LEGO 41839 Message Board review
Is LEGO 41839 Message Board more than just a meme factory? Unfortunately yes, it’s also one of the worst building experiences of 2024.
LEGO 41839 Message Board is proof that the LEGO Group doesn’t love you. In exchange for too much money, you can enjoy a harsh life lesson about the realities of trusting a multinational company, as you slog your way through a painful building experience to create a bland, boring display model that will topple over at the slightest provocation.
Release: August 1 (Insiders), August 4 (wide), 2024 Price: £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 Pieces: 1,743 Minifigures: 0 LEGO: Order now
Mean meme machine
The reveal for 41839 Message Board has been notable as one of the bigger LEGO meme moments of 2024. Derision and jokes aimed at the set spread quickly across the internet, not least because one of the suggested phrases felt prime for mockery. ‘HOME YOUR IS BRICKS WHERE ARE’, LEGO fans insisted.
The set’s potential for naughty counterculture messages was apparent fairly quickly, and it was only a matter of time before, once in the hands of actual LEGO fans, the set would end up being used for nefarious purposes. Some have even speculated that this might be the entire reason for 41839 Message Board’s existence in the first place.
The theory that this set was designed with memes in mind, though, doesn’t survive actual hands-on contact with 41839 Message Board. For a set that’s all about rearranging, remixing, and creating new and inventive words and phrases, 41839 Message Board is unexpectedly time-consuming and fiddly to break apart and change.
The set is held together with a series of Technic pins that can be difficult to pry apart, but the larger problem is the process of peeling all the bricks off a particular plate and then rebuilding a different letter. This is necessary for anyone planning to change the letters on their display, and it is, unfortunately, horribly frustrating.
An exercise in tedium
LEGO sets that are designed for a group of people to build at the same time can often be subjective: some people enjoy them more than others.
For those who don’t love these sets, 41839 Message Board is unfortunately worse than most. The set contains a large number of different elements that vary in shape and size, but not in colour, and the result ends up feeling less like LEGO and more like a jigsaw puzzle, as the builder or builders search around for the perfect element for any given pattern.
The instruction manual recommends putting all of the pieces into separate bowls, but even when separated, it’s a bit of a chore to tell the different elements apart because they all look so similar at a glance. Not only would a more colourful version of this set have made for an arguably more dynamic display piece, but it would have prevented the biggest problem with building the set.
The good news is that the set is unintentionally excellent for diversity, as while the builder experiences the set, they learn how difficult it is to build LEGO while colourblind.
Wobble wobble
Once complete, the set doesn’t exactly make for the most interesting display piece. The dull colour scheme and minimal decorative elements give this the feel of a DOTS or Art set that has been bleached by the sun for a millennia.
Alas, this is not the only problem with the set as a display piece. The set’s Technic elements, while difficult to pull apart, still have a little more flex and give than is ideal for a set that can be quite tall and thin. The feet for the set (enough elements are included to make four) simply aren’t very sturdy, and as such, the model ends up feeling very wobbly.
This is more apparent in some configurations than others: a phrase that is short and stocky will fare better than, say, the phrase on the box (‘OUR FAMILY FUN LOVE @ HOME!’). This particular arrangement is at the mercy of gravity that will leave most builders feeling very uncomfortable about putting it on display.
Even if the feet weren’t this wobbly, the set is a large, flat sign that’s intended to stand upright. Without better anchoring, it will only ever take a small nudge or a gust of wind to bring the whole thing toppling down.
This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.
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Our honest opinion: The best possible use for this set is as pieces for other, better projects. Anyone following the instructions will meet with a frustrating, bland, and ultimately dangerously flimsy build that doesn’t do anything particularly well.
How long does it take to build LEGO 41839 Message Board?
Time is meaningless when building LEGO 41839 Message Board. Depending on what phrase or words the builder chooses to create, the entire process will either be faster or slower, but in all cases, the experience feels like it takes an eternity. Time stands still, clock hands cease movement, as the Long, Dark Teatime of the Soul stretches on endlessly, and the builder is lost in an empty void, pondering why they are using their finite lifespan on this of all possible hobbies.
How many pieces are in LEGO 41839 Message Board?
LEGO 41839 Message Board contains 1,743 elements, none of which are particularly interesting. The few spots of whimsy are achieved through stickers, proving that even the LEGO Group didn’t feel like committing too hard to this set.
How big is LEGO Icons LEGO 41839 Message Board?
LEGO 41839 Message Board measures 33cm tall, 30cm wide and 4cm deep, according to the LEGO website. In reality, the set can measure whatever you want it to, but that 4cm depth is exactly why the set has structural issues.
How much does LEGO 41839 Message Board cost?
Financially, LEGO 41839 Message Board costs £89.99 in the UK, $99.99 in the US and €99.99 in the EU. In a broader sense, the set will also cost a certain amount of joy and innocence that the builder will never be able to get back.
Author Profile
- When I was a kid, my bus ride home from school featured a daily stop at LEGOLAND Windsor. The bus drove all the way up to the front gate, let eager tourists on and off, then drove back out of the park and on its merry way. Maybe if I’d got on a different bus every afternoon I’d have ended up with a proper job, but then, there’s no way of knowing for sure.
Geez. Harsh. I don’t understand all the hate for this set. I am excited to have this in my home. I have a colorful home so the white color will be a nice balance.
I think a lot of women will be excited to have this in their home.
As a guy, this looks like something I’d get. Never even heard of this set until now.