Step Aboard The Pantasy Steampunk Airship (85021)

Another voyage into the world of Steampunk today. This time I will be taking a look at a new release from Pantasy, with this latest addition to there collection – set number 85021, the SteamPunk Airship.

This set is made up of over 2000 pieces and contains 5 Pantasy mini-figures, and retails for $139.99. Continue reading to find out more about the set, my experience with it and my thoughts on it. We also have a 10% off code for you to use at the end of this review. 

The Box:

Straight off the bat and removing this from its shipping box, I couldn’t help but notice that the box has a very solid and premium feel to it. This isn’t cheap or easily damaged card. It’s a sturdy and well presented box with clear and crisp images of the build and figures contained within it. A very nice touch to the presentation is that whilst the majority of the box has a matte print, the front image of the Airship has been highlighted with a glossy finish. Which really does make the product stand out from the rest of the image.

As is the norm, the box has the Pantasy company branding, set theme, number and name and all relevant safety certifications are present and clearly identifiable. Whilst there is a “Not suitable for under 3’s” safety warning, there is no other recommendation in regards to age rating on this product. Although they have provided the products finished size dimensions. Which is very handy. Because this turned out to be larger than I was expecting.

Inside the box are a large amount of individually numbered bags. Now, I didn’t count how many. But I estimate there were somewhere in the region of 30-35. As each of the 10 stages contained at least 2-4 bags per stage. The 5 minifigures are also packaged in their own individual bags, with all the pieces to put them together (And their “alternate pose”, more on that later) easily identifiable for each fig.

And obviously the instruction manual. Which in itself also feels and looks very nicely put together. There is also Pantasy branded brick separator included in this set.

The Build:

Bag/stage 1 sets us off with the construction of the stand that will support the finished model.
Its reasonably easy to put together, if you are familiar with “Technic style” building techniques and goes together quite quickly. It’s finished of with some mudguard style panels, standard bricks and grille tiles to give it some shape and to just generally pretty it up a bit. Theres nothing new or revolutionary here. But, it is well designed and immediately feels rather strong and sturdy.

Bags/Stages 2-4 are where you begin to build the airship itself. As I’m sure you can imagine, this consists of some very standard plates and brick work to build the initial support structure for the hull of the vessel. Once the lower portion of the hull is assembled it is very quickly attached to the display base constructed in stage 1. There is something quite satisfying about this particular stage, as you already feel like your starting to get somewhere.

There is also some mechanism work to be done in these stages too. Installing cogs and gears that will ultimately provide some animation to this build and are not just there for decorative purposes. There’s a little SNOT building going on in the early portions of these stages, to provide connection points for the elements that will come later to give the hull some shape. But as a rule these stages are bricks, plates and tiles used in very conventional ways.

Whilst were on the subject of the elements in this kit. They do feel very good quality. The clutch power is strong and the finish of the bricks is very nice, particularly in the metallic gold elements and the printed pieces. Something I was very happy to see was that there are no stickers included in this set, and that all the prints I came across where crisp and clear.

Now, one thing that I will bring up here is the instructions. There are a few points in this stage of the build that use dark green coloured elements and I found myself struggling to see how they connected together without having to pick up the instructions to get a closer look. Even with highlighted outlines, it wasn’t always immediately obvious what the instructions were telling you do. There are also a couple of parts in the build that seem to require pre-existing knowledge of how to use elements to achieve a build. Particularly the stage highlighted below, where step 1 already contains 8 assembled elements. I asked my wife (Who is not an experienced builder) if she would have known where to start, and her answer was a very flat “No”.

That said, once these stages are complete, you do have the beginnings of what feels like a very solid and well designed model.

Now, we get to the bit that (Let’s be honest) is the exciting bit. The balloon.

From the moment I was sent a picture of the build that was heading my way, I was curious about how this shape would be achieved. Frankly, it uses a ton of pieces and takes a while to build. But it looks great and its a lot simpler than you think.

Stages/Bags 5-9 are all about building the balloon and its both decorative and functional mechanisms. Now I was expecting this particular portion of the build to be SO much more technical than it actually is. Most of the build is, once again, conventional bricks and plates stacked on top of one another with a small amount of SNOT technique and hinged panels thrown in to provide the rounded shape for the sides of the balloon. Again, no earth shattering or revolutionary builds here. But, there is something very satisfying about its simplicity.

The details toward the rear of the balloon, that include cogs, gears, fans and all the other hallmark steampunk details look great. When put into action the build really does seem to come to life with all the motion. Even the cogs that don’t actually do anything seem to provide some form of function just from where they are placed. Everything seems to have a purpose in this elaborate steam powered vessel.

As with the previous stage of the build, there are no stickers. All the elements here that have a design on them are printed pieces. However, even though the designs seems to be duplicated across multiple pieces, they are not. Finding out that I had fitted pieces on one side that should have been on the other because of a VERY subtle difference in the design was annoying. But not exactly the end of the world.

