There’s a new free LEGO set coming to LEGO.com – LEGO Ideas 40595 Tribute to Galileo Galilei is inspired by a fan design and pays tribute to one the most important scientific minds of all time.
Starting on November 1, LEGO Ideas 40595 Tribute to Galileo Galilei will be free at LEGO.com with orders of £115 / $130 / €130 or more. Given all of the great sets that have launched recently, there’s plenty to choose from to reach the relatively low threshold.
This delightful set starts with building the black base, which seems like a waste of bricks – but there’s actually a function built into it, which is relevant later. Rather than a dull, square vignette, the set is built with some nice angles.
These angles are properly utilised by the three hinged wall sections, which have the right colours to imply an Italian building. Against each wall there’s something different, representing part of Galileo’s life and work; a bookcase, a painting of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and a telescope looking out of a window. Leaves are added around the window, creating a lovely old Italy vibe.
To complete the scene there’s a desk for Galileo, with different items representing his work. The heliocentric model of the Sun and the Earth is cleverly put together and runs into the build’s base, with a splat gear hidden at the back to make the Earth move around the Sun.
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The Galileo minifigure is cleverly built with a good choice of hair and beard topping off the perfect torso for the time period in which the astronomer lived.
Anyone with an interest in science or history will enjoy building this model, which perhaps could have been a bit smaller and available with a lower purchase threshold. That said, it’s nice to get more historical figures in LEGO form and to have a nice display to place them in.
SCORE: 64/100
VERDICT: This gift with purchase set has an indulgent piece count to deliver a nice display model.