Creator

Ferris Wheel

A cheerful little fairground that turns as smoothly as the real thing.

Brick Rated Score

4.0/5

Set 31119 · 2021

Pieces1,002

Minifigs5

Year2021

Set number31119

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The verdict

This is one of those sets that wins you over with charm rather than showing off.

The wheel is honestly repetitive to build, but the payoff is a colorful fairground centerpiece that actually cranks around beautifully, and the balloon-animal cart and brick dog are the sweetest touches. For the family funfair crowd it's an easy yes. If you only care about the alternate models, know that they're much smaller and a bit of a letdown.

Best for: Fairground-layout fans and families who want a set that moves

The full review

There's something about a Ferris wheel that just makes you smile, and this LEGO® set leans right into that. It's a Creator 3-in-1 from 2021 with 1,002 pieces, and the headline model is a proper working fairground wheel that stands about 27cm tall with eight gondolas ready for passengers. You get five minifigs (a mom, a dad, a kid, and two fairground workers), a ticket booth, and my personal favorite, a little balloon cart loaded with brick-built balloon animals and a tiny brick dog. It's cheerful and busy and full of the small details that make a fair feel like a fair.

The real joy here is that it moves. There's a crank on the side that turns a tire, and the tire grips the outer rail of the wheel so the whole thing rotates in a lovely smooth, even sweep. It's the kind of mechanism kids will spin for ages, and honestly so will you. Compared to the giant 10247 Ferris Wheel from years back this is a fraction of the size and complexity, but it's a warm little tribute to that icon rather than a rival, and at its price that feels fair.

Now for the honest bits. Building the wheel is repetitive. You'll assemble the same spoke-and-gondola pattern again and again, and while the color variety keeps it from being a total slog, some builders find it a chore. The bigger disappointment is the 3-in-1 promise. The alternate builds, a bumper car ride and a swing boat, are perfectly fine but noticeably smaller than the wheel, so if you bought this hoping for three equally satisfying models you'll feel a little short-changed. There's also a fiddly quirk where the crank handle sits so close to the base that you keep bumping your knuckles as you turn it.

So who's this really for? If you love a fairground layout, or you want a colorful set that actually does something on the shelf, this is an easy recommendation, especially since Brickset's community landed it at a solid 4.0 out of 5. If you're chasing clever engineering or you specifically want a set with three strong builds, this probably isn't the one. It retired in late 2022 and prices have crept up on the secondary market, so if you find it near the old 79.99 RRP, grab it. Above that, wait for a good deal and it'll reward you with a genuinely happy little build.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build breaks into a few clear phases. First you make the base and the crank housing, which is the most interesting engineering in the box because it's where the tire-drive mechanism lives. Then comes the wheel itself, and this is where you settle in for the long haul: you build one gondola-and-spoke section, then repeat it seven more times until all eight are done. It's rhythmic and a bit meditative if you're in the mood, tedious if you're not. The lovely payoff is threading it all onto the axle and feeling it balance and spin. After the wheel, the ticket booth, balloon cart, and minifig accessories are quick, satisfying palate cleansers.

On parts, this is a color-and-quantity set more than a rare-mold set. You get a generous spread of bright plates, arches, and round elements in cheerful carnival colors that are genuinely useful for MOC builders wanting fairground or circus vibes. The standout charm pieces are the brick-built balloon animals and the little dog rather than any single new mold. At 1,002 pieces for an original 79.99, the part-count value is reasonable rather than remarkable, but the five minifigs and all the printed and specialty carnival bits nudge it into good-value territory, especially if you catch it on discount.

Fun facts

01The crank turns a rubber tire that presses against the wheel's outer rail, so friction alone drives the rotation, which is why it spins so smoothly and evenly.
02It's a scaled-down nod to LEGO's enormous 2,464-piece 10247 Ferris Wheel from 2015, more affectionate tribute than direct replacement.
03Brickset's community scored it 4.0 out of 5 across 88 ratings, and it wore an Award Winning Product badge on the LEGO shop.
04It retired in November 2022 and secondary prices have since climbed well above the original 79.99 RRP.