It’s finally out in the open. The LEGO “Queer Eye” set is confirmed as a Creator Expert masterpiece. Queer Eye – Fab 5 Loft (10291) is a wonderful brick-built encapsulation of what makes the Netflix show awesome. The loft set showcases the workspaces and specialties of the Fab 5 makeover team. They’re faithfully replicated in minifigure form, alongside season 2 premiere nominee Kathi Dooley in pre- and post-makeover versions. The Fab 5 themselves have hailed the set on social media (given that their production collaborated with LEGO). Everything should be peachy ahead of 10291’s October release.
And yet Brick Fanatics, following their feature of LEGO Queer Eye – Fab 5 Loft (10291), are sounding an alert. They’re calling attention to a presentation dissonance. One feature the set capitalizes on is the minifig clothes-changing mechanic, where they simply swap differently-designed torsos. Set 10291 has several alternate “clothes” for the Five and guests. But in the box and promo images the clothes/torsos are visibly missing their minifig hands. According to illustrations of the Building Instruction, the hands remain attached. So, just pull out the hands and pop them back in when the torso is “worn,” right? That’s what a casual/rookie LEGO builder might probably think, but no.
Potential Problem
LEGO minifigs can be quite sturdy in their complete form. But disassembled, their individual components are little plastic pieces that can be easily damaged. Their building instructions tend to warn builders not to remove the hands of minifigures. The repeated friction of removal-insertion could wear out the pegs until they don’t fit snugly anymore. There’s a chance that those availing of the Fab 5 Loft (10291) are “Queer Eye” fans first. They might not realize that constantly removing/inserting hands from/into the alternate clothes/torsos could make for serious wear and tear. Experienced LEGO builders would know better, but they might not.
Which image will a builder follow: The picture on the box or the printed illustration in the instructions? LEGO Queer Eye – Fab 5 Loft (10291) comes out October 1.
So true! You really want to avoid repeated removal/insertion cycles with those fists as (surprisingly enough) it actually really wears out the torso, and that’s the only torso you’ll get. A few ins and a few outs, and your torso will never be the same. What was lego thinking? If your friends are queer eye fans, make sure to let em know not to swap their fists back and forth like pokemon cards, because it could cause a lot of problems!