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Last year I did a post of about games that were in some way related to Notre dame de Paris, either through setting, history, branding or actually based on the book/the building.
It was writing that post that I learned of the existence of Lego’s Notre Dame de Paris set as part of their Architecture line. Now I had at that point never ever had or owned a lego set but it was very tempting all the same. Shortly after being tempted by the Notre Dame de Paris set I got the Poinsettia kit which made me want the Notre Dame one even more. And Christmas of 2024 I got my very own Notre Dame de Paris set to build and maybe love.
So now that it’s been about a year what do I think about this set. Is it good? Is it overrated? Did I even start it? Is it even that nice to look once it’s done if I indeed finished the thing?
To answer those questions: Yes, No, Yes and Yes!
Notre Dame de Paris in Lego form is very lovely and highly detailed. It has so much depth and textures that it’s very enjoyable to just look it. Also the instruction book did offer some nice reading on the history of the building, so that was a plus.
So was it hard to build? As someone who had only did one lego set prior to building this one I will say it wasn’t too bad but it was overwhelming as there are about 31 bags of pieces. I like to build a pack a night so this took me a month to do and I made mistakes through the build but nothing too bad considering the instructions are fairly clear. I bet a veteran Lego builder could have done it quicker than I but I don’t mind the slow approach.
So yes I would say if you’re a beginner do not be deterred, it’s not too bad, just a lot of packets and pieces.
It’s also very solid as there is a lot of structural pieces. You can also take off the roof to see the nave inside but I never do but I like the opinion of being able to taking off the roof.
So the Pros
– It’s very pretty
– highly detailed as it really captures the architecture complexities of Notre Dame de Paris
– lots of texture with lots of depth to the build
Cons
Yes there is a con
The spire connection point is flimsy. It can come off very easily and is quite wobbly.
Not exactly a fault but it’s kind of heavy and takes up a large foot-print but that shouldn’t be an issue for some people.
But all in all I love this Lego set, it makes me happy.
So yeah Lego sets are fun and there are a few more Architecture builds that are also very tempting like Paris Skyline City of Love which features a simplified Notre Dame and I think is pretty cute, as well The Great Pyramid of Giza, Himeji Castle and Neuschwanstein to name a few. I also enjoy the botanicals set too.
