A small splash for a Great Wave
By Lukas Mack
You’ve seen this picture a hundred times over. You may not have known too much about the artist or the details but you’ve definitely seen this picture. Despite the widespread reproduction of this artwork, Lego’s iteration of Hokusai’s The Great Wave (31208) seems to have flown a little under the radar earlier this year. At 1810 pieces, that’s a substantial kit with an equally substantial RRP of $169.99. I revisit this bricky masterpiece and answer whether we’ve all been sleeping on this set or maybe it deserved its quiet February release?
Firstly, some of those details. Hokusai was a prolific Japanese artist who made this woodblock print in the 1830s as a part of a larger series; Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. Its striking use of blue (a traditionally expensive colour) and moving composition would not only prove popular in Japan but go on to influence European artists of the time. Enough artsy stuff – it looks pretty is enough for me! What you get is a large framed artwork for your wall weighing in at about 1.67kg and measuring 39 x 52 x 2.5cm.
As a Lego Art set, The Great Wave really goes beyond any of the mosaics that have come before. In terms of build detail and subject matter, it sits somewhere between the simpler Floral Art set 31207 priced at $119.99 and the exquisite Ideas Vincent van Gogh – The Starry Night 21333 at $259.99. It’s that in-between space that I’d suggest you keep front of mind as we continue.
Building this beauty starts with a few hundred or so 1×1 tiles, ‘dots’ if you will, on the now familiar 16 x 16 technic brick pieces. Lego adorably refers to these as ‘canvas plates’. We get four of those six pieces in a new light nougat colour and that helps to add a subtle depth to the image. From about the fourth step, thankfully that monotonous mosaic formula gives way to some real variety. Lego made the deliberate decision to build this set up with layers of plates, tiles and perfectly peculiar bird and plant pieces. In total four layers excluding the base. This layering build style is a direct reference to the woodblock printing process and as I listened to the accompanying audio track I found myself connecting increasingly with the set and original artwork. When it came to completing the central artwork of the set I felt quite accomplished and loved every bit of what I made. It was only then I realized I still had half a box of Lego left.
This set really is a tale of two builds. The frame is next and what a repetitive chore it is! A lot of tan bricks, tiles and technic frames. Too many. No doubt the juice is worth the squeeze in the end as the frame provides space for the colours and textures to really pop but I can’t help feel like this part of the set is truly excessive. That’s a 9-stud (~7cm) border all around. Let me put it into some context, the artwork proper weighs about 715g by my measure with the frame topping out at a whopping 956g. With a lighter frame, this set could’ve been priced well under the $150 mark without doing a disservice to the overall presentation.
Moving past the frame’s over-engineering, what we have here is actually really lovely. The frame and ‘print’ lock securely into place and there are some nice touches like the adorable prints of the fishermen on 1×1 blue round tiles and a couple leaf pieces that breach the confines of the ‘print’. It’s moments like this that leverage the medium of Lego to literally and figuratively, elevate the original print into a third dimension. No repro print can do that!
If you feel like I’m of two minds with this one, you’d be correct. The build is interesting only half of the time and although that frame is nice; it’s absolutely overkill. This set hit shelves on one of the slowest months for Lego and I think that February release may speak to Lego’s own (lack of) confidence for this set, particularly at that relatively high $170 price-point. It’s a set that is ‘more than a mosaic’ but falls short of something incredible akin to the Ideas The Starry Night. And this is where the issue lays– in one of expectations and inadequate promotion. Let me be clear, Hokusai’s The Great Wave (31208) is actually a stunner on the wall and impresses with its scale and detail. Price and marketing aside, this set still surprised me and has become quite the conversation piece for both my Lego and ‘other’ friends. So, were we sleeping on this one? I was.
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Words by Lukas Mack
Photos by Lukas Mack
Editors Note:
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This set was provided free of charge by The LEGO Group. Opinions expressed in the review are those of the reviewer
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