chinese Mantis using their corresponding LEGO bricks and packaging. This was a first at my studio and challenged me to be incredibly creative with my approach to Foley.”

21342 The Insect Collection launches on September 4 for LEGO Insiders and September 7 for everyone else, for £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99.

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