Today, guest author Mansur 'Waffles' Soeleman takes a look at two smaller sets from the January 2023 wave of LEGO® Classic sets, 11027 Creative Neon Fun and 11028 Creative Pastel Fun, both of which offer a modest range of basic elements... with some exciting recolours.
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| Elements from 11027 Creative Neon Fun and 11028 Creative Pastel Fun. Skrunkle not included |
With the help of Skrunkle (a.k.a. LEGO® BIONICLE® Tahu from last year’s 11021 90 Years of Play), I will give an overview of 11027 & 11028's noteworthy bits as well as their main builds, and follow that with MOCs I made with my good friends Tim Goddard and Alec Hole.
Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® Classic 11027 Creative Neon Fun
US$19.99/ £17.99/ 19.99€/ AU$29.99
333 parts
1 January 2023
Buying from LEGO.com? Please consider using our affiliate links, we may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.
LEGO® Classic 11028 Creative Pastel Fun
US$19.99/ £17.99/ 19.99€/ AU$29.99
333 parts
1 January 2023
Affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.
The LEGO Classic theme does not offer much in terms of new parts, and the parts selection can usually be described as “basic.” However, as the names of both sets suggest, they offer noteworthy colours, which has definitely opened the door to some fun building opportunities.
Parts in 11027 Creative Neon Fun
This set’s elements primarily come in six colours: Black, Bright Yellowish Green/ Lime, Flame Yellowish Orange/ Bright Light Orange, Medium Azure, Vibrant Coral/ Coral and Vibrant Yellow/ Neon Yellow. There are additional bits in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray and White.
The parts in the above image are noteworthy ones you may wish to add to your collection, including the the many that are exclusive to this set:
- 2x Brick 1 x 2 with Black Curved Line / Smile print in Bright Light Orange (6432102 | 102699)
- 2x Tile Round 2 x 2 with Black Grill, Bright Light Yellow/ Coral/ Dark Purple Slits print in Coral (6432101 | 102698)
- 4x Slope 30° 1 x 1 x 2/3 (Cheese Slope) in Neon Yellow (6427900 | 54200)
- 4x Brick 2 x 4 in Neon Yellow (6427901 | 3001)
- 4x Brick Special 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side in Neon Yellow (6427902 | 87087)
- 8x Brick 2 x 2 in Neon Yellow (6427903 | 3003)
- 4x Brick 1 x 1 in Neon Yellow (6427904 | 3005)
- 2x Brick 1 x 2 with Black Curved Line / Smile print in Neon Yellow (6432103 | 102700)
Definitely a Neon Yellow starter pack!
Parts in 11028 Creative Pastel Fun
Here, the primary six colours used are: Aqua/ Light Aqua, Bright Yellow/ Yellow, Lavender, Light Purple/ Bright Pink, Medium Nougat and White, with additional bits in Reddish Brown.
Again, the image shows just the noteworthy parts. The parts exclusive to this set are far fewer:
- 2x Brick 1 x 2 with Black Curved Line / Smile print in Bright Pink (6431714 | 102575)
- 4x Slope Inverted 75° 2 x 1 x 3 in Medium Nougat (6426722 | 2449)
The completed sets
11027 Creative Neon Fun and 11028 Creative Pastel Fun are fun sets with amazing colours, for a great price. They may be simple, and intended for younger builders (5+ age mark), but even as LEGO goes, this is definitely a case of “less is more.”
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| The suggested models of set 11027 Creative Neon Fun |
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| The suggested models of set 11028 Creative Pastel Fun |
While the completed builds are simple, they are both adorable and fun, and act as a perfect starting point for younger builders, or those who want to go for basic models.
Original ideas using sets 11027 and 11028
The real fun came when I invited my friends Tim Goddard and Alec Hole to have a play day with a few copies of each set. We poured out all the parts on the floor and built small, fun models - just as LEGO Classic intended!
First off, Alec Hole modified the retro car from 11027 to fit both the highlighter and the pineapple models from the set. I’m not sure where the two are headed, but wherever they’re going, they’re going in style.
By using parts from multiple copies of the set, he built additional wheels and a spoiler, as well as using the printed 2x2 tiles for rear lights.
Alec also built a stegosaurus and a tree inhabited by a bird, this time combining pieces from 11027 and 11028. The medium nougat pieces were useful for the tree, as were the light aqua curved slopes for the spikes of the stegosaurus.
What happens when you put three LEGO Space builders in one room? Well, it was only a matter of time before these funky, multi-eyed aliens started to invade… built by Alec and Tim.
Staying with the space theme, Tim also built two spaceships, one of them bearing a slight resemblance to the Rocinante from the Prime Video series The Expanse.
Aside from spaceships Tim is proficient at creating LEGO animals. A bee, a bird, a snail and a sad cat made appearances in his contribution, acting as an homage to the cute and expressive builds included within the set's instructions.
It wouldn’t be a build session with myself if there wasn’t at least one LEGO BIONICLE reference made. So Tim built a coral mega-Skrunkle, because why not?
In response to this, I attempted to build a normally coloured one, but wearing the roller skates from set 11027 (because the island of Mata Nui is better explored on wheels than by foot). We may not be getting any reboots soon, but these LEGO Classic sets definitely helped to fill the gap, if only for an afternoon.
Aside from my oversized Skrunkle, I built two small builds from a popular space franchise. These are perhaps the only Star Wars MOCs I have ever built which haven't left my grey parts drawer completely desolate.
I did take the liberty of using a few bits for the Z-95 Headhunter that are not included in these sets, whereas I managed to use mostly the pastel colours for the AT-AT… which upon first glance looks more like a lamb.
Conclusion
The LEGO Classic theme offers a welcome break for AFOLs from all the action-oriented playsets, IP merchandise, and 18+ display models that dominate the LEGO assortment nowadays. “Back in my day, Legos were just blocks” is a common sentiment shared by many, but LEGO Classic sets must not be overlooked.
They showcase that, at its core, LEGO play can still be just blocks. It is nice to leave the fancy new moulds and complex building techniques behind, and instead just pour bricks out on the floor and be a child. The simplicity of these two sets was refreshing and welcome, for me as well as Tim and Alec.
From a New Elementary perspective, 11027 Creative Neon Fun is the far more attractive of the two, especially if you're looking to bulk up your stash of Neon Yellow. If you do intend to purchase some LEGO Classic sets from LEGO.com, please do consider using our affiliate links, as we may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.
Finally, a slight tangent: the LEGO Classic range is great at delivering simple, cute, cartoony characters – from the monkeys of 11031 Creative Monkey Fun to a rare Majisto appearance in the 11033 Creative Fantasy Universe. As a lifelong LEGO BIONICLE fan, I must say though: the best Bionicle build we’ve ever received was Tahu in last year’s 11021 90 Years of Play. His simplicity makes him endearing, he is very goofy, and I love him. But that’s just my opinion, please don’t call the Vahki on me.
READ MORE: Tom Loftus reviews the build of 75355 X-Wing Starfighter™
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I love the concept of these sets. Basic brick sets like the "classic" line are nothing new, but often I'm used to them having a lot of the standard sorts of colors. So these two sets focused on harmonious color "families" are a neat change of pace!
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