LEGO Ideas and CUUSOO

Voltron

Five buildable lions that lock into one giant posable mech.

4.4/5

Set 21311 · 2018

Pieces2,321

Minifigsn/a

Year2018

Set number21311

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The verdict

If you grew up on Voltron (or you just love a big posable robot), this one is a proper joy.

You build five separate lions, then click them together into a nearly 16-inch mech complete with sword and shield, and honestly that combine moment is worth the price of admission. It's for patient builders who want a display piece, not a fiddle-with-it-daily toy, since the transformation can get a bit twisty. Just know it's long retired now, so you'll be paying a hefty aftermarket premium.

Best for: 80s cartoon fans and mech lovers who want a chunky display centerpiece

The full review

What it is

Let me tell you why this LEGO® set gets people so excited. Voltron 21311 is the classic 1980s defender of the universe rebuilt in brick, and instead of one big model you actually get five: a black lion, plus red, green, blue, and yellow lions. Each one is a satisfying build in its own right, posable and packed with character, and then the real magic happens. You fold and click all five together into a single towering mech that stands close to 16 inches tall, hand it a huge sword and a shield, and suddenly your desk has a proper guardian on it. At 2,321 pieces it was the biggest LEGO Ideas set ever made at launch, and it still feels enormous when the box lands.

The catch

Now the honest bits, because a good mate tells you the whole story. First, there are no minifigures at all, and for a set this big and this pricey that genuinely annoyed a lot of buyers. Plenty of reviewers pointed out that a little stand with five pilot figures, like Yellow Submarine or the Ecto-1 got, would have made it feel complete. Second, the transformation is the headline feature but it's not always smooth. The Technic joints that let the lions become arms and legs can be fiddly, and it's common for a limb or a paw to pop or twist loose while you're posing it. You learn the knack, but it's not a set you'll want to convert back and forth ten times a day. And third, it retired back in January 2019 after only about 16 months on shelves, so the original 179.99 price is long gone. Expect to pay a solid premium on the aftermarket now.

Who it's for

So who should grab it? If you loved Voltron as a kid, or you just want a big, chunky, display-worthy mech that rewards a patient build, this is an easy yes. It's also a great one to build with a partner or the family, since you can each take a lion and race. Who should skip it? If you build mainly for minifigures, or you want something you'll transform constantly without babying the joints, this probably isn't your set. But as a shelf centerpiece with real nostalgia and a payoff moment that still makes people grin, it holds up beautifully. The 4.4 out of 5 community rating tells you the fans agree.

The parts story

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

The build is split into five clear chapters, one per lion, with parts sorted into numbered bags 1 through 16 and six separate instruction booklets. That structure makes it feel less like a 2,300-piece marathon and more like five bite-sized projects. The smaller lions come together in around half an hour each, the mid-size ones closer to 45 minutes, and the big black lion is the long haul at roughly two hours with the most complex manual of the bunch. Techniques lean heavily on Technic framing and joints so the limbs can fold and lock, and the final booklet walks you through the combine plus building the sword and shield. It's a really pleasant pace with a clear reward at the end of each section.

On the parts front there's a genuine treat for collectors: five booklet pages are given over to the inventory, spanning elements in around 20 different colors. You get a big haul in each lion's signature color, so this is a fantastic source of bulk red, blue, green, yellow, and black elements, including plenty of useful Technic connectors, panels, and angled pieces. There aren't a stack of brand-new molds here since the design leans on smart use of existing parts, but the sheer volume of solid, reusable Technic and System elements is where the value sits for anyone who likes to build their own creations afterward.

Fun facts

01The original model was designed by fan builder Leandro "Lendy" Tayag, a software engineer from the Philippines living in Malaysia, and his LEGO Ideas project hit 10,000 supporters in just three weeks.
02At 2,321 pieces it was the largest LEGO Ideas set ever released at the time, and it still stands as one of the biggest in the theme.
03The set contains no minifigures at all, which is rare for a flagship Ideas release and became one of the most common complaints from reviewers.
04It retired in January 2019 after only about 16 months on the market, and sealed copies have since climbed well past double the original 179.99 retail price.