As with all art, the LEGO® Art theme is constantly evolving. Last year, 31211 Macaw Parrots was the first set with the label ‘The Fauna Collection’ featuring two flat, stylized parrots not directly based on an artist's work. The second set in the collection is now rearing its roaring head: 31217 Tiger.
Join me on a jungle tour through many new elements to find this majestic creature.
Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.
31217 The Fauna Collection – Tiger
- Release date: 1 June 2025
- Pieces: 744
- US$ 64.99 on LEGO.com US
- CA$ 79.99 on LEGO.com Canada
- GB£ 54.99 on LEGO.com UK
- AU$ 99.99 on LEGO.com Australia
- NZ$ 109.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
- DE€ 59,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
- NL€ 59,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
- FR€ 59,99 on LEGO.com France
- PLN 269.99 on LEGO.com Polska
- NOK 829,90 on LEGO.com Norge
- DKK 529.95 on LEGO.com Danmark
Like the Macaw parrots, the tiger is a flattened model, but that’s where the comparison ends. While the parrots have completely flat layers and minimalist color usage, the tiger is a more truthful representation of the animal, using more colors and curved parts to give a much more 3D effect.
New elements
The set is devoid of any new molds or decorated elements, but we are compensated with 12 recolors.
Naturally, a tiger features orange elements:
- 2x Brick Round Corner 6 x 6 with 33° Slope and Facet Cutout in Orange (6541875 | 95188)
- 2x Plate Round Corner 6 x 6 in Orange (6542814 | 6003)
- 3x Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Right in Orange (6481636 | 80178)
- 4x Slope Curved 3 x 2 No Studs in Orange (6541876 | 24309)
- 3x Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Left in Orange (6481635 | 80177)
- 6x Bar 1L with Clip in Green (6541878 | 3484)
- 9x Plate Special 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal in Green (6535693 | 61252, 52738). This element has also appeared in the range of 71049 Collectible F1 Cars but had not been featured on the New Elementary blog yet.
- 7x Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 1 with Curved Top in Green (6541942 | 5841)
- 7x Slope Curved 1 x 4 x 1 2/3 No Studs in Green (6541879 | 3573)
- 12x Slope Curved 2 x 1 with Stud Notch Left in Medium Lavender (6541882 | 29120)
- 12x Slope Curved 2 x 1 with Stud Notch Right in Medium Lavender (6541884 | 29119)
- 1x Slope Curved 4 x 2 No Studs in Reddish Brown (6541873 | 93606)
- 2x Tile Round 2 x 2 with Hole in Yellow (6541874 | 15535)
- 2x Tile Special 2 x 2 with 2 Quarter Round Cutouts in Bright Pink (6541877 | 3396) was new at time of writing, but has since appeared in 31216 Keith Haring – Dancing Figures. Read my review of set 31216.
Rare elements
Aside from new elements, the set contains some elements that have appeared in 3 sets or less:
- 3x Brick Round 2 x 2 Dome Bottom in Green (6541886 | 15395) was last seen in 2020
- 6x Plate Special 1 x 2 with Clip Vertical on End in Green (6516440 | 78256) is new for 2025
- 2x Tile Special 2 x 2 with 2 Quarter Round Cutouts in Reddish Brown (6518946 | 3396)
- 2x Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Inverted Cutout in Dark Bluish Gray (6501468 | 78666)
- 8x + spare Tile Round 1 x 2 Half Circle in Dark Pink (6529298 | 1748) is used once in 40797 Eeyore
- 3x Minifig Head Plain [Vented Stud - 2 Holes] in Bright Light Blue (6454732 | 3274) has only ever appeared in a First LEGO League set
The model
The model starts as a black and white disc, which could easily become a stingray or robot vacuum at this point.
In the center, a hinged section provides a stand, while a hook in the top allows the tiger to hang on the wall.
The base is covered with plates and tiles to give the head depth, while curved bricks on the side simulate fur. I appreciate that there is little SNOT or other techniques involved here; just a lot of old school stacking showing simple builds can give a great result too.
The finished head looks the part, with intense eyes that are either trying to figure out the best way to pounce, or demand a scratch behind the ears.
But we’re not done yet: the tiger is surrounded by various plants and flowers, adding a jungle vibe. It’s a mini-Botanical Collection sidestep, with simple yet effective builds.
The flowers are placed on LEGO® Technic connectors on the side of the head. Eight connectors are provided for 6 botanical builds, allowing for some freestyle arrangement, or even the addition of your own creations.
The end result looks amazing; a lot of vibrant colors and the intense stare from an intimidating animal. While the build is not overly complicated, the building process didn’t feel boring. It felt like applying layers of paint to a canvas, where the right usage of parts and colors can create a great result. These are like a larger, more expansive version of the LEGO® Brick Sketches designed by Chris McVeigh.
I can see this standard seeing many follow-ups, either in set form or MOCs. The final result, combined with many recolors, makes this a very interesting package. It costs US$64.99/ £54.99/ 59.99€/ AU$99.99 for 744 pieces, which is not a high price per part for today's standards, but it's worth remembering it has no new molds or decorations.
READ MORE: Two new molds in June's 10348 Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree from LEGO® Botanicals
Help New Elementary keep publishing articles like this. Become a Patron!
A huge thank you to all our patrons for your support, especially our 'Vibrant Coral' tier: London AFOLs, Antonio Serra, Beyond the Brick, Huw Millington, Dave Schefcik, David and Breda Fennell, Gerald Lasser, Baixo LMmodels, Sue Ann Barber and Trevor Clark, Markus Rollbühler, Elspeth De Montes, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Chuck Hagenbuch, Jf, Wayne R. Tyler, Daniel Church, Lukas Kurth (StoneWars), Timo Luehnen, Chris Wight, Jonathan Breidert, Brick Owl, BrickCats, Erin and Dale and our newest top-tier patron, Thunderdave! You folks are better than inverted cheese slopes.
All text and images are ©2025 New Elementary unless otherwise attributed.
Bit surprising how many of the recolors in this set are not "tiger-colored" (though of course several of them also appear in new sets across other themes, and so weren't necessarily introduced for this set in particular). But then, even the tiger itself makes use of an impressive variety of colors — not only black, white, and orange, but also dark stone grey and reddish brown! The end result definitely makes for quite a striking display piece.
ReplyDeleteI think the dark green clip pieces are some of the recolors in this set most likely to see extensive use in sets and MOCs, given how many different sorts of plant and animal builds they can potentially be used for (to say nothing of spaceships, robots, and the like). But the new recolors of the 2x2 tile with quarter circle cutouts are also definitely very welcome!
I wonder how much internal debate there was about what shade of green to use for the foliage elements, particularly since some of the recolored clip and curved slope pieces in this set already exist in other shades of green. The chosen color definitely suits the model very nicely, though! And I'm certainly glad that these plants were included, since as good as the tiger head looks on its own, it might've given the impression of a hunting trophy, rather than an art piece of a live tiger in its natural habitat.
Great review overall! Not expecting to pick this set up myself, but it does make for quite a tasteful display piece that complements with other sorts of nature-inspired decor.