Time is running out if you’re hoping to hunt down 21350 Jaws before it retires this month, with the LEGO Ideas set already gone for good in some regions.
One of the great aspects of being able to write about LEGO as a profession is the genuine sense of surprise that a set reveal can often elicit. That was certainly the case back in 2024 when the LEGO Ideas team announced 21350 Jaws, a 1,503-piece diorama model based on Jonny Campbell’s (aka Diving Faces) winning 10K submission, which in turn drew its inspiration from Steven Spielberg’s classic 1975 summer blockbuster.
While the LEGO Ideas build has been lurking around for two years now, 21350 Jaws will be heading off into the depths of retirement next week (as Brick Search members will already be aware) and vanish forever. In fact, the set is currently out of stock in the US and sold out in Europe at the time of this this writing, but can still be picked up in the UK for now, priced at £129.99.
A LEGO build with bite
That such an 18+ set exists at all is a testament to the LEGO Group’s continuing adaptations of Spielberg’s most iconic and popular work, as evidenced in models based on the likes of Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park, as well as the recently-released 21370 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.
However, 21350 Jaws offers up something distinctly different and decidedly unique, with a movie model that manages to deliver multiple display options and is essentially a 2-in-1 set comprised of the massive monster shark itself and a brick-built version of the Orca.
The former can be placed on its own display stand, complete with separate name plaque, or with its tail removed and the front half of the beast attached to 21350 Jaws’ black seawater display base, creating the illusion of the creature leaping out of the ocean to attack the ship.
In some ways, the LEGO Ideas set follows in the dino-sized footprints of yet another Spielberg build, 76956 T. rex Breakout, with the LEGO Jurassic Park model undoubtedly making for a fine companion display piece, if you managed to secure a copy before it retired.
The shark is still working
The shark itself is a perfect recreation of Spielberg’s toothy antagonist, recreated using a mixture of grey and white LEGO elements, and even has some small degree of poseability thanks to its moveable side fins and a huge opening mouth.
To achieve the look of ‘Bruce’ (nicknamed after Spielberg’s lawyer) emerging from the depths, the LEGO Ideas design team added a combination of white and blue pieces to replicate the foam and crashing waves of the aquatic assault, which works incredibly well.
The sturdy black display base used for 21350 Jaws has room for the half-a-shark to be attached at one end and the Orca to be placed on the other, although the vessel does sit slightly oddly, with the boat precariously balanced and hanging over the edge, with no way to clip the ship securely into place for complete stability.
The LEGO Ideas set also receives a printed tile to add to the front of the model’s finished display base, which features Chief Brody’s oft-quoted line, ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat,’ and represents a satisfying finishing touch.
Shipshape set
However, any minor niggles regarding the Orca are easily overlooked when admiring the completed version of Quint’s seaworthy craft. The ship measures over 35cm high, 59cm long and 20cm wide and represents a near-perfect recreation of the movie vessel, right down to its black, deep red, tan, white and brown colour scheme.
This part of the LEGO Ideas set is packed with plenty of detail and boasts a removable roof for easy access to the ship’s cabin interior, an adjustable boom and rigging, five yellow barrels, Quint’s fishing chair, pieces of a shark cage, spears, harpoons, Easter eggs galore and so much more for film fans to appreciate.
The only real downside comes when constructing the main body of the ship, with the bow assembled upside down and then attached to the rest of the hull, a process that can often result in pressing down slightly too hard on those sections and causing the whole thing to completely collapse.
I found I had to rebuild the Orca’s hull three times when preparing 21350 Jaws for review, a process that could surely have been avoided if some much sturdier building methods had been used by the LEGO Ideas design team.
Hunting party
Fortunately, more highlights come in the form of 21350 Jaws’ minifigure crew, which includes spot-on versions of Roy Scheider’s Chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss’s Matt Hooper and Robert Shaw’s shark hunter, Sam Quint.
Each minifigure boasts a stunning likeness of their cinematic characters, with double-sided head prints for Brody and Hooper, new torsos with front and back printing all round, dual-moulded arms for the Amity Island police chief, and even a recoloured LEGO DREAMZzz element for Hooper’s hat and hair.
What’s more, the LEGO Ideas minifigures also come with some excellent accessories with which to flesh out the scene. Those include a harpoon gun, knife, binoculars, pistol, camera and more, although a full shark cage mini build would have been appreciated too.
Brick-built blockbuster
Priced at £129.99 / $149.99 / €149.99, the cost of obtaining 21350 Jaws is comparable to that of another brick-built Steven Spielberg blockbuster that's also long-since retired, 77015 Temple of the Golden Idol, both of which are incredibly eye-catching when displayed next to each other.
Every one of the LEGO Ideas set’s 1,497 pieces are all put to good use in order to faithfully recreate one of the most iconic movie scenes of all time, but don’t be fooled by the official listing for the model on LEGO.com, which states that 21350 Jaws apparently comes with 1,503 elements instead.
For its reasonable price of entry, the LEGO Ideas model makes for a must-have purchase indeed, one that won’t leave you feeling like you’re out of pocket or wondering where all of 21350 Jaws’ pieces have gone when admiring the finished build.
Great white winner
21350 Jaws was easily one of the highlights of 2024, with the LEGO Ideas set proving to not only be a smash hit with Brick Fanatics, but also many film fans around the world. That the model has remained in stock in most regions up to this point merely confirms the set’s popularity and longevity, surviving to this day where other builds have lasted a lot less.
Those who do decide to finally take the plunge and pick up the licensed LEGO Ideas release will be rewarded with a very satisfying movie recreation indeed, one that does its original celluloid subject matter proud and delivers multiple display options to boot.
From the look of the brick-built apex predator itself and the iconic Orca to an excellent minifigure selection and a very acceptable price point, 21350 Jaws truly does retain its crown as the catch of the day.
You can find all you need to know about 21350 Jaws in our original review of the LEGO Ideas set right here. In addition, you can always head over to our dedicated retiring page to check out the full list of LEGO sets that are due to vanish for good at the end of this month and beyond.
Brick Search members can get retiring set information all-year-round – and earn Insiders points and LEGO.com cashback by shopping via the app. Download Brick Search for Android or iOS and create an account to get started.
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