Now, once again I feel the need to come back to the instructions. There is a rather confusing portion of the build (Spanning bags 8 and 9) I want to highlight. During the build there is a VERY definite graphic that instructs the builder to install a recently constructed support section on to the main structure at one end only. Leaving the other end free and disconnected. However, turn the page and this support section is now attached at both ends. Two pages later the end is now disconnected again and remains disconnected for a further 8 pages until you told to fit it properly at both ends.

Ok, I know. Its a misprint. Its nothing particularly major. But, for someone like me who can’t help but notice things like that, it is confusing. The other thing is that once I noticed it, I had to try building the other side with it already connected and it makes no difference when you connect it.

Stage/bag 10 finishes the balloon and includes the final details of the airship. Such as the rigging and connecting the two side mounted “Engines” to the rest of the mechanism. Which, being honest felt like a weird time to do it. I found it easier to disassemble the engines I had already built to fit this part than to do it as the instructions implied it could be done.

However, once this final step is complete. You can sit back and take in just how wonderful this build looks. And I am not going to lie, it IS wonderful.

The Mini-figures:

Pantasy have included 5 figures in this set. Seemingly the first 5 figures to inhabit their steampunk theme.
It would appear that including figures in their sets is a relatively recent development, so its nice to see a company attempting to build on their own brands playability.

The figures included in this set are very different from anything that I have seen in similar toys. As with other brands in this increasingly competitive market, they have chosen to create their own style of figure and not simply copy or emulate another style of mini-figure already out there.

Now, with that said. I am not sure how I feel about these. As with another brand these figures come completely disassembled (Which is not something I am a particular fan of). Arms are not attached to bodies. Hands are not attached to arms. Even the feet are not attached to the legs. At least you don’t have to attach legs to hips, because the legs don’t bend at the hip.

“But how are they meant to look like they’re sitting down?” I hear you ask. Don’t worry, Pantasy have thought about that and have included a second set of legs in a ‘Sitting position”.

Don’t get me wrong, they are very well made. They feel solid, and at no point whilst I was putting them together was I worried I was going to break them. The prints are very nicely designed. They are crisp, clear and are very in keeping with the aesthetic of the steampunk genre. Lots of buckles, goggles and decorative cogs and watches, they’ve got the lot. Some form of printing appears on the front, back and even the arms on the majority of the figures. One is even wearing an ankle length skirt that isn’t made using a modified brick. There is a lot of thought gone into them.

But have stared at and inspected them several times and I just can’t feel like they don’t work for me. They are cute, there’s no denying that. But, the limited articulation and therefore the reduced playability is a cause for concern for me. There is also a striking resemblance to another brand of toy that I can’t fail to see and whilst it makes them feel familiar, it also makes me draw a parallel to the other brand, of which, I am not a fan either.

But with a contrasting opinion, my son (Who is 5) thinks they are really cool BECAUSE they remind him of the other brand figures. He likes the designs and that they feel bigger than other brands to him. So I guess this really all does come down personal opinion.

Overall:

OK. I realise I seem to have been quite down about this set. I know I have pointed out a number of things that I am less than impressed with, and I am sure there will be some out there who feel I have judged it too harshly.

There is one more thing that, for me, takes away from this build. The stand. The stand does not feature on the front artwork of the box at all. It is included on the back, but from the front it gives the impression it can be removed. It can not. The stand forms part of the structure for both masts on this kit and helps to stop them from tippping, given the weight of ballon on top of them. Also, light grey may not have been the best choice of colour for it. Given the warm tones of the majority of the other elements it does feel a little out of place. Either a stand that could have been designed as some kind of landing gear or maybe a cloud would have seemed more fitting to me. But, with that said, as far as I am aware that is all the negatives now covered.

So with all that has gone before, how do I feel about the overall set?

I DO really like it. It has an undeniable WOW factor. The build is absolutely solid as a rock and the design is gorgeous. It is instantly recognisable as to what it represents and incredibly emotive in terms of story and the potential it has for adventurous play.

Yes, its big and heavy and I would not recommend a child really attempt to “Swoosh” it. But the mechanism to animate all the moving parts from one rotating element is lovely and really brings the thing to life and does give the impression of flight.

The manufacturing quality is equally impressive. Nothing about this feels cheap. The colours of the airship are wonderfully selected and I didn’t find (Or at least notice) any mismatched colours in the elements. Even the card elements that form the two fins at the rear of the ballon feel like that are well made and will last as long as they need to with proper care.

Yes, the set has its downsides, but so very few sets from any brand are perfect. The instruction manual issues are frustrating, but not uncommon from any brand. Particularly in terms of colour differentiation. But if I am to review a product honestly (As I was instructed to) then I feel like the pros and cons should be pointed out. Lets face it, you’re probably only going to use the instructions once.

I would honestly recommend this set to anyone with an interest in the Steampunk genre. It really is a fantastic looking piece, with a great deal of care put into the finished model, and so very typical of the kind of flying vessel featured in a great deal of Steampunk artwork.

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Pantasy Steampunk Airship 85021

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