The Opera (85019) by Pantasy is the latest set the growing brand has to offer and it was a great pleasure receiving a review copy, thank you Pantasy for gifting me this set and giving me the opportunity to build something different and grandeur-looking!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
To purchase this set or any other Pantasy set, please use our link and code THEBRICKPOST to get 10% off your order.
Set Details:
The set number is 85019 and comes as part of their ‘Modular Buildings’ range. It comprises 3518 pieces and is quite large at 26.6cm wide, 24.4cm deep, and 35.8cm tall. All decorations in this set are prints – NO stickers, which if we’re honest, premium adult toys should never have stickers. There’s also 5 of their newly developed Minifigures in this set.
The Box & Contents:
The box is of a really high quality, with a full image of the finished building in front of a blurred out city street scene. The reverse has beautifully rendered pictures of the set in modular separation and there’s others showing some of the interiors and the large printed parts.
One of the things I particularly liked about the box is the sealing flaps at the opening. This way the box stays fully closed when you’ve finished with the build, as if like me I keep all my boxes so that’s a handy feature. A small detail but I like it.
There are two modestly thin manuals for the size of the set, (a detail I’ll return to later).
A two-sided stage scenery card which looks beautiful and I couldn’t wait to use it. 17 numbered stages of which most had three bags per stage, so there’s a lot of bags. 1 large bag of specially printed bricks, the dome and the Minifigures. 2 bags of various size plates for the bases of each section.
I couldn’t wait to begin!
The Build:
Level One – The Foyer
The build starts pretty much like any other modular building from all brick brands, the layout and tile work for the ground floor level.
In this case the ground floor is an exquisite, and grand foyer. Complete with a revolving door.
The main part of this initial build is the ‘carpet’, in a two tone pattern of brown and mid nougat. I find laying tiles very satisfying, providing perfect escapism therapy!
The build flow is excellent, you’re never doing one thing or another for too long. There’s a mini build detail here, a large wall build there.
It keeps you engaged as you immerse yourself into this beautiful looking room.
Paintings, statues, stone columns, and probably the most realistic vase build I’ve ever seen then take you to the double spiralled, grand staircase before finishing with the brilliantly designed revolving door, complete with its lovely printed windows.
The main five colours of red, white, gold, soft peach, and black look amazing together, and this colour palette is repeated throughout the entire set.
It really does look stately. Pantasy’s gold, drum lacquered parts are amongst the best I’ve ever seen, certainly better than the famous Danish brick company anyway! And, oftentimes not only are some parts drum-lacquered, they’re also printed for extra attention to detail.
Level Two – The Auditorium
This, being the biggest section of the build, (probably what would normally be 2 levels), starts with the basic floor layout and then concentrates on the white and gold facade. The word ‘grand’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. You feel like you’re building a palace rather than a theatre! Now though is where I want to go back to my earlier comment about the manuals.
Whilst in large parts they are clear and precise, oftentimes they only provide you the list of parts required for that mini build or whatever it is but don’t give you any diagrams on how what it is you’re building is actually achieved.
In the most part that’s okay, we’re all experienced adult builders, but occasionally even I, (and I’ve built the biggest sets on the market), even I had the occasional struggle and error. That explains why a set with over 3500 pieces has only two, very thin manuals. Other brands it would have been at least two very thick manuals, maybe even a third.
I do feel it bad to assume we’re all highly experienced brick builders. Some people are only at the start of their journey and could have a thing for theatres and this set could possibly knock their confidence. I had to call this out. Also, the rendering of the colours isn’t great, particularly the light peach parts look sand stone coloured, and the dark green is hard to make out when following the build processes. On occasion I found myself holding the manual to face like I was 100yrs old!
The auditorium build flows beautifully between outer architecture, and inside details like a staircase for the balcony where the beautifully detailed boxes for the posh people are, the inner walls, a dressing room for the cast, and obviously the stage and the simple but very effective raked seating. Again those five colours achieving a gorgeous, and plush looking theatre auditorium.
When you build and discover the gap where the two-sided stage scenery card fits you will love it. This card provides an unparalleled level of detail that I really want to applaud Pantasy for. The illusion of depth this simple device provides blew me away!
Level Three (of sorts) – The Roof
The roof in large part is incredibly simple. You’re just building a large square with plates of various sizes leaving a massive hole where the glass dome will sit and then there’s a beautiful, large candelabra hanging from the dome as the final flourish for this stunningly gorgeous, ‘palace’ of an Opera House!
The Minifigures:
Pantasy have made quite a thing about these newly developed Minifigures, appearing to be rather proud of them. For me, as an adult, and a lover of brick toys for adults, I have to say they are beyond awful. They have no place in the adult brick building world. They remind me of Playmobil dolls, or something from the 1970’s that need to stay there.
Other than the Character in the top hat, who is wearing a suit, the other four dolls aren’t wearing attire fit for the Opera and indeed one of the dolls is a young girl (who’s hair is so long she’s hard to seat on a chair). Each doll comes with two, lower half bodies. One for standing, the other for seating. It’s like having a spare ‘bum’ and feet for each doll.
I can’t imagine a single brick collector keeping these “Minifigures” let alone displaying them. They are completely at odds with this amazing Opera House.
Sorry Pantasy, but for my credibility as an influencer I have to say you’ve got these wrong. Badly so.
Final Thoughts:
First things first. Should you part with your hard earned money and buy this set. Absolutely you should! It has to be one of the best buildings I’ve ever built, and it certainly takes top spot for the most exquisitely detailed and beautiful to look at sets, both inside and out. It’s so very grand!
If you can see past the cons of the oftentimes poor manual instruction issues, and of course the “Minifigures”, I can’t recommend this set highly enough. I was totally immersed and didn’t want the build to end. Wait till you see the gold, so much gold. It really has so many pro’s you can easily see past the very few shortcomings.
This set retails for $189.99 or £143.50 (approx with daily exchange rate).
Thank you for reading this review – stay TotallyBrickTastic.
To purchase this set or any other Pantasy set, please use our link and code THEBRICKPOST to get 10% off your order.
Amazon US: https://t020.r.sn.cn/bBLwq6
Discount code: OPERA422
Pantasy The Opera (85019)
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