The latest set from Pantasy is the Retro Phone (85018), it captures the elegance of the era and combines it with the modern techniques of block building. It was a real pleasure to build and put on display!
Thank you for Pantasy for sending us this set for review, you may have seen our showcase video on Instagram earlier in the week, if not make sure to check it out @thebrickpost. Our reviews are unbiased and totally our own, the gifting of the set does not sway our review process. Jump to the end of the review to find purchase links and a discount code.
Set details:
- Measures 24cm*15cm*26cm
- Instruction Manual
- ABS Plastic
- 6 years+ (Both for adults and kids )
- Assembly Time 5～6 hours
- Designed by James May (ex-LEGO designer)
The Box & Contents:
The box feels sturdy and premium quality and the design looks stunning, with the set front and centre and a slightly blurred background. The colours match the overall aesthetic of the Retro theme with dark reds and browns. Set details are present in the top left corner, such as name & number. In the bottom right is the designers signature, which happens to be James May (ex-LEGO designer) who helped with such sets as the LEGO Typewriter and Polaroid Camera.
Inside the box you’ll find three lots of numbered bags and a manual. It’s important to mention the instructions as they are an important part of the build process, are they easy to follow? Can the slightly different tone of colours be seen? And so on, I’m happy to report that reading the instructions was easy and straightforward, not a lot of parts per section which is great as sometimes it’s overwhelming when a ton of pieces are needed.
Also inside the box are the telephones cord, which is made of barrow tuning, and the unique dial elements, one has printed numbers whilst the other is gold in colour. More on these later in the review.
The Build:
Starting off with the feet and lower half of the Retro Phone, the build gets going at a cracking pace, after the first bag you’ve already built quite a big chunk of it, including the start of the inner workings. Using quite a lot of dark brown pieces, the body is solid with a handful of gears both intl side & out. The printed parts are exquisite and really take this set to the next level, with gold floral vines and leaves curving around the bends and slopes perfectly.
The larger gold quarter dome pieces the body sits on are sturdy but do allow for the set to rock back and forth easily is pressure is applied, so be careful when assembling and pushing the parts together. A small gripe but one that needs to be mentioned, perhaps I’m being too picky, it’s better to be honest.
The next bag again adds quite a large amount of parts to the build including the dials and turning mechanism. The gold top dial is a gorgeous piece and one I was both happy and surprised to see in a set, it’s large, no scratches in sight and rather strong. The gears and inner workings we constructed in the first step finally come together and with the aid of a small elastic band makes the dial turn and snap back, just like the original real-life phone. It’s so satisfying that I wouldn’t stop playing with it and pretending to dial phone numbers.
As you can see, from the photos below, the inner mechanism is quite simple and it turns out the gears we installed earlier have nothing to do with it, in fact they make a lower section move side-to-side to represent the ringer/bell. The dial is powered by an elastic band that simply pulls tight when the dial is move even just a fraction. A cool design and piece of brick-engineering at its finest.
The third and final bag obviously finishes the set, bit there is so much built in this last stage including the handset itself. This life-size Retro Phone feels good in the hand and when you hold it upto your ear it feels even cooler, taking you back to yesteryear when these phones were about, if you can remember that far back of course.
The holster is great too and again utilises an elastic band as its primary ‘power’ source. When placing and lifting the handset the holster pops up (or down) with a sort of suspension effect – it works really well and gives the set a life-like feel.
Yet more gold were implemented in this stage and overall is a really nice look, gold accents on the printed parts, the body & dial, the handset and more, it’s a classy looking Retro Phone!
The moving parts definitely take this set to the next level, the handset lifts off, the holster springs up, the dial turns and the crank….cranks. You can tell this has been designed by a tall builder that really knows their stuff, James May is a genuine genius.
If you have enjoyed our showcase review of the Pantasy Retro Phone (85018) and would like to own one yourself, please consider using our affiliate links and code. There are a couple of ways to purchase this fantastic set, direct from the Pantasy website or via Amazon – these links can bee found below.
Amazon UK: http://t2.r.sn.cn/S9f6Gi
Amazon US: http://t2.r.sn.cn/tsWMTG
Discount Code (Amazon only): BRICK325
Pantasy website: use THEBRICKPOST during checkout to get 10% off your order – https://pantasy.com/products/pantasy-retro-phone-85018
Pantasy Retro Phone (85018)
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