LEGO Typewriter (21327)

Name: LEGO Typewriter
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 21327

A sand green typewriter built from bricks that genuinely types.

Brick Rated Score

4.6/5

Set 21327 · 2021

Pieces2,080

Minifigsn/a

Year2021

Set number21327

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The verdict

I have shown this LEGO set to people who could not care less about LEGO, and every single one of them pressed a key and grinned when the carriage slid across and the typebar popped up.

That is the whole appeal, and it never gets old. It is not cheap and the opening hour is honestly a bit of a grind, but the finished thing is one of the most charming display models I have ever had on a desk. If clever working mechanisms are your love language, this is an easy yes.

Best for: grown-up fans who love a working mechanism and a desk that deserves a centerpiece

The full review

What it is

Every so often a LEGO® set comes along that makes people who never touch bricks stop and squint and go, wait, that is made of LEGO? This is one of those. It recreates a classic 1950s machine in soft sand green, round keys, a platen roller, a paper table poking up at the back, and it has real presence sitting on a desk. It started as a fan submission on LEGO Ideas from Steve Guinness before the official team turned it into a proper 2,080-piece model, and you can feel the care poured into it.

The catch

I will be straight with you about the catch. The magic is the mechanism, and getting there takes patience. The first chunk of the build is the guts of the machine, a lot of Technic framing and repeated little sub-assemblies, and it is not the most thrilling hour you will spend. Push through it, because the moment the keys, typebars, and carriage go in and start talking to each other, the whole mood flips and it becomes a joy. Price is the other thing I want to flag. It launched at 199.99, a fair chunk for a display piece, and now that it has retired it tends to cost more than that secondhand. A small number of people also hit snags with carriage alignment or the occasional missing bag, so keep the box and receipt handy.

Who it's for

I would hand this to anyone who loves a working mechanism, anyone who writes for a living, and anyone who wants a display model that actually does something rather than just sitting pretty. If you only build for minifigures or you want a fast, breezy afternoon, the slow start will test you and you might be happier elsewhere. But if a brick typewriter that genuinely types makes you grin the way it made me grin, get it. It is one of the most satisfying things in the whole Ideas line.

The parts story

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

The build has two distinct moods. The opening act is all internals, the Technic skeleton and the linkage that lets a keypress raise the center typebar and nudge the carriage along. It is mechanical, precise, and a touch repetitive, so settle in with a coffee. Then the personality arrives. The sand green shell gets shaped, the platen roller and paper table go on at the back, and the ring of keys goes down one at a time. Feeding a real sheet of paper into the roller and watching the carriage step across as you tap keys is the moment it all clicks, and it more than pays back the earlier slog.

For parts people there is a lot to love here. The 31 letter keys are printed 2x2 round tiles rather than stickers, with a bespoke symmetrical typeface the designers drew just for this model, so the caps look crisp and they are handy for your own creations. The standout element is a new fabric ink ribbon in black and red that threads across the front just like the real thing. Sand green fans get a big haul of that lovely muted color in useful plates and slopes, and at 2,080 pieces for the original 199.99, the value stacks up nicely once you count all that printing and a genuinely working action.

Fun facts

01The sand green color and overall shape were inspired by the vintage Erika 10 typewriter that designer Steve Guinness bought and studied while prototyping the model.
02The sticker on the back hides a personal Easter egg reading SG NGUOYD, which stands for Steve Guinness: Never Give Up On Your Dreams.
03The set ships with a booklet containing a letter from Thomas Kirk Kristiansen of LEGO's owner family, printed in 43 different languages, nodding to the typewriter used by LEGO founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen.
04It launched as LEGO Ideas set number 35 in June 2021 and retired at the end of 2024, with prices climbing above its original 199.99 tag afterward.